Deep Dive

Quickly pushing him backstage, the ladies, after trying out multiple outfits on Kyle, ensured he was fitted with the best suited outfit amongst their many costumes, all of which was also reminiscent of the medieval 19th century.

The role he was tasked with playing, was of a rich young lord called Andy who fell in love with a lovely commoner called Joelene.

It was a really simple story with nice characters to boot.

However, the most impactful scene in the script was the part where Joelene, despite loving Andy just as much as he loved her, wanted someone better for him due to the gulf in their status, culminating in a painful scene where both characters got their hearts broken.

Considering Kyle had read this part so many times just for how impactful it was, he already had the lines down despite Katie telling him he could take the script on-stage.

In addition to that, Kyle finally felt that it was time to create the acting skill he had always had in mind.

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Active Skill - [Deep Dive]

Gain the ability to deeply understand the characters you want to portray and immerse yourself in the world they inhabit.

Exp. Points Available – (5410)

Exp. Points Consumed – (5410)

Exp. Points Left – (0)

___________________________

| Insufficient points have been consumed to create a high-end skill! |

| Active skill [Deep Dive] will be converted into an upgradeable skill… |

| Grade will be assigned! |

| [Deep Dive] – {C} |

| Keep acting to improve your skills! |

Already expecting this, Kyle wasn't particularly surprised as he made his way onstage.

Although the skill he created might give him an edge above the average person, it was all for naught if his own acting skill which was at Level 6 didn't improve.

Besides, there was that [Stage Presence Skill] that Lily had along with her Level 8 acting that he needed to keep up with.

That being said, Kyle felt like [Deep Dive], in addition to his [Charisma], a skill that amplified his ability to positively attract people's attention, might actually aid in bridging the gap between them, even if only by a little.

Standing onstage now, all while the small number of people in the auditorium stared at him in curiosity for not holding the script in hand like Katie had told him to, Kyle gestured to Lily for both of them to start, all while simultaneously activating the new skill in his mind.

'[Deep Dive]…'

The moment he did, most things around Kyle, including the audience and the auditorium itself, slowly faded away to transform into a lush green lawn with a big manor on the hills.

It was almost as if the young man was suddenly thrust into a virtual world.

A world where the characters he and Lily were tasked with portraying, lived and breathed in…

--- --- ---

[Not Fated To Be – Scene 7]

Walking out of his manor, Andy spotted Joelene standing just a few meters ahead, her mood pensive.

Moving over to her, his steps light yet purposeful, Joelene spoke, her voice quiet;

"Heard you're going overseas so I came to wish you goodbye"

Andy, instead of replying to that, gently held Joelene's hand and had her turn over to face him.

But the lady refused and instead, kept staring at the ground, even as she turned around.

Tears were brimming on her eyelids and she didn't want Andy to see it but eventually, he did, evidenced by the single tear that dropped onto a blade of grass.

"Come with me Jo" Andy tenderly said, his heart aching as he watched the woman he had fallen in love with from the moment he laid eyes on her trying her best not to cry.

Brushing a few strands of hair behind her ear, Joelene gently bit her lips and said;

"You know I can't do that Andy. You'll be ridiculed if you get married to me. I have nothing of importance to offer you"

"And I keep telling you that I don't care about that Jo. You, that's all I want. That's important to me" Andy assured her while gently cupping her face in his hands and raising her eyes to look at his.

"Don't let them get in the way of something beautiful" he said, his voice almost a whisper, signifying just how afraid he was of losing her.

"But we won't be happy. You know that. No matter what we do, these societal standards, they'll always get in our way. Shackling us… shackling me… shackling, you…" Joelene's whispery voice countered, a few more of her tears landing on the blades of grass.

"I… I don't ever want us to look back and regret our actions" she gently pried Andy's hands away from her face and said;

"So, that's why this… this is our final goodbye…"

"I love you Andy, but please, don't ever come back for my sake" Joelene slowly retreated from the man she loved with a heart-wrenching, bittersweet expression, her own heartbreaking declaration ringing in her head.

As Andy watched her walk away, he tried to extend his arms to stop her…

But he could only watch as his hands caught onto the fabric of her clothes, and even that, slipped away from his grasp.

Retracting his hands slowly, his heart heavy yet knowing fully well, just how true her words were, Andy slowly lowered his head dejectedly like a man whom had lost it all.

And to him, he actually had…

Because the woman of his dreams, had now left his world forever.

--- --- ---

The people in the auditorium watched on in utter silence.

What they had just witnessed, was nothing short of a stellar performance from the two.

Ryan and Katie were probably the most stunned but Lily, not even realizing she was so in the flow due to how convincingly Kyle acted, took a bit of time to gather herself.

'That whispery voice he used, the way he tucked my hair behind, cupped my face in his hands… none of that was in the script…' the lady thought to herself.

Kyle on the other hand, after blinking his eyes a few more times, found himself back in the middle of the auditorium's stage, still a bit affected by the effects of his new skill.

