7 The System [1]
Chapter - 7
"Man, I messed up big time. Emily's probably getting super pissed off right now. It's nighttime already, and she has no idea where I am. She's been looking forward to that beer, and I promised her I'd be back soon. But then that lightning strike happened, and everything went crazy."
"I hope she's not too worried. I should've called or texted her, but my phone's probably fried from that lightning. I can just imagine her waiting for me, tapping her foot impatiently, wondering where the heck I am."
"I have to figure out a way to let her know I'm okay. Maybe I can borrow someone else's phone or use a payphone if those still exist. I can't leave her hanging like this."
"And that old man! It's all his fault... And what was his deal anyway? Laughing like a maniac and ignoring me when I told him to leave. He was as crazy as this whole situation. Maybe he got fried in the lightening," Rick thought about the old, homeless man. He did ask Amanda about him, but after checking with other nurses and the records, she could not find anyone matching that profile.
"I feel bad about how I reacted, trying to hit him with that stick. True, he acted like an asshole. It was just so frustrating... I did so much for him out of goodwill. But that bastard was so ungrateful," Rick gritted his teeth as he remember about the old man. But then he took a deep breath and calmed himself down, "Still, I shouldn't have raised my hand against him... That's no excuse for violence. I hope he's okay, wherever he is,"
"But right now, my priority is letting Emily know I'm safe. I can't believe I got myself into this mess. I'll have to make it up to her big time when I finally get back. I will certainly go broke making up to that drunkard..."
"Whatever... I will worry about everything else later. First, I need to find a way to get in touch with her and let her know I am alright. Then, I can figure out the rest later,"
"Wish I had something... Maybe I could have just teleported back to her..."
"Wait a minute... That ding sound in my head... That's it," Rick muttered to himself, he suddenly remembered about the weird prompt in his head, "Wasn't that a system? Lust-o-Meter?"
Rick scrunched up his face, focusing hard to recall the system, "Ding, ding, ding..." he mimicked, hoping the system would just pop-up. But nothing happened.
"How on earth am I suppose to access it again?" Rick pondered to himself.
Rick scratched his head, trying to think of the right words to trigger the system, "Lust-o-Meter system, Open Sesame..." Rick murmured.
"Nope, that didn't work."
"Alright, let's see... 'Abracadabra, system activate!'"
"Nope, not a wizard, apparently,"
He snapped his fingers. "I got it! How about 'Hey there, system buddy'?" But, unsurprisingly, nothing happened.
Rick shock his head in defeat.
"What the hell am I suppose to say? Why are there no instructions? Even if there are no instructions, make it something easy... Something simple like 'System Open!'" Rick complained. But just as he did, the pale blue screen was in front of him again.
"System initializing!"
"Ha! So it was actually this easy," Rick smiled wryly, thinking he aimlessly threw weird spells to open the system. Not everything has to be complicated.
Soon the system loaded, and an array of options presented themselves again, and Rick couldn't help but grin. "Alright, let's see what this system is all about."
Rick's eyes scanned the system's interface, and there it was – his personal information displayed before him.
[
Host's Name: Rick Smith
Age: 22 years (Expected: 88 years ; Limit: 125 years)
Gender: Male
Cultivation Level: Mortal (19%)
System Level: 1
Experience (EXP): 1900/10000
Skills: ---
Summons: ---
Sexual Encounters: ---
Harem: ---
Quests in Progress: ---
]
The system had somehow collected data about him, like a digital reflection of his life. It was both intriguing and slightly unsettling to see his own experiences laid out in this ethereal display. He couldn't help but wonder whether the system had become a part of him like actually a part of him.
Rick's gaze shifted to the three additional icons that had appeared on the system's interface – Shop, Lottery and the inventory.
And just by thinking, he opened the first one - Shop
The Shop icon featured a colourful image of a storefront, enticingly showcasing a variety of items. As he clicked on it, the screen opened up to reveal an extensive catalogue of intriguing offerings.
The Lust-o-Meter Shop appeared to be a marketplace where he could buy a lot of things. So much was on display in front of him. And everything was divided into categories.
The categories were diverse -
Power/Skill
Weapons
Cultivation Techniques
Summoning
Random
He was already in the Power/Skill section and their were a lot of skills in front of him, ready to be bought.
