2026-07-16 18:44:44Derrick Stones sat in the private examination room of the city’s best hospital, staring at the MRI images on the screen. The doctor, a middle-aged neurologist named Dr. Patel, looked visibly confused as he pointed to the scans.
“Mr. Stones, this is… unprecedented.”
Derrick leaned forward, the blue timer still glowing in his peripheral vision.
Remaining Lifespan: 41 Days 22 Hours
Tick… Tick… Tick…
“What do you mean?” he demanded.
Dr. Patel adjusted his glasses. “The trauma from the bottle impact should have caused a severe subdural hematoma. Based on the paramedic report from the restaurant, you were clinically unresponsive for over a minute. By all medical logic, you should have suffered significant brain damage — possibly permanent. Or worse.”
He paused, gesturing at the clean images.
“Yet here you are. The scans show only minor swelling that is already resolving at an abnormal rate. Your vitals are stable. It’s as if your body received some kind of… intervention.”
Derrick’s mouth went dry. The system interface pulsed once, almost smugly.
[Medical confirmation obtained.]
Denial phase ending recommended.
Dr. Patel continued, “I’ve consulted with two colleagues. None of us can fully explain it. The human body doesn’t simply recover from that kind of blunt force trauma this quickly without help. Are you sure you didn’t receive any unauthorized treatment at the scene?”
Derrick laughed — a hollow sound. “No. Just… a very persistent hallucination.”
The doctor frowned, concerned. “Mr. Stones, I strongly recommend a psychological evaluation as well. Head trauma can cause vivid hallucinations, dissociation, or even personality changes. If you’re seeing or hearing things—”
“I’m not crazy,” Derrick cut him off sharply. Then softer, almost to himself: “At least… I don’t think I am.”
He left the hospital with a clean bill of health that should have been impossible. As he walked through the parking lot, the system chimed again.
[Host now possesses objective proof.]
Belief level increasing.
Derrick stopped beside his car, gripping the door handle. The ticking was louder today.
Tick… Tick… Tick…
41 Days 19 Hours 12 Minutes…
He got in the car but didn’t start the engine. Instead, he spoke aloud to the empty cabin.
“Alright. You’re real. Fine. What do you want from me?”
The interface expanded, displaying new information.
Core Mechanic Reminder:
Sincerity > Lifespan
Good deeds performed with true intent extend time.
Fake actions yield minimal or zero rewards and may trigger penalties.
Derrick rubbed his temples. The bandage from the incident was already unnecessary — the wound had nearly healed overnight. Another impossible thing.
He drove back toward the office, mind racing. If this was real, then every cruel word, every cut salary, every humiliation had literally stolen years from people. And now the universe — or whatever created this system — was making him pay it back with interest.
Back at Horizon Dynamics, the atmosphere had shifted again. Employees whispered more openly now. Some even dared to meet his eyes with cautious curiosity instead of pure terror.
He tried one more smile experiment on the way to his office — this time aiming for the cleaning lady, Maria.
“Good afternoon,” he said, attempting sincerity.
Maria smiled back nervously. “Good afternoon, Mr. Stones.”
[Sincerity: 4%. Minimal reward.]
+12 Minutes
It was pathetic. Barely anything. But it was the first positive number he had seen.
Derrick stared at the notification in disbelief. Twelve minutes. That was all a half-decent interaction earned him.
The weight of his situation finally crashed down fully. This wasn’t a game he could bully or manipulate his way through. The system saw through every defense he had spent thirty years building.
Later that afternoon, he sat alone in his office watching the timer.
41 Days 16 Hours
For the first time since the system activated, Derrick Stones felt truly afraid — not of losing his job or his reputation, but of running out of time before he could figure out how to live.
The man who had always believed fear was the ultimate tool was now its prisoner.
And the countdown waited for no one.
Derrick Stones left the office early that evening — not out of kindness, but because the constant ticking and judgmental blue glow were driving him insane. He needed air. Space. Anything to drown out the sound of his own dwindling life.
