SL

As Arell and his friends inspected the Subaru for any damages, a heavy silence hung in the air, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Arell's mind raced with possibilities, trying to piece together who could have been behind the attack.

Kenny broke the silence, his voice low with concern. "Arell, you think it could be people from Chicago?" he asked.

He, Devon and Malik had immediately rushed over, to the convenience store after Arell informed them of what had happened, something Arell was appreciative of.

Arell's brows furrowed as he considered the possibility. "It's hard to say," he replied, his voice measured. "I doubt they'd be able to figure out we moved to Atlanta that quickly."

Devon nodded in agreement, his jaw clenched with anger. "Yeah, but still, someone definitely had it out for you. We need to be careful moving forward."

Malik, who had been checking if the tires had gotten popped, chimed in "Geoffrey's not going to be happy about this."

Arell let out a drawn out sigh. "He definitely won't." He said, his eyes scanning the now vacant parking lot, only occupied by the occasional police car passing by.

With that, they finished their inspection of the Subaru and piled into the car, the tension in the air palpable as they headed towards their apartment.

Once they arrived home, Arell let out a deep sigh as he stepped inside, his thoughts consumed by everything that had transpired.

Making his way to his bedroom, Arell placed his Glock on his nightstand. His gaze lingered on the weapon for a moment before he shook his head, pushing aside the thoughts of violence.

Sitting on the edge of his bed, Arell ran a hand through his hair, his mind swirling with conflicting emotions.

The memories of his first time receiving rewards from the system resurfaced, it was those weapon skills the system had granted him that had likely saved his life tonight. And while his shooting skills weren't that bad, he was still lacking in accuracy.

Moments of where he missed multiple of his shots flashed in his mind, 'Seems I might have to take up some shooting practice' He thought.

But along with that came another form unease, a nagging doubt that lingered in the back of his mind. The police had questioned him extensively after the shooting, their suspicion evident in their probing questions and accusing glances.

With a weary sigh, Arell layed back on his bed, his thoughts still swirling as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

The next day, Arell woke up early, the events of the previous night still fresh in his mind. Determined to clear his head, he headed to the small gym area in his room for a quick workout.

After finishing his workout, felt slightly more centered. As he sat down atop his bead, he turned to his system screen.

Active Quest

Mission: You're A Prodigy Act Like It

Description: Reach a specific view count on your latest song and craft five outstanding tracks within a week to showcase your prodigious talent.

Create 5: +50 rated songs (Incomplete) (3 Days Remaining) (2 Remaining)

Acheive Three Million Listeners (Incomplete) (Current: 2,3972,957)

Rewards:

Music Inspiration Package

60-85 Rated Song Structure

"Its Time To Go Viral" <Limited Status> (Current Fame and Buzz Reaches that of a mainstream Artist for a limited time period)

With only three days remaining, Arell knew he had to stay focused. He mentally mapped out his plan, he could record Slimed In today, bringing him down to just one song left to complete the quest. After that, he could finish one of his currently unfinished tracks and that would complete the first requirement.

Then it was just to wait for his Listeners to rise overtime. Or perhaps he could release one of his songs to shorten the wait period? No, he had already released 3 songs in such a short period of time, the last thing he wanted now was for listeners to lose that sense of anticipation, imagine if he released songs every week? His music would soon become monotonous, and listeners would slowly loose interest.

As he pondered his progress, Arell's curiosity was piqued. He navigated to the stats section of the system screen, eager to see any changes.

Stats

Strength: 50 ——> 58

Agility: 62 ——> 64

Stamina: 48 ——>51

Durability: 61

Intelligence: 80 ——>82

Charisma: 73 ——> 75 (+15 Boost due to handsomeness)

Rapper Stats

Flow: 64

Voice: 69

Lyrics: 52

Production: 71

Performance: 46

Freestyle: 42

Songwriting: 51

Hidden Stats

Rap Skill (Base Level: 6/10)

Creativity (Base Level: 8/10)

Business Acumen: 45 ———>62

Marketability: 71 ——→77

Directing (Base Level: 2/10)

Fashion (Base Level: 8/10)

Styles….

(-View More-)

His physical stats had seen a significant boost due to his workouts. Arell felt a sense of pride knowing that his efforts were paying off. "My strength is slowly increasing," He murmured, "I couldn't even do five pushups a month ago, now, I can do fifteen."

Moving on and exploring his hidden stats, Arell observed growth in areas he had been actively developing. His business acumen had seen a significant jump from 45 to 62, thanks in part to his conversations with Geoffrey, who recently gave him more insights into the business world Marketability had also increased from 71 to 77, likely due to his more active social media presence and understanding of how to manage his fame.

Additionally, Arell noted improvements in skills like weapon mastery, 'A result of the situation yesterday,' he thought with a grimace.

