I woke up early.
Not because I was well-rested—more out of habit.
The room was the same as always: a desk, a chair, a mattress on the floor. Nothing had changed.
Except for one thing.
Something warm and heavy was snoring beside me.
I opened one eye and met Glitch's gaze.
"Morning," I muttered. "You snore."
He lazily wagged his tail.
In the kitchen, a small sandwich was waiting for me. Bread, cheese, something resembling ham. Mom must have made it in a hurry—but she'd tried.
I drank my tea and watched Glitch sit by the door, like he was ready to leave with me.
"Sorry," I told him. "You're staying home today."
He tilted his head.
"No leash. No collar. No muzzle either," I sighed.
"In this neighborhood, they'll call you a stray and haul you off to a shelter."
I still took him outside for a short walk, let him run a bit, then crouched down next to him.
"I'll earn some money," I said. "Buy you a leash. A muzzle. All the things people around here love."
He nudged my knee with his nose.
"And honestly… it's a miracle no one's caught you yet."
I locked the door and headed to work.
On the way, I opened my interface.
####################
STATUS
Strength — 4
Endurance — 4
Intelligence — 4
Charisma — 3
####################
I grimaced.
"Alright. Let's do this properly."
— **Request: Intelligence Growth Task.**
####################
SYSTEM
Task available.
Condition:
Read one book on magic
Reward:
Intelligence +1 Common Artifact (stored in inventory)
####################
I closed the window.
"Magic again. Of course."
Next request.
— **Any task for Charisma?**
####################
SYSTEM
Task available.
Conditions:
Initiate conversation with a stranger Maintain the conversation for at least 5 minutes Discuss personal interests
Reward:
Charisma +1
Failure:
Charisma −2
####################
I stared at the last line.
"Minus two…" I muttered. "Nice motivation."
I took a breath—and accepted the task.
####################
SYSTEM
Task accepted.
####################
It was my first day here.
New place. New faces.
I looked around and noticed a guy about my age. Nothing special. Just… normal.
A stranger.
"Well," I thought. "Here goes nothing."
I walked toward him, and an unexpected thought crossed my mind.
*Please don't walk away.*
*Please don't think I'm weird.*
*Please don't end the conversation in thirty seconds.*
Because if he just nodded, said "fine," and left—
five minutes wouldn't happen.
And the task would fail.
"Hey," I said. "Can I ask you something?"
He looked up.
"Huh? Yeah, sure."
*Good.*
"How long have you been working here?"
"First day," he replied. "Just a part-time gig. You?"
I exhaled internally.
"Same. Decided to give it a shot."
We started talking.
About the job.
About the neighborhood.
About how hard it was to make decent money these days.
He didn't rush off.
Didn't look away.
Answered calmly.
I realized I wasn't counting words anymore—
I was counting seconds.
####################
SYSTEM
Task completed.
Charisma +1
####################
I blinked.
"…Nice," I thought. "That was easier than expected."
"By the way," he said. "I'm Mark."
"Kade."
We went back to work.
The rest of the shift passed quietly. Bike rides. Deliveries. Stairs. Buildings.
I noticed my thoughts felt… clearer.
More structured.
My body felt different too.
Physical effort came easier.
Near the end of the shift, Mark approached me again.
"Hey," he said. "There's a side job."
"What kind?"
"A thousand dollars. Three, maybe four hours. Unloading a truck. You in?"
Something twisted in my chest.
I remembered the daily task.
"I can't," I said. "Not today."
He looked surprised.
"Seriously?"
"Yeah."
"Come on. I know you need the money."
"I really can't."
He frowned.
"You're letting me down. I thought I could count on you."
"Sorry."
He hesitated, then handed me his phone.
"Alright. If you change your mind—call me."
"Okay."
I walked away.
A few minutes later, the interface flashed.
####################
SYSTEM
Daily task completed.
Rewards received:
Endurance +1 Intelligence +1
####################
I let out a breath.
Sometimes,
the hardest thing isn't pushing forward—
it's knowing when to say no.
I quickened my pace.
Glitch was waiting for me at home.
And for the first time in a long while,
I felt like I was finally **breaking out of the cycle**.