[Mission Complete :]
[Reward: Acting Up Card]
I asked her to get closer, craving more of that kiss—it was intoxicating, and I already had the mission reward tucked away in my mind.
Her lips met mine again, and this time I could feel every ounce of her emotions pouring through.
Just as things were about to get even more heated, a sharp click echoed from the door. My heart skipped a beat.
"Claire," I whispered urgently, breaking the kiss.
She pulled back with nervous expression.
Footsteps approached, but the visitor didn't come in right away—they were talking to someone outside.
We got a few precious seconds.
She pressed a cloth to my cheek, wiping away the evidence of our kiss.
Soon, the door swung fully open.
"Oh, Claire. What are you doing here?" Doc Sera inquired.
"I'm just checking on Mr. Ace. I'm heading out now, Doc Sera," she bowed her head before exiting the room.
As for me, I maintained my neutral face, though I was very annoyed at being interrupted yet again. This was starting to become a pattern.
But it was okay. I got a strong feeling that soon, things would change, and I would be free to enjoy my life to my heart's desire—so much that I might lose myself in it all.
"Why did you come here, Doc?"
She sat down, fiddling with her pen nervously.
"Mr. Ace… do you trust me?"
"I do… but why are you asking?"
My trust in her wasn't because of naivety . I had already influenced her before and confirmed that she has no ulterior motives beyond wanting to help me.
She scanned the room, then stood and locked the door. Not gonna lie, Claire could learn from her.
"I've been thinking… even if Doctor Kim won't give you the the right medicine, that doesn't mean you can't take it yourself, does it?"
"Wait… are you saying you want to secretly cure me?"
She shook her head. "Not cure you. That's still impossible in such a short time. Just… improve your condition a bit, and maybe—"
"There's no need for that," I cut her off.
"Am I… overstepping? I just—" She swallowed, her fingers fidgeting slightly with the edge of her sleeve. "I only wanted to help."
It was clear she was sincere, and I appreciate it. Not every doctor, especially one with a career like hers, would go this far on a patient behalf.
Integrity and compassion. Those were the two words that best described her. Maybe that was also why, despite being more attractive than Claire, I never really thought of taking advantage of her.
"Not at all, Doctor Sera. My family and I already have a plan to catch the culprit, so acting now would just complicate things."
Her eyes lit up as she nodded. "I see… the Mercer family is already handling it. Thank God. I was really worried about you."
"Thank you, Doc Sera. Once I'm cured, I'll make sure to pay you back."
"There's no need for that, Mr. Ace. As a doctor, all I want is for my patient to recover."
Her dignity caught me off guard. No question about it, she had earned my respect.
After she was done, I was left alone with my thoughts again.
Floating before me was the reward I received from Claire: an Acting Up Card.
Curious, I focused on it, and was suddenly transported into an empty space, where my three Acting Cards now loomed before me, each the size of a door.
[Host, please choose a card you wish to upgrade.]
"How does this work?"
[Pick a card, and you'll resume from where you left off, giving you a chance to finish the simulation.]
"I still don't get it. What's the point of having a complete card? What are the benefits?"
Since I could use the imperfect ones whenever I wanted without issue, an upgrade didn't seem necessary.
[Host, what you have now is incomparable to the perfect version. Once you complete a card, you will be able to use Resonance, further immersing yourself in the character—and even the people around you will be influenced by it.]
I felt my jaw drop, completely taken aback. "Resonance?"
[Affirmative. In this state, your presence alone can inspire fear, admiration, and respect to those around you.]
The more I heard, the more intrigued I became. Resonance reminded me of the auras in the novels I'd read, the ones that made the main characters exude charisma without saying a single word.
So the question now was: which card should I upgrade?
Definitely not the Ace Mercer Card. That left me with two options: Francis or Kao Long.
If I chose the monk, the Resonance I would gain would probably make others regard me with more respect.
On the other hand, Francis's card would be more effective with the opposite gender.
That would definitely work in my favor, considering the system tends to assign me missions involving women.
With no better option, I picked the later—and was immediately sent back to the bar.
This time, I got full control of the body right away, something I definitely did not want.
Damn, the system really wanted me to fail that badly.
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Author's Note: The pacing's been steady so far, but the really exciting stuff starts around chapter 20. If this kind of story is your thing, I'm sure you'll enjoy what's coming.