Ellie left once I had given her instructions for my comeback. I also warned her to cut back on daily visits, so her husband wouldn't start getting suspicious.
Now, I was all alone, free to figure out my next move.
I burned through a hefty chunk of points to buy that cure, but there were still enough left play with.
Although I was safe inside this room, I knew this world was far more dangerous than it seemed.
Only overwhelming power could guarantee my safety.
Mind control was powerful, but it was slow to set up in the early stage.
Not the kind of trick I could use when something was already chewing through the walls.
What I needed was the kind of strength wielded by Seekers—individuals who exhibited superhuman powers. Few of them were practically superheroes, capable of destroying an entire city block with a single attack.
However, awakening couldn't be earned through effort alone. It was either in my veins… or it wasn't.
Fortunately, there was no need to play the lottery like the rest.
The System Store was mine, and with it came options the rest could only dream of.
Scrolling through, two words caught my eye: Awakening Card.
Basic Awakening : 20 PP
Standard Awakening :40 PP
Advance Awakening : 100 PP
Those were the only ones available to me. The better stuff was locked behind higher authority.
Still, my eyes were already fixed on the Advanced Card. That would be my foundation.
Depict Points? Hardly a problem. Three days was more than enough to farm with mind control, and this hospital was a goldmine—nurses everywhere, ripe for the taking.
The door swung open. My next target stepped in, smiling as if visiting a friend, unaware she just wandered into a tiger's den.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Axel." She greeted me with her bright smile, more relaxed now that Ellie wasn't around.
"Afternoon, Samantha," I replied, glancing at the book in her arms. "Fresh out of school?"
"Yes, but don't worry, I'm not here to do homework." She giggled, the sound light and disarming, as if they were just two friends catching up.
Without asking, she reached for the small bowl of fruit on the bedside table.
Her fingers moved slowly, peeling the orange in one long, curling strip. The citrus scent cut through the sterile hospital air, bright and sweet.
She split the fruit into neat segments, then held one up to my lips with a playful raise of her brow, as if daring me to refuse.
I let her feed me the slice.
She smiled, all charm and effort, trying to leave me with a good impression.
Unfortunately for her, such tricks didn't work on me.
"Tell me about your day," I asked casually, already letting my skill seep into her mind.
"Biology first thing, then history. Oh, and math? Mr. Alser gave us a pop quiz—he lives to make us suffer."
I let her talk, watching her expressions, slipping in question after question—each one a little more personal than the last.
But the longer she spoke, the more I was pulled into a memory I didn't want to revisit.
"Oh, and get this—some nerd with braces actually confessed to me during lunch. Like, seriously? I only talked to him once because of a stupid dare from my friends." She paused, catching her breath.
"He just walked up, mumbled some awkward compliments, and asked me out. I mean, obviously, I said no. My reputation would hit an all-time low if I dated a weirdo."
She was just like her.
Back in my old life, I was dumb enough to think a popular girl liked me just because we played the same mobile game.
That delusion shattered the night she kissed a varsity guy in front of me, acting like holding my hand might infect her with something.
Worst she could've done was say no, but she really overachieved on the "ew" factor.
Damn it, just thinking about it made my blood pressure spike.
"Hello? Mr. Axel?" Samantha's voice pulled me back to the present as she waved a hand in front of my face.
"I'm listening,"
Honestly? I was glad she was that type of girl. It made what I was about to do feel less like a crime.
"Samantha… interested in making some easy money?"