From Zero To Stardom: My Superstar System

Chapter Eight: A Taste Of Victory

[Congratulations, Marcus Thornwood! You have successfully impressed the casting panel and secured the role!]

[As a token of recognition for your exceptional audition, you have earned:]

[Experience Points (XP): +300

Reputation Points (RP): +200

Skill Acquired: Hand-to-Hand Combat Level 1]

Marcus's eyes widened.

'W-What is this?! Hand-to-Hand Combat?!'

Suddenly, the casting director slammed the table, waking up Marcus from his thoughts, and at the same time, the translucent screen disappeared.

The casting director was so excited that she forgot she had already put a score on Marcus's resume and that she was ordered by Eric to humiliate Marcus.

She didn't even notice that Eric was glaring at her.

"Are you really sure that you haven't acted before at all?" the casting director asks, still in disbelief.

Marcus shook his head.

"I haven't. This is, in fact, my first audition. I just arrived here," Marcus explained and told the truth.

The four of them couldn't believe what they were hearing.

Marcus was too good to be a rookie!

His acting was so real that they even believed him.

They just thought of him as a rookie actor who got some kind of connection to be able to get in the audition.

But they were wrong! Marcus is a treasure!

"A-Are you sure?"

The director, Jack, couldn't believe it either.

Marcus nodded.

"Yes, Director. It is stated in my resume that I don't have any experience."

The casting director, who had initially been skeptical, now wore a genuine smile.

She could feel goosebumps all over her body.

She felt so dumb to doubt Marcus's skills.

"You got the role! You must have the role of Victor Petrov!" the director declared, and a huge smile plastered on his face.

"We will contact you when the shooting starts," he added.

He couldn't wait for the shooting to start and watch Marcus act.

Their hearts could not stop beating faster as they couldn't contain their excitement.

The same goes for Frank, Jake, and the casting director.

If Marcus could act like this in the audition, what more in the actual film?

Marcus's eyes widened, and he couldn't believe the words he was hearing.

But it feels so real for it to be just a dream! He successfully changed his future with this one step!

But… this is just the beginning.

"Thank you so much!" A genuine smile spread across Marcus's face.

They nodded as they accessed Marcus.

Marcus wasn't good-looking, but he wasn't bad looking either.

His body isn't that fit, but they can put in some CGI. Casting Marcus will be a lot of work, but they must have him as Victor Petrov!

"This can't be happening…"

Sitting beside the panelist, Rachel clenched her fists tightly, and her face flushed crimson.

Her eyes remained locked onto Marcus.

"T-This is i-impossible," Rachel stammered, her face twisted in a mixture of anger and disbelief. "T-That loser got the role of Victor Petrov? The villain?"

Her lips quivered as she clutched her purse so tightly that her knuckles turned pale.

Julia blinked repeatedly, almost as if expecting Marcus to transform back into the bumbling actor they had anticipated.

Eric gritted his teeth as he glared at Marcus in disbelief. As his cousin, he knew how much of a loser Marcus is and yet he just witnessed Marcus aced the role.

He could not accept this easily.

"Finally. we have found our Victor," the director said with a sigh of relief. "Miss Rosie, leads Marc outside and announces that the audition is now over. Don't tell the reason and if they ask questions, just ignore them," the Director ordered.

Miss Rosie, the middle-aged assistant, blinked in surprise at the Director's unusual request but quickly regained her composure.

"Understood, Director."

Still holding her clipboard, she walks over to Marcus with a somewhat strained smile.

"Mr. Thornwood, congratulations," she says, her tone now carrying a forced friendliness.

Her bored and disinterested expression had changed into a welcoming smile.

"Your audition truly surprised us. We didn't expect... this outcome. You certainly caught us off guard with your performance," Rosie added, her forced smile somewhat strained.

Marcus blinked in disbelief at the sudden change in the middle-aged woman's attitude.

Her tone was now softer, and she wore a pleasant grin that was almost out of character for the woman Marcus had met before.

'She must be scared that she'll lose her job. Well, well, how the turntables,' Marcus thought and couldn't help but grin as he remembered a meme.

"Thank you," he replied sincerely and managed to muster a grateful smile in response. "I'm looking forward to working with the team," Marcus said and extended his hand to Rosie.

Miss Rosie's forced smile widens and shakes Marcus' hands.

"That's good to hear," she responds. "We'll be in touch soon with all the details regarding filming through your email. Let's head out, Mr. Thornwood," Rosie added, her tone now surprisingly gentle as she gestured for him to follow.

"Oh, right! You must not know Marcus, Rachel, right? Well, since this is your and Marcus' first project, I'm sure you'll get along just fine," Frank said, releasing Rachel's hand after the handshake.

"Y-Yeah, I think so too, Sir Frank," Rachel replied, forcing a smile that seemed awkward and out of place.

Before Marcus could step out of the audition room, he overheard this exchange and couldn't help but grin inwardly.

He had anticipated bitterness and hurt, but instead, he felt a strange absence of those emotions.

'Perhaps it's the years I had spent on the streets that had toughened me, allowing me to move on from the past. But one thing remained certain – I would never forget the pain, agony, and suffering they inflicted on me. Never!'

With Rosie's guidance, Marc exited the audition room and could finally breathe properly.

He couldn't help but feel a weight lifting from his shoulders as he stepped out. The tension of the audition was beginning to ebb away.

Eric, Julia and Rachel could only watch Marcus as he happily exited out, their eyes were filled with rage and a plan was forming in their mind.

They will not let go of Marcus so easily.

***

"Ladies and gentlemen," her voice carried authority, "the audition for 'Brothers of Valor' has officially come to a close. We appreciate your time and effort in participating," Ms. Rosie with the clipboard in hand announced as soon as they went out.

Her voice cut through the room, drawing the attention of the bewildered auditionees.

Confusion filled the air as the auditionees exchanged puzzled glances. Hands sprang up followed by questions.

"Wait, what? But there are still so many of us left!"

"What's going on?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I took the time to travel here!"

"I've been dreaming about this audition for years! You can't just end it like this!"

"This is ridiculous!"

The room buzzed with disbelief and annoyance.

They couldn't believe what they just heard from the woman and they wished that they were hearing it wrong.

Miss Rosie looked at the auditionees while gripping her clipboard firmly.

Amid the chaos, Marcus seized the moment and discreetly slipped away from the crowd as the auditionees started to crowd Ms. Rosie.

He quietly runs towards the restroom and checks if someone is inside before locking it.

After doing all of this, Marc took a deep breath, the weight of the audition still settling on his shoulders.

The fact that he had not only clinched the role but had also left the panelists genuinely impressed was nothing short of exhilarating.

Marcus stood before the mirror, he took a moment to glance at his reflection.

His clothes looked aged, with threads hanging loosely, but creeping across his face was a huge smirk.

This is his first taste of victory.

Yet, Marcus knew that this was merely the opening act of a much grander performance.

The audition was only a stepping stone towards a future where he'd prove his worth and settle old scores.

The stage was set, and Marcus was more than ready for the spotlight of success.

Suddenly, Marcus phone rang, and when he saw the name of the person, Marcus raised an eyebrow.

"How shameless of you to call me, Rachel."