Daniel stared at the text message like it might sprout teeth and bite him.
"We should talk soon, Daniel Park."
"Congratulations on your rising fame."
+ A link to the plaza pitch video.
His heart thundered like a drum solo.
Who the hell would text him something like that?
Spam?
Prank?
Stalker?
Influencer?
Underworld?
He wanted to toss his phone out the window.
Instead, he lay flat on his bed, staring at the ceiling like it contained hidden answers.
His mom knocked.
"Danny? Dinner is ready!"
"I—I already ate at campus! Thanks, Mom!"
"Okay dear! Get some rest!"
Yeah.
Rest.
He totally wasn't staring into the abyss of fear and curiosity.
He forced himself to sit up and look again.
No profile picture.
Unknown number.
Area code: New York.
Daniel's stomach twisted.
"Please don't let this be a mafia thing… please don't let this be a mafia thing…"
The system chimed softly.
A mission?
He checked.
[New Mission Generated — Unknown Contact]
Objective:
Stay calm and do NOT respond impulsively.
Reward:
+1 Composure
Bonus Condition:
Properly assess the threat or lack of threat within 24 hours.
Bonus Reward:
+1 Intuition
Daniel threw his blanket over his head.
"WHY DO I KEEP GETTING MISSIONS ABOUT MY PANIC?!"
But… okay. Fine.
Staying calm was important.
He didn't respond to the number.
Instead, he blocked it, turned off his phone, and curled up under his blanket until sleep won.
And yet—
somewhere two blocks away, a man in a car leaned back and smirked.
Rocco Varelli hadn't expected Daniel to block him.
Most people panicked and replied instantly.
The kid was smarter than he thought.
"Good instincts," Rocco murmured. "Boss will like that."
He typed a quick report and drove off.
Morning arrived with a mild headache and a lingering sense of doom.
Daniel trudged into campus holding a paper cup of gas-station coffee. He didn't even remember buying it. He just remembered walking.
Emily spotted him from across the entrance.
"Daniel! Hey—Daniel!"
He flinched.
Emily marched straight toward him, grabbed his wrist, and pulled him aside like she was his legal guardian.
"You look terrible," she said bluntly.
"Thanks," he muttered.
"No, really. What happened? You look like you fought your bed and lost."
Olivia reached them seconds later, breathless.
"Oh my God—Daniel, are you okay?"
"I'm… alive," he said.
Emily raised a brow.
"So something DID happen."
Daniel hesitated.
Should he tell them?
No. Not about the system.
And the text… that could drag them into danger.
So he shrugged.
"Just stress."
Emily stared at him for three seconds.
"Something happened."
He stared silently.
Olivia stepped beside him, voice soft.
"Daniel… you can tell us if you're scared."
He nearly folded right there.
But he forced his shoulders up.
"I'm okay. Really. Just tired."
Emily exhaled, unconvinced.
Olivia pressed her lips together, worried.
Daniel pretended to sip his terrible coffee.
They walked together to class.
But someone else walked too.
A tall guy wearing a black varsity jacket kept glancing their way—especially at Daniel.
Emily noticed.
She glared.
Daniel did not notice.
He was too busy rehearsing mental disaster scenarios about unknown numbers.
Business class was mercifully boring.
Professor Kessel gave a lecture about artificial attention cycles, asked three rapid-fire questions, then disappeared like smoke.
During group work time, Emily reviewed their data.
"Views increased another 18% overnight," she said.
"Two campus pages reposted it," Olivia added.
Daniel groaned.
"Kill me."
Emily flicked his forehead.
"Stop being dramatic, Brick Celebrity."
"Don't CALL me that!"
Olivia hid her smile behind her hand.
Daniel tried to blend into the seat.
He failed.
Three students came up to ask questions about the pitch.
Two guys filmed him.
A girl asked for a selfie.
He politely panicked internally.
After they walked away, Emily leaned close.
"You have no idea how many people are watching you."
"That's not comforting."
"It wasn't meant to be."
Daniel wanted to sink into the wallpaper.
During lunch, Daniel found himself stuck in a line of admirers again.
Someone whispered:
"Isn't that Olivia? She's so pretty…"
"And that Emily… the psych queen…"
"And Brick Guy—why is he always with them?"
Daniel whimpered.
Emily glared the whispers away.
