Julian woke to the pale hush of morning. His body ached, heavy from battle, but before the pain could fully register—
[ Congratulations, host. Fame: Unknown → Noticed. ]
The system's voice rang clear in his mind.
He blinked awake, reached for his phone, and opened his socials. His follower count glared back at him—1,178. Overnight.
Notifications stacked endlessly, hundreds of tags. Clips of his goals against Crenshaw flooded the feed, the comeback that turned the storm into Lincoln's triumph.
Comments scrolled by in a blur:
"This Julian kid is real. Remember how he torched San Dimas too?"
"Lincoln hasn't lost all season. Mid-season run = flawless."
"Forget nicknames. He's already the Emperor."
Julian exhaled through his nose, a faint smirk tugging at his lips. He liked a few, reposted some, then shut the phone with a snap.
The system chimed again:
[ Claim reward for breaking new Fame Tier? ]
Julian pressed yes.
[ Congratulations, host. Reward: Noticed Pack.]
+50 EXP
