CHAPTER 155: BREAKING NEWS

The question lingered in Gray’s mind even after a day.

He didn’t expect it to.

It wasn’t something he took seriously at the time. But now, while sitting alone in his office, he found himself replaying Eliot’s words again and again.

"Have you ever thought about learning more?"

Gray leaned back in his chair with his arms crossed, as he stared blankly at the whiteboard across his desk.

He wasn’t interested in fashion.

Not really.

For him, all clothes are the same as long as they serve their purpose. It didn’t help that his closet was basically just shirts, plain jackets, jeans and his formal wear for work.

Aside from that, the industry itself sounded like a different world. They were luxury, high-pressure, and filled with names and trends he couldn’t keep track of.

But still...

He couldn’t deny it.

It hadn’t felt bad being part of it yesterday. The discussion, the design talk, the way Eliot took his input seriously, even though he’d said he didn’t know anything.

It was kind of weirdly satisfying.

"Maybe..." Gray muttered under his breath. "It wouldn’t be bad to learn. I should think it through. While Eliot’s offer is still fresh."

The moment the thought crossed his mind, a soft chime echoed in his ears.

[Ding!]

[Additional Mission Unlocked!]

Gray straightened instinctively. His eyes narrowed as the familiar holographic screen slid into his view.

[Mission: The Fine Line Between Fabric and Power]

Objective: Accept Eliot’s offer and expand your knowledge in fashion design.

[Reward: +3 Influence | A whole fine and high-quality wardrobe with the system’s top selection of clothing from various brands.]

[Would you accept this mission?]

[Yes] [No]

Gray blinked at the screen.

"...Fashion?" he muttered.

His brow furrowed as he read the mission again, just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

[Accept Eliot’s offer and expand your knowledge in fashion design.]

He leaned back into his chair, eyeing the glowing mission window like it had just insulted him.

"How the hell is this supposed to help me?"

He glanced at the objective, then at the reward section again.

"...A whole wardrobe, huh?" His lips twitched.

Gray leaned forward as he eyed the words with growing interest. The reward didn’t sound too bad now that he thought about it.

His closet had been painfully basic for years. The idea of actually owning high-quality clothes, especially given the prices these days, sounds tempting as hell.

"Yeah," he muttered. "That stuff’s expensive now."

He sighed and dragged a hand through his hair.

"...Well, I guess I’ll do this then."

After all, it wasn’t like he had to become some runway model. The system said that he just needs to learn.

Gray tapped the floating [Yes] button in the air.

The screen dissolved with a soft shimmer.

[Mission Accepted!]

"Grocery store, then now, fashion," Gray shook his head in disbelief.

He leaned back in his chair again, watching the holographic screen of the mission window dissolve into nothing but air.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Fashion, huh..." he muttered to himself, shaking his head slowly. "I guess, it’s not bad to try it out."

He looked around his office. On his desk, there were stacks of reports, and on the side shelf, there were folders full of supplier contracts.

Everything in here was about running a business, not about style or fashion.

And yet, here he was.

Gray laughed. At first, it was just a small chuckle. But the more he thought about it, the funnier it felt for him.

"This is ridiculous," he wheezed between quiet laughs. "What even is my life anymore?"

First, he was a tutor, then he got a grocery store. Then now, fashion?

It sounded so simple when he thought of it.

But he knew it wasn’t.

Especially when it has only been 2 months.

It was fast, yet strangely, it wasn’t at the same time.

"Still, I have to admit it," he murmured, voice softer now, "I’m really thankful for the system."

Gray sat back in his chair, exhaling deeply as the room quieted down around him.

He couldn’t deny how much his life had changed ever since the system arrived. The way it pushed him. Challenged him. Gave him room to grow and move forward.

"It really did change everything," he said, his voice filled with gratitude.

After a while, Gray stood up to stretch for a moment. He rolled his shoulder before sinking back into his chair.

He reached toward his desk and picked up a pen, intending to jot down a few notes on one of the reports in front of him.

’Alright, back to work,’ he told himself.

But before he could even read the first line of the supplier contract on his screen, his eyes shifted toward the corner of his monitor. His browser was still open.

’It wouldn’t hurt to slack just for 5 minutes, right?’ Gray clicked on the tab.

A simple scroll through his feed wouldn’t hurt.

His feed was filled with usual posts. There were news about the rising cost of eggs, a viral video of a cat that could apparently open cabinets, and someone ranting about the new bus routes in West Arcadia.

He scrolled past a meme he’d already seen twice that week. There was another post he saw where an influencer posted a blurry photo of his lunch with the caption

"Don’t ask what it is. Just know it slaps."

Gray looked at it, cringing, before he scrolled for more.

There were more food posts. More vague motivational quotes. And a few local updates.

Nothing was really important.

Gray was just about to click away when a bold headline made him pause.

[BREAKING NEWS: SOLARBYTE Skyrockets After Major Corporate Announcement — Value Surges 210% Overnight]

He froze...

Completely froze.

"What the fuck?"

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A/N:

I’d like to say a big thank you to all the readers who’ve dropped Golden Tickets into the novel over the past day:

LordofNaps, Mark_4727, daniel_effiong, burf, PatD, Patrick_Lewis_5752, Avatar_Y2k.

I really do appreciate it!