Edited by: Kuro and Lille
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After a very long sleep, the Host woke up feeling refreshed. He had some eye boogers at the corners of his eyes, so he wiped them off and looked for System 225.
System 225 was sitting in the same position the Host last saw him in. Sensing that Host had woken up, System 225 opened his eyes and smiled. "Welcome back, Host."
"Hmm." The Host was still half asleep and System 225 knew that he was not a morning person.
After the Host fully woke up, System 225 got up.
[Host, how are you feeling?]
"I am still a little sad about parting with Damien, but I am excited to go to the next world knowing that I have a 99% chance of meeting God System again."
[I am glad you are doing alright, Host.]
"You better tell me right away if I encounter God System, alright? You gotta promise me and not leave me in the dark as you did before."
[I promise I will, Host!]
"Alright, let's go to the next world."
The Host put his hand on the small orb and closed his eyes. He felt himself being hoisted away, before finally settling down.
When he opened his eyes once more, he was surrounded by a sea of books.
*****
The Host was lying on a bed. He looked around to see that there were books all over his bed, the floor, in the shelves, in piles up against the walls. The only walking space was to the door, to the closet, and then to his bathroom. His bed was up against the right wall of the master bedroom. It was a king-sized bed but he didn't have much else on it (except for the books). Just black sheets, a fluffy blanket, and a pillow for his own needs.
The original body didn't sleep with anything but his boxers, even on the coldest of days. The Host sat up and yawned. He could feel that his long hair was all over the place, looking like a wind storm blew his hair around in the middle of the night. The original probably went to bed with his hair wet.
His eyes felt stuffy and swollen, probably from crying all night. The Host had a headache from what he assumed was dehydration. All in all, the Host felt like he just woke up after a long night of crying.
'System, can I get the data for this world?'
[*Chirp chirp* Of course, Host! Transferring data now.]
A surge of information flooded into his mind once more. He didn't even know how to express his thoughts about the plot.
The original body was a novelist who had his new book stolen by his editor, James Kurt. James became quite famous for the book, quit his job at the company, joined a different one, and became a best-selling novelist. Through a series of ups and downs, he also got together with his editor, the female lead, and the two were quite happy with one another.
On the other hand, the original, Calvin Scott, had his big debut with his first novel series, Zeonia. The series, a Trilogy, sold millions of copies, digitally and physically, worldwide. It was turned into a movie and then a TV show. It was even translated into multiple languages. With such a good turnout, his fans were worried as to why he hadn't published a new book or series.
Calvin, who had his novel stolen, was sulking in his room for years. With no evidence of James stealing his novel, he gave up on even trying to sue the man. Oddly, he even forgave James. Even if he did want revenge, Calvin believed no one would believe him (which to the Host was utter bullshit but the plot is a plot).
He also had horrible writer's block and was afraid to touch his laptop. He pushed out many new editors and refused to go outside. He was so depressed that his mind couldn't put down any inspiration. He ended up never being able to write again, surviving on the money from his first novel series until he died of a heart attack. No one knew what Calvin looked like, so even when he was found, they didn't realize who he was until they brought out his ID.
What made the Host annoyed was how easily Calvin gave up, but at the same time, he was ignorant and naive. It was no wonder that he couldn't get back on his feet. No one taught the poor man how to.
The Host arrived in the original's body when Calvin found out he was betrayed by his editor and his book was stolen. He had been crying in bed for a few days refusing to see anyone and taking out his sadness and anger on the poor editors who came through.
'System, what are my missions?'
[*Chirp chirp* Answering Host, your missions are as follows:
[Main Mission: Stand at the top as a Famous Novelist
Side Mission: Write 10 well-selling books
Side Mission: Complete and publish 3 series
Side Mission: Find a new editor
[Host, good luck on your writing adventures.]
'Is there really nothing for revenge? Nothing about getting back at James and ruining his career?'
[No, Host, Calvin doesn't have any such desires.]
'Hmm, I wonder why... If Calvin doesn't want revenge, I will follow those wishes and tease James along the way. This world is easy so there was no harm in being a little petty, right?'
The original Calvin was an author who hid his face. He didn't like people looking at him, being near him, being too close to him. He was extremely self-conscious about his looks to the point he could barely open the door for his editor or the delivery people who would come to his door. He also hid at a distance when the cleaning person took out his trash. That was the amount of contact he was willing to have. He never went to fan meetings, book signings, or his movie premiere. He picked the job of a novelist to be able to stay in the comfort of his own home. He had extreme social anxiety to the point it affected every part of his life.
Calvin, the Host, was going to slowly change that. He needed Calvin to become famous, well-known, and loved to be able to stand at the top of the novelist world. And also find God System of course. He promised he would find the man and be with him this time in this world. And every other world after this.
He walked into the bathroom and looked at his face. His brown hair was extremely long, almost down to his hips. He was pale from not going outside, so he looked a little pasty and sickly, and he was on the thin side. But he did simple workouts to keep his body toned. His eyes were dark brown, with hints of blue. Well, his eyes were still swollen and slightly red. All in all, minus how ghostly he looked, he was attractive. Nowhere close to the level of ugly the original thought he was.
"Should I keep my hair long or cut it all off and donate it...?" Calvin mumbled to himself as he washed himself up. He felt it was better to keep it in the end.
After washing up and tending to his hair, he headed towards the kitchen. Shockingly, the rest of his apartment wasn't as messy as his room. Though he had books around his home, they were neatly stacked.
When he got into the kitchen, he saw high-tech appliances. The kitchen was cleaned and it was big enough for 4 people to stand around comfortably. He opened the fridge to find vegetables, poultry, and pescatarian items. There were no red meats, as the original couldn't stomach it, but that was fine with Calvin.
"Hmm, that's good too."
Calvin had no problems with the food in his fridge, so he made a simple avocado, eggs, and toast for breakfast.
'System, can you sense God System in this world?'
[Answering Host, I feel traces of God System, but I can't say for sure unless you touch him... Considering how crazy in love God System is, he will probably find you quicker than you would expect it.]
'I see, that's good to know.'
A *ding dong* echoed throughout the home, interrupting what Calvin was going to say. At first, he thought it was System 225 but remembered he had changed it to the chirping bird sounds.
'System, can you change that sound for the front door? Make it something more… pleasant.'
[Understood, host.]
He sighed. "Let's get this started." He felt that his face was presentable enough, so it didn't hurt to see what kind of people would be coming in and out.
His company sent editors to his door every day hoping that Calvin would at least pick someone for a book or two. It was special treatment for him as he was the only author who refused to leave his home! They tried to haphazardly assign him a decent editor but the editor was refused at the front door with no explanation. From then on, they begged him to at least look through the editors they picked.
But after James left, the original had no thoughts of getting a new editor, nonetheless trusting one.
The host, on the other hand, was going to pick a new editor starting today. Maybe one of the editors was God System.