Chapter 1: Enter Paige
[Warning: This is the fantasy you think about during your 9-to-5 and then forget five minutes later because your boss called another meeting. Logic has been placed on paid leave and wish fulfillment is working overtime. With that said, I hope you enjoy this journey.]
"Get the hell out of my restaurant, Seth! And don’t even think about asking for this week’s pay!"
The manager, a sweaty, power-tripping prick named Miller, was practically spitting in my face. Behind him, a wealthy middle-aged couple in designer clothes looked at me with smug satisfaction.
All because the rich guy had clumsily knocked over his own glass of red wine, and instead of admitting his mistake to his date, he blamed me for "startling" him while I was clearing the adjacent table. Miller, eager to suck up to a regular who drove a Porsche, hadn’t hesitated for a single second to throw me under the bus.
"Mr. Miller, please," I muttered, swallowing the bitter taste of humiliation. "I’ve worked eighty hours this week. I need that paycheck for my rent. I didn’t even touch his glass."
"I don’t care! Your very presence is a liability to my establishment," Miller sneered, stepping closer. "Hand over your apron and get out before I have the police drag you out for vandalism!"
I didn’t fight back. I was a coward, and more than that, I knew my place in this world. A penniless, average-brained orphan doesn’t win arguments against people with power and money.
I walked back to my one-room apartment in the biting winter wind, my thin, worn-out sneakers letting the freezing slush soak straight through to my socks. I didn’t even have the three dollars left for bus fare.
"If only I were some intelligent fucker," I sighed, turning on my cheap, sputtering laptop. "Being an orphan sucks if you aren’t even intelligent. But then again, why would my parents drop me off if I were Sheldon Lee Cooper?"
I cracked my neck and sat up painfully, the cheap plastic chair digging into my spine. My stomach let out a loud, hollow growl, reminding me that the world made sure guys like me never rose too high.
The red eviction notice was still tucked under my door, a ticking time bomb. My bank account was currently weeping in the negatives, my stomach was an aching void, and now, I didn’t even have a job to pretend things would get better.
"Maybe I should skip the gym this month," I sighed yet again, staring blankly at the wall. "But..."
Honestly, there was nothing else I spent my money on aside from the gym. If I gave up on that, what was the point of even surviving? That one hour of lifting was the only time I felt like a human being instead of a beaten dog.
"Aghh! Fuck this shit! Born in the dirt, left in the dirt." I groaned in frustration. "Why can’t I just enjoy a day in peace? It’s been two decades of this miserable life. Am I going to continue living like this forever?"
Sure, I had the option of suicide. Jump off a cliff and end everything. I’d actually contemplated it multiple times, especially tonight, but I could never bring myself to do it. It felt like admitting defeat, and I absolutely hated losing.
Besides, if I’m being honest, I was a coward. I was just so tired of dragging a useless, exhausted body through a life that didn’t want me anyway.
"I’m rambling again," I muttered, forcing my burning eyes back toward the glaring screen. "I should just look for another shitty job like the perfect slave."
Just then, a hologram flashed before my eyes as if I were wearing a VR headset. I blinked in surprise and rubbed my eyes. "Am I already so dead inside that I’m hallucinating in broad daylight? Hey, I’m not insane. I even slept well—a full four hours a day."
The text written on the hologram shifted, and this time, a voice echoed directly inside my head.
[This is not a hallucination, Host. You’ve been chosen to become the host of the "Do as You Please System".]
"Woah! I’m really depressed to the next level, aren’t I? My illusions are even creating new voices." I chuckled dryly, a heavy, humorless sound. "But I don’t have time for this. I need to find a way to make rent."
A second later, my whole body trembled as an electric current surged through me, shaking me from the inside out and instantly jolting me awake. I repeatedly blinked in disbelief and stared at the hologram.
[I think that should do it. Do you believe it now, Host?]
"Yes. I do," I hurriedly sat up properly, peering closer at the floating text. "Wait! This is happening for real? I’m getting a system? I don’t have to live in this shithole anymore?"
[...Host, you just called it a precious thing in your head a few minutes ago.]
"Nah. It *is* precious, since it was the first proper home I ever had. But I’m sure as hell not spending my entire life in it," I smiled, a genuine grin spreading across my face—a rarity that usually took years to appear. "So, tell me what this system is. What tasks do I have to do? What rewards will I get?"
[You’re more excited than I thought, Host.]
I was in a spectacularly good mood. The more I heard the sweet feminine voice of the system, the happier I became. Grinning, I replied, "Buddy, I’ll take any risk to get out of this misery."
[Considering what I’ve seen in you humans’ history on this planet, I can somewhat agree. A better way is to off yourself.]
My lips twitched upon hearing that. "Hey, that’s not very nice."
[It is a very good option, though. Also, what should I call you? Host is fine?]
"You talk like a real person," I muttered. "It’s fine. Just call me Seth."
[Understood. Then, I’ll explain a few basic things before you throw questions at me.]
[This system was made by a higher-dimensional being and is one of its first kind. He wanted test subjects, so he sent it to you. Now, worry not. It’s pretty good overall, and I haven’t seen any faults in it. This is just a failsafe plan. You know, it’s better to test things before selling them.]
"You guys sell systems?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
[Not me, but that higher-dimensional being, yeah. You’re the first test subject of this system. Don’t worry, though. It has already been checked multiple times, and it’s safe. It’s just a mandatory procedure.]
I shrugged. "Can’t make my life any worse than it already is."
[Don’t say that. In any case, the system is permanent, so enjoy your life with it. But it’ll only be yours if you agree that your actions will be recorded and sent to that higher-dimensional being.]
I stared at the hologram, leaning back and putting my hands behind my head. "Won’t he know it anyway? Like, he’s a higher-dimensional being. Surely he can look at everything I do casually."
[...Fair enough. I didn’t think of that, but you still have to agree to it.]
"Alright, I agree."
[Good! Then, from now on, you are the owner of the "Do as You Please System." As for its functions, you can guess from the name. There are no tasks or missions. The system has basically made you a god of this verse. You can do whatever you want. No limits.]
I sat upright, completely dumbfounded by the information thrown at me. "Wait, really? You aren’t joking, right?"
[No. As I’ve said, it’s a testing period, so we need to observe any and all things that a Host might do. It doesn’t matter what it is.]
Slowly, a wide grin formed on my face. I couldn’t help but laugh out loud like a total maniac. The sheer, intoxicating relief of knowing my nightmare was over washed through me, leaving me lightheaded.
"Stop laughing like a hyena! I’m trying to sleep here!"
I choked on my laughter and shouted back through the thin walls, "Sorry, Big John!"
John lived across from me and was a genuinely good man who had helped me out many times, throwing a warm meal my way when times were exceptionally tough. I didn’t want to ruin the poor guy’s sleep.
Shaking my head, I turned back toward the system. "Alright then. My first wish is to rename you. You’re my first proper friend, and I name you Karen."
[Seth, please. I’ve gone through your world’s history and present. I know what that means. Do you really want to name me that?]
"Alright, I was just joking," I smiled. "I name you Paige. She was my first-ever crush, you see."
[Paige... I like the sound of it.]
"Good. Then my second wish is for you to save this moment," I ordered. "Like in games, if I die or something awful happens, I can come back here to the start. I can redo this as many times as I want."
[That’s a great idea. And it’s done. If you ever die in the future, you’ll come back to this point in time.]
"Thanks. Also, it’s because I don’t trust myself. I’m quite dumb, haha."