88 86. Surpassing Expectations and Transcendent.
Disclaimer: The story takes place in an Alternate Earth with a slightly different timeline of events. So people may be born early, some may be born a few years later or maybe not at all.
This gives me more freedom to write characters as I want, also the characters in my story are obviously not an accurate portrayal of their characters.
Please remember that this story is a wish fulfillment story set in Urban Hollywood with some Fantasy elements because of the system's shenanigans so please don't take it too seriously.
The middle and end of this chapter has been completely rewritten so please don't skip it. Still for those that don't want to re-read the old stuff, just start reading from where the R-18 section ends. Thanks for reading.
Also the results of the previous poll is at the bottom so check it out to see who won.
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Recap of the Previous Chapter –
The previous chapter was a pov of Monica Bellucci who went out with her friend Rachel and few colleagues to finally see Knives Out. On the way there while talking to Rachel she realizes how good of a place Eidolon is to work at and also that she doesn't really know much about Mark and that she needs to research and find out more about his hobbies, his likes and dislikes, etc.
After thoroughly enjoying herself watching the movie she came to a second realization that she really lacks as an actress compared to Ms. Hayek who was a pro. After the movie they had out Ichiraku's Ramen after learning that it was a business started by Mark as well. Where they have a wonderful experience and enjoy the meal.
The POV now changes to Jessica, Mark's writer friend who is a horror enthusiast. She is on her way to meet the couple on whose life - The Conjuring universe, one of the most commercially successful horror movie franchises, was based on. She had followed Mark's advice and had done a background check on the couple.
She found out that they were horrible people and decided to not collaborate with them. Instead she was going to buy out their story for a large sum upfront and be done with them. She went with the pro negotiator who helped her out and he was able to successfully complete the deal for her.
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– Quotes of the Chapter –
"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
– Abraham Lincoln.
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
– Eleanor Roosevelt.
"It is incredibly empowering to know that your future is in your own hands"
– Keanu Reeves.
"I came, I saw, I conquered."
– Julius Caesar.
"Anybody can make history. Only a great man can write it."
– Oscar Wilde.
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~ Mark's POV ~
It was a few minutes past 7 am and he had just reached the Grand Auditorium. It was the space Universal had booked for the event. It was a fundraiser to build more public schools and rehabilitate old orphanages.
This would spread a positive image of Eidolon and also encourage people to go watch his movies. The elites of the society had been gathered with a promise to witness Marc Spector perform live for them.
"It's good to see you here, Hans. Thanks for joining the performance, I hope the flight wasn't too uncomfortable." He said, hugging Hans Zimmer who had now become more of a friend after their close collaboration working on Knives Out.
"It's good to see you as well, Mark. The flight was comfortable enough, they were kind enough to book me business class tickets." Hans said as he gestured for Mark to enter the auditorium.
"Shall we?"
"Ofcourse." he replied with a grin and they entered together side by side.
Upon entering, they could see an orchestra practicing in the stands behind the stage while a group of dancers performed in front. This entire production was put in place with the collaborative efforts of Universal and Eidolon.
With Mark footing most of the bill while Universal did the work. "I must say though, to put up such a spectacle for just marketing your movie is so crazy that only you could come up with it."
"Oh, no, I can't take credit for this. This idea of performing a song in each city I visit on my tour was actually the brainchild of Rachel Hale, a really talented employee of ours." He replied with a proud look on his face that could be felt despite his mask.
After getting the HK skill Mark's control over his body language has gotten so good that he is now able to express himself even better with just hand movements, gestures and his body language.
"Though she didn't think we would be doing it at such a grand scale. But I am always of the thought that if I am going to do something then I will give it my very best." He said as he appreciated the symphony of the beautiful song and dance performance being practiced.
He turned around and looked at Hans and said with a sincere tone, "Thank you for collaborating with me again at such a short notice, Hans."
"The pleasure was all mine, Mark." he replied with an appreciative nod and they fell silent, trying to find anything that was out of place in the performance.
