Michael Smith is 19 years old. He studies at Granite University, a place known for talented students and where rich people send their kids.
But Michael is poor. He has no talents. Everyone looks down on him.
"Get out of this house!" his father shouted.
His family kicked him out. Now he has nothing. He went to the Musical Club at his school to apply for membership.
Being in the Musical Club has benefits. Members get a dorm room, meet pretty girls, and become well-known around school.
"Sorry, but you don't qualify," the club president said.
They rejected him.
Michael is ugly. He has no talent. He has no family now either.
"Why?!" he yelled as he left the room.
He walked through the school hallway. People whispered and stared at him.
"Hey, isn't that Michael Smith?" one student said.
"Yes, I heard his family kicked him out," another replied.
Michael felt embarrassed. Everyone kept staring at him.
Why am I so useless? he thought.
[Welcome to Talent System!]
A blue screen suddenly appeared in front of him.
"What the hell?!"
[Don't ever say you are useless! As a starter, you have gained a new talent!]
"What is it?"
[The Following Talents are Unlocked!]
Talents: Singer (500 Years of Experience), Master of All Instruments (1000 Years Experience), Writer (5000 Years of Experience)
The blue screen showed him a list.
"What?! This can't be real!"
[Warning: This might hurt your brain while you gain these talents. Talent Shop unlocked! Opening your stats!]
Stats Name: Michael Smith Height: 159 cm (You're short) Age: 19 TP (Talent Points): 0 Talents: Singer (500 Years of Experience), Master of All Instruments (1000 Years Experience), Writer (5000 Years of Experience) Systems:
Talent Shop Glow Up Shop (Not Available Yet)
Michael felt like his head would explode. Sharp pain shot through his brain. He grabbed his head with both hands and fell to his knees in the hallway.
"AHHHHHHH!" he screamed.
Students around him stopped to stare. Some laughed. They thought he was having another breakdown. Others walked away. They didn't want anything to do with the school's biggest loser.
The pain felt like it lasted forever, but it was only a few minutes. When it stopped, Michael felt different. New knowledge filled his mind. He suddenly knew how to sing in amazing ways. His fingers felt strange, like they remembered playing instruments he had never touched. Words and stories appeared in his thoughts like old memories.
"What happened to me?" Michael whispered. He was still on the floor.
[Talent integration complete! You now have centuries of musical and writing knowledge. Go test your new abilities!]
Michael slowly stood up. His legs felt shaky, but something inside him felt stronger. He looked around at the students who were still watching him.
"Stop staring at the freak show," one girl said with a laugh.
"Yeah, Michael finally lost it completely," a boy from his economics class added.
Michael wanted to say something back. But what could he say? They were right about the old him. But maybe things were different now.
He walked out of the university building and onto the busy street. Cars honked. People rushed past him. Street vendors called out their prices. The city was loud and crowded, just like always.
Michael walked toward the park in the center of town. There was a small area where street performers usually gathered. Today, an old man played guitar for coins. A woman juggled for a small crowd.
He sat on a bench and watched them. The guitar player was okay, but Michael could hear all his mistakes now. His new knowledge told him exactly what was wrong. The man's technique was bad. His timing was off. His chord choices were terrible.
"I could do better," Michael said to himself. He was surprised at his own confidence.
[Go ahead! Show them what 500 years of singing experience looks like!]
The blue screen appeared again. Michael jumped.
"You're still here?"
[I'm always here, host. I'm part of you now. Think of me as your guide to becoming the most talented person alive!]
Michael looked around. No one else could see the screen. "Can only I see you?"
[Correct! Now stop talking to me like a crazy person and go sing! You'll earn Talent Points when people like your abilities.]
"Talent Points?"
[Use them in the Talent Shop to unlock new abilities or improve the ones you have. But first, you need to earn some!]
Michael took a deep breath. His whole life, he was afraid to try anything because he always failed. But now he had 500 years of singing experience somehow in his brain.
He stood up and walked to an empty spot near the fountain. A few people looked at him but kept walking. Michael closed his eyes and opened his mouth.
The sound that came out shocked him.
It was beautiful. Rich and deep, with perfect pitch and tone. The melody flowed from him like water. He sang an old ballad about love and loss. His voice made it sound completely new.
People stopped walking.
In moments, a small crowd gathered around him. Their faces showed amazement. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.
