"Mike, would you be interested in checking out my rehearsal?"
Even though he'd been turned down twice already, Mr. Lundy hadn't given up on his plan to recruit Mike for the drama club. He figured if he just spent more time with Mike and showed him the magic of the theater, maybe the kid would change his mind.
Seeing Mr. Lundy's enthusiasm gave Mike a few ideas of his own.
As it stood, the ever-passionate Mr. Lundy was currently the best source for farming skill experience. Even though the [Acting] skill wasn't exactly a priority for Mike, who would complain about knowing too much?
Like they say, it never hurts to have another arrow in your quiver.
Noticing Mike's glance, Mary smiled. "If you want to go, go ahead. We're all set here, anyway."
Mike's measurements had already been taken, and his costume was basically finalized. Sticking around the "Angel House" set really was a waste of time.
"Follow me. I'll show you my new production. You won't be disappointed..." Mr. Lundy sensed Mike's interest and, striking while the iron was hot, led him over to the "Haunted House" section.
---
The "Haunted House" area had already been partitioned into seven sections by Mr. Lundy. Each booth had a few extras pulled in off the street. It was clear Mr. Lundy had a complete vision for his show before he even went to find Mary.
Starting with the "Pride" unit, Mr. Lundy improvised a little skit for each section right in front of Mike to better demonstrate the Seven Deadly Sins. After a brief coaching session, the extras were quickly performing their parts quite convincingly.
"What do you think of my show, Mike?" Mr. Lundy asked, a touch of pride on his face after choreographing seven skits in a row.
He had every right to be proud—putting a show together that fast and making it look decent was impressive.
"It's not bad," Mike replied reservedly.
In reality, however, he was internally marveling at Mr. Lundy's professionalism. Why? Because Mike had been picking up [Acting Experience] orbs non-stop during that short period.
His Acting skill had successfully leveled up to Level 3, reaching the threshold of a professional actor. By analogy, Mike could now easily star as the male lead in some idol drama or soap opera.
In a way, Mr. Lundy's professional level in acting was even higher than George's coaching level in football. After all, it had taken Mike quite a while to grind his Football skill to Level 3 while learning from George.
Seeing Mike's lukewarm reaction, Mr. Lundy thought he was questioning his professionalism. "The show isn't complete yet," he explained. "Once we add background music, the effect will be much better..."
Focused solely on recruiting Mike, Mr. Lundy had no idea that Mike's calm demeanor was just a cover for him trying to "farm" more points off him.
"Actually, I just had a spark of inspiration for the background music," Mr. Lundy continued. "Let's go write it down right now!"
As a performer, Mr. Lundy had a certain "mad genius" vibe about him.
Full of executive drive, Mr. Lundy dragged Mike to a makeshift music room. It wasn't big or fancy, but it had the necessary instruments. Once he got into the zone, Mr. Lundy quickly forgot Mike was even there. He started scribbling movements on scratch paper and testing them out on different instruments.
...
[Music +88]... [Music +66]...
Watching Mr. Lundy scribble and revise at the instruments, Mike picked up quite a few more experience orbs. He was gaining a new appreciation for the drama teacher—the guy often showed a bit too much leg, but in terms of art, he was a bona fide genius.
With the constant influx of experience orbs, Mike's Music level quickly hit Level 2.
This level covered not just singing techniques, but composition and songwriting abilities as well. Combined with his existing traits—[Memory Palace] and [Perfect Pitch]—Mike could easily become a songwriting prodigy right now if he wanted to, just by pulling from the massive library of songs in his head.
...
Time flew by until Mary arrived in the afternoon, interrupting Mr. Lundy's creative flow.
"Is the afternoon gone already?" Mr. Lundy scratched his receding hairline, then looked awkwardly at Mike, who had been sitting there all morning. "I'm so sorry, I was too focused. I made you miss lunch..."
Yes, Mary had come to call Mike home for food.
"It's okay. Watching a creative masterpiece come to life live was worth it," Mike smiled.
Actually, he did feel a bit of respect for Mr. Lundy after watching him focus so intensely all morning.
Seeing Mike's expression, Mr. Lundy smiled, relieved. Sensing the moment was right, he didn't forget his original goal and invited Mike to join the drama club again.
"I'll think about it," Mike said. He didn't flat-out refuse this time.
"You really should consider it," Mr. Lundy urged, realizing that Mike had excellent grades in both academics and sports. For a jack-of-all-trades like Mike, planning a future path really did require some thought.
The fear of choosing the wrong career path was universal.
After saying goodbye to Mr. Lundy, who was going back to composing, Mike went home with Mary for lunch.
As for joining the drama club, Mike was just being polite. Paths like "musician" or "artist" were never in his plans. In his view, those were fine as hobbies, but not as a main career.
Over the next few days, Mr. Lundy would grab Mike whenever he was free to watch the rehearsals now that the music was done. With the background score added, the atmosphere of the Seven Deadly Sins performance was vastly improved.
---
Before long, it was Halloween. The town streets were filled with festive, spooky vibes. Porches were decorated with jack-o'-lanterns ranging from gruesome to cute.
Since Mary was in charge of the church's Halloween event later, the Cooper family dinner was moved up. Notably, Meemaw wasn't there; she was out on a date with Dr. Sturgis.
At the Cooper house, just as Mary set down the final dish—pumpkin pie—little Sheldon walked out in his costume.
"Shelly, come eat," Mary urged her youngest son, who was clearly showing off in the dining room.
"Can't you all tell who I am?" Little Sheldon asked, spinning around and posing with the seriousness of a miniature adult. He had captured everyone's attention.
He had meticulously designed today's look. He was wearing a blue turtleneck underneath a small brown blazer. With his hair parted on the side and slicked back, plus polished dress shoes, he definitely gave off a "mature" vibe.
"That outfit..." Georgie thought for a second, then teased with a grin, "An evil scientist?"
Sheldon, who had held onto a sliver of hope for Georgie's intelligence, rolled his eyes. "Incorrect."