Dick shuffled into the bathroom, dragging his aching legs over the cold tiles. The scent of bleach lingered from earlier, a reminder of his little incident. Still, he felt a smirk creeping up the side of his face.
Dick's smirk grew darker as the thought twisted in his mind. It wasn't a secret—Sirius and Clara had been cheating on each other for years. His father, a disgusting cuckold, practically whored Clara out to anyone with money or status to gain. Hell, the man was probably too busy screwing one of his secretaries right now to care. The head butler, Jonas, sure as hell knew. His girlfriend, Stacey, got pegged by Sirius every week like clockwork, and that old ass-kisser didn't bat an eye. He'd probably eat Sirius's spunk right out of her cunt if it meant keeping his job.
After his shower, Dick tossed his soaked clothes into the hamper, avoiding the mirror as much as possible. He grabbed a random book from the dusty shelf near his bed and collapsed onto the mattress, its springs groaning under his weight. His fingers traced the title Human Psychology: Advanced Perspectives — a book Melissa had left behind, no doubt expecting him to be too dumb to ever touch it.
"Intelligence grind," he muttered. "Let's see what you've got."
Flipping through the pages, his eyes glazed over the fancy terms and dense paragraphs. Melissa would probably laugh her ass off if she knew he was even trying to read this crap. It was about time he hit that second stage of the quest. Develop intelligence, they said. Get smarter, manipulate situations…
He forced himself to focus on the book, trying to absorb the theories about manipulation and influence. He read about how the brain reacts to fear and dominance, about how power structures crumble when you exploit the right psychological weaknesses. A strange fire flickered inside him. Maybe this crap wasn't useless after all.
"Manipulate situations…" he muttered again, the gears in his head starting to turn.
What if that's what Melissa had been doing to him this whole time? He had always suspected it. The fake smiles, the little pats on the back right before she pushed him into the lion's den with Jessica. She'd used her intelligence against him. But this time, he was going to use it to fight back.
"Gotta get this higher," he muttered, scanning the next chapter about conversational traps and emotional vulnerability. The concept of using empathy as a weapon caught his attention. Emotional manipulation. That's Melissa's game. He nodded to himself. It made sense now. All her fake kindness, her soft voice—it was just another tool to keep him in check. But once he mastered that same skill, she'd be the one second-guessing every word.
Time ticked by, the words sinking in deeper as his mind finally started to grasp the basics. He wasn't stupid. Not really. He just never had a reason to push himself before. But now, with the Dominance Protocol fueling him, he could feel the edges of his old, beaten-down self sharpening.
A soft ping echoed in his mind.
[System Notification: Task Update: Intelligence stat raised by +1.]
Dick blinked at the notification, a small smirk forming on his lips. This shit really works.
Yawning, Dick dragged himself off the bed. His body ached from the earlier workout, but a new task burned in his mind. Task 2: Implement basic hygiene and grooming habits to boost Charm. He had showered earlier, but that clearly wasn't enough. The system had expectations—regular routines, not just a one-off cleanse. He needed more, something beyond his usual sloppy habits.
His eyes drifted toward Clara's bedroom. The one place he wasn't supposed to be. She had an arsenal of high-end beauty products in there—expensive creams, oils, toners, all lined up in neat rows like a fortress of vanity. She'd never notice a few missing, right? She had too many to keep track of them all. Still, if she caught him...
He shook off the thought and tiptoed down the hall, moving like a shadow past the family's photos on the wall.
The door to Clara's room creaked as he pushed it open. His heart raced, half-expecting her to be sitting inside, waiting to humiliate him. But the room was empty. He stepped inside, moving toward the vanity where rows of beauty products gleamed under the light.
"Fucking jackpot," he muttered under his breath, his hand hovering over the designer bottles. He grabbed a small vial of face serum, something with an absurd name like "Revitalize Luxe" or some bullshit. There was no way she'd notice a little bit gone. With shaky hands, he unscrewed the cap and dabbed some on his fingertips before smearing it across his pockmarked face.
A cold tingle hit his skin, and for a moment, he felt ridiculous. What the hell was he doing? But then the system buzzed faintly in his mind, acknowledging the effort. Charm stat: +0.01. It wasn't much, but it was a start.
Dick glanced at the perfume bottles but hesitated. Clara was too meticulous—she'd sniff out even the faintest whiff of something she recognized on his father. Jessica and Melissa were no different. Their cruelty would intensify if they caught him trying to mask his stench with something as obvious as perfume. He needed to be smarter than that.
Instead, he scanned the other creams, focusing on the labels. His eyes landed on something promising—"AcneCleanse Pro." It looked expensive, the kind of product designed for people with flawless skin who freaked out over a single pimple. He unscrewed the cap and dabbed some on his face. The cream tingled, promising to do what years of neglect never had: kill the acne that littered his face like landmines.
Satisfied, Dick slunk out of Clara's room, making sure to leave everything exactly how he found it. The last thing he needed was for them to notice. He made his way back to his room and collapsed onto his chair, facing his one prized possession: his gaming rig.
It wasn't just a computer—it was a beast. Eight cooling fans whirred inside its custom case, lined with LED lights that flashed blue and green like a goddamn nightclub. The monitor was massive, ultra-thin with enough resolution to make even the crappiest game look sharp. His headset, wired in, offered surround sound good enough to make him forget where he was. If it wasn't for this setup, he'd have lost his mind a long time ago. This was where he held power, where people respected him—even if they had no idea who he really was.
