Chapter 160

-> KyuQyu2020: Oh. Suddenly it has become intriguing?

-> Starry Sky: Are you crazy, ^nm?

Of course, there were occasional comments defending the plot:

-> Terra: But isn’t it possible for gates to suddenly open? The current monster crisis is similar to gate incidents, so why all the criticism?

However, the response was cold:

-> Struggling: Just because something can happen in reality, should it occur in a novel? Many people die from traffic accidents nowadays, but would you be convinced if a modern novel’s protagonist suddenly gets hit by a car?

-> Starry Sky: It’s like dying from falling palm trees. Every year, many people perish this way; couldn’t it accidentally happen to the final boss too? Ah, I’m not being serious here. There weren’t any foreshadowing clues… Author, you must fix this now! This development is truly unreasonable!

Everyone wasn’t convinced but it was actually a plausible development. There was only one premise that changed the situation—the fact this story was based on real events. In a novel based on reality, plausibility and predictability weren’t important issues. If something happened in reality, how could it be deemed unreasonable?

‘Furthermore, Rozlian skillfully used this situation.’

In Dawn of a New Age, there were continuous descriptions about Ardenia’s time when new leaves sprouted. The international situation, events happening across the continent… Why did he do this? These things had nothing to do with the protagonist immediately.

‘It is to clearly convey the timeline to readers.’

If the reader was from Ardenia rather than Earth, they would constantly think about the gates while reading the novel.

‘This is because they know what year the gates opened.’

Even if they didn’t realize it, the characters’ conversations and descriptions of the continent constantly reminded them. Naturally, readers began to think:

When conflicts arose between people—

Would the gate open to resolve it?

Whenever various problems occurred—

Would monsters sweep everything away?

As new characters and situations unfolded—

Is it time now? Is this the moment?

Yet, the gate still wouldn’t appear. Just as readers thought, ‘Ah, maybe next year?’, that was when the gate finally burst forth. Honestly, it gave me goosebumps. It made me doubt whether this story was truly based on real events.

The scene where all conflicts, relationships, characters, and influences were shattered by the massive event of the gate felt utterly destructive.

“But… it won’t seem like that to readers on Earth.”

However, there was no need for me to step forward and defend myself so I just turned off the reply window and got up from my seat.

Ding!

I took the elevator out of Room Tower, pulling down my hood deeply to avoid being recognized.

Shaaah!

It was raining heavily outside. I put my hands in my pockets as I walked onto the road.

Chweeejik.

An ice barrier formed above my head, deflecting raindrops. Despite the crazy downpour, the streets were full of people.

‘Well, this isn’t Ardenia, so nobody can’t go out due to the rain.’

Despite the rain, people went out as usual, resting at Gwanghwamun Square. They used their psychic energy, magic tools or smart pets to rest regardless of the weather.

However, there was a large gathering of people at one side of Gwanghwamun Square.

”…What?”

Curiosity made me approach and I saw a huge hologram screen broadcasting something familiar.

“Look behind you.”

A low voice accompanied by a sword swing shattered Purest Sword Force and aimed for Hyperion’s head. Yet, it hit his shoulder instead as Hyperion’s magic sword targeted the attacker.

Crash!

The defensive barrier appeared like an illusion before breaking apart, allowing the magic sword to cut off the attacker’s right hand. Then just as it tried to stab the heart…

Ping!

As if the severed arm never existed, a perfectly intact limb swung its sword, deflecting the magic blade. The charging Hyperion stumbled back.

“W-Wait! Did you see that?”

[No, you must have misseen it. The speed is incredible. Despite applying Slow… all this happened within 0.01 seconds?]

[It truly is a battle at the level of Transcendents. This monster Hyperion is extraordinary, but Han Jae-yeon, one of the Apostle of the Game Master, is genuinely astonishing. Just look at the number of powers she displayed in this brief moment… Although not officially a Transcendent herself, her abilities rival theirs; it’s unbelievable.]

On the large hologram screen, two commentators were discussing my fight with Hyperion.

‘Ah, I see Survival Island ended up being broadcasted.’

Well, considering when they filmed it, it could be argued that it was aired quite late.

Indeed, when was this footage recorded? It could be considered quite outdated now.

[Despite killing two Transcendents, he still isn’t one himself.]

[But you can consider him almost on par with them. Look at this. In a direct collision, Han Jae-yeon remains stationary while Hyperion is pushed back four steps! Honestly, it’s hard to believe. A Transcendent is often described as a walking fortress. For someone to push back a Transcendent like that suggests they likely possess exceptional control over their movements and strength.]

[Or perhaps his immense power allows him to do so?]

[Hahaha. I want to dismiss your words as nonsense, but I can’t deny it completely. As an Apostle of the Game God…she might have stat points or something similar. Perhaps she possesses the ability to freely adjust her stats whenever needed. Look at this scene, not just any sword force but one imbued with demonic energy cutting off her arm, yet it heals instantly…]

‘Stat points every moment? Even with the Initial Potion, I only have less than 90 points available. Still, it’s not entirely impossible. Considering my guesses about Land Breaker and Strength, it remains plausible.’

The hologram showcased insightful analysis by a high-level Inner Force cultivator and mage, dissecting the battle footage. The audience watching couldn’t help but exclaim repeatedly in amazement.

“Wow, damn it. This is crazy.”

“No way, isn’t Han Jae-yeon only 24 years old? How can she be a Transcendent at that age?”

“It’s possible thanks to Magical Girl-sama?”

“Well, of course she helped but how much help did she provide? Look over there. How many times has she received sword force? Sword force is such a severe attack that it requires treatment from a large hospital.”

“Hey, if she killed a Transcendent at this age, won’t she definitely become one by her thirties?”

