John woke up to the gentle buzz of the system in his mind.
Not loud.
Not chaotic.
Just… active.
He had almost forgotten about the song he uploaded last night — almost.
But the system reminded him instantly.
[Overnight Results Ready — Significant Activity Detected]
His heartbeat jumped.
Significant?
He sat up quickly.
["Azul Sin Fin" — Current Status]
Streams: 12,428
Shares: 3,901
Playlist Adds: 542
John blinked.
That was not slow growth.
That was a spark becoming a flame.
School Feels Different
New York felt colder that morning, or maybe it was just the adrenaline buzzing through his veins.
At school, the atmosphere was normal — except it wasn't.
In the hallway, two sophomore boys leaned against lockers, one holding his phone out.
"Bro, listen to this part! This song came out of nowhere."
The second nodded.
"It's fire. Who is this guy? Nobody knows."
John walked past casually, heart pounding.
People were talking about his song.
In public.
Loudly.
He kept his head down.
Perfect.
Scary.
Perfect.
More Signs
In first period, a girl whispered to her friend:
"That mystery artist dropped again… I swear, he's gonna blow up."
In third period, he heard someone humming the chorus.
Not an exact reproduction, but close enough to sting John with pride.
By lunch, the system updated again.
[Streams: 27,902]
[Daily Trend: Rising]
[Popularity Points: 146 / 100] — First Threshold Reached
John stared at the invisible message floating in front of him.
He had crossed the line.
He had gained enough popularity for his first upgrade.
But before he could inspect it, someone sat across from him.
Lunch With Sabrina
Sabrina Carpenter dropped her tray on the table and slid into the seat like she owned the place.
"You look like you just won the lottery."
John nearly choked on his water.
"No. Just… tired."
"Tired looks different on you," she said, pointing her fork at him.
"You're smiling."
He froze.
Smile less, he told himself.
Blend in.
"It's nothing," he said.
Sabrina raised an eyebrow.
She didn't believe him — but she didn't push.
Instead, she pulled out her phone.
"Have you heard this? Everyone's talking about it."
John's stomach dropped.
She tapped play.
His song filled the air between them.
Soft.
Warm.
Emotional.
Sabrina closed her eyes as she listened.
"It feels… nostalgic," she said softly. "Like it wakes up a memory you didn't know you had."
John swallowed hard.
"…Yeah. It's good."
"Good?" Sabrina snorted. "John, this is insane. Whoever made this—he's going places."
John just nodded.
He couldn't say anything else.
Couldn't risk sounding suspicious.
System Awakening
After school, as he walked home through the golden glow of late afternoon, the system pulsed with new energy.
[First Threshold Reached]
[Reward Unlocked: Minor Talent Enhancement — Reflexes +1]
He felt it instantly.
A subtle sharpening of the world.
Faster thoughts.
Quicker reactions.
Nothing superhuman… yet.
But noticeable.
A beginning.
A Shadow of Attention
Then another message appeared:
[Warning: Online communities now tracking the mystery artist's rise.]
[Public Identity: Fully Secure]
[Threat Level: None]
John let out a breath.
Good. No one suspected him.
But somewhere, in the growing noise of the internet, the name of an anonymous artist was starting to move.
People were searching.
Talking.
Sharing.
A small spark in a giant world.
A spark that would soon turn into something much bigger.
John stood at the corner of his street, the city humming quietly around him.
"One song," he whispered.
"And already the world is moving."
He smiled slightly.
This was only the beginning.