David Smith's office always smelled like too much cologne and not enough ventilation. The air was thick, the window blinds half-drawn, letting in a narrow blade of light that landed squarely on the chair across from the oversized desk.
Jax stepped in with a slight nod. "Morning, sir."
David didn't look up at first. His plump fingers tapped irritably against his keyboard.
When he finally did glance up, he squinted at Jax's unusually cheerful face.
"Why're you smiling like that?"
Jax blinked, tilting his head with exaggerated innocence. "Oh, nothing. Just had a good night's rest."
David grunted. "Tch. You've been slacking lately. Less output. No overtime this week. I hope you're not getting... comfortable."
Jax internally rolled his eyes but smiled anyway. He thought to himself: "Endure. Just a few more days. Grab that paycheck and I'm done here."
"I'll pick up the pace," Jax said, still calm. "Thanks for the feedback."
David gave him a suspicious look, then waved him off.
"Get back to work."
On his way out, Jax thought, "You're a fossil. And I'm not digging here anymore."
He returned to his desk where Mia looked up from her monitor. "You okay?"
He smiled, brushing it off. "Just got reminded how much I love being micromanaged."
She chuckled. "Sounds like a great start to the day."
"Hey," Jax said, changing the topic. "What kind of games do you like, anyway?"
Mia seemed surprised, but then her eyes lit up slightly. "Narrative ones. Stuff that makes you feel something. Emotional stories, quiet towns. That kind of thing."
Jax nodded, thoughtful. "Nice taste."
[Mia's Affection: 7➔ 10]
The rest of the day passed slowly. Jax completed a few minor tasks and quietly knocked out some system quests.
[+5 EXP]
[+2 EXP]
[+3 EXP]
By evening, he left the office and walked home in silence, earbuds in, his pace steady. He unlocked his door, dropped his bag, and opened his banking app.
$15,724.43.
"Let's go," he whispered, grinning.
That familiar adrenaline buzz returned. But this time, he wasn't making another rushed dungeon crawler. This time, he had another concept.
A pixel-style RPG-puzzler where memories were currency, and photos revealed truth.
The town would be a quiet, muted palette. Blues and greys, with little touches of gold.
The player would carry a camera—not just to take pictures, but to unveil emotions, repair broken spaces, and uncover hidden memories.
Each shot would alter the world. An abandoned building restored with the memory of its prime. A broken-hearted NPC reminded of a joy they forgot.
It wasn't action-heavy. It wasn't flashy. But it was powerful.
Jax priced it low. $2.99. He knew the format wasn't replayable, but if it resonated, word of mouth would do the rest.
He opened RPG Maker and got to work. Hours passed. Midnight came and went.
Jax barely noticed.
His hands moved faster now. His pixel art was sharper. The UI cleaner. He reused some assets from his previous game—trees, benches, trash cans—but it all looked better this time.
His new skill level was showing.
By 3:47 AM, he slumped back in his chair.
Exhausted.
But the build was done.
Mostly.
He saved the project and dragged himself to bed.
Staring at the ceiling, he whispered:
"I should diversify."
Ideas formed in fragments. Maybe asset packs. A bundle of pixel tilesets, soundtracks, UI elements… all original, all his. Packaged and sold at $3.50 each.
"Could bring in a trickle," he thought. "Not big money. But it adds up."
Then something clicked.
"I had about $1,360 saved before all this started."
He sat up in bed slightly.
"Should I invest that?"
He opened the System.
"Hey. You got any skills for writing novels? Or story-based stuff?"
[System: Locked. Will unlock at next System Level.]
He opened his status window.
System Level: 1
System Exp: 145 / 150
He shut his eyes.
Everything was clicking.
"I'm getting there."
And just like that, he drifted off to sleep.