In the pub, Lin and Chen were already feeling the effects of the alcohol. The dim lights and the smell of beer made everything feel blurry.
"You remember when Lilian got caught masturbating in her office?" Chen said, laughing as he slung his arm across Lin's shoulder.
"Urgh, dude, I don't want to throw up," Lin groaned, pushing Chen's arm away.
Chen laughed even harder. "Alright man, I'll be right back."
Lin stopped halfway as he tried to take a sip of his beer. "Where are you headed?" he asked, watching Chen stand up.
"I want to use the little boys' room," Chen replied, stumbling slightly as he headed toward the back.
While Lin waited, Naoa and Razor had already reached the site of the massive energy surge. The land was empty just the way they left it.
"You sensed that, right?" Razor asked Naoa. He knelt down and touched the dirt, feeling the lingering heat.
Naoa stood beside him with his hands behind his head. "Yeah. It was here. I can still sense traces of it."
Razor stood back up and shoved his hands into his pockets. The energy was gone, but the threat was out there. "Let's go report the outcome of our mission," he said.
Back at the pub, Lin was staring at his half-empty glass when a girl sat on the stool beside him. She smelled like those expensive perfume, sweet and fresh. He glanced quickly at her. She had long brown hair, ocean-blue eyes, and perfectly clear skin.
The bartender handed her a shot. She drank it in one go and slammed the small glass down. "Hits the spot, doesn't it?" she said, turning to look at Lin with a smile.
"Yeah, it does," Lin replied. "Especially now that it's cold outside."
Suddenly, the yellow System screen buzzed into his view. It showed the menu for increasing XP. A red warning light flashed at the top: [WARNING: 1 MINUTE TO PICK AN OPTION OR THE SYSTEM WILL RANDOMLY SELECT.]
Lin panicked. He didn't want the system choosing for him. He quickly chose the option: Date 50 Girls.
The girl looked at him, curious. "Are you alright? You look lost."
Lin shook his head, trying to act normal. "I'm fine. By the way, I'm Lin."
"I'm Mimi," she replied. "Lin is such an intriguing name!"
Lin smiled, feeling a bit of confidence. "You think so?"
She hit him playfully with her elbow and laughed. "Yeah, it is!" She sighed, her smile fading a little. "I've had a rough morning and I really needed this drink."
Lin froze. He didn't know what to say next. The System screen appeared again: [STATUS: ELEVATED STRESS LEVEL. REASON: SOCIAL ANXIETY.]
The System generated a list of questions to help him:
What happened this morning that made it so rough?
Do you usually come her to relax after a long day?
If you could, would you restart your morning?
Lin picked one and they started talking. Soon, Chen came out of the bathroom and saw Lin laughing with Mimi. He walked over, finished his last drink, and winked at Lin. "We'll talk later, man. It was nice seeing you!"
Later, Lin and Mimi walked out of the pub together, laughing. He walked her to her car.
"I had fun," she said, leaning against the door. "Let's do this some other time." She asked for his phone and typed her number into it.
Lin was excited as he got into his car. He looked at the System screen. This had to be a date, right? He checked the task bar. [PROGRESS: 0/50].
Lin groaned in frustration. "Are you kidding me? That wasn't a date?!"
He drove away, still annoyed. At a red light, he turned his head to look at the car in the opposite lane. His heart skipped a beat. In the passenger seat of the other car was a woman. His heartbeat slowed as fear took over. It was the lady in the red dress the one who had killed him at the party.
The System screen turned red: [BLOOD PRESSURE ELEVATED. THREAT NEARBY. THREAT NEARBY.]
Lin realized his eyes weren't playing tricks. It was really her. He spaced out, staring at her, until the loud HONK of the car behind him snapped him back to reality. The light was green. He stepped on the gas, his hands shaking on the wheel.
He stopped at the café where the old man had dropped him off that day. He looked at the café. Mom is leaving soon, he thought. I better get her some fresh pastries so she can enjoy the next few days.
Inside, a girl sitting at a table called out, "Lin?"
It was the girl who had fallen down near him last time. "Hey!" Lin said. He realized he had forgotten her name.
"I know you forgot my name," she said with a smirk. "It's expected, since you waltzed out of the café that day. It's Lia."
Lin looked at her. Was she always this beautiful? she was wearing a shirt that revealed her chest, and he couldn't help but notice her breasts looked larger than he remembered.
"How have you been?" she asked.
"I've been okay," Lin said. "Just exercising more."
Her phone rang, and she stood up. "It was nice seeing you again, but I have to go. I have an appointment with a friend."
Lin bought the pastries and drove home. On the way, he thought about the woman he saw at the red light. The fear made him realize he needed to be more than just fit he needed to get strong. I have to get strong and start real martial arts training, he promised himself.
At home, he dropped the pastries in the kitchen and sat on the couch. He pulled out his phone and texted Mimi. Hey, it's Lin.
She replied almost instantly: So you finally texted! :)
Do you want to hang out at another place real soon? Lin asked.
Yeah, sure, she sent back.
Lin smiled at his phone and replied: ;)
He went up to his room and remembered the card the old man had given him. He pulled it out of the drawer and stared at the gold emblem. He tossed it on the table, then dropped to the floor.
He started doing sit-ups, his muscles aching, but his mind was focused. I have to get stronger.