"Ouch." Nathan walked through the front door of his house, clutching his side still. The Laestrygonian really had monstrous strength. The giant hadn't used all his strength in that punch because he was still defending himself from the blade, but it was quite clear how much difference there was between a monster and a normal human. He was pretty sure some of his ribs were already broken and he had some soft tissue damage.
He could only pray that there's wasn't any internal bleeding from that strike.
Ugh... was that even worth it? I can't even feel like it was... With a bitter expression, he dragged himself to the bed and opened the system screen.
He seriously considered his options for some time.
Either he could go to a hospital and spend some weeks recovering, or he could make a skill or a perk that makes him regenerate wounds when asleep. Just like something out of a game.
It was obvious what he was going to be picking.
And so, he opened up the custom order again and began to draw.
The need wasn't too great at the moment and he was sure he would be editing this perk sometime in the future - so he went with a simple design for the icon. It was three 'z's stacked atop each other.
The description of the perk was simple.
'Increases Regeneration power while asleep.'
He named the perk - [Blessing of Mana-Yood-Sushai]. The name of a skill consumed no skill points, so went all in.
He didn't want a simple name like hibernation or something. And he didn't wish to risk putting in the name of some of the actual dream gods like Morpheus or Hypnos.
One can never be too careful with the gods.
Mana-Yood-Sushai however, was a god from the novel, the Gods of Pagana written by Lord Dunsany. He was the Supreme creator god who had created all lesser gods and went to sleep and there were even some lines that suggested all the laws in the world and the gods within it were a by-product of his dreams. The man didn't really have anything to do with the act of healing itself than he did with sleeping in general, but so long as it sounded cool, Nathan couldn't care less about being accurate.
Hehe, if one Dunsany had written his novel a thousand years earlier. We'd have a completely new mythology on our hands.
Finally, he invested all 0.9 of his points into it.
Each skill had an intrinsic value of Customization Points they would require to be made. The more specific the conditions, the more specifically the system can narrow down it's scope and the cheaper the skill.
This specific perk had no specificity in terms of how fast the Regeneration became. And so, the cost was up to him to decide. The base cost was 0.7 and could scale up from there.
With that done, he confirmed the perk and watched it emerge into his status.
[!]
[Your order has been fulfilled!]
[You have gained a new perk - Blessing of Mana-Yood-Sushai!]
The silver icon clearly became visible in the perk section and Nathan smiled.
At least the name seems cool... all those anime and novels make fighting seem so simple. When it comes to being in one yourself, it's really not that easy.
Slowly, Nathan felt his eyes drawing closer.
And so, he was swept away into the realm of Morpheus.
...
The next day, Nathan woke up with a bad mood. His muscles felt strangely cramped and he felt so thirty he felt like his tongue had been scraped over sand.
I feel like I can drink a hundred bottles of water right now. He tried to sit upright, but felt little energy in his body. However, feeling no lingering pain at his side, he instantly connected the dots.
"Ah... The body sapped away all my energy and nutrients to patch me up..." His voice was throaty and hoarse. Even speaking felt a bit irritating on his vocal cords, just short of painful.
And so, he pushed himself out of bed and noticed that it was ten a.m.
Oh crap. He cursed in his mind. If he remembered right, he had an urgent meeting today at eleven thirty.
It didn't take him long to get back into... presentable shape. He still felt sluggish at hell, but hey, doesn't everyone after they've slept for a full 12 hours?
Anyone would agree that the golden period of sleep is somewhere between the 7 and 8 hours mark. Anything else feels like you've been patched together by a drunk necromancer.
He drank 7 glasses of water and felt the water splash around his guts. Then, after he freshened up, he cooked himself some bread and omlet and got into meeting worthy attire.
Gazing at him in the mirror, Nathan felt proud of himself.
His dark black hair were hidden under a khaki fedora hat with a slanting crown. Over his white shirt, he wore a coat the same colour as his hat with black embellishments along the stitches and the same coloured pants to go along. A golden chain extended from the inside of his coat and into his front pocket where a similarly golden pocket watch was kept.
It had belonged to his father once. The chain and the watch. Not the suit. That one was tailor made for him.
Topped off with some high grade leather shoes, he truly looked like an established little gentleman.
