The restaurant manager's face was confused and sweaty. Sweat the size of corn kernels streamed down his temples, soaking the collar of his already limp shirt.
"H-how many times will I be beaten?" The restaurant manager asked, his voice trembling with fear.
I looked at him and smiled contentedly. The warm sensation of this new strength still lingered in my hand, a feeling that made me addictive.
I then walked home to my apartment. My footsteps felt light, a 180-degree change from the steps of despair I usually used to drag myself home.
The apartment was simple, but not bad either. After arriving, I walked straight to the bathroom and took off all my clothes. I turned on the shower.
Sshhhhh...
Water drenched my body. I was still daydreaming, thinking about what happened today. Every punch, and every moan of the manager, every yuan in my hand. It all felt like a dream.
'I won't hesitate anymore.' The determination hardened in my chest, as hard as steel.
A brief moment earlier, still in the restaurant manager's room.
Bak! Buk! Bak! Buk!
The dull sound of my fist meeting the restaurant manager's head sounded satisfying in the small room.
Cough...! Kuhuk...!
"Stop... Stop... I will... Give you the money again..." The restaurant manager said, hitting his head against my hand not long after he fell to the floor. His face was all swollen.
'I really do have power now.'
I turned off the shower faucet, then grabbed a towel and looked in the mirror. The hot steam made my reflection in the mirror look blurry, as if I was looking at my old self and my new self simultaneously.
"Can I call you 'status screen'?" I asked the system.
[ You may call me by any name. ] The blue text appeared in the air.
"Hmmm... I see... Do I have other powers?" I asked the system.
[ You can acquire other skills when you level up. ]
Then I walked out of the bathroom and headed to the living room. I took a pillow, placed it on the sofa, and then lay down on the sofa. The slightly worn sofa fabric felt comfortable against my wet back.
'So, there's a leveling system too...?'
[ The more you use your skill, the higher your level will be later. ]
'I need to use my skill often to increase my level, huh…'
Ahh...
I sighed softly, feeling a mixture of restlessness and anticipation.
'I want other skills too... But on whom should I use them...'
Suddenly, someone banged on my apartment door from outside.
Bruk! Bruk! Bruk!
The knocking was so loud that my thin wooden door shook violently.
"Hey, open the door! I know you're inside!" a voice from outside my room shouted. The voice belonged to a woman, sounding sharp and full of anger.
'Hmm...'
I walked to the door and opened it. There, stood a woman wearing a nice outfit or, you could say, a dress, with beautiful eyes and long pink hair reaching her back. This girl's name was Su Meiling.
She looked me up and down, from my wet hair to the towel wrapped around my waist, and her beautiful eyes narrowed at me.
"Ah. Is that you?" I asked Meiling, my tone flat, as if not surprised at all by her sudden arrival.
Her beautiful, cherry-red lips were sucking on a lollipop. The cold smoke from the air conditioning in the hallway seemed to make her lips shine even more. Then, with a slow, provocative movement, she pulled the lollipop out of her mouth.
Plop.
"Ah, is that you? Your head's dented," Meiling said, her voice sharp and dismissive. "Where's the rent money?" she asked, looking straight at me, her beautiful eyes narrowed, judging my appearance wrapped only in a towel.
She then extended her slender left hand to collect the money, while her right hand was still holding the lollipop stick.
I glanced at her chest wrapped in a tight dress. Her Tits were large, and there was a small, tempting mole just above her cleavage.
"Just pay on time, so I don't have to come here," she said again, her tone not friendly at all.
"Ah! Sorry, I forgot," I replied, a lie that was common for me to say.
"Yeah, yeah. Pay the rent now or you can transfer the money directly to my account," Meiling said impatiently.
'Su Meiling is the apartment owner's daughter, so basically, this rundown apartment belongs to her too.'
"And also, because you're always late paying the rent, so..." She paused for a moment, a cynical smile forming on her lips. "I'm raising it to 1000 yuan. Do you understand?" Meiling said, bringing her face closer, then she pointed her finger, which had pink nail polish, and pressed my chest with her fingertip.
Deg.
The pressure wasn't hard, but it felt piercing. Because of how close we were, her bouncy Tits unconsciously pressed against my chest. A soft, warm sensation spread instantly. I stared at the large mound of Tits without realizing it, but still... this woman was annoying.
"Hey... What now?" she asked, crossing her arms under her Tits, a deliberate move to push her breasts upwards, making them look even fuller and more challenging.
'She certainly looks like a nice person... nice enough to be finished off in bed.' My inner self smirked.
"Ahhh... Yes, I'll give it to you..." I paused for a moment, pretending to think. "Are you going out tonight? You're wearing a nice outfit today, you see," I asked, scratching the back of my neck, playing the role of the intimidated, foolish tenant.
Huuuffft...
She let out a long, rough sigh.
"Stop irritating me," Meiling said, her expression genuinely showing annoyance. Both her hands were now resting on her slender waist.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Hey... Stop beating around the bush and quickly pay the rent... I don't want to keep talking to you, you know that," Meiling said.
"What? I know I'm late with the rent, but isn't that a little too rude?" I replied, looking at Meiling.
"Rude? Yeah, whatever. I'm meeting my boyfriend, so I dressed up to look even prettier," Meiling said confidently, lifting her chin high. "Now, stop asking me stupid questions. You don't have the money, do you? Send it by tomorrow at the latest, or you can get out of here."
Hahhhh...
I looked at her with a bit of annoyance, and scratched my head.
'She's really getting on my nerves.'
'Wait a minute...'
"Meiling!" I called out, my voice suddenly heavier and more serious.
"Hmm?" Meiling mumbled, looking at me, slightly surprised by the change in my tone.
'With my power, of course...'
I started imagining carrying her body, lifting her long legs up from behind, then thrusting into her hard.
Hggg! Ahhh! Hgngggahhh!
Imagining her body sweating, her Tits drenched in her climax fluids, and her face expressing ecstasy made me excited. I smiled to myself.
'I can teach her some manners, can't I?'
"I can give you the money now, but... Come inside first," I said, opening the door wide.