CHAPTER FOURTEEN
The echoes of the final bell still rang in Eastwood High's halls.
Malik Smith Jr. had gone from overlooked student to campus legend overnight.
👑 The Crowned King Walks the Halls
Post-victory Monday.
When Malik stepped through the school gates, time seemed to stop.
Heads turned.
Backpacks were dropped.
A crowd formed within seconds.
Someone actually fainted.
(Okay, maybe she just tripped, but the drama helped.)
Students lined the hallway like a red carpet.
Some chanted his name.
Others held signs — "SKYFALL ME DADDY" was… a bit much.
Even teachers looked at him differently now.
Mr. Halpern, the grumpy calculus teacher, gave him a head nod — and a late assignment extension.
"Yo, M.K. Jr. — sign my lunchbox?"
"Is it true you broke Ryder's spine?"
"You got a belt. You got merch yet?"
Malik just laughed.
He wasn't used to the limelight, but it fit him better than he thought.
💼 System Update: Fame Phase I Initiated
📢 SYSTEM PING:
🎉 Fan Tier: Local Icon
🎯 New Passive Unlocked: "Street Heat" – Small Fame Bonuses in Public Areas
📈 Followers: +9,000 (and counting)
📥 Opportunities Incoming:
🏢 Local Gym Brand Sponsorship Offer 🎥 Indie Wrestling Promotion Invite 💰 Appearance Fee Request (Charity Event – $200)
🎯 NEW MISSION ADDED:
"Secure the Bag" – Accept a Sponsorship Deal
• Reward: +200 XP
• Unlocks: "Pro Appearance" Passive (Boosts Payouts)
💸 Money in the Bank… Literally
The tournament winnings hit his account Tuesday.
$3,000 USD.
Clean. Crisp. Life-changing.
Malik stared at the notification like it was a cheat code.
Most teens would've blown it on sneakers or console bundles.
But Malik wasn't most teens.
In his past life, he'd been a nobody… until he wasn't.
And in the years that followed, he had studied investing — trading stocks, crypto, even dabbling in real estate during off-seasons.
He never forgot those hard-learned lessons.
Now, with his memories intact, Malik knew exactly what to do.
He turned on his computer, logged into a trading platform, and began the play:
✅ Invested $500 in a solar startup that would blow up next year
✅ Bought $800 worth of penny stocks in a gaming company weeks from a breakthrough
✅ Set aside $700 for short-term momentum trading
✅ Left $1,000 untouched — "Opportunistic Reserve"
📢 SYSTEM BONUS:
🎓 "Back to the Future" – Finance Memory Applied
• +1 INTELLIGENCE
• +1 TECHNIQUE
• Special Trait Gained: "Money Minded" – Access to Stock Events and News
Sparks, Tension, and the Viper Texts
Later that week…
Vanessa "Viper" Cruz:
"I saw your entrance at school. Big King energy."
Malik:
"Thanks. Didn't expect all that."
Vanessa:
"You looked… different. Taller? Cockier?"
Malik:
"Maybe. Or maybe just a little more sure of myself."
She didn't reply for five minutes.
Vanessa:
"Just don't forget who saw you before all this."
That hit different.
The tension between them wasn't exactly bad.
It buzzed. Sizzled.
After all, she had always challenged him — never fangirled, never coddled.
But now, Malik felt the shift.
Was she… jealous? Protective?
Worried he'd fly too close to the sun?
He didn't know yet.
But he knew one thing:
He wanted her in his corner… even if she sometimes wanted to suplex him through a locker.
🥊 New Challenges, New Faces
With fame came new shadows.
Malik walked into gym practice Thursday and saw two new faces — both older, both shredded, both hungry.
One of them grinned, his teeth gleaming with gold caps.
"You're the 'King' around here, right?" he said, cracking his knuckles.
"Let's see what royalty looks like in pain."
📢 SYSTEM ALERT:
⚠️ Rival Detected – "Brick" Bronson (BWF Champ)
⚠️ Rival Detected – "Jetstream" Jace (High-Flyer, 2x State Junior Finalist)
🎯 New Challenge Mission:
"Proving Grounds" – Defeat a Recognized Rival in Open Challenge
• Reward: +400 XP
• Unlocks: "Clout Combat" – System XP Boost from High-Profile Fights
• Bonus Objective: Win with a Signature or Finisher
Malik smirked.
"Hope you like powerbombs."