"Do you know what Rachel told me when I asked her how she came up with this idea?" He asked, not really looking at Hans as he seemed to be reminiscing about that meeting with Rachel.
Hans just hummed questioningly as he kept stared forward at the performance.
"She said that no matter how good of a press conference we do or how eloquently we speak. At the end of the day they are just words and words are wind, people will forget them in a day or a week."
"But music and songs speak to our hearts; not our mind and stay with us longer when they have touched our heart. Because our minds may forget the words of a song but our heart will never forget the feeling it invoked within us when we first heard it."
"Seems like a very clever woman, hold on to that one." Hans replied as he faced Mark.
"She is.. I called her in to meet personally and even gave her a bonus for coming up with such a brilliant idea." He turned around and then boasted about his employees capabilities like a proud parent.
They once again fell into a companionable silence, the performance was going well. But he still couldn't help but worry, as he asked Hans for his opinion.
"Do you think they will be ready for the performance by noon?"
"Don't worry Mark, they're professionals and have been at it for days now. They've almost perfected it now, down to the last second." He said, trying to reassure him, while also getting to the crux of the situation.
"What's got me worried is, how will you do..? dancing alongside them as you sing at the same time. You gotta understand that this is almost impossible, Mark." He was worried that Mark might make a fool of himself.
"To move around that gracefully while still not losing your breath and focusing your voice to sing and to do so in French all at the same time.. are you really sure about this?" He didn't really want to see his friend suffer or get too overconfident and then fall flat on his face.
"Thanks for caring, but if there's anything I have full confidence in then that's my stamina. I hope they didn't make the dance steps too complicated, I got only a few hours to copy them." He said as he looked at the time on his watch.
Officially the event was set off to start at 1pm and it was barely 7:30 am now. It gave him around 4 hours to practice the dance steps and get used to singing while in motion. Not that he hadn't done this before, but was only at parties.
Though before he began, he thought about calling Keanu to check on how River was doing back in LA. Because of the time difference, even though it was 7:30 am here in Paris, in LA it should be around 10:30 pm in LA.
"I gotta check in on a friend, let them know of my arrival, Hans. I will start rehearsing right as I am done with the call." He took out his phone and moved away as Hans gave him the "okay."
*Ring*
*Ring*
*Ring*
*Ring*
"Hello." A worn-out voice came from the phone.
"Keanu. It's me, Mark." He said
"Mark. Hey. How's the tour going? I heard your song became quite the hit in the UK." Keanu replied with a little cheer in his voice.
"Wait, it has barely even been a day. How are you getting the news so quickly?" he asked, feeling puzzled as even the news media interested in covering his actions will only start circulating the news in the afternoon news today.
"Evelyn told me about it, she heard it from.. Rose, I think." Keanu replied, trying to recall where he heard it from.
"Anyways, I called to ask how the two of you have been holding up." he asked, a bit cautious as he raised his senses to feel if anyone was within hearing distance.
"Well, it's definitely a good thing that your friend Paul is on speed dial. River was in a lot of pain today.."
He could tell that keanu was trying to not say it outright because he told them that he wasn't sure if their phones would be monitored somehow.
"Paul gave a few instructions over the phone to the nurse who took care of him."
"I see.. How is he now?" Mark replied, as he hardened his intent, 'never again.' he thought in his mind.
'Such an incident should never happen again,' he had already hired covert security personnel for his parents. Even though no one could connect Marc Spector to Mark Spencer.
He didn't want to take any chances, maybe his parents might be involved in a robbery gone wrong and the robber might mistakenly pull the trigger. It was a very unlikely scenario but it was one that was always possible in America with its lax gun control law.
His internal train of thoughts broke as Keanu replied, "A little better now. But he told me to ask, if you have found the people who did it. Mark, the way River was shivering and crying out in pain.."
"it was so hard to see him like that.." he sounded sad and helpless.
"I actually felt relieved inside when the nurse asked me to leave the room."
"Mark, Whoever did this.. whoever they are, we need to find. They need to pay for this." Keanu said in a hoarse voice, angry at the people who tried and almost succeeded at destroying his best friend's life.
