The scalding water pounded against my shoulders, a welcome punishment for muscles that still weren't used to the daily torture regimen I'd imposed. Steam filled the bathroom as I braced myself against the shower wall, letting the heat work its way into tissue that felt like it had been run through a meat grinder.
Three weeks. Twenty-one fucking days of disciplined misery.
I'd dragged this useless sack of lard through a personal hell, and for what? To make little Miss Purple Princess stop looking at me like I was something she'd scraped off her designer boot? To earn a nod instead of a sneer when we passed in the hallway?
No. This was just foundation work.
"You can't build a new temple on rotten ground," I muttered, watching water spiral down the drain. "The first step was never seduction. It was demolition."
That's what these three weeks had been about. Bulldozing the fat, lazy pig from Natalia's mind, leaving nothing but a vacant lot where her disgust used to be. The vacant stare she gave me now wasn't attraction—it was confusion. The hatred had nowhere to attach anymore.
Now I could start to build.
[PRIMARY QUEST TIMER UPDATE: 5 weeks remaining to Seduce and Corrupt Natalia Kuzmina. Failure will result in... significant penalties.]
I smirked, tilting my face up into the spray. "Right on schedule." The System's timing was impeccable. Just when I'd established the baseline, the countdown began in earnest.
"System," I said aloud, my voice echoing against the tile. "It's time to collect my dividend. Open the gacha store."
The familiar blue interface vanished, replaced by an explosion of garish golden light that filled the shower stall. A new font—dripping with ridiculous flair—burst into existence:
[WEEEELCOME, MOST PROMISING CONTESTANT! The management is simply THRILLED to present this broadcast, sponsored by the one, the ONLY, APOLLO'S GACHA EMPORIUM! Where gods and mortals alike test their luck against the cosmic wheel! Your first 100 SP bundle grants you FIVE chances to seize a sliver of divinity! DON'T DELAY, PLAY TODAY!]
I rolled my eyes. "Sponsored. So I'm not just a rat in a maze, I'm a rat in a maze with corporate branding."
The display pulsed expectantly, waiting for my confirmation. One hundred Schema Points. Three weeks of grueling work all distilled into five lottery tickets. It was a terrible exchange rate, but it was the only path to the kind of asymmetrical power I needed.
"Alright, you cosmic jackals," I whispered, a gambler's prayer to a goddess I didn't believe in. "Lady Luck, let's go gambling."
I confirmed the purchase with a mental command. Five ethereal cards materialized before me, shimmering in the shower steam. Two glowed with a dull bronze light, two with a muted silver, and the final one pulsed with the rich, unmistakable warmth of gold.
This was it. My first real power in this world.
I flipped the first bronze card.
[CHARMING EYES]
[Passive Cosmetic Enhancement - Bronze Tier]
[Effect: Your eyes now possess an alluring quality that draws and holds attention. They appear brighter and more defined, with enhanced color saturation. This is NOT a hypnotic or mind-altering effect; it simply makes your eyes much more aesthetically pleasing and memorable.]
"Seriously? My first pull is a fucking Snapgram filter?"
"Useless," I muttered, flipping to the next card—one of the silvers.
[INTERMEDIATE KAMA SUTRA]
[Active Skill - Silver Tier]
[Effect: Grants comprehensive knowledge of 108 sexual positions and techniques, along with instinctive understanding of their application. Includes awareness of pressure points for enhanced pleasure and pain. Note: This skill provides technical knowledge only; charisma and consent are your responsibility.]
"Now we're talking," I said, flipping the second bronze card.
[APHRODITE'S VIRILITY PILLS]
[Consumable Item - Bronze Tier]
[Effect: A bottle containing 5 small pink pills. Each pill, when consumed, provides 6 hours of enhanced stamina, sensitivity, and performance. WARNING: Side effects may include heightened emotional response, temporary attachment formation, and in rare cases, visions of the goddess Aphrodite offering unsolicited relationship advice.]
I examined the item that had materialized in my System inventory—a small pink bottle with an ornate label. My smile widened. A consumable with unpredictable side effects. High-risk, high-reward. A weapon of chaos for tight situations.
I moved on to the second silver card.
[EMBER]
[Active Combat Art - Silver Tier]
[Effect: Generates a concentrated flame from your palm that can be projected up to 10 meters. Flame temperature: approximately 800°C. Note: While not hot enough to melt metal, it will ignite flammable materials and cause second-degree burns on direct contact with flesh.]
My focus sharpened. This was different. This was a weapon for a different kind of war.
Fire. Now this had potential. I'd been wondering how a Zero like me was supposed to survive in a school full of superpowered teenagers. Now I had at least one answer.
Finally, I turned to the gold card, taking a mental breath to savor the moment. This was the prize of the bunch.
[FREEZING BREATH]
[Active Combat Art - Gold Tier]
[Effect: Exhale a cone of supercooled air that rapidly freezes moisture and surfaces in a 5-meter cone. Temperature: -50°C. Duration: 3 seconds per cast. Can create ice sheets on most surfaces and slow enemy movement by 50% for 10 seconds. Direct contact may cause frostbite.]
Fire and Ice. The System had a flair for the dramatic after all. I now possessed both a ranged offensive tool and a powerful crowd-control ability.
Not bad for a Zero.
I turned off the water, stepping out into the steam-filled bathroom. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I faced the fogged mirror. With a swipe of my hand, I cleared a patch of glass.
The face that stared back at me was still round, still soft in places it shouldn't be, but the difference was undeniable. Three weeks of brutal conditioning and clean eating had started to carve definition into my jaw. The bags under my eyes had faded. And now, those eyes—my new eyes—stared back with a subtle luminosity that hadn't been there before.
"Alright," I said to my reflection. "Let's test these out."
I held my palm up, focusing on the new knowledge that had been planted in my mind.
Ember.
A small, concentrated flame sprang to life in my hand, dancing just above my skin without burning me.
I extinguished it with a thought and took a deep breath. Freezing Breath.
The air in front of me crystallized as a cone of frigid vapor erupted from my mouth. The mirror frosted over instantly, ice crystals forming intricate patterns across its surface. The temperature in the bathroom plummeted, goosebumps rising on my skin.
I laughed, a genuine sound of surprise and satisfaction. "Holy shit. This is real power."
A knock at the door startled me.
"Are you talking to yourself in there?" Natalia's voice came through, dripping with suspicion. "And why is it so cold all of a sudden? If you broke the air conditioning, I swear—"
"It's fine," I called back, quickly wiping condensation from my chest. "I'll be out in a minute."
"Whatever. Just hurry up. "
Her footsteps retreated down the hall. I grinned at my reflection once more, watching frost melt from the edges of the mirror.
"Five weeks," I murmured. "The demolition is over, Natalia. Now, the construction begins."