Maluck knew this was going to be ridiculous. But hey, a free LP was a free LP.
As he handed over a quarter to pay for the baseball, he casually said, “Hey, I don’t know you, but I think you’ve got some real hidden potential.”
[System Task COMPLETE] Say this to the girl: “Hey, I don’t know you, but I think you’ve got some real hidden potential.”
+1 LP awarded
The girl behind the counter slowly looked up from the register. She was about 27, with pink hair, heavy goth makeup, and dressed head-to-toe in black. Working at a pawn shop wasn’t exactly anyone’s dream job, and she had dealt with plenty of creeps—especially the ones buying used porn magazines.
(Seriously, who buys used porn? A lot of people, apparently. And they never make eye contact.)
But this? This was a new kind of weird.
She raised an eyebrow, sizing him up like she was debating whether or not to throw him out herself. Then she smirked.
“Yeah, buying a fake baseball doesn’t give you a bonus to try and pick me up, bud.”
Oof. That sneer was practically a debuff to confidence.
If it were just Maluck making a fool of himself, he would’ve smiled awkwardly, accepted the L, and walked out with his possibly worthless baseball.
But, of course, the System had other plans.
[System Task]
Say: “What makes you think this is a fake baseball? Are you some kind of expert in baseballs? How do you even determine if a baseball is fake? Do you… carbon date it?”
Reward: +1 LP
Maluck stared at the prompt. Oh, come on. This is just baiting her.
Then again… free LP.
He inhaled, squared his shoulders, and went for it.
“What makes you think this is a fake baseball? Are you some kind of expert in baseballs? How do you even determine if a baseball is fake? Do you… carbon date it?”
The goth girl blinked, clearly taken aback.
Then she let out an unexpected snort.
“Wow. You really committed to that bit.”
Maluck watched as his LP ticked up by one. Totally worth it.
[System Task]
Say: “What if I can prove this baseball’s real? I’ll bet you a hundred bucks that it is.”
Reward: +1 LP
Maluck didn’t even hesitate.
“What if I can prove this baseball’s real?” he said smoothly, sliding the dollar-purchased ball into his pocket. “I’ll bet you a hundred bucks that it is.”
Another free LP slid into his stats.
The goth girl tilted her head, arms crossed. Now she looked genuinely intrigued.
“There’s no way that thing’s real.”
“Well, that’s why I’m betting you a hundred bucks,” Maluck shot back.
For once, he didn’t need a System Task to tell him what to say. The banter was flowing naturally now.
She eyed him for a moment, then smirked. “Alright. It’s on.”
A hundred bucks was absolutely worth it to her just to watch him be proven wrong.
Luckily, there was a sports memorabilia shop not too far from the pawn shop.
Together, they left the store, Maluck feeling like a goddamn mastermind.
***
[System Task COMPLETE: BONUS]]
+0.03 Charisma
Maluck smirked as he watched the stat increase.
‘Hell yeah. Smooth talking pays off.’
With this monumental boost, Maluck’s Charisma was now at 1.01.
For the first time in his life… he was officially above average in charm.
‘That’s right,’ he thought, puffing out his chest. ‘I’m now scientifically, mathematically, and System-verified, more charismatic than the average guy.’
It wasn’t much, but damn it, he’d take it.
***
POV : Astral Universe
Lust was celebrating.
Sure, it had cost her some LP to issue those System Tasks, but seeing Maluck unknowingly walk right into her influence? Totally worth it.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
Even better?
She had just proven to that bitch Temperance that the “no direct communication” rule wasn’t as airtight as the Virtues thought.
Lust, biting down on a heart shaped influence candy, laughed in victory.
“Oh, sweet, naive Temperance… you really thought we couldn’t interfere? That we just had to sit and watch? Please.”
***
POV : Calgary
They got to the sports memorabilia store, but the gate was down, the lights were off, and there was a sad little “Be Back Later” sign in the window.
“Oh, come on,” the goth girl groaned. “Dave is usually pretty reliable.”
Maluck checked his BP.
Yup.
It had dropped by one point.
Bad luck confirmed.
Technically, not being able to verify the baseball immediately was unlucky.
But… now that he was above-average Charisma?
This was an opportunity.
He stretched, put on his best cool, casual smirk, and turned to her.
“Well, since it’s closed, instead of standing around waiting, wanna grab some food or a drink? My treat.”
She glanced back at the shop, arms crossed. She still wanted that $100… and her stomach grumbled.
“…I guess I could go for something to eat.”
Maluck internally fist-pumped.
Charisma boost paying off already!
***
Making their way to the restaurant, Maluck toggled “Use LP to prevent Bad Luck”. He didn’t want the universe to mess with him right now, and he had just received a few freebie points, so why not? He just had to remember to toggle it back later.
They slid into a booth at the so-called “Best Philly Cheesesteaks in Calgary” joint. The walls were lined with old sports memorabilia, neon beer signs, and the faint smell of sizzling beef and onions.
Maluck wasn’t convinced. ‘Best cheesesteaks? Doubtful. But hey, food’s food.’
As they picked up the menus, he decided to break the ice.
“So, mysterious girl,” he said, flashing what he hoped was a charming grin. “I’m Maluck. What’s your name?”
She didn’t even glance up from the menu. “Chloe. But don’t think just because we have a bet, we’re out on a date.”
Ouch.
‘I guess being slightly above-average Charisma isn’t exactly panty-dropping,’ he thought.
Still, he was nothing if not persistent.
“Fair enough,” he said, leaning back. “But let me ask you something, Chloe… have you ever thought about the fact that you might have some hidden potential?”
Now she did look up—mostly to glare at him. “Oh god, you’re one of those guys, aren’t you?”
