Dorian woke up on day one of Level 4 with a problem.
Not the quest. Well, yes, the quest—four different girls in seven days was a nightmare. But first, he had a more immediate issue.
His pants didn't fit.
Not the waist. The waist was fine—better than fine, actually. His stomach had shrunk enough that his jeans actually hung loose. But the front... the front had a new problem.
He stood in front of his mirror, staring down at himself. Three inches total. It wasn't huge—he'd seen guys in locker rooms with more—but it was enough. Enough that his usual positioning didn't work anymore. Enough that if he wasn't careful, things ended up... visible.
He spent five minutes rearranging before he could walk normally.
This is fine. This is just an adjustment. I'll get used to it.
"Dude." Tyler's voice from behind him. "You've been in front of that mirror for like ten minutes. What are you doing?"
Dorian jumped. "Nothing. Checking a zit."
"You don't have zits." Tyler squinted. "You barely have pores. It's annoying."
Dorian grabbed his bag and headed for the door. "See you later."
"Wait!" Tyler called after him. "You want to grab food later? Me and Marcus are going to the dining hall around six."
"Busy."
"You're always busy now. Ever since you started getting hot."
Dorian froze in the doorway. Turned slowly. "What?"
Tyler shrugged. "You got hot, man. It's a thing. We're not blind." He paused. "Well, Marcus is half blind without his glasses, but you know what I mean."
Dorian didn't know how to respond. So he left.
---
Outside, he checked the system.
QUEST PACK: "MULTI-TARGET"
SUB-QUEST 4A: LIP SERVICE - INCOMPLETE
SUB-QUEST 4B: PRIVATE ACCESS - INCOMPLETE
SUB-QUEST 4C: PUBLIC CLAIM - INCOMPLETE
SUB-QUEST 4D: OVERNIGHT STAY - INCOMPLETE
TIME REMAINING: 6 DAYS, 23 HOURS
Four different girls. He had Sarah for 4C—she'd claimed him in front of Jenna, but that was only one witness. He needed five. A party, maybe. A crowded place. Something public.
But 4A, 4B, and 4D required different girls. He couldn't use Sarah for everything.
He needed targets.
Maya was the obvious choice for something—anything—but she hated him. Jenna, Sarah's friend, had definitely noticed his transformation last night. She'd been impressed. Maybe too impressed.
And then there was everyone else on campus he'd never spoken to.
Seven days. Four girls. I'm screwed.
His phone buzzed.
Sarah: Good morning boyfriend! ☀️ Free for lunch?
He stared at the word "boyfriend." His stomach did something complicated.
Dorian: Sure. Same place?
Sarah: Perfect! See you at 12 😘
---
Lunch was at the coffee cart again. Bad idea, because Maya was working. Again.
Dorian considered suggesting somewhere else, but Sarah was already waving at him from the table, and Maya was already staring.
Just act normal.
He sat down. Sarah smiled—that genuine, dimpled smile—and reached across to squeeze his hand.
"Hey, you."
"Hey."
Maya appeared at their table with two lattes. She set them down hard enough to slosh.
"Here." Her eyes were on Dorian. Flat. Unimpressed. "Spider guy."
Sarah laughed. "Maya, come on. He apologized."
"No, he didn't."
"I did," Dorian said quickly. "At the time. With the spider explanation."
Maya snorted. "That wasn't an apology. That was a bad excuse." She looked at Sarah. "You sure about this guy?"
Sarah squeezed his hand again. "Yeah. I'm sure."
Maya's expression shifted—something unreadable—before she shrugged and walked away.
Dorian watched her go. New target. Right there. How the hell was he supposed to get her to kiss him or let him into her room?
Focus on Jenna first. Maya is hard mode.
"How's your day?" Sarah asked.
"Fine. Good." He forced a smile. "Yours?"
"Good. Hey, Jenna texted me this morning." Sarah's tone was casual, but her eyes were curious. "She said you looked really different last night. Like, really different. She kept talking about it."
Dorian's heart rate spiked. "Different how?
"I don't know. Hotter, I think." Sarah laughed. "I told her to back off, you're mine."
Mine.
After lunch, Dorian had an hour before his next class. He wandered through the student union, killing time. His eyes swept the room—habit, nothing more—and stopped.
Jenna. At a table with two others—a guy in a baseball cap and a girl with purple hair. Deep in conversation. Laughing.
Dorian grabbed a seat near the vending machines, pulled out his phone, and waited.
Ten minutes. The guy left. Five more. The purple-haired girl checked her watch, said something to Jenna, and headed for the bathroom.
Now.
He stood, hands in pockets, and walked past her table.
"Dorian!"
He turned, feigning surprise. "Jenna? Hey, didn't see you there."
Her face lit up. "Sit! I was just thinking about you."
Perfect.
He slid into the seat across from her. "Yeah? Good things, I hope."
"The best." She set her phone down. "You look even better than last night, by the way. What's your secret?"
Three inches and a magical system.
"Good sleep, I guess." He shrugged. "Listen, I wanted to ask you something. But you have to promise not to tell Sarah."
Jenna's eyebrows went up. "Ominous. I'm listening."
