Chapter 82
[Ding!]
[Correct. That fire-summoning ability you saw in the video comes from one of the other core systems inside that junk slot machine.]
Ray let out a dry laugh. His voice was low, but the disbelief in it was loud and clear. He shook his head and sank deeper into the couch.
"So you’re telling me this world’s about to be full of humans with superpowers? Like controlling elements, slinging magic, all that shit?"
The system answered instantly in its usual cold font.
[Yes. Because every core system is different. There’s only one Common Sense Altering System, and it’s the same for the rest of them.]
Ray swallowed hard. His throat suddenly felt like sandpaper. ’So... one power per person?’
He sat in silence for a couple seconds, then let out a small chuckle in his head. ’Hmmm... this is straight-up manhwa shit. I pulled the weirdest, most broken power for staying under the radar, while everyone else gets elemental or combat powers. Classic as fuck.’
Ray wasn’t done digging. He pushed harder, his inner voice turning serious.
"Alright then... where the hell did that junk slot machine even come from? Who built it?"
A few seconds of dead silence. Then the same icy text popped up.
[Host does not have authorization to access that information.]
Ray felt like he just got slapped across the face. "Damn..." he muttered under his breath, voice dripping with annoyance and contempt. "Guess the creator’s a real piece of shit."
The system went completely quiet. No response. Not even a "denied." Just... nothing. Like the question never existed.
Ray let out a long breath and laughed again—this time bitter as hell. He got up and started pacing the dimly lit living room, brain running a mile a minute.
"Shit..." He stopped at the window, staring down at the blinking city lights. "This just got way more complicated. And way more interesting."
He walked back to the couch, grabbed his phone that was still lit up. Christy’s message was still sitting there. Ray typed out a quick reply, thumb shaking from the mix of horny and adrenaline.
[Ray]: "Hell yeah. Tomorrow at 2 PM? I’ll come pick you up. Just get yourself ready, I’ll handle everything 😉"
Sent.
Then he opened the gallery again. Julia’s blowjob video was still sitting in the thumbnails. Ray tapped it and hit play from the start. His cock immediately got rock hard again—harder than before. But it felt different this time. Not just regular lust.
Now he knew... he wasn’t alone.
"If there are people running around with combat or elemental powers," he muttered while slowly stroking himself, "I gotta make damn sure this Common Sense Altering System can counter them. I can’t let them find out about me...."
Ray let out another low chuckle, voice a little raspy. "Heh. Those other fuckers can only shoot fire or fly and shit. Me? I can make them spread their legs, open their mouths, or even help me hide a body if I need to. No suspicion. No memories. Nothing."
He paused the video right at the part where Julia was getting dick-slapped across the face. His eyes were dark, full of lust mixed with fresh ambition.
"Tomorrow... Christy first. I need to dig some real info out of her... hmm..."
Ray killed the video, took a deep breath, and laid back flat on the couch. His cock was still straining against his pants, but he forced himself to chill. He needed energy for tomorrow.
Before he turned off the lights, he whispered into the empty room.
"System... starting now, we’re playing at a higher level, alright?"
No answer. Just silence.
Ray smirked in the dark.
"Good. I’m already tired of hearing your stiff-ass voice anyway."
He closed his eyes. Tomorrow was Sunday. The day he was meeting Christy. And maybe... the day he’d start realizing this world wasn’t just about fucking around however he wanted anymore.
There were other players on the board now.
And Ray... didn’t like people playing in his territory without permission.
He mumbled right before passing out, "Looks like I’ll use my first solo alter on Christy. Get some important info out of her." He remembered how that shy-ass woman somehow knew a federal agent.
The next morning, Ray woke up at nine to the sound of the doorbell already ringing.
He groaned and rubbed his face. *Fucking hell.* Back when he was still living in that rundown apartment, broke as shit, he could at least sleep in after waking up. Now the damn bell never stopped.
The bell rang again.
Ray dragged himself off the couch and opened the door. Sonya stood there, brown skin glowing under the morning light, that mature face looking at him with worry.
"Ray, are you okay?" she asked right away, stepping inside. "I’ve been worried. You didn’t reply to my messages last night."
Ray scratched the back of his neck. "Chill, I’m fine. Really. Just slept like a rock."
Sonya let out a small breath of relief and held up a plastic bag. "I brought you some Asian food. It’s still frozen, so you can heat it later. Oh, and I got chopsticks too."
She handed him the bag. Ray took it and glanced at the chopsticks inside. A small smirk almost formed on his lips.
’Of course she brought chopsticks.’ He already knew her little fetish—rubbing small objects against her pussy lips. Thank fuck the food was frozen. He didn’t have to eat it right now.
Sonya shifted on her feet, looking a little hopeful. "So... you free this afternoon? I was hoping we could hang out for a bit. I really wanna spend some time with you."
Ray paused. ’Right... we’re supposed to be together.’
He cleared his throat. "Ah, shit... I already made plans with some friends this afternoon. Might be out till pretty late. Sorry."
Sonya’s face fell a little. "Oh... okay. No worries. I get it."
She didn’t stay long after that. She sighed and said, "I gotta head out anyway. The gym’s been a total mess lately. It’s full of girls now and everything’s chaotic. Honestly, it was better before even when there were a bunch of guys. At least back then we barely had any fights."
She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Text me when you’re free, okay?"
"Will do," Ray said.
Sonya left and closed the door behind her.
Ray stood there in the quiet living room. He let out a small, amused laugh under his breath.
’Damn. I’m really out here cheating on her.’
Never in his life did he think a broke-ass janitor like him would end up as the guy who could get close to multiple girls and grab their asses without a single worry.
But that relaxed feeling didn’t last long.
Because he also remembered—he was mega viral now. That meant later today, out in the heat, he still had to keep the mask on. He couldn’t just blend in like some random face anymore. People were actually paying attention to him.
----
It was almost two in the afternoon when the doorbell rang. Ray opened the door and saw Christy standing there.
"Hey," she said with a small smile. "Sorry if I came early. Today’s my birthday, so... thanks for still wanting to hang out with me."
Ray nodded. "Yeah, happy birthday."
Christy stepped in and looked at him. "So where are we going? And why are you wearing a mask?"
Ray thought for a second. "Let’s just watch a movie. And for the mask.. I don’t really feel like getting recognized today."
Christy tilted her head, then answered in a light, almost cheerful tone, "That makes sense. There’ll be a lot of trash bothering us if they see you."
Ray swallowed. ’The fuck did she just say that so casually?’
They left the apartment and headed to the station. Ray chose the train because it gave him time to think about what kind of alter he should use on her later.
On the way, Ray glanced at her and asked, "By the way, how’d you even become a white hat hacker?"
Christy shrugged. "I’m just smart, so everything feels easy."
She stayed quiet for a moment before speaking again, softer this time. "This is actually the first time I’ve gone out with a guy like this. People usually stay away from me. I don’t really have any friends."
Ray didn’t reply. He just stared out the window, feeling a strange mix of pity and unease.
Ray kept staring out the window, half-listening to Christy’s words when he suddenly heard a group of passengers a few seats behind them laughing loudly.
"Bro, you see that shit online? Now there’s people popping up with actual weird powers," one guy said, still chuckling. "Like, one dude can control fire or something. Crazy, right?"
Another voice joined in. "Yeah, and there’s that one guy named Ray too. People say he’s the one who can sense weird phenomena or some shit. Viral as hell lately."