"Me?"
"Him?"
"Me?!"
"Yes, you!"
"I'm Hugh," a student interjected.
"Not you, him!"
"Me…you want me to become your scholar?" Grammo couldn't believe it.
The lawyer nodded his head, proving to Grammo that this wasn't a dream. This was reality. He was being recruited by one of the top companies in the entire country! Not only that, they were going to become global in just a matter of years. Now, that same company just gave him the opportunity of a lifetime. Just becoming one of their interns was a dream come true for most people, but to become an outstanding scholar was just icing on the cake made with gold!
"We will transfer you to our Company University where you will be taught how to harness your latent talent into something much more. You will be able to socialize with other talented Fame students who, like you, aspire to become a global top star in the future. Once you graduate with us, you will be given the opportunity to sign with Atlas Records, a subsidiary of ours that will help you publish your songs and distribute them all over the world."
Grammo didn't know whether to believe him. What he was saying felt too much in the realm of fiction and fantasy. How could such good and amazing things happen to him in such a short amount of time? His fate flipped like a switch. Just a few seconds ago, he thought he was going to be expelled from school. He thought he would have to live his life playing on the streets, sustaining himself only with the pity tips of people walking by.
Now, the lawyer promised him that he would be living in the dream. He would be enrolled in a university whose sole focus was to enhance his singing skills. Not only that, once he graduated, he will automatically be employed by a record company that will publish his song. This was guaranteed. If he joined them, he would be creating a stepping ladder that led him directly to his ultimate dream.
The professor looked at the lawyer and wanted to confirm what he was saying. "You want Grammo Beatik? Are you saying…"
The lawyer smiled and nodded. "Yes. As a licensed lawyer working for Atlas Inc., I have all full permission to recruit any student I deem worthy. This is not a joke."
To prove his authenticity, the lawyer then took out a sparkling blue pen with gold plating on the tip and the clip from the ring on his finger. It was an interdimensional pouch. The professor recognized the distortion in reality as soon as the lawyer took out the pen from his ring. This was no simple pen. This was a Fiendish Armament!
For Fame Lawyer Dreamers like him, the pen was mightier than the sword. Instead of using swords, clubs, or spears to fight his battles, the lawyer instead used a ballpoint pen as his Fiendish Armament.
The lawyer started to write on the air in front of him, and magically, the pen actually started to leave a starry blue ink on the air. The ink floated and instead of staying in the air, it started to curve and distort into something that the mortal students couldn't understand. It was more like hieroglyphics and gibberish than any alphabet they knew. And as soon as the lawyer reached the last 'page' of his document, he took out a golden stamp from his suit and stamped the authentic Atlas projection on the paper. This made it an official document.
As soon as he was done, a paper materialized from the air. The document was now written in english, and the letters were neatly written as if it was taken straight from a printer.
"Grammo Beatik," the lawyer said as he put the document in front of him. "We think that you will someday become a Famous pillar for our company and help us reach heights we've never reached before. Do you want to sign with us?"
Grammo's heart almost beat out of his chest. Everything happened so fast that he didn't know what to do. But then, he asked himself: what would Patty do? Would he worry himself about the details and the complications, or would he just be lazy and do whatever he wanted to do? Of course, Patty would be true to himself and do whatever he wanted to or not.
Then, Grammo's answer became clear. He wanted to reach his dream, and this opportunity would give him just that.
"Yes. I accept."
The lawyer smiled. He was happy that he recruited a one-in-a-million talent hidden deep underground. If it wasn't for happenstance, this talent would have stayed hidden in the world and end up wasting his potential. With Atlas Incorporated's resources, they could further polish this gem into a national treasure.
"Good. Now, follow me and let's visit the Principal and start the transfer process."
But before Grammo left with the lawyer, he faced Patty and said, "I don't know what to say. Everything happened because of you. You helped me reach my dream. I don't know how to repay you after you did everything for me."
