Two weeks flew by in a blur of notifications, sweat, and cheap tap water.
The sun outside was brutal, but inside our cramped apartment, the only thing burning was my progress.
Every single morning started the exact same way.
[04:50 AM]
I would wake up, throw on my oversized gym clothes, and head out before the city even had a chance to breathe. The five-kilometer walks turned into five-kilometer jogs. The jogs turned into steady runs.
[Walking Lv 4 -> 10 (MAX)]
[Skill Evolved: Fleet-Footed Lv 1]
[Aerobic Exercise Lv 2 -> Lv 5]
By the tenth day, I didn't even need the recovery potions to survive the workout. My lungs had stopped burning, and my legs felt like actual pillars instead of jelly.
But the real highlight of my day? Checking the MeTube dashboard.
Every time I refreshed that stupid app, my chest practically swelled with pride. I couldn't help but grin like a complete idiot staring at the screen.
[Views: 2,410,583]
[Subscribers: 154,000]
Two. Million. Views.
In just two weeks.
'Damn, I really am that guy,' I thought, scrolling through the comments while sitting on the kitchen floor cooling down. I was practically giddy. In my past life, it took years of scraping by behind the scenes just to get a nod of approval from a third-rate director. Here, people were treating my voice like it was a gift from the heavens.
"I've listened to this every single day since it dropped. Where is the next song?"
"User_Ren is carrying the entire music industry on his back right now."
"Is there an album coming? Someone sign this man!"
Even better than the comments was the monetization notification. Because the video was pulling numbers like a major label release, the ad revenue was already pooling into my linked digital account.
It wasn't a fortune yet, but it was enough to make sure Aoi and I didn't have to bargain with grocery store clerks for expired bento boxes anymore.
Speaking of Aoi, our daily dynamic had shifted into something incredibly peaceful.
She never brought up the song. She never asked why I suddenly had a guitar, or why her half-dead brother was suddenly waking up at dawn to run marathons. But the changes were too obvious to ignore.
"You're shrinking," she remarked one afternoon, setting a plate of sliced watermelons on the table.
"It's called losing weight," I muttered, popping a piece into my mouth.
She looked at me for a second longer than usual. The heavy, bloated cheeks were mostly gone now. My face had defined itself, revealing a sharp jawline that had been buried under years of stress and bad food.
"Whatever. Don't shrink too much, or the clothes I bought you won't fit," she said flatly, turning back to her book.
[Affection Stat: Aoi -> 85/100]
I smiled faintly. She was a tsundere through and through, but the system didn't lie. She was happy I was taking care of myself.
With the daily life stuff stabilized, my nights were purely dedicated to the grind. I locked myself in my room, opened the System Shop, and started burning through my hard-earned credits.
[Vocal Lozenge (Common) Purchased! -200 Credits]
[Vocal Lozenge (Common) Purchased! -200 Credits]
The throat lozenges tasted like metallic mint, but the moment they dissolved, a soothing warmth coated my vocal cords. It allowed me to practice high notes for hours without straining a single muscle.
[Singing Lv 10 -> Lv 18]
[Intermediate Guitar Lv 1 -> Lv 8]
[Stable Breath (Passive) Lv 1 -> Lv 4]
My voice was changing. It wasn't just raw emotion anymore; I was gaining actual technique. The breath control allowed me to hold notes longer, vibratos became smoother, and the grit in my tone sounded entirely intentional rather than forced.
By the end of the second week, I stood in front of the mirror before taking a shower.
[Current Weight: 132.4 kg]
Nearly eighteen kilos down from where I started. I was still a big guy, but I looked solid now. Broad-shouldered, tall, and with eyes that actually carried a dangerous amount of focus.
[Name: Kuroda Ren]
[Level: 06]
[STR: 12]
[AGI: 10]
[CON: 14]
[CHA: 15]
My Charisma stat had skyrocketed, mostly due to the physical changes and the passive buffs from the system. I could feel it whenever I walked down the street—people didn't look at me with pity or disgust anymore. They just looked.
Sitting back down at the computer, the fan hummed its usual loud tune, but I didn't care. I opened MeTube and checked the notifications one last time. The community tab was practically begging for a follow-up.
'Two weeks is enough waiting,' I thought, my fingers tapping rhythmically against the desk.
The first video proved they liked the raw, enduring energy. But now, it was time to give them something darker. Something that would firmly solidify my place as a genius lyricist in this empty world.
I reached out, picked up the faded brown acoustic guitar, and rested it against my knee.
I cracked my knuckles, opened a fresh audio file on the desktop, and stared at the title I had written days ago.
Numb.
"Let's see how they handle this one," I murmured, a confident smirk spreading across my face as my fingers found the opening chords.