Chapter 11: Draft
Chapter 11: Draft
"Every choice I've made, every path I've crossed, Leads me back to this, to what I've lost. The mirror shows a soul weathered and worn, A heart that's been shattered, a spirit torn..."
"And as the final curtain starts to fall, I find solace in the night, a silent thrall. Helpless and resigned, I fade away, Into the depths of fate, where I must stay..."
"..."
Eden was dumbfounded. From his past experience, he knew that Theodore was a good tool-man; however, this was beyond excellent. Theodore's singing was ten times better than Hugie's.
A composer is the master, the one who gets the largest share of the pie. Companies look out for talented composers, probably the people who could mature into a maestro. A talented composer could back up many singers. These composers were heavenly fathers for the companies.
But amongst these singers, there existed those better than the norm. Those who possessed the talent to immerse people into the song, who could add all kinds of various emotions into the melodies, and win the hearts of people through their voice.
Eden felt as though he was seeing one such singer in front of himself.
This boy was a fan of his novels; people liked to call him Theo. The name Theodore was just too intimidating and badass.
But when this same nerdy boy intoxicated himself, he'd transition to Theodore Shawn.
Eden still remembered what had happened last time they two met, what happened when this guy 'drank' a little too much.
When people are intoxicated, they become irrational, unable to do any work with focus. On the other hand, this vocalist, although losing some of his screws and gaining brain damage, somehow gains a shit ton of social skills as though he's an extrovert, overly extroverted person. His focus becomes clear, and he is able to do work more efficiently. His demeanor changes.
Eden also had noticed that Theodore became more domineering and badass.
Well, real fear kicked in when this friend of his became a little too intoxicated...
Even the manliest of the manliest men would be forced to call him "Daddy."
Haa, thankfully, that won't happen tonight. He seems rational.
"..."
-Did I just raise a flag?-
Eden sighed inwardly as he once again focused on the song. Now that a talented artist was singing the song, flaws were more evident.
Picking up his diary smaller than his palm, he began scribbling in it, marking the parts where corrections were required.
---
"And as the final curtain starts to fall, I find solace in the night, a silent thrall. Helpless and resigned, I fade away, Into the depths of fate, where I must stay..."
---
"Huu..." Finally, after finishing the song, Theodore fell back on his chair, squirming for a few minutes trying to get comfy.
"So hot..." he complained as he struggled to remove his hoodie. At first it seemed like he had a nerdy skinny and scrawny look. But in reality, he had what people would call a "sleeper" build.
"Haa..." Sighing, Eden too sat on the chair. Cracking his fingers, he began typing at a really fast pace.
"Well, we have to record again. Here, take this, the revised version."
"Mn..." Theodore, still struggling to remove his clothes, stood up, nodding subtly. His upper wear had completely disappeared, showing his perfect abs.
Another hour was well spent as the voice of singing and clicking reverted throughout the room.
Exhausted, Eden clicked the button for one last time, saving the file.
Finally! Done! I should be able to apply for the competition, right?
The refining process was finally complete, and with the click, another noise echoed in his ears. A rather familiar mechanical noise.
[Hidden task completed: First Draft]
The smile on Eden's face instantly froze.
Draft? What did it mean by draft?
[The Host has finally created a piece of song worthy to be called a draft. According to the system standards, it's the lowest of the lowest quality draft, but the first draft, hence Hidden Reward Issued.]
The system's words indeed annoyed him.
To Eden, he had already terminated flaws, but right now it wasn't the time to argue.
[Reward: Common Treasure Chest]
Common Treasure Chest?
Eden looked at the projection of the chest provided by the system, feeling somewhat concerned for no particular reason, "There isn't any sort of bomb in it now, right?"
"Perhaps some invisible demon ready to treat me as its lunch?" The memories of the novel "Psychopath System" flashed in his mind, giving him chills. A horror novel in which the system tried to kill its host... This wasn't the same now, was it?
The system felt that these words were so full of nonsense that there was no need to even comment on it.
Despite that, just to be safe, Eden excused himself, and then proceeded to enter the washroom, opening the Common Chest.
[Talent - All Rounder Instrumentalist, level up card, +30 lottery points]
Eden blinked twice to make sure that his eyes weren't playing a prank on him.
Damn!
30 lottery points?! Adding them to my already existing ones, it's now 60 lottery points! Just forty more to play the next game!
Eden was excited. Moreover, looking at a new talent and another level-up card also gave him a rush of dopamine.
"Haa..." Calming himself down, he once again checked his attributes. After stressing over the level-up card, he finally decided to use it later.
"What are the other ranks of the chests? And will I get more such similar rewards in the future?"
[The Treasure Chests are divided into six Grades: Common, Uncommon, Rare, Unique, Legendary, and Mythical. However, even within the lowest Grades of Treasure Chest, what it holds will inevitably have a certain value.]
[If the host completes the corresponding missions in the future, then equivalent worth of rewards will be provided.]
Satisfied, washing his face in the sink, he looked at the word "draft," puckering his lips.
Maybe more editing can be done. I have a month's worth of time...
No time to waste!
A sense of urgency instantly washed over him.
He was going to continue to refine and would try to find more flaws!
"Theo, start singing when the music starts!" Exclaiming, he sat on the chair once again, starting the music.
But no one sang...
Eh?
Turning around, Eden couldn't find anyone.
The room's temperature dropped to some extent...
'The door!'
It was just as expected. A chilly wind invaded the room through the open door. The kind of wind that would force a kid to stay in bed wrapped up in a blanket.
Theodore! Did he leave? Was he tired for the day? Bro, that guy was drunk...
Wait a minute...
Eden stood up, walking towards his stash of secret beer...
Lifting the bed, he looked at the cans.
Some were missing!
He ran away drunk!
Empty cans of the small-sized beer, the ones of 100 ml, were lying near the bed.
That wasn't the worst part.
Because he spotted unfamiliar pants and underwear on the floor, near the bed...
[A/N: The Author Doesn't promote drinking or smoking. It's extremely harmful to an individual's health. Do not indulge yourself in the habit and discourage others from doing so too. Adios.]