The hum was soft, and the private jet's engines echoed in the cabin as Keith Hall brewed inside.
It had only been two days since the attack on his restaurant.
His first major investment in this new world.
His first real attempt to build something of his own.
Now, it was in ruins.
The lawsuit came right after, fabricated and backed by people with far more influence than he could face alone.
He clenched his fist on his lap, his knuckles cracked slightly in the process.
"How? How could I be so stupid?" He growled, slamming his fist against his thigh.
The pain grounded him, but it didn't dull the frustration one bit.
He adjusted in his seat and let out a shaky sigh.
He was aboard on one of the Sawyer Group private jet, soaring thousands of feet above the clouds.
It's destination— Xhina.
The country's capital was hosting one of the largest business conference in the Eastern Hemisphere known as The Global Jade Convention, an event known for its showcase in precious stone and rare antique worthy items. An event that required the attendance of the Sawyer Conglomerate itself.
And he was attending… as a newly recruited junior analyst, he was still poised on his goal that is to know and learn as much as he could about the Antique sector so as he could build a business from it and add to his empire.
He was given this opportunity unofficially.
Officially? He was a ghost.
No announcement was made. No records published. Not even Valerie's grandmother, the head of the Sawyer family knew about his involvement.
Thanks to Valerie, and his Business Influence Network ability, he was still breathing.
Valerie Sawyer had moved like a shadow. Discreetly delaying the lawsuit by exploiting legal technicalities, leveraging corporate contacts, and pulling invisible strings behind closed doors.
Lucio and Daphne were now in the best hospital in the country, receiving care only the elite could afford.
Valerie made it happen.
And when his assets and bank accounts were all frozen? She gave him a black platinum card linked to a private account hidden deep within her family's sprawling finances. An account only she knew existed.
Still, despite everything… Keith couldn't shake the shame.
"How could I be manipulated like that…" he muttered.
Just then—
Ti-ring!
That familiar chime echoed in his mind, and the semi-transparent interface blinked into view.
[Host, your Core Stats affect your business relationship with people and also affect your performance as well]
He tilted his head inquisitively, "What's that supposed to mean? My core stats are low…"
Ti-ring.
[Root cause has been identified as low INT {Intelligence}]
Keith blinked.
"You've got to be kidding me… I boosted my Intelligence stat after completing last months quest!"
[Core Stats Panel]
[INT {Intelligence}> 62: Enhances Forecasting, Data Analysis, And Innovation.]
[CHA {Charisma}> 65: Boosts persuasion, networking, and media appeal.]
[MAN {Management}> 10: Increases staff efficiency and production output.]
[FIN {Finance}> 13: Grants smarter budgeting, better investments.]
[INN {Innovation}> 8: Unlocks unique business domains, models and patents.]
[Business God System v1.0 Remark> At this intelligence level, host is vulnerable to manipulation, poor judgement, and emotional volatility.]
[Recommendation> Prioritize Leveling up and Core Stat upgrade to enhance foresight, decision making and negotiation skills.]
Keith slumped back against his seat.
The Business God System wasn't wrong.
He'd been reckless, thinking he was smarter than everyone. Now he walked into a trap blinded by emotion and fueled by ego and too confident in his instincts to read between the lines.
Keith sighed and prompted to check his BGS Credit balance in an attempt to boost his stats.
Ti-ring.
[Available BGS Credit> 0]
"Tch!"
He sunk even deeper into his chair and rubbed his hands against his face in frustration.
"How do I level up and boost my stats faster… I clearly need them if I want to clear my monthly quest."
Ti-ring.
[Daily Test Time unlocked]
"Huh? Daily test time?…" Kieth repeated as he rose and sat properly in his chair.
[This panel is aimed at increasing host cognitive abilities by introducing a series of test and questions to complete. If successfully completed, BGS Credits and Level Up points are being awarded]
Keith took a breath of understanding and also mental fatigue. For the past few days he'd gone through a lot of business downs and he now knew more about running a business and dealing with oppositions in the business world.
The system was not going to let him off easy. Even though it had given him the means to be rich, it wanted to make sure that he knew how to maintain the wealth, even when it came in excess.
Ti-ring!
[Test Time!]
"Oh! We starting now… this should be easy, I have a decent level knowledge of business from my past life"
[Question 1> Which term refers to the strategy of reducing risk by investing in diverse assets?]
Keith exhaled. Easy . "Diversification…"
[Correct!]
He didn't applaud himself and just quietly waited for the second question.
[Question 2> What term describes the theoretical price at which an option becomes profitable to exercise, factoring in the premium paid?]
Keith hesitated.
Delta?
Theta?
He clicked his answer.
[Incorrect!]
The system flashed a rebuking red display.
[You must study hard. One must be good to be a top business man, but to be A Business God, one must be perfect.]
'Okay, okay. I get it…' Keith replied while repositioning in his seat to get further comfortable. 'Next question.'
[Question 3… Correct!]
[Question 4… Correct!]
[Question 5… Correct!]
[Question 10… Correct!]
[Congratulations. You have passed the test with a 90% score]
[Grade A. Reward> 5 BGS Credits and 0.10 Level Up Points]
It wasn't much, but upon compound increment, it was sure to make a difference.
Keith glanced at his watch, he had roughly five hours to arrive at his destination in the capital city of Xhina.
That was enough time to do exactly what the system advised him to do— Study hard. A Business God doesn't have to be good but Perfect!
He spent the next few hours reading books from online libraries and researching on the internet without taking any rest. Just to gain more knowledge about the art of Business.
And not to mention— The Global Jade Convention, he needed to educate himself properly with the goal of earning as much money as possible so as to complete his side quest of rejuvenating The Pine Cone investment.
The Global Jade Convention would be held the next day, already loosing two days, he was in a race against time to complete the side quest and reap it's benefits.
***
Several hours later, Keith finally set foot in Xhina's busiest airport.
Dragging his luggage, he took a cab with Max Prime Hotel set as his destination.
It took him a while to unpack his luggages in the hotel, but once he was done with the unpacking, he immediately continued his research on the topic concerning the Global Jade Convention.
As Keith could only use the Eye Of Apollo a maximum of three times a day, he had to be discerning about which precious stone or antique to employ his power on during the convention.
Thus, in order to boost his success with this gamble, he urgently required knowledge of alternative methods in determining if an antique might be of potential value, and he needed to learn it quickly.
With a deliberate pace, Keith scrolled through the pages of the internet and made earnest effort to absorb the knowledge within.
Despite having the Business God System to assist him, Keith recognised that improving his own abilities and strength, rather than relying solely on the system, would be best for him in the long term.