I was so close. Had I known it would be canceled, I would have used my sword instead of my tongue .
Now all I could think of was her intoxicating taste and sll.
Suddenly, my eyelids grew heavy, and when I glanced at the window, night had already fallen.
"System, what’s happening to ?"
[Host you use two Acting card in a short period of ti increasing your ntal fatigued. Please sleep now so you can recover.]
Hearing the system’s words only made my drowsiness worse, so I closed my eyes, hoping I would see that Geisha woman in my dreams.
"She tasted so good..." I mumbled.
***
***
***
Sunlight ca through the blinds, filling the room with lines of light and shadow.
It still reeked of disinfectant, making sighed deeply the mont I woke up
But all of this was only temporary. Soon, I would finally get out of this godforsaken place and enjoy what life had to offer.
"Acting Card, activate."
My facial expression changed from ordinary to one of serene calmness—an aura that only those who had touched enlightennt in their lifeti could display.
"Breath in, breath out."
Following Kao Long’s muscle mory, I began circulating the air through my body.
Little by little, I could sense faint traces of my ridians.
Many were blocked—especially the ones along my spinal cord, the very cause of my paralysis.
This was good news, because none of them were completely broken. If I circulated enough Ki repeatedly, I could dislodge the blockages and slowly recover.
I focused harder and slipped into a ditative state.
What took others years, I did in seconds. Their sweat and tears? Nothing but a punchline compared to the cheat of having a system.
"Inhale... Exhale..."
The blocked points along my spine resisted stubbornly, but the more I pressed on, the more I could feel them quiver.
Sweat rolled down my forehead. The disinfectant stench of the room faded into the background. All that existed was my breath, the flow of air, and the stubborn wall inside my body that I needed to shatter.
Ti passed by without noticing .
Each cycle grew smoother, the faint pulse of my ridians becoming clearer with every breath.
I gritted my teeth and pushed a little harder, willing the ki to break through.
For a second, I thought I felt sothing—a quiver in the blockage, like a locked door rattling against its hinges.
But pushing it too much ca at a price. A throbbing pain spread through different parts of my head, snapping out of my ditative state.
I took a deep breath and decided to rest for now, to let myself recover.
"Hey, System, say sothing. I’m getting bored here."
There was no response, so I had no choice but to spend my ti staring at the ceiling.
Fortunately, Claire visited .
She closed the door with a clipboard clutched to her chest.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ace. How are you feeling ?"
One look at her face told she hadn’t slept well. Her makeup couldn’t even hide the shadows beneath her eyes.
She probably spent all that ti feeling guilty about cheating on her boyfriend.
"Better now that you’re here," I responded, watching the way her fingers fidgeted with the clipboard.
"I, uh... just ca to check your vitals," She avoided eting my gazed.
"Of course. You’re just doing your job, right?"
Her lips parted slightly, but the words never ca. She was too flustered to speak.
"Claire, could you hang out with for a minute? It gets lonely when everyone leaves."
She hesitated, glancing at the door. "I really shouldn’t. I have other patients—"
"Will you really refuse such a small favor, when I’ve kept your secret safe in order to protect your job, your reputation, even your love life?"
"You... you’re blackmailing ,"
I smiled, just enough to make my point.
"Don’t get the wrong idea. I never promised to spill everything. So? Sit and talk with , won’t you?"
"Okay." She gave in to the pressure.
"Sit closer to ."
After a brief pause, she followed my orders.
The sweet lemon scent of her perfu filled the air, and it pulled straight back to the mory of my first kiss.
Guilt stirred in my chest. She didn’t deserve to get tangled in my own problem, so I told myself that I would no longer take advantage of her kindness.
[DING!]
[MISSION: MAKE CLAIRE FALL IN LOVE WITH YOU]
...Never mind. Who needs conscience anyway? What I want were girls—lots of them.
"Ahem." I cleared my throat before activating my Francis Card.
"How’s your boyfriend ?" I inquired, keeping my tone light.
"I don’t want to talk about my personal life." she avoid the question.
Looks like individuals who shook off my influence before gain more resistance.
"No need to be so guarded. I just wanna know what kind of guy ends up with an amazing woman like you. I’m stuck in here all the ti, so yeah... I get a little nosy."
As the words left my lips, her defenses began to crumble. She gave in, her eyes softening as they t mine.
"He’s doing fine. Been working a ton of overti as staff. He joined one of the guilds — nothing big, but the pay’s better than what he got here."
With Francis’s Card, I caught details I used to overlook.
As she spoke of her boyfriend, her eyes dilated and her lips curled without her noticing, undeniable signs of the depth of her love for him.
Loyal won like her were rare, almost impossible to find. And that rarity made want her even more. To taint her purity and bind her to alone.
I couldn’t help but wonder what her face would look like if they got separated due to infidelity.
Not good. I am enjoying this far too much.
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