I listened to their whispers before turning around and heading back towards Room Tower. As I walked, I thought:

‘Everything is changing.’

Well, it was natural. I was no longer a savage and violent relic of a past era.

Currently, I possessed combat abilities comparable to that of a transcendent and the background of a high-ranking God. I was an entity with immense economic power, capable of earning billions effortlessly.

However…

“It isn’t enough.”

Indeed, it wasn’t over yet. I would aim higher. I would become even stronger, more significant, and greater than before.

“Meow!”

“Oh, already?”

I quickly returned to my studio apartment, emptied my inventory, and resumed automatic hunting. The guild members tried to persuade me to join them at ‘Mythical Tower’ or ‘World Dungeon,’ but I was too busy for such endeavors. Of course, these end-game content quests could potentially yield better rewards compared to automated hunting… However, there’s a saying among gamers:

Every aspect of engagement is part of the gameplay.

In my company, it wasn’t just about playing games but making money as part of gameplay. In reality, spending real-world money earned from working 12 hours was much more helpful for character growth than grinding for 12 hours in-game.

“First, I need to focus on the competition. Login.”

I continued my fearless writing.

“Log out.”

I kept writing.

“Login.”

“Logout.”

It had been 53 days since the Five Dragons Competition began. Now there was only one week left until its conclusion.

A notice appeared on Olymon’s website:

[This is Yongyong! These days, I am surprised by the overwhelmingly warm support! Many people have already contacted me regarding the settlement amount, so here is the announcement!]

‘We have expanded the event settlement amount to 20 billion won! Don’t worry and keep going until the very end!’]

“Ah, there is no double royalty but only points, which is good.”

I turned off the notification and continued writing fearlessly. I had eliminated 300 works that were low ranked, leaving me with a total of 250 serialized works. Meanwhile, the comments section for Dawn’s new chapter was burning every day.

-> Starry Sky: Aren’t you idiots making noise through your comments? Didn’t it make the author upset?!

-> Comments on Bad Novels Only: Yes, your mother ^^

-> Starry Sky: What, trolling?

-> Comments on Bad Novels Only: No, just wishing you health and happiness ^^

-> Starry Sky: …

The comment section exploded with each chapter. That wasn’t all.

The so-called ‘Gate Incident’ spread across various communities.

[A literary work from some competition.]

Image >

Image >

Three-line summary:

1. An extraordinary work appeared in the Five Dragons Competition. It was almost pure literature with little magic or martial arts.

2. A large number of fans were produced. Anti-fans also increased massively, turning the comments section into a battleground every day.

3. The author lost their mind and opened a gate in their pure literature work LOL <— NEW!

The incident continued to grow bigger. Regardless, I persevered fearlessly. Inspired by my praise, Yes started submitting five chapters of Emperor Knight Never per day. To catch up with the backlog, between 15 to 30 chapters were published daily on Novel Arena—a veritable storm of updates!

As a result, Emperor Knight Never showed signs of reaching fifth place on Novel Arena. If this trend continued, it might even reach the top three positions eventually.

Time kept passing by. It was now day 58 since the competition started. The serialized works I controlled were racing towards completion, their influence growing steadily.

And finally, the moment arrived.

A renowned figure in literature and an 8th class mage from the Blue Candle School, Master Pu, left a comment about ‘Dawn’ on social media:

[Dawn]

I read it upon the enthusiastic recommendation of an acquaintance. Initially hesitant, once I began, I couldn’t stop. It is truly an exceptional piece of writing.

‘Dawn’ stands apart from those simplistic fantasies that merely transplant modern thoughts, philosophies, and common sense into a medieval setting.

The meticulous writing style and living characters. The vast narrative drew readers without losing its direction, making me doubt if this was really written by a rookie. Nutwood wasn’t incredibly beautiful or possessing extraordinary superpowers, so why couldn’t readers help but love her? It was because the wisdom she displayed as a character from the Middle Ages still applied to modern insights about humanity.

Every time I read it, there were new contents and relationships between characters that weren’t previously visible. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Dawn of a New Day reached masterpiece status due to these elements.

And in that regard…

Gates…was truly disappointing.

I understood that a major event was needed, but did it have to be gates? Wouldn’t it have been better with a noble rebellion or war?

It was unfortunate that such a great author with excellent inner force was being swayed by readers.

The impact was huge:

[Dawn of a New Day (8th place) NEW!]

Finally, Dawn of a New Day entered the top 10. Considering its theme and style didn’t fit the competition, it was like a miracle. However, not everything was good.

[Inbox: 9999 (+)]

I hadn’t revealed any other contact information, so there were endless messages coming in. Some of them even contained critiques exceeding 5,000 characters. Ideally, I wanted to grab these people and throw them into Ardenia, but I lacked the strength to do so, ignoring them while continuing serialization.

Everyone claimed the work was falling apart. They argued about a beginner writer being influenced by readers, but indeed, I didn’t care.

Yes, I didn’t care.

‘What influence? Rozlian can’t even see the comments.’

I wasn’t worried about my work collapsing. They said Rozlian was making irrational moves due to the comments but it wasn’t true. She was simply following the story that had been decided from the beginning.

Thus, 60 days passed since the contest started and finally, the Olymon competition ended. I completed all my works.

[Hello Author! ^^ This is Green Dragon Publishing.]

I am sending you two separate settlement statements!

Existing e-book settlement statement.

Contest settlement statement.

It was really interesting during the event period.

Please continue writing good stories in the future!

Settlement Amount: 2,286,000 won

The settlement amount, which had been increasing steadily, shrank again. Well, it was natural as I had almost given up on it lately. However, it didn’t matter. There was something else separately.

Contest Settlement: 1,922,114,000 won

And that wasn’t all. Once the work was completed…

“Wow.”

Sponsorships started pouring in.