Daniel woke up to his phone vibrating like it was possessed.
A dozen notifications.
Then two dozen.
Then his screen froze for a second because TikTok was exploding again.
He sat up, hair pointing in every direction except down.
"…Please not again."
He opened the first notification.
"BRO THIS GUY IS A WALKING REACTION MEME 💀💀💀"
It was a clip of him from yesterday—
just sitting in class, blinking at something the professor said.
That was it.
That was literally the whole video.
Daniel stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Why… Why is blinking trending?"
The comments were even worse:
"He blinks like he's remembering all his trauma at once 😂"
"New campus legend: The Brick Prophet."
"I want him to stare at my enemies."
"He looks so done with life. I love him."
Daniel flopped back onto his pillow.
"I want to evaporate."
A gentle System ping echoed inside his mind.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
New viral circulation detected.
FP gained: +10
Total FP: 57
Daniel groaned.
"Stop rewarding my humiliation."
The System did not respond.
As usual.
Campus Entrance
When Daniel reached Hunter College, he immediately realized something was off.
People weren't gawking—
but they were definitely aware.
Glances.
Whispers.
Two guys pretending not to look at him while very obviously looking at him.
A girl even pointed.
"That's him… the guy with the brick."
Daniel internally screamed.
Emily Finds Him
"Oi, celebrity."
Daniel almost tripped when Emily popped up beside him.
"I'm not a celebrity."
"You're a micro-celebrity. The worst kind."
Daniel sighed. "Why… why is this happening again?"
Emily shrugged.
"You were born cursed."
Daniel had no counterargument.
But she slowed her steps to match his, eyes sharp as she studied the people around them.
"You alright?" she murmured.
"…I'm coping."
"That sounds unhealthy."
"It is."
Emily snorted lightly.
But her shoulders relaxed—like she was relieved just hearing him joke.
Inside the Classroom
Olivia arrived late, flustered and smiling.
"Sorry! I overslept— oh! Morning, Daniel!"
"Morning…"
"Did you sleep okay?"
"No."
"I knew it."
She patted his shoulder like a nurse comforting a terminal patient.
Mid-lecture, Daniel heard soft whispers from behind him.
"That's him, right?"
"Yeah… that stare…"
"He looks powerful and dead inside."
Daniel sank lower in his seat until he resembled a deflated sandwich.
The System chimed again.
SYSTEM MISSION:
Endure social attention without panicking for the next 30 minutes.
Reward: +2 SP
Daniel whispered under his breath.
"I hate you."
"What?" Olivia asked.
"Nothing—air—oxygen."
Campus Plaza
The plaza was packed with recruiters and club booths.
Unfortunately, that meant more eyes.
Daniel tried to walk discreetly.
He failed.
A group of freshman girls whispered not-so-subtly.
"He's kinda cute though."
"In a dying puppy way."
"Yeah, like you want to protect him or something."
Daniel froze like a hunted animal.
Emily had to flick his forehead to unfreeze him.
"Don't die standing up."
Olivia laughed and gently pulled him along.
"You'll be fine," she said softly.
"I don't feel fine."
"I know. But we'll make you feel fine."
The System pinged again.
MISSION COMPLETE:
+2 SP
SP total: 8
Daniel muttered, "…I'm leveling up in suffering and discomfort."
Emily patted his back.
"Congrats. Evolve into a functioning adult one day."
Cafeteria
They sat at their now unofficially reserved table.
People looked.
Some whispered.
Some smiled awkwardly.
Daniel poked at his food with the emotional energy of a withered carrot.
"Stop poking it," Emily said.
"I'm checking if it's edible."
"It's not," Olivia added. "But you need calories."
A student approached suddenly.
Daniel nearly jumped out of his seat.
"Hey man," the guy said awkwardly.
"I just wanted to say—what you did last week… that was cool. Standing up for that girl."
Daniel blinked.
"Oh. Uh… thanks? I wasn't trying to make a scene…"
"That's what made it good," the guy said.
"Not everyone steps in, you know? Respect."
He left as quickly as he came.
Olivia smiled.
Emily didn't look impressed, but she nodded.
Daniel stared at his food.
"…Is this what normal praise feels like?"
Emily smirked.
"No. This is pity praise."
"Emily!"
"What?" she said innocently.
Rocco — Watching, Not Understanding
Across the hall, Rocco leaned against a vending machine, hood up, eyes fixed on Daniel.
Not because Daniel was special.
Not because he sensed anything unusual.
Rocco didn't believe in supernatural nonsense.
He just saw:
an anxious kid
who kept trending
who kept showing up in crowd conversations
who reacted strangely under pressure
who had guts when it counted
And that combination interested him.
He typed a message casually.
ROCCO:
Kid's trending again. More attention.
Still unpredictable.
A reply came.
UNKNOWN:
Keep watching. Nothing more.
Rocco pocketed his phone.
"…For now," he muttered.
He wasn't suspicious of supernatural abilities—
only curious about human behavior.
That made Daniel… unique.
Evening Class
During their group work, Daniel tried contributing.
He stumbled over his words, messed up three sentences, and accidentally called the project "economic turbulence of my soul."
Emily snorted.
Olivia laughed so hard she almost dropped her pen.
But they both reassured him.
"You're doing fine," Olivia said kindly.
"You're less hopeless than yesterday," Emily added.
Daniel smiled weakly.
"Wow. High praise."
Walking Home
The sun was low.
Campus lights flickered on.
Daniel walked alone, hoodie up, slightly paranoid.
He wasn't imagining it—
someone had been following him earlier.
Not aggressively.
Just close enough to notice.
The System pinged.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
Possible observer detected.
Threat level: Unknown.
No action required.
Daniel's heart hammered.
"Great," he whispered.
"Fantastic. Anxiety DLC unlocked."
He quickened his pace.
He didn't look back.
Someone Else Has Noticed
A black SUV sat quietly by the curb, engine off.
Inside, a broad-shouldered man watched Daniel disappear around the corner.
He didn't know about systems.
He didn't care about supernatural nonsense.
He cared about:
influence
rising campus figures
unpredictable students
viral trends
"Kid's gathering attention," he murmured.
"Could become useful… or a nuisance."
He made a call.
"Yeah. I saw him.
No, he's not impressive yet.
But he's got that… spark.
Keep him on the list."
He hung up.
The SUV rolled away.