I am a Tycoon!

Lee-oh ran. His vision blurred. The forest, once vibrant with warm light and birdcalls, was now nothing but a dizzying swirl of green and shadow. Every breath rattled like broken glass in his chest, and his legs moved only because the System warned him: [WARNING: Vitality Critically Low. Poison [Spread: 87%].

"Keep moving..." he muttered, one trembling hand pressed over the searing wound in his side. The gash from Gan Nye's blade wasn't deep, but the poison—it was working through him like wildfire.

His knees buckled. The world tilted.

And then... warm hands caught him.

"Got you."

Lee-oh blinked up into Daey-Ib's face. The man's sharp eyes softened with concern, strands of silver hair stuck to his forehead. "You idiot," Daey-Ib muttered, lifting him into a fireman's carry with practiced ease. "You said you'd stay hidden."

"I... had to see..." Lee-oh whispered. "Gan Nye. He was... I thought I could..."

"Talk later," Daey-Ib growled. "You'll die in five minutes if I don't get you to the villagers."

With a burst of speed that betrayed his lean frame, Daey-Ib sprinted through the trees, weaving expertly between roots and branches. Lee-oh faded in and out of consciousness. The last thing he saw before blacking out was a glowing wardstone hidden in a tree trunk, pulsing as they passed it. It reminded him of a lighthouse—guiding them home.

He awoke to warmth and the scent of pine and smoke. Blankets tucked tightly around him. Herbal poultices lining his side. His HUD flickered on: [Status: STABLE. Poison Neutralized. Vitality Recovery: 12% per hour.]

Daey-Ib sat by the fire, sharpening a dagger. He glanced up. "You're awake."

Lee-oh tried to sit up, groaning. "Where...?"

"Forest Heart Village. Old allies of mine."

Lee-oh scanned the room. Wood walls, soft lighting, and clean linens. Simple, but peaceful. Outside, he could hear distant conversation and a smith hammering metal.

"I thought I was dead," he murmured.

"You nearly were," Daey-Ib said, standing. "Gan Nye's poison isn't natural. Someone enhanced it. Magical alchemy."

Lee-oh flinched. "He didn't even recognize me. But I—when I saw him, I knew he hadn't aged a day."

"He won't," Daey-Ib said. "Not yet. Not with the system he's bound to."

Lee-oh turned. "You know about the system too?"

Daey-Ib held up his wrist—there, faintly glowing, was a mark similar to Lee-oh's menu. "I got mine five years ago. But mine's locked. Yours... it's something else. You're absorbing life and converting it to growth. I saw it back in the wasteland."

Lee-oh frowned. "I don't want to kill people."

"Good. Don't. But that doesn't mean you can't survive. And grow."

The door creaked. An old woman entered carrying a pouch of herbs. "He needs fresh nightroot and dried rosemint daily," she said to Daey-Ib. "That poison left scars in his lungs."

Lee-oh tried to protest, but a coughing fit silenced him.

Daey-Ib took the herbs with a nod. "Thank you, Elder Moon."

The old woman looked at Lee-oh gently. "Rest now, child. The forest protects its own."

As the days passed, Lee-oh's strength returned slowly. But something had changed inside him—he wasn't just surviving now. The System was changing.