Tipping his hat to himself, he headed out of his house and took the bike.
Although he liked the bike, which was a red model of the early versions of 1933 and had been maintained regularly, he still felt like he should have a car to travel.
A car is the best fit for a gentleman. And although he seldom cared for his appearance, he felt that if he was going to dress into a suit, he should also own a car.
It was a simple logic.
Making a mental note to also get a car somewhere along the future, he started his bike and went onto the road.
The meeting today was only with his editor, and so, he could stretch the time a bit - about 10 to 20 minutes late would still be alright - although he would be considered extremely unprofessional by said editor, so if possible, he wished he wasn't.
Oh? What editor?
Well... let's just say Nathan was putting his reincarnation knowledge to some very good use.
He sped across the road, zipping past many vehicles. The wind almost made his hat fly off, but he managed to save it.
The meeting place they had decided on wasn't very far, just a short 15 minute drive.
It was a quaint little cafe, nestled by the side of a large residential building.
Nathan parked his bike and checked his pocket watch.
11:44.
He was.. on time. At least he wasn't too late.
That was good.
Breathing a short sigh of relief, Nathan adjusted his hat and headed inside.
Many circular tables were drawn in a grid inside and almost all of them were occupied.
Towards the back, huddled in the corner, Nathan instantly noticed his target.
It was a somewhat chubby man with a stubble and a paper thin moustache. He was dressed in a checkered cream coat and black pants and he absently sipped coffee from a cup.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
The man looked up with a start, and then smiled.
"You've been nothing but early all this time, so to keep my dignity as your editor I arrived 30 minutes early... I've been waiting here for a little less than an hour." His voice was a little high pitched for a male, but it wasn't unusual. His eyes were tinged with shades of green amid brown and they looked sincere and innocent.
This was, of course, the editor that had been assigned to him.
His name was James 'Benjamin' Haymen.
"46 minutes exact." Nathan grinned and took his seat.
The man shook his head, exasperated but relieved.
"I was beginning to think something wrong. I called you like always before the meeting, but you didn't pick up."
"When was this call?" Nathan signaled the waiter to take his order.
While there were no mobile phones yet, landlines could still be used through a moderator connecting you to the correct line. Nathan's house also had such a phone.
"Nine thirty, forty?"
"I was asleep then." He replied without skipping a beat. He didn't have much to hide in this regard. "One coffee please." He said to the waiter.
James raised an eyebrow and replied with clear surprise in his voice.
"I didn't take you for a late riser. You're one of the most disciplined author I've known through my career."
"I was reviewing some manuscripts late at night and slept in."
James nodded in realization.
"I see. I see." He ducked under the table and opened his bag. From there, he took out two hard covered bookz. On the cover, the words 'Animal Farm' were boldly written and for the other, it was '1984.' "There it is, the beauty." He grinned. One of his tooth had been replaced with a silver filling.
"Everyone is so stoked for this thing's release. It's the work of a visionary I tell you! Visionary!"
"You're gonna make a blush." Nathan shook his head.
That's right. He had taken to doing what every transmigrator and reincarnator did to make some easy money.
Plagiarism.
To his knowledge, Animal Farm was released in 1945 back in his old world. And since it wasn't released, he had all the reasons to publish it himself.
It's not a crime so long as it can't be proved.
And it's wasn't like was doing something actually evil. In his noble vision, masterpieces like Animal Farm and 1984 needed to be released to the world!
"When will it hit the shelves?"
"Animal Farm will release first as per your request." James continued. "It will be releasd in 2 months with more than 20,000 copies as a starter. For an author with no history, this is practically saying they expect a big hit. As for 1984, it will release in 7 months, when the anticipation associated with your name reaches a peak."
Nathan nodded, pleased.
This was his plan to becoming rich.
He knew he could practically do much much more with all the knowledge he had, but frankly, it just seemed like too much work. In comparison, 'writing' novels and watching the money flood in was more better.
And he had a god-damn system for heaven's sake!
So long as he stayed cautious enough, he was sure he would be able to achieve greatness.
He talked some more with the editor.
James was a great conversationalist even outside of talking about work. They discussed some of the logistics and the nitty gritty about the entire thing and then moved on to more casual stuff.
After finishing everything, they departed.
...
A/N: A little late with today's upload.