Olivia gently shielded Daniel like a small, soft barrier.
Finally seated, Daniel checked his phone—now unblocked.
He searched "Brick Guy" out of morbid curiosity.
He regretted it instantly.
A compilation edit.
A remix.
A stitched reaction video.
One post caught his eye:
"Brick Guy looks like he could be cast in a drama."
Daniel choked on his sandwich.
Emily elbowed him.
"Careful. I'm not performing Heimlich today."
Olivia patted his back.
"Are you okay??"
"NO I AM NOT FIT TO BE IN A DRAMA—"
Emily smirked.
"You'd be the guy who gets hit first."
Olivia giggled.
"No, he'd be the sweet supportive lead—"
Daniel wanted to roll under the table.
Right as he tried to calm down, his phone buzzed again.
Not a text.
A system update.
[Minor Fame Detection]
FP +4
Total FP: 22
Note:
Your presence is gaining traction.
He nearly cried.
"I DON'T WANT TRACTION," he hissed.
Emily glanced at him.
"What traction?"
"Exercise traction!" he blurted.
"You know—treadmill traction!"
Both girls looked confused.
Daniel internally screamed.
Later that day, at the library, something new happened.
Someone approached him—one of the popular student influencers on campus, a senior named Jason Lott, known for his vlog channel.
Jason smiled, friendly but competitive.
"Hey, man. You're Daniel, right? The Brick Guy."
Daniel died internally.
"Yes," he whispered.
"Cool cool. Listen—your plaza pitch blew up. I'm doing a campus segment about viral moments. Want to collab?"
Daniel froze.
Emily froze.
Olivia froze.
"C-c-c-collab??"
Jason nodded.
"Just a short interview. You'll get credit. I'll tag your campus group too."
Daniel's brain melted.
Emily stepped in.
"Give him time to think. He's busy. Group work."
Jason shrugged.
"No problem. DM me when you're ready, bro."
He left.
Daniel stared at Emily.
"You saved my life."
She rolled her eyes.
"I saved the campus from watching you faint."
Olivia giggled.
"But it could be good for your image!"
Daniel looked horrified.
"I don't WANT an image!"
Emily smirked.
"Tough luck."
By evening, Daniel was exhausted.
He returned home.
Took a long shower.
Collapsed onto his bed.
He opened the system one last time.
[New Mission — Rising Tide]
Objective:
Deal with an offer related to your growing fame.
How:
Respond, reject, or negotiate wisely.
Reward:
+2 SP
Bonus Objective:
Choose the path that aligns with your future goals.
Bonus Reward:
Unlock "System Shop"
(Shop becomes accessible if bonus is achieved)
Daniel's breath caught.
The System Shop.
The thing he'd been waiting for.
The thing that required massive Fame Points to use.
He gulped.
"I… have to respond to Jason, don't I?"
It wasn't necessarily Jason.
It said "an offer related to your growing fame."
But Jason's was the most obvious one.
He couldn't choose lightly.
He had to think:
Option 1 — Accept the interview
More fame
More FP
More exposure
More risk
More underworld attention
Option 2 — Reject politely
Less fame
Safer
Delays shop unlock
Missed opportunity
Option 3 — Negotiate terms
Midway approach
Could balance safety + growth
Requires courage
Good for future reputation
The system wasn't forcing him.
It was asking him to be intentional.
For once.
That scared him more than anything.
Daniel swallowed, closed the window, and stared at the dark ceiling.
He needed help.
Not with the system—never that.
But with fear.
With direction.
He took a shaky breath and opened his messages.
He typed:
"Hey, are you still awake?"
He sent it to Emily and Olivia.
A second later:
Emily: "Yes. What now?"
Olivia: "I'm awake! Is something wrong?"
Daniel exhaled.
He didn't need to tell them about the system.
He just needed to talk.
He typed back:
"Can we meet tomorrow? I need advice."
Both replied instantly.
Emily: "Of course."
Olivia: "We'll help however we can."
Daniel put his phone down.
For the first time since the brick incident…
he didn't feel alone.
Across the street, Rocco was parked again.
He watched Daniel's window light flicker off.
He muttered to himself:
"He's getting too much attention. Might become a problem."
He typed:
"He's about to make a move. Keep watching."
His boss replied:
"Good. The more fame he gets, the better."