Locking In With My Life System

Chapter 24: Interesting

Richard threw his head back, his boisterous laughter echoing through the walls of his house.

Then, having had his fill, he rewound the video to a particular point...

...only to burst into another round of unrestrained mirth, his cackles riding on the airwaves and over to the kitchen.

Sure enough, the man was watching a clip of his son and his friend’s antics... especially the part where they all got up and began doing a rendition of the familiar dance to the familiar song.

Aiden on the other hand shook his head in amusement as he put the finishing touches on their meal.

Teriyaki glazed salmon with sesame brown rice and stir-fried vegetables. His pop’s favorite.

Tasting it--amidst yet another boisterous burst from his father--Aiden did the Italian chef gesture, his lips pecking his fingers with his eyes closed;

’Mamma mia! Delicious!’

’Honestly, I should open a restaurant of my very own.’ he shamelessly praised himself.

Then he dished them out and walked out of the kitchen, two sumptuous meals in his hands as he placed them on the dining table whilst jokingly chastising his father;

"Careful there, Pops. We don’t want the neighbors calling the cops on us for a noise complaint."

"How did you five not get detention for this?!" Richard asked instead as he turned to face his son.

"They can’t punish us if they can’t prove we did it." Aiden casually shrugged in response and then called for the man properly;

"Dinner’s ready. You don’t want it getting cold, Pops."

"I’d still eat it anyway." Richard casually rose from his chair to move over to the dining table, his palms rubbing together in suppressed anticipation as the sumptuous smell wafted into his nostrils.

"I know you will. We’re both food eaters afterall, not food tasters." Aiden replied in kind, he and his father sharing an inside joke in their family only they knew.

It was a joke they often used to imply that they both weren’t picky eaters in the slightest, a stark contrast to Aiden’s mum who selectively chose what she ate, day-in, day-out.

"Still, it’s your favorite. And like Mum would always say," the youth raised a finger as he and his father chimed in together;

"Just ’cause you’re both food eaters and not tasters, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t savor a meal at its possible best."

Then they chuckled again, a light, nostalgic smile lingering on their lips as they dined in shared warmth.

A couple minutes later, they finished up their meals, cleared the table and did the dishes together.

As Richard settled on the sofa to catch up on the news and his favorite sports updates afterwards, Aiden on the other hand made his way into his room.

Currently seated by desk, he summoned his system interface, palms clasped behind his head as he gently rocked his chair back and forth, his gaze focused on single quest;

-

⸢Time-limited Quests

› Don’t get comfortable, big dog.

└ Make $500,000 before your fiscal year end – [5 LP]

-

Given he’d been busy for most of the entire day, Aiden hadn’t been chanced to give the quest the time of day.

Now though,

"Your fiscal year end..." Aiden repeated, musing to himself with a thoughtful expression.

"That’d be 12 months from now I’m guessing..." he stroked his chin slightly.

"So, July 31st next year, I presume..." he surmised, believing the quest was marking today, which was the first of August as the beginning of his own fiscal year.

Still, just to be certain--and to also prove a certain belief he had about the system--he tugged on the ⸢FAQ⸥ function.

-

By ’Your fiscal year end’, is it August 31st?

└ No. July 31st.

-

Hohoho,’ Aiden’s eyes glinted, his tongue rolling about the insides of his mouth.

Then,

"Fuck you!" he cussed the system out without thinking twice.

Aiden had always figured the system had some metric of sentience, even if it seemed hell-bent on trying to hide it.

Given the fact that it seemed to know internet slangs and the general meme culture of the world though, and even bothered to use it to troll him via his quests, he was more than certain the darn thing was just being a secretive little shit.

However, he hadn’t had an opportunity to expose the darn thing like he currently had. Afterall, why would it bother to tell him the actual date when a simple ’Yes’ or ’No’ would’ve sufficed.

In any case, upon seeing that it remained quiet despite having fallen right into his trap, he simply dismissed the panel with a knowing smirk;

"You do you, I guess."

