System is now online

"Magnus... about the contract..."

A wry smile appeared on his face.

"Do you want to cancel it, Aunt Yu?"

Storm-blue eyes flickered subconsciously toward the ceiling, staring at the holographic panel floating in the air, invisible to all but him alone.

[Trigger event detected.]

['System' is now online.]

[All system functions are available for use.]

Now that his 'benefits' had finally arrived, he no longer truly cared about the contract holding or not.

Although, it sure would have been nice to support this company, which had looked after him during his worst.

"What stupid things are you talking about, brat?" She looked a bit mad at his words. "Since the company had signed a contract with you, we'll stick to it till the end. And you'll receive all your promised benefits even if you can't attend a single day to the office."

"Honestly." She huffed, her face a mix of accusatory and pitying expressions, as she stared at him. "To abandon you in your current situation... do you think any company in this world is so heartless?"

"..."

A surprised look passed his face for a moment, but soon it returned to normal.

'Ah.'

'Indeed.'

'Certainly not in this world.'

...

That's right.

He's a traverser. And this world is no longer Planet Earth.

Planet Terra.

Located at the edge of the Perseus Arm of the Milky Way, it welcomes its day with two suns in the sky and its night with seven moons. And with humans still the dominant species; and English as the primary language, one could almost call it a parallel Earth.

If you can ignore the completely different maps, histories, and almost different civilizations, that is.

But most importantly, there are no wars here.

Or rather, they had experienced so many wars- Wars that had once turned their home planet into a nuclear wasteland and lowered their population to levels that even the Mad Titan would be in awe of-

...That it has naturally entered the age of Global Unity.

And in this blessed land without war, with people now living on the seven terraformed moons; much like him currently, and the later recovered Planet Terra; art and culture have become the common pursuit of all people. It's absurdly common here to engage in music, painting, cinema and television, literature, calligraphy, and even those more obscure artistic disciplines; instead of the more scientific fields like back on Earth.

After all, compared to the unreachable heights that war-driven science had already reached, the entertainment industry can barely be said to be in its infancy.

So, as a traverser, and more importantly. As a person once highly successful in the entertainment sector on Earth, as far as he can remember- coming to this world, this literal cultural utopia, had been a dream come true.

Devoid of black-bellied businessmen who bury actual talents and engage in unspeakable hidden rules all day... it's a world that wholeheartedly respects the entertainment industry, and the industry, in turn, acts as someone worthy of that respect.

So.

Copy some books.

Copy some songs.

Bring even a few of the numerous cultural treasures from Earth. And it wouldn't only realize his unfulfilled dreams due to the lack of talent and opportunities- but also spark the global cultural sector and demonstrate the limitless potential of entertainment to native geniuses.

'But.'

A bitter smile appeared on his lips.

Unfortunately, 'reality', is realistic after all.

And even in a literal utopia, misfortune can't be avoided by human will alone.

Born with a frail physique; his birth had pushed his mother to death from medical complications, with his mourning father following a month later; a victim of his own drunk driving.

And as if that wasn't enough already, when he finally managed to pull his life back up and decided to pursue his dreams, he found himself stripped abruptly of his past life memories, especially those that truly mattered.

Utterly hopeless, save for the promise of a system that will activate once he fulfills its unknown preconditions.

But still, he had persevered.

To unlock the system, he had utilized every possible minute of his 19-year-old life. Honing his skills in literature, music, art, and every other cultural field he could get his hands on; despite his frequent illnesses.

'A prodigy in hard work'... his teachers had called him... a 'genius' who'll surely leave his mark in the cultural industry.

And yet, the system hadn't appeared.

A bitter smile appeared on his lips.

'Until now, that is.'

When his health had finally worsened enough for the doctor to suggest looking for a miracle rather than medicine and said that he wouldn't be able to sing again, even though he's a signed singer scouted shortly after beginning college.

'Forget it.'

"So, what about the contract then?"

"It's well... I have to look for new talents- now that we can't launch you in the newcomer season any longer." She looked faintly apologetic. "So, we need to change the part in the contract which says that I'll handle your matters personally, and instead..."

"...I'll be handed to your subordinates." He completed her words.

"Uh... yes."

'Well.'

That sounds perfectly reasonable to him.

"It's okay, I gue..."

[Ding!]

[Newcomer gift package is now issued.]

[Contains a song that will ensure a perfect debut as a songwriter.]

[Please finish the introduction first to open it.]

His words stopped, eyes lighting up as he read the new notification from his system.

Unable to sing anymore, being a songwriter is undoubtedly the best option for him now.

"Aunt Yu, I have a song I want to publish."

"..."

"..."

"Huh?"

