Chapter 96: Chapter 96: Marketplace

“Who the hell do you think you are?!” Abigaile raised her phone in anger, but remembering it was brand new, she instead slammed it down on the bed.

“You’re just a flash in the pan, no respect for your seniors. People like you fade away fast.”

Relying on the COS filter, men her age always treated her with utmost respect.

It was like playing Truth or Dare, confessing her feelings to some random nerdy guy who just responded with “Oh” and walked away.

It was infuriating.

“Don’t think you’re something special!”

“Ding-dong!” Her phone suddenly buzzed with a message in the corner of the bed.

Abigaile lunged for it, hoping it was Ethan. She unlocked the phone, but her smile faded and impatience flickered in her eyes when she saw it wasn’t him.

She quickly typed, “Mom, I’ve told you so many times, breaking into showbiz isn’t easy, and I can’t just arrange roles for relatives and friends!”

After sending the message, Abigaile tossed her phone aside and flopped back onto the bed, her expression melancholic.

She wasn’t born a professional actress.

Just from an ordinary family.

The industry only cared about her because she was trending, and she had to keep up the heat. The industry is ruthless,as soon as her popularity waned, they’d be promoting someone younger and prettier.

“Damn it!”

Abigaile clenched her fists. Beneath her glamorous exterior was a pressure invisible to the ordinary eye.

Having tasted the power of being in demand, she’d do everything to hold onto it, sacrificing anything to not slip back.

Meanwhile, in a hospital room.

Ethan, of course, had no idea that a simple “okay” from him could break someone down.

He was online, looking for some influencers to hype up.

Now, the 10-inch “Pecker” had increased in hardness again, with added control over its erection.

This meant new opportunities for his show.

“Amazing.”

He propped his chin on his hand, his pants down to his knees, staring at the menacingly erect 10-inch “Pecker.” Despite the increased hardness, the outer layer felt just as soft.

The tactile feedback was unchanged.

He opened the attribute panel,after completing the last task, he had earned 2000 points.

Since then, the panel had changed.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

“Congratulations on passing the beginner phase. Beginner protection is now off.”

“New features: Marketplace.”

“New features: Skill Enhancement.”

“Man, what a hassle,” Ethan frowned at the panel.

He ignored the strange new features for now.

First, he opened the attribute tab and upgraded three attributes.

Upgrading from level 4 to 5 was one thing, but moving to level 6 wasn’t just 500 points—it cost a doubled 1000 points.

His attributes now read:

“Name: Ethan Jones”

“Age: 18”

“Strength: 5”

“Stamina: 5”

“Agility: 5”

“Skills: Hard as a Rock LV4, Weakness Implantation LV1. Medical Secrecy (special, non-upgradable)”

At the same time.

Below his attributes, a previously grayed-out section became visible.

“Health Conditions: Progressive Muscular Atrophy, all attributes decrease by 1 point every 15 days. Hereditary Heart Disease: Excessive emotional stress may cause acute heart failure.”

“Damn, I knew it,” Ethan groaned, covering his forehead.

After the system was activated, his existing muscular atrophy and heart disease seemed to have disappeared, no longer worsening.

It was the beginner protection period,the system had stabilized his attributes.

Thinking about it, the system wasn’t so bad after all.

Ethan quickly opened the new feature:

“Marketplace.”

It was cleaner than he had imagined, devoid of any unnecessary frills.

There was only one item listed on the entire interface.

“Healing Potion, Exchange Points: 2000.”

“Effect: Randomly cures one physical ailment.”

Ethan’s eyes lit up. His heart condition wasn’t severe,it was mainly his overall frailty that was life-threatening.

Now with all attributes at 5.

In today’s world where most people are sub-healthy, he was already doing better than sixty percent of his peers.

So, he figured he only needed to collect up to 4000 points to completely heal his body.

“That’s great.”

Ethan contained his excitement.

The symptoms had been suppressed before, which made him uneasy, but now that he had found a way to treat his diseases, he felt more at ease.

The marketplace indicated that new items would unlock after completing tasks.

He then opened “Skill Enhancement.”

Displayed were: Hard as a Rock LV4, Weakness Implantation LV1

He could directly use points to upgrade.

The points required for upgrading were the same as for attributes, needing 500.

However, here, he could see the effects of the next skill level.

Hard as a Rock LV5 would further enhance hardness.

Weakness Implantation LV2 would increase the sensitivity of the implanted weaknesses.

The skills weren’t at levels 3, 6, or 9, so they wouldn’t unlock new effects.

Ethan still had 500 points, but he had no plans to upgrade these skills.

He was a decent guy, and upgrading these somewhat risqué skills seemed unnecessary.

“I’ll save them for now.” Ethan turned off the screen and leaned back on the hospital bed. With all attributes at 5, his body was no different from a normal person’s.

But he still had to stay in the hospital.

Even a medical miracle needed time for the doctors to see his body improving.

In the future, when his body was fully strengthened, he could jump out of his wheelchair, tear open his shirt, and reveal his muscles.

Letting his enemies feel the shock from a once-paralyzed patient.

With these wild thoughts, Ethan drifted off to sleep.

The next day.

Scarlett came in with a lunch box: “I gave Blair a couple of days off. She’s been staying up nights, and girls need some personal space too.”

After setting down the lunch box, she noticed Ethan’s gaze fixed on her face from the moment she entered.

Her cheeks flushed, and she avoided his eyes: “Stop staring, let’s eat.”

“But I’m not in the mood to eat right now.” Ethan’s gaze was intense. Today, his aunt wasn’t in her uniform but in casual clothes.

Her curvaceous figure accentuated the casual outfit, revealing the charm of a mature woman.

Ethan didn’t wait for her reaction and turned to kiss her on the lips.

Scarlett was startled and tried to pull back. After a brief hesitation, she didn’t move away, letting him kiss her.

Seeing that his aunt didn’t resist, Ethan immediately extended his tongue, just touching her lips.

She then moved her head back, her face blushing lightly: “Alright, let’s eat.”

“Hmm.” Ethan had other things he’d rather ‘eat,’ eyeing his aunt’s sheer black stockings: “Auntie, I’m ready. As long as I’m with you, nothing else matters.”

“Why bring this up all of a sudden?” Scarlett turned her head, her feet nervously close together: “I’ve failed as an adult and as your aunt.”

She placed a hand on her cheek: “But… I’m happy right now.”

“Damn, too cute.” Ethan, unable to resist, leaned in to kiss her again, his hand naturally caressing her black stockings.