Lucas Grant stood in the center of the Tier 1 lounge, sipping a bitter espresso that cost more than his old school's monthly cafeteria budget. Around him, Olympus students moved like players on a chessboard—deliberate, calculated, and far too aware of status.
He had placed third in Startup Pitch Week. Not bad, but not good enough.
His platform, Microvest, had earned buzz. His speech had stirred murmurs. But buzz wasn't capital. Murmurs didn't build empires.
He was still Provisional Tier 1—and that word, "provisional," clung to him like a warning label.
Lucas sat down at the edge of the lounge, opened his tablet, and pulled up the Olympus internal database. It was time to stop playing and start mapping.
Olympus High wasn't just a school.
It was a system.
A living, breathing network of influence, forged through years of silent power plays and invisible deals. Lucas realized the hard truth: Ideas alone weren't enough. Talent didn't rise here.
Connections did.
Rule #1: Power flows sideways before it flows upward.You don't get to the top by challenging it—you rise by getting endorsed from within.
Lucas had always believed in merit. But Olympus wasn't built for merit.
It was built for legacy, leverage, and loyalty.
He started scribbling in his digital notebook:
Tier 6 – Board Legacy Kids. Their families funded wings of the campus.
Tier 5 – Established Dynasties. Corporate heirs, politicians' children, media tycoons in training.
Tier 4—Power Brokers. Known for their negotiation, resource control, and network mastery.
Tier 3 – Council Eligible. The earliest tier allowed to run for Junior Council roles.
Tier 2—Rising Talents. Often skilled but politically neutral. Potential assets or threats.
Tier 11—Scrappers. First-time access to elite resources. Most won't survive the pressure.
His finger hovered over the screen.
Tier 0—Disposable.No connections. No noise. No memory.
He had climbed out of that. Barely.
But now, if he wanted to survive Olympus—really survive—he couldn't just build a product. He had to build protection.
That afternoon, Lucas did something he'd never done before.
He attended a Tier 1 mentorship mixer.
Not to pitch.
To watch.
He floated quietly from group to group, pretending to listen while actually recording data—who talked to whom, who got ignored, and whose names got whispers when they walked by.
He noticed it fast: Tier didn't always equal power.
There were Tier 3s with no influence and Tier 1s with weight far beyond their badge. Why?
Sponsorships.
Lucas eavesdropped on a girl whispering, "You know he got fast-tracked 'cause of a family friend on the Olympus Board."
Connections again.
Across the room, a boy named Noah Ward held court. Tier 2, but charming and confident. Not brilliant—but always surrounded by people who were.
Lucas noted, Power by association.
Then came the second lesson.
Reputation is currency.
Later that night, Lucas searched the Olympus private forum archives. Posts. Comments. Investment history. Past scandals. Everything left a trail.
One comment from a Tier 5 student two years ago had gone viral:
"Trust is the only thing you can't buy twice."
Lucas understood. People didn't just win by building things.
They won by being known for something.
He looked at his current status.
Lucas Grant—Provisional Tier 1Tags: War Game Runner-Up, Startup Finalist, Watchlist
Better than most. But still not safe.
He needed a reputation that would stick—something beyond "talented" or "underdog."
He needed to become undeniable.
The next week, Lucas began observing Olympus like a sociologist.
He mapped out routines, club memberships, startup alliances, and secret competitions. Every hallway had subcultures. Every bathroom had whisper networks.
He discovered
The Greenhouse Club secretly backed startup ventures in exchange for 20% equity.
The Chess Club wasn't about chess. It was a front for underground bet-based strategy games.
The Olympian Review (student media) had deals with Tier 4s to boost certain projects with glowing articles.
Lucas made a private list:
Clubs worth infiltrating
Students worth shadowing
Loopholes in school policy
For example:Olympus didn't allow Tier 1s in the Investment Incubator… unless they had a Tier 3 sponsor.
Which meant he needed a sponsor.
"You're changing," Raj said one day, watching Lucas layer information like a spy.
Lucas replied without looking up from his chart. "I'm learning the rules of the real game."
Theo leaned over his shoulder. "And the rules say... what?"
Lucas tapped the top of the hierarchy map. "That Olympus is a pyramid. But even pyramids have cracks. I'm going to find one."
He now had a three-part goal:
Earn sponsorship from a Tier 3 or higher.
Build a visible reputation that made silence impossible.
Find the loopholes that turned temporary power into permanent control.
He wasn't just building Microvest anymore.
He was building a legacy.
And soon when his name showed up on the Olympus boards...
...it wouldn't be followed by "provisional."It would be followed by a problem.