The collective sound of sharp, horrified gasps rippled through the dense circle of onlookers as Glen Johnson ruthlessly continued the mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Watching his relentless, desperate effort to force air into the dying woman's lungs, the bystanders couldn't help but exchange guilty glances, a profound sense of genuine admiration slowly washing over them.It was a harsh, undeniable truth of the modern world: most people considered themselves inherently decent, and the vast majority of the crowd forming the barricade genuinely wanted to help someone in a sudden, life-threatening crisis. But faced with the visceral, stomach-churning reality of a dying, seventy-something-year-old woman violently foaming at the mouth, almost no one possessed the iron stomach or the raw nerve required to actually lock lips with her. Human nature was predictably shallow; if the victim crumpled on the concrete had been a beautiful, eighteen-year-old girl in distress, half the men currently stan

"She's awake! She actually opened her eyes!"The surrounding bystanders, who just moments ago were whispering frantically that Glen's reckless administration of the unknown red liquid was going to get him sued for murder, were now staring in absolute shock. In the blink of an eye, the dying old woman had miraculously opened her eyes.Glen was equally stunned. While he had desperately banked on the Health Potion having some marginal effect—hoping it would simply fortify her failing heart just long enough to keep her breathing until the ambulance arrived—he had never anticipated such instantaneous, explosive results. The magical liquid had barely slid down her throat before she was jolted out of her deadly coma."Young man... you saved me!" she rasped, her voice weak but steady.Not only had the elderly woman regained consciousness, but her mind was remarkably sharp and lucid. Realizing she was resting in Glen's arms, a wave of profound, exhausted gratitude washed over her deeply lined

Seeing that the slick real estate agent couldn't even be bothered to pretend to look at his computer screen, Glen Johnson realized he was completely wasting his breath. He shook his head in disgust, let out a heavy sigh of defeat, and turned on his heel to walk right back out the glass doors.Whatever... looks like I really shouldn't put too much faith in this invisible luck nonsense, he thought bitterly as the suffocating summer heat hit him. Especially since it was only a low-tier Lucky Card anyway... maybe a higher-level version would actually bend reality, but this garbage tier is probably only good for winning a few hands of poker.But just as he stepped off the curb and prepared to disappear into the crowded street, a crisp, sweet voice called out from directly behind him."Hey... handsome, can you wait a second?"Glen stopped in his tracks and turned around. Jogging out of the real estate agency was a young woman dressed in a tight black leather jacket and a short blue denim sk

A little after four o'clock in the afternoon, Glen Johnson stood outside the door of the Wisteria Gardens split-level apartment, his hands gripping several plastic grocery bags stuffed with cheap seasonings and fresh produce from the local farmer's market. He knocked firmly on the heavy door.Sera Sky quickly pulled the door open, a bright, teasing smile already plastered across her face. She reached out and took a few of the crinkling bags from his hands. "Well, well... you really went all out buying groceries!" she teased, her eyes flashing with playful mischief. "But I'm warning you right now, I can't guarantee that bribing my roommates with food is actually going to work. If you end up losing your investment and they still kick you to the curb, I'm not taking any responsibility for it!".Glen just scratched the back of his head, keeping his expression perfectly level. "It won't be a total loss," he replied. "Like I told you, this meal is just me treating you girls, a way to make f

Roughly half an hour ticked by. Through the hum of the kitchen appliances, Glen Johnson could hear the faint, lively chatter of young women echoing from the living room. He forcefully suppressed the urge to peek out and get a look at his two mysterious, potential roommates, keeping his eyes locked dead on the stove as he prepared to stir-fry the final dish of the night.This final dish was going to be the wildcard. It consisted entirely of the bok choy he had run through the Upgrade Chest's [Material Synthesis] function. He knew these greens were no longer standard produce; the magical synthesis had fundamentally altered them. While he had no idea what they were actually going to taste like, their visual presentation alone was absolutely staggering.Normally, prepping a stir-fry meant meticulously pulling apart the larger leaves and chopping the thick stalks. But because the system had hyper-condensed every single plant down to the size of a thumb, no chopping was required. He could j