Remaining Lifespan: 41 Days 14 Hours
Tick… Tick… Tick…
He drove aimlessly through the city, windows down, trying to think. The system had gone quiet for once, as if giving him room to spiral. He eventually pulled over near a busy downtown park — a green space filled with families, joggers, and street vendors enjoying the fading sunlight.
He sat on a bench, staring at nothing. For the first time in years, he had no agenda. No one to terrorize. No targets to cut. Just the relentless countdown.
A child’s laughter nearby caught his attention. A little boy, no older than five, was chasing a red ball that rolled toward the busy street. The mother was distracted on her phone several yards away.
Derrick watched passively at first. Not his problem.
The ball bounced into the road. The boy ran after it without looking.
Time slowed.
Derrick moved before conscious thought kicked in. He sprinted forward, scooping the child up just as a car horn blared. The vehicle swerved, missing them by inches. The boy’s mother screamed.
Derrick set the child down safely on the grass, heart pounding from the near-miss.
The mother rushed over, tears already streaming. “Oh my God, thank you! Thank you so much!” She hugged her son tightly, then turned to Derrick. “You saved him. I don’t know how to repay you.”
Derrick stood there, stunned. He hadn’t planned it. Hadn’t calculated any reward. It just… happened.
The system chimed softly — gentler than usual.
[Genuine instinctual action detected.]
Positive impact on innocent life.
+4 Hours
Sincerity increased to 0.12%
Derrick stared at the numbers. Four hours. For something he hadn’t even tried to do for points.
The mother was still thanking him profusely. “You’re a hero. What’s your name?”
“Derrick,” he muttered, uncomfortable with the gratitude. “It was nothing.”
[Correct. You were not trying to help for reward.]
This is progress.
For a brief moment, the ticking seemed to soften. Derrick felt something strange in his chest — not warmth exactly, but a crack in the stone.
He walked away quickly, leaving the grateful mother behind. Back at his car, he sat in silence.
41 Days 18 Hours
He had gained time. Real time. Not by manipulating, not by performing, but by simply acting like a decent human being for three seconds.
The realization unsettled him more than any penalty ever had.
He drove home in a daze. The system remained quiet, as if it knew he needed time to process.
That night, for the first time since the system activated, Derrick didn’t immediately try to find a way to game it. He simply sat on his expensive couch and stared at the wall.
The man who once believed kindness was weakness had just saved a child’s life without thinking about the profit.
And the system had noticed.
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Chapter 12 – Echoes of Pain
The following weeks blurred into a painful rhythm for Derrick Stones. Mornings began with the relentless ticking in his head, a constant reminder that every choice carried weight. Evenings ended with him sitting alone in his apartment or the empty office, replaying memories he had once buried under layers of ambition and arrogance.Remaining Lifespan: 29 Days 14 HoursHe had clawed back some time through small, mostly anonymous acts, but the sincerity meter moved like molasses — 21.7% now. The system had grown quieter, appearing only for significant moments, as if waiting to see whether he would sustain the change when it stopped feeling novel.One rainy Thursday afternoon, the past came knocking in the form of a woman named Carla Ruiz. She had been a logistics coordinator three years earlier. Derrick remembered her vaguely — efficient, quiet, someone he had fired after a missed deadline during a particularly brutal quarter.Carla stood in the lobby, soaked from the rain, holding a fo
Chapter 11
The rain fell in heavy sheets against the windows of Derrick Stones’ apartment, mirroring the storm raging inside him. He sat on the edge of his expensive leather couch, elbows on his knees, staring at the glowing blue interface that refused to grant him mercy even in the quiet hours of the night.Remaining Lifespan: 31 Days 8 Hours 17 MinutesTick… Tick… Tick…Each tick felt heavier now, like a hammer striking the inside of his skull. The donations, the volunteer events, the forced policy changes — they had bought him some time, but at a cost that went far beyond money. Every insincere act left him feeling more hollow than before.He picked up his phone and opened the banking app again. His finger hovered over another large transfer. Ten thousand more to a different charity. His thumb pressed down before he could talk himself out of it.The confirmation screen appeared.Nothing from the system.Derrick waited, heart pounding. Still nothing.“Come on,” he whispered. “That has to count