Satisfied with his progress, Arell closed the stats screen and headed to the studio room.

Upon arriving in the studio, he settled into his chair, surrounded by the comforting hum of the equipment, ready to work his magic.

First up was an unfinished track. With a grin, Arell dove in, listening to what he had already created so far and jotting down on his notepad, his mind already racing with ideas.

Soon enough the drums came alive under his touch as Arell's hands moved with purpose, tweaking knobs, and adjusting levels until the sound was just right.

And when he hit the playback button, the room was filled with a pulsating rhythm that seemed to dance to its own beat. Arell nodded in approval, naming the track "Don't Lie," a catchy tune that spoke to the heart.

With "Don't Lie" complete, Arell turned his attention to "Slimed In," Arell squinted at the system's display, the blueprint for "Slimed In" glowing in front of him.

His fingers danced across the drum pad, laying down the foundation of the beat that mirrored the reference track almost note for note.

First, he created the deep resonating kicks, then, snappy snares cut through the mix and to finish off, he recreated the shimmering hi-hat pattern.

Next came the bassline. Arell sculpted a thick, pulsating wave that slithered through the speakers, mimicking the song's title. Then adding the subtle synth flourishes, ethereal wisps of sound that added a touch of mystery to the mix.

Finally, it was time for the main melody.

Here, Arell deviated slightly. The reference track had a space specifically for a rapper with a flow that was off-kilter, almost slurred, a perfect counterpoint to Future's more straightforward style.

Arell could hear it in his head – adding another layer of depth to the song. He tried to lay down some vocals in that style, to fill the gap, but it felt forced, inauthentic. His voice just wasn't built for those unpredictable cadences.

As the final note faded, Arell leaned back in his chair and hit play. It was a banger, a head-knobbing anthem that would have sent any trap enthusiast into a frenzy. He'd captured the essence of Metro Boomin's production perfectly. But a nagging feeling wouldn't let him go.

The song felt incomplete, like a puzzle with a missing piece. He hit rewind and focused on the empty space in the track.

The reference track had this space specifically designated for a Young Thug it was only a few lines, but it complimented the song so well. Without it, the song felt polished, professional, but...safe.

He tried to fill the gap himself, but it felt forced, he knew his strengths, and mimicking Young Thug wasn't one of them. He needed to get Young Thug on this somehow, "Slimed In," the song title itself resonated with Thug's whole "slime" persona.

And then there was Atlanta. Thug was Atlanta royalty, his voice on the track wouldn't just be a complement, it would be a stamp of authenticity. Just imagine the impact - Arell, the rising star, collaborating with Young Thug.

Right now, as he was soon to get the Buzz reward, releasing a song with Young Thug would do numbers for him, and he was sure Geoffrey would agree.

"Slimed In" was already the best track he had made on his own, but with Young Thug's voice on it, it would increase its market. People would bump it in every club in Atlanta, Young Thug was Atlanta royalty after all.

Lost in his thoughts, Arell made a silent inquiry to the system. "System, what rating is the song so far?" he asked, eager to see how his creation had fared.

[Ding!]

[Rating: 81]

Arell nodded to himself as he saw the rating. "Expected as much," he murmured, a hint of satisfaction in his voice. The song was good, even he knew that, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it needed that Young Thug magic. Though, he wondered, how good did the song perform when it released.

With that, the system responded to his silent enquiry.

[The song Slimed In by Metro Boomin and Future debuted and peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the chart week ending April 6]

Arell's eyes widened in surprise as he read the system's response. "Woah," he breathed out, a mixture of disbelief coursing through him. To think that "Slimed In" had debuted and peaked at that high on the Billboard was beyond what he had imagined. But then reality settled in, and he realized that much of that success could be attributed to Future and Metro Boomin's fame.

As he pondered the unlikely possibility of reaching such heights on his own, Arell let out a sigh. He couldn't dwell on the challenges, he had to focus on solutions. And right now, getting Young Thug on board for Slimed In was his priority.

With a sigh, Arell reached for his phone, fingers tapping against the screen as he pulled up Young Thug's Instagram. He knew getting Thug on board wouldn't be easy, and it wouldn't come cheap. Even if it was just a single line, he doubted Young Thug was handing out favours for free.

Arell took a deep breath, steeling himself. He drafted a message to Young Thug, carefully crafting each word to convey his sincerity and respect.

"Hey, it's Arell Rose, I saw you and Rich Homie Quan listening to my music, I appreciate it btw🤞. I've got this track that I think could use your help with. It's just two lines, but you would make it connect wayyy better. Hit me up when you get a chance. 🙏"

With a final review, Arell hit send.

As he waited, Arell couldn't help but wonder how Thug would react. Would he brush off the request without a second thought? The uncertainty gnawed at Arell's mind as he refreshed his messages, hoping for a reply.

