Chapter 48: The Ten Song Milestone
Monday, November 30, 2015
Michael woke up. Not to an alarm. Not to stress. He woke up slowly, to the sound of rain gently hitting his bedroom window.
He stayed in bed for a minute, listening. It was a cold, gray late November morning. For the first time in months, he didn't feel the urge to jump out of bed and run to his laptop.
The work was done.
On Friday night, he had finished the beat for 'Drugs You Should Try It'. On Saturday, he had recorded the vocals. On Sunday, he had finished the final mix and uploaded it to YouTube and SoundCloud, scheduled for the next day.
His "SoundCloud Era" was complete. He had finally finished his first ten songs.
He got out of bed, put on a hoodie to protect himself from the cold of the house, and went to the kitchen. He made himself a hot coffee, unhurriedly. Instead of going to his studio, he went to the back porch.
He sat on the wooden chair, covered by the small roof, and watched the rain fall. He lit a cigarette, the gray smoke mixing with the morning mist.
He was relaxed.
He reflected on his life these past months. It was hard to believe that only ten months had passed since he woke up in this universe.
From February to late November.
He remembered the fifteen-year-old boy, broken and terrified, crying on the floor of his father's office. The ghost walking the school hallways, sleeping in class.
He remembered the smell of grease and disinfectant at the Burger Barn. The sharp pain in his fingers from the guitar strings. The panic of Rick Doyle's call. The anxiety of watching the Ethereum price, a tic he still had.
It had been a rollercoaster of emotions.
The pain for his lost family, for his universe, was still there. It was a dull weight in his chest, a permanent part of him. He still missed his parents from 2025.
But the pain no longer paralyzed him.
He had used it. He had turned it into 'Ghost Boy'. He had turned it into 'Star Shopping'. He had turned it into Impact Points.
He had to keep going.
He looked at his studio through the sliding glass window. His new professional studio, bought with money from a house that no longer existed.
He had survived. He had built something from nothing.
He finished his coffee and cigarette. The rain subsided a little. He felt calm. But now, with the work done, the old itch returned.
The game.
The next step.
He went back inside, the cold clinging to his clothes. He went to his studio. It was time to see his reward.
Michael sat in his chair. The calm of the rainy morning had him in a reflective mood. He felt good, but incomplete. The plan for 'Ghost Girl' and 'Drugs You Should Try It' was complete. He had finished his first era.
He wondered what would come next. He needed more material. More guides.
Coffee cup in hand, he summoned the System interface. Cyan light filled his vision, a familiar glow against the gray of the day.
He looked at his balance. TOTAL BALANCE: 136,645 IP. It was a number that made him feel proud. It had cost blood, sweat, and many sleepless nights.
With new confidence, he went to the Roulette section. He wanted to see what his next arsenal would cost him.
What he saw froze him. The "real" prices of the store, now that he was no longer a beginner, were unlocked. And they were astronomical.
[ARCHIVE STORE]
Single Spin (1 Random Song): 100,000 IP
Genre Roulette (10 Random Songs): 1,000,000 IP
Michael stared at the numbers. One million Impact Points. Each single spin cost 100k.
He realized that, despite his success, in the grand scheme of the System, he was too poor. His 136,000 IP was barely enough to buy a single random song, and that would leave him almost bankrupt.
"If I buy 10 single spins, it would cost me 1 million points," he thought, feeling a pang of despair. 'At this rate, it will take years to get another package.'
But then, he saw a gently blinking golden tab, one that hadn't been there before. "MILESTONES".
He focused on it. A new screen appeared.
[CREATOR MILESTONE REACHED: 10 SONGS PUBLISHED!]
You have completed your first catalog. You have demonstrated your commitment to creation.
As a reward, the System gives you the option to purchase a special "Milestone Roulette".
This unique offer allows you to launch 10 new songs in exchange for all your current Impact Points.
Michael reread the message. And again.
[MILESTONE ROULETTE COST: YOUR TOTAL BALANCE] (Current Balance: 136,645 IP)
It wasn't a discount. It was a bet. An "all or nothing". The System was asking him to bet every point he had earned in the last nine months in exchange for his next arsenal.
His finger (mental) hovered over the "Buy" button. He had the points. He could do it right now.
But he stopped.
'Wait.'
A slow, calculating smile drew across his face. 'How clever, System. You want me to bet everything I have.'
He looked at the time on his laptop. 11:00 AM.
Michael decided to wait a bit.
His biggest song, 'Drugs You Should Try It', was scheduled to release in 24 hours.
He knew that song, his production masterpiece, would generate a massive wave of Impact Points on its own. The 30 seconds from the live stream had already driven producers crazy. The song would be an event.
It would be stupid to spend his 136,000 IP now.
He would spin after uploading 'Drugs You Should Try It'.
He would let the song explode. He would let it accumulate all the points it could during the first week. 40,000. Maybe 50,000 IP.
And then, when his total balance was almost 200,000 IP, he would accept the System's offer.
Spending 136,000 IP for 10 songs was a good deal. But spending 200,000 IP for the same 10 songs... meant that each song was more "expensive", more valuable. It meant the System would give him songs of an even higher caliber. Or at least that was what Michael thought.
That was the play.
He closed the System interface. The Ethereum anxiety was still there, a constant hum. But now, he had a new and exciting anticipation.
The path forward was clear. Tomorrow, he would release his masterpiece. And then, he would go shopping. But now, he had 24 hours. And he wasn't going to waste them.
It was time to feed the beast.
He opened his social media. He saw the subreddits, the r/trapproduction threads still discussing the 30-second beat he had leaked. He saw the comments on his networks.
People were excited for his next release.
"When is it coming out?"
"DUDE, I CAN'T WAIT."
"Will the full song be as good as the intro?"
Michael smiled. The hype was palpable. It was time to pour gasoline on it.
He wasn't going to do another live. He wasn't going to leak more audio. He was going to do what professionals did. He was going to create an event.
He went to YouTube. He uploaded the final video file for 'Drugs You Should Try It'. It wasn't a complex music video, but a "visualizer": a high-quality version of the psychedelic soundscape he had created, with his ethereal voice floating over it.
But he didn't set it to "Public". He clicked "Schedule".
He chose the date: Tuesday, December 1, 2015. The time: 12:00 PM. Noon.
He did the same on SoundCloud. The song was loaded, ready to launch at exactly the same time.
Now, the announcement.
Michael only posted one post on all his social media: Twitter, Instagram, and his Facebook page.
It wasn't a photo of him. It was a simple black image.
Over the image, in crisp white letters, was a link to the scheduled premiere on YouTube and Soundcloud.
And below the link, he put only two things.
24H ⏳
That was it. Not another word.
He closed his laptop. The message was clear. The bomb was in place. The fuse was lit.
Now, the world just had to wait.