The Actor's Emperor System

Chapter 7: The Seventeen-Day Time Limit, Martial Arts Practice is Imminent

The night was drawing deep. The moon hung up there, a big, bright, totally indifferent coin.

Here in the grand capital of Great Vespera—this insane northern mega city—night just didn't seem to exist. No matter the hour, neon lights bled across every boulevard, and every tower blazed like a torch. You had young students all linked up, shoulder to shoulder, still loud and celebrating some fleeting youth or friendship. Tourists held up their phones, still trying to map out impossible itineraries. And the luxury cars? The kind you only saw in movies back in a small town? They just swarmed this giant hub like angry, expensive insects.

Vibrant. Rich. Endless. That was the promise of this city.

But for Caleb Davis, a cynical transplant and office drone who literally rented his life month-by-month, none of it mattered.

He dragged his totally exhausted body into his dingy room, still clutching a plastic bag with his takeout cold cuts. He glanced at his phone: 1:00 AM.

Think about that for a second. This was the first time since his transmigration that he hadn’t wasted his time—no bars, no gaming, no endless scrolling. He had sacrificed every single piece of entertainment and relied purely on martial arts training to stay up this late.

But here’s the kicker: he didn't feel bored or empty. Not at all.

Excitement was actually still thrumming beneath his skin. It wasn't just the sheer novelty of gaining impossible power; it was the raw, undeniable high of seeing effort instantly yield reward. It was a true one-to-one trade: sweat for power. You can’t beat that feeling.

He pulled up the System panel.

The Shaolin Boy Skill "Basic Mastery" had started the day at a bleak (0/100) proficiency. Now, thanks to sheer bloody-mindedness, it was sitting pretty at (23/100).

Caleb felt a massive, triumphant surge in his gut. Counting the ten points he got right before the promotion, he’d racked up thirty-three points in his very first day. At this rate? He could probably break the next realm in maybe three days flat. Unbelievable.

His only minor complaint? That number 23. Why couldn't it have been a nice, clean 25 or 30? It was just annoying.

He knew he couldn't push it, though. The thought of continuing was simply impossible. Every single muscle in his body was screaming, pushed way past its absolute limit. And remember, he was only functioning because he’d ruthlessly abused his new Inner Force to patch up the deep damage and relieve the crippling fatigue. Otherwise, seriously, he’d be flat on his back in an emergency room with rhabdo.

“Hoo—”

Letting out a huge breath, he peeled off his practice clothes, which were stiff from having been soaked and dried countless times, and tossed them into the washer. Quick, hot shower. He walked out half-dry, started the machine on his way to the kitchen, and grabbed two beers from the fridge.

Pop-pop!

The crisp sound of the caps flying off was beautiful. He tossed the opener, dropped onto the sofa, tore open the side dishes, and used a steamed bun to scoop up a massive bite of the meat paste.

He grabbed a bottle and chugged, tilting his head back until his throat burned.

The oily, savory spice of the cold cuts blended perfectly with the icy malt blast of the beer, warming him from the inside out.

“God, that is absolutely fucking satisfying!”

Caleb slumped back, eyes half-closed in pure bliss. Nothing beats cold beer and a hearty meal after total exhaustion. Except, maybe, for one more thing.

Click-click.

He lit the cigarette in his hand, took a deep drag, and grabbed his phone. The second his thumb unlocked the screen, the day’s tidal wave of celebrity garbage rushed to meet his eyes.

Penguin Entertainment: Brandon Smith Ejected from Villa, Marriage to Helena Madison Suspected Broken. (A little too boring.)

The StarNet News: In Just Two Months: From Loving Couple to Cheating Spouse, Why Has Love Become So Cheap? (Standard drama queen stuff.)

UC News Department: SHOCKER! Newlywed Husband Kicked Out of Home by Gang of Men in the Middle of the Night! Is this the Distortion of Human Nature, or the Degradation of Morality?! (Now that's clickbait.)

Hong Kong-Taiwan Daily: Fallen Overnight: Popular Male Star Face-Plants in the Street. (Caleb laughed. Classic Hong Kong drama.)

The situation was totally clear: Brandon Smith (Brandon Smith) had gone back to Helena Madison (Helena Madison)'s villa, they’d blown up at each other, and the security guards had thrown him out, leaving him sprawled on the pavement. Humiliation complete.

He shrugged and closed the tabs. It was Brandon and Helena's problem. Their messy, emotional fallout. It had nothing to do with him, right? He was just the low-life who—as Brandon would say—stole a car. No way the chaos they were dealing with could trace back to him.

He opened his messaging app (VX/WeChat) and continued his meal.

His inbox was actually popping. During his intense practice, people had been messaging. The usual stuff: the bar promoter asking if he was coming out, promising "pretty girls included." A long-forgotten, barely-remembered classmate sends a sudden wedding invitation. And his casting group leader.

Caleb immediately blacklisted and deleted the wedding invite. Seriously, don't invite people you haven't talked to in five years.

Then, he opened the chat with the group leader. The message was crisp, single line: "Shooting starts in three days!"

Caleb tapped a humble reply: "Received."

Then he leaned back, rubbing his chin, thinking hard.

The Film and Television Martial Emperor System lets him unlock characters by taking on roles. One skill per unlock. More than enough power for now.

“Wait, but what about the rest of the skills?”

The thought hit him suddenly. Before, he'd been too busy panicking about the Shaolin Boy Skill’s lethal flaw and processing Colt Cooper's memory dump. Now that the adrenaline was gone, what about the character’s two other martial arts abilities? They couldn't just have evaporated, right?

He focused his mind and pulled up the System panel.

【Film and Television Martial Emperor System 1.0】

... all the stats were there. No Shop option. Caleb felt a flicker of doubt. If there’s no shop, how do I actually get the other skills?

He scanned the screen again, finally fixating on the entry at the bottom: 【Unlocked Character: Colt Cooper】.

“Ah, hidden here? Clever.”

Caleb gave a quiet 'eh' and tapped the entry.

A detailed sub-interface immediately popped up.

【Character File: Colt Cooper】

【Realm: Second-Rate Martial Artist】

【Unlocked Skill: Shaolin Boy Skill "Mastery"】

【Unlocking Skills: Eight Steps Catching Cicada "Mastery" (Cost: 20,000 Attention Value), Form and Intent Fist "Basic Mastery" (Cost: 5,000 Attention Value)】

“Well, there it is.”

Caleb shook his head, a wry smile creeping onto his face. He'd actually wondered why the System had been so kind, handing him a full character memory for free.

Turns out, the bulk of the cost—the real paywall—was cleverly tucked away right here, locked behind his Attention Value currency.

It immediately brought back memories of the infuriating, overpriced DLCs he'd bought on Steam back in his previous life.

Spot on. Totally, cynically spot on.

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(End of Chapter)