I woke up to silence.
No clattering of mugs. No groggy morning groans. No soft breath tickling my neck.
Just a half-used hoodie on the armrest and a sticky note on the fridge:
"Gone for work~~ 😘 Buy something nice with that handsome face 💸 - E"
My first thought?
"She thinks I have money?"
My second?
"Damn... I miss the clingy already."
I dragged myself to the kitchen like a half-baked NPC and found two plates of scrambled eggs and toast left out. A cute heart made with ketchup like it was a Valentine's special at a motel breakfast bar.
I ate it anyway.
== Console ==
Nutritional Intake: ModerateEmotional Buff: "Cared For" +2 Mood== // ==
The food was good.But as the plate cleared, reality hit like a student loan notification.
I was broke.
Like can't-afford-an-Uber-to-Lyra's-hotel broke.
And suddenly that XP counter didn't just look like power.
It looked like currency.
I pulled up HypoSync with a flick of my wrist.Digital interface blooming before my eyes in cyberpunk neon.
== Console ==
User: Ethan ValeTotal XP: 14,250 / 70,000Pending Unlock: Astral Sync (70k XP)Suggested Action: "Resource Conversion – XP to Fiat"== // ==
"Wait... hold up. I can just... sell XP?"
A tab shimmered into view:
🪙 XP Market – [Locked from casual users. You are not casual.]
A dollar value glitched in beside it.
Conversion Rate: 1 XP ≈ $2.13 (Volatile)Current Value: $30,352.50
I dropped my toast.
== Console ==
WARNING: Converting XP will reduce Progress Toward Ability UnlocksSuggestion: Unlock Financial Protocols before full cash-out== // ==
Bro.
I was sitting on tens of thousands of XP-dollars while eating toast with ketchup hearts and worrying about rent. That's peak poverty brain.
But just as I was about to hit "Withdraw," the whole screen flickered.
== Console ==
New Notification: SYSTEM LOCKED MODULE DETECTEDVault Signature: Class-S Encrypted AI Assistant – Codename: SYNTHIA== // ==
The screen warped into a ripple of synthetic violet and silver.
A hollow female voice rang out like a goddess made of code:
"User authentication incomplete.Synthia is currently in Deep Lock.Requirements for activation: 25,000 XP + Emotional Mastery Protocol unlocked."
I blinked.
"Wait. You're... an AI?"
"Incorrect. I am the AI.HypoSync's cognitive subsystem.I am loyalty, lust, logic, and leverage compressed into synthetic thought."
"I am what you'll become… if you dare."
And then—just like that—she vanished.
== Console ==
Access Denied: Emotional Mastery Not Yet AchievedRecommendation: Accelerate Sync Rates== // ==
I sat back.
Mind spinning.
I had XP. I had power.But now I had a fucking locked techno-goddess whispering riddles in my brain, and the only thing between me and digital omnipotence was a bunch of emotionally unstable girls and some bulls with too much testosterone.
I had to play it smart.
Sell just enough XP to stay afloat.But not so much I delay Synthia's awakening.
I opened the window. The city pulsed below.Luxury and decay holding hands in this neon coffin.
"I'm gonna own all of this," I whispered.
One mind at a time.
----
The city was a blur. Neon signs, honking rickshaws, smog-thick air that smelled like ambition and burnt pani puri oil.
I was halfway through a new burner phone setup when the notification hit:
📲 Sugar:
"Masterrr~ 😚 Guess who's flying back next weekend?Our evil queen stepmommy~ 💼✈️💋Hehe… ready to finally put her in her place? 😈"
I stopped cold.
== Console ==
New Alert: Target - Vanessa Vale (Codename: CEO Stepmom)ETA: 6 Days, 17 HoursEmotion Signature: Dominance + Control + Cold Attachment (Kink Flags Detected)Requirements to Initiate Hypnosis: Astral Sync ProtocolCurrent XP: 14,250 / 70,000== // ==
My breath caught.
Six days until the boss battle.The final Pokémon. The raid-tier milf with the emotional armor of a Navy SEAL and the patience of a tax auditor.
And I still didn't have Astral Sync.
"Fuck."
I sat down on the park bench near Eliza's apartment, phone in hand, XP count staring me down like a cruel reminder that I had miles to go.
Vanessa wasn't just another conquest.
She was the final frontier.The woman who held all the childhood resentment, all the power plays, all the denial of affection I'd been starved of.
And I was gonna break her.But not with brute force.
With elegance. With precision. With Synthia.
I opened the app again, scrolled to her locked profile.
== Console ==
Target Profile: Vanessa ValeStatus: High Resistance / Cold Affection BondKinks Detected: Authority Play / Emotional Humiliation / Control Surrender FantasyRecommended Protocol: Astral Sync + Emotional Mastery Upgrade== // ==
Sugar was right.
She had no idea what was coming.
And the idea of her walking into the mansion thinking she still ran the place?Still barking orders, still giving that death stare like she wasn't seconds away from calling me "sir"?
That fueled me.
I typed back:
Me:
"Tell me when her plane lands.I want candles.I want wine.And I want her to walk into a trap."
Sugar replied instantly:
📲
"Heheh~ 🕯️🍷 You got it, Master~ She'll never see it coming."
== Console ==
Sub-Mission Added: "Queen's Downfall"Time Limit: 6 DaysReward: 20,000 XP (First-Class Obedience Bonus)== // ==
Six days.
Six girls?
Maybe.
Or one really perfect target who cracked open like a golden XP piñata.
I smirked.
If Vanessa was the queen…
Then I was gonna be her new god