Hollywood: Lights, Ink, Entertainment!

…..

Casting actors. Renting equipment. Hiring a crew. Scouting locations. Securing permissions. Organizing schedules and rehearsals. Filming. Editing. Marketing.

…and the biggest challenge of all?

The distributors.

That was the roadblock that stood between him and success, the one that would make or break everything.

Forget about the range of success - getting it noticed was always the hardest part.

Even the most talented indie films could end up languishing in obscurity if they couldn't secure the right distribution deal.

The whole situation felt like a long shot, so many hurdles, so many unknowns.

However, Regal couldn't help but feel a flicker of confidence as his thoughts shifted toward the skill section.

•-----[SKILL SLOTS]-----•

» [Slot-1:] Director (Rank – Master)

» [Slot-2:] Writer (Rank – Expert)

» [Slot-3:] Drawing (Rank – Novice)

Ⓘ [Unique Skill:] Insight

…..

Ⓘ [Switch Slot:] Cinematographer (Rank – Novice)

[00D. 00H.00M] Left Before Another Switch 

…..

ⓘ [Skill Slots Available:] 3 (in use)

ⓘ [Note:] User can awaken new skills by striving and reaching a minimum understanding and requirement of it.

•----------------------•

The additional skill, [Drawing], stood out as the latest entry.

It was a skill Regal had unlocked after dabbling in sketching and painting for just a day and a half during his free time.

Not that he had much patience for improving it through practice, it would take months, if not years, to raise it to anything beyond a rudimentary level.

Why bother when he could simply pour EP into upgrades when the time came?

For now, however, [Drawing] had utility.

Regal had swapped it into [Slot-3] in place of [Cinematographer] for a simple reason - the current stage of his work required visual references, not camera knowledge.

As production was still weeks away from moving to the sets, [Cinematographer] would remain a wasted slot.

Still, the [Switch Slot] timer at the bottom of the interface is something that can't be ignored - [00D: 00H: 00M].

The cooldown had ended.

Yep, the system not only has limitations of three skill slots, but it also has a cooldown to use Switch again.

If only he had the freedom to swap skills without the need to worry about their cooldown, the entire concept of limited skill slots would be rendered meaningless.

Instead, he was stuck with his chosen set for the duration of the timer, requiring him to strategize each switch carefully.

Thankfully, the cooldown was manageable, just 24 hours.

A full day might feel restrictive in some situations, but for now, he could work within those constraints.

With the skills at his disposal and the script already finalized in his mind, Regal was confident he could overcome the odds.

Currently, his balance sat at 1.21M EP - that left him enough to make significant upgrades to his skills.

….

» [World-Class:]

» [Master:] (Upgrade - 5M EP)

» [Expert:] (Upgrade - 2M EP)

» [Advanced:] (Upgrade - 1M EP)

» [Intermediate:] (Upgrade - 600KEP)

» [Novice:] (Upgrade - 200K EP)

….

Regal decided to begin by upgrading his [Writer] skill from [Advanced] to [Expert].

This would put it just below his [Director] skill, which is one level below [World-Class], requiring an astronomical 5M EP to level up.

Anyway, the upgrade to [Advanced] cost him 1M EP, leaving 210K EP in his balance.

From there, Regal turned his attention to his [Drawing] skill.

At its current [Novice] level, the skill is barely functional and can be put to use.

For 200K EP, he could upgrade it to [Intermediate].

After these upgrades, Regal will be left with just 10K EP.

It wasn't much, but he considered it an investment in his craft.

And then there was the [Cinematographer] skill.

Regal planned to upgrade it to [Advanced] too before the shooting began.

The cost for this would be 200K EP to reach [Intermediate], followed by 600K EP for the jump to [Advanced], a total of 800K EP.

The reasoning was simple - Regal wanted to handle the camera work himself to slash the production budget.

Hiring professional cinematographers, while tempting, wasn't feasible with the limited funds at his disposal.

Besides, with his growing arsenal of skills, he was confident in his ability to deliver results without compromising quality.

In a month's time, the earnings from his Web Novel and Harry Potter books would replenish his EP reserves, ensuring he could afford the upgrades without delay.

Satisfied with his calculations, Regal initiated the upgrading process.

The system chimed with a soft hum as each skill was enhanced.