Mark was a bit surprised when he heard Keanu but he carried on.
"So, River told you about it, he trusts you a lot. I am sorry, Keanu, that I didn't tell you before, but I didn't think it was my secret to share." He replied in an apologetic tone.
But then his tone shifted as his eye's gained the cold gleam of a hunter stalking its prey. "Also, who said anything about letting them get away, I already know the people behind it."
"You do?! Who is it?" Keanu exclaimed, surprised, he was a bit shocked to hear that Mark had already found the people.
"No, not like this, it ain't the kind of conversation we can have over the phone, man. Tell River that we'll talk when I get back to the states, till then just tell him to trust me and hang tight."
"I will, the fact that we finally know the people responsible for this will bring him some peace of mind." Keanu's voice sounded more at ease as the tension left his mind.
"Also, River told me to tell you that he was very grateful for taking care of his family and keeping them from finding out."
"I did nothing, man. River is going through hell, yet here I am on an international press tour.. It's the least I could do for him, after failing to take proper precaution to keep you guys safe."
"It was not your fault. River doesn't blame you for what happened, neither does anyone of us. Stop beating yourself over it, you can't see the future, Mark. You do your best for us and that's all *yawn* that matters." Keanu replied earnestly.
"Fine.. get some sleep. Goodnight."
"Bye, Mark." Keanu replied as they cut the call.
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Mark was addictive, that's what Eva thought at least. Ever since her second year in middle school when she first met him, she had held a bit of a crush on the green eyed, brown haired boy that became her best friend.
She would stare at him as much as she could whenever he would drift off into space thinking about a new "story," she would take every chance she could get to spend more time with him.
Early on she knew that she had an unhealthy obsession, she thought that she did a good job at hiding her infatuation. But the knowing looks from both Mark's parents and her's, told her that perhaps she wasn't as good at hiding her obsession with the emerald-eyed man.
And now after months of being in a relationship with him, she found herself in his home. Well in his office-home, but from the time he had started filming Knives Out, the apartment attached to his personal office had become his home.
It spoke of his drive, his hunger to succeed. He worked relentlessly going to sleep late at night and then waking up early in morning just to do it all over again. She had asked him before why he pushed himself so hard when he had all the time in the world as he was just in his 20s.
Mark had just looked at her fondly with love in his eyes as he told her that he wanted a big family with lots of wives and even more children for him to love and care for. But he can't have that now as his base isn't secured, he needs to grow more wealthy and influential if he wants to protect them.
And it was because of these reasons and obligations he was now out on a press tour, even though she knew that he wanted to stay back and look over River's recovery. She knew he wouldn't be back for at least another week or two and she couldn't help but miss him dearly.
After dealing with the media and handling her affairs at CAA for the day. She finally got to take some much needed rest, she entered Mark's apartment and went to change out of her work clothes. As opened the wardrobe, she saw her dresses but her eyes were drawn to one of Mark's T-shirts at the back.
{Mild R-18 Scene Starts}
It was a well worn black NYFA tee that Mark had worn for years and just couldn't throw away as it had many precious memories associated with it. Eva's eyes drifted towards it, her desire to grab it with her hands and inhaling all of his scent almost overriding all of her common sense.
She picked up the t-shirt but instead of wearing it, she brought it up to her nose. The scent hit her nostrils filling her nose with a manly smell of sweat, a manly musk and something else she couldn't quite figure out.
Immediately, she felt her nipples straining against the cloth of her shirt, a sudden pool of heat right in her stomach, and for some reason a feeling of dizziness. She felt almost lightheaded breathing it in. It seemed… so familiar, so good.
She couldn't help it as she kept Mark's shirt flush against her nose, inhaling every bit of scent from it. She sat down on the couch, her right hand started drifting up, groping her breast and pinching her nipple and rolling them between her fingers. The shirt muffled the moan that escaped her mouth as she pleasured herself.
Her hand kept playing with her breasts, as she imagined her master playing with her body the same way she was. Mark already gave her permission to pleasure herself as he would be gone for a while. But she ached to feel the girth of prodigious shaft as he oh so perfectly filled her to the brim.
