[STATUS SCREEN]
Name: Eiden
Gender: Male
Level: 1
EXP: 10
Height: 5.8 ft
Strength: 15
Speed: 17
Intelligence: 22
Charm: 7 (Assimilation: 1/3 days)
Status Points: 3
Skills: None
Harem Count: 0
The translucent screen faded into the dim air of his bedroom, its afterglow lingering longer than necessary like it knew Eiden would stare for a while.
Level one.
So 10 exp per one level huh?.. He leaned back in his chair and exhaled. "Ten EXP. One level. At this rate, I'll be level ten by retirement."
He glanced at his Charm stat—7, flickering softly with an added line beneath it: (Assimilation: 1/3 days)
The number didn't lie. But it also didn't look like anything had changed.
"System," he called mentally, eyes narrowing, "I need a breakdown. This Charm… it still feels like six in a mirror."
> "That's because your Charm hasn't fully assimilated yet."
"I thought it did when I leveled it."
> "Charm takes three days to begin showing effects. It weaves itself into your presence, your aura, the way others interpret your face even your pauses. You're on Day One."
"Then let me ask," he continued, voice low, thoughtful, "what happens if I somehow try to level up Charm again now? Would I start assimilating to 8?"
> "Negative. Charm cannot be upgraded again until three months after your last increase. That's the lockout period."
"Three months... just to move one step?"
> "Charm is perception-based. If you scaled it recklessly, people would mentally combust trying to reconcile your transformation. This forces balance. Controlled exposure."
Eiden sat silently for a moment, letting that sink in.
Three days of trickle-in effect. Three months before the next bump.
"And what about my other stats? Strength, Speed, Intelligence?"
> "Physical stats like Strength and Speed take two days to fully synchronize. Their max limit is 100. Intelligence, on the other hand, applies instantly—but its effects are more cerebral. There's no visible change, just sharper analysis, memory, reflexive deduction. It doesn't attract attention like Charm."
"And Intelligence has no limit?"
> "Technically, yes. But human minds aren't meant to hold infinity without... consequences."
Eiden didn't press. Some doors were better left closed until he had gloves.
He stood up, stretching, and paced to the mirror. The face that looked back was still his.
Same unshaped jawline. Same unfixed hair. Eyes still thoughtful, slightly tired.
But there was something.
Something that wasn't quite visible ,more like a delay. A half-second pause where his eyes met themselves and his mind said: "This feels... different."
Not in appearance.
In expectation.
The reflection wasn't prettier.
But it was starting to look like it might be.
Later that morning, class buzzed with low conversation. He entered early, chose his seat by the window, and watched the hallway through the glass.
Ruel.
The bastard walked with that natural sway, like the air moved out of his way just in case it bothered him. Two girls orbited his shoulders. Lyra wasn't among them, but her name came up often in the murmurs.
Everyone knew she was his. The quiet beauty with the glasses. Smart. Sharp. Loyal.
Eiden narrowed his eyes and smiled a little with his lips barely moving.
"That means cracks exist in that relationship."
Loyalty was only tested when doubt was introduced. And this system didn't care about purity or sweetness. It fed on ruptures.
He remembered the update from yesterday.
[Quest: "Emotional Disturbance – Phase 1: Observe Doubt"]
Progress: 24%
Subtle work. Measured steps.
She had walked beside him. She had touched his hand.
He needed more.
The seat beside him moved.
Lyra arrived, quiet as always. She adjusted her glasses, took out her notebook, and sat down.
Eiden offered a casual nod. "Hey."
She glanced at him. "Hi."
Simple. Neutral. But it lacked the distance she usually carried with everyone else.
He didn't push it. Just leaned slightly back, fingers tapping on the desk with meaningless rhythm, his mind observing from a second layer.
Small talk was for amateurs.
Distance was conquered by presence.
"Im an amateur too but with hacks ,he lamented.
At Lunch time the cafeteria thrummed with footsteps and the cafeteria trays slamming down. Eiden lingered at the entrance, calculating. He wasn't hungry—he was planning.
Then he spotted them.
Ruel and Lyra.
They weren't holding hands. Ruel was speaking animatedly. Lyra was listening, but not smiling. Eiden walked by close, very close and brushed her shoulder.
"Ah, sorry," he murmured, catching her eye deliberately.
There was hesitation in her nod. A one-beat delay.
That was all he needed.
Later that night, back in his room, he opened his status screen again.
[STATUS SCREEN]
Level: 1
EXP: 10
Strength: 15
Speed: 17
Intelligence: 22
Charm: 7 (Assimilation: 2/3 days)
Status Points: 3
[Reminder: Charm is locked for 3 months after upgrade.]
[Hint: You may allocate remaining status points. Physical stats sync over 2 days.]
He hovered his finger over Strength, then paused.
Fighting wasn't his battlefield.
