Leo was assigned to the Strategic Market Analysis department on the 47th floor. The space was an ocean of grey cubicles under the unforgiving glare of fluorescent lights, a stark contrast to the grandeur of the lobby. His supervisor, a perpetually stressed woman named Sarah, pointed him to an empty desk wedged between a humming printer and a wilting fern.
"You'll be supporting the junior analysts," she said, her words clipped. "For now, just get familiar with our active project folders. Don't touch anything you're not supposed to." With that, she was gone, swallowed by the sea of cubicles.
Leo sat down, the worn fabric of the chair a small letdown. As he was logging into his computer, a man with a slick, confident smile and a slightly-too-loud tie leaned over his cubicle wall.
"Fresh meat, huh? Name's Mark," he said, extending a hand. He was a Senior Associate, a fact made clear by the slightly larger size of his cubicle and the condescending warmth in his eyes. "Welcome to the shark tank."
"Leo," he replied, shaking the man's hand. It was a firm, assertive grip, a classic corporate power move.
Mark's smile widened. "Good to have you. Listen, the team's drowning in pre-meeting prep. Would you be a champ and handle the coffee run? It's kind of a tradition for the new guy."
Before Leo could answer, his phone vibrated.
[New Quest Issued: A Rite of Passage] [Description: In the corporate ecosystem, fetching coffee is not about caffeine; it is a test of obedience, perception, and your place in the pecking order. Do not fail this simple, yet complex, task.]
[Objective: Fulfill the team's coffee order to their exact specifications.] [Bonus Objective: Identify and neutralize any sabotage.]
Leo looked back at Mark. Sabotage? On a coffee run? It seemed absurdly petty, but the System had yet to be wrong.
"Sure, I can handle it," Leo said.
Mark's grin was predatory. "Great. Sarah takes a double-shot latte, skim milk. I'll have a black Americano. And Mr. Henderson—our department head—he's particular. He likes a pour-over, but you have to use the imported beans from the second canister in the back of the pantry. He says they have a… fruitier note. And add a half-teaspoon of salt instead of sugar. It's an old-school trick to cut the bitterness, he swears by it."
Salt instead of sugar? For the department head? It was a ludicrously obvious trap. Give the boss a salty coffee on his first day, and the new intern would be a laughingstock before lunch. Mark was testing him, seeing if he was gullible, stupid, or cowardly enough to follow insane instructions.
[Hazard Detected! Malicious instruction identified.] [The recommendation of 'salt' is a social trap designed to induce failure and public humiliation.]
[New Skill Unlocked: Poker Face (Lv. 1)] [Effect: Grants the user the ability to suppress micro-expressions and maintain a neutral, unreadable face under pressure. Reduces the chance of revealing true intentions by 30%.]
A wave of calm washed over Leo. The slight nervous tension in his shoulders eased. He looked at Mark, his face a perfect mask of polite diligence. He wasn't Leo the desperate graduate anymore. He was a player.
"Got it," Leo said, nodding as if taking a mental note. "Imported beans, second canister. Half-teaspoon of salt. Understood."
Mark's eyes gleamed. He thought he'd hooked him. "Attaboy. Don't screw it up."
In the pantry, Leo found the coffee station. He prepared Sarah's latte and Mark's Americano perfectly. Then, he located the two canisters of imported beans. He opened the one Mark had indicated—a faint, musty smell hit his nose. The beans were old, likely expired. The other canister held fresh, aromatic beans. A clear case of substitution.
He paused, considering his move. He could make the coffee correctly and prove he wasn't a fool. But that was a defensive move. The bonus objective was to neutralize the sabotage.
So, he brewed Mr. Henderson's coffee using the fresh, correct beans. Then, he added exactly half a teaspoon of salt, just as instructed.
He returned to the office with a tray of coffees, his expression placid and helpful. He delivered Sarah's latte, then handed Mark his Americano. Finally, he approached Mark's desk again, holding the third cup.
"Here's Mr. Henderson's coffee," Leo said, his voice level, making sure a few nearby colleagues could overhear. "Just like you said—the special beans, with the half-teaspoon of salt to cut the bitterness. Thanks for the tip, Mark. I'm still learning the ropes, so I really appreciate you showing me how the senior team members like things done."
He didn't hand the cup to Mark. He placed it squarely on the corner of his desk. The implication was clear: This was your idea. You deliver it.
Mark's smile froze on his face. He was trapped. If he delivered the salty coffee, the boss would be furious—and Leo had just publicly announced the instructions came from him. If he admitted the coffee was sabotaged, he would expose himself as a petty bully in front of the team. And if he threw it out, he'd have to explain why he'd wasted the expensive imported beans.
His face cycled through a flicker of panic, then anger, then grudging respect. Leo just stood there, his Poker Face holding steady, a picture of innocent helpfulness.
Checkmate.
Mark let out a strained chuckle. "You know what, I just remembered Henderson is in back-to-back calls. I'll… I'll hold onto this for him until he's free."
Leo nodded. "Of course. Just let me know if you need anything else."
He walked back to his desk, feeling the eyes of the other junior analysts on him. He hadn't just brought coffee. He'd delivered a message.
His phone buzzed one last time.
[Quest Complete. Sabotage neutralized with strategic compliance.] [Your ability to turn a trap back on its architect is a valuable corporate weapon. Keep honing it.] [Reward: +50 EXP, +1 Cunning Stat.]