The silence got finally broken by his agent's incredulous voice.

"Since I can't sing anymore," he replied with all the confidence of someone with a system. "I want to see if the company can help find a singer to sing my song and release it."

She blinked slowly, looking at the sudden confident expression on his face.

"This song... did you write it?"

"Yes."

"Oh." Yuzuru Yu was a little disappointed, and her voice became low again. "You also want to participate in the November rookie season, right?"

"Yes."

"Then I should remind you; that you are a singer signed by Star Entertainment, not a songwriter. Not to mention that there's a songwriting department dedicated to singers in the company, but most of the singers also have their own songwriters..." Her rejection was tact.

But he still didn't give up.

"Then can I transfer to the songwriting department now?"

What a joke.

With the system standing behind him, can he still be afraid about the quality of the song? What he needs now are just the company's distribution channels.

After all, without the promotion provided by the company, even an outstanding song can easily fall into anonymity. Newcomers who have emerged previously; were also supported by the resources of their entertainment companies.

"No!"

Yuzuru Yu refused.

The air was quiet for a few seconds, but she suddenly sighed and said helplessly. "Forget it. You encrypt your song with the company's internal channels and send it to me. If the quality is good, I will find someone to help you publish it. Of course, if the quality is not good, we will take it as it has never happened."

"Thank you."

Magnus sincerely thanked her.

Yuzuru Yu was the person who signed him, despite knowing all about his physical condition. But her gamble failed, and all the company managed to gain were his enormous medical bills.

In this situation, the fact that she's still willing to help Magnus; is already much more than he could ever ask.

-----------------------------------------------------------

"System?" He whispered towards the ceiling, now that his visitor had finally left.

[Hello, host.]

[Also, thinking is enough to communicate with the system.]

'Oh, okay.'

He nodded.

'Then please introduce yourself; System.'

[Certainly.]

[Ding!]

[Displaying Host Details:]

[Name: Magnus Rei]

[Age: 19]

[Lifespan: 23]

[Painting: 55]

[Literature: 125]

[Music: 1003]

[Total: 1183]

[Others: Yet to open]

[Other than the name, age, and lifespan; the other values indicate prestige; the measure of fame of the host in that field. Theoretically, it has no upper limit, and the higher the prestige value, the higher the benefits given.]

'That sounds fine and everything- but-'

Magnus blinked incredulously.

His lifespan is only 23?!!!

[Indeed.]

[Your condition is far worse than what the doctor had detected.]

A bitter smile appeared on his lips.

He can't seem to catch a break, can he?

'Can it be cured?'

He asked mentally.

[When the reputation reaches the Systems reputation standard, the host will get treatment from the system.]

[After several rounds of treatment, it is possible for the host to even cure his voice and live for 100 years.]

'It is curable, then.'

A deep sigh escaped his lips.

'Open the gift package.'

[Ding!]

[Package opened.]

[Song: 'A Million Dreams' by P!nk]

...

'It's this song, huh?'

A slight chuckle escaped his lips.

'Perhaps, there is no other song more suitable for his current situation.'

'A million dreams.'

Indeed, that is all that had driven him forward through these excruciating, almost hopeless, 19 long years.

A deep, shaky breath escaped his lips.

'Forget it.'

He had also started to understand the mechanism of the system.

The prestige value mentioned above can be increased by releasing something, like a song, and getting recognized for it. And when this recognition reaches a certain level, you can heal the disease instead of dying at 23.

'Again.'

But.

'Is that all that you can do?'

[Ding!]

[The host can also get treasure chests for gaining prestige and completing missions, and the chance of winning good things is very high.]

"Oh."

His reaction was dull, having expected as much from the system. Something that can even increase his lifespan; it would have been weird; to not even have the standard mission-and-reward feature.

'Thank you for explaining then...'

[Host is requested to ask any questions he may still have.]

'...'

His expression froze, a wry smile slowly making its way onto his face.

'Why me, system?'

The questions that had plagued him for a long time bubbled out of his stomach uncontrollably.

'Why am I the one here?'

'Who created you?'

[...]

[These are... merely the consequences of a passing divine thought.]

'Divine thought?'

His brows scrunched in confusion.

'What kind of thought would cause this?'

[A blessing to this world, which deserves more joy after everything it has suffered.]

[A blessing to you; for your good deeds in both your past and present life.]

'I-I see...'

Good deeds, huh?

'Then maybe, just maybe... all those struggles hadn't been pointless...'

[Bid a fitting farewell to your past traverser, knowing that your efforts had moved even a God... And look forward to your future.]

The holographic panel pulsed softly in the air.

[Because; when I'm finally done with you...]

[You will become a legend.]

[The Greatest Showman of this world.]