- - -
Name: Gray Adams
Age: 20
Status: Comfortable (15%)
Wealth: $60,984.92 (+$101,320)
Power: 8
Influence: 19
Skills:
Basic Negotiation (Passive): Slightly improves chances of earning more through bargains.
Hard Labor (Active): Increases strength and endurance in physical work.
Giga Confidence (Passive): You are no longer easily shaken by insults, mockery, or pressure. Instead, you find them funny, as if it were just a big joke.
Eye of the Beholder (Active): Allows the host to determine whether a person has good or bad intentions. Must be activated consciously. Using this skill drains the host’s stamina. The longer it is used, the more exhausted the host becomes.
Golden Fingers (Passive) – A rare investor-type skill that passively enhances all future investments for the Host. Even with no special insight or timing, your investments will begin to perform better than average, consistently growing over time.
- - -
Alone in his bedroom, Gray stared deeply at his stats. The holographic screen hovered before him, floating mid-air.
"My status is comfortable now?" Gray raised his brows as he looked at it.
However, as he continued to stare at it further, a smile slowly appeared on his face.
The jump in wealth was more satisfying. From just scraping by to having over $60,000 in cash and $100,000 in his investments. He didn’t feel that rich yet, but the air definitely felt lighter around him now.
He could afford a few mistakes now. He could also breathe a little easier too.
Gray leaned forward and looked at the power and influence numbers.
His influence was increasing so maybe he could afford the system perks from time to time.
And then there were the skills.
His eyes lingered on [Golden Fingers], the newest one.
"Even if I pick a random company... it still works out," he whispered. "So this is what a cheat code looks like."
Gray wasn’t used to things going well without him working hard for it.
He glanced at the other skills.
[Giga Confidence].
He chuckled. That one had already proven itself useful a couple of times. He was thankful for that skill. He can manage to stay calm, even in uncertain moments. Now, even when he was being doubted, instead of feeling down, Gray felt... grounded instead.
Then his eyes fell on the one that he only used once.
[Eye of the Beholder]
Gray exhaled through his nose. The last time he used it, it drained him for the whole day. Still, there was no denying how useful it had been.
A skill that literally revealed people’s intentions? It really help him last time when he was picking a manager.
But the cost...
He leaned his head back against the wall, tapping the side of his leg with two fingers.
"I knew it already. Everything has a price."
For Gray, there were more partnerships to chase. More suppliers to contact. And overall, just had a lot of things to do.
’But this is better than doing nothing,"
A faint, amused breath left his lips.
After a second, Gray waved the screen away in front of him. The blue light flickered, then disappeared into the air like mist.
His room returned to normal. Quiet. Still. The only thing left open was the faint glow of his bedside lamp.
Silence filled in after the screen vanished.
He stayed still for a moment. It was an exhausting week, filled with things to read. Now that the deal with Jeth Company was done, he felt relieved.
Gray sat there, his back pressed to the soft headboard of his bed. His eyes were unfocused as the shadows in the room softened around him.
Things have been great these past few days, or even weeks. And yet, he didn’t feel like celebrating.
Gray sighed and shook his head.
There was still too much left to do.
However, in the middle of thinking, a loud knock interrupted his thoughts.
Three solid bangs on the door.
Gray blinked, then frowned. He didn’t even need to guess who it was.
He stood up, his bare feet walking quietly across the floor, and pulled the door open.
There, standing in the hallway light, was Lily.
The young girl had a pack of cheese chips in her one arm and a pint of ice cream in the other. It still looks frozen, so she probably just took it out of their fridge. She looked up at him with wide and expectant eyes.
"Brother!" she said out loud in a soft voice. The words came out naturally from his lips as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"Lily..."
"Brother, brother! Do you wanna watch a movie with me? With Lily?"
Gray blinked at the sudden invitation, but a wide smile automatically appeared on his face.
"It’s Saturday tomorrow," Lily added instantly, matter-of-factly. "So that means, you don’t have work!"
Gray looked down at her, the snack on her arms, and the hopeful expression on her face that didn’t quite try to hide the way she missed him lately.
Gray leaned a shoulder against the doorframe and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.
"Area we watching Barbie again?"
Lily tilted her head and quickly shake her head.
"No."
"Really?"
"Yes, Brother!" she answered out loud with a straight face.
Gray stared at her for another beat before letting out a quiet laugh under his breath.
"Alright," he said. "Go pick something good. I don’t wanna sit through another Barbie movie."
Lily grinned and turned around immediately, her socks sliding a little on the wooden floor as she made her way toward the living room.
"Don’t worry," she called out. "I already made a shortlist!"
Gray sighed as he stepped out after her, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.
His room stayed open behind him, empty now except for the quiet hum of the lamp still glowing faintly at the bedside.
"I guess this is not bad," Gray chuckled as he closed the door behind him.
He followed the sound of Lily giggling to herself as she argued with the smart TV.
And for the first time that night, Gray let himself forget about business. Even if just for a little while.