The afterglow of the VR encounter lingered like a half-remembered dream, but the mild hallucinations that followed were anything but pleasant. Alex blinked hard, trying to shake off the flickering visions at the edge of his sight—swirling desires that weren't his own, echoes from the system's glitchy depths. He slumped in his office chair, the fluorescent lights buzzing overhead, a stark contrast to the virtual intimacy he'd just shared with Lily and Amy. It had been intense, consensual, and thrilling, but now doubt crept in. Was the system enhancing his life, or slowly unraveling it?
He checked the panel discreetly: **[Level Up: Lv.3. EXP: 0/300. New Skill Unlocked: Desire Sync (Beginner)—Share minor buffs with bound partners.]** The rewards were piling up, but so were the risks. Desira's voice echoed in his mind: **[Host, backlash detected. Rest advised. Incoming main quest.]**
Before he could process that, his phone buzzed—a message from an unknown number: "Nice upgrades, newbie. But watch your back. Not everyone plays fair. -M"
Alex's stomach dropped. Who was this? He activated Mind Reading on the message, but it only showed [Desire: Dominance, rivalry.] A competitor? The system had mentioned "competitor invasion" as a penalty, but this felt too real, too soon.
The rest of the workday dragged, his mind racing. By evening, he met Lily at a quiet bar near his apartment, needing to talk but careful not to reveal too much. She arrived looking flushed, her dark hair tied back, eyes sparkling with a mix of excitement and confusion from their shared VR experience.
"That was... wild," she said, sliding into the booth. "Amy seems nice, but I wasn't expecting that kind of 'work discussion.'"
Alex chuckled nervously, his enhanced charm making the words flow easier. "Yeah, it escalated. But it felt right, didn't it?" He used Mind Reading: [Desire: Connection, lingering jealousy, curiosity about your 'secrets.'] She still sensed something off about him, but the system remained hidden.
Lily leaned in, her hand brushing his. "It did. But Alex, that odd signal from your phone—it's bugging me. As someone who's hacked a few things in my past, it feels like... I don't know, something experimental. You hiding something?"
He hesitated, the glitch flickering faintly in his vision. "Just an app I'm testing. Nothing big." To divert, he suggested binding her in the system—subtly, of course. The outline called for it here, a way to share EXP without exposing the truth. "Hey, want to team up on some projects? We could sync our ideas."
She smiled, intrigued. "Sync? Sounds fun." In his mind, he confirmed: **[Binding Initiated: Lily Chen. Shared EXP enabled. Secrecy maintained—partner unaware of system core.]**
As they talked, the bar door opened, and a tall man entered—sharp features, dark hair, exuding confidence. He scanned the room and locked eyes with Alex, a smirk playing on his lips. Mind Reading flashed: [Desire: Challenge, superiority. Identity: Mark, rival host.]
Mark approached, casual as if they were old friends. "Alex Harper, right? Heard you're making waves in the tech scene." His voice was smooth, but there was an edge.
Alex tensed. "Do I know you?"
"Mark. Let's say we have mutual interests." He glanced at Lily. "And who's this lovely lady?"
Lily raised an eyebrow, sensing the tension. "Friend of yours?"
"Not exactly," Alex muttered. The system warned: **[Rival Detected: Mark. Confrontation imminent. Defend your progress.]**
Mark leaned in, lowering his voice so only Alex could hear: "Nice system you got there. But mine's been running longer. Care for a little competition?"
Alex's heart pounded. How did he know? But the secrecy held—Mark must have his own version, a rival user. "What do you want?"
"Just testing the waters. See how far a newbie like you can go before the glitches eat you alive." Mark chuckled and walked away, leaving Alex shaken.
That night, alone in his apartment, the confrontation replayed in his mind. The system issued a crisis task: **[Main Quest: Initial Confrontation. Gather intel on Mark and secure your bindings. Reward: EXP+200, New Module Unlock.]**
Over the next few days, Alex dug subtly—using office connections and Lily's hacker skills (without revealing the system). Lily helped, thinking it was just curiosity about a creepy guy. "He seems off, like he's hiding something tech-related," she said during one late-night call.
Through careful probing, Alex learned Mark was a higher-level user, perhaps Lv.10 or more, with advanced skills. Their first real clash came in a company event—a team-building VR simulation. Mark maneuvered to pair with Alex, turning it into a virtual duel.
In the VR space, a simulated cityscape, Mark taunted: "Let's see your moves." He unleashed a desire wave—some skill that amplified Alex's doubts, triggering hallucinations of failure.
Alex countered with Mind Reading: [Mark's Weakness: Overconfidence.] He dodged, using Desire Sync to subtly boost himself via Lily's distant link. The confrontation ended in a stalemate, but Alex gained ground.
Back in reality, he bound Lily more deeply during a private meetup. "I feel connected to you," she whispered, their intimacy escalating—kisses turning passionate, hands exploring. The shared EXP flowed, hidden from her.
As the crisis peaked, the system rewarded: **[Quest Completed. EXP+200 (Current EXP: 200/300). Module Unlocked: Rival Tracker.]**
But the volume's climax hit: **[Cross-Ocean Task Issued: Travel to Tokyo and complete cultural fusion challenge. Reward: Major Level Jump. Hint: Prepare for new encounters—a 'cherry blossom' awaits in dreams.]**
That night, a system-induced dream teased: A vision of a gentle woman in a kimono, petals falling around her, whispering secrets. Sakura? The name echoed faintly.
Alex booked the flight, heart racing. New York was just the beginning—Tokyo promised deeper desires and dangers.