The morning sun hit my face, warm and bright.
I blinked my eyes open.
For the first time since I woke up in this world, I didn't feel heavy.
Actually, I felt light.
I sat up and stretched. My joints popped, but there was no pain. No stiffness.
'The recovery potion is no joke'
I grabbed my phone from the nightstand.
[08:00 AM]
'I slept in?'
Usually, my internal clock woke me up before five.
I frowned and tapped the screen to unlock it.
The phone froze.
It didn't just lag. It completely locked up.
'What the...'
Then the notifications flooded in.
Ding. Ding. Ding. Ding.
It sounded like a slot machine hitting the jackpot. A continuous, rapid-fire stream of alerts that vibrated the phone so hard it nearly slipped out of my hand.
MeTube.
MeTube.
MeTube.
I stared at the icons stacking up in the status bar until they just became a "99+".
'No way'
I had uploaded the cover of Believer last night after Aoi went to sleep. Just a black screen with a simple audio visualizer I coded in ten minutes. No face. No name. Just "User_Ren" and the title.
I managed to force the MeTube app open.
The view count stared back at me.
[Views: 542,039]
[Likes: 89,012]
[Comments: 12,405]
I dropped the phone on the bed.
'Half a million?'
It had been... what? Eight hours?
Suddenly, a blue window flashed in front of my eyes.
[Achievement Unlocked: Viral Hit]
[Condition Met: Achieve 500,000 views within 24 hours of first upload]
[Reward: +5000 XP, +2 CHA, Skill Book: "Stable Breath (Passive)"]
[Hidden Achievement: The World listens]
[Reward: System Shop Function Unlocked]
I felt a rush of heat spread through my chest.
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Name: Kuroda Ren]
[Level: 01 -> 04]
[Free Stat Points: 15]
I grinned.
This was it.
This was the dopamine hit I was waiting for.
I picked up the phone again and scrolled down to the comments.
"Who is this??"
"I got chills. Literal chills."
"The emotion in this... who hurt you bro?"
"Is this an original? I can't find the lyrics anywhere."
"I was scrolling past but his voice stopped me. This guy is a monster."
"Upload more. Now."
I scrolled faster. Everyone was asking the same thing.
Who is he?
Where did this song come from?
In this world, Imagine Dragons didn't exist. To them, this was a masterpiece that appeared out of thin air.
And it was mine.
I closed the app.
'This is just the start'
I didn't let the excitement go to my head. I needed to maintain the routine.
I got out of bed and walked to the mirror.
I paused.
The difference was obvious now.
My jawline wasn't sharp yet, but it was there. The bloating around my neck had vanished. My eyes looked sharper, less piggy.
[Current Weight: 145.2 kg]
'Almost 5 kilos in three days?'
If I kept this up during the summer break, I wouldn't just be recognizable. I'd be a completely different person when school started again.
I quickly changed clothes and walked out to the kitchen.
Aoi was there.
She was frying eggs, her back to me. The smell of oil and toast filled the small room.
I tensed slightly.
Last night she had run away crying. I didn't know how she would react.
"Morning," I said.
She didn't flinch.
"Morning," she replied. Her voice was steady. Calm.
She turned around and placed a plate on the table.
"Breakfast is ready."
She looked... normal.
No red eyes. No awkwardness. No questions about the singing.
She sat down and started eating her toast, eyes focused on a book open next to her plate.
I sat opposite her.
'She's pretending it didn't happen'
Good.
That made things easier. I didn't have the energy for a heart-to-heart right now. I had levels to grind.
"School is out for summer starting today," I said, breaking the silence.
"Mm," she nodded, not looking up. "I'm going to the library later."
"Okay. I'll be training."
She paused, her fork hovering halfway to her mouth.
"Don't die," she said flatly.
I chuckled. "I won't."
We ate in silence. It was comfortable.
As soon as she left, I went back to my room and sat in front of the computer.
I had 15 stat points to distribute.
I didn't hesitate.
[STR: 4 -> 9]
[AGI: 2 -> 7]
[CHA: 6 -> 11]
As soon as I confirmed the changes, my muscles twitched.
My shirt felt tighter around the shoulders. My vision sharpened.
I stood up and threw a light punch at the air.
Whoosh.
Fast.
Much faster than yesterday.
'System, open Shop.'
A holographic interface expanded, filled with rows of items.
[Basic Recovery Potion: 50 Credits]
[Stamina Pill: 100 Credits]
[Vocal Lozenge (Common): 200 Credits]
[Skill Book: Piano (Beginner): 500 Credits]
I checked my balance.
[Credits: 5000] (Converted from XP overflow and Viral Achievement)
I smiled.
Summer vacation had just started.
I had a viral video, a broken system, and two months of free time.
"Time to get to work," I whispered.
I grabbed my guitar.
[Quest Generated]
[Summer Training Arc]
[Objective: Reach Level 10 before school restarts]
[Reward: ???]
I strummed a chord.
[Guitar Lv 20 (MAX) -> Evolving...]
[Skill Acquired: Intermediate Guitar Lv 1]
The sound rang out, perfect and crisp.
I pulled up a blank document on the computer.
Title: Song List.
I typed the first name.
Numb - Linkin Park.
If they liked the pain in Believer, they were going to lose their minds over this.