Darren Nova didn't trust golden and mysterious hallways.
They just screamed "trap," like a phishing link with better lighting.
But standing alone in a vault that had tried to liquidate him ten seconds ago, while holding a pen that might be worth less than the soul it cost, he figured the glowing corridor was marginally better than waiting to starve next to a "maybe" corpse.
And It glowed — not metaphorically. It literally glowed, the walls rippled with soft gold light, like someone dipped an art gallery in cryptocurrency.
"Nope," he muttered. "This is definitely how horror movies start. Guy follows glowing hallway. Ends up possessed. Or worse, in sales."
The pen in his hand buzzed again. Gently. Like it was reminding him.. You already bought me. You might as well move.
"Screw it. I already bought the premium subscription to existential horror."
He stepped in..
The air smelled clean. Too clean. Like if money laundering had a scent.
As he walked, symbols blinked across the walls. System UI stuff.. Like he was inside the menu of some cursed finance app.
[Calibration: 9%...]
[Synchronizing Cognitive Baseline…]
[Installing Market Filters...]
"What the hell is a market filter?"
He turned a corner.
Stopped.
The hallway spilled into a new space. A showroom maybe, white floor, Tall ceiling. Everything spotless.
In the middle was a floating interface panel.
Behind it, a shelves filled with random stuff. Phones. Jewelry. Notebooks. A gold stapler. A cracked mirror.
And above it all, a glowing message..
[TUTORIAL: COMPLETE YOUR FIRST EMOTIONAL PURCHASE]
A Voice (In His Head)
"Ledger Units may be accumulated through standard transactions, micro asset exchanges and emotional conversions."
"Emotional what now?"
"Emotions carry fluctuating market value.
Envy, Desire, Shame, Fear, Regret, Awe, Worship… all recognized as tradeable assets."
"Capture emotional spikes. Convert them. Spend wisely."
"Wait....you want me to feel things for money?"
"Incorrect. You will be paid for making other people feel them."
A silence.
Darren looked at the mirror. His reflection flickered slightly but just enough to make him flinch.
"...That's messed up."
The system spoke again...
[New Quest Available: Make Someone Envy You]
Reward: 1.00 Ledger Unit
Risk: Emotional Contamination
Optional Bonus: Shame Combo x2 Yield
He turned away from the interface slowly.
"Y'know, I was broke two hours ago. Now I'm in emotional debt to a haunted spreadsheet. Honestly... I miss poverty."
The voice came again (calmly now)
"Debt has a pulse, Mr. Nova.
And it always comes to collect."
Then the door behind Darren sealed shut.
The lights dimmed.
The floating message blinked once.
[Begin Transaction Sequence 001? Y/N]
.....
Darren stepped out back into the city air like he'd been gone for a week.
Same streets. Same trash smell. Same flickering bus stop sign across the road.
Only difference?
Everyone was glowing.
Not physically, not even to anyone else. Just… to him. Faint auras clung to people's bodies like sweat. And floating above their heads were transparent tags, blinking softly.
[EMOTION: ENVY – Yield: 1.2 LU]
[DESIRE – Fluctuating]
[SHAME – Passive | Unstable]
He stood there for a full minute just staring at people.
A man walked by wearing a suit. Envy: 0.8 LU.
A woman passed holding three luxury bags. Desire: 1.1 LU. Shame: 0.3 LU (fading).
A teenager looked at them both and lit up like a discount sale sign: Envy spike: 2.3 LU.
"Okay. Cool. Very normal. Just watching human emotions pop up like stock prices. That's not weird at all."
System Chimed (still in his head)
[Observation Mode Active]
[Nearby Emotional Activity Detected]
[Passive Yield Rate: 0.00 — Direct Harvest Required]
"So I see their feelings... but I can't do anything with it unless I trigger it?"
"Correct, Mr. Nova."
"Okay. And how the hell do I do that?"
"Make them feel more. Make it spike."
Darren stared at a couple laughing at something on a phone.
Envy: 0.5 LU. Steady but not enough.
He walked away.
Minutes Later...
He passed a run down convenience store.
Looked at his reflection in the window.
His shirt was wrinkled. Face tired. Hair doing whatever it wanted.
Even with the system, he looked like someone in the middle of a nervous breakdown and a half price laundry run.
He sighed.
"Okay. Let's say this is real. I need someone to envy me. But I look like I'm auditioning to play 'Debt' in a low budget ad."
He checked his phone. Still cracked. Still no signal.
System pinged.
[Available Quest Reminder: Trigger Envy in Someone Who Used to Pity You]
Reward: 1.00 LU
Status: Incomplete
"Cool. Trauma quest. Great."
He stuffed his hands in his pockets and kept walking.
Somewhere in this city was someone who used to look at him with pity.
And he was about to turn that pity into cash somehow.
***
Darren now leaned against a wall across the street from a small fitness center with peeling posters in the windows and a juice bar that hadn't been cleaned since 2022.
The name on the building: Ironwell Performance Lab.
The person walking out of it?
Tony.
Old "friend." Former roommate. Brief business partner. Definitely one of the people who pitied Darren most before they ghosted him.
Tony was still jacked. New shoes, wireless earbuds, and that walk people get when they think life owes them applause for showing up.
[TARGET DETECTED]
[Emotion: PITY – Dormant | Memory-Linked]
[Envy Potential: Medium]
[Harvestable: Yes]
"Tony once Said to him, 'You're smart, man. Just not built for big moves.'
Which is rich coming from a guy who thought selling protein powder on Twitch made him a CEO."
He crossed the street slowly.
Tony was ordering something green and overpriced.
Darren walked up behind him, as he was turning.
"Whoa. Darren?"
"Yep. Still alive. Weird, right?" Darren replied.
Tony blinked, then Smiled. That forced, "I'm surprised you're not dead" kind of smile.
"Damn, bro. Been a minute. You look... good. Kinda."
[Emotion Spike: Awkward Pity – 0.4 LU]
[Conversion Value: $38]
Darren adjusting his blazers, thought..
He pities me. Perfect. Now I just need to try and flip it and see what happens.
He glanced at the drink in Tony's hand.
"Nice shake. Let me guess kale, guilt, and high margin markup?"
Tony laughed like he was trying not to.
"Something like that."
"I just closed a quick thing nearby. Figured I'd walk in like I own the place."
"Oh? You consulting again?"
[Emotion Shift: Curiosity + Envy – 0.7 LU]
[Stacking...]
"Sort of. Can't say much. NDA. You know how it is."
He wasn't sure where this confidence was coming from.
But he remembered..
Aura of Unjustified Confidence was still active. He didn't understand it, but it might just be working.
SYSTEM NOTIFICATION..
[Quest Objective Nearing Completion]
Trigger Envy from someone who once pitied you
94% Harvest Threshold Met...
Tony shifted slightly, sipping his drink slower now.
"Well... good for you, man. Glad things turned around."
**He don't believe me
But you're hoping it's true, just enough to envy it.
That's good enough..
[QUEST COMPLETE]
+1.0 Ledger Units
+$100.00 Credited
Perk Unlocked: Petty Aura (Passive)
Darren smirked.
"Anyway, I've got another meeting in a bit. Just killing time."
Tony nodded again. Smile weaker now.
"Yeah, cool. Let's catch up sometime."
"Sure."
No chance in hell.
Darren walked away with $100 in his system wallet and the warm, bitter buzz of success sitting weird in his chest.
"First blood money. Made a hundred bucks making a guy feel slightly worse about himself."
"Capitalism would be proud."