Chapter 4

The next morning, I decisively called the office to take another day off.

I'd left Snow locked at home, giving her a million warnings not to wander off or reveal her true form.

She had nodded obediently, looking as sweet as a kitten. But I had a sinking feeling that this calm was just the prelude to a disaster.

As expected, my intuition was spot on.

I'd barely stepped into the office when my best friend and college roommate, Will Hammer, sidled up to me with a gossipy smirk on his face. "Whoa, Charlie, what's the deal with you today?"

"You look like death warmed over. Did you have a wild night out with some campus beauty and go a little too hard?" Will winked suggestively.

I rolled my eyes and snapped, "Get lost! My night was way more exhausting than a date."

"Oh?" Will's interest was piqued instantly. "Do tell. Is there some juicy secret you're keeping from me?"

There was a secret. But if I told you, you'd probably have me committed.

"It's nothing. I just had a really weird dream," I said, trying to brush him off.

Right then, the office's most beautiful woman, Lily Winters, strolled past us in her high heels.

She was wearing a pale blue dress today, looking perfectly sweet and a bit aloof.

She was the girl of every guy's dreams in the office.

I stole a glance at Lily's back as she walked away. I let my mind wander. If only my life could be as calm and effortless as hers, how wonderful would that be?

But a split second later, the system's voice exploded in my head again. "The host has come into contact with an attractive girl, Lily Winters. Side quest triggered.

"The side quest is to express your affection to Lily. The reward for success is to add 10 points to 'Charisma,' while the punishment for failure will be one random 'Social Suicide Debuff.'"

I was floored. My entire body went rigid.

Express my affection to Lily? Now? Right here?

I looked around; it was the morning rush, and colleagues were streaming into the office in droves.

Will was still hovering right next to me, waiting for his daily dose of gossip.

If I actually went through with this, I might as well resign on the spot.

"System!" I roared internally. "Are you freaking kidding me? This isn't a confession. It's straight-up social suicide."

The system replied coldly, "Please be advised, the quest is live. Countdown initiated with 30 minutes."

Thirty minutes!

I felt a cold sweat break out all over. A "Social Suicide Debuff" sounded like the last thing on earth I wanted to deal with.

"Charlie, you okay? Why do you look so pale?" Will looked at me with confusion. "Don't tell me you actually have a secret so scandalous it's turning you pale?"

I ignored him, my eyes locked onto Lily's back. She had already reached her desk and was organizing her files.

A confession? A zero-prep, zero-vibe, zero-hope confession? I could already feel the awkwardness.

"System, can I swap the quest? Or at least give me a hint on how to do this without it being a total train wreck?" I asked tentatively.

The system replied, "No hints were provided. Use your own discretion. Just so you know, our selection of 'Social Suicide Debuff' is vast and varied. We guarantee there's one that'll fit you perfectly."

I was speechless as I cursed inwardly.

I took a deep breath, trying to pull myself together.

Lily, I am so sorry. But to build up my resistance and avoid an even more horrific social suicide, I have no choice.

I started moving, my steps mechanical as I walked toward Lily's desk.

Every step felt like I was walking on eggshells. My heart was pounding so hard it was like the entire office could hear it.

"Ch-Charlie?" Lily looked up as I approached, a flicker of confusion crossing her eyes.

I stood by her desk, feeling like every single pair of eyes in the office was glued to me.

Will was practically leaning in, wearing a look that said he was ready for a train wreck.

I took a deep breath.

Attempting a tone I thought was soulful but probably sounded more like I was struggling with a bout of constipation, I choked out, "L-Lily... Actually, I-I like you."

The second the words left my mouth, the entire office went dead silent.

Lily's expression shifted from confusion to shock, and then... awkwardness.

A flush crept up her cheeks, but it wasn't out of shyness; it looked more like sheer embarrassment.

I even caught a hint of genuine distaste in her eyes.

Meanwhile, Will was gaping at me, his eyes bulging like he'd just seen a ghost.

The coworkers nearby were whispering, some stifling their laughter behind their hands, and a few wore that smug, "I knew it" look.

My face was absolutely scarlet. I wanted nothing more than for the earth to open up and swallow me whole.

This was the definition of a social suicide.

Lily frowned slightly as she gave her glasses a crisp nudge up the bridge of her nose.

Her voice was cool and maintained a strictly professional distance. "Charlie, are you still half-asleep?

"The company has a strict policy against office romances. Besides... I don't think we even know each other that well."

Leave it to the office's most beautiful woman to be that blunt and efficient with a rejection.

It felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head, chilling me to the bone.

The system said, "The host's confession failed. Snow's mood is +10. The current mood is 95. The side quest failed. Random 'Social Suicide Debuff' is generating..."

Wait, what? Why did Snow's mood go up just because I got rejected? And more importantly, another social suicide was coming?

I couldn't care less about Snow's mood or Lily's icy glare. My mind was locked on that one line from the system, "Random 'Social Suicide Debuff' is generating..."

A split second later, a bizarre surge of energy erupted from deep within my chest, shooting straight up my throat.

I couldn't hold it back and cough up a thick, muscular, flickering... snake tongue.

That was right, a snake tongue. It was bright red and forked, darting out of my mouth in a flash before whipping back inside.

I even let out a low, reptilian hiss.

The colleagues who had been enjoying the drama were instantly turned to stone.

Lily bolted upright, stumbling back several paces with her eyes wide, staring at me as if I were a monster.

Will's jaw dropped so far one could have fit a jumbo-sized egg in his mouth.

I was speechless.

I'm not even human anymore. I've turned into a snake.

The system said, "Congratulations to the host on receiving the 'Social Suicide Debuff,' the 'Serpent's Tongue.'

"The duration is 24 hours. The effect is whenever the host experiences strong emotions, he will randomly flick a snake's tongue and emit reptilian hisses."

The world went dark before my eyes. This wasn't just social suicide. It was total social extinction.