'That was… something…' he thought to himself, befuddled yet amazed by how his environment instantly changed and how he was able to understand Andy's state of mind even more when he was acting.

Although he himself did improvise a few parts on his own, he still found it amazing nonetheless.

That being said, it's not as if he didn't notice the limitations of [Deep Dive].

This was because the moment he watched Joelene walk off, he noticed how the edges of the simulation were very transparent, enough that he was able to see the entirety of the auditorium and the people in it.

This occurrence had almost broken his immersion even but, he had willed himself to keep acting.

'I guess it'll improve the more I act…' Kyle thought to himself.

| You have acted for the very first time and impressed everyone! |

| As a bonus for your first performance using [Deep Dive], extra exp. points will be awarded! |

| You have obtained a huge amount of exp. points! |

| 1000 exp. points have been awarded! |

| 500 bonus exp. points have been awarded! |

| Total exp. points available (1500) |

| You are close to breaking through to Acting Level 7! |

| Keep acting to improve your skills! |

Watching the notifications that instantly flooded his view, Kyle was glad that he created the skill now instead of waiting until much later.

That way, it'd be easier for him to gain experience and level up as much as he could before he finally got the chance to act in a movie or a series down the line.

Putting his thoughts aside though, the moment Lily finally walked back over, she held Kyle's hands and as if on cue, he immediately realized what they needed to do.

Giving a bow to the small audience watching them, the silent auditorium instantly burst into loud cheers and whistles that caused both individuals to have wide grins plastered onto their faces.

"That was amazing you guys!"

"Why did you even join the engineering department Kyle?!"

"Act it out one more time!"

Like that, more and more praises were thrown across their way and the two of them fully basked in it for as long as they could. 

Christina especially, was clapping gleefully with a big, happy grin due to how Kyle brought Andy to life so well, a character she had written with a lot of thought.

Haley on the other hand, stared at the recording of the entire scene on her phone, unsure of what to do.

Considering she had been a bit annoyed yet jealous as to how every lady in the club kept approaching the young man easily and how he was being so receptive of them, a chance he never even bothered to give her, she had been recording to see if she could get a video of him acting poorly, one she would then upload online just to make jest of him.

However, seeing the way he acted so well, her plans were very much thwarted and after a while of thinking about it, she simply switched off her phone and gave up on even doing anything anymore.

* * *

"So, what do you think?" Kyle said to Oliver who had just finished watching the recording of him acting with Lily, a look of anticipation on his features as he slightly leaned forward on the chair.

Unsurprisingly, Haley hadn't been the only club member to have recorded the scene he acted out with Lily.

As a result, he had easily been able to get his hands on one of the best videos from the club members that perfectly showed his and Lily's facial features when they had been acting.

Remembering that his agent had once asked him how well he could act, he had then proceeded to call him and have them meet up just to show him the video.

Sitting in a cafeteria which was close-by to his college, Oliver had a thin smile on his features once the video ended.

Raising his head, he then said to his ward;

"You know, when I asked you to give me number on a scale of 1 to 10, I did it while knowing that your acting would be in the novice range…"

"That's a pretty harsh assumption but… I guess it's true" Kyle lightly crossed his arms in reply, a light smile on his face.

"That's just how I roll. I grade every actor I've ever decided to work for on a scoring range. 1 to 10 for novices, 10 to 20 for experts. Everything else above that grade though, isn't human anymore" the agent shrugged as he responded.

Kyle chuckled at his words.

"That being said, you graded yourself as a 5.5 huh…" Oliver studied the young man who was smiling back at him.

"Yes" Kyle replied confidently to which Oliver raised an eyebrow.

"Is that so?" he casually said, causing the young man to wonder if he wasn't even as good as he had thought.

'Maybe I gave myself too much credit…' Kyle inwardly sighed but his agent's next words surprised him.

"Well, I beg to differ Kyle…" Oliver grinned and then said;

"I'd say you're actually a solid 7."

"Really?!" the young man remarked in a mild wave of surprise as his eyes lit up.

"Yeah, really." his agent slightly nodded and then added;

"But still, this is just a simple script of a play. The scripts which usually get selected and go on to become adapted to movies or series usually have complexities and nuances to them, some more than others"

"What will actually dictate if you can be a really good actor that will stand-out, is if you're able to really understand those complexities and nuances whilst also bringing them to life on the screen" Oliver concluded.

Having a faint yet mysterious smile tug on the corners of his lips, Kyle gently reclined back into his chair and replied;

"Well, if it's on that front, I think I'll be fine Oliver"

Raising a curious eyebrow at the young man's confident declaration, his agent soon waved it off with a light smile and then asked;

"So, you'll be heading back to L.A tomorrow?"

"Yeah. I'll be going with Ryan and the ladies"

"Alright then. Give it your all and make that grand prize yours!" Oliver cheered him on.

"Sure. I'll do my best" Kyle mirrored his agent's energy as he replied with a resolute nod.