Noah kept blinking, and his vision grew clearer until a white, translucent screen appeared before him with a message:
[Compatibility Assessment: 96.69%—the new host is fitted to the system because of his lustful, depraved mind.]
[Continue Binding Process?]
"Th-that's… What is that? Argh…" Noah groaned in pain, clutching his left waist as he tried to stand and get away from the strange transparent box.
[You're still weak, aren't you? Hm… this is your system interface, or you could say… a part of my existence.]
Noah gasped, his mouth opening and closing. "No…" His throat was too tight to find the words.
The message on the screen disappeared, replaced by a pair of blinking eyes and a wide, smiling mouth staring at him.
It looked like a filter from Stargram that made just the eyes and mouth move. He flinched, his eyes widening. It was like something he'd read in a web novel was suddenly real. He clenched his jaw.
Noah looked around to see if he was in another world, but the doctor had called him Noah Snow. The calendar on the bedside table showed it was Eden City, the same town he lived in. Everything was still the same, he was still in the real world.
Noah rubbed his chest, feeling short of breath. The eyes on the screen were creepy, making he had a goosebump. The thick, glossy lips, like a clown's, smiled widely at him.
His mind reeled with every possible weird scenarios.
[Duh. Are you afraid of me? Please don't—]
"Are you a system?" Noah cut in.
[Um... Yes. You can call it like that. However, we—]
"Then, why didn't you make me transmigrate to another world? Why am I still Noah Snow?"
[Huh?] The system wore a confused expression, its lips agape.
"You could've just killed me and sent me to a dragon realm with a bunch of dragon queens and given me an immortal bloodline that needs dual cultivation with harem members to awaken it," Noah said relentlessly.
The system's face opened its mouth even wider in disbelief. It froze for a moment, then burst into roaring laughter.
[You're so shameless.] The half-baked face in front of him kept giggling. [That's why this is the first time I've seen compatibility over 90%.] The eyes formed thin, wrinkly lines from laughing.
Noah clicked his tongue. "What was so funny? What did you say? Inherited? From who? I'm an orph— wait… could it be from my cornea donor?" His breath ragged from disbelief.
[Whoa… you're quick-witted. This is amusing. Are you not afraid of me?]
Noah went silent. Of course, it scared him, and he needed to cover it up with dry humor. He didn't want to seem afraid, because that would only let whatever was in front of him play with him even more.
The way it spoke, the system sounded manipulative, like the edgy systems he read about in novels. Noah put on a cool, tough expression with piercing eyes, even as his hands gripped the blanket, trembling slightly.
"What do you want from me?" Noah's icy voice made the system's lips form an "O."
The system chuckled.
[We want you to entertain us. The one who had those eyes died too soon before his contract ended. It made the Lust God angry because he was not entertained enough.]
[You know the cost to choose a player for this game is… let's just say it's expensive, so I can't simply go back.]
[It turns out you have more than 90% compatibility with the design, so let's call it fate bringing us together.]
Noah took a deep breath to process the system's explanation.
"I don't believe in fate. By the logic of your words, I'm just a substitute, then? Not a chosen one?" he asked with a bitter smirk.
[Fate chose you. It's like the universe wanted you to have it. Think about it: even if God didn't choose you himself, the universe brought and presented it to you. Doesn't that make you more special than—]
"You talk too much! Just tell me the reason why I should feel special about these eyes!"
The system smiled faintly.
[These eyes are your vehicle to reach abundance. You know—power, money, women. By entertaining us, you can change your life in a single breath.]
"Sounds too good to be true," Noah remarked sarcastically.
[The game is simple: steal… uh, I mean save women from scumbags who don't deserve them, and we will reward you immensely.]
[One million per woman with additional bonuses up to two million, and… if you're lucky, we will help you get the scumbags' wealth and make them poor.]
"Ah, so you want me to be a mix of Robin Hood and Deadpool, then turn me into Light Yagami, huh?" he kept being sarcastic, even though his mind was short-circuiting from the sheer amount of money.
[Whoa. You have a taste. Hm, I don't see the resemblance, but… you'll be a lot kinkier than they are.]
[Listen, the Depraved Eyes come with a gacha system that could make your journey easier… or not. Because, you know, sometimes seeing a human's struggle amuses us more.]
Noah chuckled. "Ah… so now Hisoka's joined the gang."
The system laughed with an unnerving sound.
[But don't worry. We are fair entities. Your struggle won't be in vain and will be worth every bead of sweat. Our Lust God loves to see sweat anyway.]
Noah kept hearing the shrill laugh, which made his headache worse. He was already halfway persuaded by the offer. But still… what if the system was just a fraud that would make his life more difficult?
"The binding choice, what if I choose 'No'?"
The smile faded from the system's lips and was replaced by a creepy, stern expression.
[Then you will be blind. I will take those eyes.]
Noah clutched the blanket tighter.
"But you just own the system. The eyes are not yours. It was an unwanted stroke of luck that I got them. If that person had died without giving out their eyes, you would have gone away, wouldn't you?"
[Unwanted luck? Are you sure?]