"Sarah and I are new. Like, really new. And I want to do something special for her, but I don't know her that well yet. I was hoping you could help me—you know, tell me what she likes. Her favorite things. Stuff like that."
It was a lie. A good one. Jenna's suspicious expression melted into something warm.
"That's actually really sweet." She leaned forward. "Okay, here's what you need to know..."
They talked for twenty minutes. Jenna gave him details—favorite food (Thai), favorite movie (something romantic Dorian immediately forgot), favorite flower (sunflowers). He nodded along, pretending to care, while his mind calculated.
She's into me. Definitely into me. This could work.
When they finally parted, Jenna hugged him. "You're a good guy, Dorian. Sarah's lucky."
"Hey," she added as he turned to leave. "I'm throwing a party this weekend. My place. You and Sarah should come."
Dorian's ears perked up. Party. Five witnesses. Public claim opportunity.
"Yeah? That sounds fun."
"It'll be great." She smiled—that warm smile. "I'll text Sarah the details. See you there?"
"Definitely."
---
That evening, Dorian sat in his dorm, strategizing.
Marcus was on his bed, reading something on his phone. Tyler was playing video games. Kyle was curled in the corner, eating chips and watching something on his laptop.
"So," Tyler said without looking away from his screen. "You and that girl. Sarah. That's a thing now?"
"Yeah."
"She's cute." Tyler paused his game. "How'd you pull that? No offense, but a few weeks ago you were... you know."
"Ugly?" Kyle offered quietly, not meeting Dorian's eyes.
"I was going to say 'different,' but sure."
Dorian shrugged. "We just clicked."
Marcus looked up from his phone. "You've been clicking a lot lately. The weight loss, the face change..." He squinted. "You sure you're not on something?"
"Just eating better."
"Huh." Marcus didn't look convinced. "Well, whatever it is, it's working. Even your walk changed."
Dorian tensed. "My walk?"
"Yeah," Tyler said, finally looking away from his screen. "You walk different now. Like you've got a loaded weapon in your pants."
Kyle choked on his chip.
Dorian forced a laugh. "You guys are imagining things."
They weren't. But they let it drop.
---
His phone buzzed.
Unknown: Nice work. Jenna's interested.
Dorian's blood ran cold. He looked around the room—Tyler gaming, Marcus reading, Kyle eating chips. No one watching him.
Unknown: Girl code is real. Be careful.
He typed back: Who ARE you?
Three dots appeared. Then:
Unknown: Someone who's been watching since the library.
Unknown: That ring? It's not the first. Others failed.
Unknown: Don't fail.
The texts stopped.
Dorian sat there, heart pounding. Others before him? Failed how? What happened to them?
He looked down at the ring. It pulsed faintly, mockingly.
"Yo, Dorian." Tyler's voice cut through. "You look like you saw a ghost."
Dorian blinked. "What? No. I'm fine."
"You sure? You're white as sheet."
"Just tired." He stood. "Going for a walk."
He needed air. Needed to think.
---
Outside, the campus was quiet. Dorian walked aimlessly, his mind churning.
Others had worn the ring. They'd failed. What did failure mean? Did they lose their gains? Did something worse happen?
He passed the science building. The spot where Kyle said someone got arrested. He slowed, looking around.
Nothing. Just empty campus.
Then he saw her.
A girl, sitting on a bench near the fountain. Dark hair. Familiar profile. She was reading something on her phone, half-smiling at the screen.
Chloe.
Dorian's feet stopped moving.
It was her. Actually her. The same girl from high school—the prom queen, the untouchable one, the one who'd asked him for a pencil senior year and never spoken to him again. He'd seen her around campus before, a few times, but she'd never looked at him like this.
She looked up.
Their eyes met.
For one endless second, Dorian stood frozen. She was looking at him—actually looking—and her expression was... curious. Interested.
Then she smiled. A small smile, brief, before she looked back at her phone.
Dorian's heart hammered. She'd smiled at him. Chloe had smiled at him.
He took a half-step toward her—then stopped.
What am I doing? I can't just walk up to her. What would I even say?
The moment stretched. He waited, willing her to look up again. She didn't.
He stood there, frozen by years of insecurity, until the courage drained away completely.
When he finally looked again, she was gone.
---
He walked back to his dorm in a daze.
Chloe had smiled at him. Actually smiled. After years of nothing, of being invisible, she'd seen him.
But he hadn't done anything. He'd just stood there like the same pathetic kid from high school.
I'm still not ready. Not yet.
He checked the system.
QUEST PACK: "MULTI-TARGET"
4A: LIP SERVICE - 0/1
4B: PRIVATE ACCESS - 0/1
4C: PUBLIC CLAIM - 0/1
4D: OVERNIGHT STAY - 0/1
TIME REMAINING: 6 DAYS, 2 HOURS
Party this weekend. Sarah claims him. 4C done.
Jenna was interested—maybe willing for 4A or 4B.
Maya was the problem. Hard mode.
And somewhere out there, the texter was watching. Waiting. Maybe even helping?
He didn't know. But he had six days to figure it out.
His phone buzzed one last time.
Unknown: The party? Jenna's not the only one who'll be there.
Unknown: See you Saturday, boyfriend.
Dorian stared at the screen.
Someone in the shadows was planning something.
[END OF CHAPTER 5]