Her hand left her breast, making her way down her body. She felt her neatly trimmed pubes before feeling her now very wet center, she was dripping wet as she kept inhaling his scent and moaning out his name.
She slid a finger through the folds of her sex playing with her dripping slit, while purposely avoiding that little bundle of nerves she had discovered back in third year. As she continued to tease herself images of a certain tall muscular green eyed hunk started forming in her head.
"Just like that my slut," said Mark's voice in her head. "Cum for me."
"Yes, Master, Ahhn" She moaned as her body arched off the couch. She started rubbing her clit in search of her orgasm. She wanted more, she wanted him, she wanted to cum for him, with him.
"Good girl, keep touching yourself like that," his voice was no louder than a whisper yet she heard it all the same.
She then dipped another finger inside of her, pumping them in and out of her pussy as she imagined Mark taking off his shirt and pants to reveal his aching manhood that she would be only too happy to relieve.
In her mind, Mark would push her onto the bed and then settle on top of her grabbing her breasts, massaging them as he pumped himself in and out of her. They would both be covered in sweat, the scorching heat that they would feel would be unlike no other.
They would be whispering sweet nothings between the two of them before they would cum at the same time, her muscles would contract around his thick cock while he would spill his warm seed inside of her, filling up her cunt, letting her know who owned her.
That did it, the image of Mark pumping himself in and out just to end up cumming inside of her, leaving behind his hot, sticky seed made her experience an earth shattering orgasm. Her face was completely covered with Mark's shirt, as she kept inhaling his manly smell that drove her over the edge.
She pressed her head on the back of the couch as her back arched off the seat as she squirted while cumming. The shirt did a good job of muffling the sounds she let out as she moaned his name one last time, not that it would matter as the inner living quarters were soundproofed.
"Maaark!" she moaned out loudly as came down from the high of her release. Her hips came back to the couch as her fingers came to rest on her uncovered stomach. In the lighting of the room, she could make out the glistening sheen on her fingers.
She wiped herself on her stomach and stood up taking the shirt with her as she put it on. She headed for the kitchen to fix herself a bowl of dumplings and soup for supper now that her lust had been satiated.
{Mild R-18 Scene Ends}
While she did that, her thoughts drifted off to Mark, or rather his dreams. For now she had only told about the three big one's -
1. Conquer Hollywood.
2. Immortalize his name.
3. Create a Harem.
The first two were feasible the hardest but were the ones with no moral backlash or public outcry. Mark's dream of creating a harem was something that she supported and encouraged wholeheartedly but she wasn't sure how well the public was going to take it when they found out.
All they could do for now was try and create a good and clean image of Mark in the public eye through donations, charity and social events. It was something that Mark was already doing to promote both Knives Out and the brand of Eidolon.
Thankfully it was all coming together nicely, Marvel Comics had the management and leadership of her love had made quite the turnaround.
Mark's plan to stop many of their less popular and borderline hated comic storyline in favor of getting more hands on deck to complete the Incursion storyline by the end of this year had worked like a charm.
Sales were growing every week and his brand name as Marc Spector had helped to attract more customers who believed that if anyone can revive Marvel then it's him. His other two comic series - Naruto and Doom were quite well received by the customers as well.
Especially those who wanted to read something other than just plain old Superheroes and villains. Naruto being a story of an orphaned boy dreaming to become a Ninja and Doom being just Doom seemed to really catch on with the readers.
Mystery behind Naruto being shunned by the village and the Doom's background just helds reader's interest as newer issues were published.
Mark had her and the management at Eidolon with the task of restructuring some of their new subsidiaries like the E.E. Stores that were already turning in a profit in LA and New York.
The next locations being targeted for expansion were Austin, Houston and Dallas. Refurbishment of the building to turn them into E.E. Stores were already underway. They're also looking into expanding internationally with proprietary stores opened in London, Paris, Tokyo and Toronto by the next few years.
Their newly established Consumer Products and Interactive Media division were already in the green with the sizable sales of toys and games targeted around Knives Out like Clue - a board game but with the characters of Knives Out.
