Episode 3. Create an Incident (2)

Staring at the blinking cursor in the Korean text editor, various thoughts crossed my mind. Could others have experienced what I did? Even Yu ChanYoung mentioned in an interview, "You must become the protagonist." Could it be that Yu ChanYoung, like me...

"Author?" Ji EunYu's gentle eyes looked at me.

"Ah, yes."

"Is it hard to write?"

Her gaze made me wonder if there were industry secrets I wasn't aware of, like writers entering their novels being common.

"Editor, actually I need to enter the novel's world to write."

"…What?"

As expected, she looked at me like I was crazy. It was an absurd idea, after all. If so many writers had done this, wouldn't it be widely known?

"Do you want to be alone?"

"Well, I do prefer being alone."

"I'll let you write alone from tomorrow, but not today. Write here. I won’t disturb you."

"Okay…"

I concentrated amidst the coffee machine’s hum. My cursor blinked at the last paragraph of the previous chapter. Should I press the key? Will I be dragged into another ordeal?

"Author, you’ve been staring at the screen for an hour now," Ji EunYu startled me upon returning.

"Well, it's the first sentence…"

"Don’t overthink. Just write anything and the rest will follow. Like this!"

Suddenly, she placed her hand over mine, sending chills down my spine.

"Wait, no!"

But it was too late. I closed my eyes, dreading being sucked into the novel again. Yet, when I opened them, I saw a line written.

[Lance Pilgrim first assessed his surroundings.]

"Continue writing."

Wait, what?

In the end, I wasn't sucked into the novel while writing. Ji EunYu corrected and reviewed my work till afternoon before returning to the office.

"So, it’s done for now. Let's keep this pace."

"How is the manuscript?"

"It’s interesting, but…"

"Does it lack soul?"

"No, let's just see the results."

I felt a bit deflated. Why didn’t I enter the novel world? Was it a one-time thing? Beginner's luck? I didn’t know.

The next day, the results for chapter 5 were out:

[The 99 Ways to Kill a Returner]

Chapter 5. Create an Incident (1) [11] / Views: 3511

The performance wasn't bad. Views had dropped by about 500, but it was recoverable. I forgot my past troubles and smiled. Could this lead to easy paid serialization?

What to do with the money? Help Mom, contribute to Taehoon's tuition. I should call Taehoon soon.

Watching the views rise, I mumbled, "Just keep going like this."

I clenched my fist, full of resolve, unaware of the impending crisis.

That evening, a call from Ji EunYu came.

"Author..."

"Yes?"

"I’m sorry… You should brace yourself."

[The 99 Ways to Kill a Returner]

Chapter 6. Create an Incident (2) [1] / Views: 320

The views had plummeted dramatically.

"One more chapter, please."

On the other side, I could hear the editorial office’s uproar.

"Change the author, now!" It was Team Leader Kim.

"That's what I said, he can't keep writing this!"

"Author, I’ll call you back later."

The call ended with silence. I imagined the chaotic scene at the office. The sense of failure was overwhelming.

I had ruined it. Ruined Yu ChanYoung's work.

Drunk, I grabbed my laptop. Maybe alcohol was the key? I wrote, drank, wrote more. Hoping for another miracle.

After some time, I fell into a magic-like sleep.

And when I woke up, I was in the desolate desert again.

"Damn. It was really the alcohol."

[The stars congratulate your return with 1000 dust. Episode 2 begins.]

I assessed my surroundings. The same situation as before – the desert, the bandits, and the former protagonist’s body. I was back at the end of Episode 1, Chapter 4. The chapters I wrote sober weren't reflected.

I looked at the protagonist’s corpse with regret. Was he Yu ChanYoung?

[Character Information]

Character: Fehilt Rune

Description: Former protagonist.

His face was full of despair. I didn’t want to kill him, but he attacked first.

Let's not complicate things. This is just a novel.

I covered his face with dirt and took his steel sword.

[Artifact Information]

Name: Steel Sword

Grade: C+

Type: Weapon

Description: Made from steel mined in Kirbie. Durable, high affinity with spirit power.

I then checked my status.

[Character Information]

Character: Lance Pilgrim

Age: 17

Role: Protagonist

Overall Combat Power: 8005

Potential: Lowest

The combat power was high, but I couldn’t trust the numbers after being deceived before. I glared at the combat power statistic, and a detailed breakdown appeared.

Among these, 'Spirit Power' caught my eye.

Spirit Power: 50124

Even with reduced effects each time, I had consumed the elixir several times. This amount of spirit power seemed usable.

The last thing I checked was the ‘description’.

Description: You are the world's first 'Extra' to become a 'Protagonist'. Some stars find your actions interesting.

Finally, a message about the 'Dust Shop' arrived.

[Dust Shop]

Welcome to the Dust Shop.

The interface resembled a game's cash shop.

I clicked on the first item:

[Item Information]

Name: Everyone but Me Has an IQ of 50

Price: 5000 Dust

Description: Reduces the intelligence of everyone within 50 meters of the protagonist, except the protagonist himself. May permanently reduce dust gain and harm story coherence.

5,000 dust for this? I declined to purchase.

The voice from the shop urged me to use the Q&A feature, costing 500 dust per use. I refused, knowing how these microtransactions work.

In the midst of that, a small voice could be heard, “This is the first time I lost…”

Ignoring the voice, I continued exploring the shop, looking for a free item. After about an hour, the voice gave up, and I finally found something.

[Item Information]

Name: 99 Pieces of Advice for the Novice Protagonist

Price: Free

Description: A must-read guide for new protagonists. You’re a protagonist of willpower if you found this!

Yeah, I finally found it.

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