Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting zebra stripes across Amias' desk. He slumped in his chair, staring at his computer screen with a mixture of disbelief and pride. His fingers drummed an unconscious rhythm on the worn wood, matching the beat that had been playing in his head all morning.
The Adin Ross clip was still open in his browser—a livestream with over 70,000 viewers where the American streamer had discovered "I'm Tryna" and played it live. Amias had watched it seventeen times now, still not fully processing what had happened.
"Yo, this is actually hard!" Adin's voice came through the speakers again as Amias hit replay. "The beat is cold, and his flow is nice. Chat, what do you think?"
Amias paused the video, shaking his head in wonder. Twenty-four hours ago, he'd been a unknown artist with a freshly uploaded song. Now his Spotify numbers were exploding.
His phone buzzed with another notification. He'd had to put it on silent after the barrage of messages that had started coming in late last night—Capari, Jordan, Temi, classmates he barely spoke to.
The screen showed a message from Zara:
"Check your email NOW. Not joking. Call me after."
Amias switched tabs to his inbox. He already knew what awaited. The system had already informed him through the reward he'd gotten hours ago.
At the top, highlighted in bold, sat an email with the subject line: "Congratulations on UK Official Charts Entry."
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]
Subject: Congratulations on UK Official Charts Entry
Dear Amias Mars,
Congratulations! Your single "I'm Tryna" has entered the Official UK Singles Chart at position #99 for the week ending January 15, 2021.
This achievement represents your first ever entry on the Official Charts. Your single has accumulated the following stats during the qualifying period:
257,842 streams
4,826 digital downloads
1,458 physical sales equivalents
Your chart position will be publicly announced this Friday at 5:45pm GMT.
For artist information regarding chart placements, promotional opportunities, or technical questions, please contact your label representative or distribution partner.
Again, congratulations on this significant milestone in your career.
Best regards, The Official Charts Company
Despite his foreknowledge, Amias read the email three times, his heart hammering against his ribs. He'd charted. Knowing of it felt surreal but seeing it himself…
His first-ever song had charted on the Official UK Singles Chart. Number 99 might be at the bottom, but it was still in the charts—something most artists never achieved in their entire careers.
He reached for his phone with unsteady hands and called Zara.
"Did you see it?" she practically screamed when she answered.
"Yeah," he replied, his voice quieter but intense.
"It's real! You're charting, Ami! Your first song ever and you're on the charts!"
"This is mad," he breathed, leaning back in his chair. "Absolutely mad."
"It's the Adin Ross effect," Zara explained. "After he reacted, it just exploded. We went from 8,000 streams to over 30,000 in under an hour. By this morning, we crossed 250,000. Your socials are blowing up too."
Amias nodded, even though she couldn't see him. "I've had to mute my notifications."
"And that's not all," Zara continued, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "I just checked your business email. Its flooded with emails from A&Rs, from managers, from indie labels. Everyone wants to talk to you."
"What? Already?"
"Yeah, it seems like that's how it works. They probably see numbers and they pounce. But you're not rushing into anything," she added firmly. "Plus you need to build on this momentum properly."
Amias' vision flickered momentarily, a brief tremor that he'd grown accustomed to whenever the System was about to manifest. "Listen, Z, I need to go. Let's talk before the party tonight, yeah?"
"Definitely. Oh, and Ami? You should be really proud. This is huge."
After ending the call, Amias watched as the holographic interface materialized before him. The now-familiar azure glow filled his room as the System's congratulatory message from earlier appeared for the second time.
MILESTONE ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED:
First Official Track Release
First UK Charts Entry
COMBINED REWARD GENERATED...
The interface shimmered and expanded to reveal:
[J. Cole THE OFF-SEASON] (Epic - Rare Version)
[J. Cole Flow Unlocked]
[Masterful Breath Control] – Extended verses, rapid flows, back-to-back multis—your lungs never fail you. You can spit without losing clarity, making every performance sound like a one-take.
[Melodic Genius] – Melodies come naturally to you. Dark, soulful, triumphant—whatever emotion you need, you can craft it effortlessly. Every track you touch carries a unique atmosphere that pulls listeners in.
[Mic Presence Boost] – Your voice carries weight. You sound like someone who belongs. Whether on stage or in the booth, your delivery commands respect.
+25 Flow Control
+17 Lyricism
+15 Music Theory
+15 Rhythm Recognition
+25 Adaptability
Amias scrolled through the reward details slowly, absorbing each component once again. The breath control would be game-changing for sure. Ever since, his throat had been raw from each recording session. Recently it hadn't been as worst as it was on his first time but still, the pain could be unbearable at times and his mother's medicine cabinet was running dry of soar throat medication. It wasn't that his stamina was failing him, since he had the "No Days Off" passive skill that wouldn't happen regularly. It had been his raw throat. But now, that barrier would be gone.
He flicked his wrist to bring up his updated stats:
Lyrical Composition: 86/100 (+5)
Flow Control: 69/100 (+15)
Rhythm Recognition: 64/100 (+9)
Music Theory: 81/100 (+5)
Stage Presence: 55/100
Freestyle Ability: 77/100
Melodic Perception: 56/100
Vocal Projection: 77/100
Beat Production: 58/100
Sound Engineering: 54/100
The Flow Control jump from 54 to 69 was massive—exactly what he needed to handle the HYB song structure.
Looking at this reminding him of his first reward actually, the one that had initially gave him thoughts to throw the idea of what he was currently doing—being an artist, away
[TABULA RASA: THE SACRIFICIAL RITE] (Legendary)
"The greatest artists start from nothing. Your talent is a blank slate—what will you carve into history?"
All stats reset to 0.
Adaptive Genius Modifier: Every experience, battle, or creation increases stats at double the normal rate.
Permanent +10% XP gain to all stats.
Music stat gains from future rewards are DOUBLED until amount reaches 50.
At the time, he'd been baffled seeing all his stats plummet to 0 at the time. But it was proving useful, with the Adaptive Genius modifier his growth had been accelerating and with the reduced 10% on the stat range nullifiers, he got far more out of this J. Cole reward.
Amias minimized the holographic display and returned to his computer, where he'd been working on finishing REDEMPTION before the interruptions. The verses were nearly complete, and with his new stats, finishing this off may be easier than anticipated.
His phone buzzed again. Capari:
"You seen the numbers? Popping cuz! We still on for tonight. Can't let them man go solo. Picking you up at 8."
Amias typed a quick confirmation, then glanced at his other notifications. Two were from Temi:
"Amias, you coming to Jaden's tonight?"
"Heard your song's blowing up, that's mad"
He hesitated, then put the phone down without responding. He didn't want those emotions to arise again, he needed a focused mind right now. He'd deal with Temi at the party.
For now, he had more important things to focus on. His brand, for one. He'd settled on AM as his main logo, with "AMN" as a variation—Capari's teasing about him being "North" to Central's "Central." being the inspiration. Zara had created several designs, including a royal-looking emblem that perfectly captured what he was going for.
{Insert}
On his screen, the Spotify counter for "I'm Tryna" ticked up another hundred plays as he watched. His first song was charting. He was getting label interest. His System rewards were accelerating his growth. And his birthday was just a week away—Friday—seventeen, with his life changing faster than he could process.
Amias took a deep breath and turned back to his notebook. The party tonight would be interesting despite the brewing tension. But right now, he had verses to finish.