The hiss of eggs frying was the only sound in Dylan's apartment that morning. He leaned against the counter, fork in hand, waiting as if this dull ritual could tether him to something normal.
The smell of butter clung to the air, mixing with the faint citrus scent of dish soap from the sink.
He sighed, flipping the eggs as he picked up his phone and dialed the first number on his contact list.
"Mum."
He waited as the call went through, his eyes on the pan and also impatiently flicking to the screen, waiting for his parents to pick.
Because they were out of the country, the continent in fact; in an European country for business, calls typically took a while to go through, and they were costlier.
But none of that ever stopped Dylan from calling his parents every morning to hear their voices and know how things were going.
After a while, the call was picked.
It was his father's voice that came through. "Dylan."
"Dad," Dylan replied quickly, picking up the phone and bringing it to his ear. "Hey Dad! What's up? How's Europe?"
"Europe is fine, Dylan." His father's voice carried the clipped steadiness of a man already thinking about three other conversations. "How's work?"
"Mhm. Work is fine too." Dylan poked at the eggs. "What about Mom?"
A softer voice chimed in, a more cheerful one. He recognized it anyway, even though the phone signal had its way of making it sound rougher.
"aAre you eating well, my love? You sound tired."
"Yeah, I'm eating well, Mom," Dylan replied. "And I'm not tired. Just busy, you know. Working in Sunlight Group isn't easy."
They laughed, a playful laughter to tease their son. "I'm sure you can handle it, son."
There was a pause, the sound of movement coming from the other end. Dylan thought about it for a while, then asked.
"So when can I see you guys again? Are you coming back anytime soon?"
There was silence. Dylan worried that it was an insensitive question, knowing that his parents were very busy.
Finally, his father spoke. "We've got meetings back-to-back today. Don't worry about us, Dylan, just focus on work. And stay out of trouble."
Dylan tightened his lips. "Okay, Dad."
And just like that, the line ended.
Dylan lowered the phone slowly, staring at the blank screen. Every time, the same. Short. Polite. Distant.
Whatever his parents were doing in Europe, it had certainly changed the way they used to be. They were much closer than this, especially him and his mom.
But after that impromptu business trip to Europe, it had just never been the same.
He wished they could talk longer. He missed them quite a lot.
Especially because they were the only close friends he had, since there was no other.
But the thought itself made him grimace.
He had to stop being that way. He wasn't a boy anymore. He was old enough to live years without seeing his parents.
He thought of Elliot Baines from the telenovela, the man who never once looked back at family ties or soft attachments.
Ruthless. Untouchable.
Dylan let out a slow breath. He couldn't stop thinking about that guy. It was like he was a reflection of who he was meant to be.
He had 40 million dollars sitting in his bank account and a system that gave him the power to claim any women he saw fitting for a Bride.
So why was he hesitating?
Dylan sat at the counter, plate of eggs cooling in front of him, and pulled up the system.
He had decided to skip work today. He wanted to study the system and his powers, and to make sure that he got control of his skills like [Sovereignty].
Since it has affected Ashley without him knowing, it obviously would affect others in the workplace, and attract those he didn't want to attract.
[Name: Dylan Lee]
[Title: Incubus King (Dormant) | Mortal Host]
[Race: Human (Transitioning…)]
[Level: 5]
[Mana Points: 58]
[Dominance Gauge: ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ]
[Soul Calibration: 1.9%]
[Brides: 1/5 - Diana Miller (27%)]
[Pleasure Points: 585]
Seeing that he had gone up four levels, he narrowed his eyes. That was a fast level up.
But it quickly made sense. Since she was a Difficult Target, claiming Diana Miller as a Bride must have jolted him forward like a lightning strike.
His stats, too, had risen across the board, sharper and cleaner than yesterday.
[Strength: 42 (100)]
[Agility: 45 (100)]
[Vitality: 70 (100)]
[Perception: 60 (100)]
[Charisma: 54 (100)]
[Mana: 58 (100)]
[Dexterity: 40 (100)]
[Allure: 24 (100)]
[Persuasion: 50 (100)]
[Insight: 57 (100)]
[Luck: 73 (100)]
He scrolled further, the glowing panels unfolding like red silk banners in his vision.
Then he found himself in [Market], an interface where Skills and Items could be purchased.
Finding this interesting, Dylan adjusted himself to read, munching down a fork of eggs.
He noticed he wasn't allowed to buy any Skill or Item because when he attempted to spend 450 out of his 500 Pleasure Points on a Skill called [Corruptive Command] — a Skill that compelled targets to strictly obey a singular command no matter what—, he was met with:
[Locked – Skill can be purchased at Level 20 and 8% Soul Calibration]
However, there were others:
[Adaptive Technique: Instantly learns and refines new methods during intimacy based on a partner's preferences]. [Purchasable at Level 9 and 2.3% Soul Calibration]
[Cost: 150 PP]
[Gold-Touched: Wealth from investments and assets grows 300% faster.] [Purchasable at Level 27 and 10.3% Soul Calibration]
[Cost: 1050 PP]
He found some really interesting Items as well.
[Velvet Cologne: A scent that amplifies the wearer's allure. Women exposed to it experience heightened arousal and seduction for 30 minutes] [Purchasable at Level 8 and 2.0 Soul Calibration]
[Cost: 300 PP]
[Whisper Charm: A silver earring that allows the wearer's compliments or flirtations to linger in the mind of the listener, replaying like a memory.] [Level 13 and 5.6 Soul Calibration]
[Cost: 800 PP]
As interesting as those were, one caught his attention more.
[Truth Glasses]
It had duo functions, yet none actually meant truth in its plain term.
[This item allows the user to see through clothing, and it also measures levels of sexual frustration and desire in women].
[Cost: 350 PP | Requirement: Level 4 and 1.6 Soul Calibration]
Dylan leaned back, fork clinking against the plate.
"Forget about giving me pervert-Superman powers, I think the other ability is pretty useful," he muttered. 'I can use that to know what women are easiest to make Bride Targets.'
He tapped the option and bought the Item.
The system's interface blinked and announced that he had purchased the glasses.
A second later, a sleek pair of thin-rimmed glasses appeared on the counter beside his plate, real as anything else in the world.
Dylan stared before picking them up carefully.
It looked like any ordinary pair of glasses, and when he slipped them on, it felt like it too.
The apartment looked the same. Normal.
"Guess I'll have to test it later," he said under his breath. "Maybe in the office."
He moved to take off the glasses when a knock at the door made him pause.
Dylan got down from the chair and headed for the door.
The knock came again, impatient this time.
"Hold on," he said.
He unlocked the door and pulled it open.
But then he froze, eyes wide like ghosts.
There were two naked girls standing there!