Chapter 6 : Forced Upgrade
Nolan looked up, and his stomach dropped.
Standing right in front of him was a face he hadn't seen in years. A face from the past. From a time he tried hard to forget.
It was Meera.
For a second, time stopped. The noise of the street faded. And suddenly he was back there. Back in the old orphanage with its faded yellow walls and creaky beds.
He was twelve, sitting on the steps near the small garden, and Meera was next to him, her eyes wet with tears.
"I like you, Nolan. Like… really like you. More than a friend."
He remembered the way his heart had pounded.
Not because he felt the same, but because he didn't.
He remembered the silence that stretched between them, heavy and uncomfortable. And then his own voice, quiet and gentle because he didn't want to hurt her.
"I'm sorry, Meera. I… I don't feel that way. You're like a sister to me."
She had run away crying. And after that, things were never the same between them. A few months later, she got adopted. He never saw her again.
Until now.
The memory faded, and Nolan was back on the busy street. Meera stood in front of him, but she wasn't the shy, crying girl from his memory.
She was different now. Polished. Wearing good clothes and too much makeup. Her hair was perfectly styled, and she held the arm of a guy who looked like he spent more time in the gym than anywhere else.
Her eyes met Nolan's, and for a split second, something flickered there. Recognition. Then it was gone, replaced by something cold. Something almost arrogant.
"Well, well," she said, her voice dripping with fake sweetness. "Nolan Drake. From the orphanage. Look at you. Still alive, I see."
Nolan said nothing. His eyes darted to the timer in the corner of his vision.
[Time Limit: 47:32]
Forty-seven minutes left. He didn't have time for this. He didn't have time for old memories or awkward reunions. He needed to move.
He stepped to the side, trying to walk past them.
But the boyfriend moved too, blocking his path.
"Hey hey hey," the guy said, grinning. He was tall, built like he spent hours lifting weights, with a cocky look on his face. "Where you going so fast? Meera here says you two go way back. Old friends from the orphanage, right?" He laughed, like the word "orphanage" was a joke. "Say something, man. Don't be rude."
Nolan's jaw tightened. "I don't have time. I need to go."
"Go where?" the guy pressed, stepping closer. "You working around here or something? Cleaning tables? Mopping floors?" He looked Nolan up and down, taking in his ordinary clothes, his worn-out shoes. "Yeah, I heard orphanage kids work hard. Gotta earn every penny, right?"
Meera giggled. Actually giggled. Like this was entertaining.
Nolan felt something hot rise in his chest. Anger. But he pushed it down. The timer was still ticking. Forty-six minutes now.
"I'm not working here," he said quietly. "Now move."
But the guy didn't move. He just grinned wider. "Oh, touchy. Meera, your old friend is touchy." He turned to her. "What'd you ever see in this guy? He looks like he can't even afford a decent meal."
Meera shrugged, playing with her hair. "We were kids. I didn't know better back then."
The words stung more than Nolan wanted to admit. He had rejected her, yes. But he had done it kindly. Gently. And now she was standing here, letting her boyfriend mock him, acting like he was nothing.
The timer hit forty-five minutes.
And then the system screen flashed.
Nolan blinked. The text changed right in front of his eyes.
[Quest Updated]
[New Objective: Spend $1000 on a mobile device.]
[Special Condition: Shut Them Up]
[Time Limit: 45 minutes]
[Remaining Balance: $1,000]
Nolan stared. 'Spend everything? Again?' His heart started racing. One thousand dollars. On a phone. Right now. With these two watching.
He looked at Meera. At her smirking boyfriend. Then at the electronics store right next to them. The big sign read "MOBILE ZONE - Latest Phones & Accessories."
Before he could think, before he could second-guess himself, Nolan walked toward the store.
Meera's boyfriend laughed. "Oh, look! He's going to the phone store! Gonna buy a new phone with your cleaning money, orphan boy?"
Meera snorted. "Let's watch. This should be funny."
They followed him inside.
The store was bright and modern. Glass counters filled with shiny phones. Posters of the latest models on the walls. A few customers browsing, helped by salespeople in blue uniforms.
Nolan walked in, and immediately a salesman near the entrance spotted Meera and her boyfriend. The guy was wearing expensive sneakers and a designer shirt. They looked like money.
The salesman rushed toward them, a huge smile on his face.
"Welcome welcome! How can I help you today? Looking for something special? We have the new flagship models just arrived!"
Meera's boyfriend puffed up like a peacock. "Yeah, maybe. Show us the good stuff."
The salesman led them to the premium counter, chatting happily.
Nolan stood near the entrance, completely ignored. Another salesperson, a young woman near the budget phones, glanced at him, then looked away. He didn't look like a buyer. He looked like someone who wandered in by accident.
For a moment, Nolan almost laughed. This was his life. Always invisible. Always overlooked. Always the one who didn't matter.
But not today.
He walked past the budget phones. Past the mid-range phones. Straight to the premium counter where the salesman was busy showing Meera and her boyfriend the latest models.