"Oh my god," a young woman whispered. "His voice is incredible."
"I've never heard anything like this," said an older man, pulling out his phone to record.
Michael kept singing, getting more confident with each note. The knowledge in his head guided him, showing him how to control his breathing, how to add emotion to each word, how to make his voice carry across the entire area.
More people gathered. The crowd grew from five to ten to twenty people. Some sat on nearby benches, others stood with their mouths open in wonder.
When he finished the first song, the crowd burst into applause. Michael had never heard applause meant for him before. It felt amazing.
"More! Please sing more!" called out a teenage girl.
People started pulling out money. Coins and bills landed in an empty guitar case that someone had placed in front of him. Michael stared at the growing pile of cash in disbelief.
He sang another song, this time something more upbeat. His voice adapted perfectly, showing range and power that made the earlier street performer pack up his guitar and leave in shame.
The crowd doubled in size. People were calling their friends, telling them to come listen to this incredible street singer. Some started recording videos on their phones.
"This guy is amazing!"
"Where did he come from?"
"I've never seen him before, but he sings like a professional!"
[Excellent work, host! Talent Points earned: 47. People are starting to worship your abilities!]
Michael smiled as he sang. For the first time in his life, people were looking at him with admiration instead of disgust. They weren't whispering about his failures or his family's rejection. They were amazed by what he could do.
An hour passed, then two. Michael sang song after song, each one better than the last. His voice never got tired - the system seemed to have given him perfect vocal control along with the experience.
The pile of money kept growing. People threw in five-dollar bills, tens, even twenties. A businessman in an expensive suit dropped a fifty and said, "Kid, you should be on stage, not on the street."
By the time the sun started setting, Michael had a crowd of over a hundred people. Some had been there for hours, unwilling to leave. Others kept arriving as word spread through social media about the incredible street singer in the park.
"One more song!" the crowd chanted. "One more!"
Michael looked at all their faces. These were the same types of people who had ignored him his whole life. Rich students from his university, working professionals, families with children. But now they were all looking at him like he was the most important person in the world.
He sang one final song, pouring all his emotion into it. He thought about his father kicking him out, the musical club rejecting him, years of being called worthless and talentless. But instead of sadness, the song came out triumphant and powerful.
When he finished, the crowd went wild. The applause lasted for several minutes. People shouted compliments and begged him to perform again tomorrow.
As the crowd slowly dispersed, Michael counted his money. Three hundred and forty-seven dollars. More money than he had ever had at one time in his life.
[Incredible performance, host! Final Talent Points earned today: 156. You've unlocked new features in the Talent Shop!]
The blue screen appeared with a list of new options:
[Talent Shop - Available Purchases:] Enhanced Vocal Range (50 TP) Stage Presence Boost (75 TP) Instrument Mastery Upgrade (100 TP) Charisma Enhancement (125 TP) Perfect Memory for Lyrics (25 TP)
"I can actually buy improvements to my talents?"
[Exactly! You earned enough points today to purchase several upgrades. But choose wisely - some combinations work better than others.]
Michael sat on the bench, still amazed at what had just happened. This morning he had been the most pathetic student at Granite University. Tonight, he was a street performer who had earned more in one afternoon than he usually made in a month at his part-time job.
His phone buzzed with notifications. People had posted videos of his performance online, and they were already getting hundreds of views and comments.
"Holy shit, this guy is incredible!"
"Who is this? He needs a record deal!"
"I was there! He was even better in person!"
Michael smiled as he read the comments. Tomorrow, he would go back to the university. But this time, he wouldn't be going as the talentless loser everyone pitied. He would be going as someone with abilities that could amaze the world.
[This is just the beginning, host. With the Talent System, you can become the greatest performer, writer, and artist who ever lived. The people who rejected you will beg for your attention.]
Michael looked at the money in his hands and thought about his father, the musical club president who had rejected him, and all the students who had laughed at his failures.
"They have no idea what's coming," he said quietly.
[No, they don't. But they're about to find out.]
As Michael walked home to his tiny apartment, he could still hear people talking about his performance. Word was spreading quickly through the city about the amazing singer who had appeared out of nowhere.
Tomorrow would be different. Tomorrow, Michael Smith would show everyone at Granite University that the boy they had dismissed as worthless was actually the most talented person they had ever met.
The Talent System had given him a second chance at life, and he wasn't going to waste it.