I spent the next few days experimenting with my new ability. Fortunately, I ended up with a standard type of lycanthropy; I can't imagine what use I'd get from turning into a full-on four-legged wolf. The full transformation made me a fairly canonical werewolf: a wolf's snout, claws on my hands, paws better suited for sprinting, and almost human proportions. Basically, in a fight, you can't hold a pistol with hands like that, but you can tear a body apart with ease—even Kevlar won't protect you—though I have to use time acceleration for that to be truly effective. Luckily, after several dozen failed attempts, I managed to enter an intermediate form. In this state, I don't change drastically; the transformation reminds me of the show Teen Wolf, but I only get about a 10% boost to my stats. On the downside, my Intelligence drops in full form: you transform and say bye-bye to ten points.
The Playlist, meanwhile, was a treasure trove of wealth and spiritual bliss. Besides music, it turned out to contain copies of audiobooks, so for two days now, I've been writing The Fellowship of the Ring. Only now did I realize why I was given time acceleration. And no, it wasn't for battles, as one might think, but so that I wouldn't spend the entire MCU plot sitting at a keyboard, transcribing books under dictation.
Having finished writing "my" masterpiece, I headed to a medium-sized publishing house called Red Book. I did consider going to the giants, like Pengu Group, but knowing how they operate, I'd only get crumbs; according to their contracts, my pocket wouldn't see more than 10% of the sales. So, here I am, sitting across from their representative, discussing my printing terms.
"Mr. Pierce, I must say we really liked your story, and we are ready to offer you a contract for 100,000 copies."
"I understand your caution regarding a newcomer, but let's talk about a larger print run."
"And how many are you suggesting?"
"I think we can start with 700,000 copies."
He choked on his coffee upon hearing my proposal.
"Mr. Pierce, you don't seem to understand how this works. No publisher would agree to release a book by an unknown writer in such quantity. Do you have any idea of our financial losses if they don't sell? I think you need to curb your appetite; the maximum you can get is 300,000 copies."
"Fine. Then take a look at the contract I've prepared. It specifies 500,000 copies and states that I will pay the printing costs for every unsold book six months after release. In return, you must provide me with 30% of the profits from the first run. Furthermore, if within a year after the specified period you have to run a second print of more than 1,000,000 copies, my percentage remains unchanged. It also stipulates that if you agree to this contract, I will publish the next book continuing this story with you as well."
"I need to discuss your offer with my superiors."
"Please, I'm in no rush."
You might ask: why did I include the rights to the second part? After tasting the "candy," they'll want to keep it and will certainly try to lower my percentage for the sequel, since I wouldn't be able to leave for another publisher without paying a hefty fine. But I'm willing to take this "risk" for one simple, unmentioned word: "Trilogy." Which part of a story do fans rush to buy most actively? Exactly! The finales. They gather the peak sales, and I dream of seeing their faces when they find out this is a trilogy.
As expected, they took me for a conceited rich boy who doesn't know what to do with his money and thinks he's the next Ray Bradbury. The representative came back with a smile as if I'd told him he'd won the lottery. We quickly signed the contract and said our goodbyes. It will be interesting to see his smile when I come to sign the contract for the second part.
As someone who would soon start earning his own money for a comfortable life, I couldn't stand just sitting around in school. I noticed long ago that they wouldn't teach me anything new there, and after my Intelligence jumped past 50 points, I could operate much more easily with what I'd learned and began to breeze through assignments three grades above mine. So, I decided to finish this useless pastime early. Fortunately, all it required was the necessary papers signed by parents and a record of being an honors student for at least three years straight. Grades weren't an issue, and to be absolutely sure of passing the tests and interviews, I hit the textbooks for an entire week in accelerated time.
My father, to my surprise, was actually pleased that I was such a genius skipping grades. Although my statement that I didn't want to enroll in university for another year or two and planned to travel puzzled him, he chalked it up to a "rebellious phase" and a teenager's thirst for adventure. I would, of course, travel with at least two bodyguards—that was his condition. I realized my bodyguards would likely be Hydra, but I had to agree, otherwise, he wouldn't have signed.
The exams were scheduled for next week. In the meantime, I decided to quickly start a career as a composer, singer, and overall very talented plag—ahem—human being. First, I decided to release a few singles, though I already had an idea for an album that would definitely please my "dear old dad," but more on that later.
You should have seen the faces at the studio! I could clearly see they expected more garbage where they'd have to smile and give a thumbs-up while trying to ignore the blood leaking from their ears. But I think I can surprise them. This body had a magnificent voice, and by experimenting with tiny metamorphoses from my transformations, I even learned to fine-tune my bass.
"Well? What do you think, Penny? How bad is it going to be today?"
"Oh, come on, why assume the worst? Just because he agreed to the full service list without asking the price doesn't automatically make him a rich talentless hack."
"Yes, yes, of course, because all the previous times rich 'talents' came to us, they were brilliant. Or are you defending him because he's a hottie?"
"No! I mean—no, I just sensed talent in him."
"If he's a talent, then I must be the Fairy Godmother."
"Oh, stop it."
"Fine, we're ready. You can start on command."
Well, time for this world to hear some good music. Let's start with Legends Never Die.
Legends never die when the world is calling you
Can you hear them screaming out your name?
Legends never die, they become a part of you
Every time you bleed for reaching greatness
Relentless you survive...
When I finished, shock was written all over their faces, mixed with the hope that this wasn't just a one-hit stroke of luck, but that they'd actually struck gold with a real talent.
"Peennnyyy..."
"Yes?"
"Order me a magic wand."
"..."
"Alright. Now let's do the second one."
Lions Inside
If you leave me to my own devices
To compromise is not in my nature
This city is a jungle
I have to conquer it...
"Me too."
My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light Em Up)
Be careful making wishes in the dark
Can't be sure when they've hit their mark
And besides in the mean-meantime
I'm just dreaming of tearing you apart...
"This kid is a total find!"
I left the studio in high spirits. Life is finally looking up.