The apartment felt smaller now, the peeling walls and flickering bulb shrinking under the glow of the holographic woman hovering above Jin Hao's cracked linoleum floor.
She'd just stepped out of the freaky blue HUD, her pinstriped suit sharp as a blade, her blonde hair pulled tight like she meant business.
Jin sat sprawled on the futon, still reeling, the knife he'd almost used on himself glinting on the counter. The air smelled of stale rice and damp rot, but her presence cut through it—crisp, electric, like a storm about to break.
She crossed her arms, glasses glinting as she smirked down at him.
"Name's Wirs," she said playfully . "Your personal system assistant, business advisor, and—naturally—your ultimate NTR guide."
She wiggled her fingers, her expression turning mischievous, like a kid about to pull a prank.
"I'm here to drag you out of this pit and into something… spectacular."
Jin blinked, his brain still tripping over itself.
"Wirs? What the hell's that supposed to mean? Where'd you come from? How's any of this even happening?"
He waved a hand at the HUD still floating there, its faint blue glow painting the room in eerie light.
"Am I drunk? High? Dead?"
Her smirk didn't budge.
"Oh, Jin, so many questions. Love the curiosity, but I'm afraid most of that's restricted info—top-secret, locked-away, 'you don't get to know yet' stuff. Let's just say I'm a gift from somewhere beyond your sad little ceiling crack. The how and why? Not your problem. The what? Now that's where we get to have some fun."
He leaned forward, elbows on his knees, eyes narrowing.
"Fine, keep your secrets. But what's this 'stealing women and making money' crap? You said it like it's a job description. What's the catch?"
Wirs floated closer, her holographic body shimmering as she leaned in, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial purr.
"No catch, just a game—a delicious, dirty, profitable game. It's exactly what I said: you make women who're already spoken for fall head over heels for you, ditch their original lovers, and bam—you're rewarded. The deeper their attachment, the higher their social status, the prettier their faces... And their bodies of course, the bigger the payout. And if you can twist the knife—humiliate their exes, break them down, dominate your new prize completely? Oh, honey, the system showers you with gold. Cash, property, skills, power—it's all up for grabs. You're not just getting revenge on that ex of yours; you're building an empire on the ashes of guys like Bai Zhenghao."
Jin's mouth went dry, his mind spinning. He could see it—Lin's smug face crumpling as he rose above her, above them all.
"Okay," he said slowly, rubbing his stubbled jaw. "I like the sound of that. A lot. But how do I know this isn't some hallucination? How do I trust you're not just my brain cracking up after too many beers and not enough sleep?"
It was normal to think that way, after all—a HUD suddenly popping up and a woman crawling out of it? You'd question your sanity too. But a part of him desperately hoped it was real, because deep down, he truly felt this was the only way he could make it.
Wirs straightened, her grin widening into something almost feral.
"Trust? Oh, Jin, I don't need you to trust me—I'll prove it. Check this out: you've just received your starter kit. Go on, open it."
She snapped her fingers, and a holographic gift box popped up in front of him, wrapped in digital ribbons that shimmered like liquid gold.
He hesitated, then reached out, his fingers brushing the air where the box hovered. It felt… real, somehow, a faint tingle against his skin.
He tapped it, and the box burst open in a shower of pixelated sparkles. A new system window flared to life, text scrolling across it in crisp white letters.
〘Starter Kit Received!〙
〘Items:
5x XP Booster (Increases experience gain forever)
50,000 Yuan
Skill: Intuitive Divergence
Type: Awareness Skill
Description: An internal alarm that rings when reality begins to drift from a "successful" path. Often manifests as unease, déjà vu, or goosebumps.
Effect: Grants a "checkpoint feel"—the sense that what the host is doing isn't optimal, prompting a chance to pivot.〙
Before he could react, another window popped up, this one labeled Status.
