Chapter 5: First Fan
<🎧 Song Recommendation: Genius by LSD (Sia, Diplo, Labrinth).>
After parting ways with Naomi, Von scanned the area until he finally spotted the homeless family he remembered. They were sitting on a bench near the bus stop; a mother and two small children.
He approached them quietly and offered the heavy bag.
Initially, letting go of the snacks pained him. But seeing the happy smile bloom on the mother’s face, and the way the kids’ eyes lit up at the sight of the cookies, filled him with a strange warmth.
’It feels so nice to be a good person,’ Von thought, surprised by the sensation. It was better than the sugar rush.
Filled with newfound energy, he trekked back to his dorm. When he arrived, he was relieved to find the room empty.
He locked the door and immediately focused his attention on the purple interface hovering in the air.
[Quest: Daily Task]
● Run 5km (5/5)
● Do 50 sit-ups (50/50)
● Give your junk foods to the needy (100/100%)
[Quest Objectives Complete!]
[Reward Distributed: +5 EXP]
Ding!
[Congratulations! You have acquired your first fan!]
[Milestone Rewards: +100 EXP, 1x Star Shop Voucher]
● EXP: 105
"Amazing! This is just perfect," Von said, his eyes gleaming at the triple-digit number.
He knew immediately who the fan was. It had to be Nana. Her belief in him at the café must have triggered the System’s recognition.
It made him wonder just how the System quantified "fandom," but he pushed the thought aside. He had 105 EXP burning a hole in his pocket.
Originally, his plan was to dump everything into Vocals to fix that abysmal F- grade before the Project Star auditions. But the Star Shop Voucher was calling to him.
"To gamble or not to gamble?" Von muttered.
He could use the EXP safely... or he could see what kind of cheat items the System was hiding.
Von grinned. "Life is a gamble."
He mentally activated the voucher.
The item vanished from his inventory, and the air in front of him shimmered. A holographic display case unfolded like a high-tech jewelry box. Three items floated on rotating pedestals, each represented by a glowing icon.
[Consumable: Stamina Recovery Pill]
●Cost: 100 EXP
●Description: Instantly restores physical energy and clears fatigue.
[Skill: Emote]
●Cost: 300 EXP
●Description: Allows the user to project an emotion or persona they do not actually feel.
○Requirement: Vocals E-
[Skill: Basic Instrumental Mastery]
●Cost: 100 EXP
●Description: Instantly grants muscle memory and proficiency in standard instruments (Guitar, Piano, Drums).
Von stared, awestruck. "These are insane."
Emote was incredible, but at 300 EXP, it was way out of his budget. That left the Pill and the Mastery.
Considering the pill as an option was stupidity, so there was only an obvious one.
Basic Instrumental Mastery felt too good to be true. To instantly learn how to play instruments? That would save him months, maybe years, of practice.
"I need to know how to play if I’m going to replicate the songs from my world," Von reasoned. He couldn’t just hum the melodies; he needed to accompany himself.
"I’ll take the Mastery."
He selected the skill.
Immediately, a glowing, translucent green apple appeared in his palm.
[WARNING: You have 10 seconds to consume the Skill Fruit. Item cannot be stored.]
"Ten seconds?!"
Von panicked. He shoved the entire apple into his mouth, chewing frantically. He expected it to be hard, but it was soft and chewy, dissolving on his tongue like cotton candy.
"Okay," Von gulped when he was done, looking at his hands. "Now what’s next? Do I burp musical notes?"
ZZZTT!
An electric shock coursed through his body, vibrating deep in his bones. It wasn’t painful, exactly, but it left him numb, his fingers twitching involuntarily as if they were playing invisible chords.
"Whoa..." Von breathed as the sensation faded. He flexed his fingers. They felt... smarter.
[Skill Acquired: Basic Instrumental Mastery]
A new notification popped up.
[Shop Closing...]
[You can ’Wishlist’ remaining items for your next visit. (2 Slots Available)]
"Oh, nice service," Von said. He immediately selected the [Emote] skill. "Wait for daddy. I’ll come back for you."
The shop vanished, replaced by the final reward from his earlier quest.
[Quest Chain Unlocked: The Road to Stardom]
[Quest: The Foundation (II)]
[Description: A Superstar is defined by their following.]
[Objective:
○ Acquire 50 Loyal Fans (Current: 1/50)]
[Rewards:
● +500 EXP
● Skill: Resonance (Amplifies emotional projection during performance)
● 3x Star Shop Vouchers]
[Time Left To Quest Failure: 15 Days]
"Wow!"
Von whistled. The rewards were getting exponentially better, and he was salivating already.
"But... fifty fans?" Von’s excitement cooled. "How the hell am I supposed to get fifty fans in two weeks?"
If the quest had been to make fifty friends, he would have still failed. But fans? People who adored his music? That was an even worse assignment.
A lightbulb lit up in Von’s head.
"The easiest way to get an audience without a stage... is the street."
Busking. It would help him complete the quest and serve as a live practice session for the audition.
"This is brilliant. I’m a genius!"
He needed a guitar. But before that, he needed a song.
He grabbed a sheet of notebook paper and a pen. He closed his eyes, thinking back to his previous life. There was one song he had loved, a track released in 2022 that had captured the hearts of some music fans. It was raw, acoustic, and perfect for a solo performance.
Von hummed the melody. To his surprise, his hand moved almost automatically, jotting down the chords above the lyrics. The Instrumental Mastery was working; he knew exactly which chords matched the sounds in his head.
It took him close to an hour to draft the arrangement. When he was done, he held up the paper, admiring his work.
"I really wrote this masterpiece," he grinned shamelessly.
He folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket. Now for the hard part. The song required an acoustic guitar, which Von didn’t have and definitely couldn’t afford.
But he wasn’t worried.
He turned slowly, his eyes landing on the corner of the room. His flat-screen TV. His PlayStation 4. The stack of limited edition games he had treasured more than his grades.
"Oh, well..." Von sighed, patting the console gently. "I guess I’ll have to say goodbye to more than just the junk food."