Ding! Ding! Ding!
The first round began slow. They circled, trading feints, but never committed.
If he was being honest, it felt more like a warm-up than a real fight.
But by the second round, the champion began to take so of of the montum little by little.
It was still anyone’s fight, though, until the fifth round.
The challenger slipped and fell. It wasn’t really a knockout. Even so, it shook his confidence.
By the sixth round, the challenger appeared off balance, moving slower and throwing weaker punches.
The champion noticed and started pressing harder.
As the seventh round started, the crowd was on edge, sensing that the end was near.
The champion’s fists were like sledgehamrs, and every hit looked like it could end the fight.
Then it happened.
In the ninth round, the challenger took a clean shot to the chin.
The referee started counting.
"10"
"9"
"8"
’Stand up!’ he urged, gripping his seat.
If the challenger got knocked out too early, he would lose.
Every second now felt like a countdown to bankruptcy.
Fortunately, the challenger’s willpower kept him going.
’That’s right. Show so grit, man! You’re gonna need that in December!’
Tenth round started.
The champion closed the distance and drove a hard left hook into the liver, dropping the challenger to the mat for good.
’I’m a millionaire now!’ he raised his hand in victory. His brain lit up, flooded with dopamine.
After he cald down and did a little victory dance, he sat back in his chair and checked the betting websites.
It would take a couple of hours for all his winnings to hit his account, but he’d already estimated that he would walked away with over $1,900,000.
While waiting, he started doing so breathing exercises again.
Studies in his past life revealed that dopamine levels and other happiness-related chemicals actually boosted mana absorption by up to 80%.
That’s why it was the norm for strong Manaborns to keep track of their ntal health—because a clear mind ant better energy flow and utilization.
Within hours, the winnings hit his account, and he imdiately poured them back into crypto.
’Maybe it’s ti to move out. Start fresh. Live on my own, without anyone looking over my shoulder.’
It wasn’t that he hated being here. It was more about the need for more freedom.
Though Effie was very understanding, there would co tis when he would need to do things that were ... not exactly normal.
’Forget it, I’ll just think about it later,’
Tomorrow would co with its own set of problems. But for tonight, he needed to sleep.
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It was already 8:00 AM when he woke up.
His first priority was to check his PC, making sure he didn’t just dread about all his winnings from yesterday.
And there it was—his money, actually up in value.
Overall, he has $2,000,000.
This was the power of exponential growth. The more money he invested, the more he earned with each price increased.
knock!
He stood and opened the door to find his aunt, her hair still damp and slling faintly of soap.
She held a tray of food for breakfast.
But this ti, it was more special.
"Happy Birthday, Terrence," she gave him a warm smile as she set the tray down in front of him.
"Thanks, Aunt Effie. Can’t believe I’m an adult now." He chuckled, intentionally emphasizing the word "adult."
"That’s right, you’re an adult now..." She trailed off, watching his face a little longer than normal.
"Aunt Effie... I—" He almost said sothing ridiculous but managed to stop himself just in ti.
He cleared his throat. "How about dinner tonight? Sowhere nice. My treat?"
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