Chapter 57

It was mid-December now. The “Heroic Legend of Shine Sight” concluded with a total of 400 chapters, spanning across 16 volumes. In Ardenia, it had been only four volumes, but when rewritten, it expanded significantly.

“The results… aren’t great.”

Initially, purchases reached as high as 317, but by the final chapter, they dropped to single digits—precisely seven. Thankfully, amidst this disappointment, some dedicated fans started using the “Sponsorship” feature.

OrangeJuiceLover: It was truly captivating! I was worried due to its low popularity, but thank you for seeing it through to the end! (^_^)

HeavenlyHorseUniverse: This story didn’t align much with current trends. Nonetheless, your writing and narrative were excellent, making it highly satisfying.

Jjangpanmania: Ah, Shine Sight couldn’t overcome its fate after all. Even becoming an emperor has limits to individual power… If not a Transcendent, at least as a level 17 Inner Force user, he might’ve aimed for invulnerability…

Zzzz: Great work! It seems this story was already completed before serialization, given how quickly it finished despite low popularity. Here’s my support! Hang in there!

It wasn’t a small amount of money but it didn’t feel worthwhile after rewriting 16 volumes. This was even more evident when I considered that my weekend stuntman part-time job paid nearly one million won per session.

“Well… let’s think of this as an investment.”

Now, barely a month had passed. Unwaveringly, I continued to rewrite my next work. It was ‘The Black Knight and Rose Princess’, which gained huge popularity in Ardenia. As expected, the response wasn’t very good.

Q.Q2020: Should…this…be…called…romance…

Thumbelina: Sweet potato sweet potato sweet potato sweet potato

Tycoon 17: Ah, the protagonist is too stupid so I can’t watch anymore

Class 7: Is the protagonist really a knight? Not a slave? Does he have to obey everything the king says?

”…No, if the guardian knight is like a king, then of course he should listen to everything. Then why did you write this?”

Even with such few comments, they were all negative! I sighed despite carefully selecting this work, but it was expected anyway.

“It would be nice if there were at least some hardcore fans.”

This time, four volumes were serialized every weekend. It wasn’t possible to write more due to lack of time. My schedule was already packed.

Then amidst this…

“Would you like to participate in a movie?”

“A movie?”

“Yes. This time, we need one stuntman. There is a large-scale battle scene… The equipment and magic tools have severe recoil, so there aren’t enough volunteers.”

“Recoil…”

“Well, from what I heard, Jae-yeon can endure such things.”

It felt like some opportunity but that wasn’t important to me right now.

“How much is it?”

“It won’t make you rich. Around 200,000 ~ 300,000 won per day.”

I lost interest at the writer’s words.

‘What? It is half of what I am making now?’

Perhaps it was due to the difference in hazard pay. The stunt work I was doing might be called ‘stunts’, but it felt more like being a punching bag with protective gear on.

“In return, you can network within the movie industry. Maybe you will debut as an actor?”

“Ah. That stuff is for people who have dreams. I just want money.”

I refused the writer’s offer, which seemed designed to trap me in the swamp of passion pay, and returned to my one-room apartment to start working again.

“Log in.”

Hwiii-oohh---!

A fierce wind welcomed me after logging in. Absentmindedly, I picked up a book and held onto its pages as they fluttered wildly.

Stomp stomp!

Beyond the blocked window, I saw rows of ice elementals advancing steadily, mixed with elite monsters among them.

“Ice golems, high elementals… Yetis and snow maidens…”

The ice golem and high elemental were rare rank while the yeti and snow maiden were hero-ranked elite monsters. There was even a large number of them, far exceeding the usual ratio between elites and regular monsters, making it seem “unconvincing.”

“This… I need to take a quick look.”

I closed my eyes and entered the inner world to check the Go board.

“Ah, as expected.”

The Go board was a mess.

“The Cauldron of Chaos…”

In the short time since I last checked, there had been significant changes among the monster factions. Numerous monsters that I hadn’t even encountered yet were annihilated, with others taking their place.

“Oh no, the arachnes have been wiped out. They used to drop most high-quality clothes… Moreover, why did the Spore Forest fall? It seemed strong, having a legendary boss.” Even worse, they were defeated by the Bright Rebels, who only consisted of hero-grade monsters. It appeared a fierce battle beyond my imagination was raging in the central region of the continent.

However, my immediate concern wasn’t the central area.

“Flower points…”

In Ardenia, monsters’ levels increased as one ventured deeper into the continent, with the highest-level monster being the Mythical Phantom Dragon Lefler at Center Point. However, there was an exception to this rule: Flower Points.

Their monsters are almost legendary heroes, and they have attribute advantages over other spawn points. Additionally, their number of elite- and boss-rank monsters far surpasses others. And most importantly… They have a special raid boss.

So what does that mean for everyone else?

The flower point monsters…are overwhelmingly stronger than those from neighboring spawn points.

This wasn’t much of an issue when it was just a game. Monsters rarely left their designated areas regardless of how weak or strong nearby creatures might be.

However, now that Ardenia had become reality? There was no reason to let weaker enemies linger nearby. As a result, monsters were steadily expanding their territories.

The Seven-Colored Centipede from Left Upper Flower Shop, Thunderbird from Right Upper Flower Shop, Ice Queen from Upper Middle Flower Shop, Land Worm from Left Lower Flower Shop, Phantom Dragon from Center Point, Fanatic from Right Lower Flower Shop, Flame Demon King from Left Middle Flower Shop, Storm Titan from Lower Middle Flower Shop, and World Tree from Right Middle Flower Shop…

“They’ve basically taken over at least five squares… And they’re still expanding further.”

