Ethan was driving the BMW away from the terminal, the image of Chloe's promise—and Natalie's stunned face—still fresh in his mind. The System decided the moment was ripe for a serious conversation.
[Stop staring at the rearview mirror like an idiot. She's gone. Focus. I have something important for your tiny, human brain to process.]
Ethan sighed, already anticipating the lecture. Go ahead. I know I screwed up the ticket.
[Actually, no. Quite the opposite. I'm genuinely impressed. For a simpleton, you're finally starting to understand the path. The rewards I gave you before? That was just kindergarten level incentive. But now, things are changing. You're ready for the big league.]
Big league? What does that mean?
[It means I recognize you're too damn tethered to this world. I could easily assign you missions like 'Go screw that passing brunette in the restroom' or 'Buy that redhead's wet panties' to force your growth. But I've decided the best course of action is for you to desire the chaos yourself.]
Ethan felt a sudden, sharp ping from his phone. He glanced at the notification on the dashboard. His bank balance had changed.
[Check your balance. I just wired one million dollars to your account. And I'm dropping the coordinates for a penthouse with a pool into your navigation system. What you do now is entirely up to you. But I will give you certain general guidelines.]
One million dollars? Just for what I did? Ethan's heart hammered against his ribs.
[That million dollars? That is your bonus for Chloe. Her affection level for you is currently at ninety-nine percent. Now listen: Every woman you bring above ninety percent affection will net you one million dollars and a random reward object.]
[Wait, wait. Before you replicate like some cheap copy machine, let me finish. I don't expect you to fall in love with or get every woman to marry you. So here is the second, more realistic part of your missions: For every woman you manage to screw, you get fifty thousand dollars. But you must leave them wanting more. They need to reach at least sixty percent affection.]
[If you keep playing them and manage to push them to seventy-five percent, I'll give you a hundred thousand. They don't have to love you; they just need to be absolutely dying for your dick. I'm also throwing in this.]
A second, separate notification popped up on the navigation screen. It was a long, scrolling list titled: OBSCENE ACTIVITY LIST.
[[Acquire a woman's wet panties. Reward: $10k dollars]]
[[Have sex with a complete stranger you met less than ten minutes ago. Reward: $50k dollars]]
The list was extensive and highly specific, detailing all kinds of enumerated erotic activities.
[For every ten of those you manage to complete, I'll give you a special bonus. And if you manage to hit several at once, the bonuses will stack. You know I love messing with you, so I won't keep quiet. I just won't force you into anything with direct missions. I want to see how much you can grow.]
Ethan finally pulled the car onto the exit ramp, heading towards the city center. He wasn't thinking about the car, the money, or the penthouse. He was staring at the OBSCENE ACTIVITY LIST.
So, no more babysitting, huh? You're leaving the fun up to me.
Ethan thought, the list of obscenities still burning a hole in his focus.
[Exactly. That's the entire point. I'm stepping back. The only thing I genuinely cannot alter are the activities that generate Lux Points—those are set at a baseline. Only the System Creator knows how they're truly generated, so my hands are tied there.]
Ethan laughed, a short, cynical sound. Money solves everything. "Easy. Let's just buy them. Tell me, how much do I pay for a Lux Point? A grand? Ten grand?"
The System absolutely erupted in digital laughter. It sounded like a thousand tiny, mocking bells going off inside his head.
[Hah! Only an utter idiot would think that! Did your brain dissolve after you started thinking things were easy? Seriously, I need to know.]
Ethan didn't understand the level of derision. "I don't get it. You sold me ten Lux Points for one hundred dollars! I bought ten of them! I understand if you want them to cost ten or even a hundred times more now, but why the reaction?"
The System mocked him even harder. [Oh, kid... I hate to break it to you, but that entire transaction was a scam. I needed to teach you a lesson in value, and the time for that lecture is now. You looked so happy when you bought them, but the price I'm about to tell you will probably make you want to jump off the penthouse balcony.]
Ethan frowned, the gravity of the System's tone finally hitting him. "What are you talking about? Are they really that expensive?"
[Every single Lux Point, in pure current market US dollars, would be worth approximately one hundred billion dollars.]
The silence that followed was broken only by the hum of the BMW. Ethan nearly drove off the road.
[The Lux Point is the most powerful currency in the universe. It is the concentrated, raw desire of living beings. You were able to get so many early on because you were a pathetic virgin loser nearly dying of diabetes. Your desire was supreme. You contained more raw desire than a desire mine.]
[But now that you've been thoroughly satisfied? Your body can't generate Lux. You probably didn't even notice that the last few missions didn't reward any Lux. Only the gym challenge gave you a bit, but that was just the stored Lux in your body fusing together and being delivered to you gradually.]
The System lowered its tone, for once sounding serious. [I'm telling you this now: Lux is worth more than everything you see. And if you want to get more, you have to extract it from pure desire. Do you understand?]
Ethan couldn't see the System, but he could feel the smug, mocking grin. He couldn't help but realize the truth of it. Lux didn't come from thin air; it had to be harvested from frustrated desires, just as the System said. He could potentially gather hundreds of frustrated women and fulfill their dreams to obtain it.
For a brief, dangerous second, Ethan forgot the System read his mind. So, I need to make women desire me to the point of breaking, then grant their wish.
[Finally! You figured it out, second-class genius! Ha!]
The System's sudden, sharp shout of agreement made Ethan jump, the stark reminder that his thoughts were an open book to his digital overseer terrifying him all over again.