Chapter 27: Chapter 27
Ray leaned back in his busted gaming chair, still breathing a little heavy from all that laughing earlier. The cheap monitor was still showing big numbers across a few tabs he hadn’t closed yet. The money was already in. A lot of it. Way more than he expected from just five minutes of spinning.
He took a long, slow breath, eyes still glued to the screen.
’What’s gonna happen to those gambling site admins now...?’
The thought only lingered for a second before Ray slowly shook his head.
’Fuck it. Their job was shady as hell from the start anyway.’ He respected real workers — like bank tellers — way more. That’s why he never made them targets.
His stomach suddenly growled loud. Only then did he realize he’d been surviving on nothing but that chalky protein shake and cold fried eggs all day. Outside the dirty curtains, the afternoon sun was still bright, warm light spilling into the messy room.
Ray didn’t give a shit that the Global Alter timer was almost done. He already made bank. That was enough for today.
He stood up, grabbed the thin jacket he’d thrown on the bed, and walked out of the apartment without overthinking it. His steps felt lighter than usual.
The small cafe at the end of the alley near his building was still open — the same place he passed every day but never stepped into because money was always tight. Today was different.
The second he walked in, the smell of coffee and fried food hit him. Ray sat at a corner table by the window, ordered the special fried rice with steak and potatoes plus a sweet iced tea without even thinking twice. When the food came, he just stared at the plate for a moment.
Then a small smile crept onto his face.
It wasn’t the sly, dangerous grin he usually wore when he was horny in the gym or checking out Julia. This one was real. Light. Genuine.
’I can finally eat like a normal person again...’
He chuckled.
Ray picked up the spoon and started eating slowly. Every bite tasted fucking good. No chalky aftertaste. No cheap cold eggs. Just warm rice, proper steak, and potatoes done right.
He ate while occasionally glancing out the window. People walking by. Cars honking. The same ordinary world that made him sick this morning.
Now it felt... different.
Ray kept eating until the plate was almost empty, then sipped his iced tea slowly. His stomach was full. His e-wallet was full too.
And for the first time in a long ass time, he wasn’t sitting there thinking "tomorrow’s just gonna be the same shit again."
Today... was alright.
Ray was still sitting in the corner of the cafe when the noise outside suddenly exploded.
People were stopping and crowding together, some of them recording with their phones. Ray smirked a little, curious. He lifted his head and looked out the window.
Turned out some dude was doing an IRL stream.
Camera in one hand, mic clipped to his collar, small light glowing on his chest. He was walking slowly down the sidewalk while talking to chat, sometimes interacting with random people passing by, sometimes cracking dumb jokes. A few teenage girls were even following behind him, laughing and giggling. One of them yelled, "Woy! Say hi to chat!"
Ray didn’t say anything.
But his chest suddenly felt tight.
Back then... he used to have the exact same dream.
Livestreaming. Having fans waiting for him to go live every single night. Making perfect cut clips that blew up instantly. Clickbait titles that made people curious as hell — "I tried living 24 hours without sleep" or "Rich people vs poor people reaction." It was all just crazy imagination when he was alone in his rundown apartment, staying up until morning. Something he thought was impossible for someone like him.
Now?
Now he had the Common Sense Altering System in his hands.
Ray felt something that had been buried deep in his chest for a long time slowly waking up. That old ambitious part of him — the one he always suppressed because it felt "impossible" — was now whispering softly in his ear.
"Let’s try again."
The voice was gentle. Tempting. Almost exactly like those gambling site salesmen who always said, "Just drop 20 bucks, bro. Who knows, you might hit the jackpot right away."
Ray stayed quiet in his seat, but his eyes never left the streamer outside.
He could already picture it.
Himself going live. Tons of people watching. He could slowly twist their common sense with the system. Make them addicted to watching him. Make every clip he cut feel "perfect." Make viewers think "this is my favorite streamer" without even realizing why.
Not just gaming or IRL shit.
It could be bigger.
Way bigger.
Ray slowly picked up his glass of iced tea and took a sip, eyes still locked on the streamer who was still drawing a crowd outside.
"Maybe... I actually can."
He let out a small laugh in his chest.
And this time, he didn’t push that ambitious whisper away. His heart was beating like a little kid who finally got the promise their parents had made.
A few minutes later, once the crowd outside had thinned out, Ray paid the bill and started walking home. His mind was already racing.
Ray had even forgotten about Julia.
Forgotten about that annoying girl who called him a "boring loser" earlier that afternoon. Forgotten about the moaning sounds that blasted through the wall every single night. His mind was completely filled with camera, new PC, moving out of his shitty apartment, and the image of himself going live in front of thousands of people.
His steps felt light. His chest felt relieved.
But suddenly—
Thud!!
A hand slapped his shoulder pretty hard from behind.
"Oi, soy boy."
It was a guy’s voice. Rough, cocky, and instantly killed the vibe.
Behind him stood a tall, skinny guy wearing a black hoodie and cargo pants. His face looked kinda thin, hair all messy, and that annoying-ass smirk on his face. Ray knew this dude.
This was the guy who made Julia moan so loud every night that it blasted straight through the wall into Ray’s unit.