•---•

「Ding! Upgrade Complete: [Writer] - [Expert] –> [Master]」

「Ding! Upgrade Complete: [Drawing] - [Novice] –> [Intermediate]」

「Your total EP is now: 10K」

•---•

A sudden jolt hit his mind.

Knowledge flooded in, sharp, precise, overwhelming for a split second before settling into place.

The difference in his [Writer] skill was staggering.

Ideas he had once struggled to articulate now seemed effortless, his creative vision sharper and clearer.

In comparison, the improvement in [Drawing] felt minor but sufficient for his immediate needs.

Lost in thought, Regal barely registered the subtle movements on the bed.

Gwendolyn stirred, her lashes fluttering open as she shifted groggily. Her gaze landed on Regal, standing by the corner, tea in hand, his mind clearly elsewhere.

She murmured, trying to get his attention. "Morning…"

Regal snapped out of his thoughts, quickly setting his cup aside.

Grabbing a fresh one, he approached her.

Gwendolyn stretched languidly, the sheet slipping slightly, revealing the delicate lace straps of her bra resting against her shoulders.

Her tousled hair framed her face, and a teasing smirk played on her lips as she noticed Regal's momentary hesitation.

"Morning." He greeted her, handing her the cup and trying to keep his gaze focused on her face.

But his resolve wavered. His eyes briefly dropped to the lace hugging her form, the subtle glimpse of matching black panties beneath the sheet almost undoing his composure.

He cleared his throat and straightened despite the chaos in his head. "I made breakfast. Finish your coffee and freshen up."

Gwendolyn's lips curved into a sly smirk, setting the coffee aside as she leaned back, her sleepiness fading quickly as she spoke. "Heh, someone is putting in effort today. Maybe I should, too."

Her hands moved deliberately over her body, tracing a slow, purposeful path. Her voice dipped into something more suggestive as she added. "Or… would you rather taste the breakfast I made?"

Her hands slid up to squeeze her chest together, her lips catching between her teeth in a teasing bite that bordered on provocative.

Regal gulped internally before getting himself together.

He just walked towards her side and pinched her cheek firmly, pulling it just enough to elicit a small yelp.

"This girl…"

Gwendolyn simply laughed, as she rubbed her cheek where he had pinched her.

Seeing that Regal let out a soft sigh, sat on the edge of the bed, only for her to slide and wrap her arms snugly around his torso.

"....what is it that got you so deep in thought about this early?" She finally asked, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Just an idea for a movie script." Regal didn't hide.

Her eyebrows arched. "A morning thinker, huh? Didn't peg you for the type."

"Couldn't sleep. Someone kept stealing the blanket." He shot back with a small grin.

Gwendolyn chuckled, rocking slightly against him. "You should have fought back."

"Maybe next time."

"Next time, huh?" Her voice turned softer, playful yet curious.

Regal glanced back, his gaze meeting hers. "Yeah."

A smile spread across her face. "I would like that."

….

After finishing her coffee, Gwendolyn stretched and made her way to the bathroom.

The sound of running water soon filled the room as she washed up, humming softly to herself.

When she emerged, her damp hair clung slightly to her neck and shoulders, the strands framing her face in an effortlessly alluring way.

She had slipped into a shirt, one of Regal's by the look of it, but hadn't bothered with her skirt.

The shirt was slightly oversized, though it barely reached her mid-thigh, leaving just enough room for glimpses of her panties whenever she moved, no matter how slight, and it was immediately clear she wasn't wearing a bra.

The fabric of the shirt clung loosely to her figure, the natural curve of her silhouette evident with every step.

She stood by the bed, buttoning up the last button of the shirt with a distracted air, her fingers moving lazily.

Her gaze eventually drifted to Regal, who was seated at his desk, fully absorbed in his laptop.

The rhythmic clicking of keys filled the room.

Curiosity sparked in her eyes, and she skipped over lightly. Coming up behind him, she wrapped her arms loosely around his neck, leaning into him without disturbing his focus.

…well not for too long, though, as her damp hair and cheek brushed lightly against his as she planted a quick kiss there.

"What are you up to?" She asked, her voice soft but curious, her eyes flicking to the screen.

Regal's fingers paused momentarily before resuming. "Just putting some scenes out."

Gwendolyn tilted her head, her gaze darting across the words on the screen. Her attention finally settled on a bold line near the top.

"[Following]?"

.

….

[To be continued…]

★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★

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