Rewind With A Superstar System

Chapter 152: A Challenge?

<🎧 Song Recommendation: Give Me Love by Ed Sheeran>

...

Striking a deal with Citadel was no small feat. Regardless of the details, Von still got excited at the prospect. "What are they?"

Emily smiled. "For the first deal, I got them to agree to a custom Sync License. Every time the main broadcast spectates you and Aura, the original Far Away track plays as your official team theme."

"And for the second deal, I negotiated a forty-percent revenue share for an in-game music pack. The hardstyle remix will be placed in the game’s digital store for gamers to purchase as their menu theme."

"But... there’s a catch. The contract will only be signed and activated if you and Aura make it to the Finals."

Von wasn’t even worried about the catch. The ball was now entirely in his court. This was a really amazing opportunity. Emily had really overdone herself.

"Is Cloudary aware of this?" Von asked.

"I’ve sent them an email, but I haven’t gotten a response yet," Emily said, waving a hand dismissively. "But that’s not a problem, they can’t back out now. I actually got some inside info. Their agents tried to do the exact same thing, but they were unsuccessful. They didn’t believe in the single enough, and they didn’t want to invest more money into pushing it. So, I took it and did it myself."

Von found it absolutely incredible. He was getting better deals through his own personal manager than through an entire massive label.

"You really are the best agent in the world. I could kiss you right now."

He intended it as a compliment but Emily didn’t brush it off. Instead, she took it as a challenge. She leaned a few inches closer to him.

"Talk is cheap, Von. I dare you. Kiss me."

The bold challenge made Von’s brain short-circuit for a second. He hadn’t expected her to call his bluff. But a single second was all he needed to recover.

He didn’t back down. He stood up slightly, stepped into her space, and gently pushed her shoulders back so she tipped onto the soft mattress.

His hands gently cupped the side of her face, and he leaned down, connecting his lips to her soft cheek and feeling her heat.

Just as immediately, Von pulled back.

He realized exactly what he had just done. His heart was racing wildly in his chest.

’That was my first kiss,’ Von thought to himself, still surprised about his confidence.

He tried to keep the confident act, forcing a cool expression so things wouldn’t get horribly awkward between them.

Emily slowly sat back up from the bed. Her face was wildly flustered, flushed bright crimson all the way down to her neck. She looked so entirely different from her normal, strict, bossy self.

"How... how could you do that? No guy has ever done that to me before."

Von pulled back a little more, studying her red face with a wry smile. "So you didn’t like it?"

"No... I did. I mean... it doesn’t count!" Emily blurted out, her hands shaking slightly as she defensively grabbed a pillow. "Are you just scared to kiss me on the lips?"

"If I kiss you on the lips right now while you’re sitting on my bed in your pajamas, the headlines tomorrow will read, Rising Popstar Assaults Manager in His Bedroom. This is all I can offer you right now." Von said with a chuckle.

Emily stared at him, her chest rising and falling quickly. She opened her mouth to argue back, but with nothing to say, she grabbed her phone as if a call just entered.

"I have to take this. Get some rest before the tournament!"

"..."

Emil said while leaving the bed and refusing to make eye contact with him. Without waiting for his reply, she scurried out of the room and slammed the door behind her.

Von stood alone in the silence of his bedroom. He slowly reached up, grabbing a handful of his own hair as he stared at the closed door wondering what he has just done.

The lingering scent of Emily’s perfume was a stark reminder that he hadn’t imagined it.

He returned to his breakfast, after which he spent the next few hours knocking out his daily system quests.

A rigorous vocal warmup, some core workout, and a few minutes of stamina training on the treadmill grounded him back to reality.

By the time he showered and changed into comfortable, loose-fitting clothes, his head was completely clear. He was locked in for war.

At 4:45 PM, Von stepped back into the master study. Olivia was standing by the bookshelf, holding a MyPad.

"I have disabled all incoming calls to the suite so you will not be disturbed... Good luck."

"Thanks, Olivia," Von said, pushing the heavy shelf open.

