The Rejected Man's Rise

CHAPTER 02

“You who hate yourself have awakened the Dream Lover System.”

The voice rang directly in my mind.

My pulse quickened.

I looked around. “Who’s there?”

“This,” the feminine voice said, almost dripping with sarcasm, “is the Dream Lover System. Let me show your stats.”

An aerial screen popped in front of my eyes.

[Name: Caleb J. Cole

Height: 179 cm

Weight: 242 pounds

Charm rating: 9/100.

Health: pathetic.

Wealth: nearly zero.

Hair: disappearing.]

My eyes swelled out of the sockets.

I rubbed my eyes and looked again.

The window was still there. Floating in the air. How’s this possible?

Am I dreaming?

I pinched myself, and it hurt.

I don’t think I’m dreaming.

“W-What is this?” My pulse did not slow down a bit. “What are you?”

“I’m a supernatural system that will assist you in achieving your dreams,” the voice replied. “My name is Dreamie.”

“Supernatural, you say?” I swallowed my breath as I felt heat rising in my body. “Is this really a dream then?”

“Only a few people have activated me over the years, but it’s been a long time since a person with a charm score lower than 10 has activated me.”

“M-My charm score is only 9 out of 100?” I blurted defiantly. “T-That’s gotta be a joke.”

“A joke?” Dreamie laughed and then told me how sad my wardrobe’s current situation was, and how rats were living in it. She told me how I have done nothing but work overtime and ignore myself to the point even the single moms with six kids ignored me.

My throat went dry. I felt every humiliation from the past years hitting me all at once.

“But… I… I can change,” I said, voice trembling.

The system’s interface pulsed brighter. “Of course you can. That’s why I’m here. To manufacture miracles. Stop hoping that I will freely hand you charm, wealth, and attractiveness. Every point must be earned.”

A new window popped before me.

[Mission One: Take a proper shower. Trim your beard. Look… human. And you shall receive a single charm point.”

I swallowed hard, leaning forward. “O-Only one point?”

“With every point, you earn a reward,” Dreamie responded.

I found myself doubting her words, but the mission itself seemed simple.

So, I went into the bathroom.

A minute later.

I walked out.

“It’s done,” I said.

“I said, ‘take a proper shower,’” Dreamie’s voice rang in my mind once more. “How can you properly wash yourself in under a minute? And your trimming skills are poor, too.”

“Tsk,” as annoyed as I was, I still turned and went back into the bathroom.

Nearly 30 minutes later.

I stepped out of the shower.

The faint stubble that had clung unevenly to my jaw was definitely gone, but I doubted that alone could make me look sharper.

[Charm Score +1.

Charm rating: 10/100.

Reward available. Claim now?]

My heart thumped. Reward? What kind of…

I reached toward the aerial interface, uncertain, and tapped the confirmation.

A soft chime sounded, and suddenly, a neat stack of cash magically appeared in my hand—ten thousand dollars in crisp bills.

All hundred dollar bills.

“T-This… is real money?” I couldn’t breathe.

$10,000… in cash.

This was nearly 20 percent of my yearly income!

But that wasn’t all.

On my other hand, a certificate blinked into existence, confirming a 20% stake in Phantom Dream Investments.

My eyes stayed frozen open for a good few seconds.

I quickly checked online.

Phantom Dream was a small financial firm that everyone in his city was talking about lately. Even at a conservative estimate, that 20% stake was worth two million dollars.

I stumbled backward, nearly tripping over the edge of my bed. “T-This isn’t a dream, right?” I slapped myself, and it freaking hurt. “That hurts. This can’t be a dream.”

The air in the room seemed suddenly heavier, charged, almost alive. I could feel change pressing against me like a tide.

My heart was washed with a strange mix of exhilaration and terror.

Just then, Dreamie’s voice rang. “Warning: Someone is observing you!”