The stacks of money on the table transformed the atmosphere entirely. Life suddenly felt colorful and cheerful.
Marcus couldn't hold himself back—he grabbed a stack and felt the bills with his fingers. "Oh, so this is what a hundred grand looks like."
Nathan quickly snatched it back, as if afraid something might happen to the money. "Be careful with Benjamin." He looked down at the $100 bill in his hand. "Benjamin's going to solve a lot of my problems—paying cast and crew, getting maintenance on failing equipment, and—"
"Hey, you didn't forget about our deal, right, Dad?" Marcus immediately cut off his rambling father's tangent. Honestly, he was still getting used to recognizing this guy as his dad.
Nathan still looked reluctant despite their agreement. But he couldn't ignore his son's expectant stare. He sighed helplessly. "Alright, alright. I'll give you 150 Benjamins."
"A hundred fifty dollars?" Marcus looked alarmed.
Nathan shook his head. "Do the math. I'm giving you 150 Benjamins. You know Benjamin, right?" He held up a $100 bill, showing Benjamin Franklin's face. "150 Benjamins."
Marcus understood. 150 Benjamins meant $15,000. "Alright, now that we have that understanding, can I get my 150 Benjamins?"
Nathan began tapping the stacks of money on the table like a dealer shuffling cards. "Let's count. I can't miss a single bill here."
'So dramatic...' Marcus shook his head inwardly. His dad was really serious when it came to money—though that was understandable. If he had that amount, he'd probably be extra-careful too.
They counted together. After ten minutes, 150 hundred-dollar bills sat in front of Marcus. He quickly counted them again to make sure. After confirming, he nodded with a satisfied smile. "Alright. Your debt is paid." He stood up. "See you around then." He left immediately.
Nathan watched his back, the corner of his mouth twitching. "That kid really thinks he's something with those Benjamins in his hand."
---
Marcus entered his room with the money in hand. He opened his system, and new notifications appeared.
[Minor Quest: Help Your Father Secure Better Divorce Compensation — COMPLETE]
[Reward: +10 Points]
[Minor Quest: Find a Way to Fund Your First Feature Film — COMPLETE]
[Reward: +8 Points]
[Congratulations! Total Points Earned: +18]
He smiled at the sight. The notifications had come flooding in just now, and he genuinely enjoyed the sound of the notification chimes.
Though he kind of wished they'd rung the moment his father succeeded, so he wouldn't have been fooled earlier and made fun of. Either way, he loved seeing the points flood in—like watching his wallet fill up, which it literally had with $15,000 in his hand. "Hehe, everything looks so pleasant knowing I gained these points that I worked so hard to earn even one of."
He remembered how he'd worked hard earlier to earn a mere 0.3 points from grinding. Yet he'd just earned 18 points by completing minor quests.
This, without a doubt, boosted his mood significantly.
"Now with 23.8 points, I can definitely buy 'Paranormal Activity' from the search results. And I'll still have points left over." Marcus smiled as he navigated the panels and opened the Quest Search Engine.
There, he purchased it for 10 Points. Watching his points drop to 13.8, his heart felt a pang. It was like spending money on something he really wanted, but because it was expensive, seeing his bank account reduced significantly made the joy fade slightly after the purchase.
He sighed deeply. "Anyway, I really needed to buy it as an investment. So it's fine."
Afterward, he examined the 'product' he'd just bought for 10 Points.
