The Unknown Challenge

Chapter Nine: The Unknown Challenge

Ali sat at his desk, eyes locked on the glowing text of the system's latest challenge:

[New Challenge: Grow your business to the next level. Complete this task to receive a special reward.]

[Reward: ???]

Unlike previous tasks, this one gave no specific goal—just a vague instruction.

Ali frowned. "What does 'grow your business' even mean? Increase sales? Add new products?"

One thing was clear: he needed to scale.

Scaling the Store: Expanding the Empire

Ali opened his Shopify dashboard. The portable mini projector was still selling well, but one product wasn't enough. If he wanted to turn this into a long-term business, he needed to offer more.

His three new products were already listed, but he needed a fifth to meet his expansion plan.

After hours of research, he found the perfect addition:

5. Wireless Charging Alarm Clock – A sleek clock that also charged phones overnight.

With five products, his store was beginning to look like a real brand.

Now, he needed to drive traffic.

He called Daniel.

Ali: "We need ad creatives ASAP."

Daniel: "I've already prepared video ads for all three new products. Should I launch test campaigns?"

Ali: "Yeah. Facebook and TikTok ads, $500 total budget. Let's see what works."

The first step was testing. Instead of blindly spending thousands, Ali would analyze the winners, cut the losers, and scale the best-performing products.

Now, all he could do was wait.

Park Street Café: Profits and Passion

Meanwhile, his father was making waves of his own.

Word had spread about Park Street Café's high-quality brews and cozy atmosphere. The morning rush was now a daily event, and the evenings were getting busier.

Ali walked in one afternoon to find his father, Salman, behind the counter, smiling as he crafted a cappuccino.

Salman waved him over. "Look around, son."

Ali scanned the café.

Every table was occupied. Customers laughed, sipped coffee, and tapped away on laptops. The register kept ringing as new customers walked in.

Ali grinned. "We're packed."

Salman nodded. "Not just packed. Profitable. We're on track to make over $10,000 in profit this month."

Ali whistled. "That's big."

Salman patted him on the back. "And it wouldn't have happened without you."

Ali shook his head. "No, Dad. This place was always yours. You just needed a chance to rebuild it."

His father smiled, eyes filled with gratitude. For the first time in years, the café wasn't just surviving—it was thriving.

A Long Road Ahead

That night, Ali's Shopify dashboard refreshed.

Orders today: 37

Total revenue: $4,440

Profit: $2,600

His best-performing product? The Smart LED Desk Lamp.

Ali immediately messaged Daniel.

Ali: "The lamp is a winner. Double the ad spend."

Daniel: "On it."

His business was growing, but there was still a long way to go.

The system wouldn't complete the mission until he had $100,000 in profit—he was only at $14,600 so far.

Ali exhaled, staring at the glowing text of the unfinished task.

Whatever the reward was, he had a feeling it would be worth the wait.