The Merchant of Endless Gain

The air was still, save for the sound of Ace's ragged breathing. The faint scent of gunpowder lingered in his nostrils, and his knees buckled as he tried to stand.

"W-what just happened?" he stammered, looking around.

The vibrant green plains stretched endlessly before him, a gentle wind brushing past his face. The sun shone brightly overhead, warm and unrelenting.

He raised a trembling hand to his chest, half expecting to find a bullet wound. Instead, his shirt was intact, no blood, no pain—just confusion.

He turned his head left and right, scanning his surroundings. "Am I… outside?" His voice was barely more than a whisper.

Then it hit him like a bolt of lightning: the last thing he remembered.

---

Ace had always lived on borrowed time—and borrowed money. A gambling addict with an insatiable thirst for wealth, he had pushed his luck too far. Debts piled high, his creditors had finally come to collect.

"You've run out of second chances, Ace," one of them sneered, shoving him to his knees in a dimly lit alley.

"C'mon, guys! Just one more bet, I swear I can pay you back!" Ace pleaded, his voice trembling but still carrying that reckless charm.

The man holding the gun didn't even blink. "You gambled away everything, Ace. Even your life."

The cold barrel pressed against his temple. His heart raced. Then, the deafening sound of the gunshot—

And now he was here. Alive.

Ace clutched his head and laughed, the sound unhinged and desperate. "How it happened, I don't know, but thank you! Ah, thank you!" He yelled to the heavens, his voice echoing across the open plains.

---

As Ace spun around, trying to make sense of the situation, a glowing screen suddenly appeared before him, hovering in mid-air.

Welcome to the New World!

Your Talent: Insatiable Profit

Effect: Earn 20% daily turnover on any specified item, up to a maximum base value of 100,000. This means the most you can earn per day from this ability is 20,000. Amass wealth quickly—but beware the limits of your greed!

Grade: C (A stepping stone to fortune… or ruin!)

Ace stared at the screen, blinking in disbelief. "Is this some kind of joke? What the hell is this? A game? A punishment?" He squinted at the title.

"'Insatiable Profit'... Hah! That's rich. Even in death, I can't escape the hustle."

The details sunk in. A system designed to generate wealth? A talent made for a man like him? For the first time in a long time, Ace felt something stir inside him—hope.

"Hah! Tailor-made for me," he said aloud, grinning. "Whoever's pulling the strings, you've got style."

But before he could examine the screen further, the thrill of freedom overtook him. He dashed across the plains, running his hands through the tall grass, laughing like a madman.

---

An hour later, the sun was high in the sky, and Ace finally allowed himself to stop and breathe. His excitement had dulled, replaced by the creeping awareness of his situation. He sat down on the grass, the vast emptiness around him suddenly feeling overwhelming.

"Alright, Ace," he muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. "You've been shot, sent to who-knows-where, and given a talent to make money. Let's figure this out before you starve to death."

He summoned the system screen again, this time taking the time to read through it.

Title: Insatiable Profit

Effect: Gain 20% daily turnover from any specified item, capped at 100,000 value.

"Hah! What's the catch?" Ace said, narrowing his eyes. His fingers tapped through the options until he stumbled upon the Map page.

The screen displayed a detailed map of his surroundings. Ace was on the northern border of the Virelith Kingdom, with the Aetheria Kingdom above his area. A dense, sprawling forest lay between the two kingdoms, and his current position was marked by a glowing dot.

"So, I'm in no-man's land," he murmured, tracing the borders with his finger. "This could work… but first, I need capital."

---

His exploration of the system led him to the Loaning Page, where he discovered something intriguing:

Land Value: 15,000 gold

Available Loan: 10,000 gold

Daily Interest: 1-5%

Ace's grin widened. "A loan, huh? You've got me pegged. I'm already in debt up to my eyeballs, what's a little more?"

With a flick of his finger, he accepted the loan. In an instant, 10,000 gold coins materialized before him, shimmering in neat stacks.

He whistled, running his hands over the coins. "Beautiful. You don't know what you've just done, system. I'm about to turn this into something big."

---

Ace wasn't about to let his newfound wealth sit idle. Scanning the Trade Page, he found basic supplies for sale:

A modest house: 50 gold

Provisions (bread, meat, and water for a week): 25 gold

Basic tools (axe, shovel, and knife): 15 gold

He placed the order, and within moments, the items materialized in front of him.

A small wooden house with a single room stood a few paces away, its walls sturdy and its roof thatched. The food was neatly packed in crates, and the tools gleamed as if freshly forged.

Ace approached the house, running a hand over the wood. "Not bad for 50 gold. Guess I've got a roof over my head now."

His stomach growled, and he grabbed a loaf of bread and a chunk of cured meat. Sitting on the house's front step, he bit into the meal.

"Not exactly fine dining, but hey, it beats starving," he muttered between bites.

As the sun dipped lower, Ace felt a strange sense of satisfaction. He had food, shelter, and tools to begin his new life. But his mind was already racing with ideas to expand.

---

Night was falling, and Ace wasn't about to take chances. Returning to the Build Page, he spent 100 gold to erect a wooden wall around his territory. The barrier materialized with a low hum, forming a secure perimeter around his house and the nearby area.

Leaning against the wall, Ace gazed up at the stars. "Safe for now," he murmured. "But tomorrow, we start building an empire."