James woke up in his own bed.
He was not alone.
To his horror, both of his companions from the previous night were cuddled up naked on either side of him.
Even worse, deep down inside of him, he kind of liked it.
Even though he knew he should go find Gina, he was forced to admit that he was tempted to go a second round with both of them.
[ System says go for it! This is Schrodinger's girlfriend. Gina may or may not be your girlfriend now, so going for it isn't really cheating. ]
James mentally berated his system. His system was supposed to be on his side as the most loyal friend.
[ System is being your most loyal friend, and System is telling you that you're overthinking the Gina situation. It is unlikely that you will get her back, so you may as well take what you have in front of you! ]
James shook his head silently. After the breakup and the incident last night, his system had strangely morphed from a cute, slightly dirty minded system into a full-on instigator.
James slipped quietly out of bed and drove over to Gina's place. He did not want to make his chances worse than they already were. He couldn't even imagine the look on her face when he had to admit that he had cheated on her less than a day after she had been forced to break up with him.
The first sign that something was wrong was when James saw a realtor's sign in front of the house with big red letters saying "SOLD!"
The second sign was when he knocked on the door and there was no reply.
The third, and most obvious sign, came when he climbed the fence to look through the interior windows and found them bare. The entire house looked bare. All the furniture was gone, and there was no evidence of anyone ever living there.
James pinched himself. It hurt. This was not a nightmare. This was truth.
Gina had broken up with him, maybe or maybe not out of her own free will, and now she had disappeared from his life completely. James looked down at the ring still on his right hand and felt a rage rising to blind his thoughts.
James screamed his frustration and anger into the air.
From the corner of his eye, James saw a neighbor poke his head out a window before picking up the phone. He was probably calling the police to report a strange intruder.
James went back to his car and drove off. The last thing he needed was a run-in with the law. He was part of The Organization now, and despite his emotions, it would be best if he kept a low profile outside.
As James drove back once more to his little room, he swore to himself. There was no more room for doubt, no more room for sentiment, no more room for emotion. He would destroy Phil, Phil's father, and The Organization if it was the last thing he did. Even if he had to sleep his way to the top.
Only by standing atop the ruins of his enemies would he be able to put to rest the pain in his heart and soul.
---
James arrived back in his room to see his two bedfellows panicking at his absence.
"What's the matter ladies?" James put on his game face and said suavely.
"There you are! We're supposed to take care of you in the morning before we leave." Lulu said.
"Hurry up and come here. We woke up all cold and lonely without you." Lili encouraged.
Knowing that these ladies might go back and report on his performance, and that he had to play along with his role in order to gain the trust of the Organization, James let himself be led into the bedroom.
[ Just because you have to, doesn't mean it has to be painful James. As far as you are concerned, she doesn't exist anymore. System recommends you take these as they come. ]
James knew his system was right. It was easier to fake being compliant if he could psych himself into partaking freely in the benefits of doing so.
From today, the old James Joseph Jones is dead. Long live Sanjay.
Once more, he did his duty enthusiastically, leaving the two ladies satisfied with his performance.
---
After they had left, James sat back down in front of his computer. The past month had been a pleasant distraction, and a mirage of false hope.
Now, It was time to finish the missions and get on with his gambling career. He had a game to play next month.
[ Mission: It's Just a Number - 9,000 / 10,000 hands played. ]
[ Mission: A Clean Slate - 2,500 / 5,000 hands won. ]
[ Current Money: -$59,950. Current Winnings: -$59,950. Lifetime Winnings: -$59,949 ]
James grinded online poker for the rest of the day.
The truth was, poker tended to be a boring game, especially online and over a large volume of hands. There were very few hands that stood out to James. Most of them were played in a few super standard ways.
First, fold a crappy hand pre-flop. Second, open with a strong hand, and everyone else folds to you, picking up only the blinds. Third, open with a strong hand, someone calls, and then folds to your continuation bet. Fourth, you call someone's open and fold when you don't hit. Fifth, both of you play your hands super standard and don't get out of line.
James stuck to these key tenets. At the micro-stakes he was playing online, these were good enough to guarantee a high winning percentage and served to drill the basics of ABC poker. In fact, despite the limited progress he had made in terms of absolute dollars, he was winning an average of about 28 big blinds per hundred hands, which was a phenomenal rate.
Finally, after more than fourteen hours of play, James had completed his first mission.
[ Mission Completed: It's Just a Number ]
[ Achievement Unlocked: My Mind and My Money ]
[ Win or lose, the amount of money you bet no longer affects you. You have taken a large leap forward on your quest to being the God of Gamblers. ]
[ Reward: Calm Mind ]
[ Perk unlocked: Calm Mind - You are no longer mentally affected by money, and will be less affected by external factors such as trash talk, unfortunate circumstances, or bad luck. Your actions are governed by logic and rationality. A means to an end. ]
[ Your mind is like a still lake, deep and calm. With this state, you now know that all System has suggested in the past is true. ]
Despite himself, James smirked. Even when dishing out rewards, his system could not resist having a dig at him for previously ignoring its recommendations.
James reflected for a little while. He could feel his thoughts becoming clearer and more purposeful. With each breath, he strengthened his resolve to see his course through to the end. Although he may have had second thoughts about whether doing the two girls was necessary this morning, he now knew that if given the choice again, he would execute without hesitation. He would even take genuine hedonistic pleasure from the action, reasoning that it would give him the ability to fit in better with Phil and eventually get even with him.
James nodded to himself. He was once again grateful for the aid of his system. Not only was his system able to help him train his knowledge and occasionally turn the tables on luck, now his system was even able to make changes to his basic psyche. James looked forward to learning more about what else his system could do in the future. It looked like he could truly be limitless.
[ This is only the beginning. If System were so weak, then System would be called Prince of Gamblers or Gambling System. Instead, System is the God of Gambling System. Are Gods so simple that this is all they can do? Find out more after you spend money to complete the tutorial stage! ]
James shook his head once more. For all the hyperbole and personality that his system spit out, it still couldn't resist advertising for more money.
[ What else do you expect? System is hungry. You are $60,000 in debt. It will be a long time before System gets to eat again. ]
James mentally patted his system. He would do his best.
---
Three days passed as James continued grinding his second mission.
Even though the number of hands required was smaller than the first mission, the secondary requirement of losing a hand prior to winning a hand meant that it was harder to complete.
In fact, if James tried to deliberately fold to create a losing situation, his system would refuse to consider the requirement met.
James could only do it the long, slow, and hard way.
Finally, the long awaited notification came.