"FUCK!!"
I shouted it out loud, not even caring how ridiculous I probably sounded.
It came from deep in my chest too, the kind of shout that carried pure frustration and a bit of "you've got to be kidding me" energy mixed together.
"What do you mean I could've exchanged those this whole time for 10,000c each?!"
The more I thought about it, the more annoyed I got.
Actually, annoyed wasn't even the right word anymore.
It was closer to being straight-up pissed.
The system had been sitting there this entire time, acting all helpful, and it couldn't even bother to tell me something this important? A simple notice would've saved me from making some very questionable decisions.
If I had known, I wouldn't have wasted anything last night.
Not on increasing that woman's affection for me, and definitely not on boosting my STRENGTH.
"Can I even get a refund?" I muttered, already knowing the answer but still hoping anyway.
Right now, I was regretting my life choices in a very real and painful way.
If I had known earlier, then by now, I could've had… 200,000c.
Two hundred thousand.
Just thinking about that number made me feel like I wanted to lie down on the floor and stare at the ceiling for a while.
Man, do you have any idea how much stuff that could buy? Because I was starting to list things in my head, and it just kept going. It wasn't even funny at this point.
I could've bought a lot. A lot a lot.
At that moment, I seriously had the urge to punch the floating interface right in front of me.
It wouldn't do anything, obviously.
My fist would probably just pass through it like an idiot.
"But well… I guess I can still get 100,000c," I said after a while, forcing myself to calm down a bit.
I swiped through the interface, bringing up my stats, then moved over to the quest section. There was only one quest available for now.
Weirdly enough, I handled the interface smoothly, like I'd been using it for years. Like I had already accepted all of this without realizing it.
Still, I focused on the quest.
___
QUEST
The manager is looking for a boyfriend on a dating site, and it seems like she may have found someone. Do you think it's okay for her to meet a stranger like that?
Reward: 10♥︎
Event information: Mall C, 8:00 PM. Be sure not to be late!
___
I stared at it for a moment, trying to make sense of what exactly I was supposed to do.
There wasn't much information.
Just the time, the place, and the fact that my manager was about to meet some random guy she found online.
"So… what now?" I murmured to myself. "Am I supposed to stop it or something?"
Thinking about it honestly, I didn't like the idea of her meeting some stranger like that.
It wasn't even about being protective or anything noble like that.
It just didn't sit right with me.
If she was going to fall for someone anyway…
I'd rather it be me.
. . .
"Alright… I think I get it now," I said slowly, piecing things together in my head. "The quest is basically telling me to step in before someone else takes her."
It made sense in a weird way, I guess.
The system seemed to know exactly what I wanted and was just laying out situations where I had to act on it.
"If something I want is about to be taken by someone else, the system shows me a quest so I can interfere."
Saying it out loud made it sound a bit messed up, but also… convenient. I guess?
It probably applied to others too. Like Ma'am Minerva, the hot wife next door.
Right now, the system wasn't just helping me.
It was feeding into my desires, showing me opportunities, and pushing me to take action before I lost them.
"Well, system," I said with a small grin forming on my face, "you picked the right person for this. I'm a greedy bastard, after all."
A laugh slipped out of me, a bit louder than I expected. It sounded slightly unhinged, like I had a few loose screws rolling around somewhere. Honestly, that wasn't entirely wrong.
Talking to a floating interface like this wasn't exactly normal behavior to begin with.
Still, I didn't care anymore.
At this point, normal didn't matter.
What mattered was what I could get out of this.
If the system was real, then I was going to use it as much as I possibly could.
***
I woke up a little past five in the afternoon, blinking a few times as I adjusted to the light.
After a quick glance at the time, I did the math in my head.
That gave me around three hours before the manager met that guy.
Mall C, located in Dusk City, wasn't far from my apartment. Walking there wouldn't even take long.
Even so, I wasn't about to show up looking like I just rolled out of bed and decided to ruin someone's date.
Preparation mattered, after all.
I got up, brushed my teeth properly, fixed my hair so it didn't look like I had fought a pillow and lost, and picked out something decent to wear.
It was nothing too fancy, of course, but enough to look presentable.
After that, I headed out.
The walk didn't take long, and before I knew it, I was already at Mall C.
Since I had arrived early, I decided to walk around for a bit instead of just standing there like some suspicious guy waiting for trouble.
As I wandered through the mall, my thoughts drifted back to the rewards.
100,000c.
It still felt unreal.
That kind of money wasn't something I usually saw in a single month. Thinking about how I could spend it made the wait feel a bit more tolerable.
While I was casually checking out different stores, something strange caught my attention.
Above some of the establishments, there were these floating symbols.
STR, STA, INT, and even something labeled S-SKILL.
I frowned slightly.
It was then that an interface appeared instantly.
___
MINI-QUESTS!
* Spend 2 hours in the gym
Reward: 10+ STRENGTH, 5+ STAMINA
* Order a special massage from the secret pamphlet at the massage parlor
Reward: 10+ S-Skill.
* Learn how to dance
Reward: 5+ AGILITY, 5+ STAMINA, 1+ INTELLIGENCE.
___