Lenny remained silent, ruminating on the words of the cartoon guide.
'…All my desires are within reach if I'm willing to pay the price. I should prove how deep they run. Hmm, I guess this must be some type of Ponzi scheme...?'
He scoffed at the idea of wishes being granted and desires being within reach. Only an absolute buffoon would fall for such lies.
After the brief introduction, Lenny was free to explore the app.
There were nine tabs, named in order: Profile, Attributes, Leaderboard, Inventory, Shop, Marketplace, Notifications, Achievements, and Help & Support.
First and foremost, he entered the Profile tab. For parts he couldn't fully understand and needed clarification, there was a small 'i' sign beside them, which he clicked to explain the information they provided.
Name: Lennard Steven Park.
Alias: Pointer4879.
Reading his name, Lenny was taken aback.
'...How did—How did they get my full name? Ah, they probably got it from my WiChat account. Bastards thought they could fool me, nice try…'
Reading the information beside, he learned other pointers wouldn't be able to see his name. Instead, he would be identified by the alias — Pointer4879. Lenny couldn't help but grimace at the rather unimpressive alias. It seemed to him that these scammers weren't too creative.
Class: Irregular.
Coined from the term 'V-point', Pointers were split into ten classes that served as designated levels of ascension, the next greater than the last: Irregular, Specialist, Double Specialist, Triple Specialist, Master Specialist, Elite Candidate, Third Elite, Second Elite, First Elite, and lastly — Idol.
To advance to the next class, a pointer was to attain a certain amount of fame, and then complete the Class Advancement Test. In the event that the pointer fails to complete the test, the pointer would be disqualified from further participation in Top Idol.
"I guess it's the typical pyramid scheme…" Lenny muttered, unamused.
'...If I'm an Irregular already by just accepting the invite and getting the app, then a Regular should be a normal person who lives their day-to-day without Top Idol? Heh, so they're trying to inflate my ego to make it seem like I'm special…'
Lenny scoffed at the app developers' foolishness. Did they think he was dumb? He knew all about these manipulative tactics.
S-Attribute: —
S-Attribute Ability: —
Unique Skill: —
There were seven attributes pointers could invest v-points in. Lenny was shown the "SPECIAL" acronym, which stood for: Strength, Perception, Endurance, Charisma, Intelligence, Agility, and Looks.
He frowned thinking about the 'attributes' concept. Did these scammers really think people would believe in the possibility of "increasing stats"? Why would they even think of a dumb feature? It's not like life was a video game.
However, he continued with his inspection. He further learned that pointers would earn a special perk called an 'S-point' after accomplishing the class advancement test. A pointer could use an S-point to upgrade a particular attribute, enhancing it beyond its limits, and once done, the upgraded attribute becomes the S-Attribute.
The S-Attribute then came with an ability which—from the info Lenny read—seemed like otherworldly and fantastical renditions of power. The example given was of a Tier-2 Strength Ability, which would grant the pointer a superhuman level of strength similar to that of the fictional Hulk superhero. So, it was typically a superpower.
This was especially funny. At first, he thought the app developers were just foolish, but now he believed they lacked actual human brains.
In addition to all that, Unique Skill was a power manifestation formed from the S-Attribute Ability. It was said this added a layer of specialization and individuality to each pointer's skill set, but Lenny didn't understand it, which fueled his skepticism even further.
It was widely known that scammers used big grammar, fancy language, and complex sentence wording to fool gullible individuals into believing they were truly official, corporate, and knowledgeable.
Talents: [ ], [ ], [ ].
This was a surprising feature for Lenny. There were three 'talent' slots available for all pointers. Apparently, pointers could purchase talents from the shop and upgrade the proficiency level, all utilizing v-points.
V-Score = [0/100,000].
V-Score, was an amalgamation of fame, influence, celebrity, and notoriety. Reaching the threshold, a pointer would participate in a Class Advancement Test, which was necessary to earn an S-point and advance to the next Class.
Daily Tasks Completed = [0/4].
Four tasks were assigned to pointers each day, and this section tracked how many of those tasks were completed. It was pretty self-explanatory.
V-Points = 0.
V-points, or VP, from what Lenny understood, were the main currency of the app, enabling pointers to engage in its multiple services.
Now getting the gist of everything in the Profile tab and skimming through the rest, Lenny nodded his head in acknowledgment and let out a deep sigh of disappointment.
'…What a load of bullcrap. I can't believe I was rescued just to be a victim of a scam…'
Lenny quickly exited the app, unready to fall for another scam again at this time of his life. For such a stupid one at that!
He attempted uninstalling it, but the phone's operating system didn't permit him. So, he just disabled the app from the phone settings.
It was a crazy turn of events. He had attempted suicide and was rescued by a weird stalker, only to be introduced to a scam. As though his life wasn't already hard enough.
Rubbing his temples, he let out a heavy sigh.
Much to his dismay, he was still alive, therefore... why not look for work instead of moping around, entertaining these scammers?
Quickly, he dialed Dez's phone number.
…
"I don't have anything for you at the moment, but be on your feet and ready; anything could come up."
That was what Dez told Lenny. This implied that he most likely had the whole day to idle about, but if luck was on his side, he'd get a job.
Lenny had woken up with damp clothes from the ordeal of the previous night, so he took them off and hit the shower. He then changed into a pair of clean clothes, a black turtleneck shirt, and blue jeans.
His bed had absorbed the water from his clothes, so now he had it propped against the balcony and window on the left side of the studio apartment, directly opposite the kitchen and bathroom doors.
Then, he went about doing the regular housework. As his mother had always taught him that cleanliness is second only to godliness, he developed this habit over time. And who didn't want to be a god?