My Life in Hollywood C58 Showing Off Thanks to the System (Patreon)

In the changing room—concrete floors, rows of metal lockers, the smell of salt air and sunscreen—Marcus stripped down to his swim shorts.

The results of his training were obvious: lean muscle definition, strong core, shoulders that had really filled out.

At seventeen, he had the physique most guys didn't achieve until their mid-twenties.

With his handsome face and striking blue eyes, he was definitely a catch. And he was tall for his age, around 5'11.

He resembled a young Tom Welling, but with unique features that made him more striking than the actor from his previous life.

"Damn, bro. You look like you could play Superman." Ryan whistled, looking him up and down.

Marcus's lips curved into a slight smile.

In this world, Superman existed. So did Spider-Man. But there were heroes from his previous life that simply didn't exist here—replaced instead by unfamiliar ones that were pretty popular in this world.

"You're not looking bad yourself, man. Getting some real definition now." Marcus looked Ryan up and down approvingly.

Turns out his influence on the guy was significant. Before, Ryan had been holed up in his room all the time, unhealthy and sedentary. But after months of dragging him to the gym, Ryan actually had some muscle definition now. Still had a bit of fat to lose, but he was getting there.

"Hehe, it's thanks to you. You've been making me work out for months. This is the result. Pretty neat, huh?" Ryan chuckled. Truth was, if Marcus hadn't dragged him along for morning runs and gym sessions, he never would've started. He'd been too self-conscious before.

Fortunately, that had changed.

"You got the body, little bro. But not the face."

They turned. Benjie stood there, grinning like an asshole.

"Haha, ain't that the truth?"

Frank and his buddies joined in, clearly enjoying themselves. They'd taken a liking to Benjie's obnoxious energy.

"Don't listen to them." Marcus clapped Ryan's shoulder. "Besides, they're not exactly ones to talk."

He gestured at Benjie and the others, none of whom came close to Ryan's physique.

"I don't really care. I'm used to Benjie's bullshit." Ryan sighed, looking resigned.

Since he was a kid, his older brother had been a pain in the ass. He'd gotten used to it.

After finishing up, they headed out to the beach.

The girls were already there. Arya, Alisha, Ellie, Sydney, and a few other classmates—all in swimwear, ready for the beach.

Arya looked incredible. Athletic build, confident posture, natural beauty. Alisha and Ellie were just as striking. Sydney, the blonde, had that classic California vibe—tan, athletic, effortlessly pretty.

But if the guys were checking out the girls, the girls were absolutely checking them out too. Especially Marcus.

"Oh my god," Sydney muttered to Alisha, watching Marcus walk across the sand. "When did he get that athletic?"

"I don't know, but I'm not complaining." Alisha looked impressed. "My gosh."

"Is that really Marcus Crown?" one of the other girls whispered. "I mean, I knew he was good-looking, but..."

"Yeah, that's him," Ellie said, watching him. "Look at him."

Arya caught them staring and shot them a look that could've melted steel. 'Back off. He's mine.'

Marcus smiled faintly, well aware of the attention. Thanks to the system—specifically buying that permanent +2 Strength stat from the Store, along with other useful perks—he'd managed to build his body like this. Combined with consistent workouts, the results spoke for themselves.

'Points well spent,' he thought.

Sure, he'd come to the beach to relax. But he'd also come to show off a little. And yeah, to check out the older girls at the beach—college age and up.

"So that's why you were so eager to come here," Arya said, walking up with her arms crossed.

Marcus turned to her, flexing slightly. "What, you don't like what you see?"

Her face flushed immediately, heat creeping up her neck. "Don't flatter yourself." She looked away, heart racing, scuffing her foot in the sand nervously.

'Now you're shy? After all the time we've spent together at the house?' Marcus felt genuinely baffled.

"Hey Marcus, wanna play volleyball with us?" A pretty classmate whose name Marcus couldn't remember called out.

"Come on, it'll be fun!" Alisha added from the side.

"Ryan's playing too!"

Watching the girls swarm Marcus, Benjie looked like he'd just tasted something rotten. "Yo, what's so special about this dude? 'Cause he made some horror movie?"

