7: Bet
And considering how many of the stories he had in his mind worked better in the manga medium, the purchase was a no-brainer.
‘I can use this for novel illustrations too.’ John beamed, pressing the buy button like an impulse buyer and got the drawing skill.
This time, a group of white fireflies swarmed his face. The feeling of vertigo wasn’t that bad this time.
An impossible amount of knowledge passed through his brain. The tips of his fingers became itchy, his forearms and wrists turned sore like he had been rolling them for days on end.
This weird, ticklish feeling lasted for ten minutes, give or take. By the time John sat at his desk and pulled out his school notebook, holding the pen above it, the strokes of blue lines had already started before he could understand.
An illustration of 2B formed on the page one line at a time; each strand of hair, each contour of the face, and every curve came to life little by little.
He wasn’t sure how he did it, or why he used a certain line at a specific place; his body just knew what to do. However, it was a weird feeling, since aside from forming the mental image, he had no control over the process.
‘Maybe I’ll get used to it by drawing more.’ That was the most logical explanation he could think of for this disconnect between his brain and body.
Now came the important part: his setup. He needed a tablet to illustrate and a better computer than this relic at his desk. Sure, he had 5k in the bank, but that was food and rent money.
And it was 2010; the consumer tech hadn’t boomed yet, unless he could get in touch with Tony Stark. John wouldn’t hold his breath on that one.
His fingers scrolled through the shop’s common section. There he found the ultimate writer and illustrator’s setup.
A Wacom Cintiq Pro 67 for the illustrations, and a PC decked out with the RTX 6090 and a Ryzen 420000. He absolutely needed this for writing; the specs helped with… typing faster and loading documents better.
Anyway, who else would he spend the EP on if not himself? Easy buy just for that alone.
John hummed a happy tone, eyeing the gleaming mass of RGB at his old desk. It was like placing a Bugatti’s chassis on wooden wheels, but it was what it was.
‘I mean, there are some good desks and massaging chairs here.’ John held his right hand back from going wild; two impulse purchases were enough for today.
He would get a desk and chair through the money he had in the bank; it was more economical. Being responsible about spending was the key!
“Ok, time to earn your keep.” John got to work, starting up the PC, but a short search through the storage made him click his tongue.
“No games in sight.” The disappointment was immeasurable, and his day was ruined.
So, with a heavy heart, he shed tears at the sight of Google Docs and got to typing on the new and smooth keyboard.
***
Through the night of nonstop working, John had learned about a few changes that had happened in his body.
First, he could probably go 4-5 nights without sleep and only get a mild headache.
Second, he had become the personification of I am so hungry I could eat a horse. He meant that in the most literal sense ever, which scared him even more.
By the time morning came, the food he had expected to last a few days was gone. The only thing inside was a stick of butter he had taken a bite out of hunger. And even that wasn’t enough for his body; by the time lunch arrived, he felt like his stomach was on the verge of eating its way out of his body.
Thankfully, the lunch lady gave him a ton of food for some reason. And by pure chance, he found Gwen and Peter sitting nearby, looking right at him.
“Looks like Mrs. Rockafell has a new fave.” Gwen smiled as he walked over before tilting her head. “I knew you looked taller today, but this is something else.”
“Just some stretching.” He sat down, fork already in the food.
“If it’s that effective, you should help me stretch sometimes.”
“Sure, tell me when you are free.” John basically inhaled food as Gwen hit his forearm with a smile.
He couldn’t exactly tell her that a system gave him powers for hanging readers off a cliff, so he played along with her joke. More than that, he looked at Peter, who was watching them with a small smile.
“Hello, name’s John.” He extended a hand with a smile.
“Peter.” Peter took his hand and gave it a respectful shake.
As they talked over lunch, mostly just Gwen and John discussing the latest chapter, Peter nodded along from the side. He wasn’t one to speak much, probably not comfortable around him yet.
“I am telling you, I couldn’t sleep last night because of that jerk. I hope both sides of his pillow are warm.” Gwen was still hung up on the ending, but it wasn’t so bad.
The EP had been rolling in all this time, and John already got half of what he had spent last night back, sitting at a comfortable 90 points.
“The time unravelling, musubi, and the twilight thing, it was so interesting learning about tradition and everything too.” Gwen continued. “Honestly, I regret not waiting a little more; I could’ve read it all in one sitting.”
“The wait is the best thing.” John smiled; from his point of view, waiting was in fact the best thing.
“Oh, piss off.” Gwen rolled her eyes as any reader would. “You see this guy, Peter?”
“Well, depending on the situation, waiting works,” Peter answered slowly.
“I suppose…” Not getting the follow-up answer she expected, Gwen quieted down before turning to Peter again. “I bet you won’t say that again after reading ‘Your Name’.”
“Someone said bet?” John looked over, finishing the mountain of food.
“Bet on whether Peter would still say waiting is worth it after reading till the latest chapter.” She smirked. “You in?”
“$20 that he would say waiting is worth it.” John placed his fork down.
“My $20 would beg to differ.”
There were slight sparks between Gwen and John, making Peter queasy in his chair. But before he could speak, the two had already grabbed him by each arm, as they exited the cafeteria, dragging him along.
“The computer lab is closed; you’ll need the key.” John turned to Gwen as they climbed the stairs to the third floor.
“On it!” She raced down the hallway like an elite sprinter, eager to prove him wrong.
Meanwhile, John turned to Peter, who still seemed out of it, getting caught between the two.
“U-Um…” Peter turned away from his new acquaintance’s seemingly normal, but abnormally pressuring smile.
“It’s nothing to worry about, buddy.” John patted his new friend’s back as Gwen arrived with the key.
After spending one full hour, Peter binging the available chapters, they had the verdict. The answer was clear to the writer himself, because he could see the EP coming in.
[Peter Parker is astonished +2 EP]
[Peter Parker is anxious +2 EP]
[Peter Parker is greatly surprised +3 EP]
[Peter Parker looks forward to the following development +4 EP]
Sure, it wasn’t on the level that Gwen gave EP, but it was still something. At least this confirmed his theory about where he’d get the most EP from.
On the other hand, Gwen’s shining eyes landed on Peter as he read the last line and leaned back into the chair. This guy was a fast reader.
And under that pressure, he started after a subtle cough.
“Since the story is so well put together, I think waiting is worth it in this case. There is no point putting pressure on the writer as it may result in them rushing and dropping the quality.”
“Your words are logical, but I smell something fishy.” Her eyes narrowed, looking between the two she had left alone for a bit.
“Oh, are those excuses I hear?” John leaned in, putting his ear forward.
“Grr, fine.” Gwen slammed two $10 bills in his hand and walked away pouting.
After the door closed, John gave one bill to his partner in crime with a chuckle.
“Gwen will get mad when she finds out,” Peter said.
“She won’t, unless you tell her.” Looking at the $10 bills in their hands, he was sure Gwen expected the cheating; she deliberately created the opportunity for it.
Now, why would she do that?
“Let’s go; we might get late for the next lecture.” John looked at Peter, who also seemed completely oblivious to the matter.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
...
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