The power humming through my veins was more intoxicating than any drink I'd ever shared with a bored housewife. As I stood in that hallway, flanked by the two girls who defined my past, I wasn't just seeing classmates—I was seeing assets. I could almost smell the leather of a private jet's interior; I could feel the weight of a platinum card in my pocket. If fifteen minutes in a hallway could net me 25 Lust Points, what would a boardroom net me? What would a city?
I was going to be more than rich. I was going to be the man who owned the very concept of value.
"You're staring, Lucas," Kit remarked, her voice a sharp blade designed to draw blood. "Did the water damage your brain, or did you just forget how to blink?"
I turned my gaze to her, letting the Eyes of the Beholder settle on the space just above her brow. The prompt about her wanting me to hate her was still there, pulsing like a neon sign.
"I was just thinking about balance, Kit," I said, leaning casually against the locker next to hers. "How some people spend their whole lives building walls, only to realize they've just built their own coffin."
Rishie shifted uncomfortably, her books clutched to her chest. Her regret—repeating her mother's mistakes—was flickering. She was looking at Kit, then at me, the doubt in her eyes growing.
"Kit, let's just go to class," Rishie whispered.
"In a moment, cousin," Kit replied, her eyes locked on mine.
"Actually, Rishie," I intervened, my voice dropping into a tone of forced concern. "You should probably be careful with who you take advice from today. Some people project their own 'death' onto others just to feel a bit more alive."
Kit's pupils dilated. A hit. The system dinged.
[ LUST ESSENCE HARVESTED: +10 LP (INTENSE PSYCHOLOGICAL FRICTION) ]
I didn't wait for her to recover. I needed to move. I had a bigger fish to fry, and my fantasies of a corner office were demanding I start the "merit-based" redemption arc the system required.
I walked toward the Principal's office, the hallway parting like the Red Sea. I felt like a titan. Every "Regret" I saw above a student's head was a potential transaction, a coin in my future bank account.
I didn't knock. I walked straight into Mrs. Adams' office. She was sitting behind her desk, looking at a spreadsheet with a look of pure misery.
[ TARGET IDENTIFIED: MRS. ADAMS ]
[ REGRET: SOLD HER INTEGRITY FOR A POSITION SHE HATES. ]
[ CURRENT MISSION: THE UNTOUCHABLE PRINCIPAL (IN PROGRESS) ]
"Lucas? I didn't call for you," she said, her professional mask sliding back into place, though her eyes immediately dropped to my waist. The habitual lust was there, but it felt cheap now. I wanted more than her body; I wanted her soul as a stepping stone.
"We're done, Elena," I said, standing in front of her desk with my hands in my pockets.
She blinked, confused. "Done? If this is about the hallway incident, I can—"
"No," I cut her off. I leaned over the desk, using my 65 Charisma to its full extent, but I coupled it with the information from my Eyes. "I mean we're done with the 'arrangements.' No more extra credit in exchange for... sessions. I want my grades to reflect my work. I want to earn my place here."
Mrs. Adams let out a sharp, cynical laugh. "You? Merit? Lucas, you don't even know the curriculum."
"I know you hate this job," I said, my voice as cold as the quarry water. "I know you look at that chair every morning and wonder when you stopped being a teacher and started being a bureaucrat who sells her soul just to keep a title. You're miserable, Elena. And using me as a distraction hasn't made it any better, has it?"
The color drained from her face. She looked at me as if I'd just stripped her naked in the middle of the football field. Her regret cloud turned a violent shade of grey.
"How... how dare you?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
"I'm giving you your integrity back," I said, standing straight. "Fail me if I fail. Pass me if I study. But don't ever look at me as a transaction again. I'm going to be someone, Elena. Someone bigger than this school. And I think, deep down, you want to be someone again, too."
[ MISSION: THE UNTOUCHABLE PRINCIPAL — SUCCESS! ]
[ REWARD: 100 INTELLECT XP. ]
[ PASSIVE SKILL UNLOCKED: 'SILVER TONGUE'. ]
[ BONUS: MRS. ADAMS' VIEW OF YOU HAS SHIFTED FROM 'TOY' TO 'ENIGMA'. ]
I felt a rush of information flood my brain—dates, names, historical contexts. The 100 XP was working instantly. I suddenly knew exactly who the third President was (Thomas Jefferson, obviously).
"I expect the syllabus for the midterms on my desk by tomorrow," I said with a smirk.
As I walked out, I didn't just feel like a student. I felt like a CEO who had just fired a redundant department. My bank account was empty, but my Essence was climbing, and my mind was already calculating the interest.
[ TOTAL LP: 50 ]
[ SYSTEM MESSAGE: HOST IS BEGINNING TO UNDERSTAND. MONEY IS THE PRODUCT. EMOTION IS THE RAW MATERIAL. ]
I walked back into the hallway, my eyes set on the next target. I was going to be a behemoth. And I was going to start by making Kit feel every bit of that guilt she was so afraid of.