The flames from the industrial district still lingered in Ethan's memory when dawn broke across the city. He stood on the balcony of a rented apartment overlooking the financial core, his body bruised but his mind sharper than ever.
The System's translucent screens floated before him, numbers cascading like rain.
[Active Quest: The Syndicate's Shadow][Secondary Task: Overturn the Capital Gambit]Difficulty: S-Tier]Condition: Manipulate market forces to reverse a losing position within 72 hours.]Penalty for Failure: Permanent Reputation Loss, 50% Capital Reduction.]
Ethan exhaled slowly. So, this is what it means to walk into their playground.
The Syndicate hadn't merely tried to kill him with blades. They wanted him destroyed financially, his reputation gutted and his future salted. Already, whispers flooded the news cycles: "Ethan Graves—killer, criminal, outlaw." Stocks tied to his emerging businesses dipped overnight. Investors panicked, vultures circled.
But Ethan wasn't going to roll over. If they wanted a gamble, then he'd put his entire board on the line.
Gathering the Pieces
"Boss, you're insane," Carter muttered. His second-in-command slammed the folder onto the table. "They've locked you out of the credit unions. Your liquidity is trash. The Syndicate is bleeding your name through every media outlet they control. And you want to… to bet it all?"
Ethan smirked, sipping bitter coffee. "That's exactly why we'll win. They expect fear. They expect retreat. Instead, we'll make a move so aggressive they won't believe it until it's too late."
He pulled up another System screen, invisible to anyone else:
[Capital Points Available: 9,700][Special Resource: Syndicate Mask (Elite Token)][Unlocked Skill: Hunter's Domain—Active for Market Arena.]
The token, looted from the wolf-mask leader in Chapter 9, wasn't just a trinket. The System whispered that it held leverage—temporary access into the Syndicate's shadow markets.
And Hunter's Domain wasn't limited to battlefields. When activated, it extended into economic terrain, tilting probabilities, warping numbers in Ethan's favor.
He grinned. You wanted a game of kings? Then I'll open with the king's gambit.
The Opening Move
At noon, the financial market bell chimed. Traders swarmed the screens.
And Ethan Graves—blacklisted, smeared, under siege—stepped boldly into the spotlight. He called a press conference.
Dozens of cameras turned toward him. Opponents expected him to look desperate, cornered, perhaps even apologetic. Instead, he looked like a predator walking into his own feast.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Ethan began, his voice carrying iron confidence, "rumors have been spread, lies manufactured. They say I'm finished. They say I'm hunted. But the truth is simpler: while they whisper, I build. While they panic, I move."
He placed a document on the podium.
"Effective immediately, I'm acquiring controlling stakes in Ironclad Shipping and Apex Media—two companies your Syndicate darlings thought untouchable. And I won't stop there."
Gasps erupted. Reporters shouted. Ironclad and Apex were mid-tier giants, far larger than anything Ethan should have had the power to touch.
That was the first feint.
The Syndicate's agents watching from their towers laughed cruelly. "He's bluffing. He doesn't have the liquidity. He'll sink himself in debt."
Which was exactly what Ethan wanted them to think.
Hunter's Domain: Market Edition
[Activating Skill: Hunter's Domain.]Effect: Battlefield Expanded to Capital Arena.]Bonus: Opponent Misjudgment Rate +40%. Resource Efficiency +60%. Hidden Traps Deployed Automatically.]
Invisible ripples spread across the digital markets. Syndicate-controlled brokers miscalculated by tiny margins, their algorithms skewed, their timing dulled.
Ethan's Capital Points converted into raw leverage, buying time and momentum he shouldn't have had.
To outsiders, it looked suicidal. To the System, it was the perfect trap unfolding.
Middle Game: Blood in the Market
The Syndicate retaliated within hours. Shadow funds crashed into Ethan's positions, short-selling his acquisitions, inflating false scandals across newsfeeds. Apex Media's value dipped by 12%. Ironclad Shipping's board announced an emergency vote to block hostile takeover.
Carter swore as alerts blared across the office. "They're tearing us apart! Boss, we can't plug all the leaks!"
But Ethan only chuckled, his eyes gleaming as he typed command after command. "No. Let them pour their resources in. Let them think they've cornered me again."
Because buried beneath Apex and Ironclad was a hidden third move.
Through the Syndicate token, Ethan gained temporary access to their internal trading channels. He wasn't just fighting their forces—he was bleeding them from the inside. Every desperate strike they made against him siphoned value into quiet shell accounts under his control.
The System confirmed it:
[Trap Triggered: Syndicate Leak]Resources Diverted: +6,000 Capital Points.]Market Confusion: Opponent Error Multiplier Increased.]
The king's gambit was no bluff. It was bait.
The Decisive Clash
By the second night, the market was a battlefield drenched in numbers instead of blood. Ethan hadn't slept, his veins humming with adrenaline and caffeine, his mind sharp with predatory focus.
On the third morning, the Syndicate moved their queen. They unleashed a conglomerate-level strike: five corporations acting in tandem to annihilate Ethan's positions.
Every analyst predicted his destruction.
Ethan smiled. "Check."
He triggered his final contingency.
Weeks earlier, through shell companies, Ethan had quietly acquired dormant shipping contracts tied to Ironclad's overseas routes. With a single stroke, he revealed them. Ironclad's stock surged. Apex Media, tied by exclusivity deals, rebounded alongside it.
The Syndicate's five-pronged strike turned inward, collapsing on itself.
The System's voice thundered.
[Capital Gambit Reversed!]Net Gain: +22,000 Capital Points.]Level Up: 15 → 18.]Skill Acquired: Market Predator's Instinct.]Hidden Task Unlocked: Capital Hunter's Oath.]
The crowd of investors roared. Ethan Graves, the man written off as prey, had just gutted the Syndicate in open daylight.
Endgame: Reputation Forged in Fire
That evening, the city's skyline glowed golden as markets closed. Ethan stood again at the balcony, Carter beside him, both silent for a long while.
"Boss," Carter whispered finally. "You just won against people no one has ever dared touch."
Ethan's eyes burned with cold fire. "This wasn't a win. It was the opening move."
Because even as the System celebrated his success, a new message flickered across the screen:
[Warning: You Have Drawn the Syndicate's Direct Attention.][Difficulty Escalation: From Regional to Continental.][The Hunt Expands.]
Ethan chuckled softly, exhaustion lining his voice but triumph burning in his veins.
"They wanted to make me their prey," he murmured. "But a king doesn't bow. A king hunts."
The city lights reflected in his eyes, sharp as a crown of blades.