The silver sedan pulled away from the hospital curb, leaving me standing in the center of a bustling sidewalk. For a moment, I just breathed, letting the humid air settle in my lungs. I felt different. It wasn't just the absence of water in my chest; it was the humming current of the System beneath my skin, like a low-voltage battery constantly recharging.
I started the walk toward Rokehurst High. Usually, this trek felt like a chore—a countdown until I had to put on the mask of the arrogant playboy. But today, every step felt intentional. I could feel the Eyes of the Beholder pulsing behind my retinas, itching to be used. The grand thoughts from the hospital bed hadn't faded; they had crystallized.
I looked at the high-rise office buildings in the distance, their glass surfaces reflecting the morning sun. I didn't see cold architecture anymore; I saw a playground. If a simple "Redemption" mission could net me a hundred dollars and a peek into someone's soul, what would a "Hostile Takeover" mission look like? The potential was staggering. I wasn't just a student with a cheat code; I was a predator with a sonar system in a world of blind prey.
[ HOST'S SYNC RATE INCREASING: 15% ]
[ POWER THRESHOLD REACHED. SYSTEM OVERLAY ACTIVATED. ]
As I rounded the corner toward the school gates, the world shifted. It was like a layer of reality had been peeled back. I didn't just see students; I saw walking data sets. Floating over the head of a girl sitting on a bench was a faint blue mist.
[ REGRET: SHE BLAMES HERSELF FOR HER PARENTS' DIVORCE. ]
Over a guy nervously checking his watch near the entrance:
[ DESIRE: WANTS TO BE NOTICED BY THE BASKETBALL COACH BUT FEARS FAILURE. ]
The sheer volume of information was overwhelming. It was a sea of vulnerabilities, a buffet of human frailty laid out just for me. I felt a surge of adrenaline so sharp it was almost painful. With a single word, I could mend a heart or shatter a life. I held the keys to the kingdom, and the gate was finally open.
I reached the double doors of the hallway—the "main stage." I took a deep breath, smoothing my leather jacket. The crowd was thick, the morning chatter a dull roar.
I pushed the doors open.
The silence didn't happen all at once; it rippled outward from me like a stone dropped in a pond. Heads turned. Whispers started. I saw the usual "Lust" levels flare up in the girls—twenty percent, forty percent, sixty percent. But I ignored them. I was looking for the big players.
I saw the Principal, Mrs. Adams, talking to a teacher at the end of the hall. Above her head, a dark, complex cloud pulsed.
[ REGRET: SHE SOLD HER INTEGRITY YEARS AGO FOR THE POSITION SHE NOW HATES. ]
Then, I saw a flash of blonde hair. Rishie was at her locker, her back to me. Beside her, leaning against the metal with a dangerous grace, was Kit.
I activated the Eyes on Kit. I wanted to see it. I wanted to see the crack in the armor of the girl who broke me.
The System glitched for a split second. The violet light flared, and then the text materialized, hovering over Kit like a death sentence.
[ TARGET: KIT ]
[ REGRET: SHE THINKS SHE IS ALREADY DEAD INSIDE. ]
[ HIDDEN DESIRE: SHE WANTS YOU TO HATE HER SO SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO FEEL GUILTY FOR LOVING YOU. ]
My heart skipped a beat. The overwhelming power of the system wasn't just in the money or the stats; it was in the truth. Kit wasn't an ice queen. She was a hollowed-out shell, terrified of the very fire she had started.
I felt a dark, cold satisfaction settle in my gut. The game had changed. I wasn't going to just "conquer" these people. I was going to reshape them.
"Welcome back, Lucas," Kit said without turning around, her voice cutting through the hallway murmurs. "I see you didn't stay drowned for long."
I walked up to them, stopping right between Rishie and Kit. I could feel the tension radiating off both of them—a delicious, high-octane fuel for my new engine.
"Drowning was a wake-up call, Kit," I said, my voice smooth as silk. I looked her directly in the eyes, seeing the 'Hidden Desire' pulsing there. "I've realized that the view from the bottom is very clarifying. You should try it sometime."
Rishie looked between us, her brow furrowing. "You're acting... weird, Lucas. Different."
"Different is just the beginning, Rishie," I replied, a slow, mysterious smile spreading across my face.
[ LUST ESSENCE HARVESTED FROM COLLECTIVE HALLWAY TENSION: +25 LP ]
[ TOTAL LP: 40 ]
The "Behemoth" wasn't just a dream anymore. I was standing in my first workshop, and the tools were sharper than I ever imagined.