Rick chose one of them. It was the Ero skill - Loose tongue
Loose Tongue - Mortal Ranked
When activated during intimate moments, the Loose Tongue skill grants host the ability to effortlessly utter seductive words and expressions that evoke intense desire and arousal in his partner. With this skill, host's words become a potent aphrodisiac, igniting the flames of passion and deepening the emotional connection between him and his partner.
"Ahemm..." Rick cleared his throat, "It's nice... Very nice..." Rick thought as his eyes looked around to see if he could buy the skill.
There, just below the description on the skill, there were two dimly lit button.
Temporary - 10,000 Ero Points
Permanent - 100,000 Ero Points
"Hmmm...?" Rick was confused to see Ero points. He tried to buy the skill temporarily, but nothing happened. He then scanned the screen to see what this Ero Points was all about. And found it on the Upper right corner of the screen.
Ero Points: 100
Rick clicked on the '?' beside it and a pop-up opened.
Ero Points: Points earned through emotional and intimate connections with women. Host can earn Ero Points after successful sexual encounter, increase in love, and completion of quests. Ero points then can be used to shop, or spin a lottery.
"So that's how it is..." Rick nodded as he looked at the information. But he only had 100 Ero Points. The Ero points rewarded must be good, otherwise, how long will it take for him to even buy the temporary skill that costs 10,000 Ero points?
Since there was nothing more to see, Rick closed the shop. He was pretty sure that he can't buy anything for a measly 100 Ero points.
Rick then turned his attention to the Second option - Lottery.
The Lottery icon displayed a playful image of a spinning wheel with various prizes floating around it. Curious, Rick tapped on it to explore further.
The Lottery seemed to be a game of chance, where he could use his Ero points for a chance to win exciting rewards. The wheel was divided into colourful segments, each representing a different prize or reward.
Better Luck (The grey segment) - 40%
Basic (The beige segment) - 30%
Standard (The green segment) - 16%
Premium (The purple segment) - 8%
Epic (The silver segment) - 4%
Legendary (The gold segment) - 2%
"Oh man, this is gonna be epic!" Rick exclaimed with excitement, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he stared at the lottery icon in his system. He couldn't believe his luck; the possibilities were endless! Rick felt a mix of excitement and uncertainty about the Lottery. It was like a digital version of a carnival game, and he wondered what surprises awaited him with each spin, "But the chances are a bit low..."
Each spin cost 10,000 Ero points. Which was not much compared to the shop, but the chances were on the lower side, and Rick would have no idea what he would get.
Just then, as soon as Rick finished reading, another pop-up appeared in front of him. This time on its own, Rick did nothing.
[ To celebrate the integration of the system with the Host's soul, the host is awarded three free spins. Enjoy, loser! ]
"Three spins?" Rick's face bloomed with a smile. So much that he chose to ignore the loser remark, "Hell yeah! That's what I am talking about... Let's do it baby," Rick closed the prompt and quickly clicked on the wheel. As soon as he did, the wheel started spinning.
"Let's see..." Rick cheered, his fingers crossed as he watched the wheel slow down, teasingly inching closer to the prizes.
In no time, the wheel began to slow down... It slowly went from Premium, Epic, Legendary with each segment smaller than the previous and entered the largest segment, 'Better Luck Next Time,'
"C'mon... Not on my first try..." Rick mumbled. And as if the system heard him, the wheel barely managed to cross the unluckiest segment and stopped at Basic.
"Hushh..." Rick sighed in relief.
The system chimed with delight, and a popup appeared, revealing his reward. "Basic Reward: Clothes."
"Clothes?" Rick was not too disappointed, "I needed them... So not bad..."
So, without getting disheartened, Rick spun the wheel again. But this time, the luck was not on his side as the prompt said, "Better luck next time"
'No problem... As they say... Three is the charm.' Rick spun the wheel again, for the last time.
"Come on, come on! Give me something good!" Rick nervously eyed the wheel, his fingers crossed again. He didn't want two duds in a row.
And this time, the system chimed and the prompt popped-up, "Standard Reward: Magical fingers (1 - hour duration)
"Magical fingers? Interesting."
* * * * *
[Author's Note]
Do leave Paragraph comments/Comments if you find any mistake, or loophole. It will help me keep the quality of the novel stable. You can also leave a comment just to appreciate the work, I wouldn't mind ;)
Thank you...
