After leaving the stage, Alexander slumped onto a stool, looking visibly fatigued. The two songs he had just performed seemed simple, but they had drained all his emotions.
Wiping the sweat from his forehead with a white T-shirt, he seemed indifferent to the fact that it bore Robert's exclusive autograph.
At that moment, Zoe approached him, unexpectedly grabbing Alexander's arm and pleadingly said, "Can I ask you for a favor?"
Alexander, puzzled, asked, "What is it?"
Zoe pointed at the T-shirt in Alexander's hand and said cheerfully, "Of course, it's the T-shirt you're holding."
"Do you want it?" Alexander inquired.
"It's not for me, but for a friend of mine who's crazy about Robert, so..."
Without hesitation, Alexander handed over the T-shirt, generously saying, "Sure, for sale. Cash or PayPal?"
"Are you really that mercenary?" Zoe asked, slightly taken aback.
"Then I won't sell it," Alexander said, reclaiming the T-shirt. Zoe quickly grabbed his hand, pleading, "I was wrong, I'll transfer the money to you. How about nine hundred dollars, market price?"
"Nine hundred!" Alexander exclaimed, surprised. That was his entire monthly living expense.
Thinking she had offered too little, Zoe hastily said, "Alright, alright, a thousand then. That should be fine, right?"
A plain T-shirt, merely with an extra signature, fetching a thousand dollars, seemed more lucrative than drug trafficking.
"Actually... let's stick to nine hundred. The T-shirt's not really of any use to me."
"Alright, I'll add you as a friend and transfer the money to you."
The deal was swiftly concluded. Zoe stuffed the T-shirt into her bag and asked, "Where do you live?"
"On Knight Street," Alexander replied.
"Come with me, I'll give you a ride."
"Is that alright?"
"It's fine, it's on my way."
Alexander smiled, "Alright, thanks."
Zoe appeared to be wealthy, driving a sports car worth over a million dollars. They left the parking lot, driving forward.
Zoe initiated a conversation, "Alexander, a lot of people were recording your performance on stage. You might become famous by tomorrow."
"It's not as easy as you say."
"But the song you sang was really good. If you post it online, I'll definitely listen to it."
"Uh."
After a moment of thought, Alexander said, "Then I'll go to the recording studio tomorrow afternoon."
"Ha ha, remember to message me when you post it online. I'll help you share it."
"Sure."
After returning home, Alexander felt parched and grabbed a drink from the fridge, gulping it down in one go. He then lay on his bed to rest. He didn't really fall asleep because he heard the system's notification sound.
[Congratulations, host, you have earned 600 reputation points.]
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Reputation points? What was this about?
"System, can you hear me?" he asked internally.
[Please speak, host.]
"Why did I suddenly receive hundreds of reputation points?"
[In your recent performance, you have won the approval of a large audience, earning 600 reputation points.]
Alexander understood now and further inquired, "What's the use of these reputation points?"
[Reputation points are related to the host's fame, achievements, influence, credibility, etc. The initial value is the total reputation the host has earned before. You can use these points to get lottery chances or buy items in the system's store once it opens.]
Alexander remembered his initial reputation was just 60, and he couldn't help but feel incredulous. All his years of living had only garnered him 60 points?
In contrast, he had earned 600 points in just twenty minutes. His previous life seemed so unremarkable.
As he was reflecting, the system spoke again.
"Please choose a task."
He then noticed a floating virtual screen in front of him, displaying several task options. He touched the screen, and numerous texts appeared.
Task 1: Physical Training.
Reason: To be a good singer, one must have a strong physique, capable of enduring three days and nights of continuous work and alert enough to flee if a performance goes wrong. Improving physical condition is essential.
Requirement: Run 10 kilometers with weights every morning for a month.
Reward: +1 Physical Strength.
Task 2: Enhance Your Charm.
Reason: An outstanding singer needs to master a multitude of skills – playing the piano and composing, dancing, rock and roll... There's nothing the audience can think of that you can't accomplish. Only then can you retain your popularity.
Requirement: Master the Space Dance steps within ten days.
Reward: One opportunity to participate in a lottery draw.
Task 3: Become a Popular Singer.
Requirement: Make any song provided by the system reach the top ten on the pop charts within fifteen days.
Reward: One lottery chance and unlocking the system store.
Alexander seriously considered the tasks. The first task was lengthy and offered only a minimal reward, with the risk of sudden death from intense exercise. He immediately ruled it out.
The Space Dance was challenging, especially since he only knew two songs through the system and was not skilled in dancing. Self-learning would take a lot of time and might not yield good results.
After some thought, he decided the last task was most suitable. Despite being the most challenging, the songs "Shadows of Goodbye" and "Pages of Tomorrow" were very appealing. There was a good chance of success if he utilized the right opportunity.
"Decided, I'll choose Task 3."
Alexander made his choice, and the system acknowledged his decision.
[The host has selected task 3, please complete it on time.]
On the virtual screen, the first two tasks gradually disappeared, leaving only task 3. Next to task 3, a reminder appeared: In Progress.
Having selected the task, he continued to explore the system's features.
"System, bring up the attribute panel."
The virtual screen immediately displayed his character attributes.
Name: Alexander
Identity: Student
Occupation: Singer (Tentative)
Level: C
Reputation Points: 660
Items: None
Lottery: None
Love Points: None
Store: Not Opened
Task: Task 3 (In Progress)
After studying for a while, he roughly understood what the Perfect Life System was all about.
Simply put, this system could be used to plan Alexander's future life. If used properly, he could obtain everything he wanted from the system, making his life extraordinarily meaningful.
His identity as a singer was also temporary; if he grew tired of this role, he had every opportunity to venture into other industries in the future.
In other words, his future life was in his control.
If he wished, he could become a musician, a writer, a doctor, a sports star, and so on, achieving great success in these areas with the help of the system.
Hence, the word 'Tentative' was written next to his occupation.
As for items, they had to be obtained either through lottery or by purchasing from the store.
Upon opening the lottery interface, it showed a virtual wheel. The prizes on the wheel were currently greyed out, and each lottery attempt cost 1000 reputation points.
Currently, he had only 660 reputation points, not enough for a lottery attempt, so he had to give up for now.
As for Love Points, Alexander found a blank space upon opening it and was unclear about its use.
Could it be encouraging him to do charity? Alexander guessed randomly, planning to donate a ten dollars to a charity organization to try it out.
The store was currently inaccessible, as he hadn't met the conditions to open it.
Excited, Alexander lay in bed unable to sleep. Looking at the time, it was eleven o'clock at night.
He turned on his computer and logged into a digital music copyright registration platform, registering two songs.
Tonight, he had sung each song only once, yet moved nearly all the students, showing the charm of these two songs.
He knew his singing level was not high, only at a C grade, but if he could further improve his singing skills, he could surely create an even more explosive live performance.
"I should take some time to learn professional vocal training."
Although Alexander had a good voice, he hadn't undergone professional training. To perform the two songs perfectly, he still lacked some skill, especially for the song "Shadows of Goodbye."
To truly sing it well, a raspy voice was not enough; it also needed a deep and vicarious emotional interpretation to reach the peak of emotion.
Just then, the door was opened, and the three roommates sharing the apartment with Alexander returned.