Nick immediately got up from the floor, rushed to the counter, grabbed his phone, and entered Top Idol, completely ignoring the fact that he was still half-naked.
A soft glow cast gently on his face, and he read the new notifications.
> You have been rewarded (2) v-points for completing the Easy task.
> You have been rewarded additional (8) v-points for completing the Optional task.
Nick's mind went blank for a couple of seconds, momentarily unsure of what to think or feel. The cost of such a reward was quite high.
However, a light smile crept up his lips.
He returned to the Profile homepage, where only a few sets of information had changed.
Daily Task(s) = [4/4].
V-Points = 10.
'Haha, of course I was correct about the daily tasks counter.' Excluding the v-points from the optional task, Nick had received 4 v-points today.
Therefore, that information was to be read as: Nick, an Irregular, was only allowed 4 v-points worth of tasks per day. Unlike he previously thought, it wasn't necessarily displaying two data at once; it was just being efficient.
Before Nick did anything further, he put on his clothes, sat down properly, and waited for a minute, acting normal.
He knew Mr. Singh kept the backroom, where the recorded security footage was, tightly locked, and the key was always with him. In addition to that, he knew Mr. Singh trusted him well enough now to not check the footage of his shifts every day, and only did so once in a while to avoid negligence on his part.
'So now, I'll just come a bit earlier for my shift tomorrow and get the key from him.'
Nick sorted out his plan to delete the surveillance footage and returned to Top Idol.
He had received another notification.
[Achievement unlocked!]
Nick clicked the menu at the left top corner and saw that there was a "1" beside the Achievements tab. He entered the tab and a sudden animation of trumpets blaring accompanied a large trophy with a titled ribbon at its base.
[Bronze Trophy]
"Beginner" ~ Congrats! You completed all daily tasks.
Nick nodded in acknowledgment, not thinking much of the trophy. This seemed similar to those achievements earned in games that didn't mean anything or serve any purpose beyond offering the player a sense of accomplishment.
However, Nick was shown something else right after the animation of the bronze trophy ended.
> You have been rewarded (6) v-points and a [Red Packet].
Nick remained staring at his phone.
'That's… 16! I have 16 v-points now!'
He smiled with barely contained excitement, brushed his hair, and kept a hand on his mouth. "This is amazing," he muttered.
'I can put some in my attributes. Which attribute should I start with? Intelligence, or Looks?' Nick laughed. "What am I thinking?"
Nick brought his attention to the other reward he had received and went over to the Inventory.
Here, there was only one slot occupied, filled with a red rectangular envelope icon.
Nick clicked it to see its information.
[Red Packet]
Type: --
Tier: I.
Description: "What could be inside? Some cash? A secret? Or something more?"
Of course, the use or sell options were there, but Nick was filled with immense anticipation after reading the description.
'Did it say some cash?' he playfully thought. In the Shop, this Red Packet was worth 10 v-points, but now, he got it for free.
He instantly stood up and went to the back, specifically to the small toilet, since there were no cameras in there.
Nick wasted no time and clicked "use."
He gulped and kept his eyes peeled.
Right before Nick, a red envelope appeared out of thin air, covered in a yellow and green hue, and fell, but he caught it!
"Damn! That's crazy!" He said with a smile and let out a heavy breath to calm his fast-beating heart. And then, he calmly observed the envelope.
There were flowing golden patterns on the envelope and it didn't possess any form of write-up.
Growing impatient, Nick tore open the red packet.
His face froze in disbelief, but his fingers moved fast. He swiped through the $100 bills and brought it all out.
Holding the hard cash with clean Benjamins in one hand and his phone in the other, Nick drew in a heavy breath, put his phone in his pocket, and calmly counted the money.
After a quick minute, he said with a complex smile, "One thousand dollars."
Nick remained rooted to the spot, fixated on the bills. But then, his eyes slowly began to blur.
Unanticipated tears quietly trickled down his cheeks.
Nick, a bit shocked at this, briefly wiped his eyes with his free hand, but the tears fell even more.
"D-Dammit. What's this?" he asked himself, but he knew the answer.
These were tears born of pain, years of suffering, and anguish, mingled with newfound joy, happiness, and hope.
After all these years and all his relentless struggles, it felt as though there was nothing left for him in this world. He had given up and succumbed to the despair that had plagued him.
Night after night, he slept, wishing he would wake up from the nightmare he called his life. Day after day, he woke up, wishing he had died in his sleep.
Every time he looked in the mirror, he confronted the face of that which he hated the most.
Every time he called his mother and heard her tired voice, he was reminded of how much of a failure he was. For her not to worry, he continued to maintain the lie that he had completed college and, because of how smart he was, he was quickly employed in a big company.
His laughter and smiles were hollow. Day in and day out, he felt like a living dead man, a soulless failure trapped in an existence bereft of meaning. Walking purposeless and directionless into the inevitable unknown.
Like teetering at the edge of an unfathomable abyss, then plummeting into the darkness below, only to be caught by an outstretched hand of hope.
With Top Idol, he had been given a chance to win.
Finally, a proper chance.
After about three minutes, Nick's crying stopped and he washed his face in the sink.
Standing in front of the mirror, a soft smile graced his face, as though it were commonly there.
"Hmm, what should I do next?"
Nick quickly checked the time on his phone.
'Only 40 minutes left. I'll think about what to spend my 16 v-points on and then make any investment or purchase when I get home,' he thought but contemplated more on something else.
'I should go back to Old Town and visit that stranger who saved me before I head home. I should thank him. He must have been the one who sent me the invite. And according to the rules, he must be an admin. I have quite a few questions too…'
Nick left the toilet with a smile.
Sometime after, he was done with the shift.
…
Under the moonlight, from the shadowy corner of the street, Nick was discreetly observed as he exited Jack's QuickStop convenience store and hailed a taxi cab.
"Start the engine," a deep voice said from within the darkness.
The engine revved, and the car began to follow the taxi cab ahead, maintaining a safe distance away from it.