The hidden room was bathed in its signature ice-blue and deep purple LED glow. Max was already lounging on the leather couch, wearing a fresh designer hoodie and typing furiously on his laptop.

"You ready, boss?" Max grinned, looking up. "The internet is literally breaking right now.

There are three million people in the Glitch main lobby, and your personal stream already has a hundred and fifty thousand waiting in the pre-chat."

Von was amazed. It was expected, but the pull of the tournament still bewildered him.

"I’m always ready."

He slid into his chair, adjusted his headset, and booted up Thiscord.

"Mic check," Von called out.

"Loud and clear," Aura’s melodic voice chimed in instantly. They had spoken on call some minutes ago, and she had indeed gotten her deserved rest so she was more than ready for the tournament.

Von launched Citadel: Breach. His screen loaded up, displaying his registered tournament tag: KingVon. Next to his name in the private party lobby was Aura’s simple tag: Aura.

"Starfall is officially locked in," Von declared, glancing at their registered duo name. It kinda represented how they were both evicted from Project: Star, but still found their way to Stardom. It also sounded cool, so Von accepted it the moment Aura suggested the name.

"They’re starting the intros!" Max yelled from the couch, pointing at one of the TVs.

Von glanced over. The official Glitch broadcast was a high-production spectacle. Two energetic esports casters sat behind a glowing, curved desk inside a massive analyst studio.

Behind them loomed a massive digital screen displaying the Citadel: Breach logo. It depicted a towering stone fortress rising out of a barren, dusty desert, wrapped in thick, glowing green vines.

Various in-game characters stood ready at its base, all looking up at a massive, pulsing blue Core planted right at the very top of the tower.

"Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to the Global Siege Invitational!" the lead caster shouted, his voice booming through the Batcave’s surround sound system.

"Fifty teams! One hundred players! One million dollars for lockdown relief charities! Today, the best pro gamers and the biggest celebrities on the planet drop into The Sprawl!"

A highly edited cinematic montage played across the screen, highlighting the biggest names in the tournament.

"We have some absolute heavy hitters today," the second caster chimed in. "Team Abyss is looking terrifying. You’ve got K-Z0, the most aggressive and most decorated esports player in the game right now. He is the reigning champion of the Fourthnight Global Championship. He’s paired up with none other than Leviathan. We all know the rap king is a closet sweat, so expect them to be hunting for cores early and often."

The broadcast continued to break down the competition, flashing graphics for other terrifying duos to look out for. Teams like Nemesis, Ironclad, and Rogue Syndicate were all highlighted for their high level.

Von wasn’t expecting Starfall to be mentioned at all, given that they were complete greenhorns to the competitive scene. But suddenly, their poster flashed on the screen.

"But let’s talk about a wildcard, Starfall," the lead caster continued. "KingVon broke the internet yesterday with that viral grapple-cancel clip. The boy clearly has hands. But this isn’t a solo game. He’s teamed up with rising pop royalty, Aura. Now, no disrespect to her, but in a lobby full of absolute predators... is she going to be dead weight? KingVon might have to play completely out of his mind to carry this duo past the first round."

On the Thiscord call, Von heard Aura let out a chuckle.

Von honestly felt some pity towards the casters for underestimating her so badly.

’I mean, that’s not a bad thing, he thought to himself. ’It will just help us catch them unaware.’

Von glanced at his secondary monitor to read his personal chat. A good chunk of his viewers shared his exact thoughts. Those were the loyal fans who had watched the Star Mansion clips from Project: Star.

They knew exactly how good Aura was, and they knew the casters were in for a serious shock given the quality of the two contestants.

"Alright, the talking is over!" the lead caster announced.

Suddenly, the official soundtrack of the game began to play over the broadcast. It was a heavy, bass-boosted rap anthem that Leviathan and a couple of other A-list artists had collaborated on specifically for the game’s launch.

"All fifty teams, check your gear," the caster yelled over the music as the screen faded to a massive countdown timer. "Players are now being sent to the pre-game lobby. The Core Rush is about to begin!"

Von’s monitors went dark for a split second before the graphics suddenly exploded back to life. His character was now found inside a flying drop ship.

The tournament had officially begun.