Chapter 10- Public Performance
Derrick stood in front of the mirror in his luxury apartment bathroom, practicing smiles again. Not the desperate, toothy grimaces from before — he was trying for something that didn’t make children cry or employees reach for the panic button. The blue timer hovered persistently in his reflection.Remaining Lifespan: 37 Days 4 Hours 22 MinutesTick… Tick… Tick…The weekend volunteer event at the city food bank was scheduled for tomorrow. This time, he had gone all-in. He had personally called the local newspaper and a business magazine, tipping them off about “Horizon Dynamics’ Operations Manager giving back to the community.” He had even prepared a short speech about corporate responsibility.If sincerity was the currency, then visibility would multiply the reward. At least that was the new theory.Saturday morning arrived under gray skies. Derrick showed up at the food bank warehouse wearing jeans and a Horizon Dynamics polo — the first time in years he had dressed down for anything
Chapter 9- The First Punishment
The fragile progress from the previous day shattered the moment Derrick Stones stepped back into the office the next morning.The old instincts returned like a drug he couldn’t quit. The sight of his fearful employees, the smell of tension in the air, the power he had wielded for years — it felt comfortable. Safe. Like slipping back into a well-worn pair of shoes.Remaining Lifespan: 41 Days 17 HoursTick… Tick… Tick…He ignored the timer and went straight for blood.Richard Kline was the first victim. The analyst had submitted the revised report — the one Derrick had demanded after humiliating him publicly.Derrick read the first page and threw the entire document across the conference room table where half the department was gathered.“This is still garbage, Richard!” he roared. “Are you incompetent or just trying to sabotage me? I want this redone by lunch. And if it’s not perfect, consider your position here terminated.”The room went dead silent. Richard looked like he might actu
Chapter 8 – Reality Hits
Derrick Stones sat in the private examination room of the city’s best hospital, staring at the MRI images on the screen. The doctor, a middle-aged neurologist named Dr. Patel, looked visibly confused as he pointed to the scans.“Mr. Stones, this is… unprecedented.”Derrick leaned forward, the blue timer still glowing in his peripheral vision.Remaining Lifespan: 41 Days 22 HoursTick… Tick… Tick…“What do you mean?” he demanded.Dr. Patel adjusted his glasses. “The trauma from the bottle impact should have caused a severe subdural hematoma. Based on the paramedic report from the restaurant, you were clinically unresponsive for over a minute. By all medical logic, you should have suffered significant brain damage — possibly permanent. Or worse.”He paused, gesturing at the clean images.“Yet here you are. The scans show only minor swelling that is already resolving at an abnormal rate. Your vitals are stable. It’s as if your body received some kind of… intervention.”Derrick’s mouth we
Chapter 7 – Mission Failed
Derrick Stones arrived at the office on the third day after the incident with a new strategy and a pounding headache. The blue interface had become his constant, unwelcome companion.Remaining Lifespan: 42 Days 8 HoursTick… Tick… Tick…He had spent the previous night researching “how to smile sincerely” on the internet like a desperate man. Articles about genuine facial expressions, eye contact, and positive body language stared back at him mockingly. He practiced in the mirror until his face hurt.Today I will beat this stupid system.The moment he stepped onto the twenty-third floor, the atmosphere shifted. Employees who had grown used to his usual scowl now watched him with open suspicion. The “brain injury” rumor had evolved overnight into wild speculation.“He smiled yesterday. I think he’s dying.”“Maybe it’s a tumor. That would explain everything.”Derrick ignored the whispers and zeroed in on his first target: the receptionist, Sarah. He approached her desk with deliberate ca
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