<h4>Chapter 17: The Bet.</h4>
Hugo sat on the plush leather couch in Sanchez''s mansion, absently scrolling through his system status.
The moment he had gotten back, he had hurriedly checked the rewards of the level up from earlier.
To be honest, he was a bit disappointed...
[Ding! Host has leveled up!
Host has received 50 UHS Credits!
Host has received 50 UHS Points!
Allocating Random Stat point... Ding! Stat point has been added to Charisma!]
Apart from the stat point added to his charisma, the other rewards didn''t excite him as much. He would have loved for it to be another aura, or aura skill. That was what could help him currently.
After speaking with the system for a bit, he had discovered that he would only receive an aura and aura skill when he had a major level up.
And the next major level was still level 5!
Although the UHS credits were also used to purchase auras, he didn''t have enough credits yet.
The UHS points, on the other hand, were used to unlock gift boxes which contained enchanted items. Obviously, Hugo couldn''t do that here.
He shook his head bitterly and checked his stats.
[Stats]
Looks: 3
[With a face like that, it''s no wonder your reflection tries to escape the mirror every morning.]
Charisma: 1
[Your charisma is so low, even your own shadow refuses to follow you.]
Communication: 1
[Communication skills? Barely. But hey, at least your attempts at small talk make great cringeption material.]
Alpha: 1
[With an alpha score of one, you''re still not the alpha of your own dreams. Maybe try knitting?]
Status: 2.5
[A status score of 2.5 means your imaginary friends can barely remember you as the guy who fart-sneezed during orientation...]
He was just about to close the tab when his eyes caught something.
His heart leapt in his chest.
"What the hell?!" Hugo shrieked, frantically tapping on the screen as if hitting it harder would magically restore his points.
[Status: 2.5] the system red back, nonchnt as always.
"System! Why the hell have my points dropped?" Hugo demanded.
[Because you can''t ride the bike, dumbass.]
Hugo''s eyes bulged. ''Are you serious? I can''t get full points because I can''t ride a bike? I''m practically a pro at driving cars!''
"How hard can it be to ride a glorified tricycle?" he muttered.
Sanchez, perched on the arm of the couch, chuckled. "Well, for you, it could be a life-threatening adventure. Remember when you tried to rollerde?"
"Hey, that was a one-time thing! I thought I was going to glide like a swan, not facent into a bush!" Hugo retorted, crossing his arms indignantly.
Sanchez shook his head,ughing. "Alright, alright. I''ll teach you. You know I was a beast on the track before I made it big. I''ll get you sorted."
"Great! I can totally do this!" Hugo eximed, his confidence bubbling back up. "Just let me show off my skills—"
Just as Hugo was about to begin his own drivers pitch, Sanchez''s phone rang.
After a brief, tense conversation, Sanchez sighed and hung up. "Damn it, I gotta leave for an urgent meeting. Sorry, bro, I can''t teach you right now."
Hugo''s heart sank, but Sanchez wasn''t finished, he sent a message to someone on his phone. "Don''t worry, though. I''ll send Lisa to teach you."
Hugo''s eyebrows shot up. "Lisa? Isn''t she... like... the finest girl on your team?"
Hugo had not been at Sanchez''s house for long, but he had been hearing things. He knew most of the other dudes that worked for his cousin were simping for this Lisa like crazy.
Sanchez smirked knowingly. "Yup, and before you get any funny ideas, no one has ever managed to woo her. She''s like the queen of cold shoulders."
Hugo''spetitive spirit kicked in. Didn''t he have a system designed to solve that? "What if I could... you know... change that?"
Sanchezughed out loud. "Bro, if you can get Lisa to sleep with you, I''ll give you fifty thousand dors. But trust me, you have a better chance of taming a lion with a stick of celery."
Challenge epted. "Deal."
Sanchez chuckled, shaking his head, his internal thoughts practically written on his face. This guy''s out of his mind. Fifty grand? Yeah, right.
Even he had failed to woo that girl! She was a block of ice!
Just then, the door creaked open behind Hugo, and a soft, sultry voice spoke. "You need me?"
Hugo froze. He hadn''t even turned around yet, but the sound of her voice was enough to make his knees buckle.
Slowly, he swiveled, only to be met with the sight of Lisa standing there — a goddess of curves, confidence, and drop-dead beauty.
Hugo''s jaw dropped so dramatically he feared it might hit the floor. His mind was nk, utterly wiped clean.
The world slowed down as he took in her perfectly styled brown hair, her wless skin, and those grey eyes that seemed to see right through his very soul.
It was like a movie moment — except in Hugo''s head, the soundtrack was him internally screaming;
''Atina!''
The system chimed in, interrupting his reverie.
n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
[SYSTEM EVALUATION: Lisa — 8/10. Impressive physical attributes. Extremely low probability of sessful wooing.]
"An eight?!" Hugo whispered in disbelief. He almost felt insulted for Lisa. Surely she was a ten! A twelve! The system clearly didn''t appreciate true beauty.
Lisa raised an eyebrow, catching Hugo mid-whisper. "What was that?"
Hugo''s brain scrambled. "Oh! Uh... nothing! Just... um... admiring your... uh... shoes?"
Lisa nced down at her sneakers. "Right. You ready to learn how to ride that bike, or are you nning to keep drooling?"
Sanchez snorted in the background, thoroughly entertained. He could barely contain hisughter. ''Well, there''s your ''you can''t woo her'' dilemma right there!'' he thought.
Hugo snapped out of it, straightening up. "Oh, yeah! Totally ready. I''m a natural with cars, so this''ll be easy for me. You just have to... you know, guide me through it. Maybe... hold onto me for bnce?"
Lisa rolled her eyes. "Let''s see if you can even stay upright on the bike first."
Sanchez, meanwhile, had onest chuckle before walking out, thinking to himself, ''This is gonna be hrious.''