Chapter 14 – Foundation of Power
The sky above Earth was clearer than it had been in days, but Chris felt anything but clear-headed.
He stood on the rooftop of his apartment building, the city sprawling beneath him. The wind tugged at his sleeves. Below, people were arguing with a man in a sleek gray suit—clipboard in hand, sunglasses too expensive to be anything but fake importance.
"You've got three weeks to vacate," the man was saying. "New ownership. Full redevelopment. We'll be gutting the place."
The man didn't care who was listening. The residents were numbers to him. Chris watched it unfold in silence, his heart oddly steady.
He had seen worse.
His neighbor Nia had come up beside him without warning.
"That guy's from VexCorp," she said. "The son of some big real estate mogul. First project. What a dick."
Chris raised an eyebrow.
She shrugged. "I know people."
He turned away, scanning the streets. Something felt different today. His senses were tingling in the back of his skull—not from danger, but potential. Like the Tower itself was watching again.
> [System Prompt: Mars Entry Countdown – 7 Days Remaining]
> [Advisory: Finalize upgrades. Select equipment. Prepare vessel traits.]
> [Passive Trait Ready: Thirstless Body – Evolve to Vacuum Body?]
> [Cost: 25 Lesser Souls]
> [Warning: Trait becomes permanent upon evolution.]
Chris confirmed it.
He didn't need to second-guess. Mars was no longer metaphorical.
> [Evolution Complete: Vacuum Body – Passive (Extreme)]
> *You are now immune to vacuum, pressure collapse, and airborne toxins. Minimal oxygen is still required.*
His body tightened, like something in his skin had just sealed shut. The wind didn't sting anymore. The air tasted like nothing.
A distant hum filled the back of his brain.
He was becoming something more than human. And the further he stepped into this journey, the more Earth looked like a stage waiting to be dismantled.
---
Three nights later, he cleared another mock trial in the Tower and was rewarded with something strange.
> [New Feature: Inventory Expansion – Material Category Unlocked]
> [You may now collect, store, and interact with raw materials.]
His next kill—an obsidian-horned beast twice his size—dropped a shimmering black shard and a clump of dense yellow ore.
> [Item Acquired: Emberite Core (Tier 2)]
> [Item Acquired: Compressed Solar Gold – Purity 89%]
Chris stared.
He pocketed them both into the system inventory, which now had dedicated slots for material types. Rows and columns of grayed-out space whispered with the promise of more.
> [System Forecast: Version 1.0 Unlockable Upon Acquisition of 4 Great Souls]
> [New Abilities Unlocked at v1.0: Crafting • Fusion • Creation-type Skills]
> [Warning: Reality Adaptation Likely to Escalate]
This wasn't just leveling up anymore.
It was shaping the rules of the world.
---
Back on Earth, Nia knocked on his door again.
"Still alive?"
Chris nodded. "Mostly."
"You hear about the guy downstairs?" she asked. "He's a trust fund baby with a grudge. Apparently, he used to run things at our school like a mob boss."
Chris didn't flinch. "I remember him."
"You do?"
"No one noticed me. But I noticed everyone."
She tilted her head. "That's kind of creepy."
Chris almost smiled.
Almost.
---
The next morning, Chris checked his funds. What little remained from his inheritance was drying up—he'd been living without work since high school, and while the Tower provided experience, it didn't pay rent.
At least not yet.
But that changed when he returned from another Tower dive.
This time, after killing a subterranean crystal beast, something rare dropped:
> [Item Acquired: Void Crystal – Grade A]
> [Item Acquired: Sky Silver – Refined]
> [Item Acquired: Lunar Platinum – Partial Shard]
> [Item Value: $2,148,000]
The system now had an **appraisal function**, seemingly awakened by his growing divinity.
And that's when Chris realized: he didn't need a job.
He had an economy.
---
He liquidated the ore through a black-market exchange online—set up through a friend-of-a-friend from high school who now ran a weird metal hobbyist forum.
The money hit within hours.
> [Bank Balance: $2,040,000 after laundering cut]
Chris stared at the number. Then at the eviction notice pinned to the apartment front door.
Then he opened a system tab.
> [System Inquiry: May I offer assistance?]
Chris frowned.
"What do you mean?"
> [Divine Influence: 3.7%]
> [Your control over localized fate is growing. Consider long-term territory acquisition.]
Chris blinked.
"You want me to buy the building?"
> [Suggestion: Control begins with domain.]
Chris didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
---
The next day, the VexCorp rep showed up again.
He didn't make it to the lobby before being intercepted.
Chris met him halfway, hands in his hoodie, calm as a shadow.
"I'd like to make an offer," Chris said.
The man sneered. "We're not taking tenants' bids."
Chris handed over a folded paper.
The man's eyes widened.
"Where'd you get this kind of backing?"
Chris didn't blink. "Do you accept?"
The rep hesitated.
Then nodded.
---
Later that night, Nia banged on his door.
"You bought the building?!" she shouted through the crack.
Chris opened it slowly.
"Didn't want to move."
"You're insane."
He didn't argue.
---
Chris knew this wasn't about apartments.
It was about presence.
The system had planted a seed in his mind:
Control your surroundings. Shape your reality. Build your base.
Because once Mars was done, other systems would notice.
And Earth wouldn't stay isolated forever.