A Storm of Change

The glow of the screen illuminated Ren's face as he stared at the system notification.

[Mission: Reach 500,000 subscribers within two months.]

[Reward: ???]

The vague reward made him curious, but more than that, the challenge excited him. In just a few weeks, he had already built a foundation—his song had gone viral, his manga was on the verge of publication, and now, the real race had begun.

"500k subs, huh?" Ren muttered. "Time to step up my game."

The Rise of Genius

Over the next week, Ren focused on expansion. His channel wasn't just about music—he had a plan. The first step? Diversification.

He uploaded another song. This time, instead of an original, he chose a cover—something people would recognize but with his own twist. The result? Explosive growth.

[YouTube Stats]

Views: 1,023,652

Subscribers: 312,893

Likes: 198,476

Comments: 43,227

His subscriber count had tripled in just one week.

And then came the real game-changer.

[Ding! Achievement unlocked: First Million Views on a Single Video!]

[Reward: Custom Skill – Audio Perception Enhancement (Lv. 1)]

Ren's eyes widened.

"A skill? The system can do that?"

He immediately opened his status.

[System Status]

[Name]: Ren Shirogane

[Lifespan]: 1 Month, 5 Days

[Subscribers]: 312,893

[System Coins]: 4,200

[Skills]:

Audio Perception Enhancement (Lv.1): Allows the user to hear subtle details in music, identify weaknesses, and perfect sound quality with greater accuracy.

Ren clenched his fists.

"This changes everything."

With this ability, his music would evolve to a whole new level. The system was proving to be more than just a tool—it was a weapon.

A Day with Akari

Despite his growing success, Ren didn't forget the people who mattered. His little sister, Akari, had been extra clingy since they moved into the new house.

"Big brooo," Akari whined, hanging off his arm as he tried to work. "You're always busy now!"

Ren sighed, saving his project. "Alright, fine. What do you wanna do?"

Her face lit up. "Arcade!"

Thirty minutes later, they were at a massive gaming center. Akari was an absolute beast at claw machines, winning a mountain of plushies while Ren got absolutely nothing.

"Bro, you suck at this," she said, unimpressed.

Ren sighed. "I have other talents."

Akari grinned. "Yeah, yeah. Just admit you lost to me."

She was having fun, and that was all that mattered. Even though he was chasing his dreams, family came first.

Unexpected Encounters

Later that evening, Ren was leaving a bookstore when he bumped into someone.

"Oof—watch where you're going, dumbass."

He sighed. Only one person calls me that.

"Tachibana."

Tachibana Nao stood there, arms crossed, looking him up and down. "Why do you look so sketchy?"

Ren raised an eyebrow. "It's called being normal. You should try it sometime."

She rolled her eyes. "Tch. Whatever. You're acting all different lately. Rich kid vibes now, huh?"

"Jealous?" he smirked.

She clicked her tongue. "Not in a million years."

Despite their usual banter, Ren noticed something—Tachibana wasn't as hostile as before. It was subtle, but she wasn't looking at him with pure annoyance anymore. More like… curiosity.

Before he could comment, she spoke again.

"Hey." She hesitated, then scoffed. "Never mind. Later, loser."

And just like that, she was gone.

Ren watched her leave, rubbing his chin. What was that about?

Mei's Warning

The next day, Ren found himself ambushed by Mei at school.

"You ran into Tachibana yesterday," she stated flatly.

Ren blinked. "How do you know that?"

"I have my ways."

"…That's terrifying."

She ignored him. "Listen, she's been weird lately. Less of a bitch. More… I dunno. Interested."

Ren raised an eyebrow. "And?"

"And I'm warning you, idiot. Don't let her mess with you." Mei poked his forehead. "You're mine to bully."

Ren chuckled. "Noted, boss."

She huffed but didn't push it further.

The Road to 500k

By the end of the second week, Ren's channel had skyrocketed.

[YouTube Stats]

Views: 2,434,552

Subscribers: 498,742

He was on the verge of hitting 500k.

And the system was waiting.

[Ding! New reward incoming.]

Ren smirked.

"Time to claim my prize."