August 2, 1981.
While James was practicing his instruments in his studio room, he heard the system speak. A hologram window appeared, so he stopped playing.
[CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR LABEL'S FIRST MUSIC VIDEO CREATION!]
[YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED A 5-STAR MANAGER CARD!]
'God damn! This is great! I need a manager more than ever right now! But who... and what skill would this person have?'
He quickly activated the golden card floating in front of him, and the system displayed the manager's information:
[NAME: BRIAN SAMUEL EPSTEIN]
[AGE: 21]
[POSITION: TOUR AND BOOKING MANAGER]
[RANK: 5 STARS]
[HISTORY]
[THE LEGENDARY MANAGER OF THE BEATLES, BRIAN EPSTEIN TRANSFORMED A LIVERPOOL CLUB ACT INTO A GLOBAL PHENOMENON FROM 1961–1967. HE SECURED LANDMARK GIGS LIKE SHEA STADIUM AND ED SULLIVAN, AND MANAGED CHAOTIC WORLD TOURS.]
[SKILLS]
[AN ELITE BOOKER AND LOGISTICS MASTER, EPSTEIN SECURES HIGH-PROFILE GIGS AND NEGOTIATES MAXIMUM REVENUE.]
[NATIONAL IDENTITY STATUS: REGISTERED (NEW)]
'Wow, for real!? The former manager of The Beatles!? What the heck!?'
'With this guy… I can secure the European leg soon! Next year will be a blast!'
After reviewing Brian Samuel Epstein's file, his maid informed him that a young man in a suit was waiting outside the mansion, asking for him. James immediately thought of Brian Samuel Epstein.
'Damn… that's fast!'
"Let him in and bring him to my studio. Prepare drinks and snacks too." James ordered.
The maid nodded and left the studio.
'Even though system personnel don't really need food or drinks, it's better this way to avoid suspicion.'
A short while later, Brian Samuel Epstein, in his 21 year old form, entered James' studio. The maid quietly closed the door behind him. Brian Samuel Epstein knelt respectfully and said, "Master."
'Ehem…'
"You'll call me sir from now on. Coordinate with Joseph regarding your role for the time being. We're starting the grunge invasion in Europe next year, so begin preparations ahead of time." James instructed.
"Yes, Sir." Brian nodded, stood up, and promptly left the mansion, heading straight for Sub Pop Inc.'s main office in Westport City.
James watched him leave through the gate and smiled.
"This is getting good."
///////////////////////////////////NEXT SCENE///////////////////////////////////
August 5, 1981.
The system prompted James with rewards as he returned from the "Beyond the Wheel" music video set.
[CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR LABEL'S FIRST MUSIC VIDEO NATIONWIDE BROADCAST!]
[YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED A 3 STAR (GROWTH) SKILL]
'Oh, now we're talking! It's been a while since I got a new skill. The endurance skill has already maxed out!'
[Endurance] [Passive]
[Max Level: 5]
[Effect: Boosts stamina, physical resilience, recovery rate, and mental stress tolerance. Applies to all actions requiring sustained effort.]
[Level 5] [MAX]
[+100 Endurance]
[+50% Stamina Capacity]
[+40% Recovery Speed]
[+35% Stress Resistance]
[Effect: Super peak performer. Handles 2-days work, high stress, minimal rest. Great for frontmen, athletes, or leaders under constant pressure. 12 hour cooldown during rest.]
"Well… time to activate it!"
The skill card dissolved, and a new hologram system prompt appeared:
[ADAPTIVE VOCALS] [PASSIVE]
[Max Level: 5]
[Effect: Ability to adapt vocal technique, tone, and delivery to match the core emotional and stylistic signature of almost any genre or original vocalist.]
[Level 1] [SING COUNT: 0/30]
[+20% Vocal adaptability to any genre]
[+10% Vocal Stamina]
[Effect: Can sing songs of any genre with tone and lyric errors; must practice for 1 month to master a song.]
[Level 2] [LOCKED] [SING COUNT: 0/50]
[+40% Vocal adaptability to any genre]
[+20% Vocal Stamina]
[Effect: Can sing with moderate tone and lyric errors; 20 days of practice to master a song.]
[Level 3] [LOCKED] [SING COUNT: 0/70]
[+60% Vocal adaptability to any genre]
[+30% Vocal Stamina]
[Effect: Can sing with minimal tone and lyric errors; 10 days of practice to master.]
[Level 4] [LOCKED] [SING COUNT: 0/100]
[+80% Vocal adaptability to any genre]
[+40% Vocal Stamina]
[Effect: Can sing with very minimal lyric errors; 5 days of practice to master.]
[Level 5] [LOCKED] [SING COUNT: 0/120]
[+100% Vocal adaptability to any genre]
[+50% Vocal Stamina]
[Effect: Can sing songs of any genre with no errors; requires only 1 day of practice to master.]
As James read the details, his eyes widened and his mouth dropped into an oblong shape.
'What the hell! This is so cool! Now I can make proper demo tapes, not just for rock but across different genres! I still have a lot of songs to plunder from the future, I can either use them under my label or sell them to other labels… or even the original artists themselves. I feel so evil right now... but who cares!?'
James grinned deviously, already scheming about the future of The Empi—
Oops,
...his music business empire!
///////////////////////////////////NEXT SCENE///////////////////////////////////
Later that day, James received another reward prompt from the system.
[CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR ARTIST'S SUCCESSFUL MUSIC VIDEO BROADCAST!]
[AUDIENCE APPROVAL RATING: 89%]
[AUDIENCE SIZE: 10,000~]
[YOU HAVE BEEN AWARDED A $890,000 MONEY BAG!]
'Now that is something! Can't believe the people in this era would love the song this much!'