Next day.
Tristan Gemello was testing clothes against himself and looking into the mirror of the second-hand store.
'I should think about my future image right now, because changing it later will be troublesome. And since I'm a criminal already, going for a bad boy vibe will be the easiest thing to do. This T-shirt is too bright for that, though. And this one is too punk…'
In the last two years, Tristan learned that second-hand and off-brand stores had a terrible quality of clothing, but sometimes there were quite interesting designs.
Sometimes.
After several hours of shopping at several stores, Tristan bought himself a new outfit for each of his identities.
For the pop-star identity, Tristan got black jeans with cut holes, a fake leather jacket with extra zippers on it, tall boots, and a purple T-shirt to add some color to the outfit. It fit with his eyes well.
For the criminal identity, Tristan got a much less eye-catching outfit: ordinary blue jeans, sneakers, a light gray T-shirt and Guns & Roses black hoodie.
While he was at it, Tristan couldn't resist buying some less necessary items of clothing, like a new rucksack instead of the tattered one he stole a year ago together with its contents.
Later, dressed in his new almost leather jacket, Tristan enjoyed the sunlight while eating out in an actual restaurant. It was a cheap one, but the food was ten steps away above the diners he frequented until before.
Then Tristan went to shop for other things necessary for his future careers. And there were going to be two careers, for sure.
Not just for the pop-star points, but for the pure power that came with ignoring the law and beating his enemies black and blue.
Tristan still wanted to awe and shame certain people, but others clearly deserved no less than a broken bone or two.
He won't just be a pop-star, he will become a crime boss, too—so if the need arose, Tristan could crush anyone under his boot, in any manner he wanted.
***
A week later.
To lie down on a proper, nice bed with clean bedsheets and stare in the ceiling free of stains… it was pure bliss.
This one-room apartment even had a separate kitchen, so Tristan had much more space for work in his bedroom.
Besides clothes, Tristan bought a good microphone to record videos and songs at home, and a DasBook, so he had something to edit videos at. He planned to impress many people online.
The last thing Tristan bought was a month's subscription to a nearby gym—to increase his attributes and get a lot of points for that.
Finding this apartment, where the neighbors won't kick on the walls if he tried to record something, wasn't easy. That took him a lot of time just browsing places, talking with their owners, and lying about having a job.
But for the first time in years, Tristan felt almost like a rich person again.
Then he opened his wallet and stared at the measly $200 left inside.
Tristan winced and groaned.
"How the hell did my money were gone so quickly? The stuff I bought—it was cheap! The clothes were secondhand, and the DasBook was an old model, and this apartment is in a bad neighborhood where people get shot every evening."
Then Tristan made mental calculations.
Even that apartment cost him $2600 per month and deposit. The DasBook—not the latest or most powerful model!—cost him $999. And the other things also added up.
At least he had another month to gather rent.
'I can probably keep pickpocketing for now, but I can't do that forever. Too much risk, especially now. When I was younger, the gangs ignored me since I was less than a nobody. Then I was in a gang myself. But now I'm on my own and have already beat up someone. Someone will definitely spread the rumors about that.'
Tristan realized he would need to find a job, at least until he joins another gang or makes his own.
But joining a guard was much easier than building his own from scratch.
With these thoughts and plans, Tristan opened his new DasBook and browsed job offers in the area. He hoped to find something that would let him earn more system points.
A cashier, a cashier, a burger flipper, waiter, janitor…
Tristan scrolled and scrolled. Even a year ago he'd scoff at salaries some of these jobs earned. At least by pickpocketing and robbing, he could earn a living.
An advertisement caught Tristan's eyes.
[A pianist in a bar]
Late evening to night hours, the salary—not great, but decent. More importantly, people were going to listen to Tristan's music.
The only requirement was knowing how to play piano, with a special bonus for candidates who could sing, too.
There was only one problem—Tristan had no idea how to play the piano.
But it wasn't a problem at all!
The next question Tristan put into the search line was, "piano practice room".
After ten minutes of searching, Tristan knew where to go and what to spend his last money at.
He spent the rest of the evening reading and watching guides on how to play piano for newbies.
***
Next morning.
For $40, Tristan could play an hour in a practice room with a piano in one of the city's music academies.
It was a room without decorations, only a drum set, a piano, and a whiteboard on the wall. The walls were covered in sound-absorbing panels.
Tristan wished he could play guitar here, but he came for the piano. An actual wooden piano, not an electronic one.
He sat on the stool near it, remembered the guides, and opened the notes on his phone.
Experimentally, Tristan put his fingers on the keyboard.
Then he began following the steps of the guides, learning how to play basic notes, then simple melodies.
Minute after minute, until half an hour passed in a blink of an eye.
[Ding!]
[You gained a new skill—playing piano. Reward: 100 CP!]
Tristan smirked.
100 CP was good.
But even better will be…
Putting all his PP into the piano skill and getting that job!