Meanwhile, in a studio across town, Young Thug sat surrounded by his entourage, scrolling through his Instagram messages between recording sessions. His attention was caught by a message from an unfamiliar name: Arell Rose.

Curious, Thug opened the message and read through Arell's proposal. A small smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, he had added two of Arell's songs to his playlist and both Rich Homie Quan and him had planned on inviting Arell for a studio session soon enough.

Young Thug chuckled, the amusement clear in his raspy voice. "Hold up, hold up," he said, waving his phone in the air. "This Arell kid, the one makin' waves online? He slid into my DMs."

Thug's entourage leaned in, their faces a mix of curiosity and amusement.

Thug scrolled back through the message, re-reading Arell's. "Two lines, huh?" he mused, tapping his chin with a diamond-encrusted nail. "Show me what you got. If it slaps, maybe I can squeeze somethin' in for you."

A wave of relief washed over Arell as he saw Thug's response. He wasted no time, pulling up the finished Slimed In track and attaching a separate file containing the specific lines Thug would be rapping. In the message, Arell elaborated:

"Thanks for even considering this, here's the full track and the part I think you'd kill on. It's right after the second verse, where the beat switches up a bit. Let me know what you think.

Minutes ticked by the tension in Arell's room thick enough to cut with a knife. Finally, his phone buzzed with a notification. It was Thug.

Thug's response was short and to the point: "Damn, this beat go crazy. Lines fire too. Send the studio file, slime. Let's see what magic we can cook up."

A grin split Arell's face. He quickly uploaded the studio file for "Slimed In" with a separate track containing only the isolated vocals for Thug's part.

Back in his studio, Thug pulled up the files and gave the instrumental a listen. The deep bass and shimmering synths were right up his alley. He nodded in approval, a sly grin creeping back onto his face.

Thug threw on his headphones, cued up the empty space in the track, without further or do he began rapping into the booth microphone.

"I'm just on some slime shit, I'm back on that slime stuff, you know what I'm sayin'?"

"I don't care nothin' 'bout this superstardom shit, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah"

"That's on God".

Thug leaned back in his chair, satisfied with the verse he had laid down. He reached for his phone to send a message to Arell.

But just as he was about to hit send, one of his entourage, who had been bobbing his head to the beat, spoke up.

"Yo Thug, you should spit on this," he said.

Thug cocked his head, considering the suggestion. "You think so?" he asked, a playful grin spreading across his face.

His friend nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, man, this beat is fire. You gotta hop on it."

Thug chuckled, feeling the energy in the room. "Bet," he said, reaching for the mic once more.

With a quick nod to his engineer, Thug leaned back into the plush chair, eyes closed for a moment to get a feel for the track. He dipped his head ever so slightly, a slow nod as he zoned in on the part right where the beat switched up a bit.

It was a smooth transition, the bass dropping out for a second before a hauntingly beautiful melody took over, laced with shimmering hi-hats that danced on top before going back into the Bass.

A slow, almost drawled flow spilled from Thug's lips, perfectly complementing the shift in the instrumental.

"Sippin' lean, watch it drip down slow" he began, voice a low rumble, "Diamonds wet, yeah, they all aglow"

He paused for a beat, letting the melody wash over him before continuing.

"Foreign coupe, paint job lookin' like snow"

"Got that top down, let the haters all know"

"Wrist on froze, time irrelevant, bought the whole damn Patek store"

Thug's flow dipped lower once more.

"Slime on my tongue, yeah, that's the only language I speak"

"They see the slime drip, know they can't compete"

"slime"

His voice dropped to a near growl.

"Run up on the gang, that's a suicidal thought"

"Got that green on me, pockets always on fire, bought"

"They slither and they slimey, phonies tryin' to mimic"

"Real slime symphony, ain't nothin' synthetic"

With that he made a slight pause before continuing.

"Slatt, I'm drippin' slime, can't you see the wave?"

"Real bad bitch she want Thugger, tell her behave"

"Every move I make, yeah, it's just how I behave"

"Money in the bank, but I'm still in the streets"

Thug nodded in satisfaction as he finished the verse, he turned to his engineer, a silent signal passing between them. The engineer nodded back, understanding exactly what Thug wanted.

"That's it right there," someone in the back exclaimed, their voice filled with awe.

Thug grinned, a sense of pride washing over him. "Yeah," he agreed, nodding in approval.

He glanced at his engineer, who wasted no time in getting to work, mixing Thug's verse into the track.

As the engineer worked his magic, another voice piped up from the back. "Yo, how much you chargin' for that?"

Thug's smile widened as he shook his head. "Nah, I'ma do him a favor," he replied, a generous spirit evident in his tone.