Frank and his buddies sighed. "Started with that. But then girls just kept going after him." Frank shrugged helplessly.

Benjie, despite being older, clearly wanted a shot at the junior and senior girls. "Y'all ain't gonna do nothing? Man's got all the girls at your school and you just cool with that?"

Frank shifted uncomfortably. "I've got my own girl, man. Don't really care about the others." He gestured toward the crowd around Marcus. "She's right there in that group anyway. We're playing volleyball together."

"Your girl's standing right there and you ain't even gonna step up?" Benjie snorted. "Aight, watch this. I'mma show y'all how it's done."

He surprised them by strutting over, all swagger. "Yo, ladies! Name's Benjamin. You might not know me, but I'm pretty well-known in my hood. Got connections with some rappers, nice whip, all that. We could cruise sometime if y'all interested."

The girls just stared at him. The silence stretched uncomfortably.

But Benjie didn't seem to notice. He threw his arm around Marcus's neck like they were best friends. "And yo, y'all might not know this, but that car in Marcus's movie? That was my ride. He rented it from me for the scenes. Ain't that right, bro?"

He was physically nudging Marcus to back him up.

Marcus had no idea what Benjie's angle was, but what he said was technically true. "Yeah, the car in the film was his."

"Oh..."

The girls' reaction was... nonexistent. Polite disinterest at best.

Frank and his buddies watching from a distance cringed hard for the guy.

Ryan noticed his older brother just made the whole atmosphere awkward with his terrible attempt at hitting on the girls. Carrying the volleyball, he called out: "Alright guys, let's get the net set up!"

"Yeah, let's go."

Everyone just ignored Benjie standing there and moved to set up the court.

Marcus stepped away from him without a word.

Left standing alone, Benjie immediately waved at the group. "Yo, I wanna play too!" He jogged after them.

A few minutes later, the volleyball court was set up on the beach. They split into two teams of six. Marcus's team had Arya, Alisha, Sydney, and two other classmates. Frank's team had his girlfriend, Ellie—who looked sullen about not being on Marcus's team—Ryan, and unfortunately for them, Benjamin.

"Alright, let's do this!" Ryan served first.

The game started. Marcus had a basic understanding of volleyball from his previous life, so he knew the fundamentals. But what surprised everyone was how he actually dominated from the first point.

When the ball came to him, he jumped and spiked it hard. The impact echoed across the beach—a sharp crack as his palm connected. The ball shot across the net like a bullet, slamming into the sand before anyone on Frank's team could react.

"What the hell?" Frank stared at the divot in the sand where the ball had landed.

Marcus's team erupted in cheers. Arya high-fived him, her face lit up with excitement.

The next point was the same. Marcus served, and the ball rocketed over the net with so much force that Ryan barely got his hands up in time. It bounced off his forearms and flew wildly out of bounds.

"Marcus, are you a professional player or something?!" Benjie complained from the other side.

The others laughed.

Marcus chuckled. "Nah, first time playing actually." Inside, he was thanking the system's stat boosts. The +2 Strength was paying off.

The game continued. Marcus's team crushed them 21-12.

"Damn, this guy." Frank wiped sweat from his forehead, looking defeated. "He's the same age as us, but why does it feel like he's already an adult? He's got a company, and now he's dominating at volleyball too."

"I like mature guys," one of the girls on Frank's team said, watching Marcus. "There's something about Marcus... I don't know, he just feels different."

While the group was catching their breath after the game, a group of young adults in their early twenties stood watching from the side.

The leader was around six feet tall, muscular, good-looking in a cocky way. "You see those girls over there?" He grinned at his friends. "They look young. Seniors, probably."

His friend—shorter but jacked—nodded. "Yeah, man. Easy targets. Nobody's gonna stop us."

"I'm going for the brunette," another guy said, nodding toward one of the girls. "I'll get her number first."

They laughed, their intentions obvious and predatory.

"Alright, here's the play," the leader—Mack—said. "We approach, act friendly, offer to buy them drinks. See which one bites." He looked at his buddies. "Twenty bucks says I get the brunette's number first."

"You're on," the shorter guy said.

Mack smirked, adjusted his board shorts, and started walking toward the group of high schoolers with his friends trailing behind.

