The next day, I awoke in my bed, Elsie already up and putting on her clothes. She’d already put on her underwear and was slipping into her jeans and a necklace featuring a large G between a circle-drawing compass and a perpendicular ruler. Before I could get up or say anything to her, I was met with the following barrage:

[Level Up! (10)]

[Str: +2 | Con: +1 | End: +1 | Cha: +1 | Atr: +2 | Dex: +1 | Int: +0]

[Str: 16 | Con: 19 | End: 16 | Cha: 22 | Atr: 13 | Dex: 14 | Int: 19]

[Skill Level Up! Situational Awareness lv 3 -> 4]

[Skill Obtained! Seduction (lv 1)]

[Skill Obtained! Lying (lv 1)]

[Sex Point Shop Unlocked!]

[Obtained 1 Sex Point]

Way to go, System. You just killed every last bit of intimacy from that one night stand! I hope you’re fucking happy.

I waved away the volume of text from my vision, which ended up getting Elsie’s attention. She looked at me with a smile and opened her light pink lips to speak.

“You were just what I needed, you know? Someone nice I could spend my night with.”

“Anytime,” I replied half-groggily.

“I have to get ready for class, so sorry I can’t stick around,” she said apologetically. “And let’s be honest, we’re only each other’s rebounds.”

I nodded solemnly.

“But you’re probably one of the best men I’ve met in a long time, in that you’re actually single and trying to be a better person. I don’t think I’m ready for a fully committed relationship yet, but I think in a few weeks, I’ll have my answer.” She handed me a slip of paper from the table she’d written down on earlier with her phone number.

I accepted the piece of paper, still half dazed, and looked over the digits carefully. Of all of the phone numbers I’d been given since I’d arrived in this world, these were the most important to me so far.

“Hey, Elsie,” I said, looking back up at her face.

“Hmm? What is it, Mike?”

“You made my night last night, and saved me from getting back into drinking. Thanks.”

“You saved my night as well,” she replied with a smile.

“Whether or not we get together, you’re really fun and interesting, and I’d still like to be friends if it doesn’t pan out. You’re probably the first person I’ve met who’s shown me romantic interest and isn’t actively cheating on someone. And that means a lot to me.”

“Sure, just keep up the self-improvement, stay away from the booze, and you’ve got yourself a deal. I’ve left half a pot of coffee for you, by the way. Hope I’ll hear from you soon.” Elsie made her way through the door out of my hotel room. I sighed in contentment as I carefully leaned over to the side and placed the slip of paper safely on the bedside table.

“Wait, pot of coffee? I don’t have a coffee maker.”

Apparently, I did own a coffee maker. It was just jammed in a closet I never bothered to open. The smell of the rich, dark substance wafted through the air and kicked me out of bed. The clock on the side read 6:50, which was around the normal time I woke up for work, so I took the opportunity to start getting ready.

Wanting as much time to review all of the System changes as possible, I made sure my trip to the bathroom was as quick as possible. I scrambled to brush my teeth until it felt ‘good enough’, and rinsed off my face instead of taking a shower. I’d taken one yesterday evening after coming back from the gym anyway, so I knew I wouldn’t smell that bad.

After getting out of there with my work clothes, I grabbed myself a cup of coffee from the pot Elsie left me and sat down on the small dining room table. Taking a sip of the strong brew, I called up the System.

Name

Level

Chuck Bachman (Mike Smith)

10

Attribute

Points

Description

Strength

16

Your physical strength, ability to hit harder and lift more.

Constitution

19

How much physical damage you can endure, be it from injuries or disease.

Endurance

16

Your physical Endurance. Also applies to your refractory period.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

Charisma

22

Your ability to convince others with your words, both spoken and written.

Attractiveness

13

Your physical attractiveness, how receptive others are to your presence and words. Works in tandem with charisma when in person.

Dexterity

14

Your physical dexterity. Applies to movement speed, fine motor skills, and how finely you can pleasure someone.

Intelligence

19

Your ability to recall previously learned or observed information, and how quickly new information can be learned.

Skill

Level

Description

Detect Cheating

13

The ability to detect if someone around you is cheating. Will alert you more powerfully if the act of cheating is actively occurring nearby.

Perks:

* Information: Cheater- Active ability that reveals the cheater’s name.

* Information: Method- Active ability that reveals the method of cheating.

Revenge

5

The ability to inflict harm on a direct target who has wronged you.

Tinker

7

The ability to build and repair complex machines or devices.

