I didn't sleep much after the ring was activated.
Every time I closed my eyes, I kept seeing the blue system text floating in front of me.
I still couldn't believe that was real. It sounded like some stupid game system made by a pervert developer.
I tried to pull the ring off again in the morning.
It didn't move.
Not even a little.
I used soap. Nothing.
Oil. Nothing.
I even tried wrapping a thread around my finger like those internet tricks.
Still nothing.
The ring didn't budge at all. It felt like it had become part of my finger.
"Great," I muttered. "So now I'm stuck with a cursed ring."
Then I remembered the card.
Eclipse Nightclub. Tonight.
I checked the time on the card again.
9:00 PM.
I didn't know if this was a job, a scam, or some organ harvesting operation, but honestly, I didn't have many options left in life.
So I decided to go.
I spent the whole day doing nothing. Watching random videos, smoking, and opening the system screen again and again just to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.
When I focused, the blue screen appeared in front of me.
_____
[HOST STATUS]
Name: Noah Walker
Age: 24
Occupation: Unemployed
Title: None
Stats:
Stamina: 5
Endurance: 4
Abilities:
- Mood Scan Lv.1
- Relationship Tracker Lv.1
- Penis Optimization Lv.1
____
I stared at the last ability for a long time.
"Why is that even an ability…?"
I still didn't press it. I wasn't sure I wanted to know what it did.
At 8:30 PM, I finally left my apartment.
The address on the card led me downtown, but not the clean part of downtown. This area was full of bars, neon lights, cheap motels, and people who clearly didn't have normal sleep schedules.
Music blasted from different buildings. People were smoking outside clubs. Some were drunk, some were arguing, some were making out against walls like they didn't care who saw. Their wet, sloppy kisses punctuated by moans.
"Mmmph… ahhhn~… yesss, right there… nngh~… harder, fuck…"
The girl's back arched against the brick as the guy ground into her, her breathy whimpers turning into desperate cries.
"Aaaah~! Oh god… don't stop… hahhn~… fuuuck meee…"
I walked away from there quickly and saw the sidewalks were also dirty.
Near a trash can, I saw cigarette butts, empty beer cans, broken liquor bottles, and a few used condoms tied in knots and thrown away like garbage.
I looked away quickly.
"Yeah… definitely not the nice part of the city," I muttered.
A little further down the street, I saw a building with pink neon lights shaped like a heart.
MARS LOVE HOTEL was written on the sign.
A couple walked in holding hands while laughing, and another guy walked out alone while fixing his shirt.
I kept walking.
This whole area felt like the city's secret nightlife that normal people pretended didn't exist.
I checked the address again and finally stopped in front of a black building.
A simple sign above the entrance said:
ECLIPSE
White letters on a black background.
The building didn't look flashy like the other clubs, but for some reason it felt… different. Quiet. Heavy. Like the air around it was thicker.
Two big guys in black suits stood at the entrance. These weren't normal bouncers. These guys looked like they could throw a car if they wanted to.
I walked up slowly.
"ID," one of them said.
I handed it to him.
He looked at the ID, then at me, then his eyes moved to my hand.
To the ring.
His expression changed slightly.
He handed my ID back and stepped aside.
"He's expected," he said to the other guy.
The other guy opened the door without saying anything.
I walked inside.
The first thing I noticed was the lighting. The whole club was dark with purple and blue lights everywhere. The music was loud, deep bass that you could feel in your chest.
There was a big bar in the center, a dance floor on the left, private booths on the sides, and a second floor balcony looking over everything.
The place was packed.
Girls in tight dresses. Guys in suits. People dancing. People drinking. People kissing in corners like the world was ending tomorrow.
But something felt… off.
I couldn't explain it, but it felt like everyone here was pretending to be normal.
Then suddenly my vision flickered.
[Mood Scan Activated]
Words appeared above people's heads.
Drunk
Excited
Horny
Bored
Jealous
Angry
Flirting
I froze.
"…No way."
I looked around again and more words appeared above different people.
Lust
Suspicious
Watching
Interested
"This is insane," I whispered.
So this is what Mood Scan does.
This place suddenly became very interesting.
I walked toward the bar, trying to act normal.
A tall woman with long black hair and a red dress was standing behind the bar mixing drinks. She looked like a model. No, better than a model. Everyone around the bar kept looking at her.
She noticed me staring and walked over.
"First time here?" she asked.
Before I could answer, text appeared above her head.
Mood: Curious
Interest: 12%
Attraction: 18%
Danger Level: ???
I blinked.
Danger level?
I looked back at her slowly.
"Yeah," I said. "I think I'm here for a job."
Her eyes moved to my hand and stopped at the ring.
Her smile changed immediately.
Not friendly anymore.
"Oh," she said quietly. "So you're the new one."
I frowned. "New what?"
She leaned closer across the bar.
"Follow me," she said. "The boss wants to meet you."
My stomach dropped a little.
I had a very bad feeling about this.
But I followed her anyway.
Because at this point, my life was already a mess.
And somehow, I felt like walking into this nightclub was going to make it a lot more complicated.