Judas woke to his phone vibrating like it was having a seizure against the nightstand.
"Please God no more notifications. This is too familiar," he groaned, arm flopping out from under his blanket to grab it off the nightstand. One eye opened, then he immediately regretted gaining consciousness.
252 notifications.
"Oh God."
He scrolled through them with mounting horror, seeing different versions of the Trash Bin God video.
There were battle music edits, one reel had health bars above him and Tyson, and a third version had anime-style impact frames every time he accidentally dodged.
BIN GOD STRIKES AGAIN 287k views.
"I hate the internet," he whispered to his ceiling. "I hate everything."
[DAILY LUCK - UNLOCKED!]
[DAILY LUCK = 6/10]
Right. Sera mentioned this... Better luck than I usually have honestly.
Bzzt!
Judas sighed as his phone vibrated in his hand.
Amelia: Good morning. Are we still on for lunch? You never replied dummy...
He felt his body heat up, a mixture of dread and excitement.
Judas: Yeah sure. Where?
Amelia: Courtyard by the benches. Not a lot of people there, and I'm sure it would be nice for you to get away from the stares lol. 12:30 works right? No classes then?
Judas: Right, that makes sense. 12:30 works.
He stared at the message thread, thumb hovering over the keyboard. She was completely right. After going viral as the Trash Bin God, everyone would immediately notice him. Getting to a quiet part of campus sounded nice.
Exhaling, his thumbs closed in on the screen again. Should he say something about yesterday? Acknowledge the kiss? Pretend yesterday didn't happen?
Before he could decide, a very familiar purple light flashed in the doorway.
Sera materialized at the foot of his bed, already dressed in a UNLV hoodie and tight denim shorts that revealed too much thigh to be called modest.
"Morning, my favorite gambler," she said brightly. "Ready for your walk of shame?"
Lowering his phone, he glared at her warily as he retreated under his covers. "Go away."
"Can't. I have to make sure you actually complete your quest." She yanked the blanket off entirely, revealing a hissing Judas acting allergic to sunlight. "Three days left. Chop chop yeah?"
He sat up rubbing his face. "Three days to what, exactly? Make her fall for me or something? We already kissed, isn't that enough?"
"Right, you must make her 'fall' for you," She nodded, sitting on the edge of his bed. "As in, completely and undeniably. Where she can't imagine her life without you." She tapped two fingers on his knee. "Sixty-five percent affection isn't completion. Just progress."
"Great. No pressure though, right?"
"Oh, there's tons of pressure." She grinned. "Fail, and you get a penalty. The system hasn't disclosed what it is, which usually means it's creative."
Judas dragged himself out of bed, stumbling toward his bathroom. "Why are you here this early? If you have to be close to me, just teleport into class like you did that one day. I prefer enjoying my mornings without worrying about cosmic death sentences."
She hummed lowly, as Judas twisted the vial on the bathroom sink, splashing warm water on his face. "Because today's going to be interesting. Everyone's seen the video. You're certainly campus famous now." Sera stood and followed him.
"I'm the campus joke, you mean."
"Potato, potato." She leaned against the door frame, watching him brush his teeth with unusual focus. "Just remember, act normal around Amelia. Don't be weird and do not apologize for yesterday."
Judas spat toothpaste into the sink. "And what if she brings it up?"
"Then tell her it was nice and you'd like to do it again." Sera let out a hesitant sigh, lowering her head slightly. "Simple."
Judas grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head in one motion. "Yeah, well, none of this feels simple. Now get out. I need to shower."
"I've seen worse," Sera said casually, not moving.
"Out. Now."
"Fine, fine." She rolled her eyes, pushing off the doorframe. "So demanding this morning."
"What the..."
His reflection stared back at him, but something was terribly different. He wasn't the same sunlight deprived, gym allergic college student. His stomach was... defined. Not shredded like some gym rat, but there were visible lines.
Actual abs. A six-pack forming where there'd only been soft flesh and bad decisions before.
His arms looked different too. Leaner. More muscle definition in his shoulders and biceps. Like he'd been working out for months instead of spending his nights losing money at poker tables.
He pressed his hand against his stomach, feeling the hardness beneath his skin.
"This isn't real."
"Noticed, did you?"
Judas spun around, gesturing frantically at his torso. "I said get--Actually what did you do to me?!"
"I didn't do anything." She pushed off the door, walking closer. "The system did. Every time you level up, your stats increase. And when your stats increase..." Her eyes dragged down his body slowly, appreciatively. "...so does your body."
"You're telling me this game is turning me into—"
"A better version of yourself? Well yes."
He looked back at the mirror, then at her. "What else is changing?"
"Everything." Sera's smile turned wicked. "Strength, agility, endurance..." Her gaze dropped pointedly below his waist, lingering there for a beat too long before flicking back up. "Everything."
Heat crawled up Judas's neck. "You're not serious."