[PARANORMAL ACTIVITY (2007)]
[PROJECT OVERVIEW]
• Genre: Found Footage Horror
• Runtime: 86 minutes
• Budget Requirement: $15,000
• Original Box Office: $193 million
[CAST REQUIREMENTS]
• Katie (Female Lead) - Age 25-30, natural acting ability
• Micah (Male Lead) - Age 25-30, improvisational skills preferred
• Dr. Fredrichs (Supporting) - Age 40-50, brief appearance
• Amber (Friend) - Age 25-30, one scene appearance
• ...More
[EQUIPMENT LIST]
• Sony HDR-FX1 HDV Handycam - $1,800 - $2,500
• Stationary tripod camera for bedroom - $400 - $500
• Audio recording equipment - $600 - $700
• Lighting (minimal, practical) - $200 - $400
• ...More
[LOCATION]
• Single residence - suburban home
• Requirements: Master bedroom, hallway, living room, kitchen
• Filming Duration: 7 days primary shoot + 2 days reshoots
[PRODUCTION NOTES]
• Minimal crew required (3-5 people)
• Natural lighting preferred
• Improvisation-heavy script
• Sound design critical for tension
He read further and saw everything he needed listed. Alongside the main panel were additional tabs containing information about filming techniques, complex technical specifications, and even marketing tactics and distribution strategies.
These tabs were under something called the 'Questclopedia'—a fitting name, since it was like a highly detailed encyclopedia. It covered the entire project comprehensively.
The information was so extensive that he needed about an hour to get through it all, and even then, he knew he'd missed things and would need to reread it.
But at least he had the full picture now.
"It's more complicated than I thought, even though it's a low-budget, less complex project." Marcus stroked his chin. "But thanks to this, I have the blueprint. With this, I can definitely make the film. But..."
He paused. He knew that before doing any of this, he needed to buy Basic Directing Instincts. Without it, even with all this information from the system, he probably wouldn't be able to execute it well.
"I don't have the necessary points yet to buy it, so I guess I'll focus on what I need immediately." He said to himself as he studied the panel. First, he needed to acquire the essential equipment to get the project started.
He'd buy the camera first. He knew his old man wouldn't lend him any cameras from the studio. Fortunately, the camera he needed to buy didn't seem too expensive.
[New Quests Available]
A notification chime rang out, immediately lifting his mood again. He looked at the panel and saw it contained quests related to his first movie preparation—buying the necessary items like the camera and other equipment. Once he purchased everything on the Equipment List, he'd be rewarded with five points.
There was also another quest: [Minor Quest: Assemble Cast and Crew for First Feature Film. Reward: 10 Points.]
Besides that, he'd triggered new quests in the Misc. category, such as reading books about filmmaking and similar tasks.
"This is good. I'm blessed with quests today." He grinned slightly. If he did everything right, he could buy Basic Directing Instincts in no time. Looking at the quests, they honestly felt like sticky notes or a 'to-do list' reminding him what to accomplish—except he'd be rewarded for completing them.
After reviewing everything, he sat in front of his computer and opened Amazona, an online shopping website. He searched for cameras—but there was no Sony brand in this world, which made sense since this was a parallel world.
"I keep forgetting this isn't the world I used to know." He shook his head and searched again. He checked the system, and from the Questclopedia about Paranormal Activity, he found the specs for the Sony camera. He'd see if he could find an alternative online with similar specifications.
Sure enough, there was one. "Fujinami HDR-TX200 Handycam."
Since he could see the picture of the Sony camera in the Questclopedia, he noticed the Fujinami looked exactly the same in appearance. "Is this brand the parallel world's Sony?" He wondered aloud. "And it's priced at two thousand dollars?"
He searched Ebuy, a website where people sold secondhand items, but the price difference wasn't significant and only a few were listed.
Besides, buying secondhand wouldn't be as good as new. There were too many complications to consider, and he didn't want to risk it.
"I'll just ask the old man if he has one or where to buy it." Marcus left his room to find his dad. He saw Nathan in the living room, talking on the wireless telephone.
"Yeah, I'll pay you tomorrow, Mike. No worries." Nathan was smiling as he spoke. "We'll be resuming filming tomorrow. I'm guessing in a few days we can complete the movie."
Marcus waited at the side.
"Haha, you got me there, Mike."
