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Absolute darkness. No light, noise, or hint of living creatures. Adam watched the view but did not show any reaction, as if in prostration.

Suddenly! There was a sound... a rustling sound, like someone writing on paper with a quill. Adam blinked and the sound stopped, but with it, there was light in the space.

Something round, like the sun, but it was not. Adam heard the rustling again, and space changed... the sky appeared. And the rustling again: the earth appeared.

Adam watched this spectacle. Each time he heard the rustling, the space changed. In the end, Adam found himself in a dense forest where wild animals surrounded him.

Once again, Adam blinked. The old forest began to change as if it were in a timelapse. Adam saw the dense forest being destroyed, and people and the old flora and fauna disrupted.

Adam couldn't tell exactly what had happened. And in the moment when the world around him collapsed, he woke up.

***

Adam opened his eyes and the bright light made him wince. Soon footsteps were heard and a familiar man walked in. He was holding a bag of fruit and wearing a double-breasted suit.

- Oh, you're awake, Sir Adam. - Ronald smiled warmly and placed the package on the nightstand.

Adam smiled awkwardly, feeling embarrassed. He looked around and realized he was in a hospital room.

- You didn't answer me for a long time, so I had to come and see you. - Ronald took out an apple and started peeling it. - And guess what... I came to see you and you were lying unconscious. Thank God the ambulance got here in time and we were able to save your life.

Ronald told Adam what happened after he lost consciousness. Adam was rushed to the hospital in serious condition and through the combined efforts of the doctors, Adam was saved.

- I'm not sure what's going on with you, Sir Adam, but... - Ronald started slicing an apple while talking. - You'd better watch your health. There's only one life, you know.

Ronald smiled softly and pushed a plate of sliced apples through to Adam. He, feeling very hungry, began to gorge himself. Ronald said nothing and only rummaged through his pocket.

When Adam finished eating his apple, Ronald turned on his phone and was showing some kind of chart.

- A week ago we started printing your book. - Ronald flipped through and Adam saw the statistics. - On the first day only two copies were sold, and on the second day nothing was sold at all. But the real "boom" came on the third day!

Ronald enlarged the image and Adam saw under the label "Day Three," the 50-sale marker. His eyes lit up.

- And so, on the fourth day 20 copies were sold, and on the fifth day 48. - Ronald smiled softly and put the phone away. - If you trust my experience, please be assured - it's a great result for a beginner.

Adam nodded and wasn't about to get hysterical. He knew that not all authors could get the right to print, much less sell more than a hundred copies.

Ronald, seeing that Adam didn't complain about it in any way, smiled softly.

- I think with 120 copies sold, we can extend sales for another month. - Ronald said softly. - Initially, especially under the influence of the second day, the sales department wanted to stop printing your book, but I convinced them to give it another week.

Adam was touched and felt embarrassed and relieved, but then froze when he heard Ronald's words.

- For if your book failed, I'd get my pay cut off, ha-ha. - Ronald laughed merrily and there was a sense of relief in his tone.

"Of course, he wouldn't help me for free," Adam smiled weakly and sighed.

- The money for the first week is already in your bank account. - Ronald said and got up. Get well soon.

Adam said goodbye to Ronald and his eyes dimmed again. His mind was filled with thoughts.

***

A week later...

Adam was in his house. He looked much better now than before. The unstable emotional state had almost settled down. Besides, Adam was trying to look on the bright side.

For example, he was now fluent in Japanese and could play the guitar quite well. However, the price for this was nightmares. From time to time he even began to speak Japanese and introduce himself as Ryuto Yuya.

As he sat down in front of his computer, Adam suddenly felt a burning sensation in his hand and pulled out the book The Creator's Pen. New words appeared on the cover.

[[Title: "Sakura and Haruto: A Spring Affair"]

Genres: Romance, School Daily Life, Japanese Culture

Plot: At a Japanese school, where spring symbolizes a new beginning, Sakura, a cute and popular girl, meets Haruto, a cheerful and energetic guy. They become classmates and together experience the magic of the Hanami Spring Festival, where cherry blossoms bloom. As they prepare for the festival and their relationship develops, Sakura and Haruto learn more and more about each other, discovering common interests and a deep affection for each other.

Score: 9/10

Readers' emotions throughout the story: joy, embarrassment, envy, and a desire to punch the protagonist in the face.

Displeasure: Some readers felt that some of the scenes of the relationship development between Sakura and Haruto were insufficiently unfolded and fast-paced.

Suggestions from readers: write a sequel to the book, which will tell about the adult life of the two main characters.

Reward from the system: +5 book experience, +20 popularity].

Adam shook his head and his gaze clouded over. He still felt uncomfortable when he saw the title of the book. But an unbearable fever soon brought him out of his thoughts.

His left hand, which held the book, literally burned. Adam cried out and dropped the book to the floor.

- What's the matter with her? - Adam muttered, rubbing his hand.

Before Adam's eyes, the book glowed and a rustling sounded. Eventually, the light became so bright that Adam was blinded.

Half an hour passed. Adam opened his eyes fearfully and saw that the light was gone. A book caught his eye that had undergone a distinct change.

The cover was newer now, and there were dull patterns on it. Adam took the book in his hands and saw the new writing on the cover.

[The Creator's Quill is now at Intermediate Level. Gained: x1 slot, main genre choice].

[Popularity has grown.]

[Your popularity: 40 points ("Know him": 28 people know about you. But there is not much of an impression of you. However, that's fine)].

And the inscriptions didn't stop, but added more and more, as if the book had finally come to life.

[New abilities discovered: "Author's Will", "Manipulation of Destiny".]

[Contributor, your power is the dream of many. But what is a contributor's dream?]

That last sentence seemed strange to Adam, but he paid no attention and only sighed with relief when he saw the improvements in his book.

He paid attention to the new abilities and the former text changed.

[The Author's Will:

You are the Author, the ruler of endless books. You have a strong resistance to the synchronization of personalities. Characters are incapable of swaying your will.

Price: $15,000].

[Manipulation of Destiny:

Your writing influence makes it easy for you to change the course of events and the fate of characters.

Limitation: External interventions must not contradict the internal logic and established rules of the world.

Price: $890].

[Acquire?]

[Yes] / [No].