Perks:

* Diagnose Problem- Determines what is preventing a complex machine or device from functioning properly.

Situational Awareness

4

The ability to detect minute details in the surrounding area.

Seduction

1

Influence others to feel attraction towards you. Stacks with all other charisma-based Skills.

Lying

1

Improves how much others believe in your lies.

Hold on, why did I gain all of these new Skills in the first place? Lying and seduction… shit, did I do something bad with Elsie? Was she not fully into me or did I lie to her to get her to come back with me? My heart began to race until the caffeine finally entered my system and brought me back to the land of clear thinking. I took a deep breath and considered everything that had happened.

Seduction could’ve just been because I actually got someone to come home with me, just being myself was enough in that case. Or more likely, it could’ve been the smalltalk I was making with those other ladies to grind my Charisma and Attractiveness. I guess I might’ve been checking them out while I was doing it. And lying? Did I say any lies yesterday? I guess to get away from the people who I wasn’t interested in, but do white lies and deflections really warrant me getting a brand new Skill? I’ve lied plenty of times before yesterday.

And it wasn’t like I gave someone a fake backstory to elicit pity from them, or lied about my qualifications on a job interview. Or it could be that I told Elsie that I broke up with my girlfriend, when in reality it was more like Mike Smith’s girlfriend. Maybe it was like Tinker, and I only got the level because I used it in a sexual scenario. But did I say any bad lies that hurt anyone?

I shrugged to myself. I couldn’t remember anything severe I did last night, which was honestly not a problem because I wasn’t blackout drunk like I’d normally be after a night out. I smiled to myself as I remembered Elsie stopping me from ordering a drink.

Man, I’d love to get to know her better… wait, what if [Seduction] would interfere with that? I wanted her to like me for who I was, not some dumb Skill! After quickly fidgeting with whatever mental connection I had with the System, I was able to turn it off, along with [Lying]. Phew.

I took another gulp of my coffee and grimaced at the strong flavor. I probably should’ve added some milk and sugar earlier, but I didn’t want to bother clearing the System display only to bring it back up again after. I mean sure, it just took a thought or two, but I had to leave for work soon, and every second counted here.

On another note, it looked like my efforts to grind Attractiveness were a success! Flirting with a bunch of women did in fact raise the attribute! But now I was possibly heading into a committed relationship, so there went my chance to grind it even more. Unless romancing her would be enough to increase it? Another shrug, another gulp, and another shudder.

There was the issue of what I was going to start grinding next? Charisma’s just past 20, and at that point I’d might as well be… whoever the charismatic equivalent of Albert Einstein was. I dunno, Bernie Madoff maybe? Or one of those televangelists who ripped off old people? But with the life I’d been living so far, that would probably go up on its own without me putting any extra effort into it.

Intelligence sounded nice, I could check out Atlantic City’s library and start reading or something. Or maybe more Strength? I had the bodybuilder’s number from yesterday, Shovon. Maybe I could give him a call later to see when he’d be at the gym?

But there was also Constitution to consider. It’d help me take hits and it even helped me recover from that nasty bruise I got yesterday from…

Suddenly the taste of the coffee turned much too bitter in my mouth.

What the hell was I doing, thinking about using these powers so casually when there was a monster following me around. I gripped the thick paper cup hard enough that it began to tear at places, splashing my fingers with the cooling brew. How could I be so casual when my life was on the line?!

A series of soft chirps and tweets from outside my apartment brought me back to the real world. What was I doing? I was living my life. Doing what I wanted to do since I came to this world.

The frustration and shame I was feeling cleared up like a nose after inhaling a blast of steam, and I took a slow, deep breath. I was living my life. So what if there was some kind of beast at the gates, threatening to eat me? If I rolled over and begged for my life, let it control me through fear, then that would be no worse than the kind of life I lived back home.

I was a slave to my addiction back then, but I wasn’t going to be a slave to fear here! I was going to live!

But I still had to do something about that missionary, and before that, I had to get to work.

So with my head held high, I stepped outside to greet the day. First would be fixing up whatever else broke thanks to Ultarian Festival week, and after that was to hit the casino for day two of the tournament. After that, well… I’d start making preparations. And besides, I might have had an ally in the matter. I’d have to call him up for more than just working out.

As I made my way towards Hiroi’s office, a rogue thought popped up in my head.

“Oh yeah, what was that last notification I got? Something about a Sex Point Shop?”

[Opening Point Shop]

…

“What the fuck?!”