Chapter 10
Karl froze in place, his eyes darting between Rebecca, who was offering her cheek, and his own trembling hand. He gulped and made a decision—he leaned in to kiss Rebecca.
Slowly, he brought his lips closer to her cheek, but just as they were about to touch—
DING...
His phone buzzed, startling him. Karl jolted back and quickly pulled out his phone. A notification from the Common Sense Manipulation App lit up the screen.
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[Manipulation Ended: Duration Expired]
[Tutorial Quest Progress: 11/10]
[Uncommon Points: 120]
---
Karl let out a long sigh, rubbing his face in frustration.
"Seriously? Of all the times..." he muttered, annoyed. He looked back at Rebecca, who was still standing there, her expression now one of mild confusion.
"Uh, sorry, Rebecca," Karl stammered, trying to recover. "Something came up—I have to run. Let's talk later, okay?"
Rebecca gave him a small, understanding smile and nodded.
"Alright, take care, Karl. Don't push yourself too hard."
Karl managed an awkward smile in return, waving as he turned to leave.
"See you, Rebecca. Take care."
Once he was far enough away and out of Rebecca's sight, Karl exhaled in relief.
"Whew, that was close. Almost turned into a disaster," he thought, glancing at his phone. The notification reminded him that the system had limits he couldn't ignore.
Back in the storage room, Rebecca resumed organizing boxes. But instead of remembering that Karl had almost kissed her, her mind reconstructed a completely different memory.
"Poor Karl," she muttered softly. "That kid must be having such a hard time finding work. I hope he's okay."
Her expression softened into a motherly smile, filled with concern. In Rebecca's altered memory, the interaction had been about Karl venting his worries about struggling to find a job after being laid off.
Meanwhile, Karl trudged toward his apartment, muttering under his breath.
"Damn app! Not only do you lock me out of the duration feature, but you didn't even warn me how short this manipulation would last. Unbelievable."
Finally arriving home, Karl collapsed onto his couch, his frustration evident. Still annoyed at missing the chance to kiss a MILF, he unlocked his phone and, as expected, another notification from the Common Sense Manipulation App popped up.
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[Tutorial Quest 12/20]
Objective: Make someone believe canned soda is a sacred item.
Note: The target must be someone else. You cannot use this on yourself. The player must actively trigger the manipulation.
Reward: +20 Uncommon Points
---
Karl groaned, staring at the screen in disbelief.
"Are you kidding me? This is just getting weirder and weirder!" he grumbled.
"Why couldn't the objective be something simple, like the last one?"
He stared at his phone, frustration written all over his face, as he tried to figure out how to accomplish such a bizarre task. Convincing someone that a random soda can was sacred? How could he do that without looking like a complete lunatic?
He tossed his phone onto the coffee table and massaged his temples.
"Well, no choice. Gotta do this if I want full access to the app," he mumbled.
Heading to the fridge, Karl opened the door, hoping to find a soda can, but all he saw were a bottle of ketchup and some nearly expired groceries.
"No soda, huh?" he muttered, shutting the fridge in irritation. Without much thought, he grabbed his wallet and jacket, deciding to head to the nearest convenience store.
Walking along the sidewalk, Karl slowed his steps as he passed a familiar alley.
"This… this is where I found that haunted gacha machine..."
That strange machine had given him the Common Sense Manipulation App, the source of all this chaos in his life. He shook his head, brushing aside the nostalgia, and kept walking.
At the store, Karl went straight to the cold drink section, grabbed two cans of soda, and headed to the counter. After paying, he left with a small plastic bag in hand.
On his way back, he spotted a woman sitting alone on a park bench near the street. She looked lost in thought, her face showing signs of fatigue. Karl paused, a mischievous idea forming in his mind.
"This is the perfect chance to test the manipulation again," he thought, pulling out his phone and opening the app.
He typed into the Manipulation Hub:
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Target will believe that canned soda is a sacred item that brings good luck.
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After pressing [YES], Karl took a deep breath, preparing himself to sell the act. Approaching the woman cautiously, he tried to look like someone with an important mission.
With an overly dramatic tone, he declared, "Ma'am, please take this! It is a sacred item that brings great fortune."
The woman blinked at him, her expression a mix of confusion and curiosity. But within moments, her face lit up with joy. She accepted the soda can with both hands as though it were a priceless treasure.
"Oh, thank you so much!" she exclaimed, beaming. "I'll cherish this sacred gift!"
She hugged the soda can tightly. Karl nodded solemnly, said his goodbyes, and walked away.
"With this app, even a leading cause of obesity can become a holy relic," he thought, chuckling to himself.