***

It didn't take long before things went sideways. Marcus and the others were grabbing cold Cokes from the cooler when Sydney's scream cut through the air. "Get away from me!"

They spun around. Sydney and a few other girls were backed up against a volleyball net, six guys in their twenties forming a loose circle around them.

"Relax, beautiful. Just asking for your number." Mack kept his hands up like he was being reasonable. "No need to freak out."

Sydney slapped his hand away from her shoulder. "You were touching me, asshole!"

Mack's jaw tightened, neck flushing red. His friends started laughing.

"Damn, Mack! Got shot down by some teenager!"

"She's probably a senior and she's already curving you hard, bro!"

Mack's expression darkened. "Look, I'm trying to be nice here. Don't gotta act like a bitch about it."

Sydney took another step back. He was easily six feet, built like he spent half his life in the gym. And he was getting closer.

"What's the problem?"

Marcus's voice cut through. He walked up with the rest of the group behind him.

Sydney and the other girls bolted behind them immediately.

Mack sized up Marcus and his friends. Seeing Marcus's face made his jaw clench—pretty boy was better-looking than him, which only pissed him off more. But he kept his expression neutral, playing it cool. "Hey man, just having some fun. Nobody's getting hurt."

His buddies backed him up.

"Yeah, we were just talking. What's the big deal?"

"Girl screamed like we pulled a knife or something."

The girls weren't having it.

"Bullshit! You grabbed my arm!"

"And he touched my leg!"

Marcus glanced at the group of guys. In his previous life, he'd dealt with assholes like this plenty of times. Beaches always had them—guys who thought the casual atmosphere gave them permission to harass younger girls, traveling in packs because they felt untouchable with numbers.

'Of course. Can't go anywhere without running into dickheads like this.' Marcus kept his expression calm.

"We should get someone," Arya whispered close to his ear.

Her eyes showed real worry. Six grown men versus a bunch of teenagers. Only Benjie was older than eighteen.

"Wait, hold up." Mack's attention shifted to Arya. "Now here's a real beauty. How about you give me your number, sweetheart?"

"No. I have a boyfriend." Arya grabbed Marcus's arm tightly.

Mack looked Marcus over slowly, deliberately. "This kid? Seriously?"

Before Marcus could say anything, Benjie stepped forward between them. "Yo, c'mon now. Let's keep it cool, alright? Girls ain't interested. Let's just everybody walk away."

"Who the fuck are you?" Mack shoved Benjie back hard. His patience was gone. "Stay out of this."

"Why you gotta put your hands on me?" Benjie's face twisted with anger. He'd been trying to defuse things and got shoved for it. "What, you trying to start something?"

"Yo, this fool's challenging Mack!"

"Bro, Mack boxes! You're about to get dropped!"

Mack's friends were eating this up.

"Boxer? I don't give a fuck." Benjie tried to sound tough, but sweat was already beading on his forehead. Inside, panic was setting in. 'Shit, shit, shit. Can't back down now, not in front of Ryan and these girls.' He raised his fists. "Let's go then!"

Mack's expression shifted to amusement. He brought his hands up casually, loose and relaxed. "Alright. Your funeral."

Ryan's stomach dropped watching his brother square up. This was about to go bad.

Benjie swung first—a wide, looping right hand with no technique behind it. Mack leaned back slightly, let it sail past his face, then snapped a straight jab into Benjie's nose. Blood exploded immediately.

Benjie stumbled back, hands going to his face instinctively. Mack stepped in with a hard left hook to the ribs that made a sick thudding sound. Benjie's knees buckled. An uppercut caught him clean on the chin and sent him crashing backward into the sand.

The whole thing was over in seconds.

"Oh shit!"

Marcus and Ryan immediately ran to Benjie's side.

"Damn, you hit him hard. I'm calling the cops!" Ryan was furious, pulling out his phone.

Marcus's eyes went cold. He looked at Mack, who showed zero remorse.

"See that, ladies? Pretty badass, right?" Mack was even trying to show off instead of showing any guilt about what he'd just done.

'This asshole.' Marcus might not like Benjie much, but watching this group of immature adults beat on someone lit something inside him he didn't know was there. He stood up and said to Ryan, "Take your brother. Get the others to help. Check if he needs medical attention—might need to take him to the hospital."

