Thug and Idol: 10X Rewards Second Identity System

The ringtone brought Tristan out of his groove. It wasn't a call—it was a notification for a reminder he set for himself.

'Today is the day of Nel's premiere. Damn, I got so carried away that I almost forgot. I bet Nel is even worse off today, though…'

Tristan shook his head, smiling.

He quickly set the rest of his criminal work aside—nothing there was time-sensitive anyway—and went to change his clothing and identity.

Tristan always had to sneak around when he moved from one mansion he owned to another, but with his impossible level of stealth, it wasn't hard.

In half an hour, not so far away, Tristan Gemello began a day in his house. As far as the world was concerned for now, Tristan Hayes was asleep in his locked bedroom.

His subordinates long ago got used to his mostly nocturnal way of life. It wasn't entirely uncommon in the underworld.

In his house, Tristan Gemello quickly checked his social pages and letters sent to his dedicated fan email over his phone. He didn't read all of them, but he replied to a few he liked especially much.

[Tristan, I only went to your concert because my friends dragged me. I am severely depressed, but after hearing you sing, I for the first time in a long while felt like life wasn't just a burden. There was so much energy in you that it still gives me the willpower to get out of bed every day. I've been doing much better in my struggle since then. I'm listening to your songs on repeat now, and I just wanted to thank you very much for creating them. -Natan]

Like that one.

[Thanks a lot, Natan. Never lose hope—luck can smile your way at any time! -Tristan Gemello]

Tristan always empathized with these stories. Maybe even too much.

Then another thought popped into his head.

'Empathy is a natural human trait. It doesn't harm me to reply to these letters because I feel touched; the opposite, actually. Fans love it. It's very different from when I have to kill people because they stand in my way, and can't afford to consider them as human beings for the sake of my sanity.'

Tristan closed his eyes for a moment.

Maybe that high intelligence thing had its downsides. He had so much brain power that there was something left for deep self-analysis like that.

'It's actually a little harder to focus on a specific thing with all those thoughts in the back of my mind. I was like that the entire night, but I was so focused on working that I didn't pay attention. Hm.'

Tristan stared at his phone screen, but his thoughts were elsewhere.

'I put too many points into intelligence. It's imbalanced now. Like my dexterity and strength were. There had to be another stat that can even things out, help me focus. I have to find it…'

Tristan tapped his lip.

He could cheat the system.

If he put points into his skills until they reached the ascended rank, guessed whether the attribute offered for ascension was the one he needed, then refunded the points put into the skill if it wasn't… He could check all his skills.

'But DOES the skill refund work as I remember? The last time I checked it was when I got it in the random system shop. Things could've changed. Oh, I also have new talents. I should check the shop either way.'

And then, as the clock said, it will be the time for Tristan to go visit Nelson. It's been a while again since either of them had the time.

The rising careers of both artists were separating them. At least they could still chat and call.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Just as Tristan thought that, Nelson sent him a gif of a shaking puppy. The next was a message:

[thats me right now. shitshitshit man I'm so anxious and derek's already there to hound me about preparing for the stage even if its only at 18!!! tris are you awake already? share your magic noshake juice!]

Tristan grinned and typed back.

[The juice is not vodka, I can't share it. Breathe out, you will kill them all, Nel. ;) Might drop on you in a few hours, hound you too.]

The only response was a gif of a puppy dramatically dropping to the floor. Tristan chuckled and put the phone away.

'I was about to open the shop.'

[===Shop===]

['Remote Hypnotic Voice' talent: 10000 Pop-star 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]

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[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, a new talent. An upgrade of the Hypnotic Voice?'

The description said that it was the same thing—except, unlike the normal version, this one carried the effect of Tristan's voice over recordings.

He raised his eyebrows at the skill description when he read it. The price tag of 10000 PP was entirely justified.

However, there was a problem when Tristan checked the skill refund description.

[Purchase this to return a chosen skill to 0 and gain an equal value in points. Each next purchase of this is 10 times more expensive.]

'Well, shit. The rules HAD changed—there wasn't a price increase before. I basically only have 2 refunds before it's not worth it anymore.'

Tristan frowned. He had 8264 Pop-star Points. He could almost buy the Remote Hypnotic Voice talent with them—or try to guess the correct skill to ascend…