…..

  Casting actors. Renting equipment. Hiring a crew. Scouting locations. Seg permissions. anizing schedules and rehearsals. Filmiing. Marketing.

  …and the biggest challenge of all?

  The distributors.

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

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

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

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

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

  ?-----[SKILL SLOTS]-----?

  ? [Slot-1:] Director (Rank – Master)

  ? [Slot-2:] Writer (Rank – Expert)

  ? [Slot-3:] Drawing (Rank – Novice)

  ? [Unique Skill:] Insight

  …..

  ? [Switch Slot:] ematographer (Rank – Novice)

  [00D. 00H.00M] Left Before Another Switbsp;

  …..

  ? [Skill Slots Avaible:] 3 (in use)

  ? [Note:] User awaken new skills by striving and reag a minimum uanding and requirement of it.

  ?----------------------?

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

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

  Not that he had much patienproving 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 wheime came?

  For now, however, [Drawing] had utility.

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

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

  Still, the [Switch Slot] timer at the bottom of the interface is something that '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 s skills without the o worry about their cooldown, the entire cept of limited skill slots would be rendered meaningless.

  Instead, he was stuck with his chose for the duration of the timer, requiring him tize 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 straints.

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

  Currently, his ba at 1.21M EP - that left him enough to make signifit upgrades to his skills.

  ….

  ? [World-Css:]

  ? [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 [Advao [Expert].

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

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

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

  At its current [Novice] level, the skill is barely funal and 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 sidered it an iment in his craft.

  And then there was the [ematographer] skill.

  Regal po upgrade it to [Advaoo 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 wao hahe camera work himself to ssh the produ budget.

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

  Besides, with his growing arsenal of skills, he was fident in his ability to deliver results without promising 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 dey.

  Satisfied with his calcutions, Regal initiated the upgrading process.

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

  ?---?

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

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

  「Your total EP is now: 10K」

  ?---?

  A sudden jolt hit his mind.

  Knowledge flooded in, sharp, precise, overwhelming for a split sed before settling into pce.

  The differen his [Writer] skill was staggering.

  Ideas he had oruggled to articute now seemed effortless, his creative vision sharper and clearer.

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

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

  Gwendolyn stirred, her shes fluttering open as she shifted groggily. Her gaze nded al, standing by the er, tea in hand, his mind clearly elsewhere.

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

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

  Grabbing a fresh one, he approached her.

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

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

  "M." He greeted her, handihe cup and trying to keep his gaze focused on her face.

  But his resolve wavered. His eyes briefly dropped to the ce hugging her form, the subtle glimpse of matg bck panties beh the sheet almost undoing his posure.

  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, trag 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 catg betweeeeth in a teasing bite that bordered on provocative.

  Regal gulped internally befetting 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 ughed, 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 her arms snugly around his torso.

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

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

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

  "Couldn't sleep. Someo stealing the b." He shot back with a small grin.

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

  "Maybe ime."

  "ime, huh?" Her voice turned softer, pyful yet curious.

  Regal gnced 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 g slightly to her ned shoulders, the strands framing her fa an effortlessly alluring way.

  She had slipped into a shirt, one al'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 flimpses 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 g loosely ture, the natural curve of her silhouette evident with every step.

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

  Her gaze eventually drifted tal, who was seated at his desk, fully absorbed in his ptop.

  The rhythmic clig of keys filled the room.

  Curiosity sparked in her eyes, and she skipped htly. ing up behind him, she ed 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 pnted a quick kiss there.

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

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

  Gwendolyn tilted her head, her gaze darting across the words on the s. Her attention finally settled on a bold lihe top.

  "[Following]?"

  .

  ….

  [To be tinued…]

  ★─────??★??─────★

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