The notification for his debt repayment couldn't have come at a worse possible moment.
"Can you say that again?" the cashier asked, barely hiding her smile.
Adam stood frozen at the counter, heat crawling up his neck, his hand still gripping the cheap wallet that had just betrayed him.
"I… I thought I had enough."
Behind him, someone snorted.
"Of course he did," another voice said. "Guys like him always think."
More laughter.
He didn't turn around. He didn't need to. He already knew the faces. Students dressed in brands he hadn't ever touched, people who spent more on lunch than he did in a week.
The cashier slid the receipt toward him.
$0.00
Declined.
"Do you want to try another card?" she asked, louder this time, so everyone could hear.
"I don't have one," he muttered.
"Then maybe don't hold up the line," a guy said, voice dripping with amusement. "Some of us actually have money."
More laughter.
It hit harder than it should have even though this wasn't the first time something like this had happened.
Adam didn't even think it would be the last. He swallowed, instinctively starting to plead "May I-"
"Leave it," the cashier coldly said, already pulling it away. "Next!"
Just like that. He had been dismissed; like he didn't matter.
Adam stepped aside, ignoring the stares, the whispers, the quiet satisfaction in the air as someone else took his place.
Outside, the sunlight felt harsher than usual.
He exhaled slowly, hands clenched in his pockets.
This is it, he thought. I'm done.
Adam was tired. Very tired of living this way if this could even be called living.
Tired of calculating every dollar.
Tired of choosing between food and transport.
Tired of being less.
A group of students walked past him, laughing, one of them tossed a casual glance his way then looked through him like he didn't exist.
That one look said everything.
You don't matter.
Adam's jaw tightened.
He clenched his fists.
Say nothing. Just walk away like always.
That's what he'd always done.
Stayed quiet. Stayed small. Stayed safe.
Another burst of laughter echoed behind him.
Something twisted in his chest.
Hot, sharp and unfamiliar.
For a moment, just a moment, he was tired of it.
Tired of swallowing words.
Tired of pretending it didn't hurt to be disregarded.
Tired of being less.
His lips moved before he could stop them.
"One day… I'll have more money than all of you."
The silence that followed felt wrong.
Like the world had paused to listen.
***
[Arrogance Detected]
He froze.
"…What?"
The world didn't change.
Cars still passed. People still talked.
But something was different and his suspicion proved true a moment later.
[Arrogance Amplification System Activated]
A sharp pressure pulsed behind his eyes.
Then—
A screen.
Floating. Transparent. Impossible.
[Host Identified]
Balance: $0.00
Arrogance Level: F
Influence: 0
His breath caught.
"This can't be real. What the-"
[Core Rule]
[Act superior. Make others perceive you as arrogant. Prove it.]
[Failure to validate arrogance will result in penalties.]
[Beginner Mission Generated]
"Make one individual believe you are superior within 10 minutes."
Reward: $100
Penalty: None
Silence.
Then a laugh slipped out of him.
A short laugh filled with disbelief.
"A hundred dollars… for that?"
It sounded insane.
Delusional.
And yet… The screen didn't disappear.
***
Adam looked up.
Across the street, a group of people were there, existing like they owned the world.
One of them, the loudest among them, leaned against a sleek car, keys spinning around his finger.
[Target Detected]
High Arrogance Sensitivity
Potential Reward Multiplier: ×3
Adam's pulse spiked.
"You've got to be kidding me."
Ten minutes.
One person.
Convince them he was richer.
That he was better.
That he belonged above them.
His first instinct was to walk away and ignore it. To pretend none of this was happening.
But he remembered the receipt, the laughter and the look.
His fists tightened.
Slowly… he exhaled.
"Fine."
If this was a joke, he'd play along.
Just once.
***
He stepped off the curb.
Each step felt heavier than the last.
The voices grew clearer.
"…I'm telling you, that place is trash unless you're spending at least—"
They noticed him mid-sentence.
Eyes flicked over him.
Judging him and being dismissive.
Same as always but today would be different.
He stopped right in front of them.
The guy with the keys raised an eyebrow.
"Yeah?"
For a second—
Just one second—
Doubt crept in.
This is stupid.
Turn back. The system said there would be no penalties if you do.
Then the system pulsed again.
[Time Remaining: 07:42]
Something in him snapped.
He looked at the guy.
Really looked at him.
Then he spoke in a calm, certain manner he had never used. He didn't know where the voice came from but it was something he had locked up a long time ago.
"You talk a lot for someone driving a car I wouldn't even notice."
The guy blinked.
"What?"
For the first time in his life—
Adam Wilson didn't feel small.
---
[Arrogance Registered]