The +20% favorability hung in Evan's mind like a mirage of water in a desert. The math was a brutal, simple clock in his head. $2,873 needed. 18 hours. He had to generate system money at a rate he'd never attempted.
As if reading his desperation, new text scrolled under his timer.
[ACCELERATED EARNING PROTOCOL ENGAGED.]
[CHAIN MISSIONS AVAILABLE. COMPLETION TIME FACTORS INTO REWARD.]
A list appeared, glowing with soft gold text.
MISSION: Return lost necklace to owner (Carla D. – Physics Building Lobby). REWARD: $100.
MISSION: Assist cafeteria staff with pre-lunch clean-up (11am-1pm). REWARD: $200.
MISSION: Resolve book mis-shelving discrepancy (Library Floor 4, History Section). REWARD: $300.
It was a to-do list from hell. But it was a path. Evan started to run.
The necklace was a delicate silver chain with a small sapphire pendant. He found it exactly where the system said, hooked on the edge of a potted plant in the Physics Building. The mission updated: OWNER: SOPHIE REED. TRACK: ATHLETIC COMPLEX, POOL.
He ran across campus, the statue in his backpack thumping against his spine. The pool area smelled of chlorine and humid air. A woman was doing slow, powerful laps, her form cutting through the water with a grace that spoke of years of training.
Evan waited at the pool's edge. She finished her lap and surfaced, pushing her goggles up. She had a strong, friendly face, short blonde hair plastered to her head, and sharp blue eyes that noticed him immediately.
"Can I help you?" Her voice was clear, carrying over the splash of water.
"Are you Sophie Reed? I think you lost this." He held out the necklace.
Recognition dawned on her face, followed by surprise and relief. "Oh! My grandmother's necklace! I turned the locker room upside down looking for it." She hauled herself out of the water in one smooth motion, taking the necklace with a grateful smile. "Thank you so much. I'm Sophie."
"Evan."
"How'd you find me?"
"I… asked around. Heard you trained here." The lie felt thin.
Sophie didn't seem to notice. She was beaming. "Well, you're a lifesaver, Evan. Seriously."
[MISSION 1 COMPLETE. $100 DEPOSITED.]
[SYSTEM FUNDS: $227]
The reward was instant. The weight in his pocket changed. It was working.
"You okay?" Sophie asked, her head tilting. "You're breathing hard. And you look… pale."
"Just in a hurry," Evan said, already backing away. "Glad I could help!"
He sprinted out before she could ask more questions.
The cafeteria kitchen was a steaming, noisy dungeon. The head cook, a massive man named Leo with a permanent scowl, looked him up and down. "You the volunteer? You don't look like you can lift a sack of potatoes."
"I can scrub," Evan said, his voice already tired.
For two brutal hours, he scrubbed industrial-sized pots, wiped down stainless steel counters, and hauled bags of vegetable trimmings to the compost. The heat was oppressive. His clothes stuck to him. His arms burned. The timer in his vision counted down alongside the kitchen clock.
[MISSION 2 COMPLETE. $200 DEPOSITED.]
[SYSTEM FUNDS: $427]
He stumbled out, the smell of grease embedded in his skin. He had no time to clean up. The library was next.
The "discrepancy" was a cart of 150 books that had been mis-categorized by a faulty scanner. The system guided him, highlighting each book's correct shelf location in his vision. For three hours, he was a ghost in the stacks, climbing ladders, shuffling books, a frantic, silent machine. His stomach growled, a hollow ache. He hadn't eaten. He couldn't stop.
As he placed the last book—a heavy volume on medieval trade routes—the chime came.
[MISSION 3 COMPLETE. $300 DEPOSITED.]
[SYSTEM FUNDS: $727]
He slid down the library ladder to sit on the floor, back against the shelves, trembling with fatigue. He'd made money. A lot of it, by his standards. But he was only a quarter of the way to $3,000. The chain continued, new missions popping up as fast as he completed them: fetch this, deliver that, fix this minor problem. The rewards ranged from $50 to $150.
He became a blur across campus. A courier. A cleaner. A finder of lost things. His world narrowed to the glow of the next objective, the changing number in his system funds, and the relentless descent of the death timer.
During a five-minute lull, leaning against a bike rack and gasping for air, he saw him.
Marcus Thorne.
