If Su Yan had one undeniable talent, it was the ability to turn minor inconveniences into full-blown disasters.
Right now, for example, the inconvenience was a cracked potion bottle.
The disaster was everything else.
"Wait—no—no, no, no—!"
The glass slipped from his fingers in slow motion. Su Yan lunged for it, missed, tripped over a stool that had definitely not been there a second ago, and crashed face-first into the counter. The bottle shattered on the floor, releasing a puff of pale blue smoke that hissed like an offended snake.
Su Yan froze.
"…That's not supposed to smoke."
The potion shop went silent.
Then the smoke ignited.
Pop.
A small explosion sent glittering fragments skittering across the wooden floor. A shelf rattled. A stack of empty vials toppled over like dominos.
Su Yan screamed.
It was not a dignified scream. It was the kind of scream that came from deep within the soul, high-pitched and dramatic, the kind that suggested the end of the world—or at least the end of his employment.
"I'M SORRY—!"
He dove for a bucket of water, missed again, and slammed his knee into the counter. Pain shot up his leg. Tears welled instantly in his eyes.
From the back room came a tired, gravelly voice.
"Su Yan," Old Master He said calmly, "if you break one more thing before noon, I will personally turn you into potion ingredients."
"I DIDN'T MEAN TO!" Su Yan wailed, scrambling to his feet and nearly slipping on the spilled liquid. "It attacked me first!"
Old Master He emerged from the back room, sleeves rolled up, hair tied back in a loose knot. His eyes flicked to the cracked floor, the smoking residue, and Su Yan's panicked face.
"…You dropped it."
"It jumped," Su Yan insisted weakly.
Old Master He sighed the long, deep sigh of a man who had regretted taking in an apprentice for at least three consecutive years.
"You are a potion shop assistant," he said. "Your job is to not explode the merchandise."
"I know!" Su Yan said, nodding rapidly. "I really know! I was being careful! Extra careful! The carefulest!"
He took one step backward to demonstrate his carefulness.
His heel caught on the edge of the rug.
Down he went.
Old Master He closed his eyes.
The bucket tipped. Water sloshed across the floor, mixing with potion residue. The blue smoke turned green. Something fizzed ominously.
Su Yan lay flat on his back, staring at the ceiling.
"…I'm going to be deleted," he whispered.
That was when the world pinged.
A sharp, artificial chime echoed directly inside his head.
Su Yan blinked.
Then a translucent screen snapped into existence in front of his face.
---
[Heart-Throb Thief System Activated.]
[Welcome, Host Su Yan.]
---
Su Yan screamed again.
This time, Old Master He flinched.
"What now?"
"There's a floating box!" Su Yan yelled, scrambling backward until his shoulders hit the counter. "It's talking to me! I think I inhaled something poisonous!"
Old Master He squinted. "I don't see anything."
"That's because it's only haunting me!"
The screen flickered.
---
[Objective: Increase Favorability of a High-Tier Player to avoid NPC deletion.]
[Warning: NPC Deletion Countdown — 24:00:00]
---
Su Yan stopped breathing.
The words NPC Deletion burned themselves into his vision.
"…Deleted?" he croaked.
The timer began ticking down.
23:59:58
23:59:57
"No," Su Yan whispered. "No, no, no—this isn't funny. This isn't a joke. I didn't sign up for this quest."
---
[Clarification: You did not sign up. This is a survival mechanic.]
---
"I'M A SHOP ASSISTANT," Su Yan shouted internally. "I sell potions! I sweep floors! I apologize for things that aren't my fault!"
---
[Correct. And you are statistically insignificant.]
---
Old Master He watched Su Yan clutch his head and stagger like a man possessed.
"Have you finally lost it?" he asked dryly.
Su Yan grabbed the counter, breathing hard. "Master He… hypothetically."
"Yes?"
"If someone told you that I only had twenty-four hours to live."
Old Master He considered this. "I would tell you to stop breaking my shop before you go."
Su Yan's vision blurred.
---
[Target Requirement: High-Tier Player.]
[Minimum Favorability Threshold: Survival Pending.]
---
"I don't even know any players," Su Yan whispered.
The System paused, as if considering his stupidity.
---
[Correction: A High-Tier Player is approaching.]
---
The shop door creaked open.
A shadow stretched across the floor.
Su Yan slowly looked up.
The man who stepped inside didn't look like someone who belonged in a cluttered potion shop. He was tall, dressed in dark, high-level armor etched with faint glowing lines. His presence alone seemed to quiet the air, as if the game itself was paying attention.
A name tag floated briefly above his head before fading.
Mo Xuan.
Su Yan's heart slammed against his ribs.
---
[Target Acquired: Mo Xuan.]
[#1 Ranked Player.]
---
Old Master He straightened. "Customer," he muttered.
Mo Xuan's gaze swept the shop, calm and assessing—then landed on Su Yan, who was still half-sprawled on the floor, soaked, shaking, and staring at him like he'd just seen death itself.
Their eyes met.
The System chimed cheerfully.
---
[Hint: Flirt accidentally.]
---
Su Yan's soul left his body.
"…What."
---
[I repeat: ACCIDENTALLY.]
---
Su Yan looked at Mo Xuan. Then at the timer ticking down in the corner of his vision.
Then back at Mo Xuan.
"NOOOOOO!" he screamed internally.
Mo Xuan raised an eyebrow.
And just like that, Su Yan knew—
This was how his life ended.