Hollywood: Lights, Ink, Entertainment!

….

.

The book was officially launched yesterday.

Now, the waiting game began.

Regal, however, wasn't one to waste time.

Yet, starting anything new wasn't an option, he simply didn't have the funds.

At least, not until his first paycheck arrived, which was still a month away. Of course, whether the book would be a hit or not was a question hanging heavily in the air.

It was not about him.

There were plenty of others even within Evarleaf Press, including some senior editors, who shared the uncertainty.

To be fair, that uncertainty wasn't unjustified.

After all, this was his first step into the publishing world, and skepticism was natural, expected, even.

From what Regal had observed, Maggie, the woman who worked closely with Gwendolyn, seemed particularly skeptical.

She hadn't minced words about her reservations, and while her skepticism mildly annoyed Regal, he grudgingly appreciated that she didn't impose her doubts on others.

To her credit, she admitted the book had unique qualities and was good in its own way. However, she also mentioned that, under normal circumstances, she would have opposed such an ambitious collaboration on a debut project.

Regal understood where she was coming from, the book might seem like child's play to some.

Yet, deep down, a stubborn spark of determination ignited within him. He wanted nothing more than to prove her, and anyone else doubting him, completely wrong.

Still, he decided not to waste his energy convincing her or anyone else. The person who mattered, Gwendolyn, believed in the project, and for the rest - only time and results would speak for him.

For now, his focus remained fixed on the screen in front of him.

The [Notification] panel displayed prominently, newly introduced with his official entry into the world of authorship.

Not with this＜Harry Potter＞book, though.

Interestingly, according to the system, his official debut as an author had already occurred when his web novels,＜Solo Leveling＞and＜Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint＞, were released.

It made sense, even if he had used a pen name.

•-------[NOTIFICATIONS]-------•

Ⓘ [Solo Leveling:] Web Novel (Rank: A)

–> [Collect Rewards:] [Y/N]

([┘]- 50 days, 1/2 hr of Accumulated Rewards)

….

Ⓘ [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint:] Web Novel (Rank: S)

–> [Collect Accumulated Rewards:] [Y/N]

([┘]- 50 days, 1 hr of Accumulated Rewards)

….

Ⓘ [Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone:] Book (Rank: S)

–> [Collect Accumulated Rewards:] [Y/N]

([┘]- 1 day, 5 hr of Accumulated Rewards)

•---------------------------•

As you can see, it has been fifty days since the launch of his web novel and his official debut as an author.

This was the system's notification panel, the space where Regal could collect the rewards he had earned for his work.

The moment the first chapter of his web novel＜Solo Leveling＞was launched, Regal had become eligible to collect rewards.

The same went for his other works, including＜Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint＞, and now, his printed debut novel,＜Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone＞

The accumulated rewards for＜Harry Potter＞were already accessible, waiting for him to claim.

Yet, despite that, he hadn't touched the rewards of either of his works.

It wasn't as if there was some grand reason behind his decision.

It was simply a matter of timing, or rather, the lack of it.

Over the last month, his schedule had been consumed by the final push for his book release.

Even if he had collected the rewards, he wouldn't have had the chance to do much with them.

But now?

Now the slate was clear.

With the book launched and the waiting game for results beginning, Regal found himself with an open schedule for the next month, and very limited resources.

First, he checked his EP balance.

•---•

ⓘ [EP Available : 2K]

•---•

Down to a mere 2K.

Of the initial 1.5 million EP he was rewarded by the system, 832K had gone toward buying ＜Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Volume 1＞, 600K toward a skill upgrade, and the remainder on two web novels.

Now, he needs to collect EP to afford anything worthwhile.

Regal moved his finger to the first [Y] button beside＜Solo Leveling＞and clicked.

•---•

「Ding! User successfully collected [Solo Leveling] rewards」

[Total View Count:] 5,726,621

[Total EP Earned:] 572,662

ⓘ 「Your total EP is now: 572,664」

•---•

The results were in, and Regal gained approximately 572K EP with his first web novel venture.

He quickly moved on to the next reward.

Without wasting time, Regal clicked the [Y] button for＜Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint＞

•---•

「Ding! User successfully collected [Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint] rewards」

[Total View Count:] 2,569,912

[Total EP Earned:] 256,991

ⓘ 「Your total EP is now: 829,665」

•---•

The numbers added up, and together his two web novels had accumulated over 8 million views, bringing in a total of over 829K EP.

Regal leaned back for a moment, considering his next move.

The first thing he decided to do was to purchase Volume 2 of the ＜Harry Potter＞, sitting in his [Bulletin Board] for who knows how long time.

It wasn't something he had planned on doing, but in his current situation, there wasn't much of a choice.

He knew he could take his time with the second volume, there was no rush.

Since it is just the first volume that was released, and irrespective of its success that might come, it wouldn't be a problem even if he were to space out a year or more to release the second volume.

So, in the current situation, Regal considered using his EP elsewhere, on something that might give him a more immediate return.

However, two problems remained.

The first, and most pressing, was the fact that Regal had only one [Pin] left.

The (⚲) pin.

He had used it sparingly on volume 2 until now, but with only one to begin with, he had to be extremely careful with how it was used.

•---•

[Pins Available(⚲):] 1 (in use)

•---•

With the (⚲) pin, Regal could prevent anything from disappearing off the [Bulletin Board] with every refresh during the 24 hours time interval.

But this also meant letting go of some scripts that were within reach - scripts he could have at least pinned down, even if he didn't have the EP to buy them at that moment.

Like time, he mentioned the＜Avatar＞script just passed by in one of the [Refresh] and all he could do was sit and watch.

The bigger issue, however, was the [Search Token].

He still hadn't figured out how to reliably obtain one.

Without it, he had to depend on luck, hoping the system would display what he needed on the [Bulletin Board].

He had hoped that this time, the system would reward him with a [Search Token] during the claim, but once again, it didn't happen.

If he had that, he wouldn't need to go through with this purchase.

"Man, this system isn't making things any easier for me." He murmured in an annoyed voice.

He hadn't expected the [Inkfinity Dex] to be this complicated.

For now, he focused on the task at hand, buying Volume 2 of＜Harry Potter＞ so he could finally free up his (⚲) pin and use it on anything he would come across in the new refresh.

He opened the [Bulletin Board] and proceeded with his purchase.

•---•

「Ding! Purchase Complete: Book [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Volume 2]」

「Your total EP is now: 39,663」

ⓘ The parched item will be stored in the [Items] slot.

•---•

...and just like that, the 829K EP he had painstakingly accumulated was reduced to 39K.

He immediately navigated to his [Items] slot, his eyes locking onto the new addition.

•-------[ITEMS]-------•

» [Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Volume 1] x 1

ⓘ User can directly consume the book by clicking on it.

•---------------------•

He didn't click on consume yet.

There was no rush.

Unlike the frantic pace of writing the first volume, where he had pulled an insane twenty-eight hour marathon, this time, he planned to take things slower.

Volume 2 would be written bit by bit, whenever he felt bored, allowing him to pace himself and finish it by the end of the month.

Even then, he wasn't planning to hand it over to anyone right away.

For now, it would stay with him, waiting for the right moment.

Over the next month, Regal had a few priorities lined up.

He planned to delve into studying direction… and maybe even try his hand at drawing sketches too.

.

….

[To be continued…]

★─────⇌•★•⇋─────★

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