Chapter 39: Momentum of Monsters
Caleb stepped out of the crumbling building, weaving through narrow alleys until he finally made it back to Torkside Square. The place was way livelier than before—neon lights flashing, street music mixing with vendor shouts, and the crowd packed even tighter.
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. Just as expected—the influencers had started flooding in. Some had their cameras rolling, others were livestreaming, and a bunch were busy vlogging with exaggerated poses in the middle of the chaos.
Caleb leaned casually on the edge of the square, eyes following one figure—a confident-looking female influencer. Her hair was neatly styled, a portable ring light ready in her hand. She walked up to someone with a friendly vibe, her wide smile pulling in attention like a magnet.
Caleb narrowed his eyes. His lips curved slowly... a perfect smile, almost fake, but beautiful.
Click.
In his mind, he pressed a button only he could see.
[Enter.]
The influencer was just about to greet her target—when suddenly, smack! Her hand landed right across another woman’s face. The slap cracked loud, heads instantly turned.
Caleb’s grin stretched wide, his eyes flashing.
"To say hi is to slap people on the face. Easy."
Like dominoes, the crowd tilted toward violence. But Caleb knew—the quest needed two individuals. Calmly, he typed again into the invisible panel.
The slapped woman went red with rage.
"The hell’s your problem?! Why’d you slap me outta nowhere?!"
The influencer tried to defend herself, face innocent, confused.
"I... I just wanted to say hi..."
Caleb hit [Enter] again.
The woman’s glare sharpened into fury.
"Say hi?! If you wanna say hi, you don’t slap—you do this!"
Thud! Her fist cracked straight into the influencer’s nose. Blood sprayed, screams broke out, and the square erupted in chaos. People bolted, while plenty whipped out their phones to record.
[Ding!]
{Reward: +10 EXP, +10 Hijack Points}
[Bonus: +40 EXP, +20 Hijack Points]
The system’s cold voice echoed in Caleb’s head.
[Congratulations. You have reached Level 2.]
[New Feature Unlocked: Free Quest Selection.]
[Please check the Common Sense Hijack System menu for details.]
Caleb stood at the edge of the madness, his smirk deepening into quiet satisfaction. In the middle of Torkside’s uproar, he looked like the calmest man alive.
He tilted his head down slightly, fingers flicking through a transparent screen only he could see. The Common Sense Hijack System menu opened up, and for the first time, a new column glowed bright.
What used to be [XXXXXX]: Locked had turned into [Free Quest Selection – Unlocked].
Scrolling deeper, he stopped when fresh details appeared under each Quest box:
[Quest – Break a Friendship]
Reward: 50 EXP, 30 Hijack Points
Duration: 3 Hours
Penalty: Target’s hostility redirects to you for 24 hours.
[Quest – Incite Theft in Public]
Reward: 70 EXP, 40 Hijack Points
Duration: 2 Hours
Penalty: Automatic theft accusation pinned on you.
[Quest – Cause Workplace Chaos]
Reward: 100 EXP, 50 Hijack Points
Duration: 4 Hours
Penalty: Forced insomnia for 72 hours.
[Quest – Trigger a Riot]
Reward: 200 EXP, 120 Hijack Points
Duration: 6 Hours
Penalty: Neural shock—motor control suppression for 12 hours.
====
Caleb drew in a sharp breath, eyes narrowing. His smirk lingered, but now it felt more bitter than pleased.
"So it’s not just the rewards that go up... the punishments are insane too."
He rubbed his chin, thoughts racing.
"If I fail... I either get turned into the scapegoat, or flat-out crippled? Damn. Can’t just pick Quests at random anymore."
Not far off, the attention-hungry influencers kept drowning in the chaos. And that—ironically—made Caleb feel even more alive.
"Duration, penalty... everything’s calculated by this system. Like game balancing—but the stakes are my own life."
His hand clenched into a fist, a small smile creeping back.
"Perfect. The crazier it gets, the better it fits me."
Caleb was just about to slip away from the chaos at Torkside Square when he felt a small tug at the back of his hoodie. Instinctively, he turned—eyes widening.
"Shit..." he muttered under his breath. It was Mona.
Mona looked at him with a faint smile. "What, you here to cover this too? For a livestream?"
Caleb sucked in a deep breath, trying to steady the jolt of surprise. "Nah. I just... came to check things out," he said calmly.
Mona studied his face carefully, her eyes narrowing a little with suspicion. "Your voice... hmm. I swear I’ve heard it before."
Caleb gave a faint smile and shook his head slightly. "Maybe you’ve got the wrong guy.
But Mona didn’t let it go. She leaned in a bit closer, her voice softer but sharper. "You’re not that masked influencer who talks about crime stuff, are you?"
Inside, Caleb almost laughed. Damn... new role, huh. His lips curved, but his tone stayed even.
"No. I’m more into, like, supernatural topics. Just... never published anything. Not really confident yet."
Mona stared at him for a moment, then suddenly broke into a bright smile. "Well, then this is the perfect time. I mean... those three deaths were pretty weird, right? A lot of people are already starting to ask questions."
Caleb let out a short breath and gave a faint smile. "I’m gonna head out. Not really a fan of crowds."
Mona quickly stopped him, her tone bubbling with enthusiasm. "But if you really wanna be an influencer, just go for it. Confidence, y’know? A moment like this is more than enough to get started."
Caleb dipped his head a little, as if agreeing. "Yeah... I get it. Thanks for the advice." Then he walked off, leaving Mona behind in the noise and chaos of the square.
Once he was far enough away, his smile faded. Damn... has Aunt Lucy not given Mona a job yet? he thought, his brow furrowing.
He crossed the street, planning to head back to the rundown building he usually crashed at. But he barely made it a few steps when—BEEEEP! A sharp car horn blared right next to him. Caleb snapped his head to the side on reflex.
A car had pulled up right beside him. From the rolled-down window came the voice of an older woman—sharp, cutting, and full of pressure.
"You didn’t go to Larkid, did you?"