Daniel didn't know he was trending.
He didn't know people were stitching videos of him on TikTok.
He didn't know strangers on Twitter were calling him "Hero Kid from Hunter."
He didn't even know—
that someone from his Psychology 101 class had recorded the entire fainting incident and uploaded it online.
Daniel just knew one thing:
his stomach was empty and he hated vending machines.
He walked out of Psychology 101 with Emily beside him. Her limp was barely noticeable now, small but improving. Students trickled through the hallway, whispering as they passed.
Daniel felt their stares.
And panicked internally.
Why are they looking at me? Did my mask rip? Do I have a sticker on my back? Did I step in something?
Emily tapped his shoulder.
"You okay? You look like you're about to bolt."
"That's just my natural state," Daniel replied. "Fight-or-flight. Mostly flight."
Emily laughed. "That sounds about right."
Then she waved and headed off toward her next class. Daniel turned—
and promptly collided with someone's backpack.
"Oof— sorry, bro," the guy said, rubbing his shoulder. Then he paused. "Wait. You're the guy from the video, right?"
Daniel blinked.
"…Video?"
"Yeah! ⭐Someone recorded you helping that kid who fainted.⭐ It blew up overnight."
Daniel's brain short-circuited.
"It— blew up?"
"Oh yeah. You're like… semi-famous. People are calling you 'Mask Hero.' Check TikTok."
The guy gave him an enthusiastic thumbs-up and jogged away.
Daniel stood frozen on the spot.
DING.
A system window appeared.
[SOCIAL RECOGNITION DETECTED]
Your actions have gained public attention.
Fame: +25
New Title: "Campus Helper"
Daniel stared at the title.
"Campus Helper…? I sound like a janitor NPC…"
The system did not deny it.
[NEW MISSION]
MISSION 008: Navigate Campus With Your New Reputation
Objective: Be recognized at least twice.
Reward: Random Social Skill
Penalty: Temporary -20 Confidence
"Great," Daniel muttered. "My confidence is already at -200."
Walking Through Campus = Nightmare Mode
Students kept whispering.
A girl walking past nudged her friend.
"That's him, I swear!"
Another student tried to take a picture but did it so awkwardly that Daniel made eye contact with the camera lens.
He wanted to crawl into a locker.
At the entrance of the cafeteria, a group was talking loudly:
⭐"Yo, the guy who saved the student—he was crazy fast."⭐
"Someone posted the whole thing!"
"Dude's calm under pressure. Respect."
Daniel swallowed.
DING.
MISSION 008 COMPLETE
Reward: Basic Public Composure (Lv.1)
Daniel felt slightly calmer.
Only slightly.
But it still felt like someone turned down the anxiety dial from "panic" to "mild panic."
Lunch & Existential Crisis
He sat in a corner of the cafeteria with a slice of sad pizza.
He opened TikTok with dread.
The top video:
"Hunter College Student Saves Classmate — Calm AF 👀🔥"
420k views
58k likes
Thousands of comments
Daniel watched the shaky recording.
There he was—
kneeling beside the collapsed student, giving instructions calmly.
Even though the angle was bad and the lighting was worse, it made him look… oddly competent.
He checked the comments:
⭐"Whoever recorded this, THANK YOU 😂👏"⭐
"Bro acted like he's been training for this his whole life."
"EMTs about to recruit him."
"I'd trust this guy during an apocalypse."
"This is main character energy."
"He's kinda cute tho… maybe it's the mask?"
Daniel turned off his phone and rubbed his face.
"I'm not built for this."
He worried about everything:
What if people expect him to save more lives?
What if a reporter finds him?
What if his mom sees this and calls him 17 times?
DING.
[NEW PASSIVE CONDITION]
Your visibility is increasing.
More students may recognize you.
Proceed with caution.
Daniel muttered, "I don't want visibility… I want invisibility…"
The system disagreed.
Meanwhile — Somewhere in New York
A local news station picked up the clip.
A health awareness Instagram account reposted it.
A small NYC online blog wrote:
"Hunter College student displays impressive first aid skills."
Daniel didn't know.
Daniel didn't see any of it.
He was too busy trying not to have a panic attack over pizza.
Back on Campus
Daniel tossed his plate and headed outside.
The sun peeked out between clouds, and for a brief moment, he felt… okay.
Maybe this wasn't so bad.
Maybe he could survive this semi-fame without imploding.
He stretched slightly.
"Alright… new life… let's try not to screw it up…"
DING.
Another system notification appeared.
[MAIN MISSION UNLOCKED]
MISSION 009: Improve Your Campus Reputation
Earn +20 Fame
Reward: Random Skill Upgrade
Penalty: None
Daniel stared at the mission.
"…This system is literally forcing me to be social."
He covered his face in both hands.
"I just want to be average. Is that too much to ask?"
But the system sparkled innocently.
Daniel groaned.
He hated how cute the window looked.
Little did he know…
His next viral moment
was already waiting for him—
just around the corner.