"Hi, I'm Gabriella and I'll be showing you the ropes!" The young lady beamed as she introduced herself, exuding an immediately accommodating vibe.
Her smile was bright and genuine, showcasing a set of pearly whites that seemed to radiate warmth. Her hair was a shade of golden dust, falling in gentle waves around her shoulders, perfectly complementing her prim checkered suit. Her youthful freckled face seemed to glow, as if she carried the warmth and brightness of the sun itself.
Ortega estimated she was around his age, perhaps even younger, and he felt an immediate sense of ease and familiarity with her.
{Alert! New quest detected!}
{It's your first day at work, and your connections with your coworkers are your superpowers. Build rapport with your superiors to improve your position in the hierarchy.}
Target: Gabriella Sinclair
Marital status: Single
Attraction stage: Initial attraction stage
Level of approval: 10%
{Your goal is to raise her impression of you. Here are some tips to consider: Perform your best, show respect, be professional, communicate effectively, and acknowledge achievements.}
{Does the user accept the challenge?}
{A. Yes B. No C. Later}
Ortega raised a brow at this development, but it wasn't out of surprise. He was getting accustomed to the system's manner of operation and could deduce that its main purpose was to transform him into the ideal business overlord, and climbing the social ladder was one of the steps.
Ortega chose 'Yes' without hesitation, motivated by the rewards to be reaped if he managed to complete the quest. He also wasn't happy with his 'Omega' rank and wished to level up soon.
{User has accepted!}
{Challenge: Befriend Gabriella is now in progress...}
{Challenge description: Gabriella's position in BeautyPlus is higher than yours, and as a result, that makes her your superior, but her impression of you is not satisfactory. Improve your relationship with her to the next stage.}
Ortega greeted Gabriella with a smile as they shook hands. He took notice of her well-manicured fingers before meeting her gaze. He then stood tall and respectfully placed his hands behind his back, bowing slightly.
"It's an honor to have you as my mentor, Gabriella. I look forward to learning from you."
Gabriella was surprised to learn that she would be overseeing the orientation of a new staff member. Her superiors had not mentioned that the person was male, which was uncommon for their company. However, Gabriella saw it as a positive change and wanted to make him feel welcome.
Nevertheless, she did not approve of him yet. Gabriella was friendly and approachable, but when it came to work, she was strict and treated everyone equally. Ortega, the new staff member, was unaware of this.
As she watched him bow, Gabriella rolled her eyes at his old-fashioned behavior.
"You don't have to do that you know, we're age mates." Gabriella chuckled and began walking. Ortega followed behind her, a discreet smile forming on his face. That was because of the notification he just received.
{+5%}
{Current level of approval (15%)}
The system awarded points for being polite and Gabriella's perception of him had improved by a notch. Now all he had to do was apply the tips given by the system and her approval would be a hundred percent in no time.
Their shoes clicked almost rhythmically against the glossed marble floor as they made their way to the cubicles. Ortega observed the busy environment and was made aware of one glaring fact he failed to notice the first time he arrived at BeautyPlus. Everyone—the clerks, receptionists, and even cleaners were all women—it was still unbelievable how such a thing could go unnoticed if one didn't look clearly, and Ortega felt he would have a hard time adjusting to such a rarity.
They were currently on the fourth floor of the company, which housed the marketing department. Gabriella, the marketing manager was briefing Ortega on the layout of the area so he could easily navigate the next time he came. It was the first day of work for him so he needed to have an understanding of his responsibilities as a marketing specialist.
"The room to your left is our market research facility, it's where we analyze customer needs and market trends." Gabriella articulated, and Ortega diligently took notes as she showed him around. Glancing at him from the corner of her eyes, Gabriella was pleased that Ortega took his job seriously. She pointed to a nearby hall and continued, "Over there is the cafeteria or lunch room... Whatever you wish to call it, and the place we're heading to is the cubicles, where your workspace will soon be allocated."
{Ding!}
{+5%}
{Current level of approval (20%)}
Achievement unlocked! {Title: Diligent Employee}
{Earn a nod of approval from a superior.}
{10 Exp points have been awarded.}
Ortega had his eyes focused on the notifications as they popped up, so he didn't notice when Gabriella abruptly stopped, and since he was walking closely behind her, he wasn't able to stop his body from bumping into hers.
Apart from being startled by the accident, a slight brush of his crotch against her round, perky backside made his face turn red with embarrassment as he failed to keep the reaction of his lower region at bay.
"My bad, I was lost in my notes." Ortega apologized, smiling sheepishly as he spoke.
"It's okay," Gabriella sighed as she turned to face him, her expression dismissive, "Accidents happen." Reflexively, her eyes checked to see if he was alright but quickly gazed elsewhere when she noticed the bulge in his pants.
Gabriella cleared her throat, then said with a clipped tone, "I'll leave you to your devices, then. Your workspace is room A7. As for your assignment, I need you to analyze the market trends for our upcoming product launch by the end of the day. And make sure it's thorough—I don't have time for half-baked reports."
After saying that, she turned and quickly made a beeline for the staff room, leaving Ortega to his thoughts.
{Alert!}
{Target sees you as a pervert and her impression of you has dropped. Therefore, 10% will be deducted from your amassed total.}
{Level of approval (10%)}
"Great..." Ortega facepalmed. He was back to phase one all because of a silly mistake. Ortega scratched his head but soon decided not to overthink the matter and headed to his workspace. He had gotten to his desk and began working when the familiar ding echoed.
Quest: Building rapport with your superiors is still in progress...
Target(s): Gabriella Sinclair
Marital status: Single
Attraction stage: Initial attraction stage
Level of approval: 10%
{Time left: 14 days}
Punishment: Job loss.
Reward: ???
Ortega understood why the system gave him more time to complete the challenge. It was because building a relationship took considerable time and effort, especially for someone like him who lacked experience when it came to dealing with the opposite sex. However, what he lacked in the personal aspect, he made up for it in a professional setting. Two weeks was good enough time to complete the challenge and he felt he was off to a good start, even though his progress was affected by the incident earlier.
He knew what he had to do, and that was to focus on his work and let things play out the way they should. He knew she was bound to forget about the incident. It's not like he could reverse what she saw, after all, it was his hormones acting up and he already apologized.
For now, keeping his job was a priority, everything else came second.