Maluck blinked. “Uh… what?”
“You know, the ‘hidden potential’ guys. The ones who slide into DMs saying ‘hey, I just get this vibe about you… you seem really special, wanna join my business opportunity?’”
Maluck nearly choked on his water. “What?! No! I’m not trying to sign you up for a pyramid scheme!”
“Right,” she said, skeptical. “Because ‘hidden potential’ definitely doesn’t sound like a scam.”
Maluck exhaled. ‘This was going to be harder than he thought.’
“Okay, okay,” he said, tapping the table. “Let’s just hypothetically say you do have some kind of untapped skill—something you don’t even know about.”
Chloe raised an eyebrow. “Like what? Competitive pawnshop haggling? Advanced ‘dealing with creeps buying used porn’ techniques?”
“…Well, maybe?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, thanks. I’ll be sure to put that on my resume.”
Maluck groaned. “Look, all I’m saying is that people have hidden talents all the time—stuff they don’t even realize they’re good at. What if you’re secretly, like… some kind of genius poker player or mechanical engineer or hell, maybe you’re Calgary’s next great cheesesteak critic.”
She snorted. “Yeah, because that’s my destiny. Judging mediocre sandwiches.”
“Hey, somebody’s gotta do it,” Maluck said. “You could be the Gordon Ramstein of greasy diners.”
Chloe gave him a look. “If this is some elaborate way to hit on me, it’s weird.”
“Okay, first of all,” Maluck said, pointing at her, “if I was hitting on you, you’d know, because it would be way smoother than this.”
She smirked. “Would it though?”
“…Alright, probably not.”
Chloe laughed, shaking her head. “Damn right.”
Maluck sighed, resting his arms on the table. This was going to take some work.
Before Maluck could try again, the waitress arrived, chewing gum and holding a notepad like she had absolutely no time for their nonsense.
“What can I get ya?” she asked.
Chloe flipped the menu shut. “I’ll take a cheesesteak with extra onions, no mushrooms.”
Maluck took a dramatic pause. “I’ll have the exact same thing.”
Chloe stared. “What, you think ordering the same thing as me is gonna make me fall for your weird hidden potential speech?”
“Nope,” Maluck said smoothly. “I just figured you looked like someone who knew what she was doing when it comes to cheesesteak.”
Chloe squinted at him. “That was dangerously close to being offensive or charming.”
“I know, right?” Maluck grinned. “One-point-zero-one charisma, baby.”
She shook her head. “I don’t even know what the hell that means.”
The waitress smacked her gum, unamused. “You want fries with that, Romeo?”
“Yes. Large,” Maluck said. “Oh, and two beers.”
Chloe leaned forward. “Who said I’m drinking with you?”
Maluck shrugged. “I just ordered beers. No need to drink them, if I annoy you, you can throw them in my face.”
Chloe considered. “…Alright, fine.”
As the waitress walked off, Maluck leaned in. “Okay, back to my point. Let’s be real—do you actually want to work in a pawnshop forever?”
Chloe exhaled through her nose. “Oh, here we go. Pyramid scam 101.”
“I’m just saying,” Maluck continued, “people have hidden skills all the time, and if you’re working in that place, you probably pick up a lot of random knowledge. You ever think about doing something with it?”
Chloe drummed her fingers against the table. “Like what? Starring in ‘Pawn Starz: Calgary Edition’? Oh look, here’s another guy selling stolen power tools.”
Maluck snapped his fingers. “See? You already sound like a reality TV star. You just need a catchphrase.”
Chloe scoffed. “Yeah, how about ‘Get the hell out of my shop, moron’?”
“Okay, little rough around the edges, but we can workshop it.”
Their beers arrived, and Maluck lifted his in a toast. “To discovering your hidden potential.”
Chloe clinked her glass against his. “To eating this sandwich and not having to listen to this speech anymore.”
Maluck grinned as he took a sip. ‘Alright. Progress.’
***
Maluck barely got in one victorious sip before disaster struck. Mid-swallow, the beer decided to betray him, heading straight for his windpipe instead of his stomach.
He choked violently, coughing hard enough to rattle the table, and—just to really cement his humiliation—managed to spill half the beer down his own shirt.
Bad Luck Points (BP): 61 → 59
‘Ahhhhhh, I really shouldn’t have toggled the Luck shield back off!’
Chloe stared at him, eyebrows raised. “Wow. Smooth.”
Maluck hacked out the last of the betrayal. “Yup,” he wheezed. “One-point-zero-one charisma, baby.”
Chloe snorted. “And, what, zero point one coordination?”
Maluck looked down at his soaked shirt and sighed. “I swear this never happens.”
Chloe smirked. “Sure it doesn’t.”
The waitress, who had returned just in time to witness his beer-based self-destruction, let out a long-suffering sigh and slapped a few extra napkins onto the table. “Need a sippy cup, champ?”
Maluck groaned, blotting at his shirt with a napkin. ‘Goddamn it. I just had to level up my bad luck, didn’t I?’
Maluck mentally asked, ‘System, do I have to keep using the appraiser’s lens on Chloe to see her hidden potential? I don’t see her glowing anymore.’
[System Response] “Once the appraiser’s lens has been used on an individual, their hidden potential is identified. The glow will only reappear when they engage in an activity related to that potential.”
Maluck considered this. ‘So, if her hidden potential was being the world’s best beer drinker, she’d be glowing right now?’
[System Response] “That is correct.”
Chloe took a bite of her cheesesteak. No glow.
‘So, she’s not the next great food critic either?’
[System Response] “Correct.”
Maluck smirked. ‘Perfect.’ He had no idea what her hidden talent was, but at least now he had a way to find out.