Similarly, ice elementals attacked the orc fortress for the same reason: Having already secured all adjacent areas, they aimed to claim everything within reach.

At least the Phantom Dragon at Center Point is staying put.

Lefler, Revenge’s sole Mythical monster, was unstoppable once unleashed. And if it seized control of the Origin Point, unleashing the creatures from the Phantom Dragon’s Lair? Ardenia would truly become a continent of darkness and death, no exaggeration.

“If this continues unchecked, Thunderbirds could invade from the west, and the Ice Queen might strike from the south, creating the worst-case scenario.”

Just contemplating that possibility made jae-yeon uneasy.

In the event of such a catastrophe…I may have to stay offline for several years, make billions—maybe even tens of billions—in real life before returning.

With these thoughts, he picked up his book.

The uncomfortable bed kept me tossing and turning all night, but it wasn’t so bad that I couldn’t work. The rapidly changing situation worried me, but this only spurred me to make more money.

I opened the book and started reading.

“Log out.”

I retyped what I’d read earlier.

“Log in.”

Then another page.

“Log out…”

I worked quickly since I was neither creating nor translating anything. It was simply copying text, which allowed my word count to steadily increase. Gradually, my pen name and titles of my works began spreading online.

To compare Ardenian literature with Earth’s, they were akin to late medieval tragedies or comedies.

In terms of direction, not quality, as there’s no Shakespeare equivalent.

Fundamentally, Ardenia is a barbaric world, not conducive to the flourishing of literary arts. Nonetheless…

It was true that Ardenian literature was crafted through deep contemplation and years of writing by authors. In a society where paper was scarce, it was difficult to produce casual writings.

[Heavenly Horse: The Universe, the Universe] It’s rare these days to find such classic fantasy. Thanks to this work, I’ve discovered something perfectly suited to my taste. Those who follow current trends might not appreciate it, but for those who remember waiting weeks or even over a year for physical books at rental shops, reading this brings back nostalgic joy. The story unfolds at a pace reminiscent of traditional print media, with exceptional prose and vivid descriptions. Each line is worth savoring. I never expected to encounter this level of literary skill in the web novel market. It’s truly regrettable that I didn’t discover this earlier. This masterpiece aligns so closely with my preferences that I’d love to start a publishing company just to secure its publication in paperback form. Dear author, please finish what you’ve started. There’s clearly much more story left to tell. Keep up the great work!

->OnlyCommentOnBadWorks: Yes, you are trolling ^^ It isn’t funny.

->1000Cash: Don’t say that when it is completely interesting… Why do you want to discourage the writer?

->HardcoreFan: The writing quality of this work is much better than those hit-and-run stories. If you don’t want to read it, then why leave such negative comments? The number of views is already low enough. What will happen if the author gets discouraged…

->OnlyCommentOnBadWorks: Writing quality? Hahahaha, throwing out bait and using flowery language doesn’t mean good writing skills! Writing quality encompasses readability, expression, plausibility, momentum, pacing, etc. Reading one page is painful due to poor readability—what writing skill?

-> Giga wants to say: It is unclear if the writer came from the mountains or using a time machine.

The comments were a daily war, but I didn’t bother stopping them.

“Rather… it’s good?”

As the fight among readers became a topic, the number of views gradually increased. The latest chapter was heading towards completion and had already reached 30 purchases! I wasn’t sure if this was a good thing in the long run.

‘It doesn’t matter. As long as the money keeps coming.’

I commuted to work at the factory, assisted enchanters, managed the entrance to clubs, guarded convenience store counters, and on weekends, wrote my novel. Before I knew it, Christmas was approaching.

“Wow, time flies.”

Whether it was on Earth or Ardenia, I was always busy and time flew by quickly. After finishing ‘Black Knight and Rose Princess’, I became lost in thought for a moment.

‘The stunt work is becoming less frequent… It used to be very efficient compared to the time spent.’

However, there wasn’t a constant supply of high-level protective items, and competition existed among buyers. While there were still jobs available, it was getting harder to find even one per week. Eventually, this led me to a crucial decision point.

“Should I apply to other broadcasts? There’s also that movie project from before… Or should I continue writing?”

As I pondered, Cheddar suddenly spoke up:

“You have received an invitation from Nemesis Soft.”

“Nemesis: Revenge?”

I pressed Cheddar’s nose to accept.

Pop!

It was a feature built into Smart Pet. The Magic Store operated and a piece of paper descended through a gap in space onto my hand.

“Hello, Mr. Killian. It is already approaching the end of 2089…” I read the invitation with smooth handwriting as if it had been typed by hand. The content was long but the conclusion was simple.

“A user meeting invitation? I’m so busy right now…”

Without any hesitation, I was about to discard the invitation when something at the bottom caught my attention. I calmly reread the attached information again.

“The following gifts will be given to those who participate in the user meeting.”

This was the content:

1. Nemesis-exclusive airship summon code or full use of teleportation gates for free. >

2. One night stay at the Metallic Hotel’s suite room (6-star). >

3. Grade 2 Energy Shield. Smartwatch with Blink spell permanently engraved, ‘Revenge’.

There were crazy gifts that didn’t fit with a simple game forum invitation, but what caught my eye wasn’t just these things.

“Wow, this is…”

4. Pet: Summon Card for Roaring Drake Kashim (Legendary) x 1. >

5. Gatekeeper: Summon Card for Awakened Thunderbird (Legendary) x 1.

It was there. There were legendary pets and gatekeepers.