Patty just shrugged. "You should know better than that. You know I'm lazy! I didn't do anything, okay?"
Grammo laughed. As usual, Patty would deny anything that involved him being lazy. Grammo bet that even if Patty saved the whole world, he would still say that he didn't do anything because he was lazy. He was just that kind of guy.
"Meet me after school. I have something to give you as thanks."
With that, Grammo left with the lawyer to finalize his transfer to Atlas University, leaving Patty and the professor to talk about what happens next. After all, they still didn't know who won the bet or not.
"So, Prof Ortez…"
"It's Professor Wraithborne."
"What about our contract bet now? Didn't it become meaningless the moment Grammo left to transfer to another school?"
The professor thought to himself for a second. The original agreement with the contract was that Grammo needed to prove that he had what it took to become a professional singer. If he didn't, then both Patty and Grammo would be expelled from the school. But after the lawyer invited Grammo to transfer out of the school, then that clause was made moot.
"Since Grammo is already out of the school, then the bet is meaningless. Then, Prof Ortez, I suggest that we void the contract we had under the Chained Being."
The professor agreed with Patty. The original bet was now ruined because of the new circumstance. But he didn't understand why Patty wanted to void the contract that was oversaw by the Chained Being Himself. They could have just continued with the bet and made a unanimous decision on who won the agreement.
Of course, the professor didn't know what Patty was planning. The System knew, and it couldn't believe that Patty even remembered about it.
"Fine. Let's void our contract. I, Mortimer Wraithborne, agree to void the contract with Patrick Patterson and Grammo Beatik."
Patty smiled and said, "I agree."
The chain tattoo on their arms was a symbol of their agreement, and as soon as it was voided, the chain started to fade away into nothingness. At this moment, the contract was now null and voided, meaning that the Chain Being no longer guaranteed their agreement.
Patty smiled. "Now, professor. I think it is unmistakably apparent that Grammo does have the potential and talent to become a professional singer. The Atlas Incorporated representative even said so himself! If you don't believe him, then just look at the eyes of our classmates. If I ask them if Grammo had singing talent, would they not say yes? If I ask you, professor, if Grammo had what it took to become a global singer, would you have the gall to say no?"
The professor pursed his lips. Even he had to admit that Grammo miraculously became someone with extraordinary talent. He would have admitted his loss easily, but he just didn't want to see that triumphant smile on Patrick's face. He couldn't believe that they won.
"Yes. He is a good artist. He'll be a great one in the future."
Patty's smile got even wider. "Does that mean I won our bet? Of course, since this isn't an official bet anymore, you can just say no. But are you that prideful not to admit that I won the bet?"
The professor took a deep breath. "Yes. You won."
"And?..."
"You are not expelled and you are exempted from the Physicality Test."
Patty was finally satisfied. After all of that, he finally achieved what he wanted in the first place. And he did so by doing the very least! He was lazy! Of course, it would be better if he actually didn't do anything, but he still wasn't that good yet.
What mattered right now was Patty's triumph, not only with the professor, but with the system too!
[Missions Completed]
• Do not participate in the Physicality Tests
• Avoid Boot Camp
[Rewards]
• 9x Summon Scrolls
• 500 Minion Growth Crystals
• 400 Ether
• 500 Yi Power
• 3000 Credits
And that wasn't the end.
{Mission Completed}
• Don't get expelled
• Void the contract
• DON'T GET EXPELLED
{Rewards}
• 9x summon scroll
• +100 permanent increase in energy
• Free skips for 1 month (no drawbacks)
• System Casino tab unlock
• System Farm tab unlock
• System Library tab unlock
The system arbitrarily gave him that mission, expecting Patty to void the contract when it was made a few days ago. It didn't think that Patty would void the contract at the very last second, when he didn't even have to, just to get all the extra rewards. He already won, but he still voided the contract because he knew it was a requirement to complete the mission.
'HAHAHAHA LOOK AT ALL THESE REWARDS!!!'