Cannon Fodder in an Era Drama — I Survive with Acting-Chapter 17: Special Skill

Song Qingya demanded resentfully, ’How many points does it cost to open up a plot of land?’

The system didn’t respond, as if it had fallen silent.

Then, her point information appeared in the sky.

[Host: Song Qingya]

[Current points: 400]

[Deduction Record: 6,000 points deducted for unlocking the system and the small space.] 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

It was unnervingly quiet, a silence that made one’s heart flutter with unease.

But in that silence, Song Qingya could almost hear the system’s silent mockery.

’Haha, you wish.’

’The points were just an initial meeting fee.’

"..."

Song Qingya clenched her fists.

’Forget it,’ she muttered to herself, trying to calm down.

She then walked over to the spring and found it, too, was shrouded in a white mist.

She could clearly hear the crisp sound of water echoing around her, but when she reached out, her hand met nothing. It was as if the sound was a mere illusion.

The system spoke again in its icy tone.

[Reminder: Unlocking the Spiritual Spring requires 10,000 points. Your balance is insufficient.]

Song Qingya’s fists tightened.

’I’ll endure this, too,’ she thought.

’Can someone please tell me just how punchable this so-called system is?’

Song Qingya asked, ’Then what is this system good for? Is there anything I can unlock right now?’

[The Acting System is designed to bind with individuals of outstanding acting talent and can help the host achieve their heart’s desires.]

The system slowly replied, [You have already unlocked a beginner-level plot of farmland where you can plant fruits and vegetables, and the yield is ten times the normal amount. Your remaining 400 points can be exchanged for a ’one-day special skill’.]

’What skill?’ Song Qingya pressed.

Following the system’s instructions, Song Qingya entered the small villa.

The villa was unremarkable from the outside.

But when she pulled back the curtain inside, Song Qingya froze.

It was as if a door to her past had opened right before her eyes.

Hanging inside were portraits of every character she had ever played.

There was Miss Wei from *Beijing Little Chef*, who became famous far and wide for her culinary prowess.

In the film *General and Minister*, she played Xu Zhao, a great general with peerless martial arts skills.

And in the *Unrivaled Medical Skills* series, she was the life-saving female doctor, Qin Xichen.

After carefully observing the portraits, Song Qingya noticed a detail.

Aside from the portrait from *Beijing Little Chef*, which displayed "Trial uses consumed" beneath it, the other character portraits were all still locked.

’Could it be? The reason my cooking is so delicious is because of a superpower granted by this character?’

The thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

She carefully recalled her actions while cooking earlier—the way she added seasonings, her method of controlling the heat—and realized they were identical to how she had acted on the film set.

In the show, of course, people’s praise for her dishes was endless, to the exaggerated point of them fainting outright.

That was just for dramatic effect, after all.

But this was reality.

Whether it was the highly self-disciplined Fei Jin or Yuan Wei, they had all praised her cooking with genuine admiration.

Just then, the system gave her a definitive answer.

[Correct. You can unlock the skills of any character you have played. The novice reward was a one-day trial of a character skill.]

The system’s voice echoed in Song Qingya’s mind.

Song Qingya felt like this was a dream come true.

’Unlock character skills?’

’What did that mean?’

Her heart pounded with excitement as she began to imagine the possibilities.

’Did this mean that, in the future, she could unlock the skills of the Medical Woman she’d played?’

’If she could truly possess those medical skills, she could accomplish so much in this era.’

’And there was the role of the dance goddess she’d played.’

’In the show, her character’s dancing was supposed to be top-tier.’

’If she unlocked that skill, she would surely shine in this era as well.’

But what appealed to Song Qingya most was the valiant Female General she had portrayed.

’That was a Hero with peerless martial arts!’

’If I unlocked that character’s skills, couldn’t I learn how to scale walls and use hidden weapons?’

She couldn’t help but smile at the thought.

Song Qingya fired off a barrage of questions, practically bursting with impatience to learn more details.

But the system responded icily, [You have not yet met the requirements to unlock them. Please continue to work hard.]

Instead of feeling discouraged by the system’s reply, Song Qingya grew even more curious.

She blinked, looking expectantly into the empty air. ’Then at least give me a little hint.’

The system seemed somewhat resigned but still offered a further explanation.

[It is related to the progress of your relationship with the male lead.]

’So that’s why,’ she thought. ’I can’t believe that’s the reason.’

Song Qingya was a bit surprised, but she quickly accepted it.

’It’s about the male lead again?’

Song Qingya was lost in thought.

’The reason I could unlock the chef role this time was probably because my relationship with the male lead reached five percent.’

’So, does that mean when our relationship progresses even more, I’ll be able to unlock other skills?’

As she continued to think, her mind filled with wonderful possibilities.

She couldn’t help but wonder, ’With so many bonuses, won’t I become practically omnipotent?’

One moment, Song Qingya was immersed in her gleeful fantasies.

The next, the system’s voice shattered her train of thought.

The system prompted her to check the point rules.

Her mood instantly plummeted.

She resignedly looked at the text next to the chef’s portrait: a one-day trial cost 300 points, but permanently acquiring the skill required a whopping ten thousand points!

Seeing that number, Song Qingya nearly jumped up in protest. ’Ten thousand points?!’

’This is highway robbery!’

She felt a wave of dizziness and nearly fainted.

As if sensing her outrage, the system finally relented and threw her a bone.

[Based on your current emotional state recovery progress, you have ten points available to adjust your attributes!]

’Attributes?’

Song Qingya thought quizzically.

’Is this like adding stat points to a character in a video game?’

As if in answer to her question, a panel suddenly materialized before her, listing her physical stats in detail, with a maximum score of 100 for each attribute.

[Host Name: Song Qingya]; [Appearance: 85]; [Constitution: 47]; [Flexibility: 78]...

[Luck: A mere 10].

The data was displayed clearly before her.

She was surprised to see her appearance score was under ninety.

But she wasn’t surprised to see that her Constitution score didn’t even meet a passing grade.

After all, she was prone to spraining her ankle just from walking.

A constitution like this was the definition of fragile.

Just then, an image of Fei Jin’s firm muscles unconsciously surfaced in her mind.