Lin decided to change his daily routine. Instead of running back to the apartment, he stopped at a quiet park. The air was cold, but the snow had thinned out. As he slowed to a walk, his mind drifted back to the woman he saw at the red light.
Suddenly, every cell in his body began to shake. A wave of pure, cold fear washed over him, making him nauseous. He activated the System and navigated to the Weapons Section.
He reached out to select a weapon, but a message popped up:
[WEAPONS SECTION: LOCKED]
Condition: User must undergo combat training.
Option: [OPEN TRAINING SIMULATION]
Lin didn't hesitate. "Accept," he whispered.
In an instant, the park vanished. He was standing in a vast, empty white room. The System presented a list:
Monsters, Demons, Spirits.
The image of the woman's pale face and sharp fangs flashed in his mind. He gritted his teeth. "Demon."
The white room shifted. Suddenly, he was standing in the middle of a ruined city. A tall, dark demon with glowing eyes stood right in front of him. Lin's heart hammered against his ribs. He swallowed hard, trying to steady his hands. I can win. I have to win.
He selected a steel staff from the menu and charged. Before he could even swing, the world tilted. His head hit the floor. He saw his own headless body collapse before everything went black.
He materialized back to life on the floor of the white room. He scrambled up, screaming at the top of his lungs. "I... I died!" He touched his neck, gasping. "Is this an illusion?"
He picked up the staff again, his hands were shaking nonstop. He managed to steady his grip and he charged again.
CRACK.
A massive hole appeared in his chest as the demon's hand punched straight through him.
He woke up again, gasping for air and clutching his chest. The pain felt 100% real. Every time he died, he felt the agony, the cold, and the shock. He tried again. And again. And again. He lost count of how many ways he had been slaughtered.
Finally, the System flashed a bright red warning:
[WARNING: MACROS DEPLETED. ENERGY LOW. DAILY LIMIT EXCEEDED.]
The room blurred. Lin opened his eyes to see the familiar white ceiling of his bedroom. He was lying flat on his back on the floor. "How did I get here?" he muttered, his head spinning. "I was just at the park..."
He glanced at his alarm clock. "1:00 PM?! Shit, I'm late!"
He scrambled to get dressed, his muscles aching from the phantom pains of the simulation. Just as he was reaching for his shoes, a knock came at the door. It was Yada.
When Lin opened the door, he nearly forgot how to breathe. Yada was wearing a bright yellow dress that showed her curves perfectly. She looked incredibly sexy.
"Uh... it's you?" Lin's face turned bright red. "Is anything the matter?"
Yada smiled, tilting her head. "I just wanted to ask if you were going out today."
"Yeah, I am," Lin said, trying to regain his composure.
"Great! Could you drop me off at the supermarket?"
As they headed for the door, Xai caught sight of them together. She leaned against the wall with a mischievous smirk. "Wow, you two look like a couple. You look really good together."
Yada blushed deeply, looking down at her shoes. Lin saw how beautiful she looked in that moment, but a cold realization hit him. Mimi. She's going to be so mad.
Mimi sat at the bus stop, her foot tapping the pavement rhythmically. She checked her watch for the tenth time and grumbled to herself. "If he didn't want to hang out, he should've just told me."
She was about to pull her phone out to cancel when Lin's car pulled over. She looked furious, but she took a deep breath to calm herself. She marched toward the passenger side, only to stop dead. Yada was sitting there.
Mimi's face went cold. She opened the back door and slammed it so hard the whole car shook.
"Hey! Be careful," Lin said, looking back nervously. "I just had work done on this car."
The energy in the car was suffocating. Lin had never felt so awkward in his life. He was trapped between two beautiful girls, and the worst part was, he realized he liked both of them.
He dropped Yada off at the market. She waved and said, "See you later, Lin!"
Lin looked in the rearview mirror. Mimi was staring at him like she wanted to set him on fire. "Who was that?" she snapped. "Is that why you took so long? You were fucking that girl and now you're rubbing it in my face?"
Lin was stunned. "What? No! She's my sister's friend. She just needed a ride." He gestured to the front. "Come sit up here."
Mimi hesitated, but eventually, she climbed into the front seat. Lin looked at her. "Ready to have some fun?"
Suddenly, the System appeared:
[XP GAINED!]
TASK: DATE 50 GIRLS (1/50)
Lin couldn't help it. A huge smile broke across his face.
"What's so funny?" Mimi asked, still sounding annoyed.
"Nothing," Lin said, shaking his head. Are girls always like this? he wondered.
They spent the afternoon at the amusement park. It was packed with people, but they managed to ride the roller coaster and share some ice cream. By the time they sat down at a nearby restaurant to eat, Mimi had finally cooled down.
They talked for hours. Mimi looked at him over her drink. "I'm actually not from here," she admitted. "I'm planning on moving to this city soon, but I'm still looking for an apartment."
Lin listened, but his attention was on her lips and how plumbed they looked.
Meanwhile at the games section at the amusement park, Naoa was holding a bow, hitting the bullseye over and over again with a bored expression. The man with the patchy beard, who was with Yanda some couple weeks ago was standing beside him, looking grumpy.
Naoa turned to him with a bright, fake smile. "Thank you for bringing me to the amusement park!"
"Shut up, moron!" the man yelled, his face turning red from anger. "Don't make it sound like we're on a date!"
Lin stared at her for a moment, a strange feeling hit his gut. I wonder how it'll feel to have sex with her.