A few burly Latino guys easily snagged the "thug" roles thanks to their build.
A blonde, blue-eyed white girl, with zero acting skills but a camera-ready face, was picked instantly to be "background eye candy."
But for Asian faces? The opportunities were pitifully scarce.
And whenever one did pop up, seven or eight people swarmed it like sharks.
"Those two Asian tourists. You, and the girl in the floral dress."
A foreman pointed casually.
The lucky winners were a couple that looked like actual tourists. They walked out excitedly.
Cassius and the other Asian guys could only watch helplessly as the opportunity slipped away.
"Fck!"
Beside him, a skinny Asian guy with glasses cursed under his breath. He looked like a student.
"Every damn time! Asian faces are either tourists, nerds, or convenience store clerks."
" Is it so hard to just let me play a normal human being?"
Cassius glanced at him but didn't say anything.
This was reality.
The bottom of the Hollywood food chain.
Finally, after the sun had fully risen and most people had dispersed, a foreman frowned and scanned the leftovers.
"Need a few bodies for street background. Don't care what you look like, as long as you can walk. Twenty bucks, till this afternoon. Who wants it?"
Same price as playing a corpse!
The dozen or so remaining people, including Cassius, immediately raised their hands.
Twenty bucks is twenty bucks.
Plus, Cassius was here to farm attributes on set. The money was secondary.
"Alright, you guys get in the van."
It was a low-budget crime drama, filming in a gritty, run-down neighborhood of Los Angeles.
Cassius's role today was "Walking Extra A."
His mission: walk back and forth in the background of a chase scene, looking like a real resident of the block.
Boring work. Zero skill required.
But Cassius's attention was glued to the people on set.
Soon enough!
From an actor playing a drug dealer, he picked up [Presence Attribute: Thuggishness +1].
From a lady getting "robbed," he snagged [Emotion Attribute: Panic +1].
He even picked up [Presence Attribute: Intimidation +1] from a security guard who was screaming his lungs out to keep the crowd back.
They were just scraps, but better than nothing.
Cassius quickly realized something important:
Anyone on a film set—even if they weren't an actor—could drop attribute orbs.
Lunch break.
They handed out the cheapest hot dogs money could buy and bottles of water.
Cassius squatted on the curb to eat with the glasses-wearing Asian guy and a few other extras.
"I'm Li Zhe. USC Film School. You?"
The glasses guy initiated the conversation, his tone carrying a sense of shared misery.
"Cassius. Guess we're alumni," Cassius said vaguely. He didn't mention he hadn't technically graduated yet.
"Man, back in school I thought I was the next Spielberg. Out here? I'm not even qualified to carry his equipment cases."
Li Zhe took a vicious bite of his hot dog.
"My mentor said I needed to 'observe life.' Well, I've observed enough. It's all just the bitterness of being at the bottom."
Cassius smiled but didn't reply.
He noticed a group of white actors wearing SAG-AFTRA vests sitting not far away.
They were in a dedicated rest area with small tables and umbrellas, eating what looked like catered meals.
Meanwhile, the non-union extras like them were squatting on the roadside.
The hierarchy was everywhere.
The afternoon shoot was even more chaotic.
The director seemed to be a rookie. His blocking was a mess, and they had to reshoot a simple chase scene over a dozen times.
The set was thick with frustration.
When the lead actor got "Cut" for the third time because he missed his mark, Cassius saw the director slam his walkie-talkie onto the table next to the monitor!
A grey orb popped out.
[Emotion Attribute: Rage +1]
Even this exists?
Curious, Cassius picked it up.
A strong surge of irritability and a desire for control flooded his brain.
It gave him an instant, visceral understanding of the pressure a director feels when everyone is waiting on you, and you still screwed it up.
Who wouldn't be pissed?
Cassius felt a sudden urge to go slap someone.
Filming finally wrapped up.
The last shot required the lead to run past a group of Black teenagers playing street basketball.
Those actors were clearly pros. Their dribbling, passing, and fakes were slick, carrying that loose, rhythmic swagger unique to the streets.
One take!
The director finally shouted the most beautiful word of the day: "Wrap!"
The crowd relaxed.
But Cassius's eyes were locked on the guys packing up the basketball.
One of them, a kid in an oversized NBA jersey who had just pulled off a beautiful crossover, dropped an orb.
But this one was glowing with a faint blue light!
[Physicality Attribute: Control +3] (Blue/Rare)
A Rare Orb!
Cassius realized the truth.
Attribute orbs had grades!
For the last two days, he had only been picking up the lowest-level grey orbs.
He opened his panel to check the details. The orbs were ranked in six tiers: Grey, Green, Blue, Purple, Gold, Silver.
Grey was trash tier—scraps that barely improved his acting.
But special skills or major stat boosts came in colors!
The higher the tier, the rarer the orb and the bigger the boost.
Cassius's heart hammered in his chest.
He absorbed it immediately.
A warm current flowed into his body. He felt his control over his limbs become sharper, more responsive. Even his general physical coordination felt slightly upgraded.
Today's twenty bucks was worth it!
Cassius dragged his tired body toward the exit, clutching his crumpled bill.
Just then!
An Asian man in his forties, wearing a loud, tacky shirt and hair slicked back with grease, walked over.
He wore a warm smile on his face.
"Hey, brother. You new? Saw you standing all day. tough work."
The man handed him a business card. It read "Han's Talent Agency" in English.
The name at the bottom was "Han."
Cassius went on alert.
He had heard Shen Man talk about this guy.
A vampire who fed on Asian actors, specializing in peddling racial stereotypes.
"I'm Han. I specialize in finding opportunities for our people."
Han smiled, his eyes scanning Cassius from head to toe like a barcode reader.
"You've got a decent look. But your face is a little too... upright."
"Want to make some real money? I've got some gigs. Beats squatting on the street for twenty bucks."
"What kind of gigs?" Cassius asked, keeping his face neutral.
"Party scene next weekend. Need a few Asian 'Tech Nerds.' Glasses, plaid shirts, looking a little goofy. You know the drill."
"Eighty bucks a day. How's that sound? That's four times what you made today."
Han's tone was tempting.
Cassius understood immediately.
Another stereotype role.
The Nerd. The Geek.
The slant-eyed caricature.
It was all manufactured to amuse the American audience.
But he didn't refuse outright.
He just pocketed the card and said calmly, "I'll think about it. Thanks, Brother Han."
Han seemed surprised by Cassius's cool reaction.
He patted Cassius's shoulder, his tone carrying a subtle, pressuring weight.
"Kid, in Hollywood, take the work when it comes. Don't be picky."
"You want to be an artist? Get your SAG card first. Then we'll talk art. Call me when you figure it out."
Watching Han walk away, Cassius gripped the twenty dollars and the business card in his pocket.
The SAG card.
That was the biggest wall standing in his way.
Once he had that card, he was officially an actor.
Even as an extra, if you were union, you could apply for a work visa.