The Quest Log

The notification pulsed in the upper right quadrant of Elias’s vision, a translucent blue box hovering over the peeling grey paint of his bedroom ceiling.

**[URGENT QUEST: THE WRONG ROUTE]**

**Objective:** Prevent Target [Clara] from completing the [Marriage] event.

**Reward:** Unlocked "True Lover" Achievement.

**Failure Penalty:** BAD END (Eternal Solitude).

**Time Remaining:** 47:59:12

Elias sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes, but the text remained, anchored to his retina. He swung his legs out of bed, his feet hitting the cold laminate floor of Unit 402. A small status bar in the corner of his vision labeled **[STAMINA]** refilled slowly from yellow to green.

He walked to the living room, which he had optimized for efficiency. Blackout curtains taped to the windows. Three monitors humming on a desk cluttered with energy drink cans. He didn't need the outside world; the System provided all the data he needed.

He moved to the front door and pressed his eye to the peephole. The System automatically engaged **[ZOOM x2]**.

Across the hallway, the door to Unit 403 opened.

Clara stepped out. She was struggling with a massive white garment bag, the plastic crinkling loudly in the quiet corridor. A pink bar floated above her head: **[Affinity: 15% - Neutral]**.

She looked tired. Dark circles under her eyes, hair pulled back in a messy bun. To Elias, these weren’t signs of stress; they were status debuffs caused by the wrong partner. The fiancé—an NPC named Mark whom Elias had only seen in cutscenes (passing in the hallway)—was clearly draining her stats.

Clara locked her door and lugged the dress toward the elevator.

Elias watched the timer tick down. *47:58:30.*

The game was rigged. The developers had put her on the fiancée route by default, but Elias knew how these simulations worked. There was always a hidden mechanic, a dialogue option that could break the script. He just had to grind the affinity. He just had to intervene before the ceremony.

He stepped back from the door. He needed to prepare his inventory.