"Oh, I'm very serious." She stepped closer, close enough that he could smell that vanilla scent again. "The system optimizes players for success. That includes physical attributes that might help with... certain quest objectives."
"Certain quest, are you saying—"
"I'm saying," Sera interrupted, reaching out to trace one finger down the center of his chest, following the line between his newly defined abs, "that you're going to keep getting better. Stronger. Faster. More..." Her finger stopped just above the waistband of his pants. "...impressive."
Judas stopped breathing at her touch.
"I need to shower," he managed, voice strangled.
"Mmhmm." But she didn't move. Just kept looking at him with that infuriating smirk.
"Get. Out."
"Fine."
Then she was gone in another display of purple, leaving Judas standing alone, trying to process what the hell happened to his life.
"Status." He muttered warily.
[PLAYER: JUDAS CROWN]
[LEVEL: 1]
[VITALITY: 7]
[STRENGTH: 5]
[AGILITY: 9]
[SEXUAL APPEAL: 4]
[ENDURANCE: NEW STAT UNLOCKED]
[NOTE: PHYSICAL CHANGES WILL CONTINUE AS QUESTS ARE COMPLETED AND USER LEVELS UP!]
"This is insane," he muttered. "This is completely insane."
But he couldn't stop looking at his reflection. Couldn't stop noticing how much better he looked. How much more confident he felt just seeing this version of himself in the mirror.
For the first time in his life, Judas Crown didn't look like a professional loser.
He looked like someone who might actually deserve a girlfriend.
"Fuck," he whispered.
***
The moment Judas stepped on campus, he knew his life was over.
Every. Single. Person. Stared.
Their glances weren't subtle either, instead they were full-on, jaw-dropped, phone-out staring.
"Is that him?"
"Dude, that's Bin God!"
"Holy shit, he really does go here!"
Judas pulled his hoodie up, hunching his shoulders while finding particular interest in staring at the ground.
"I want to die, seriously." Judas sighed.
"You're viral," Sera said, walking beside him with complete ease. "Social credibility is a weapon for players. This is good."
"This is a nightmare."
"Judas." She mimicked his tone perfectly, then grinned. "Relax. Let them stare. You're about to complete a major quest. A little attention won't kill you."
But the stares weren't just for him anymore.
Sera walked beside him in those denim shorts, and with every step, the fabric shifted higher on her thighs. The morning breeze caught her hoodie, pulling it tight against her chest in ways that made attracted the male gaze like a magnet.
A group of guys near the fountain stopped mid-conversation, all of them turning to watch.
Two girls whispered to each other, one glancing at Sera's legs with obvious envy.
Judas pulled his hood tighter, wishing for nothing more than to fade into the background like he always had.
Before the man could wallow longer in his self-pity, a notification formed in the corner of his eye.
[DAILY LUCK LEVEL: 6/10]
[STATUS: MODERATE FORTUNE]
[WARNING: HIGH VISIBILITY EVENT POSSIBLE]
"What does that mean?" Judas asked.
"It means something's about to happen." Sera glanced around, scanning the crowd.
They were halfway across the quad when Judas saw her.
Amelia.
She stood near the library entrance, talking to two friends, both girls who looked like they spent their mornings doing yoga and their afternoons perfecting their resting bitch face.
But Amelia wasn't listening to them. She was staring at Judas. More specifically, she was staring at Sera walking beside him.
Her expression went through a rapid transformation: confusion, then a dark scowl.
"Oh no," Judas whispered.
"Hmm?" Sera followed his gaze. "Oh. Is that Amelia?"
"Yeah, and she looks—"
Amelia said something to the girls, then started walking toward them with purpose that made his adrenaline fill his body.
"Sera, maybe you should—"
"Should what?" Sera looked genuinely puzzled. "I'm just walking with you."
"I know, but she might think—"
Amelia closed the distance in seconds, her blue eyes intense.
"Morning, Judas," she said, voice tight.
"Uh. Morning."
Her gaze shifted to Sera, and her jaw clenched. She took in everything. Sera' purple hair her perfect figure, the way Sera stood close to him, exposing a bit too much skin.
"I don't think we've met," Amelia said, each word precisely measured. "I'm Amelia."
"Sera." She smiled pleasantly. "I'm new here. Judas has been showing me around."
"Has he." It wasn't a question at all.
"Mhmm. He's very helpful."
Amelia's eyes narrowed. "I'm sure he is."
[EMOTIONAL CONFLICT DETECTED]
[AMELIA HART - CURRENT STATE: AGITATED/UNSTABLE]
[AFFECTION: 65% → 62%]
Judas squeaked, "Amelia, this isn't—"
"We need to talk," Amelia interrupted, not looking at him, still focused on Sera. "Alone."
"Oh, I can give you two some space," Sera offered cheerfully, completely missing the tension. "I need to find my first class anyway."
"Perfect," Amelia said through her teeth. "Come with me now." She demanded, taking Judas by the hand.
My life is over.