CHAPTER 278: CHAPTER 277: SYSTEM REWARDS

As for her contact information and address, that wasn’t even a question anymore. After all, they had already shared even the most embarrassing stories from their childhood—what was a phone number or apartment code compared to that?

In fact, Rex could probably count how many moles she had on her body, and accurately at that.

She had told him she rented an apartment in Beverly Grove... emphasizing the "Grove" part with a teasing smile.

"Not the Hills," she said. "I’m rich enough to be between West Hollywood and Beverly Hills, but not quite rich enough to live in them yet."

It wasn’t said with any bitterness. Just honesty. And ambition.

He even knew the passcode to her apartment. She had shared it so casually, like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Of course, she knew his place too. They hadn’t drawn boundaries like most people did. There were no awkward pauses, no hesitation. Just comfort. Whatever this thing between them was, it wasn’t confined by typical rules.

After lingering for a solid few minutes, staring at the ceiling and replaying the whirlwind of the last 24 hours, Rex finally sighed and shifted his attention to something he’d been itching to check since the moment he woke up.

With a thought, the familiar system interface blinked to life in front of his eyes.

First things first—daily sign-in.

A soft chime confirmed it, and a small pop-up appeared:

[Congratulations! Daily Sign-In Complete: Reward — Energy Recovery Drink (Ultra-Grade)]

"Perfect timing," he muttered.

The drink materialized directly into his inventory. According to the description, it could melt away exhaustion, restore every cell in the body, and basically bring a sleep-deprived, overworked human back from the brink. And after a night of drinking, not-sleeping, and adult-level cardio, he wasn’t about to turn that down.

He cracked it open, took a long swig, and immediately felt the rush hit, like warm electricity pouring through his veins. Muscles relaxed. Mind sharpened. The dull ache in his bones vanished like mist under the sun.

"Damn," he exhaled. "That’s the good stuff."

Next, he casually opened up the System Mall. A glowing Hydration-Enhanced Water Bottle caught his eye. He didn’t even bother to check the details, just tapped purchase and tossed it straight into system storage without a second thought.

And now... time for the real highlight of the day.

He stretched his arms with anticipation, grinning slightly to himself as he opened the Mission Tab. The absurd, chaotic party from last night had come with a mission: Make a significant connection. He remembered hearing a ding back then; faint, half-drowned under alcohol and moans, but he’d been far too tipsy to check what it was about.

Now, sober and alone, he eagerly tapped on the notification.

[MISSION: Establish a Significant Connection at the Party

STATUS: COMPLETED

Congratulations!]

A wide smile crept across his face.

"As expected," he murmured.

As for who exactly the system had counted as the significant connection... Monica, Aren, or both, it didn’t say. Not that it mattered. He could tell both would be crucial to his future in their own ways. One had practically handed him a golden ticket into the industry through a game-changing script. The other? Well, Monica didn’t need an explanation. She was the explanation.

His fingers hovered over the Rewards tab. He clicked, and the window expanded with a soft sound of fireworks and pixelated confetti, a rare bit of celebration from the normally monotone system.

[Exceptional Completion — Grade: S]

[Rewards x2 Granted]

His eyebrows shot up.

"S-rank?" That was his first. Then again, he hadn’t done many missions yet, but he knew enough to understand that S-ranks were extremely rare. Even the system’s voice sounded vaguely festive for once:

"Congratulations on achieving S-Rank. You have been granted two rewards."

He grinned and rubbed his hands together like a kid unwrapping a present. "Let’s see what you’ve got for me."

The first reward was already unlocked:

[Creative Coupon: Past Life Song Unlock – Full Package]

[Title & Theme

Full lyrics with annotations

Origin story and emotional context

Genre, tempo, arrangement structure

Marketing notes and visual aesthetic recommendations

Option to enter System Space for full creative sublimation]

His heart skipped.

He clicked it instantly.

A surge of familiarity swept over him as the interface asked him to choose a song from his past life. Without hesitation, he selected "Summer Rain", the very song he had hummed in the car with Daisy. Instantly, every detail unfolded before his eyes:

...

Title & Theme

A bittersweet ode to fleeting moments and unspoken love.

Inspiration & Backstory

Born from a forgotten road trip, written in a motel during a rainstorm.

Lyrics with Annotations

Every metaphor, every line—decoded.

Musical Arrangement

Lo-fi indie-pop with soft piano, mellow synths, and a haunting bridge.

Full structure breakdown. Key. Tempo. Even emotional flow.

...

He felt goosebumps.

He could even choose to enter System Space for full sublimation, to relive the memory of its creation and etch it into his very soul, but he held off. There was still the second reward.

When he clicked it, instead of a prize appearing, the system’s voice echoed again, this time with more weight:

"This time, you may choose your second reward."

Two glowing icons appeared before him.

Option 1: $50 million perfectly legal liquid cash.

Option 2: A piece of information. Value: ???

He blinked.

"Fifty... million?" He exhaled sharply.

He blinked, staring at the glowing zeroes. It wasn’t theoretical money either. Not like the 100 million locked in the system’s investment account, or the hotels that required management. This was real, instant-use, legal cash.

His mind spun with possibilities... exotic cars, penthouses in Beverly Hills, global travel, investments, freedom. He could skip every grind and jump straight to the elite.

Then, he looked at the second reward: Information.

According to the system, it was "priceless." For some, it would mean nothing. For others, it could change everything. There were no details, no hints... just a single cryptic line:

"This knowledge could become your greatest edge—or something you never understand at all."

"Are you serious?" Rex muttered. "You give me fifty million on one hand, and a mystery box on the other?"

The system offered one more warning:

"Choose wisely. This is your first S-Class Mission. Rewards of this scale are rare and not guaranteed in the future."

He stared at the glowing icons.

Fifty million. Cold, hard, clean. No strings.

Or... a secret. One that might be useless... or might change his entire path.

He hesitated. Bit his lip. Thought of everything he already had lined up. Monica. Aren. The script. Opportunities.

He already had more wealth coming, more than he could handle right now. What he lacked was something less tangible. An edge.

And something about the way the System presented it made him hesitate. He had money already... plenty of it, even if it was still in hotel form or slow-drip contracts. But information? That could be leverage. Power. Direction.

He let out a quiet chuckle. "Besides, money can be earned again. But some chances... they don’t come twice."

Finally, he gritted his teeth, took a breath, and tapped Information.

"Let’s gamble."

The icon vanished in a shimmer of light.

"Selection Confirmed. Retrieving Information..."

(End of Chapter)