"I pick the second option—Oathbound Gaze," Rick said.
A brief pause hung in the air.
[DING!]
[Player has received skill: OATHBOUND GAZE]
Rick nodded slowly. "Okay, that's good. Now let's hear the bad news." He crossed his arms, steeling himself. "The system said there was a flaw. Don't keep me in suspense—what's so terrible about this skill?"
Another pause. Then the description expanded:
[SKILL DESCRIPTION: Any individual within the Player's rank or below will be unable to lie when questioned by the Player, whether consciously or subconsciously compelled.]
[Consequence: When in the presence of individuals above the Player's rank, the Player will be UNABLE TO LIE.]
Rick's eyes widened. His hands trembled as he reread the words.
"What?" His voice cracked. "No. No, no, no—that's *horrible*."
He hadn't chosen the first gift—Lust-Bound Pact—for good reason. Sure, it could attract women, manipulate desire, but that wasn't something he truly needed. Rick had always known he had a certain charm when he bothered to use it. He could talk to women just fine. What he *lacked* was money. Status. A decent body.
The attraction ability felt redundant. He didn't need magic to make women interested—he needed resources. And he had no idea if the skill would even work on everyone, or if it could grow stronger over time. It seemed like a waste.
The third option—Dungeon of Growth—had been tempting. Getting stronger, bulking up, becoming physically formidable. But he'd dismissed it because he believed he could survive on wit alone. He always had.
Oathbound Gaze, though? That had real value. Being able to force the truth out of anyone—merchants, quest-givers, potential enemies—that was power. Information was leverage. He could avoid scams, detect betrayal, navigate this new world with clarity.
But now? The cost was unthinkable.
Rick had survived his entire miserable life through lies. Smooth talk. Deception. Cunning. He'd lied to landlords, bill collectors, employers. He'd spun excuses, fabricated stories, wriggled out of impossible situations with nothing but his silver tongue.
And now, around anyone stronger than him—which, let's be honest, would be *most people* at the start—he'd be completely unable to lie.
"This is a disaster," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "I'm a poor bastard who's survived on bullshit alone. And now I can't even do that around anyone who outranks me?"
He stared at the glowing interface, his jaw clenched.
"It's done now," he said bitterly.
"No taking it back."
He had managed to remain cunning and go through all that he had been through. That's why doing this wasn't exactly the best situation for him, but it was his reality now.
And just like that, having the possibility of telling lies abruptly taken away from him—of course he was scared. He was even a bit confused. He never expected the flaw to be this reversed, this affecting to him, because it meant that he had no business being around people who were above his rank. And he couldn't even know who they were.
In his mind, he thought, *How the hell am I even going to know who is above my rank? I don't even know my own rank.*
Then the system responded.
[Player Name: Rick Ryder]
[Monetary Gain: $0]
[Analysis - Rank: F]
He stared at the screen. "Rank F, huh? I guess I'm rank F. An F rating. How am I even supposed to go on from here?"
He sighed. "Okay, I've already accepted the skill, so I can't reject it. That means I just have to learn to cope with it. If I can avoid all targets that are above my level, then I'd be safe, right?"
He paused, reconsidering. "Well, no. Actually, I'm not exactly going to know until the skill is used. And I don't think the system will let me easily let go of a target. If it wants to punish me, it's going to punish me. If it gives me a high-class target, I'll be unable to let go of it. God damn it. What am I going to do now?"
He rubbed his head, completely forgetting about the porno still playing on his cheap flat-screen TV.
After a short moment, a loud ding sounded again. The system popped up another notification.
**[31 days from now, a Dungeon Portal will be revealed to Player. Player has 31 days to increase the following stats:]**
**[Required Stats:]**
- **Penile Strength**
- **Stamina**
- **Body Fitness (minimum)]**
He looked at it. "Huh, I have 31 days to do this? What the hell?"
Below was another line:
**[Dungeon Quest Level: F-Rank]**
He studied it. "Not so bad. But I have to train—I have to actually train my stamina and all this just for the dungeon. Just for an F-rank dungeon. If this is F-rank, I wonder what E-rank or D-rank would be like."
He kept reading.
**[Rewards after completion: $100]**
"Wow, $100? I have to just complete a quest—a quest involving penile strength, stamina, and body fitness—and all this suggests that it must be... sexual."
He considered this. "Hmm. Not so bad. So it means whatever I'm about to accomplish, all I have to do is be clean about it, and I might end up completing the quest as it is. That isn't actually so bad."
He paused. "I wonder how the dungeon quest is going to go. Well, whatever it is," he muttered to himself, turning his eyes away. "All I have to do now is start my training. I've been given a time period and all that. So all I have to do is start my training. In 31 days, I need to be fit enough to complete my target. And if I can do that, I get 100 bucks."
He smiled. "Hehe, that is actually so cool. 100 bucks is actually a lot for me. And if I can get that for completing F-rank missions, imagine how rich I'm going to be when I'm completing A-rank missions. Hehehe, this is going to be awesome."
His excitement faded slightly. "But I can't stop now. No. I only have 31 days to go. So if I have 31 days, I have to start as soon as possible."
He looked at his wall clock mounted just above the TV: **4:58 p.m.**
"Hmm, it's a bit late. But if I'm to start, I have to start today, no matter what, just to get things kicked off. I'll be sure that I'll be closer to achieving my goal."
He nodded to himself. "All right... let's do it."
***
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