Power Stone Goals from now on: I always post a minimum of 5 chapters. Henceforth the following are the goals:
Every 150 powerstones, I upload an extra chapter.
If we hit top 30 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we hit top 10 in the 30-90 days power stone rankings, thats 1 more chapter
If we are top 5...well lets get to that first. Happy readings!
Chapter 17: Getting to know my co-star
As we headed toward the taco place Crystal had promised was worth the drive, something unexpected happened.
Out of nowhere, my System popped up with a new notification.
[You have gained 1000 Entertainment Points.]
I blinked at the floating message, genuinely confused. One thousand points? That was nearly ten times what I had earned since I started uploading Lord of the Mysteries. Until now, I had been collecting points slowly—30 here, 90 there. But 1000 in one shot?
"What the…" I muttered and instinctively pulled out my phone.
Crystal, who was driving, glanced over at me. "Seriously? You're not going to pay attention to me while we're hanging out?"
There was a teasing tone in her voice, but I could tell she was half serious too. I gave her a sheepish glance.
"Sorry," I said, not looking up. "Something just came up. It'll take a second."
She rolled her eyes and muttered something under her breath, but she didn't push it further.
I tuned her out—not because I wanted to, but because I really had to figure out what was going on. I opened the site where I'd been uploading the story and navigated to the dashboard.
My jaw dropped.
The story was blowing up.
There was a noticeable spike in traffic—views, likes, comments, and most importantly, reviews. Somehow, in just a few hours, Lord of the Mysteries had gained momentum like never before.
It honestly didn't make sense. I'd always believed in the story, sure, but even I admitted it had a slow start. Among all web novels, this one was infamous for being hard to get into at first. I remembered how many times I'd warned people: "Just get through Volume One, trust me."
But here's the thing—I wasn't even close to the end of Volume One yet. That doesn't happen until Chapter 213. At this point in my uploads, Klein had only just become a Beyonder. The mystery was still building. Most readers wouldn't even be hooked yet.
And yet, it was happening.
I scrolled through the comments section. People were saying things like:
"Finally, something different."
"This is hard to get into but the writing's insanely good."
"Already more immersive than half the stuff online right now."
It clicked.
The current fiction landscape online was, for lack of a better word, a wasteland. People were desperate for good content—tired of the same copy-paste wish-fulfillment stories with flat characters and predictable plots.
And here came Lord of the Mysteries, slow burn and all, and it stood out like a lighthouse in a foggy sea of mediocrity.
Readers were starving, and even a dense, mystery-heavy novel like this was suddenly what they craved.
I stared at the 1000-point notification again. Considering I'd only earned 120 total before this, gaining 1000 in a single day was ridiculous. It felt like crossing a milestone I didn't even know existed.
"Everything okay?" Crystal asked, turning into the restaurant parking lot.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry. Just… big surprise," I replied, finally putting my phone away.
She parked and turned toward me, eyebrows raised. "You look like someone who just saw a ghost."
"Better," I said, smiling. "I just saw something go viral."
She gave me a confused look, but I just laughed and opened the door.
I had tacos to eat and a career to quietly dominate.
…
We were seated at a small booth in the corner of the taco place, a cozy little joint with warm lighting and a surprisingly good playlist humming in the background.
The scent of grilled meat and roasted spices hung in the air as Crystal unwrapped her taco and leaned back comfortably in her seat.
"So," I said between bites, "what was life like for you during Season One? I mean, right at the beginning of Teen Wolf?"
Crystal glanced up thoughtfully, chewing for a moment before answering. "Honestly? This is kind of wild. Before this, I hadn't done anything nearly this big. I was in CSI for an episode, and then The Hard Times of RJ Berger. Nothing major. Mostly theater before that."
"Was it weird jumping into a show like this?"
"Oh yeah," she said with a small laugh. "It feels huge. Everyone was still figuring things out. I think a lot of us were surprised when the show went with someone completely new for the lead."
"Wait, they were surprised?"
She smiled a bit. "Yeah, just because you didn't have that long resume. But then you got on set, and, well… you kind of owned it."
I blinked. "Huh. I didn't know people thought that."
She grinned. "You didn't. You set the tone. It helped, honestly."
Then she leaned forward slightly. "So what about you? How'd you even get into acting?"
"Well, it hasn't been that long," I said. "Only about a year, really. I just kind of fell into it and started going for every audition I could find."
She tilted her head. "Seriously? That's it?"
"Yeah, nothing crazy. Just kept showing up until someone said yes. Then I landed this role."
She blinked. "That's actually pretty cool. I mean, it worked."
She picked up her drink. "Wait—you're 18, right?"
"Yeah," I said.
"Huh," she said. "Doesn't it feel weird working with people so much older than you?"
I thought for a second. "Not really. If anything, I think it's kind of great. You learn a lot faster around people who've done this longer."
She looked at me, something in her expression softening. "I guess that makes sense. That's a pretty good way to look at it."
I shrugged. "Helps take the pressure off, I guess."
She grinned. "You're not what I expected."
I raised an eyebrow. "That a good thing?"
"Yeah," she said, still smiling. "It is."
We went back to eating, the conversation drifting into easier topics—movies we liked, weird audition stories, and which taco was actually the best one on the menu.
…
"So what you're saying is… we have a week off due to production issues?" I asked the director, arms slightly crossed as I stood on the soundstage.
He looked a little tired, clearly having had too many conversations like this today. "Yeah, unfortunately. Some behind-the-scenes stuff we didn't see coming. It's not ideal, but it is what it is. I'm sorry—I didn't foresee this happening."
