Chapter 3: The First Reward

The morning sun slipped through the blinds, casting slanted beams across Julian's face. His eyes flickered open, but something felt... different. His body ached, not from exhaustion, but from something else entirely—like he had just crossed a boundary he was never meant to touch.

Then, he heard it.

Ding!

The sound was sharp, metallic, yet it came from inside his head. Julian sat up, his heartbeat quickening. He glanced around his small, cluttered apartment, but everything was as it had been the night before—except for one thing. The watch.

It sat on his bedside table, gleaming, as if it had been waiting for him to wake up.

A line of text appeared on its cracked glass face, glowing faintly in golden letters:

[Task 1 Completed: Reward Available]

Julian hesitated. A reward? For what? He had done exactly what the voice had told him—he had gone to the party, found the girl, done everything as instructed. But why was he being rewarded? And what kind of reward would it be?

With shaky fingers, he pressed the tiny dial on the side of the watch. Another line of text flickered into view:

[Choose Your Reward]

1. Strength Boost (+10%)

2. Memory Enhancement (Perfect Recall for 24 hours)

3. $10,000 Bank Deposit

Julian's breath hitched. He stared at the options, his mind struggling to process what he was seeing. Was this a joke? Some kind of twisted hallucination?

His hands clenched into fists. He had been poor his whole life, struggling just to survive. His bank account barely had enough to cover rent. $10,000 could change everything.

But then… what if the strength boost was real? What if the memory enhancement could give him an edge in school, in life?

He swallowed hard. This wasn't just a game anymore.

"I choose… the money," he whispered, his voice barely audible.

The watch vibrated in response.

[Reward Delivered]

Julian scrambled out of bed, grabbed his phone, and opened his banking app. His heart pounded as the screen loaded, and then—

Balance: $10,485.67

His breath caught in his throat.

It was real.

The money was there, right in front of him, as if it had always been his. His mind raced with possibilities. He could pay his rent, buy new clothes, finally eat something other than cheap instant noodles. For the first time in his life, he had power.

But then, a new message flickered across the watch.

[New Task Available]

Julian's blood ran cold.

This wasn't over. It had only just begun.

---