They also sold out thousands of look-alike dresses worn by the actors in the film as well. The film being set in the winter season and the clothes being a perfect match for the incoming winter season and being fashionable made them quite a hit with the younger adults in their late 20s to early 30s.
Mark had also given her the task to prepare an early Christmas present for Chris and Janet. They had worked themselves to the bone on the set of Knives Out and Mark felt like they were ready to film their first movie.
It was a year earlier than they had planned but Mark had shown her the script. Location wise it had to be shot completely in one home kinda like Knives Out but even more constrained.
The movie to be filmed was relatively easier and could be done with less than 10 million not including the marketing ofcourse and after reading the script she thought it would be a perfect movie to follow up after the gloomy darkness of "The Killing Joke".
Her instincts told her to request Mark to not make the Killing Joke so dark and cruel. But she held back respecting him as an artist and storyteller, seeing the scripts for Beauty and the Beast and now this innocent comedy that he wanted Jan and Chris to direct made her feel better.
Even if the Killing Joke bombs at the box office and is a loss making decision for them, it can work as a good Oscar bait and maybe even earn Mark his first oscar.
As for profits, she expected Beauty and the Beast and Home Alone to bring in enough to offset any losses from the Killing Joke and it might still earn them a good profit for the next year.
She had already taken care of the paperwork for registering a new studio and also handled its trademark for the logo and brand name of the studio. In the letter, Mark told her that this studio and the crew were gifts from him to the talented duo.
The studio would focus on low to medium budget rom-com, comedy or drama films and it would be a good staging ground for new directors joining their company who wanted to make a movie but not of the horror genre.
She had also met and talked with Ms. Woolverton and delivered the letter from Mark. After a short read she had agreed to their request to join Eidolon and even promised to help bring along Alan Menken - composer and Howard Ashman - lyricist.
She had been told that both of them had previously worked on The Little Mermaid, and would be needed to return to write this film's songs. So that they hope to match the musical magic of the Little Mermaid from a year back.
Bob from Hanna-Barbera even reached out to her regarding any new projects as hiring and training of new talent was almost done and they were eager to start a new project. Mark had already told her to forward them the first version of the script along with the sketches of the cast for them to practice.
In her most recent meeting with Mr. Jobs, the man finally showed a chink in his armour. But he didn't reveal much and only said that he wanted to meet with Mark once more to discuss a deal. She knew it wasn't the best but it was still something she could tell Mark.
Another thing that Mark had left to be taken care of was the outer design and "look" for a huge seaside mansion that was to be built on Point Dume at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean.
It was supposed to be a write off as a business investment as it was actually the set for a movie they would be filming a few years later.
For now all he wanted was for them to buy out the land needed for the residence and look for an architecture firm that could bring the sci-fi looking mansion to reality.
It brought an exasperated yet fond smile to her face as she thought about the quirky investor side of Mark. Though she had already sent in his drawings to Frank Gehry and Associates, who were some of the best architecture firms in the states.
'He could never let go of a good deal'. She thought as she drank the hearty and nutritious chicken noodle soup while taking a bite of the delicious steamed dumplings.
It brought her mind to how well Wellness was doing as a brand, as she honestly didn't think it would become that popular so soon.
But she guessed that the food being so tasty despite actually being healthy for the consumer definitely made them a hit. It was really popular with families that don't have too much time to cook for themselves or their kids.
She was also very happy with they're recent hire, after the betrayal from two of Mark's PAs. PA's that she had been responsible for hiring felt like a slap to the face but it was also a good reminder.
This time she had been much stricter with people she wanted to bring on as Mark's closest confidants, as his secretaries.
She had already had the "talk" with Monica about being a sell out or a spy for other organizations looking to find information on Mark.
The beautiful Italiana had been able to stand her ground and honestly tell her that she dreamt of becoming an actress in Hollywood.
And that it would be very foolish for her to cross a man with the stature like Mark. She chuckled at the naivety of the girl who didn't realize that she could see her intentions from a mile away.
