[1.09] Book Learning (Part 3)

“You may take short breaks as needed, but keep a consistent pace until the work on all three chapters is fully completed.” Angelica was sure to add that little caveat to her command. If it really came down to it, she now knew how to cancel the order, just having to say her name again with her wishes. That caveat was nice, in a way, almost like a verification that she really wanted to stop or couldn’t keep going, a moment of reflection.

[Order accepted without resistance | Current Contract: Draw 3 chapters]

Her hands got to work right away, opening a new file on her computer and grabbing her drawing tablet all on their own. They then got to sketching immediately, bringing the first page of her next chapter to life just as she’d imagined it. The quick progress was astounding. Normally, she’d pause between brush strokes, really have to ponder her next move, but now it was all instinctual, flowing in an order that just felt right without stopping.

Merlina’s Boutique typically consisted of fairly short chapters, just enough pages for a single amusing scene to take place, a small story to unfold. And the art for them was nothing complex, simpler sketches with rudimentary colors and shading, far less detail than she’d put forth in any high-paying commission. And she used plenty of details to speed up the process. Repeated backgrounds every so often when she could get away with it, along with effects she’d drawn previously that could be used on repeat.

If she were to ever publish it properly, she would likely redo the whole thing from scratch, but with the self-imposed serialization schedule she’d inflicted upon herself, that was the limit of how far she could take them. While she still loved it in its current form, giving all of herself, all of her time for the better part of a year to its creation, with this new power of forced motivation and guidance, maybe she could finally take it to the next level.

Unfortunately, the process wasn’t fully automatic. Angelica tested both closing her eyes and glancing away. In either instance, the work continued, but the quality would drop dramatically, the same as drawing manually with her eyes closed. So at the very least, she still needed to look and pay attention. There went her plans of catching up on subtitled shows and movies. Wait, with Tongues, would she still need subtitles? Worth testing. At the very least, she could still stick with music or shows with no real plot.

The problem now, though, was that since she’d given herself a Named Order, she couldn’t stop for a moment to turn something on. It would have to wait for a “break.” The Summoner probably should have been a bit more specific for what “as needed” meant, but whatever it was, she definitely didn’t qualify for it yet, her body refusing the notion. However, she also didn’t really feel the need to redact or cancel it yet. Watching the work come to life before her eyes was all the entertainment she presently needed.

That break did come eventually. Right after she finished the first chapter, the “Demon” noticed her hold over herself weaken, allowing her to take free action again. At the same time, it also felt like a clock was ticking in her ears, letting her know that the respite wouldn’t be long, even if there was no proper timer.

She took the opportunity and went to the bathroom, then reheated a small bowl of her leftover takeout, pulling up a show to watch as she scarfed it down. Angelica would also need to do proper grocery shopping very soon, having planned to do it today, but that wouldn’t be happening now. Since there were still a few cans left of Cherub’s food, it wasn’t as urgent and could wait until tomorrow.

By the time she was done with the last bite, her body was aching, desperate to get back to work. And she went speeding off with the second chapter, completing it almost as quickly as the first. Things got a bit wonky with the third, however, which she started after feeding an impatient and endlessly meowing Cherub. While there were minor details she’d want to improve on the first and second, the third was a wholly different beast. Since Angelica hadn’t been thinking that far ahead yet really with her story, there weren’t as many ideas for the chapter to work with. She still had the base structure, but not the wit, the charm, the small details that made the comic her own signature brand of storytelling.

That was reflected on the page. As a chapter, it was fine. Crude, but fine. She could post it if needed, but it would certainly be the weakest one since the launch of her comic. Maybe in the future, it would be better to assign this as an unnamed Contract, that way she could pause and dwell for a bit while also still not really allowed to slack. However, as a baseline, it was still fantastic. Drawing this way took care of the bulk of the effort, and she could go back and revise it to add the extra spice. And just seeing the general ideas in front of her made the additional aspects churn quickly, so she could go back and add them right away.

Which she did, and as the new ideas flowed from her, she was hit with another burst of inspiration. Literally.

[Hybrid Skill: Inspiration Lv.1 unlocked]

[Creativity Increased]

[You feel inspired. Act quickly before it runs out!]

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The system didn’t need to tell her twice. Art flowed from her fingers like it never had before. Everything was crisp and concise, perfect lines and details, on a level she hadn’t yet really reached as a creator. After refining the third chapter to more than her expectation, she went back to tidy up the first two, finishing them in no time. All combined, she’d completed the trio faster than she’d normally finish one, and they were all fantastic.

Angelica didn’t stop there, using the still-lingering Inspiration to start on a fourth. But she barely made it halfway before the effect tapered. Her mind suddenly felt heavy and sluggish, almost like a hangover, though not as pounding. Both the skill of Inspiration and her will to continue vaporized. But would it have to?

Hybrid skill? She thought back to that. Did that mean it could be both active and passive. It was worth trying. Activate Inspiration.

[Inspiration activated. MP draining over time]

The wondrous effect filled her brain yet again. She got back to work right away, finishing the page and starting on a second, but then it fizzled out again, and the artist was back to her previous mental block. It hadn’t lasted nearly as long as the first execution. But that wouldn’t matter if she could just use it again. Activate Inspiration.