It was bare-bones, no levels or fancy RPG nonsense, just the raw truth:
〘Name: Jin Hao
Age: 27
Stats: Strength (D), Agility (E), Charisma (F), Intelligence (C)
Appearance Rating: F
Skills: Intuitive Divergence
System Buffs: 5x XP Booster (Active)
System Remark: A soggy, unshaven mess with the charm of a wet sock. Potential buried under self-pity—dig it out, or drown you little shit.〙
Jin's jaw dropped. "Fifty thousand yuan? A skill? This is… real?" He paused, doing quick math in his head—50,000 yuan could cover rent, food, and then some for a year if he stretched it right. Then he scowled at the remark. "Wet sock? Come on, that's brutal."
Wirs chuckled, drifting back to perch on thin air like she owned the place.
"Harsh but factual, darling. Consider it tough love. And yes, it's real—congrats, host! You're officially in the game. That cash'll hit your account by morning, and Intuitive Divergence? It's already wired into you. You'll feel it kick in when you're about to screw up. But before you start dreaming of yachts and heartbreak, there's a step one: you've got to dominate yourself."
He frowned, scratching his greasy hair. "Dominate myself? What's that supposed to mean? I'm already a wreck—how do I dominate that?"
Before she could answer, a new window blinked into existence, this one framed in gold with a bold header: Quest.
〘Quest: Self-Dominance
Objective: He who wishes to dominate others must first dominate himself.
Details: For one year, cut off communication with the world and train your body and mind. The best things in life are reserved for those who prove themselves worthy.
Tasks:
Exercise daily (minimum 2 hours)
Study strategy, psychology, and charm (minimum 3 hours)
No communication with others (no calls, no texts, no small talk)
Rewards:
Stat boosts (Strength, Agility, Charisma +1 rank each)
100,000 Yuan
Skill: Iron Will
Type: Mental Fortitude Skill
Description: A mind forged in the crucible of unrelenting resolve, this skill transforms the host into an unbreakable force of will. Doubt, fear, and pain bow before it—shattered like glass against a steel wall. When the world tries to crush you, Iron Will laughs in its face and spits on its ashes.
Effect: Grants immunity to mental fatigue and emotional breakdowns; boosts resistance to coercion and despair by 50%.
Penalty for Failure: System deactivation. Back to square one.〙
Jin's eyes widened, skimming the text, lingering on the rewards. "A hundred thousand yuan? Stat boosts and… Iron Will? That's hardcore. But a whole year with no talking? I can hit the gym, run outside, train my ass off—but no chatting with anyone? Not even Lei? That's nuts, right?"
Wirs floated down until she was eye-level, her glasses catching the light as she fixed him with a stare that was half challenge, half amusement.
"Nuts? No, Jin, it's discipline. You want to claw your way out of this dump? Want to make Lin Qian gag on her own smugness and see Bai Zhenghao's empire crash and burn? You don't do that mumbling excuses to your buddy or flirting with the cashier. You're free to run the streets, lift weights, sweat it out—just keep your mouth shut and your focus razor-sharp. This is your forge—build a body that breaks jaws and a mind that breaks wills. Iron Will's your crown; those stats and cash are your fuel. A year's nothing when you're crafting a legend. Skip it, fail, and I'm gone. So, what's it gonna be?"
He swallowed hard, the stakes sinking in. A year of silence, training like a beast—gym sessions, pounding the pavement, poring over books in the library—while cutting off everyone.
Fifty thousand yuan to live on now, a hundred thousand waiting if he nailed it, plus a skill that could turn him into a goddamn force of nature. He thought of Lin's laugh, Bai's sneer, the rain-soaked ring lost on the pavement.
"Okay," he said, his voice low but firm.
"I'm in. I'll dominate myself—gym, streets, books, no talking. Then I'll dominate them all."
Wirs clapped her hands, the sound sharp and bright in the dim room.
"That's my boy! Ditch the phone, keep your lips sealed, and get ready to bleed for it. One year from now, you'll be a force—or at least the start of one. Let's see what you've got, Jin Hao."
She winked, then glitched out, leaving the HUD glowing faintly and Jin alone with a quest, a knife, and a fire he hadn't felt in years.