Urban System in America-Chapter 385 - 384: Basic Music Theory
Finally, it was that time again...time for daily sign-in.
The familiar blue screen blinked to life, hovering lazily in front of him like a smug vending machine that knew it owned his soul.
[Daily Sign-In Reward: Anti-Tan Lotion (48hr Duration)]
[Description: Just apply a bit and forget skin darkening under any light exposure. Water, sweat, or nuclear radiation — none shall pass. Seriously, you could sunbathe on the surface of the sun and come out looking like a porcelain doll.
Warning: May cause extreme shininess and an inexplicable urge to wear white linen suits. Use at your own risk. Side effects may include becoming too fabulous for your current social circle.]
"System, what the heck is this side effect? What does wearing white linen mean? And what is this shining? As for being fabulous, I’m already fabulous enough."
[System: Clearly not fabulous enough to understand the inherent fabulousness of white linen. And the shine? Darling, it’s called glow. Some of us are just born with it. You, however, can achieve it with minimal effort. You’re welcome.]
Rex stared at the notification.
Then at the lotion.
Then back at the screen.
"...Right," he finally muttered, speechless. "Exactly what I needed to win the next global war... SPF 9000."
The system stayed silent... as usual... pretending to be proud of itself.
He finally tossed the bottle onto the system space with a lazy flick.
At this point, he didn’t even question it anymore. The System had the personality of a drunk gacha machine.
It was basically a divine loot box with ADHD.
Sometimes it spat out god-tier items; other times, it acted like a skincare influencer with a sponsorship deal.
He sighed. "Guess even cosmic AIs want glowing skin."
Then, his fingers moved almost automatically, sliding open the System Mall tab.
The holographic panel shifted again.
Rows upon rows of items scrolled by... skill chips, consumables, equipment upgrades, random nonsense like "Instant Karma Debt Reversal Potion (One-Time Use)" priced at $999,999.
But alas they were all greyed out.
[System Mall: 1 Item Slot Available]
"Only one slot, huh?" Rex mumbled, scrolling through the list.
The rest of the mall was grayed out, locked with that teasing little message: "Available soon upon Upgrade."
Figures.
After all, it wasn’t the first time the System tried to sell him something that sounded like it belonged in a Reddit conspiracy thread.
It was like the System enjoyed dangling treasure behind paywalls.
"Alright, let’s see..."
The only thing actually on sale today?
Basic Music Theory — $1000
He snorted. "One grand for scales and chords?... Sure, why not. At least it’s not another skincare line."
Click.
Purchased.
[Purchase Successful]
Skill: Basic Music Theory (Locked)
To activate, enter System Space.
"Locked again, huh. Classic."
He leaned back against the couch, rubbing his temple. "You really want me to pull an all-nighter, don’t you?"
But he didn’t activate it right away. He’d learned his lesson... stepping into the System Space "for a few minutes" usually ended with him aging twenty three years... mentally, at least.
Still... music theory.
It may not be the flashiest skill, but it’s still a pretty fascinating skill, like being able to create a resonating world famous song, just by combination of a few chords and scales, isn’t it fascinating? So, not a bad skill if you ask him.
And It reminded him of something... that song the System had given him a while back, "Summer Rain."
He hadn’t done anything with it yet, mostly because he didn’t want to embarrass himself fumbling through notes like a tone-deaf TikToker, well he was better than them, but still not good enough to do justice with that song.
But now... this was a start.
Even if it was just "basic," he knew how that went.
The last time he got a "basic" art skill, he ended up spending what felt like decades in System Space studying under a lineup of ghosts who could solo-paint the Renaissance.
He smiled faintly.
Still, if this was another one of those long-term setup skills, he was fine with it.
After all, the signs were getting pretty obvious... he was getting deeper and deeper into the entertainment side of this world.
Between Emma Alison’s rebellion, Monica’s career, Seraphina’s fashion world, and now music theory showing up in his store... the world seemed to be nudging him somewhere.
"Entertainment industry, huh?"
He muttered to himself, smirking. "Figures. The one business where talent, chaos, and money all sleep in the same bed."
Not that he minded.
He’d always had a soft spot for the showbiz world... flashy, fake,filled with tons of eccentric people, but still... endlessly fascinating.
A perfect stage for someone like him.
He stretched out on the couch, hands behind his head, the faint glow of the hologram fading out.
"Alright, World," he said lazily. "I’ll play your game. Just don’t make me perform interpretative dance in a sequined leotard."
He shuddered, just thinking about wearing those tight dresses.
System didn’t respond, so he just closed the system interface.
Just as hed closed the system window, his phone buzzed softly beside him.
He picked it up lazily, half expecting spam... but the name on the screen made him sit up.
Monica.
He swiped to answer, a small smile tugging at his lips.
"Hey, superstar. Still awake?"
Her voice came through... tired, low, but still carrying that distinct spark.
"Barely. Just wrapped filming."
"You sound dead."
"I am dead," she sighed, a soft laugh escaping right after. "They had me shoot the same scene twenty times, just because the clothes weren’t flying right. I swear the producer thinks I’m solar-powered: If the sun’s up, I’m working, even if it’s fake sun made of studio lights"
Rex leaned back against the couch, smiling faintly.
"You could’ve just said no."
"Yeah, sure," she snorted. "And end my career on day two?" She paused and then added, "But, you know... the kind of tired that’s weirdly nice. Like when you’ve done something that matters."
He leaned back on the couch."Still, working this late isn’t healthy. Where are you?"
(End of Chapter)