The salesman glanced at Nolan, annoyed. "Sir, I'm helping these customers right now. Please wait."
"I'm buying a phone," Nolan said calmly.
Another saleswoman, older than the rest, with kind eyes and graying hair, approached him. "I can help you, young man. What are you looking for?"
Nolan pointed at the most expensive phone in the display. The latest flagship. Sleek black, curved screen, cameras that looked like professional equipment. Price tag: $949.
"That one," he said.
The saleswoman raised her eyebrows. "That's our newest model. It's nine hundred and forty-nine dollars."
"I know."
She looked at him carefully, probably thinking the same thing everyone thought. He didn't look like he could afford it. But she didn't say anything. She just nodded and unlocked the display.
Meera's boyfriend noticed. He nudged Meera and whispered something. They both turned to watch, smirks on their faces.
"Watch him back out," the boyfriend whispered, loud enough for Nolan to hear.
Nolan ignored them. He held the phone. It felt good. Solid. Expensive.
"I'll take it," he said.
The saleswoman smiled. "Excellent choice. Will that be card or—"
Nolan placed his thumb on the payment scanner next to the counter. The system screen flashed.
[Biometric Scan Authorized]
[Payment Processing…]
The saleswoman's eyes went wide as the machine beeped. "Approved," she said, disbelief in her voice.
Nolan looked at the system screen. Nine hundred forty-nine dollars spent. Fifty-one dollars left. He thought about the timer, about the quest, about shutting them up.
Then he looked at the saleswoman.
"Keep the rest as tip," he said.
She blinked. "Sir… that's fifty-one dollars. Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
The total on the screen updated.
[$1,000 Spent]
[Balance: $0]
Silence.
The salesman who had ignored Nolan stood frozen, his mouth slightly open. Meera's boyfriend stopped smirking. Meera herself just stared, her eyes wide.
For five full seconds, no one moved.
Then Meera laughed. But it was different now. Forced. Desperate.
"Pfft. Whatever. Probably saved for a year to afford that. Worked every night, right Nolan? Bought one nice thing and now you're broke again." She grabbed her boyfriend's arm. "Right, babe?"
The boyfriend nodded quickly. "Yeah. Yeah, exactly. One phone doesn't mean anything. We could buy ten of those if we wanted."
Nolan looked at them. At their fake smiles, their desperate need to feel superior. He felt nothing. No anger. No satisfaction. Just… emptiness.
He turned and walked out.
The saleswoman watched him go, then turned to Meera and her boyfriend with a professional smile.
"So," she said brightly. "What phone will you be purchasing today?"
Meera's face went red. Her boyfriend shifted uncomfortably.
"Uh… well… we're just looking today," the boyfriend mumbled.
"Oh, I see. Just accompanying your friend?" the saleswoman asked, her voice perfectly polite but her eyes sharp.
Meera's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "He's not our friend. We just… we knew him from before. That's all."
"I see," the saleswoman said again. "Well, if you're not buying anything, I have other customers. Have a nice day."
She walked away.
Meera and her boyfriend stood there, humiliated, as the other salesman who had fawned over them now looked away, embarrassed for them. They hurried out of the store, faces burning.
Outside, they looked around for Nolan. But he was gone.
A few blocks away, in a small park with old trees and a empty bench, Nolan sat alone.
The phone sat in his lap, still in its box. He hadn't even opened it yet. He just stared at the system screen, waiting.
And then it came.
[Quest Completed Successfully]
[Objective: Shut Them Up - Achieved]
[Tier 2 Completed]
[System Upgrading…]
Nolan's heart slammed against his ribs. His breathing quickened. This was it. The moment he'd been waiting for.
But his mind was racing too fast. Too many thoughts colliding at once.
'This is too quick. Too fast. I just got Tier 2. Now it's upgrading again? What does that mean? What happens now?'
'The skill. I'm getting a skill. What will it be? Will I get to choose? Will it be something useful? Something cool?'
'And the money. Will I get more money? Ten thousand? A hundred thousand? What if it's a million? What if—'
He pressed his palms against his knees, forcing himself to breathe.
"Calm down," he whispered. "Calm down. Just breathe."
The loading bar on the screen crawled forward. Twenty percent. Forty. Sixty.
His heart kept pounding. His hands were shaking slightly. He thought about Meera, about the way she'd looked at him like he was dirt. He thought about her boyfriend, laughing, blocking his path. He thought about the salesman ignoring him, the way the world always seemed to look past him.
And then he thought about the look on their faces when the payment went through. When he walked out without a word. When the saleswoman asked them what they were buying.
For the first time in his life, Nolan had shut people up without saying a single word. Without begging. Without explaining. Just by existing. Just by having something they didn't expect.
The loading bar hit ninety percent.
Ninety-five.
Ninety-nine.
[Upgrade Complete.]
The screen flashed bright white, then cleared.
Nolan held his breath.