She knew that Monica wanted to seduce her man so that he would help her forward her career in Hollywood. But she was already analyzing her mindset and drive, she found her to be a good fit for the harem that Mark was building.
Though more tests needed to be done to see if she had what it took to become successful in Hollywood as a gorgeous face could only take one so far.
After being done with her ruminations and her meal, she cleaned up and went to sleep on Mark's bed.
It smelled of him and that provided a comforting feeling to her as she went to sleep with a smile knowing that they were on track with all the tasks that he had left them.
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Back with Mark, after cutting the call with Keanu, he went to the lead choreographer and introduced himself. Rose being there waiting for his arrival smoothened the process and they immediately began practicing the dance steps.
Whenever he had to pretend that he got exhausted from dancing, he would practice just singing the song that he had specially chosen for this event.
It was a French song that showed the life of a woman who would be played by Mark in the performance and how annoyed she (he) is with the attitude of men and what they do.
Throughout the song, various stereotypical remarks are shown that women make about men, accompanied by the non-verbal cues the other background dancers and performers make.
However, when he switches to his other side that represents men, various stereotypical remarks that men make about women and relationships get expressed as well.
The lighting effects in performance were different as well (green light for the male Mark, pink light for female Mark) it was done to aid the interpretation of the performance for the audiences. Mark's costume for the performance was designed by Ms. Mode herself.
Along with a mask that had two very different sides to it, one side was painted blue with more masculine features whereas the other side was pinkish red with more feminine features. The suit had to separate color tones to help differentiate between the two sides as well.
Mark had taken the help of world class experts to ensure that this performance would be one to remember. As he never did anything half hearted, this performance was going to be one of his best yet. Not that he had given much live performances till now.
Talking with Keanu had put somewhat of a damper on his mood as he came to know about how much River was in pain because of the incident. But as they say, "the show must go on", thankfully the fact that he found out that it was Eisner and Disney behind it all reduced a bit of his guilt.
He was also looking forward to Anne finally watching him live, as he sang and danced that beautiful song, he wanted her to feel happy, to feel that despite having to share him his love it would never feel less or lacking.
While taking a break after being done with the rehearsals, he decided to open up his status page to see if any new changes had happened.
As remembered that he had finally reached the minimum required number for a harem, that was 3 so he was excited to see if any new changes had happened to HK.
He did remember hearing before he went to bed but he was too exhausted to check and he was too focused on the rehearsals to check it out. 'Vani can you show me any new changes to my status page.'
[Of course, Mark. Here are just the changes that happened in your status page –
– Status Page –
Real Name - Mark Spencer.
Aliases Used - Marc Spector (Pen-name/Stage-name), Bob, etc.
– – – – – – – – – – – – –
Physical Characteristics:
Gender - Male.
Age - 20 (exactly 20 years, 2 months and 22 days old).
Height - 6.3 ft (1.92m or 192 cm). «New»
Weight - 205 lbs (93 kgs).
Eyes - Irises: Emerald green.
Hair - Dark Brown.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Occupations: Novelist, Businessman, Director, Scriptwriter, Producer, Singer, Musician and Illustrator.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Titles Earned: Genius/Prodigy, God of Stories, Polyglot, The Versatile Superstar and The Elusive Spector.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Affiliations:
1. Owner and Lead Writer of Immortal Writers Association.
2. Owner of Eidolon Entertainment and affiliated subsidiaries.
(click to expand)
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Base of Operations:
Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, New York, Austin, Houston, Dallas, London, etc.
(click to expand)
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Businesses Owned:
1. Eidolon Entertainment and affiliated subsidiaries.
2. Marvel Entertainment.
(click to expand)
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Citizenship: Dual - American and British.
Education: Master of Fine Arts in multiple fields such as - Filmmaking, Screenwriting, Producing and Cinematography from NYFA.
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Net Worth: $2.56 billion. «New»
– – – – – – – – – – – –
Perks List:
Prodigal Learner – 15% boost to learning new skills (stats under 60) and 10% boost to master older ones (stats over 60).