After another minute of light conversation, Nathan ended the call. He noticed his son standing there. "Okay, I see you're waiting for me. What is it? Running out of money already?" He asked sarcastically.
"Not really. I just want to ask something." Marcus ignored the sarcasm. He asked about the Fujinami camera and whether Nathan had one.
"Oh, you need that camera?" Nathan knew the camera well as a filmmaker. He looked at his son strangely, as if he were being foolish. "You sure you want that camera for your film?"
Marcus nodded confidently. "That camera is the only thing I can afford."
"Seriously? A Handycam? You want to make a damn movie with a Handycam?" Nathan looked like he wanted to laugh but couldn't quite manage it, the idea was so ridiculous.
"Why not? Don't underestimate it." Marcus said calmly. "A camera doesn't stop a talented director from making a movie."
Nathan was amused, clapping slowly with a chuckle. "Haha, listen to you talk. Are you talented?"
Marcus didn't answer.
Nathan shook his head. "Anyway, I don't have that camera—but I think there are electronics shops at the Studio City Center. You can check there. There are various small shops, so try your luck."
Marcus nodded. He'd head to Studio City Center, which was only a 5-7 minute bike ride from their place on Hermitage Street in Studio City.
'If there's no camera there, I can try other places...' he thought.
NoHo had several shopping plazas, like Valley Plaza, but from what he'd heard, that place was already declining due to crime.
"Before you go—if you really want to buy film-related stuff, check out Movietools in Burbank. Almost every filmmaker gets their gear there." Nathan reminded his son. "But the prices aren't cheap since you're paying for convenience. You can shop individual stores for what you need if you want lower prices."
Marcus turned to him and nodded thoughtfully. "Thanks for the heads up."
As Marcus left to get his bike, Nathan still couldn't believe his son. "Seriously. A Handycam. That kid's becoming a real comedian these days."
---
It took six minutes for Marcus to arrive at Studio City Center on his bicycle. It wasn't the large shopping malls he'd visited in his previous life—instead, it was an open-air covered strip mall with shops lining the walkways: retail stores, a grocery, and a few specialty shops. There were also a few casual dining spots scattered throughout.
He strolled around, visiting small electronics shops to search for his camera. He spent a while asking owners if they had a Fujinami handycam, but while they had some models, none had the specific one he was looking for.
His hope was fading. So to not make the trip a complete waste, he tried to buy equipment he'd need, like audio and lighting gear. But those weren't available here either. Only camera tripods.
He bought one and managed to haggle it down to $280. The electronics shop was run by an Asian family, and Marcus, having experience negotiating with such shops in his previous life, managed to lower the price from $300. A twenty-dollar discount.
He continued searching other shops, but there was really no camera matching what he needed.
"I guess I'll go to Movietools like Nathan said." Marcus muttered to himself.
Of course, he couldn't go on a bike. If what Nathan said was true, he'd probably be buying a bunch of equipment, and it would be too heavy and awkward to carry on a bicycle.
Just the tripod in his hand was already awkward since it was quite tall.
He hailed a taxi, loaded his foldable bike and tripod into the trunk, and headed to Movietools in Burbank.
When he arrived, the place wasn't what he expected. It was a large warehouse-style building, clearly prioritizing functionality over aesthetic appeal.
Still, he went in to search for what he needed. As Nathan had warned, the prices weren't negotiable, and while there were probably other stores offering better deals, it would come down to whether he could afford the time and effort to hunt them down.
The good news was that they had the camera he was looking for, priced at $1,980. He took it without much hesitation.
After buying some essential items there, Marcus headed to other local stores nearby so he could budget his money more carefully. After purchasing everything he needed, he'd spent at least $2,615. That was actually lower than expected because he'd made the effort to buy from various local stores instead of getting everything at Movietools—otherwise, it could've easily reached $3,000 or $3,500.
He was also rewarded with 5 Points upon completion. Satisfied, he took a taxi home. It was already 5:10 PM when he arrived.