Rise of the Zillionaire Star

Chapter 4: Beat Down in the Rain

Jaylen staggered to his feet, his drenched clothes clinging to his body, the alley was silent except for the system’s hum in his ears.

“What… is this?” he muttered. 

“Your second chance, Jaylen Cruz.” The system's voice was sharper, confident and live. 

“You may call me Zee. I’m your personal AI assistant. Your path to fame, fortune, and vengeance. Your enemies left you to rot. The world thinks you’re finished. We’re going to prove them all wrong.”

Jaylen blinked, stunned. “This is insane. I’m hearing voices now?” He questioned himself, thinking he was already going crazy. 

“Incorrect. You’re hearing what will make you achieve destiny. Shall we begin your rise?”

A holographic screen flickered into view in front of him, floating in midair, “QUEST: FIRST LIGHT. Objective: Create and upload a viral video within 24 hours. Reward: +1 Fame, +100 Z-Credits and full recovery. Penalty: System Termination. Host will return to his previous condition.”

Jaylen stared at the screen. His fists clenched as memories of the beatdown rushed back eepecially, Blake’s arrogant smirk, Mia’s cold stare and the way they laughed like he was nothing.

He could still hear them. “You’re a joke, Jaylen.” “You’re a parasite.” The words echoed like daggers in his brain.

“No,” he whispered. “I don't want this humiliation anymore.”

“Good choice,” Zee said. “Let’s go viral.”

The voice was mysterious, but Jaylen didn't bother questioning so much since it's an AI that wants to help.

Jaylen dragged himself back to his apartment, ignoring the eviction notice still taped to the door. He stepped inside, locked the door, and peeled off his soaked hoodie. The room was still small, still leaking but somehow it didn’t feel suffocating anymore.

Not with the system now live.

The screen flickered again in front of him, displaying new options, ‘Zillonaire System Menu: Quests. 

Fame Rank: 0

Talent Stats: Unrated

*Z-Credits: 0 (Pending)

Inventory: None.’

Zee’s voice returned. “We’ll keep it simple. You need a video that makes noise. Something raw, honest and real. Since you have the talent already, use it.”

Jaylen looked around the room. His busted mic still sat in the corner. The cracked laptop still flickered to life with effort. He grabbed his notebook, flipped past the pages until he found the one, Backstabber Blues. It was the freestyle he wrote after Mia started acting cold, before she ever touched Blake.

He plugged in the mic. Set the lighting. He hit the record button and started singing with no effects and no filters. It was just him.

Jaylen stood in front of the camera, eyes locked on the lens. “I was the joke in every room. The backup plan. She smiled on stage but held another man’s hand. You laughed at my pain…cool. Let’s see if you laugh when I rule. Call me a leech one more time. I’ll show you what it’s like to feed a lion.”

His voice deepened as he sang the truth. Every line hit like a punch to the gut. His eyes didn’t blink. His pain became a rhythm. His rage became fuel.

The freestyle was barely two minutes. But it felt like a lifetime compressed into rhyme.

He hit “upload.” Then, he gave it a title. ‘Title: The Boy You Buried: Watch Him Rise.’

He collapsed back onto the couch with his heart pounding. “What next?” He echoed within himself.

“Now,” Zee responded, “We watch the song spread.”

Two hours later, Jaylen’s phone suddenly exploded with several buzzes. 

He blinked at the screen. The video had crossed 100,000 views.

Then right in his face, it annex 230,000 and then 510,000.

Comments started pouring in, “Who is this??”

“Is this the same guy Mia Lennox dissed???”

 “Yooo... this freestyle goes hard. Pain makes legends.”

Then the hashtags, “#JaylenCruzReborn trending now!!”

Jaylen stared in disbelief at the comments. 

And then, the system buzzed.  “QUEST COMPLETE: FIRST LIGHT. Reward: +1 Fame Level Unlocked! +100 Z-Credits Added to Wallet. Z-Market Unlocked. Talent Points System Activated.”

A second quest popped up instantly, “QUEST: BURN THE MASK. Objective: Rebrand yourself. Change your public image within 48 hours.

Reward: +3 Fame, Unlock Z-Scan.

Hint: The world doesn’t want the old Jaylen. Show them someone they can’t ignore.”

Jaylen sat back, a smirk curling at the edge of his lips for the first time in weeks. He had thought his career was dead, but this was something that brought his courage back. 

They thought they’d buried him. But they forgot he was a seed.

Jaylen hadn’t slept. Not because he was depressed or in thoughts. But because for the first time in forever, he felt moving towards his goals. 

He sat in the middle of his dim apartment. The light from the holographic system screen bouncing off the cracked walls like a glow. The viral video was still climbing. It’s over 1.2 million views in less than twelve hours. T*****r was in chaos, TikTok edits, Discord threads and reaction videos from people he doesn't know and verified check marks.

And the System was just getting warmed up. And Jaylen flashed back to what the system had said earlier. 

“ZILLONAIRE SYSTEM: QUEST COMPLETE.

Reward Claimed: +100 Z-Credits, +1 Fame Level. Z-Market & Talent Tracker Unlocked.”

“Zee,” Jaylen said. His voice was husky. “What can we do with a hundred credits?”

“Plenty,” Zee replied with a smug. “But let’s spend smart. Fame fades as time goes on. First thing we will buy depends on you.”

A deep blue tab opened in the air before him, “Z-MARKET CATEGORY: INFLUENCE TOOLS.

Basic Styling Kit: 30 Z-Credits.

Narrative Booster (Tier 1):50 Z-Credits.

Micro-PR Push: 20 Z-Credits.

Bot Clean-up:  25 Z-Credits.

Clout Package: 30 Z-Credits.”

Jaylen scrolled, absorbing every word. These weren’t just cosmetic. They were more like weapons of revenge to him.

“I will go for Stylist and PR push.Let’s go,” he said.

“Purchase Confirmed: 110 Z-Credits Spent. Overdraft Activated: -10 Z-Credits Balance” Zee's voice buzzed. 

“Wait, can I go negative?” he asked.

“Welcome to fame’s economy,” Zee replied. “Reputation is credit. Stay hot, you live. Go cold, you die.”