Item's Currently In Use:
1. Character Template (A-Tier Item) (½ used) – Steven Spielberg.
2. Multilingualism Package (A-Tier Item) (5/10 used)
– Skill Tree –
♦ Unique Skills –
• Harem King's Template (S-Tier, Passive/Active Skill) «New»
(Click to expand)]
'What's new with HK?' he sipped on fruit juice as he cooled off after finishing the rehearsals or at least pretended to as he hardly even broke a sweat.
But he soon found that his supernatural control even allowed him to force himself to sweat on command like Christian Bale allegedly did in a scene from American Psycho.
[Of course, Mark. There are two new perks that the Harem King unlocked after its recent evolution. Here they are –
«New Perk» 1.Harmonious Harem —
Causes the members of the user's harem to maintain a harmonious relationship with each other. Even if two or more members don't see eye to eye, they will still try their best to maintain a peaceful and cordial relationship out of love and respect for the user.
This perk grows in strength with the user's power, that is – wealth, influence, fame, accomplishments, skills, knowledge, etc.
«New Perk» 2.Harem King's Privilege — Grants the user privilege to be seen as a special entity and to be treated as one.
This perk causes the world to become more understanding and supportive of the user's eccentric decisions and choices, as he grows more influential and powerful.
Whether it be to create a harem, buy an entire island to create a paradise, build his own city state or a country, or even run for president. The more absurd the decision, the more influential and powerful the user needs to be to gain support.]
'Finally, now I don't need to worry about the bickering and cat fights.' Mark took a sigh of relief at seeing the first perk. But it was the second that almost made him break his poker face in shock and awe.
'My God! I could actually become the president or even build my own country?! Isn't it a bit too much?' Mark asked Vani, feeling alarmed at the power of the skill, though his expressions still didn't change one bit.
[Not all, Mark. This is the true strength of a S-Tier skill. As I said before, they can change the world, influence the masses and make your wildest dreams come true. It's also why they are so expensive, you were never supposed to be able to buy the HK skill before the tutorial.
As the tutorial was designed to be over the moment any movie of yours made over $200 million worldwide but because of you trying different creative mediums and accomplishing so many hidden achievements you were able to earn enough HP that you were able to buy it before the tutorial ended.
Congratulations, Mark, on surpassing the calculations of the system. A normal user would have taken at least 8 to 10 years before they are able to save up enough HP for a S-Tier skill. Whereas you did it in less than a year.]
'Does that earn me a hidden achievement?' he asked with some sass.
[Nope, sorry, Mark. It's a very impressive feat. But as I mentioned before it was beyond the system calculations. So, there was no hidden achievement set for it. But it is within by authority to compensate you with a special title for this feat.]
'I thought I only got titles that were publicly acknowledged. Can the system give me titles as well? If yes, then how do I not have a «Reincarnator» or «Transmigrator» title?'
[Well, it's because, Mark. Titles are earned by your actions and accomplishments being acknowledged, either by the system or the public. Your reincarnation into this new earth is something that happened to you, it wasn't something that you consciously did.
I hope that makes sense, also here's the title, Mark, I hope it makes up for not giving you a Hidden Achievement for such an amazing feat –
Transcendent – Whenever the user is working on a creative work this title raises the chances of the user to breakthrough their current stat limits of the respective skill and give a breakout performance.]
'That's great! This will really help me create better works and even raise my stats faster. As I can't always depend on the template to carry me and hide my weaknesses.'
*Ding*
'Huh?'
[Congratulations, Mark. You have just completed a hidden achievement.
Hidden Achievement: Man Of Many Names.
Requirements:
1. Have at least 5 publicly acknowledged titles that weren't deliberately planted by the user.
Feats – «Genius/Prodigy» «God of Stories» «Polyglot» «The Versatile Superstar» «The Elusive Spector»
2. The user must be rewarded by the system with a special title.
Feat – «Transcendent»
Rewards: 20 HP and unlocks the Titles Feature of the System.]
'Yes! Damn you're such a tease, Vani. All those apologizes only to give me a Hidden Achievement for something else.'