"Al-alright!" Ryan nodded, lifting Benjie's arm over his shoulder and struggling with the weight. Frank came over to help support the other side.

Mack and his friends didn't even care. They were still focused on the girls. But then they noticed Marcus hadn't moved. He was still standing there, facing them.

"What, kid? You wanna be the second one eating sand today?" Mack asked, eyes hard and intimidating.

Marcus clenched his fists. Normally, he wouldn't be confident facing a guy like this. Thanks to Benjie's beating, he'd seen how Mack fought—his technique, his power. Not gonna lie, Mack was strong and skilled for his age.

But Marcus had learned mixed martial arts in his previous life, including boxing. And now, with a younger body and boosted strength stats, he felt confident enough.

"Marcus, what are you doing?" Arya called out, her voice tight with worry.

Alisha and Ellie looked just as concerned. Ryan turned back too.

"Bro, you don't need to do this. Jamie already called the cops." Frank spoke up.

Marcus cracked his knuckles slowly. "Nah. I just want to teach these assholes a lesson."

Silence. Then Mack and his friends burst out laughing.

"Wait, are you serious?" Mack grinned wide. "You're gonna teach us a lesson?"

Marcus didn't respond. To make absolutely sure he'd win this, he silently opened the system store and purchased [Temporary Agility +3, Duration: 2 Hours] for 50 Points. He activated it immediately.

His body felt lighter. Faster. Everything sharpened.

He raised both hands in a loose fighting stance. "Come on."

"Marcus!" Arya's voice cracked with nerves.

Mack and his friends exchanged glances, still laughing. Mack shook his head. "Alright, if you wanna get dropped that bad, let's go."

He raised his hands, completely underestimating the teenager in front of him. But before he could set his stance properly, Marcus had already closed the distance.

Mack's eyes widened. He threw a quick jab—

Marcus slipped it, head movement smooth and minimal. The punch sailed past his ear.

Then Marcus countered with a straight right that cracked clean into Mack's jaw.

Mack's head snapped to the side. He staggered back a step, stunned. Blood trickled from his split lip.

"What the—" His face twisted with rage. "You little shit!"

He came forward harder now, throwing combinations—jab, cross, hook. Real boxer rhythm.

But Marcus moved like water. Slip left. Duck under. Step back. Every punch missed by inches.

"Too slow," Marcus said calmly, watching Mack's frustrated face.

"Fuck you!" Mack threw a wild overhand right.

Marcus sidestepped and drove a sharp hook into Mack's ribs. The sound was brutal—a dull thud that made everyone wince.

Mack gasped, air leaving his lungs. His guard dropped instinctively.

Marcus didn't let up. He stepped in with a quick combination—jab to the face, cross to the chin, hook to the body again. Each punch landed clean and hard. The agility boost made him feel untouchable. He could see every opening, every mistake Mack made.

Mack swung desperately, trying to catch him. Marcus ducked under and came up with an uppercut that snapped Mack's head back.

The bigger man's legs wobbled. His eyes were unfocused.

Marcus finished it with a brutal liver shot—perfectly placed, all his weight behind it.

Mack's face went pale. His knees buckled. He collapsed forward into the sand, groaning, then went still.

"Mack!" His friends shouted, rushing forward.

Marcus turned to face them, chest heaving slightly but stance still solid.

The five guys froze. Fear replaced their earlier bravado. They couldn't even beat Mack together, and this kid just destroyed him solo. They had no chance.

"Yo, yo, we're good!" one of them said quickly, hands up. "We don't want no problems, man!"

"Yeah, we're leaving!" another added.

"Just gonna grab our boy and go!"

They scrambled to pick up Mack's limp body, struggling with his weight as they dragged him away from the beach as fast as they could manage.

The moment they were gone, Arya, Ryan, Frank, Ellie, Alisha, Sydney, and the others erupted.

"Holy shit, Marcus!"

"That was insane!"

"You just beat the crap out of that guy!"

Marcus stood there, adrenaline still pumping, feeling a strange satisfaction wash over him. His knuckles hurt a little, but it felt good. Really good.