The God's Game System

Chapter 7

Leo did not bother answering the clerk's insults. He did not raise his voice or argue with the security guards stepping toward him.

Instead, he pulled his phone from his pocket and tapped the screen. He opened the Grand Palace Hotel's official reservation portal, navigated straight to the highest tier, and selected the Presidential Suite for thirty consecutive nights. The total came to one hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

Leo pressed the payment button without a second thought.

A sharp, high-pitched chime blared from the desktop terminal behind the front counter. The sound was loud and distinct, a unique alarm hardcoded into the system to signal an immediate, fully paid VIP transaction.

The clerk blinked, her smug expression wavering as she looked down at her screen. "What is that?"

Before she could click the notification, the private VIP elevator doors at the back of the lobby slid open with a soft chime. A silver-haired man in an expensive tailored suit sprinted across the marble floor, holding a tablet in his hands.

"Where is Mr. Leo?" the man called out anxiously, his eyes scanning the lobby. "Who just authorized a thirty-day payment for the Presidential Suite?"

The clerk went completely rigid. "Mr. Harrison? What are you talking about?"

"A direct transfer of one hundred and fifty thousand dollars just went through our system!" the General Manager said, stopping near the desk. He looked at his tablet, then looked up at the security guards crowding around Leo. "What is going on here? Why are the guards standing around our guest?"

"Guest?" the clerk stammered, her face turning pale. "Mr. Harrison, this man is a vagrant! He walked in off the street drenched in mud and demanded a room! I was having security escort him out!"

Mr. Harrison looked down at his tablet, then looked at the transaction details on the terminal screen. The name on the fresh $150,000 receipt matched the ID number Leo had just transmitted through the app.

"You absolute fool!" Mr. Harrison roared. His face turned deep red as he turned on the clerk. "He just paid one hundred and fifty thousand dollars upfront in cash! He is currently our highest-paying guest of the entire fiscal quarter!"

The clerk gasped, her eyes widening in sheer horror. She looked from her manager to Leo, who stood perfectly still with his hands in his pockets.

"Mr. Leo, I offer my deepest and most sincere apologies," Mr. Harrison said, turning back to Leo and bowing deeply at the waist. "This is a catastrophic failure on our part. I promise you that this behavior does not reflect the standards of our establishment."

"She told me people like me sleep under bridges," Leo said smoothly. "She told me security was going to drag me into the alley."

Mr. Harrison turned back to the clerk with absolute fury in his eyes. "You are fired. Pack your personal belongings and clear out your locker immediately. I will personally ensure your name is blacklisted from every luxury hotel chain in this city."

The clerk felt her knees give out. The reality of losing her high-paying job, her reputation, and her career slammed into her like a physical blow. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she collapsed forward, falling onto her knees right on the cold marble floor.

"Please, Mr. Harrison!" she sobbed, pressing her hands together in desperate prayer as she looked up at Leo's boots. "Please do not fire me! I am so sorry, sir! I was wrong! Please, I am begging you on my knees, forgive me! I have a family to support!"

Leo looked down at her weeping form. He felt no sympathy. When he had been at his lowest point hours ago, no one had shown him mercy. She had tried to throw him into the rain simply because of how he looked.

"Security," Leo said, his voice cold and steady. "Remove her from my sight."

The two security guards, eager to save their own jobs, immediately grabbed the clerk by her arms and dragged her away as she wept and screamed for mercy.

Time frozen in a split second as glowing red windows flared across Leo's vision.

[Emergency Mission Complete: Establish Absolute Authority]

[Target 'Hotel Receptionist' has groveled at your feet.]

[Mission Reward Granted: +300 System Points + 'VIP Standing' Title]

[Failure Penalty Avoided: 200 System Points Retained.]

[Total System Points Balance: 500 Points.]

The Sovereign's booming laughter echoed inside Leo's mind, full of ruthless satisfaction.

"Glorious!" the Sovereign declared. "Zero mercy for those who look down on you! Look at the live stream chat, Leo! The viewers are loving this! You cleared the task, earned your points back, and taught that arrogant mortal a lesson she will never forget!"

The system window faded away, leaving Mr. Harrison bowing once again.

"If you will follow me, Mr. Leo, I will personally escort you to the Presidential Suite," Mr. Harrison said respectfully. "I have already instructed our night staff to bring up fresh tailored clothes, a warm meal, and anything else you might require."

Ten minutes later, Leo stood in the center of a massive penthouse suite overlooking the glittering city lights.

He took a long, hot shower, washing away the mud, the rain, and the blood from his accident. He dried off and put on a crisp white shirt and dark trousers provided by the hotel's private tailor.

Leo walked over to the floor-to-ceiling mirror and stared at his reflection.

The hollow, exhausted man who had groveled at his wife's feet earlier that evening was gone. Standing in the glass was a calm, sharply dressed man with unreadable eyes and five hundred system points in his pocket.

He looked out the window toward the dark outline of the Leroy estate on the hill.

"Tomorrow morning," Leo murmured to the quiet room, "I go back to get my things."