'I'm finally not poor again.' he said looking at his HP score in his status page.
[Hunting Points: 1 → 21.]
He grinned, finally seeing it back to something not 1.
'Wait.. what's the Titles Feature, Vani?' he asked feeling a bit puzzled as he already had titles in his status.
[The «Titles Feature» of the system allows you to gain some benefits for every title you gain. Just like how «Transcendent» gives you a chance to give a breakout performance, the other titles will also give you some advantage.
But it might not be as powerful as «Transcendent» as it's a special title awarded by the System. You need to think about titles and you will be able to see a tab giving you a description of the benefits you receive from each title.]
'I see, titles.' he thought in his head as a new tab popped up.
[ – Titles –
1. Genius/Prodigy – Increases the user's rate of learning new skills, processing information, memory retention and recall.
2. God of Stories –Allows the user to potentially change the destinies of those around them for better or worse depending on the user's intent.
3. Polyglot – Reduces the difficulty bar for the user to learn a new language and allows them to never lose proficiency in the ones they already know even if they haven't practiced it for years.
4. The Versatile Superstar – Makes it easier for the user to learn the basics of a new artform and provides a small boost towards their mastery of the older ones.
With each newer artform they display to their audience; i.e. the more versatile they appear in front of the public the more fame/respect they will gain.
5. The Elusive Spector – When the user is trying to be sneaky, it allows them to reduce their charisma and blend into crowds flawlessly, making them near impossible to pick out or notice.
It works while trying to lose paparazzis or even while playing footsie under the table. Though acting unusual or drawing attention to themselves will make this power fail.
Basically a watered down version of the Notice-Me-Not charm from Harry Potter.
6. Transcendent – Whenever the user is working on a creative work this title raises the chances of the user to breakthrough their current stat limits of the respective skill and give a breakout performance.]
'Woah! These are some really great powers, Vani. You really are the best system.'
[Mark.. I am the only System you've ever known.]
'Still doesn't change the fact that you're the best. With these powerups I can delay the purchase of some of the skills and focus on the one that will give me the most benefit if purchased early.'
'Vani, open the shop please.' Mark said as he mentally scrolled down the list to the skill that will give him the max benefit if he bought it now.
[3. Guiding Light (D-tier), (Passive) –
Allows the user to passively raise the rate of improvement of an Actor's/person's skill employed by him.
Also creates a perception for them to notice this change, making them feel the benefit of acting (working) for the user's Crew/Company.
Also gives a small chance for the most talented actor/person in the user's Crew/Company to have a breakout performance if they are challenged enough and pushed to the limit of their current skills.
The increase in their rate of improvement and the degree to which an actor/person perceives this change/improvement, depends on the tier of skill, the higher the tier the better the effect.
Price – 35 points.]
'14 more points and I can buy this.' he needed to ensure that the Killing Joke becomes a standout. That it becomes something that will be remembered for the years to come, put his name on the map as a director.
"Mark it's half an hour till performance time let's go, we need to finish your make up and get you in the suit." Rose said, knocking on the door.
"Yeah, coming." he replied, getting out to begin the prep work.
— To be continued…
In the next episode of Solo Lev–
*Cough* *Cough*
I meant in the next chapter of Hollywood: Head-Hunting System.
-------------------
Results Of The Poll –
Winners Of The Previous Polls–
Option 1. Expand The Horror-verse. If you guys select this option then please suggest the few horror movies that you would want to see in this expanded horror-verse as well.
{25 votes.}
Option 2. Take your time building up the story so that we get to see Mark create his base in Japan in a more detailed manner. {30 votes.}
Option 2. A bit of system shenanigans once in a while is okay. No need to change anything. {28 votes.}
2.[ «New Perk» Harem King's Banner –
Causes the user's name and image to inspire fear/worry/unease/anxiety in the hearts of their enemies and inspires their allies (employees or partners) to go the extra mile to prove their loyalty to the user.
If the user's allies are in the presence of something that represents the user, they gain a small buff to all stats and skills and enemies gain a small debuff.] {7 votes.}
