Chapter 20: What should the name be ¿
The day had stretched out longer than I expected. After loading all of Crystal's bags into her car and picking up the camera I'd bought—charged up thanks to the shop assistant—we took a break at the nearby Starbucks in the mall. It was a good chance to relax for a bit before trying anything with the camera.
We sat at a small table by the window, drinks in hand. After fiddling with the settings, I finally pressed record.
It felt a bit awkward at first, walking around with a camera pointed at me, but Crystal took to it naturally. She's been acting for a while, so being in front of a lens didn't faze her.
For me, though, it was a learning curve. I wasn't exactly an actor—I was just placed in this life thanks to the system's abilities.
Playing Scott McCall had come easily, like flipping a switch. But talking to a camera as myself? That was new.
Still, it wasn't bad. Crystal helped smooth things along. We'd spent most of the day together, and she was already comfortable enough to wrap her arm around mine while we filmed.
That kind of casual familiarity made things feel easier, even if I still found myself adjusting.
We kept things light—some casual commentary, funny reactions to the day, little jokes. She had this effortless way of keeping the mood up, which helped me forget the camera was even there.
We probably looked like just another couple doing a vlog, and I guess for a moment, that's what we were.
Somewhere along the way, though, I realized something. It wasn't just the characters Scott and Allison growing closer.
I was starting to like Crystal—not in some grand, sweeping way, but in that familiar, comfortable sort of way that sneaks up on you when you spend a lot of time with someone.
I wasn't sure how much of that was real and how much was leftover emotion from playing Scott. It was hard to separate the two. But I wasn't overthinking it. We were just enjoying the day.
After some more wandering, we ended up singing along to songs on the radio while driving. For me, they were throwbacks—tracks I remembered from my old life. For Crystal, they were just new hits.
That kind of thing reminded me how strange it was to have all this knowledge from the future while living in the past.
Eventually, we found ourselves at a quiet park, sitting on a bench. This time, the camera was off.
It was definitely a nice day spent together….
…
While I'd spent most of the day hanging out with Crystal, once she dropped me back home, I knew I had work to do.
First things first, I made sure to finish and upload the day's chapters of Lord of the Mysteries. I didn't want to lose the pace I'd been keeping, 4 chapters a day.
The momentum was finally picking up, and I intended to ride that wave.
After that, I noticed Dylan had messaged me back yesterday, but I hadn't gotten around to replying.
I didn't ask him about an editor anymore—Crystal had already passed me the details of some people she knew.
Instead, I shifted gears and asked him if he'd be interested in making content together. He replied pretty quickly with a simple, "Sure, sounds fun."
Well that was promising.
With the money I had left, I made a few business-minded purchases. I bought the best laptop available—something that could handle editing, writing, uploads, and even some gaming if needed.
It was an investment, and if I played my cards right, I could write it off as a business expense. In fact, a lot of what I was doing now would technically fall under that category.
Once I started renting a larger place—something suitable for multiple content creators to live and work together in—it would also qualify as a home office.
I was slowly setting the foundation for a bigger project, and it was important to be smart about how I spent the funds.
Since I had the time, I turned my focus back to finding a good editor. Crystal had sent me a few contacts, and I began calling around.
Most of them were tied to pretty reputable editing companies, typically working on short films or movie trailers.
A few said they were too busy or weren't interested in editing for YouTube. But a handful had recently gone freelance and were open to trying something new.
Eventually, I narrowed it down to five editors. They all seemed competent, experienced, and available. I sent them each a copy of the footage Crystal and I had recorded throughout the day.
I included a short explanation of what I was aiming for—a casual vlog with cinematic flair, light background music, sharp cuts, and smooth transitions. I also asked for a thumbnail concept from each of them.
To be transparent, I told them all the same thing: there were five of them in contention. I'd be reviewing the edits side by side, and the one who delivered the most polished result would get the full-time gig.
The others might still be contacted in the future to work on different types of content. I wasn't planning to stick to just vlogs, after all. That was just one piece of the puzzle.
With that underway, I opened a few tabs and started looking for potential rental properties. Nothing massive, but something big enough to comfortably fit four or five people.
The idea was to create a shared content house, something that could operate like a mini studio.
