"I am not dead?!"
Despite showing nonchalance to his death, a sense of relief washed over Rick, followed by a momentary spike of panic when he saw Maya glaring at him.
He had just sexually assaulted a nurse in a hospital. This matter could easily low up and he would no doubt end up making headlines in the newspaper: "An unemployed predator targets his saviour!" along with his passport sized mugshot.
Rick did not want that. In fact, he should already have stammered a million pathetic apologies, begged for forgiveness, and let her call security to throw him out on the street.
But after getting hit by the infamous truck and a heart to heart with the God himself, he just let out a calm, steady breath.
He didn't break eye contact with Maya and looked straight into her furious eyes. He didn't cower under them, and sat up straighter, exuding a sudden, dominant confidence that he hadn't even known he possessed.
"My apologies, sweetheart," Rick said, his voice low, steady, and entirely unapologetic.
Maya stopped as her hand hovered over the emergency call button on the wall, fully intending to call security. But Rick's deep, calm voice threw her completely off guard.
She was used to creepy old men grovelling when they got caught. But there was something in his gaze, in his voice that made her flinch.
"You... you grabbed my..." Maya stammered, pointing a shaking finger at him.
"I know exactly what I grabbed," Rick interrupted smoothly, holding her gaze, "And I can't help but shower praises for it."
"But you see, think of it from my point of view. I just got hit by a truck. That totally scrambled my brain."
"And on top of that when I woke up, the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life came through the door."
"Can you blame me to think that I was dead?!"
Maya's mouth opened slightly as the anger on her face faltered, replaced by deep, flustered confusion. What he said made sense. It was not very uncommon to feel this way after a life and death experience.
"I needed to know if you were real," Rick continued, letting his eyes slowly drag down her body before snapping back up to her face, "And I have to say, Nurse Maya. Every bit of you is very, very real."
"You... you can't just do that!" Maya protested, though her voice was noticeably weaker. Her cheeks were burning under his gaze, but her hand slowly moved away from the emergency call button.
Rick threw the blanket off his legs and swung his bare feet over the edge of the bed.
"I know I shouldn't have," Rick said, flashing her a wicked, teasing smirk. "But can you really blame a guy? I wake up thinking I am dead, and the first thing I see is an absolute knockout being so nice to me?"
"So, what's it going to be, Maya? Are you going to call security on the miracle patient? Or are we going to keep this little physical examination a secret between us?"
Maya swallowed hard, as she looked at his intense, unapologetic eyes.
Her heart was beating frantically against her ribs. She was a professional, she knew she should be angry, but the raw, flirty way he was talking to her was throwing her completely off balance. The heat in his gaze made her stomach do a nervous flip.
"You are a menace," Maya murmured, looking down at her shoes. She bit her lip, a deep, coquettish blush spreading across her cheeks, completely unable to hold his gaze, "I will let you off the hook this time. But you won't get a second chance."
"I can't promise you that," Rick let out a chuckle as he threw his hands in the air.
Suddenly, a sharp, mechanical chime echoed directly inside Rick's skull.
Ding!
Rick flinched slightly. He looked around the room, but the sound hadn't come from the medical equipment. It felt like it was inside his head.
And right in front of his eyes, a translucent, glowing blue screen materialized out of thin air. It hovered directly in his line of sight.
Initializing... Please wait.
Rick's breath hitched. He stared at the floating text. Maya was still looking down at her feet, nervously rubbing her arm, completely oblivious to the glowing screen floating right next to her head.
Initialization sequence 10%...
A blue loading bar appeared beneath the text, filling up rapidly.
Initialization sequence initiated: 1%... 7%... 17%... 30%... 50%...90%...99%...100%...
System Initialization Complete.
The text shifted, expanding into a larger, highly detailed interface, and the words burned into Rick's retinas, impossible to ignore.
[Welcome, Rick Smith, to the Mischief System.]
[The God of Mischief extends his regards. Your pathetic, simp-like existence has been officially terminated.]
[This System is designed to make all your darkest, most lecherous fantasies come true. It will help a former loser like you build the ultimate harem, acquire immense wealth, and crush anyone who stands in your way.]
Rick read the text, his heart pounding a frantic rhythm against his ribs. The God of Mischief wasn't lying. He had actually put a bloody cheat code inside his brain.
Ding!
Another mechanical chime echoed in his head. A new golden notification box popped up over the welcome message, flashing urgently.
[New Quest Generated!]
[Quest: Charm the Flustered Nurse]
[Target: Nurse Maya]
[Objective: You have already broken the ice by acting like an arrogant prick. Now, finish the job. Smooth-talk Nurse Maya and secure her personal phone number before she leaves the room.]
[Time Limit: 5 Minutes.]
[Rewards: +100 System Points, Beginner's Gift Box, +10 Carnal Calibrator (Maya).]
[Failure Penalty: Severe diarrhea for 24 hours. Don't be a loser.]
Rick stared at the failure penalty.
'Severe diarrhea?' That old bastard God really was a menace.
Rick looked past the translucent blue screen. Maya was finally bending down to pick up her fallen clipboard from the floor.
Rick grinned.
Fuck the good boy act. Fuck this shithole of the society.
He had a system now, and he wasn't going to waste it.
He shifted on the bed, as his eyes locked onto his target.
So it was time to get to work.
** ** ** ** **
[A/N: For every 50 Power stones, I will release a bonus chapter the next day! Keep supporting the story.]