The inn's proprietor had already sized up the situation the moment she laid eyes on Claire Shaw, slumped unconscious and reeking of alcohol. In her mind, Glen Johnson was clearly one of those nightclub prowlers who'd gotten lucky with some naive girl, slipped her a little something extra in her drink, and whisked her off to a cheap hotel room while she was none the wiser.But what the proprietor hadn't anticipated, not in a million years, was just how brazen this young man truly was. He'd actually gone and nabbed himself a police officer. A female cop, no less. The sheer audacity of it left her momentarily speechless.Now that took guts, or perhaps stupidity. Didn't he realize what would happen once the girl sobered up? She could use her authority to make his life a living hell."No way. A police badge won't cut it," the proprietor said firmly, crossing her arms. "I can only accept government-issued ID cards for registration. That's non-negotiable."Maybe she fel

Glen Johnson summoned the Upgrade Chest and retrieved the Beauty Potion from his inventory.The bottle looked exquisite, as if carved from crystal. The craftsmanship was stunning. Glen found himself wondering if he could somehow extract the design patent for this thing. It might actually be worth something. But that was getting ahead of himself.He examined it more closely and noticed measurement markings etched into the glass. Ten milliliters per increment. Following the markings carefully, he poured exactly ten milliliters into the basin of clean water, stirred it thoroughly, then moved toward Claire Shaw with deliberate caution. His hands worked gently as he began unwrapping the gauze from her face.What lay beneath made his chest tighten.A gash nearly a finger's length carved across her otherwise delicate features, the wound deep enough that even with the sutures holding it closed, it looked frightening. It curled over her cheek like a centipede, an ugly, ra

The night before, after sustaining that injury, Claire Shaw had used her phone's camera to check her face. She'd nearly died of fright at what she saw.A long, gaping wound had split her cheek. The flesh had curled outward in ragged edges, transforming her once-pretty face into something that resembled a battle-axe. The sight had made her stomach turn, and she'd barely been able to look at herself since.But just moments ago, when she'd reached up to touch the injury, her fingers had met nothing but smooth, unbroken skin. The wound seemed to have vanished entirely, as if it had never existed at all.It made no sense. How could such a deep laceration heal overnight? She must have touched the wrong spot. Perhaps she'd gotten confused about which side of her face had been injured. Maybe it had been the right cheek, not the left.Frantically, she ran her fingers over the other side of her face, searching for the wound. Once again, she felt only smooth, flawless skin.

Time flew by, and before Glen Johnson knew it, the lunch rush had arrived. Or rather, what should have been a rush. The diner remained stubbornly empty, with only the occasional passerby wandering in. These random customers would glance at the menu Wendy handed them with barely concealed disinterest, then order something simple like noodle soup or fried rice before settling into their seats with the air of people who just needed fuel, not a meal.Despite the simplicity of their orders, Glen refused to phone it in. Every single dish that left his kitchen, whether it was a humble bowl of noodles or a plate of egg fried rice, received his full attention. He'd blast the wok with the upgraded scallions from his Upgrade Chest, infusing even the most basic dishes with an aromatic foundation that transformed them completely. The result was nothing short of remarkable. A simple egg fried rice became something extraordinary under his hands, each grain perfectly separated and coated with

Glen Johnson first claimed the reward of ten Unallocated Stat Points and five Honor Points, then immediately began dumping points into his Strength attribute like there was no tomorrow.It was only then that he noticed something odd. His Honor Points weren't at five. They were at six. Somehow, at some point, he'd gained an extra point without realizing it.He had a hunch. Last night, when he'd used the Beauty Potion to heal the scar on Claire's face, that must have triggered the reward. If that was the case, then Honor Points really did come from doing good deeds. He'd have to keep an eye out for more opportunities to help people. The points were too valuable to pass up.With the Honor Points in hand, he could now allocate his Unallocated Stat Points selectively. His status screen flickered six times in rapid succession, and his Strength jumped from eleven to seventeen.Add in the plus-five Strength bonus from his faux-leather belt, and his total Strength now sat