He fired up the web browser, his fingers moving quickly across the greasy keyboard. The search bar filled with his query: "how to improve body odor naturally."
The first few results were predictable—basic hygiene tips he had ignored for years: shower regularly, wear deodorant, wash your clothes. No shit. He scrolled past until something caught his eye. "10 Powerful Herbs to Control Odor." He clicked it.
The page loaded with a list of herbs—sage, rosemary, thyme—along with a section about diet. It suggested cutting out greasy junk food and adding leafy greens and citrus fruits. Dick frowned. That was going to be a challenge. His diet mainly consisted of energy drinks, chips, and whatever fast food he could sneak past his father.
He clicked "Download Full Guide," watching as the progress bar zipped across the screen before the familiar WinRAR window popped up. Trial Version: Buy Premium? flashed across his screen.
Dick smirked. "Yeah, right," he muttered, closing the pop-up. Who the hell bought WinRAR?
The file opened, revealing a bunch of bland PDFs with tips that felt more like nagging than advice: "drink more water," "avoid processed foods," "use natural soap."
"Fucking great," he grumbled, scrolling through. Sage. Rosemary. Lemon water. It was like someone's mom put this together. He glanced at the unopened energy drink on his desk and sighed. The system wanted changes. He had to grind this shit if he wanted real progress.
Still, some part of him—maybe the part that still hadn't given up—saw the value. His body was trash right now, and even if this guide felt lame, there was no escaping the fact that his hygiene was one of the biggest obstacles in his transformation. He couldn't stand there covered in piss, reeking of gamer sweat, and expect his plan to work.
Charm wouldn't fix itself overnight, not when his reflection was a daily reminder of failure.
A message from the Dominance Protocol pinged in his mind, as if it sensed his hesitation.
[Task Added: "Self-Care Routine."
Objective: Establish a daily hygiene and grooming habit.
Brush teeth twice a day
Use body wash and shampoo in showers
Apply face care products to improve skin condition
Reward: 3 GP (per day).]
"Great," he muttered, standing up. The file had been useless, but the system wasn't. He made his way to the bathroom. First, he rummaged through the clutter on the sink and found a half-used tube of toothpaste. "Minty fresh, here I come," he muttered.
The shower was next as he didn't use any shampoo or soap after his "workout." Cold water hit his skin, sending shivers down his spine, but it helped wake him up. The steam filled the bathroom, fogging up the mirror as he stepped out, cleaner but still worn down. Step one, complete.
[Task Complete: Self-Care Routine (Day 1).
Reward: 3 GP.]
Dick glanced at the window. The sun was setting, casting an orange glow over the estate. He knew his step-family would be back soon, and with them, the usual barrage of insults.
Returning to his sanctuary, Dick's mind spun with a single thought. I need more people. The system required conquests, more targets, and his current pool was limited to his tormentors at home. The Morgan family—Clara, Jessica, Melissa, Emily—each had their vulnerabilities, but what then? There was only so much ground to conquer in this house.
He stared at his gaming setup, his fingers itching to lose himself in the familiar grind, but something had shifted. The system had already laid out its demands: dominance wasn't going to be achieved sitting in his room. He needed more. But how the hell was he supposed to do that? He barely left the house unless Clara was dragging him around like her personal lackey.
His thoughts churned. 'I need to meet new people. Grow my social network. Build connections. Except…' Dick scowled, glancing at the stats screen. His charm was laughable zero, and his social skills were… well, non-existent. Fuck, he could barely talk to people without stammering or sounding like an idiot.
The idea of working flitted through his mind—some shitty minimum-wage job to get out there, meet co-workers, and potential targets. But that wouldn't be enough, would it? The system wouldn't reward mediocrity. He needed more opportunities, more powerful figures to pull down and manipulate. The more social leverage they had, the better. The more satisfying.
His eyes flickered to the empty soda cans piling up on his desk. School. College. It wasn't something Dick had ever seriously considered. His grades had been shit, and after finishing high school, the idea of going back had felt like a nightmare. But now… university would be a perfect hunting ground. An environment filled with people who were already in relationships, climbing their way through life, ripe for manipulation.
It makes sense. I can't dominate from my room.
Dick sat up, the realization settling in his gut. University wasn't some impossible dream anymore. He'd barely scraped through high school, sure, but with the system behind him, maybe—just maybe—he could pull it off. He could take the entrance exams, score well enough to get in. And once he was there, the campus would be his new battlefield.
He opened his browser, searching for details on local universities. His fingers clicked over to entrance exam prep guides. It wasn't like he had ever planned for this, but if he wanted to play this game and win, he'd need to go all in.
His intelligence was pathetic, but he wasn't stupid. Research topics. That was part of his self-improvement grind, wasn't it? Slowly, he would start hacking away at his limitations. This is just another mission. Every page he clicked through, every prep material he downloaded, it was like looting gear before a big boss fight.
Daily tasks. He could ace those. Study in the mornings, hit the gym in the afternoons. Improve his physique, prepare for the exams, and slowly build himself up. As his intelligence and charm improved, so would his ability to manipulate and dominate. The system would reward him. He'd see to that.
A new quest flickered on his screen:
[New task: "Education for Power":
Objective: Enroll in a university, do a proper score in the entrance exams, and begin a new phase of conquest.
Reward: 50 General Points. Unlock new social territories.]
Dick smirked. The game was just getting started.