Chapter 24: No.24: First Time
Though the Affinity Level wasn’t necessarily as high as Summer’s when he initially met her yesterday, considering how most of the women he’d tried approaching were already in the negatives before he even opened his mouth to speak, with some even bordering on negative 50+ just from seeing his face alone, Miss White, or rather Naomi, was already nearing thirty despite today being their first encounter, which roughly meant she viewed him as at least an acquaintance.
Not to mention, Summer was practically his childhood friend. So, it was only normal for her Affinity Level to be far higher than someone he’d only just met.
As a result, Bruce didn’t hesitate to accept her as his Bonded Target upon seeing the notification.
’After all, who knows when next I’ll find someone that actually meets the requirements and has a decent level of affection toward me.’
With that in mind, Bruce subconsciously clicked the ’Yes’ icon in his mind, resulting in a series of notifications appearing before him.
[Congratulations on Completing the Bonded Target Requirement for the First Stage of the Ultimate Rebate System]
{Bonded Targets: 2/2}
[Calculating Reward for completing first minor milestone accomplishment...]
[Bonus Reward: 150 Rebate Coins]
{5% of Total Rebate Coins earned has been Deducted}
[Rebate Coins: 508.25]
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’Wow! Didn’t know the System also rewarded this kinda stuff as well. But considering how it’s given rewards for first-time completion of certain things in the past, I guess it makes sense.’
Surprised by the sudden notification, Bruce hadn’t expected to be given such a reward for something he hadn’t even considered that challenging to begin with.
And quite a lot at that, as the amount was one of the biggest rewards he’d received from the System so far.
’It’s about the same amount as the one I got when I dealt with the scum that tried wooing Summer. Does that mean the System viewed my chances of actually finding someone else with a significant Affinity Level towards me, who also met the requirements, as being that slim?’
At the thought, Bruce wasn’t sure whether this was truly the case.
But it was fairly reasonable, considering how low his Charisma was, coupled with his overall appearance.
’Still doesn’t make it any less irritating though.’
Mildly irritated by the System’s assessment of his capabilities, Bruce couldn’t help but feel annoyed despite knowing that, from a logical point of view, it made sense.
Sighing in resignation, he eventually decided to follow Naomi’s advice and get some rest for the day.
As such, he bid her farewell before returning to his rundown apartment.
A while later...
Having gotten home, Bruce hesitated for a while before lying down on that death trap of a bed, as he wasn’t sure he’d be able to get back up again once he fell asleep, considering what had happened that morning.
Deciding against lying down for now, he instead chose to try out the Low-Grade Base Stats Enhancer since he currently had enough Rebate Coins for one.
"Plus, considering the increase it gives isn’t that much, it’s best to use it at intervals rather than all at once. That way, the change shouldn’t be too abrupt... I think."
Steeling his resolve before he could think of an excuse not to, Bruce purchased an Enhancer from the System Shop.
Upon doing so, a soft golden-white light gleamed atop his palm as an object materialised amidst the light.
Intrigued, Bruce was a bit surprised by the object resting in his hand.
"A pill?"
Indeed, upon closer inspection, the Enhancer seemed to be some sort of teal-coloured pill.
At a glance, there wasn’t really any distinctive feature about it that stood out other than its peculiar colour.
However, as Bruce held it, a cool, soothing energy radiated from it, emitting a somewhat rejuvenating feeling from merely coming into contact with it.
"Interesting."
With that, Bruce simply popped the pill into his mouth.
A cool minty taste enveloped his mouth, followed by a refreshing sensation that permeated throughout his entire body.
Then...
Nothing!
"Huh? Is that it? A bit anticlimactic, don’t ya think?"
Surprised by the lacklustre turn of events, Bruce wondered if he’d been scammed by the System.
Instinctively, he checked his Stats. Indeed, they’d increased from their previous values, each going up by +10.
Meaning, the pill actually worked.
So why hadn’t he changed yet?
A dreadful thought briefly surfaced in his mind, causing cold sweat to wash over him.
Was his Stats not related to his physical appearance?
If so, did that mean he was stuck in this oversized body and had to actually work out on a daily basis to burn off the fat before the seven-day limit?
The thought was scary, to say the least, as such a thing was practically impossible.
After calming down a bit, though, Bruce doubted the System would assign him an impossible Task within such a limited time frame.
At least, based on the previous Tasks it’d assigned so far, it always gave Tasks that might seem impossible at first glance, but simply required a particular approach to complete.
As such, it either meant Bruce was still missing something, or he hadn’t followed the path the System intended for completing the Task.
Deciding to rinse his face a bit to refresh his mind, Bruce headed towards the bathroom to splash some water across it.
Before he could get there, however, the world around him suddenly became disoriented as everything felt stretched and out of place.
’Crap! There we go.’
Realizing the pill was probably about to take effect, Bruce tried to steady himself to avoid suddenly collapsing onto the floor.
’Nope! Not possible.’
Faceplanting onto the ground after failing to regain his balance, the entire structure trembled slightly with a low thud, causing people nearby to wonder if an earthquake was about to occur.
Lying face-first on the ground, Bruce remained motionless.
His body churned slightly as the veins throughout it bulged, moving as though they’d grown sentient, pumping blood at an absurd rate.
Some even became visible across his face and neck as Bruce simply lay sprawled on the floor while his body began undergoing its first change.
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