Thug and Idol: 10X Rewards Second Identity System

Another panel opened in front of Tristan—an entire treasure compared to the short list he was used to.

[===Shop===]

['Heat Vision' talent: 3000 Criminal Points]

[A skill refund: 100 points]

[A driving license: 1000 points (tap to choose identity)]

[An exceptional quality instrument: 3000 Pop-star Points (tap to choose type)]

[Glock 19: 1000 Criminal Points]

[1 ammo magazine for Glock 19: 300 Criminal Points]

[Barrett MRAD sniper rifle with an optic scope: 5000 Criminal Points]

[1 ammo magazine for Barrett MRAD: 500 Criminal Points]

[A combat knife: 500 Criminal Points]

[Hard armor level IV bulletproof vest: 4000 Criminal Points]

[A foreign bank deposit card: 3000 Criminal Points]

[A dose of truth serum: 1500 Criminal Points]

[A burner phone: 500 Criminal Points]

[A set of clothing (random): 300 points]

[A disguise set (random): 500 points]

[A dose of poison (random): 1000 Criminal Points]

[A set of lockpicks: 3000 Criminal Points]

[======]

'Oh, nice! I can buy truth serum! I assume more than one, too. Might as well test it right now.'

Tristan bought a vial of truth serum and was happy to see that the position didn't disappear from the store. He still had 6500 CP and 5140 PP left.

'A lot of these things are ones that I can just buy with money and some time. But it's good to be able to just get them in an hour of need. If I have points to spare, that is. Speaking of—it's time to increase my stats!'

With that vicious thought, Tristan opened his status panel.

[Appearance attribute increased from 270 to 570.]

[Appearance rank increased from Model to Top Model.]

[Charisma attribute increased from 345 to 559.]

[Charisma rank increased from Stunning to Enchanting.]

[Toughness attribute increased from 600 to 800.]

Tristan really liked the sight of his new stats. Now he had 0 PP left and 4500 CP for life-threatening emergencies.

'Now all that's left is to work and earn money. And when my first album is released…'

Tristan closed his eyes, dreaming, imagining them—faces of his family members. Mother, father, brother…

'I will trample them. No, even better—I will rise so high above them that they will be nothing more than dirt under the soles of my shoes.'

***

Same time, different place.

Daniel Hayes was sitting in a chair in his dressing room, while his personal stylist made sure that not a single dimple was visible on his face, and not a hair was out of place on his head.

It was a very important day, after all—a concert premiering his latest music album, "Love & Agony".

Behind Daniel his manager was reading something on her phone. Daniel could see her pretty face in the mirror when the stylist wasn't in the way.

Daniel was about to step out onto a stage soon, and under the spotlights and flashes of cameras, he had to look perfect. But the lengthy styling procedures always made him feel bored.

"Tell me something interesting, someone," he complained. "Any juicy gossip recently?"

The stylist pressed her lips together and moved from his face to the hair. The manager, Joanne Gullimaine, met Daniel's eyes in the mirror.

"Californian Young Star contest of this year ended recently. The winner, Tristan Gemello, is promised a bright career," Joanne said. "He's a rare genius, as journalists say. There are also rumors that he goes around, befriending his rivals, and some people want them all to make a boy-band. It's all in the same article."

"Californian Young Star?" Daniel scoffed. "Who cares about that contest for small fish? Give me better gossip, Joanne!"

Joanne suppressed a scowl. The article was on top of the page, and pretty popular, too.

"He's your potential rival now, Mr. Hayes. You perform in similar styles and will inevitably fight for the audience. Of course, he's far from your fame yet, but… In the modern show business scene, hype comes and goes like a storm."

"What are you saying, Joanne?" Daniel asked venomously. "Are you telling me I should be afraid of some amateur? Me? Who do you think you are to speak about me like that, Joanne?"

'You are a spoiled rich brat who got himself a music career thanks to his parents' cash!' Joanne wanted to say, but bit her tongue and looked down at her phone. Not for the first time.

Like many people with wealth and power, Daniel had no responsibility. When provoked, he could easily start speaking much harsher words.

"No, Mr. Hayes. Of course not… I apologize, I will find something better."

A scroll of the news feed showed an article about yet another celebrity couple cheating on each other. The celebrities weren't very famous, but just hearing about other people's problems cheered Daniel up.

When all preparations were complete and it was almost time to go on stage, Daniel was smiling.

"I can already hear all the fans cheering for me in the audience hall. This album will be on top of the charts! And critics already love it."

Joanne nodded.

"There could be no other way. Of course everybody loves them, Mr. Hayes. They hit the current market perfectly, and they are great songs."

Daniel grinned at her and went to the stage, toward the cheering fans. Soon, he was about to reach the top 25 in music charts.

***

Two months later.

Christmas and New Years came and went.

Tristan watched his brother's latest musical doings closely. In the two years since Tristan last saw him, Daniel built himself a bright career under the stage name of Daniel Dumon.

Losing Tristan as a competitor really let him use all the family connections and money to the extreme. And Tristan's name was never mentioned in interviews with the Hayes family.

Seeing the success of Daniel's latest album made Tristan work even harder on his own album, while GTG agency and his manager organized the album's release and marketing.

They had to hurry to get the most from the hype of the recent CYS contest show.

There was going to be a live concert arranged with Tristan playing the album in front of the live audience in Los Angeles—something he was extremely excited about.

And then—a blow.