Rex was still at his desk when the others woke up the next morning. His eyes were bloodshot, but a fire still burned behind them.
Kai trudged down with a half-eaten granola bar. "Dude, tell me you slept."
"Not really," Rex muttered. "But I've got news."
He turned the monitor to show the YouTube analytics.
2,411 views. 327 likes. 58 comments. 142 subscribers.
Ash let out a low whistle. "That's in, like… less than 24 hours?"
Kai blinked. "That can't be real. We're nobodies."
"Not anymore," Rex grinned.
Silas leaned over. "They're calling us raw, aggressive, and classic as hell."
Kai scrolled through the comments.
> 'Holy hell, this riff is nuclear.'
'You guys just put modern bands to shame.'
'Where can I hear more?!'
Ash looked at Rex. "So what now, genius?"
Rex cracked his knuckles. "We go full blast."
They gathered around the whiteboard in the basement — it was barely usable anymore, covered in setlists, doodles, and gear plans. Rex cleared a corner and wrote:
PHASE TWO: CONQUER THE INTERNET
"Okay," he said. "Here's the plan. We share The Four Horsemen on every platform — TikTok, Instagram Reels, Twitter, Facebook, SoundCloud, Reddit. Everywhere."
Silas smirked. "You know we're all terrible at social media, right?"
"That's why we schedule posts," Rex said. "We stagger it over time. Give people the illusion we're everywhere all at once."
Ash snapped his fingers. "We do behind-the-scenes videos. Like how we recorded the track."
"Guitar solo playthroughs," Kai added.
"Drum cam," Silas said, nodding. "I can shoot one with my GoPro."
"We make the band a character," Rex continued. "Not just music — us. They want to know who we are."
As the band brainstormed content ideas, Rex's vision flickered.
> 🧠 SYSTEM MESSAGE
📈 Milestone Reached: 1,000+ Views Within 24 Hours
🏆 Reward Unlocked: $1,000 Grant + Social Boost Pack
💡 Explanation: Funds added to Inventory. Social Boost Pack includes:
+25% organic algorithm traction
1 Featured Placement on Trending Music Forums
Auto-submission to Indie Metal Playlists
Rex's jaw tightened.
One thousand dollars? From where?
> 💬 System: "System resources are hidden from the laws of this world. Use wisely."
He tapped his pocket. Sure enough, his banking app now showed $1,036.42.
Holy…
The others were too busy discussing hashtags to notice his stunned expression.
Ash clapped his hands. "Alright. We need a post schedule. I'll do TikTok and YouTube Shorts. Kai's on Twitter and Reddit."
"I'll handle Instagram," Silas said. "Got a cousin who's good with promo graphics too."
"And you?" Ash asked Rex.
Rex's mind was racing. "I'll coordinate the uploads. And track growth."
He'd use the System's insight to make their every move count.
> 🎁 Bonus Perk Unlocked: "Hype Pulse" — See trending windows in real time.
Timer: 12 hours left on current surge.
"Now," Rex said, grabbing a marker, "we need to ride this wave. Timing is everything. The next 12 hours are crucial. We act now."
And just like that, the band scattered.
Silas was already filming a short clip of himself adjusting his bass rig.
Ash did a quick "thank you" video to their first hundred subscribers, posted it on TikTok.
Kai was typing a Reddit post titled:
"My band just dropped a thrash banger — feedback needed!"
Rex uploaded vertical cuts of the solo from The Four Horsemen as Shorts, timing the captions perfectly.
> 🎸 "Our first track ever. Just four 18-year-olds. Tell us if we suck."
🎯 #ThrashMetal #ObsidianSaints #MetalResurrected
And the notifications poured in.
Rex's System showed:
> 🔥 6,500 views on Shorts in 1 hour
📈 Engagement: +45%
💬 Comment Sentiment: 92% positive
It was working.
That night, they gathered again, ordering greasy pizza and watching their phones like stock brokers during a bull market.
"Five thousand views on TikTok," Ash grinned. "And climbing."
"We hit the Metalcore subreddit front page," Kai said. "They're debating if it's AI-generated or not."
Silas laughed. "Best compliment I've ever gotten."
Rex leaned back, letting the energy flow through him. He knew it wasn't just luck. It was the System. And his knowledge.
His secret.
> 💡 Tip: "Fanbase Level: Street Buzz – 200/500 XP
Reward at next tier: Free studio time voucher + Promo Multipliers."
He knew what came next: shows. Physical merch. And most importantly — the next song.
But for now, as The Four Horsemen raged across the internet, the band basked in their first real taste of fame.
From a basement to the web. From nothing to noise.
And they were just getting started.
---