At the beach

Leon checked his camera while he walked down the street towards the nearby beach. Two more Rank Up messages were displayed. From what Cammy said, these’ll get hard to come by sooner or later.

It occurred to him that if he wanted to keep track of his Soul Links while his camera was at home in its bag, he’d have to keep a close eye on it since Cammy couldn’t him the ol’ shock treatment.

Well done! You have found Marlene’s 1st Key! You’ve helped Marlene fulfill her fantasy to flash a neighbor! Rank 2 benefits will display shortly.

Sheesh. All I had to do was be at the right place at the right time and Mrs. Fairchild practically threw herself at me. Maybe she’s too horny for Lily and ol' Harlan to satiate by themselves?

Marlene Fairchild, Rank 2
-Marlene will attempt to seduce you frequently, regardless of who’s around.
-You are less likely to be noticed by other people when engaged in discreet sexual acts with Marlene.

I should just go back right now and let Marlene seduce me as much she damn well pleases.

Harlan's ugly mug floated smugly in front of him and he squashed the idea. Just have to wait a day, maybe two. No big deal. Control yourself, Leon. Your main goal is NOT sex, remember? Helping people comes first, man. Hey, if helping Marlene fulfil her kinky sex fantasies was what she needed to be happy... how was a strapping young man such as himself going to refuse?

You've aroused a woman for the first time in your life. Exercise and healthy eating habits can make this more than a one time occurrence. Your Soul is now Rank 3, and a minor Miracle has been granted in accordance with this increase.

I would’ve died a virgin without the System, he thought, trying to ignore the fact that he was still very much a virgin.

Leon Marshall, Soul Rank 3
Measurement of Happiness: Taking a picture of someone will now let you see a measurement of the happiness in their lives. With 0% being totally unhappy with their lives, and 100% being completely content with their lives.

Hmmm?

Leon stealthily snapped a picture of a tired looking man walking past him with no shirt and flashy orange swim trunks, who must have come from the beach Leon was heading to.

Percy Lane, 33, Rank 0 displayed as expected. Guess this thing does work on guys.

The small outline of a smiley face was on the middle left of the screen, partially filled with an emoji shade of yellow. Tapping the face caused a percentage to appear next to it. 43%. The poor guy was having a hard go of it, but Leon felt a little weird about registering men after how flirty and sexual all his Soul Links had turned out to be so far. Supposedly that wasn’t always the case, but why risk it?

The main thing to focus on here is that he had a tool he could use to help people. I can’t help everyone, and for the time being, well, I’d rather help people I already know. Or beautiful women. For... personal reasons.

Leon spent the remainder of his walk pretending to snap photos of the ocean, taking pictures of strangers that walked by when he could get away with it without looking like the scary guy on neighborhood watch signs.

The intense sun of the day was inspiring women to take their clothes off and keep them off. A group of attractive 30 somethings were sitting around a table at the shaved ice shack next to the beach. One of them noticed his camera and called out “Better not point that thing in our direction! I’ll throw it in the damn ocean!”

Leon ignored her and walked on.

When his shoes hit the hot sand he thought about taking them off and carrying them, but carrying them around would make it harder to take a quick picture if the need arose. Shoes secured firmly to his feet, he trudged along the white sand beach, keeping his distance from the emerald green water to keep Cammy safe from harm.

A towering bridge loomed over a section of the beach, connecting the main land of Navarre to a strip of land that locals referred to simply as “The Island.” That side of Navarre was where the tourists, the fresh faced party people, and the filthy rich spent their days. The life across the asphalt wasn’t for him, but from underneath it he could watch the beach discreetly with Cammy.

Except that he wasn’t alone. Sitting under the bridge, shielded from the powerful sunlight—and the notice of the other beachgoers—was a fully dressed young woman wearing a billowy cream colored top, sandals, and a loose tan pair of palazzo style pants. Dark brunette hair hung neatly down to frame her face like a curtain that she could open or close as her mood dictated.

Leon raised his camera from the edge of the shade checked her happiness rating. Ophelia Vidal, 22, Rank 0, 27%. The lowest one I’ve encountered so far today. I wonder... what Jessie’s is.

The thought of Jessie made him lower his camera and check his phone, hoping that he’d somehow missed the chime of an incoming text message. Still nothing.

Was she sleeping? Did she decide he wasn’t worth the conflict? Would he ever hear from her again? You’re being dramatic. The thought did nothing to placate him.

He sighed and looked over at this Ophelia person again. All he really wanted to do was talk to Jessie again, but in the meantime, the air of aloofness surrounding the woman lent her a certain charm that could serve well for a model, even if her curves were somewhat small and unnoticeable.

The familiar message displayed the same old Rank 1 advantages, so he only glanced at them to make sure nothing had changed before walking over to her.