I paused, my fingers hovering above the keyboard as I racked my brain for a solution.
The timer ticking in the corner of my vision reminded me that I didn't have the luxury of wasting time.
Think. Think. There has to be something…
Then suddenly, like a spark striking dry wood, a memory surfaced, and with it, an idea so brilliant that I almost laughed.
Of course. How could I have forgotten?
With a rush of urgency, I typed the word into the search bar and slammed the enter key.
Dol.
The loading bar crept across the screen slowly, scanning through the countless markets within Blue Ice's vast system.
For a few seconds, doubt gnawed at me.
Maybe it wasn't listed yet. Maybe I was too early.
But then, the screen flickered, there it was. Displayed before me was the product, Dol: a gem-like item, shimmering in the preview window with dazzling colors that shifted as though alive.
Dol wasn't just any product. It was the product my father's company, Sun Mountain, was producing.
It hadn't been released yet, but I remembered overhearing discussions back when I still wandered the company halls.
Dol was scheduled to hit the market in just a few days.
At the time, I barely paid attention, too busy living like a spoiled brat, pretending the world would always hand me everything.
But now, with my future hanging by a thread, that old memory had transformed into a lifeline.
I stared at the glowing gem on my screen, my mind recalling every detail I had overheard.
Dol wasn't like normal gemstones or those cheap stat-boost trinkets found in dungeons.
Its primary function was straightforward: a temporary stat boost. Nothing unusual there.
But what made Dol groundbreaking… was that it granted a portion, sometimes half, sometimes less, of the temporary boost as a permanent increase.
Permanent. The word rang in my head like a bell.
In a world where power determined survival, something like that wasn't just valuable, it was revolutionary.
Sure, there were skeptics. There always were. But Sun Mountain hadn't attracted just any investors.
I remembered hearing that powerful guilds, elite organizations, and even influential individuals were putting money into Dol.
And not all of them were public. Some deals had been kept behind closed doors, hidden for strategic advantage.
In truth, Dol was going to be huge. And it was going to be Sun Mountain's golden ticket.
And right now, it was also going to be my golden ticket too.
For the first time, I felt genuinely proud that I wasn't completely clueless.
Maybe I had been a spoiled brat, but at least I'd paid enough attention to know this gem's potential.
With my mind made up, I didn't hesitate any longer.
I opened the investment page, my heart thudding as I entered the amount.
A thousand dollars.
Not everything I had, I wasn't foolish enough to risk it all, not when I still needed to survive until my investment bore fruit, but enough to make this count.
My lips curved into a small, satisfied smile as I confirmed the trade.
"Done," I whispered, leaning back in my chair. For the first time in hours, relief washed over me. "Totally worth it."
And then—
[Congratulations! You Have Completed Your First Quest!]
A bright notification flared across my vision, nearly blinding me with its suddenness.
I blinked, then leaned forward in disbelief as more lines of text appeared.
[You Have Been Rewarded: +1 Intelligence]
[You Have Been Rewarded: +1 Luck]
A stunned laugh escaped me.
"No way… it actually worked?"
I couldn't stop grinning as I stared at the glowing pop-ups.
This wasn't just investing anymore. This was an absolute cheat.
A system that rewarded me for doing exactly what I needed to survive.
The excitement coursed through me, pushing aside the lingering anxiety that had haunted me since this all began.
With every point I gained, with every reward I earned, I could see the path opening up before me. A path toward strength. Toward control.
Maybe even… toward redemption.
Just as the thought settled, another notification appeared.
[As Of Your First Time Completing A Quest, A Bonus Reward Has Been Given To You!]
I froze. My eyes widened.
A bonus?