As Luke played the piano, he kept checking the changes brought by his latest attribute boost.
With his agility bumped up again, the baseline success rate for B-grade action scenes shot from 74% to 80%.
That meant, with the skill modifiers for each specific scene, Luke could likely hit a 90% or higher success rate for most B-grade action sequences.
It was clear that once his attributes crossed the 20-point threshold, their impact on action scene success rates became massive.
Agility, in particular, was a game-changer.
In his recent action scenes, agility had been the key to pulling them off.
When facing extreme challenges, strength and endurance could only do so much. You couldn't exactly become an indestructible superhero, right?
Being quick on your feet, moving with precision—that's what made the difference.
But a question nagged at Luke: If surviving a thunderstorm with minimal protection was only a B-grade action scene, what would it take to pull off an A-grade one?
If he ever managed to deliver an A-grade action scene on the big screen, would it blow audiences away worldwide?
Or would they think he's some kind of freak and lock him up for study?
Silently, Luke gave the system a command: "System, calculate my success rate for an A-grade action scene."
[Current success rate for the host to challenge an A-grade action scene: 5%]
…
Seeing that number, Luke didn't even know what to say.
Before, when he filmed action scenes, the gap between D-grade and C-grade difficulty wasn't that big.
The first time he shot Fast & Furious, it was rated D-grade, but one slip-up bumped it to C-grade.
In this world, aside from him, actors like Jackie Chan, Jet Li, or even Tom Cruise could probably pull off a C-grade challenge.
But B-grade? That was a whole different beast compared to C-grade.
Outside of him, no action star could nail those scenes.
After all, Luke relied on his peak human physique and master-level skills to scrape through unscathed.
Now, it was clear the gap between B-grade and A-grade was an even bigger chasm.
To tackle an A-grade action scene, he'd need to push all three core attributes—strength, agility, endurance—to 25, and even then, he'd need skill modifiers to stand a chance.
But he wasn't in a rush. At just 20 years old, he had plenty of time to hone his craft.
Ding-dong. The doorbell rang again.
"Come in!" Luke called out.
Mr. Eisen walked in. "Not interrupting a flirty moment with that cute nurse, am I?"
Luke rolled his eyes, not even bothering to dignify that with a response.
"Alright, let me rephrase: Has the nurse been flirting with you?" Eisen loved to tease Luke about this.
Probably just an old guy past his prime, jealous of the young stud.
"I just wrapped a movie and I'm covered in injuries. You think I've got time for that nonsense?" Luke shot back.
"Man, I'm jealous of your wild life! So, what's it like, practically unprotected, diving through a thunderstorm?" Eisen asked.
"Helpless, like a ragdoll in a washing machine," Luke said, nailing the description.
"How's the recovery? When can you get out of here?"
"Almost good to go. I'll check out tomorrow and aim to wrap my scenes for King of Espionage in two weeks," Luke replied.
Eisen did some quick math. "That gives you six days to rest. Pirates of the Caribbean 2 starts shooting December 6."
Luke's schedule was brutal—one movie after another, with any downtime filled with random tasks.
"Rest? What rest? These next few days, I've gotta head to Japan. Akira Toriyama's been hounding me to go over manga action details," Luke said, shaking his head.
"I read the scripts for Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3. Something feels off. What's on your mind?" Eisen asked.
Since the plots of Pirates 2 and 3 were so interconnected, Luke had written both scripts at once.
They'd also shoot shared scenes and locations together to save on production costs.
Eisen, sharp as ever, had noticed Luke was starting to leave himself an out.
"Yep. In the second movie, I'm still carrying the load, but I'm gradually shifting the lead to Depp. By the third, he'll be the main guy, and I can start phasing myself out of the series," Luke explained.
He didn't spell it all out, but he knew Eisen, with their unspoken understanding, would get it.
The Pirates of the Caribbean series was Disney's baby, and they held the rights.
Sure, Luke made good money working with Disney, but they were the ones eating the biggest slice of the pie.
Back in the day, he had no choice but to ride Disney's coattails. But now, as his options grew, he was starting to think his own studio should take the lead.
The first Pirates was his ticket to breaking through as a leading man in Hollywood.
The second? It's about using the series to outshine Lord of the Rings 3 and complete the system's ring quest.
But Luke couldn't keep playing second fiddle in someone else's movie forever. There's a limit to being the hired help.
He was already planning his exit from the series.
Still, Pirates was a massive cash cow, and he couldn't just ditch it and burn bridges with Disney.
So, he came up with this gradual exit plan: build up Depp in the second film, step back further in the third.
If Disney kept making sequels, he could bow out gracefully without stepping on toes.
"Exactly. It's time we step into the spotlight. Once King of Espionage hits theaters and does well, we won't be able to stay under the radar," Eisen said.
"Think we'll catch heat from competitors?" Luke asked.
"No doubt. The market's only so big. Nobody wants another guy at the table," Eisen replied.
"No blood, no crown. I'm ready for the fight. Just curious who's gonna bleed to make us kings," Luke said.
"Our rivals will be the big eight Hollywood studios?" Luke pressed.