I didn't go straight home.
For the first time in my memory, a school night stretched before me not as a countdown to another gruelling shift, but as an open expanse of freedom.
The feeling was so new, so intoxicating, it felt like a superpower in itself.
The evening air of Neo-Olympus, usually just a prelude to the smell of stale coffee and disinfectant, was crisp and charged with possibility.
I found a bench in a small, overlooked parquet, a patch of real grass struggling for life amidst the towering chrome and holographic glow of the city.
From here, I could see the Zenith Tower, headquarters of the Hero Guild, its spire piercing the clouds like a self-important needle.
A gigantic ad-hologram of the hero 'Stronghold' flickered to life on its side, showing him lifting a bus with a grin.
The tagline underneath read: 'Stronghold Insurance - For when life gets heavy.'
I snorted. The irony was suffocating.
With a thought, I pulled up the System interface. The 50 VP in my account glowed with a comforting, blood-red light. It was time to secure my foundation.
"System Store," I whispered, the words still a private thrill.
The familiar menu appeared. My eyes went straight to the first item.
[Item: Minor Healing Potion (Grade F)] I focused my will on it.
[Confirm purchase of 'Minor Healing Potion (Grade F)' for 50 VP?]
Yes.
[Purchase confirmed. VP: 0. Item has been dispensed to Host's inventory.]
I didn't retrieve it. Just knowing it was there, a single click away in my mental inventory, was enough. It was a shield. A guarantee that I would never be left bleeding on a dirty floor again.
The feeling of security was worth more than any amount of points.
Now that my safety was assured, a new, more villainous curiosity began to stir. My new employees were on the clock. It was only fitting that the boss check in on them.
The 24/7 Mart was a fifteen-minute walk away. I didn't go inside. Instead, I took up a position across the street, melting into the shadows of a darkened alleyway.
From here, I had a perfect view through the large plate-glass windows.
The scene was pure, unadulterated chaos.
Mark, the one-time king of the school hallways, was fumbling with the cash register, his face a mask of panicked concentration.
A line of two impatient customers was forming.
Jake was attempting to mop the floor, but he handled the mop with such profound ineptitude that he was mostly just pushing dirty water around in circles.
And Leo… poor Leo was trying to restock a shelf with cans of synth-beans, but his hands were shaking so badly that for every can he placed, another two clattered to the floor.
They were clumsy. They were inefficient. They were pathetic.
It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.
They were working. Driven by fear, they were performing my labor, their misery fuelling my freedom.
The system had called it a cornerstone of villainy, and I was beginning to understand why. This wasn't just about avoiding a shift; it was about the fundamental reordering of power.
My attention was drawn away from my flailing minions by a figure approaching the mart. It was Maya. She had her sketchbook tucked under her arm, her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.
She wasn't going in to shop. She stopped near the entrance, her gaze sweeping over the disaster inside, a small, thoughtful frown on her face.
Her eyes lingered on Mark's panicked expression, then on Jake's pathetic mopping.
Then, as if feeling my gaze, her head turned, and her eyes scanned the shadows across the street. For a heart-stopping second, I thought she saw me.
Her eyes seemed to pierce right through the darkness, right to where I stood.
But then a hover-bus hissed past, breaking the moment, and when it was gone, she was walking away, her pace unhurried, her expression lost in thought.
She hadn't seen me. But she was looking. She was connecting the dots between the scene in the classroom and the scene in the mart.
She was the only one who seemed to be asking the right questions. She was a loose thread. A potential problem. Or… a potential something else.
I pushed the thought away for now. One thing at a time.
I stayed for another hour, watching my new puppets work. Eventually, Mr. Chen, the owner, came out from the back room.
He looked at the mess, at the fumbling boys, and then at the register's credit count for the last hour.
A look of profound confusion crossed his face. The store was a wreck, but sales were… normal. He just shook his head and retreated back to his office, leaving the trio to their miserable fate.
As I finally turned to head home, my work for the night done, the system pinged with a new notification.
It wasn't a mission. It was different.
[Title Acquired: 'Puppet Master']
[New Skill Tree Unlocked: Subterfuge & Manipulation]
[New Skills available for purchase:]
[Skill: 'Silent Threat' (Passive, Grade F)]
Description: Your silent presence is more intimidating to those who fear you. Increases the effectiveness of non-verbal commands on subjugated targets.
Cost: 100 VP
[Skill: 'Read the Room' (Active, Grade F)]
Description: For a short duration, gain a basic understanding of the emotional state of individuals in your immediate vicinity (e.g., Fear, Anger, Curiosity).
Cost: 150 VP
The costs were high, but the possibilities they represented were staggering. I could make my pawns more effective. I could gain a tactical advantage in any social situation.
I looked back at the city, at the heroes smiling down from their holographic thrones. They had power, fame, and fortune.
But I had a secret. I had a system. And now, I had a plan.
Security was handled. Labor was handled.
The next step was to start building a proper arsenal. My first goal was clear: earn 100 VP. It was time to make my threats even more effective.