Common Sense Manipulation App

Kar leaned back. With a blank expression, he stared at the phone screen displaying his latest quest.

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[Tutorial Quest 10/20]

Objective: Make someone believe that standing for 10 seconds before sitting down makes the body feel more relaxed.

Reward: +10 Uncommon Points

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Karl let out a long sigh.

"Just 10 points again," he muttered. "And the quest… absurd as usual."

He stared at his phone screen for a moment.

"Guess I'll target myself again."

Karl opened the app and quickly typed:

"Target (Karl) will believe that standing for 10 seconds before sitting makes the body feel more relaxed."

He paused, looked at the screen, and finally pressed the [YES] button. A familiar, strange sensation crept into his mind, like a gentle nudge making the idea seem completely reasonable.

Karl stood up from the couch and started counting silently in his head.

"One… two… three…" he continued until he reached ten seconds. Then he sat back down.

"Huh," he murmured, furrowing his brow. "It does feel… more relaxing." He chuckled softly, looking at his reflection in the phone screen.

"This is too easy," he said with a weak smile. "If all the quests can be done this way, I won't need to bother finding other people."

He opened the list of completed quests and checked his progress. His eyes landed on the number in the upper corner of the screen.

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[Tutorial Quest Progress: 10/20]

[Uncommon Points: 100]

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Karl leaned back on the couch, starting to understand the system's pattern.

"Small quests like this can be done by myself, saving time. But why didn't the system tell me this was possible from the start?"

He pondered for a moment, recalling all the previous quests. Most of them did involve other people, but there was no explicit rule against making himself the target.

Karl gave a small smile.

"Looks like I took it too seriously at the beginning," he said, laughing quietly. "If I'd known it was this flexible, I wouldn't have been so bored."

He placed his phone back on the table, feeling more relaxed than before.

"Alright, now for the next quest. But this time, I won't bother finding someone else. If I can finish it myself, why make it complicated?"

With a lighter mind, Karl got up to make some coffee, preparing himself for Tutorial Quest 11.

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Karl sank into the couch again, staring at his phone screen displaying a new mission. He read the quest description with a slight frown.

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[Tutorial Quest 11/20]

Objective: Perform a Simple Manipulation.

Example: Manipulate how someone accepts a compliment.

Note: The user must directly interact with the target to trigger the manipulation.

Reward: +20 Uncommon Points

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Karl let out a long sigh, his expression blank.

"Direct interaction?" he murmured, rubbing his temples. "Great… this is starting to feel like a cheap social experiment."

He set his phone on the table and began considering potential targets.

"Okay, so I need to compliment someone… and see if they react according to my manipulation." He glanced around his living room, deep in thought.

"Where can I find the perfect target?"

Karl's eyes landed on a corner of the room. A stack of trash from food wrappers and empty boxes loomed like a miniature tower. He sighed deeply.

"Alright, instead of stressing over a target, I'll take out the trash first," he muttered. He got up, tied the nearly torn garbage bag, and carried it out of the room.

On his way to the garbage depot, his mind was still busy figuring out how to complete the quest. But as he neared the apartment complex's dumpster, he stopped. His gaze fixed on a woman moving boxes into a large container.

It was Rebecca, the MILF who lived in a bigger apartment unit than Karl's. He knew her because she was a kind and friendly woman.

Rebecca always looked elegant, even in simple clothing. Her brown hair was tied back, and her proportional figure made it hard not to notice her. They often exchanged pleasantries, and Rebecca was always warm toward him.

"Hey, Karl," she greeted with a smile, not stopping her work.

"Hey, Rebecca. More online shopping?" Karl pointed to the boxes she was discarding.

Rebecca chuckled softly.

"Yeah, my kids keep asking for this and that. Sometimes I feel like their personal shopping assistant."

Karl laughed lightly. He'd heard plenty of stories about Rebecca's energetic kids. But this time, an idea popped into his head—something a bit mischievous.

Karl glanced at his phone, still holding the garbage bag. The idea formed instantly, and he felt this was the perfect chance to complete the quest. He set the garbage bag down momentarily, opened the Common Sense Manipulation App, and typed into the Manipulation Hub:

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"The proper way to accept a compliment is to kiss the person on the cheek."

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He hesitated for a moment, staring at the screen with doubt.

"Isn't this a bit much?" he thought. But the image of Rebecca, with her sweet smile and friendly demeanor, brushed aside his hesitation.

"It's just a small experiment. Besides, she'll forget about it," he muttered, pressing [YES].

Once again, that strange wave-like sensation coursed through his body. He took a deep breath, trying to keep his expression neutral.

Rebecca glanced at Karl, who was still standing with the garbage bag nearby.

"Karl, are you okay? You seem lost in thought."

Karl gave a faint smile and slipped his phone into his pocket.

"Ah, yeah, sorry. Just thinking about something. By the way, you look really beautiful today," he said casually.

Rebecca paused for a moment, looking at him.

"Oh, thank you, Karl." She smiled sincerely, then… what happened next almost made Karl choke on air.

Rebecca walked up to him, leaned in slightly, and without hesitation, kissed him gently on the cheek.

"You're sweet, Karl. And you're quite handsome too," she said casually, as if her action was the most natural thing in the world.

Karl froze. His eyes widened, and his brain seemed to short-circuit, unable to process what had just happened.

"Oh my God, it worked," he thought. The warm sensation on his cheek made it hard to stay composed, but he managed to keep his expression neutral.

"Err… thanks, Rebecca," Karl replied, forcing a smile.

Rebecca chuckled softly.

"Oh, come on, why do you look so nervous, Karl? Isn't that a good way to accept a compliment? I thought it was obvious."

Rebecca looked at Karl, still smiling.

"Karl, I meant it when I called you handsome. Don't tell me you're rejecting my compliment because you think I'm lying?"

"Huh?" Karl frowned.

Rebecca leaned slightly closer, offering her cheek.