Not yet.
For now… his sharpest weapons were silence, suggestion, and understanding how people cracked from the inside.
So he closed the screen.
Another day of waiting.
But this time, he could feel it—beneath the skin, beneath the voice—
Change was approaching.
And it wouldn't be loud.
It would be convincing.
By the second day, he began to notice it.
Not with fanfare. Not with gasps. But in the small things.
The way people's gazes lingered half a second longer before dismissing him. The brief confusion on a girl's face when she looked twice. The faint hum of attention, as if his presence now tugged at their awareness—lightly, subtly, like a string brushing against skin.
Assimilation was working.
It wasn't attraction yet. Just visibility. And in a world where confidence often bloomed in darkness, sometimes all it took was a shadow to spark fear.
Eiden tapped his pen thoughtfully on the desk.
Lyra sat beside him. Silent. Focused. Beautiful in a quiet, almost clinical way. She didn't laugh loudly like other girls. She rarely spoke unless spoken to.
But something about her silence had changed.
She no longer avoided his gaze.
She measured it.
Not the kind of measurement people make when judging you. The kind they make when trying to compare you to something… or someone.
Ruel.
> [Quest Update: Emotional Disturbance – Phase 1]
Progress: 41%
Optional Branch Unlocked: "Instill Lingering Question"
That's it.
The game wasn't about seduction. It was about curiosity.
Make her wonder.
Make her imagine something outside of the loop she's in.
It wasn't easy. Most people never stepped out of their loops. But all it took was a moment—an unguarded second where doubt whispered.
And when doubt whispers, it doesn't stop.
After class, the sun filtered through the upper hallway windows in warm, golden beams. Eiden trailed slightly behind Lyra as they exited the building. She walked with that efficient, no-nonsense pace—head straight, bag close, mind somewhere structured.
He increased his pace slightly. Walked beside her without asking.
"You always walk like you're late for something," he said, keeping his tone easy. "Even when you're not."
She blinked, then glanced at him. "I don't like wasting time."
"I know," he replied. "That's why you've been looking at Ruel differently since yesterday."
The words weren't accusatory. Just factual. Disarmed.
Her feet hesitated for half a beat before continuing.
"…I haven't," she said.
But her voice lacked weight.
Eiden didn't press. He didn't need to.
He just walked.
They reached the main gate before she spoke again.
"Why are you interested in me?"
It wasn't flirty. Not defensive. Just honest.
Good. That means she's already thinking of it.
Eiden stared forward as he walked. His tone came soft, introspective.
"You ever see someone who's trapped in a picture frame?" he asked. "They smile. Look perfect. You assume they're happy. But the truth is… they've never even looked outside the frame. They think that's all there is."
She didn't answer.
He turned, ever so slightly, and looked her way.
"I think you're smart enough to know the frame isn't real. But not brave enough yet to step out."
That made her stop walking.
Her eyes stayed on him, searching. Not romantically. Not accusingly. Intellectually.
She wanted to know if he meant it.
> [Quest Progress: 63%]
Optional Trigger Activated: "She Begins to Wonder"
That night, as he sat in his room again, the [Status Screen] opened on its own.
[STATUS SCREEN]
Level: 1
EXP: 10
Strength: 15
Speed: 17
Intelligence: 22
Charm: 7 (Assimilation: 3/3 days – Finalizing...)
[Reminder: Charm cannot be upgraded again until 89 days remain.]
He watched the word "Finalizing" pulse softly like a heartbeat.
He could almost feel it. Something internal shifting. As if the world was beginning to see him differently, even if they didn't understand why.
Then the door to the classroom opened.
The next day.
And she walked in.
Not Lyra.
Not Mika.
Someone new.
Her hair was a rich auburn cascade, falling in loose waves. She had an unshakable grace, like she didn't walk but allowed the floor to move under her. A single red ribbon tied around her collar made her uniform look like fashion.
Her eyes were unreadable. Dark—but not cold.
Dangerous. The kind of girl who smiled at you like she already knew your flaws.
And she sat beside Ruel.
Eiden's eyes narrowed instantly.
Not out of jealousy.
Out of calculation.
> [Alert: Confirmed Harem Member Detected]
Target: Arin Valcrest (Ruel's second priority)]
Relationship Stability: 84% – Recently added to harem
Quest Available: "Destabilize Foundation Before It Solidifies"
Reward: 8 EXP + Passive Skill Unlock (soothing voice)
A new piece.
While Lyra was the loyal core of Ruel's harem, Arin was the beautiful outer shell. The newcomer. Still settling. Still unsure of her emotional weight.
That made her vulnerable.
Not because she was weak but because people in the process of choosing were always weaker than those who'd already chosen.
Eiden closed the screen.
Two targets. One web.
He smiled faintly to himself.
"I'll try pulling at both ".
To be continued....