Ben wasn't feeling great, but Antonio and Beluga encouraged him. They said that in the beginning, it was normal to be rejected, even necessary.
Ben thought about it. 'Whatever. It's only a palm print. It'll come off. Even the shame will wash off with time…' He wasn't ready to quit.
Beluga pointed out another woman and Ben decided he would try again. He approached her.
"Excuse me, miss…"
"Oh, hello. Yes?"
Ben considered how to improve. 'Beluga said I need to show more sincerity…right, sincerity.' He knew what to do.
"I want to marry your tits."
***
Ben walked back to Beluga and Antonio, this time with coffee all over his face.
Ben thought about the outcome. 'Beluga said improvement comes as you collect many approaches, adjusting your method by learning from better results. But was that a better or worse result?'
He pondered. 'Is it better to get slapped or get coffee in the face?'
…
Ben weighed both sides of the argument. 'On one hand, the last woman was willing to waste the coffee she spent money on to express her hatred. On the other hand, there's a tiny chance she thought I looked thirsty…'
Ben felt it was important to look for small positives in bleak situations. Little by little, he was developing an optimistic outlook. So what if a psychologist would label it delusional? What do they know? They don't approach women. Their clients come to them.
He approached more women using the previous lines or modifying them to try something different. Each time he'd return to Beluga with a new "gift."
After the last one, onion rings in his hair, Ben became frustrated. "Damn! What use is this? There's no way I can get any good result from saying these things!"
Beluga snorted. "Is that right? Check this. I'll use the same line I gave you and get a good result. Watch and learn." Beluga approached a woman and said the line.
She frowned. Several seconds later, she got up and left. Beluga watched her walk away as he nodded to himself. Then he turned around and swaggered back to Ben and Antonio with a triumphant smile. "Did you see that?"
Ben responded, "Yea…she just walked away."
Beluga's eyes glimmered, satisfied with Ben's answer. "Good. You understand…"
'What the f*ck do I understand?!?' Ben was confused.
Beluga saw Ben still hadn't grasped it so he clarified. "That was a good result."
…
Beluga continued. "Unlike you, she didn't hit me. She JUST walked away. That's charm," Beluga said with a raised chin.
…
'I think it's because you look like an insane person though…' Ben had different ideas. He sighed. 'Whatever. I have nothing to lose. Let's keep at it.' Ben continued to approach women. After the 10th one, something happened.
[User has unlocked Achievement system]
[Congratulations! You've unlocked the Achievement: Newbie Opener(common) – Open 10 women]
[Distributing reward: PUA Points + 100]
[Challenge system unlocked – User will receive a new challenge every week. If a challenge is completed, the challenge for the following week will unlock early]
[Weekly Challenge: It's a numbers game – Open 100 women]
[Reward: Stat Point(Random) x1]
[Completion status: 10/100]
Ben started panting. "Yes!" He screamed in the middle of the mall.
Beluga and Antonio glanced at him, wondering if he was having a breakdown.
'This is it! I've found my way out!' The system appeared again at last. Ben saw hope. He laughed off his outburst, reassuring Antonio and Beluga that he was only hit by a wave of motivation. Eager for more points, he wanted to approach more women. An even thirstier Ben was unleashed on the mall.
With madness and excitement in his eyes, he fired openers at women like a machine gun. His speaking tone became faster and more energetic. He figured being more high energy might improve his outcomes.
The women had a different perspective. A tweaker methhead was coming at them!
***
After a while, Ben heard a sound he had prayed for in his dreams.
[Congratulations! You've unlocked the Achievement: Shameless Assault Victim(uncommon) – Get assaulted by 3 women in one day]
[Distributing reward: PUA Points + 200]
Hot coffee dripped down Ben's face as he laughed like a crazy person. 'You can even receive points for that! Amazing!'
This was the path to becoming a masochist!
'150 more points and I can buy another Low Level Mystery Box!' Ben was becoming addicted to this "Game." Another helpless victim of micro-transactions.
All of a sudden, Ben heard another system sound and became even more ecstatic!
[Congratulations! You've unlocked the Achievement: Fugitive of Love (fine) – Get reported by 3 unknown women in one day for harassment]
The smile on Ben's face froze. '…This is bad.'
[Distributing reward: PUA Points + 500]
'Nevermind! Way to go Ben! History is told by the winners!'
To Ben, Points were king. Points were god.
——
*Author's Note: The system didn't recognize Penelope's interaction because he used a system item.
