[DING! DESIRE SYSTEM ACTIVATED]
[Welcome, Ethan Cole!]
[Detected: Emotional stagnation. Financial collapse. Severe confidence deficit.]
[Main Objective: Ascend from rags to riches. Through charm, confidence, and conquest.]
[You should be thankful. I chose you.
Let's be real—your personality? Shit.
Financial condition? Deep shit.
Let's fix that.]
---
Ethan blinked. Rubbed his eyes. Laughed once, dry and bitter.
"Great. I'm hallucinating now."
[No, idiot. You're being upgraded. Try not to waste it.]
The text disappeared. The bar returned to normal. Someone whistled from across the counter for a refill.
Ethan stared at the spot where the message had floated. He wasn't drunk. He wasn't dreaming.
It was real.
Or at least... it felt more real than anything else tonight.
And maybe—just maybe—that meant his life was about to change.
[You should be thankful I chose you.]
He stared at the empty bar glass in front of him like it might explain the glowing message that just hijacked his vision.
Maybe he was sleep-deprived. Maybe hallucinating. Maybe cracked from stress.
But then it pinged again.
---
[Desire System – Booting Personality Core…]
[Welcome, Subject: Ethan Cole]
[Confidence: 2]
[Charisma: 3]
[Presence: 1]
[Balance: $0]
[Wow, You're statistically irrelevant.
And really? Zero balance? What did I get myself into?]
[Mission Generated!]
[Side Mission 1: Talk to 3 women you don't know.]
[Goal: Engage. Observe. Learn.]
[Hint: Women don't bite. Unless they like you.]
[Rewards: 500 Desire Points (DP), Confidence +2, Charisma +3, Unlock: Basic Desire Shop]
[Time Remaining: 24:00:00]
---
"Statistically irrelevant?" Ethan whispered.
[Yes. Like a wet napkin at a biker rally. Let's fix that.]
He blinked. "Talk to three women? What kind of question is this? Fine. I'll do it."
---
1:24 AM. The bar was closing.
Most of the partygoers had already spilled into the night, but a few lingered around the high-top tables finishing their drinks.
Ethan scanned the room. His eyes landed on Girl #1.
Red hoodie. White sneakers. Sitting alone. Nose buried in her phone.
Perfect. She looked bored and possibly too tired to ignore him.
He inhaled deeply, ran a hand through his hair, and approached.
"Hey, uh… phone's more interesting than the bar tonight?"
She looked up. Blank stare. A pause. "...Yeah."
A beat passed.
"So… what're you scrolling?"
She raised a brow. "Reddit. I'm reading about how to avoid small talk."
"…Cool," Ethan muttered.
[Interaction Failed!]
[That was painful to watch.
She rejected you with a sentence and a life philosophy. Try again, soldier.]
---
Back at the counter, Ethan rubbed his temples.
"Alright," he muttered. "Maybe start with someone who isn't allergic to conversation."
---
Target #2 entered five minutes later: tall, stylish, sharp bob haircut. She strutted like she owned the night and the sidewalk outside.
He handed her a water before she asked—just like he did with everyone.
She raised an eyebrow. "Do I look like I'm dehydrated?"
Ethan smiled. "Not at all. But people with good taste usually start with water. You seem like that type."
A pause.
Her lips curved. Just a little. "And what type are you?"
"Trying to be brave," he said honestly.
This time she laughed—short, amused, but real.
"You're new here, huh?"
"I've been here a while," he said, "just not bold enough to speak unless spoken to."
"Well," she said, sipping the water, "you're doing alright."
---
[Target 2: Moderate Success.]
[You didn't crash and burn. Congratulations.
That smirk means she'll remember your face.]
[1/3 Target Complete.]
---
1:55 AM.
Last call. And Ethan felt like he was running out of chances. He clenched his fists. If this didn't work, he'd go back to being invisible.
But then he spotted her—the blonde in the leather jacket, standing outside the door, fumbling with a cigarette.
He grabbed a lighter and followed instinct.
"You got one but not the other?" he asked, holding it out to her.
She smirked. "You a psychic now?"
"No, but I'm hoping lighting your cigarette will win me five seconds of your time."
She leaned in. Flame caught. Smoke curled.
"You're cute," she said, flicking ash off the side. "Nervous though."
"A little. This is my first time being brave tonight."
"Well, I approve of bravery," she said, locking eyes with him. "I'm Ellie."
"Ethan."
They shook hands. Her fingers lingered—cool and slow, like she meant to remember the feel.
"I'll remember that," she said, turning and walking off into the night.
---
Ethan leaned back, heart still racing from the Ellie encounter.
"You're telling me I get rewarded… for being brave?" he whispered.
[Exactly. Desire rewards the bold.
The world doesn't remember the invisible.
And Ethan? It's time you became unforgettable.]
He sat down again, letting the adrenaline settle into something quieter.
---
[Mission Complete!]
[Congratulations! You earned 500 DP]
[Confidence +4. Charisma +3. You still suck. But now, you suck with momentum.]
[Basic Desire Shop Unlocked!]
Ethan hesitated. This was real. This was power. And maybe—his only shot.
"System! Please open the Shop."
[Opening Desire Shop…]
[Available Categories: Money | Skills | Charm | Luck | Chance Encounters]
> Money – Unlock passive income streams, part-time hacks, or high-risk plays that could flip your fate overnight.
Skills – From charisma to coding, purchase instant knowledge or techniques to stand above the crowd.
Charm – Boost presence, magnetism, conversation instinct, and... other attractions.
Luck – Tip fate in your favor. Get unexpected help, dodge disasters, or draw rare opportunities.
Chance Encounter – Mysterious events. Hidden paths. People who might change your life—or ruin it.
[Luck Category – Locked Feature: Destiny Alignment Detected. Deeper threads await.]
Ethan scanned the categories, fingers twitching at the thought of Money.
His rent was overdue. His stomach hadn't seen real food in days. His mother's meds were running out.
"System," he asked, voice edged with desperation, "can you help me solve my money problem right now?"
A pause.
Then the system responded, calm and unbothered.
[Yes. But it is highly inefficient.]
[Current conversion rate: 1 Desire Point = $10.]
Ethan blinked. "…That's it?"
[Affirmative. Physical currency is the lowest-value output for Desire Energy. Far better to invest it.]
He exhaled through his nose, jaw tight. "Figures."
Ethan clenched his fists. His pride told him to hold off, to invest smart.
But reality?
Reality was a stack of unpaid bills and a mother coughing blood.
"Screw it. Just convert enough for five hundred bucks," he muttered.
[Converting 50 Desire Points → $500 USD]
[Warning: Low-efficiency transaction. Future regret probability: 82.3%]
[DP : 450]
A dull pulse ran through his chest like static electricity.
Moments later, his phone vibrated—
[Balance Updated: +$500 received via untraceable transfer]
Ethan stared at the screen.
"…That's real money."
He ran a hand through his hair, the weight in his chest easing slightly.
"Alright. Crisis postponed. Now let's figure out how to never be this desperate again."
He hit Yes with his mental focus.
He didn't know where the money came from, but in that moment, he didn't care.
---