He was across the quad, sitting at an outdoor café table with a coffee. He wasn't looking at his phone. He was watching Evan. His eyes tracked Evan's frantic dash from the admin building to the student union. He didn't smile this time. His expression was one of cool, analytical curiosity. He pulled out his phone and began typing, glancing up periodically.
He was taking notes.
A new mission popped up. RETURN OVERDUE EQUIPMENT TO GYM. Evan pushed off the rack and ran, the feeling of Marcus's gaze like a chill on the back of his sweaty neck.
The gym mission led him back to the athletic complex. As he was leaving the equipment cage, a voice stopped him.
"Evan? Again?"
It was Sophie Reed. She was dressed in track pants and a tank top now, her hair dry. She held a sports bag. "You're everywhere today. First the pool, now here. You running some kind of one-man charity service?"
"Something like that," he wheezed, trying to stand straight.
Her smile faded into concern. "Seriously, man. You look terrible. Your hands are shaking. When did you last eat?"
The question was so basic, so human, it almost broke him. "I'm fine," he muttered.
"You're not. Come on." She nodded toward the cafeteria. "Let's get some food. My treat. For the necklace."
A mission prompt flashed. SOCIAL OPPORTUNITY: ACCEPT MEAL. The implied reward was vague, but any favorability was good. Plus, she was on the list. Target #3, his mind supplied. This was work, too.
"Okay," he said, too tired to argue.
In the cafeteria, Sophie bought two large chicken sandwiches and two bottles of juice. She led him to a quiet table. "Eat," she commanded, pushing one of each toward him.
He looked at the food. His own saliva was a painful flood in his mouth. He picked up the sandwich. He brought it to his lips.
The moment his intent to bite into it for his own nourishment crystallized, the sandwich vanished from his hands.
Not a crumb remained.
Sophie, who had just taken a huge bite of her own sandwich, froze. She chewed slowly, her eyes wide. "Whoa. What the hell? Where'd it go?"
Evan's mind scrambled. "I… dropped it?" he said, the lie pathetic. He looked under the table. Nothing.
"You didn't drop it. It poofed." Sophie put her own sandwich down. "Are you a magician? Is this a stress-induced hallucination on my part?"
Think. Think. "I'm… practicing," Evan stammered. "For a club. Sleight of hand. Sorry, I shouldn't have done it." He forced a weak smile. "You're right, I need to eat. Let me, uh, get another one."
He stood up, using his own exhausted body to block her view of the transaction. He went to the counter and, with a silent prayer, used system money to buy another identical sandwich. He brought it back.
"For you," he said, placing it in front of her. "Since I made yours disappear."
Sophie looked from the new sandwich to his face, her suspicion warring with her inherent kindness. "That's weird, Evan. But… thanks." She didn't touch it. "You should eat yours. The one you have."
"I will," he lied. He picked up the bottle of juice she'd bought him. He could feel the system's judgment. The juice was for him. He twisted the cap and took a sip.
It stayed. It was a beverage. A blurry line? Or was the system allowing this tiny mercy because it came as a direct gift from a Target?
He drank half of it in one go, the cool liquid a balm on his raw throat. Sophie watched him, then slowly picked up the second sandwich. "Alright, magician. Eat up."
She ate her original sandwich. He pretended to eat the one in front of him, breaking off tiny pieces and hiding them in a napkin. He drank the juice. It was the most surreal, exhausting meal of his life.
As they finished, Sophie looked at him with genuine worry. "Whatever you're grinding for… pace yourself. You're going to collapse."
[POSITIVE INTERACTION WITH TARGET #3: SOPHIE REED.]
[IMPRESSION: CONCERNED/KIND.]
[NOTE: TARGET ADDED TO ACTIVE ROSTER.]
[SYSTEM FUNDS: $2,100]
He'd done it. Six hours of non-stop, body-breaking work. He had over two thousand dollars.
And as he left the cafeteria, he saw Marcus again. Leaning against a wall, phone in hand. He'd seen them eating together. He gave Evan a slow, thoughtful look, then pushed off and walked away, already typing.
Evan's body screamed for rest. His legs were jelly. His vision swam at the edges. The timer was a merciless countdown.
[TIME REMAINING: 12:01:15]
[SYSTEM FUNDS: $2,100]
[REQUIRED: $900]
He was so close. And he was so broken. Every muscle trembled with a life of its own. Marcus was piecing the puzzle together. And the statue in his backpack felt heavier than stone.
It felt like a promise of failure.