Karl stared at his phone screen, his brow furrowed. He reread the instructions for the third Tutorial Quest multiple times, ensuring he wasn't misunderstanding anything.
"Raise your right hand every time you hear a horn? Seriously?"
He glanced out of his apartment window, searching for a suitable target for this quest. The streets below were fairly busy. Cars zipped by, and the occasional honk pierced the air.
On the corner of the sidewalk, a middle-aged man in a gray jacket stood waiting for a bus. His face looked tired, perhaps after a long day of work.
Karl smirked. "Alright, sir. You'll be my guinea pig this time."
He opened the manipulation column in the app and began typing:
> "The target will feel that raising their right hand every time they hear a horn is the most natural and reasonable response."
At the bottom was the duration column. Karl typed:
> "Duration: 5 Minutes"
However, the duration field immediately grayed out, and a small message appeared below:
---
[⚠️ Duration Feature is not yet available. Complete the Tutorial Quests to unlock full access.]
---
Karl scowled. "What do you mean it's not available? I can't control how long this effect lasts?"
He tapped on the message, hoping for more explanation, but no additional information popped up.
"So I'm stuck with the default duration? How long even is that?"
As if responding to his question, a small window appeared on the screen:
---
[System Information 📚]
Manipulation duration during the Tutorial phase is automatically set by the system and cannot be adjusted by the user. Full access to duration settings will unlock after completing the 20th Tutorial Quest.
---
Karl let out an annoyed huff. "So I really have to finish all these quests first, huh? Fine, I'll play along… for now."
With some reluctance, he deleted the duration entry and pressed the [YES] button.
He looked down at the man in the gray jacket. Almost immediately, the man stiffened as the distant sound of a car horn echoed through the street. With a reflexive motion, he raised his right hand high, like a student eager to answer a question in class.
Karl nearly burst into laughter. Every time a horn blared—whether from a car or a motorcycle—the man obediently raised his right hand again and again. A few people nearby started to notice, some chuckling quietly, others wearing confused expressions.
A little kid pointed at the man, giggling uncontrollably. His mother tried, and failed, to suppress a smile.
Karl covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders shaking with restrained laughter. "This… this is too ridiculous!"
After a few minutes, the manipulation effect seemed to fade. The man lowered his hand and frowned slightly, as if trying to recall something. But, as the system had explained, that confused expression quickly vanished, replaced by a neutral look as if nothing had happened.
Karl's phone buzzed lightly.
---
[Tutorial Quest Progress: 3/20]
[Uncommon Points: 30]
---
Karl smiled in satisfaction, but his thoughts lingered on the limitation of the duration setting.
"If I could control the duration, I could make someone do something for a longer time… or even forever."
He began pacing around his room, trying to shake off the unease creeping into his mind. This app gave him immense power, but it also restricted his moves—for now.
"But… this means the system has a hierarchy. There are limitations I need to unlock one by one. It's like a tiered game."
He opened the app again and examined the Manipulation Hub menu. The icon for duration settings remained locked, a tiny padlock symbol beside it, with the text below reading:
"Complete the Tutorial to unlock this feature."
Karl sighed deeply. "Alright, your game, your rules. But I'll finish this tutorial as fast as possible."
He scrolled to the next quest on the list.
---
[Tutorial Quest 4/20]
Objective: Make one person feel that sitting on the ground in a crowded area is the most comfortable and reasonable thing to do.
Reward: +10 Uncommon Points
---
Karl raised an eyebrow. "These quests just keep getting weirder, huh?"
He glanced out the window again. This time, he spotted a teenage girl in a school uniform walking by with a large bag. She looked exhausted and occasionally wiped her forehead.
Karl tilted his head. "Perfect target. But… am I really okay with doing this over and over?"
Doubt started creeping into his thoughts. While the effects of the manipulations seemed funny and harmless, there was still something that felt… off.
"But I've already started this. I can't stop halfway. At least, I need to finish these 20 quests first."
Karl took a deep breath, straightened his shoulders, and began typing in the manipulation column.
"The target will feel that sitting on the ground in a crowded area is the most comfortable and reasonable thing to do.
He pressed [YES].
Instantly, the teenage girl stopped walking, glanced around in mild confusion, then slowly set down her bag and sat cross-legged on the sidewalk. Passersby gave her odd looks.
Karl watched his phone screen with a small smile. "Quest four, done."
---
[Tutorial Quest Progress: 4/20]
[Uncommon Points: 40]
---
But deep down, a quiet question whispered in his mind:
"What will happen if I complete all these quests? And… what price will I have to pay for this power?"
Karl stared blankly at his phone for a moment before closing the app temporarily. Outside, life continued as usual—except now with one teenager sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk for no apparent reason.
Karl exhaled slowly. The fourth quest was done, yet the anxiety gnawing at him only grew stronger. He looked back out the window. The teenage girl eventually stood up, picked up her bag, and continued walking as if nothing strange had happened.
"They really don't realize what's happening… even the targets themselves seem completely normal after the effect wears off," Karl muttered.
Before he could think further, his phone vibrated again. A new notification appeared:
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[System Warning ⚠️]
Only the selected target will be affected by the manipulation. Others around the target will retain their normal perceptions and memories.
Additionally, memory reconstruction only applies to the manipulated target. Other observers will remember the strange event exactly as it happened.
Please consider this when planning large-scale manipulations.
---
Karl read the message carefully. The lines on his forehead deepened as clarity dawned on him.
"So… only the target's mind gets altered. Everyone else watching will still remember all the weird stuff happening in front of them. But weirdly… they don't react much. It's like their brains just file it away as 'some random strange thing.'"
His phone buzzed again with additional information.
---
[System Explanation 🧠]
Manipulated Target: Only the selected individual will experience changes in logic and perception.
Surrounding Environment: Other individuals remain unaffected, and their passive reactions are because the manipulation before seems minor or silly.
Memory Reconstruction: Only the manipulated target's memory will be reconstructed to avoid confusion or realization of changes.
Note: Mistakes in target selection or overly conspicuous manipulations may attract unwanted attention.
---
Karl swallowed hard. "So if I mess up and pick the wrong target in the wrong place, people could start getting suspicious. They might not immediately suspect me… but the risk is there."
He sat on the edge of his bed, staring seriously at his phone. Everything felt much more dangerous than he had initially thought. These manipulations might seem funny now, but in the wrong hands—or with one small mistake—they could lead to disaster.
Another notification appeared:
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[Tutorial Quest 5/20]
Objective: Make one person feel that counting their steps while walking is the most important and urgent thing to do.
Reward: +10 Uncommon Points
---
Karl stared at the new quest with a mix of amusement and frustration.
"Counting steps?"