If my high school friends actually got on board, this could be something real. But even if they didn't, I'd keep moving forward.
I also took some time to look into getting my driver's license. While I already knew how to drive, I needed to make it official in this timeline.
It would give me more independence, save time, and be one more step toward handling things like a normal person—not someone constantly needing rides.
By the time I looked at the clock again, it was well past midnight. The day had been long, packed with errands, filming, planning, and research.
But it was the kind of work I didn't mind. Bit by bit, things were taking shape.
I was building something.
Piece by piece.
…
Michael sat back in his chair and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand, not because he was tired exactly, but more because he'd been staring at the screen longer than he realized, having just wrapped up Chapter 50 of Lord of the Mysteries.
What kept him going wasn't some explosive plot twist or cliffhanger—the story didn't really operate like that—but rather a sort of quiet pull that came from the way it built tension, character, and setting at its own pace, without trying too hard to grab attention.
"Klein's kind of a different breed of main character," he said aloud to no one in particular, tapping his fingers idly on the side of his keyboard.
What stood out most to him so far was how Klein navigated the world with a certain level of thoughtfulness and restraint that you didn't always see in fantasy protagonists.
It wasn't that he was cold or detached, but rather that he didn't leap into things headfirst or let his emotions run wild. Instead, he processed, assessed, and made his moves carefully, sometimes even hesitating, which to Michael felt more real than most.
He switched tabs and scrolled through the comments beneath the chapter list, reading some of the feedback from other readers. Some seemed to echo his thoughts:
["This story is definitely a slow burn, but you can tell it's building toward something big. Love how methodical Klein is. Makes a nice change from the usual reckless main characters."]
["Honestly? I think Klein is the kind of guy who actually thinks about his survival. I would've done the same in his shoes."]
["He's cautious, sure, but not boring. There's a difference."]
Michael nodded a little at that last one, thinking that it neatly captured something he hadn't been able to put into words earlier. Klein wasn't trying to impress anyone—he was just trying to stay alive, understand his surroundings, and make the best choices with the limited information he had.
Not everyone saw it that way, of course.
["Too slow. I don't have the patience for all this setup."]
["Klein overthinks everything. Dude's gonna have a breakdown if he keeps up this internal monologue."]
Michael didn't disagree with their frustration entirely—he got that some readers wanted quicker payoffs or more direct action—but for him, the tension came from the quiet moments, from the way the story seemed to be holding something back, layering details that would surely become relevant later.
He clicked into a thread discussing Chapter 45, the one that delved into Klein's first real encounter with the mystical structure of the world—the Beyonder pathways, the danger of Sealed Artifacts, and the general sense that there were rules he was only just beginning to understand.
["That scene with the divination circle? Chills. It's such a small detail, but it makes the whole world feel alive."]
["I love how nothing is explained all at once. You're piecing it together with the character. That's rare."]
Michael appreciated that as well.
Instead, everything unfolded naturally, filtered through Klein's perspective, which made you feel like you were learning at the same pace he was.
After a quick stretch, he walked to the kitchen for water, letting the events of the story replay in his mind as the tap ran.
The strange balance between power and risk. The subtle moments of tension that made even normal scenes feel slightly off, like something always lingered beneath the surface.
Back at his desk, he glanced through more reader thoughts.
["The horror vibes? Subtle, but so effective. I didn't even realize I was creeped out until halfway through the chapter."]
["I actually gasped when Klein handled the Sealed Artifact. Author's really building the tension brick by brick."]
That brick-by-brick part stuck with Michael. It really did feel like the author was constructing something, and you couldn't see the full shape of it yet, but you knew that if you kept going, eventually it would all come together.
He bookmarked the page, then typed out a short comment of his own:
["Fifty chapters in and I think this is one of the most grounded and well-paced stories I've read in a while. Klein isn't flashy, but he's smart, and it actually feels like he's trying to survive instead of just powering through obstacles for the sake of the plot."]
After hitting send, he leaned back again, not quite smiling, but content. The story was going somewhere, even if it hadn't revealed everything yet, and that—more than anything else—was enough to keep him coming back.
…
Authors note:
You can read some chapters ahead if you want to on my p#treon.com/Fat_Cultivator