"That said," Aiden leaned back into his chair, his mind effectively beginning to ponder over the quest as he asked of himself;

"How do I go about this...."

Even with his current side-hustle, it was clearly impossible to amass five hundred grand in twelve months’ time.

Still, he wasn’t of the belief that it was impossible.

Would it be hard though? Of, most definitely, course.

However, if that was all the odds he had to deal with, well the current Aiden was far beyond the point of not considering the idea of even surpassing that particular threshold.

Which was why, his thoughts had begun churning;

’Pushing for the non-alcoholic brandy and beer company would’ve been the fastest route, honestly. But of course, my capital’s too pitiful to even bother investing in anything of sorts at the moment.’

’I could start a ViewTube channel, though? Teach people how to draw and share my digital illustration and type designing skills...’ Aiden thoughtfully bit his lips, considering the idea.

If he did want to go down that route, he would need to pick up the skill of video editing... one he could easily acquire from the System’s shop.

But even then, Aiden decided to place the idea on the back burner for one singular reason that encompassed all the general issues he’d have with that route;

’Too time consuming. It’d take a chomp into the already packed schedule I have.’

At the same time, it was that very same reason he was axing several of the other ideas he was considering.

’Stockbroking. Web designing and app development. Cryptocurrency...’

After mulling several ideas for minutes on end, each feeling less and less worthwhile to him, he ran a hand through his hair while blowing out a breath;

’I guess that leaves me with the current skills I have...’

Honestly, Aiden had known for a while that he’d have to up the amount he was charging for his commissions.

Given it was also the only gig he could easily manage at the moment while being a full-time high school student, it was in his best interests that he actually did.

The problem, however, was that upping his prices would inevitably cost him customers. Customers who often wouldn’t hesitate to jump ship if it meant paying less elsewhere

More importantly, losing customers meant less income in the coming months. Income Aiden knew he’d need if he planned to build up enough capital to invest in something else down the line to not just reach, but also surpass the $500,000 threshold.

But then again, it was only bound to sting for a couple months.

In fact, if he played his cards right, especially by venturing into the right spaces, Aiden figured he could potentially gain more customers and simultaneously, more income.

And it was amidst that train of thought that he realized something he probably should’ve realized far, far earlier, his fingers rhythmically tapping against the surface of his desk;

’I might not be certain what I’d like to invest in just yet, but I should at least focus on building a large following. Larger than the combined five thousand I currently have across all platforms,’

’That way, if I ever decide to pivot into something else down the line, I’ll already have an audience to market it to.’

’Better yet, at least a portion of that audience should have shared interests in whatever services I eventually decide to provide...’

Nodding to himself as he slowly came to terms with that decision, Aiden switched on his laptop and got to work.

First, he went over to his social media accounts and announced that he’d be doubling the prices of his commissions.

And though Aiden already saw comments trickling into the post--some individuals already complaining like he’d done them dirty for skills that were very much his own--he opted to ignore it.

Instead, he pulled up his account on the gig site and updated the prices in accordance. He’d deal with the aftermath of messages later.

A few seconds later, Aiden pivoted to something else.

Given the dip in not just commissions, but possible followers he was bound to have, it would be in his best interests that he promptly began researching new spaces he could potentially expand into to gain a new traction of followers.

More than that though, Aiden needed something interesting. Something that would require his audience to willingly follow him independent of his services as a freelancer.

Simply put, Aiden needed to provide some form of entertainment. One that any Tom, Dick and Harry could easily get into.

Surprisingly though, perhaps because he’d frequently been in and out of both the Webnovel and art communities these past couple months, an interesting idea soon wiggled its way into his mind.

In fact, given they were his core audience thus far, the idea continued to bloom even stronger in his mind.

Slowly leaning back into his chair, a glint of fascination in his olive-green irises, Aiden muttered while stroking his chin softly;

"Hmmm... interesting."

A few minutes after, the idea clicked into place.

In an instant, he leaned forward and pulled out a notebook from his desk, a genuine excitement painting his visage as he rapidly began jotting notes.