Revenge Handbook for Dog Tamers

Laughter echoed from inside the private lounge. I lingered outside the door, feeling as if I had stepped into an ice cellar.Only three days ago, I had been anticipating my long-awaited victory. Jake Sterling's affection level for me had reached 99%. Just one final move, and I could succeed in capturing his heart completely.That night, Jake held me in his arms, his voice low and husky. "You're all I want, Ms. Emma Brannigan."He had always claimed that only physical intimacy could make love complete. I nodded and let him take the lead.With our bond having grown this close, I had believed that I could finally win him over and return to my own world.Unfortunately, reality came crashing down on me with a bitter sting.By the time everything ended, Jake's affection level for me had fallen to 60%. His affection score for me had just made it over the line. I had no idea how things spiraled out of control so fast. I blamed myself, thinking my performance had disappointed him.It t

"Wait, doesn't that mean that I've already completed my mission? Why didn't you inform me that I could go back to reality and get my health back?" I asked warily.The system grew embarrassed. "Well… I was hoping to earn that bonus. With your talent, you shot straight to the top of the leaderboard in such a short time. Which system wouldn't be tempted? As long as you put in just a little more effort, earning another 666 points would be a breeze for you!"A warmth spread through my chest. Amid the surge of emotion, I forced myself to calm down. "Seventy–thirty. I take seventy, you take thirty. Agree, and I’ll keep playing.""H-How could you—""You had better choose your words carefully. If you hadn’t deliberately kept this from me, I’d have gone home long ago. Why would I stay here just to be humiliated?"The system babbled incoherently. After what felt like an eternity, it finally nodded and shouted toward the sky, "Looks like I ran into a real trickster!"…The bathroom was fill

The system grew anxious. "Emma, Jake's affection levels aren't fluctuating enough. At this pace, the cash prize might slip through our fingers…"Why don't you apologize to him? It might boost your points again!"I shook my head. It wasn't the right time yet.In the past, I had been completely focused on raising Jake's affection level to 100%. Stepping out of line was the last thing I would have done.But now that I had pulled away, the irony of the situation finally hit me.While Jake maneuvered me like a chess piece, he failed to see that even the player could fall into a trap of their own making.Every time he manipulated my progress, it was an unspoken admission of my influence over him.He constantly expected a reaction from me. But the moment my response didn't match his expectations, he became flustered and uneasy.In this psychological game, I had become a force that he could not escape.I held back, waiting for the perfect opportunity to reverse the tide of the game.

Jake's expression darkened. "What a way to kill the mood. My affection level just dropped by 10%.""Deduct it if you want. No matter how it changes, it still counts toward my score," I thought.As my progress crept back up toward 90%, Jake became stingy again. "Your score climbed too quickly before. I'll have to ration it now. If it rises too fast, you might get too full of yourself."Even after I cooked him more than a dozen dishes, I only got a 0.3% increase. My face flushed. "Jakey, last time I cooked, you raised my score by 8%—""You know the concept of diminishing marginal utility, right?" Jake replied boldly. "It's like coffee. The first cup perks you up, but by the third or fourth, it barely does anything.""But—""Don't try to persuade me otherwise," Jake interrupted lazily. "The rules are mine. Besides, you're a transmigrator navigating this game. Shouldn't you want to put in the effort for me?"From that day forward, a single chore raised my score by just 0.1%, a bowl

Dakota and I eventually came to an agreement. Following the plan, she led Jake to the cliff—just as we had intended to catch him in the act.Jake's face froze in utter disbelief. He staggered backward, his Adam's apple bobbing. "…But why?" he croaked.Before I could answer, a sudden thought crossed his mind. He immediately turned toward the status panel hovering above my head. As he tried to adjust my points, it became clear he couldn't move them at all."That's impossible… What happened to my control? Why can't I adjust your score?" Jake panicked, his fingers clawing frantically at the air. Much to his disbelief, the numbers soon vanished under the relentless rain, taking with it the three years of control he had over me."This game is over, Jake," I said slowly. "Thanks to you, I've earned ten million dollars for myself and my system. Had it not been for your twisted schemes, I doubt that I would have walked away with a lifetime's worth of wealth.""No! Emma, you can't leave!" J