I nodded, doing my best to look mildly inconvenienced. "Right."
"But hey," he added, pointing a finger for emphasis, "don't treat this like a full vacation. I still want you to stick to your diet, and keep your fitness in check. We need you looking sharp for the upcoming scenes."
"Got it," I said. "Stay lean, stay ready."
"Exactly."
There wasn't much more to be said after that. The official word was out: filming was paused for a week. Everyone was being sent home to wait it out.
This allowed me to more easily differentiate between Scott and Jace.
Since I had all this unexpected free time, it only made sense to put it to use. Sitting still wasn't in my nature—not when I had a growing platform and nearly $40,000 sitting in my account.
My gross earnings from the first four episodes came to $70,000, and after accounting for agency fees and the hefty tax cut, what remained was $39,690. Was it a massive amount in the grand scheme of things?
Not really.
But was it life-changing for someone just entering the industry? Absolutely.
That kind of money, handled right, could become the foundation of something much larger. I knew better than to treat it like a lottery win.
I'd worked as a lawyer before this, in a life that now felt distant but incredibly useful.
I understood finance, investment timelines, and how compounding returns could shift your long-term reality. It wasn't about how much you had—it was about what you did with it.
And then there was the System. The other major factor I couldn't ignore. Within a single day, I'd earned 1,000 Entertainment Points.
That number still surprised me. I didn't entirely understand how the points were calculated, but I had a rough theory: it had to be tied to the emotional impact or joy people got from consuming my content. The length and depth of the content probably played a role, too.
A single webnovel chapter takes three to five minutes to read, whereas a full TV episode keeps a viewer engaged for forty minutes to an hour.
It only made sense that TV episodes would earn more points per installment. Still, considering how early I was in Lord of the Mysteries, the growth was promising.
I've been writing consistently—four chapters a day, without fail—and had uploaded 43 chapters so far. In total, I'd written 116.
The schedule worked for me, and the results were beginning to show. So I decided to be a bit more aggressive.
I uploaded a mass release—27 new chapters in one go. The next major story beat had just dropped: the introduction of Sealed Artifact 2-049.
The narrative was picking up, and I figured this was the right moment to reward early readers with a flood of content.
I couldn't help but wonder what their reactions would be. Maybe surprise, maybe excitement, maybe some binge-reading.
I didn't check right away—I preferred to let the momentum build naturally.
After uploading, I packed up what I needed from my trailer and headed back to the apartment. Sam wasn't around this time—he was probably out doing a shift, or just not home yet.
The apartment was quiet, which gave me a bit of space to think.
One thing that kept nagging at me was the way I'd been relying on others for transport. It wasn't exactly convenient, and frankly, public transport in the U.S. wasn't anything to write home about.
After the awkward situation with Crystal, where I had to admit I didn't have a car, I figured it was finally time to take care of that.
I already knew how to drive—thanks to my past life, it was basically second nature. All I needed now was to go through the proper steps, book the test, and get it over with. Once that was done, the next step would be finding a car. Nothing flashy. Just something reliable to get me from set to home, or anywhere else I needed to be without depending on anyone.
It was strange how quickly everything was moving.
From uploading a few chapters on a barely-used website to seeing real growth, from filming small scenes to now preparing for major plot beats—it was a lot.
We started shooting Teen Wolf on February 1st, 2010, and at the pace we're moving, it looks like we'll wrap things up in about three to four months.
The production runs smoothly, and everyone settles into a rhythm—long days, lots of takes, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Still, something's on my mind. Based on how the original Teen Wolf show went, I know there could be a long gap between wrapping up filming and the actual release date.
Back then, they finished shooting around June or July 2010, but the show doesn't premiere until June 2011—a full year later.
That's a long time to wait.
So I start thinking ahead. If my earnings from the System are based on how many people watch and enjoy the show, then that year long delay could slow things down significantly.
Rather than wait around for points to start trickling in once the show airs, I figure it's better to stay active and productive in the meantime.
First up is managing my money. I've earned around $70,000 gross from the first few episodes, and after taxes and agency fees, I have roughly $39,690 in my account.
It's not a fortune, but it's enough to make some smart choices. I don't want to blow it all at once—I want to be practical, set some aside, maybe look into small investments.
Next, I keep up with writing Lord of the Mysteries. It starts to gain some attention online, and the feedback is encouraging. Readers seem to enjoy the slower, more atmospheric approach.
Since I have more free time now, I stick with my routine of uploading four chapters a day.
The consistency is paying off, and I don't want to lose momentum.
I also make sure to stay in shape. It's part of the job, after all. The team puts effort into designing a look for the character, and I want to maintain it. Besides, regular exercise helps me stay focused.
Then comes the idea to start a YouTube channel. With my face becoming more recognizable, it makes sense to establish a presence beyond just the show. I don't have any big plans for it—just some simple videos talking about writing, maybe behind-the-scenes content, or casual updates.
Nothing high production, just something to build on.
Finally, I plan to check in with my agency. With a year-long break before the show airs, I want to know if there are any other roles I can go for.
It won't be anything major—I'm still new to the industry—but maybe something smaller to keep things moving. My agency has the contacts, and if they can find an opportunity, I'll take it.
So while the break between filming and airing isn't ideal, it gives me some breathing room to plan, to keep working on other projects, and to think ahead.
Hopefully, when the show eventually airs, I'll be in an even better position than I am now.
(Authors note: Genuine question since I am curious, who has the hotter cast, the TVD verse or the Teen wolf Verse. Answer is obvi to me but apparently it is a debate)
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Authors note:
You can read some chapters ahead if you want to on my p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator