I spent the next few hours pretending to be asleep, which was actually quite difficult because every time I closed my eyes, a neon-violet dashboard flickered against my eyelids like a broken billboard.
The hospital room had finally cleared out after Lin tried to spoon-feed me lukewarm broth one last time. Now, it was just me, a rhythmic heart monitor, and a semi-transparent interface that seemed to be waiting for me to acknowledge its existence.
Okay, ghost in the machine, I thought, staring at the ceiling. How does this work?
A smooth, genderless voice—one that sounded like a mix of a luxury car's GPS and a sarcastic librarian—echoed directly inside my skull.
[ WELCOME, HOST LUCAS CHAYCER, TO THE LUST FIEND SYSTEM. ]
[ STATUS: AWAKENED (LEVEL 1) ]
[ CURRENT ESSENCE: 0 — YOU ARE PATHETICALLY LOW ON ENERGY. ]
Suddenly, my personal data flooded my vision, not in a neat chart, but as a swirling cloud of information that settled into my consciousness. I saw my Charisma sitting at a sixty-five out of a hundred, accompanied by a snarky footnote describing me as having "great bone structure but a personality like wet cardboard." My Physical stats were higher, an eighty, though the system noted I was currently "waterlogged and pathetic."
The real insult was my Intellect, which sat at a dismal forty-five. The system helpfully reminded me that I once spent ten minutes trying to push a door clearly marked "Pull."
"Hey! I was distracted that day!" I hissed at the empty air.
[ THE SCORE STANDS, HOST. ]
I groaned, sinking deeper into the starched pillows. "Fine. What is this 'Essence' thing? And why am I a 'Lust Fiend'? It sounds like something from a bad late-night anime."
[ LUST ESSENCE IS THE ENERGY GENERATED FROM GENUINE EMOTIONAL OR PHYSICAL TENSION. UNLIKE YOUR PREVIOUS METHODS OF 'CONQUEST,' WHICH WERE HOLLOW AND FLEETING, THE SYSTEM REQUIRES AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS OR INTENSE RIVALRIES TO FUEL YOUR ASCENSION. ]
"Ascension to what?"
[ TO PERFECTION. TRUE PERFECTION. NOT THE FACADE YOU WEAR TO HIDE YOUR SCARS. ]
I went quiet. The System didn't have a physical form, but it felt like it was looking right through the layers of bullshit I'd spent years building.
"And the mission?" I asked, trying to shift the focus. "The one about my reputation? Why does a 'Lust' system care if I'm a nice guy?"
[ A KING WITHOUT A REPUTATION IS JUST A THIEF IN A CROWN. TO MAXIMIZE YOUR YIELD OF ESSENCE, YOU MUST BE ADORED, RESPECTED, OR FEARED—NOT MERELY TOLERATED AS A FILTHY OPPORTUNIST. YOUR CURRENT REPUTATION IS AT AN ALL-TIME LOW. ]
I looked at the hundred-dollar bill I'd tucked into my pillowcase. The "cheat" was real. If I followed these prompts, I wouldn't just be the local high school legend; I could actually fix the mess my life had become since the accident. I could pay my rent without having to unclog Mrs. Higgins' toilet or trade favors with the Principal for a passing grade.
"So, I have to be... a good person?" I felt a phantom itch just saying it.
[ YOU HAVE TO BE COMPELLING. REDEMPTION IS A POWERFUL APHRODISIAC, LUCAS. PEOPLE LOVE A FALLEN IDOL WHO FINDS HIS WAY BACK. ]
I sat up, my ribs giving a dull throb of protest. I began to map it out. If I could use this "Desire Reading" to see what people actually needed, I wouldn't have to guess. I could play the part. I could win over Rishie, keep Lin safe, and finally figure out what Kit was plotting.
"Alright, System. I'm in. What's the next step?"
[ INITIALIZING TUTORIAL MISSION... ]
[ MISSION: THE UNTOUCHABLE PRINCIPAL ]
[ OBJECTIVE: END THE TRANSACTIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH MRS. ADAMS. ]
[ METHOD: CONVINCE HER TO PASS YOU BASED ON MERIT RATHER THAN... EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES. ]
[ REWARD: 100 INTELLECT XP AND 'SILVER TONGUE' PASSIVE SKILL. ]
I stared at the screen. Convince Mrs. Adams to let me pass History based on merit? I didn't even know who the third President was.
"This is going to be a lot harder than plumbing," I muttered.
[ INDEED. BUT AT LEAST THE PAY IS BETTER. NOW GO TO SLEEP, HOST. YOUR CHARISMA DROPS BY FIVE POINTS WHEN YOU HAVE DARK CIRCLES UNDER YOUR EYES. ]
I rolled my eyes and settled in, watching the violet light dim into a soft pulse. For the first time since Christmas Eve ten years ago, I didn't feel like I was just waiting for the next disaster. I had a cheat code. And I was going to use every bit of it to make Rokehurst High bow to a new kind of Lucas.