Ordinary Man to the Fastest Alive

Chapter 5: Signs of power in the real world

After doing a lot of research, Ethan deduced that he was right.

The easiest and most simplistic way to make money without committing any hard crimes was to simply gamble.

There were also other methods, such as trading through the stock exchange. Trading based on news, with leverage, he would probably even be able to meet bots that the large hedge funds use.

However the stock exchange wasn't really something Ethan wanted to get into right now…especially due to his lack of experience.

However he did start a paper-trading account so that he would be able to test his skills.

He also began to read up investors' guides on how to scalp trade.

Ethan knew that he had hardware issues that were holding him back in that current predicament right now.

From his research, for an elite level set up which hedge funds themselves use he would need tens of thousands of dollars.

All of this to save a couple of milliseconds.

If he could have that type of start up fund, and be able to have the proper knowledge for the trades, Ethan could realistically make a lot of money through that alone..

However there was a fairly simple way.

And usually the simplest way is the way to go.

With 20,000 Ethan didn't see why he couldn't travel to different countries around the world and simply gamble there.

'Alright then, I guess I am going to be traveling the world.' Ethan couldn't help but think with a slight smile on his face.

After all, by traveling to different parts of the world, not only was he able to explore the world, he would be earning insane amounts of money in the process.

Ethan generally wanted to avoid the United States.

He wanted to go to a place where he could earn obscene amounts of money, yet be able to remain undetected.

For some reason, Vegas didn't seem like it for him.

Monaco however….

"I guess it's decided. I am going to Monaco tomorrow. But damn, taking 12 hours via flight and having a layover is crazy,"

The reason Ethan was flying over to Macau rather than simply running there was also fairly simple.

He didn't want to show up on government radars.

Running in flat-lands, mountain ranges and even abandoned alleyways was fine.

However, running through the border of a country and expecting no repercussions from such an action was a foolish way of thinking.

And Ethan was trying his best to not be a fool.

Seeing that it was approaching the time to meet his friends, Ethan made his way towards the bowling alley to meet his friends.

It was already made clear that only Jasmine and Ignatious would be attending today's gathering.

The other two were too busy to make it.

"Hey man, how have you been?" Ignatious asked as he hugged Ethan slightly.

Ignatious was tall and athletic, with short, dark curly hair and a warm, welcoming smile. His eyes were a deep brown, often gleaming with mischief and energy, a contrast to his calm demeanor.

"I've been good man."

"How's the job hunting?" Jasmine asked as she too hugged Ethan.

Jasmine was of average height with striking red hair that cascaded in soft waves down her back. Her pale skin contrasted beautifully with her vibrant hair, and her green eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"It's not been going too well so far, but I think my luck has been going up recently." Ethan said with a slight smirk on his face.

Other than his brother, these 2 would be people he trusted the most in his life.

It was also not that he didn't trust his parents, but simply that he didn't have a habit of ranting to his parents much.

After all, they did their part of the work. Helping Ethan grow up.

Now that he was already 21, he had to be taking care of them.

"Really, I guess we'll see about that." Jasmine said with a slight smile on her face as she moved up ahead to get her bowling shoes.

…

(Fast forward 2 games)

"How's this even possible?" Jasmine mumbled as she walked out the bowling alley.

She was currently dazed, almost in disbelief in what had just happened.

"Why is she over reacting so much," Ethan asked Ignatious as they continued to walk towards Jasmine's car.

"Dude, are you kidding. You bowled 2 perfect games."

Ethan couldn't help but smile at the mention of his bowling exploit.

'Hey, I really did try. But she kept trash talking me! Who would I be if I didn't 1 up my friends with my super powers.'

"Yeah now that you mention it I am awesome."

"Whatever. What do you want to eat for dinner?" Ignatious asked.

"Something expensive. Jasmines paying after all."

The trio had a small bet at the beginning of the night. That the person with the lowest score would be paying for dinner.

'Oh boy she is cooked. With my speedster appetite she is going to have a problem feeding me.'

As they reached Jasmine's car, Ethan spotted something from the corner of his eye that had caught his attention.

There was a man who had what seemed to be a make-shift stall set up at the side of the car park.

"Ethan?" Ignatious called out as he watched his friend walk a different way.

Ethan himself didn't know why he was moving this way…something 'drew' him to this stall.

The man who manned the stall was clearly young in age. He had black hair, brown eyes, an average-looking face with a deep outline and was thinly built

The man for some reason was wearing a dark tailored suit paired with minimalistic accessories.

'Why is this guy wearing something from peaky blinders?' Ethan couldn't help but think as he reached the stall and observed the young kid in front of the man.

"Yes, I think tomorrow would be a great day to ask your crush out." The man replied to the young kid whose face lit up in joy.

"Really?" The kid quickly asked in a squeaky tone, clearly happy about what the man had just said.

"Yes…at least that is what it seems like to me." The man replied in a vague tone.

"YAY, thank you Mr!" The kid said extremely happy as his parents came up to the man and pulled out his wallet.

"Thank you sir. Here is10 dollars, you can keep the change." The parent spoke.

The man in the suit stared at the 10 dollar note for a while, seemingly thinking about something. However he eventually shook his head and took out some change.

"I charge 7 dollars and that won't change. Thank you." He stated as he passed the change.

The parent didn't seem to particularly mind as he walked away.

The man looked away from the parent and made eye contact with Ethan.

As he did, he seemed to move into a pondering motion as his hand massaged the side of his head slightly as well.

"I believe I have time for 1 last customer today. That is, if you are here for a divination sir." The man spoke out to Ethan.

Ethan couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.

So it was just one of those normal scams…

Yet why did his instincts scream for him to stay?

"Sure, it's just 7 dollars right?" Ethan questioned to which the man nodded.

Seeing a foldable chair, Ethan sat down on it and looked at the man once again, who was once again massaging the side of his head.

"Well what is it that you want to be divined?" The man asked.

By this time, Jasmine and Ignatious had made their way up to Ethan but stayed at the side and watched the spectacle unfold.