Chapter 161: When Writing Begins

Immediately after arriving at the dormitory room.

I sat at the desk and took out my novel, which I had borrowed from the library, along with my writing tools.

From now on, I planned to read How the Repentant Villain Saves the World — Hoe-ak-bang for short — and transcribe foreshadowing or important settings into my notebook.

Why was I doing this?

The answer was simple.

Having lived for more than six months while completely forgetting everything about Hoe-ak-bang, the details had grown hazy.

This had suddenly become an issue because I had decided to continue writing the novel.

‘The Demonic Realms appearing all over the world mean a crisis could strike at any time or place. People might think, “What on earth are you doing when you should be spending all day focusing on combat training?”‘

Since there might be readers who feel uncomfortable, I will explain it properly.

Continuing to write is also a part of training that helps with combat.

[Character Analysis]

As the name implies, this skill is activated when analyzing a “character.”

Not a “person.”

This meant that I didn’t necessarily have to laboriously observe the actions of living people or struggle to guess their thoughts.

‘It’s enough to just analyze fictional characters… rather, this is likely the correct way to use the [Character Analysis] skill!’

By throwing out a specific event and writing while imagining how the characters would think and move, I could increase my proficiency in that skill.

‘An innovative training method that catches two birds with one stone — skill growth and a hobby — exists right here. There’s no reason not to do it, right?’

Furthermore, if I used this skill properly, the time it took to write would be drastically reduced.

Balancing lectures, personal training, and writing wouldn’t be an impossible task.

In that sense, it was an incredibly useful skill for me as an “Author.”

In fact, the [Character Analysis] skill was meant to serve as a support for [Writing], and I wondered if I had been using it strangely all this time.

No wonder it felt more burdensome on my brain when I tried to slow down my thought process for combat than when I maintained my Mental Acceleration at maximum capacity.

It must have been because that wasn’t the “correct usage.”

‘But what can I do? I felt firsthand during the Bimu Tournament just how much of a help the Mental Acceleration of the [Character Analysis] skill is in combat!’

I couldn’t give up this attractive “shortcut” now.

Therefore, I planned to steadily practice controlling my thought speed as well.

If I checked the time with a stopwatch while activating the [Character Analysis] skill during writing, the practice would be more effective.

‘That’s the immediate benefit I can gain by continuing to write Hoe-ak-bang…’

I decided that I had to keep writing even if it was just in preparation for when the [Writing] skill eventually became active.

It was a G-rank skill that had never even been mentioned in the original work.

If I ended up unable to use such a high-rank skill properly because I lost my touch for writing, what could be more ridiculous than that?

And above all else.

The disposition listed on my Status Window was “Author.”

Not only [Character Analysis] and [Writing], but even [Encourage] were skills derived from that disposition.

‘That means if I’m no longer an author, those skills could disappear or become deactivated, right?’

Usually, the disposition defined by the Status Window is an unchanging nature, so there was no need for such concern.

But where in this world is there a person who is born an “Author”?

The moment I break my pen for good, I won’t be an author, but someone who “used to be” an author.

Therefore, I reached the conclusion that I must never stop creating, if only to maintain my disposition.

For reference, the reason I kept referring to Yor as “my” baby dragon was for a similar reason.

“Possessiveness” wasn’t originally my disposition but was more like a trace left behind by the original owner of this body.

And if that trace were to disappear, I would be unable to use [Encourage], which was a skill derived from it.

That was why I was consciously reminding myself that Yor was “my possession.”

Since possessiveness is a universal emotion that any human has, such effort might not even be necessary.

Perhaps I simply hadn’t realized it yet.

Though I might not be as extreme as the original Karbaldr, I might be the possessive type myself.

‘I consider myself someone without material greed, but I can’t be sure when it comes to living beings… since I was always alone!’

However, I couldn’t afford to think or act complacently based on an uncertain hypothesis.

Right now, [Encourage] might only be a B-rank skill, but its potential for growth was open.

Since it allowed for overlapping Keywords and could be strengthened through [Encourage], it was a skill far too precious to lose.

‘I think that’s enough contemplation on skills and dispositions to serve as an explanation for the readers…’

It was time to finally open the book.

I placed my hand on the cover, closed my eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath.

Beyond this sturdy cover were merely characters engraved on thin sheets of paper.

But because the possibility of a world existing beyond those characters was very high, it felt less like reading a book and more like being on the verge of reuniting with long-lost friends.

Because of that, my heart thumped with excitement and nervousness.

“It reminds me of a vow I made in the past…”

Meow?

“That if I ever had the chance, I wanted to finish writing this novel. My world that I created and my characters who live within it. And my Protagonist, who is the center of the world and the focal point for the characters… I want to lead them all to a happy ending.”

I slowly opened my eyes again and spoke aloud the thoughts I had only kept to myself back in chapter 119.

By doing so, I shared the resolution I had kept hidden with my wise understanding companion.

“It’s quite a relief, isn’t it? That I don’t have to keep them waiting for a long time in a frozen state.”

“Meow!!”

That wasn’t the only thing to be relieved about.

For a novel to be completed not just as a collection of characters but as a “story,” there must be a being that reads and imagines through interpretation.

In other words, a “Reader” is essential.

The concept that a reader is practically a co-creator of a novel doesn’t exist for nothing.

This characteristic was even more prominent in the case of “webnovels.”

This was because the reader’s reactions and impressions were delivered to the author in real-time through comments.

However, as those reading this narration already know, there is currently only one of “my Readers” in this world within another person’s novel.

Even if I asked Yor to be a reader, the number would only be two, which was quite a pity.

You are all “my Readers,” and the people who read my novel in the world where I used to live are also “my Readers,” but they wouldn’t be able to read the sequel to Hoe-ak-bang that I planned to write and show me their reactions.

‘As a transmigrator, the fact that the original protagonist stayed at the Academy evoked complex emotions…!’

But thinking solely as an author, I was simply grateful and relieved that “my Reader,” who existed in the same world as me, had not left the Academy.

Of course, even so, I had no intention of letting Reysir know that I was “Author Byeol.”

‘Once I have enough for a full volume, I’ll bind it and sneakily leave it in the library!’

I was a bit worried about what to do for the cover, but I could worry about that later.

For now, writing the novel was the priority.

I took another deep breath to compose myself and turned the page.

While I read Volume One of Hoe-ak-bang and took notes on three notebooks, categorizing character settings, world-building details, and foreshadowing, Yor began transcribing the content of Volume Two by tapping on the typewriter keys.

The typewriter was something I had purchased when I decided to resume writing, and having my baby dragon handle the transcription was a favor I had requested.

It wasn’t enough to just write down the important details in a notebook.

That was merely preparation to reduce setting errors and ensure I didn’t forget essential plot points.

‘When writing, there are surprisingly many cases where you need to reference previous dialogue or descriptions. I can’t exactly borrow the previous volumes from the library every single time, can I?’

For a long time, the only things filling the space were the sound of pages turning, the scratch of the pen on paper, and the rhythmic clicking of the typewriter.

Then, at a certain moment.

— Beep, beep, beep.

A loud noise intervened, breaking the tranquil flow.

The Aether Alarm Clock I had set for 6:50 PM was ringing.

I stopped what I was doing, cleared the desk, and straightened my clothes in the mirror.

Yor also finished tidying up by putting the typewriter and the novel into his Yeouiju.

— Knock, knock, knock.

The sound of knocking came just as the clock hands pointed to 6:57 PM.

Though he had arrived earlier than the promised time, I felt he had come at an appropriate moment that wasn’t excessive.

When I opened the door, my Reader stood there with a refreshing smile.

“Karbaldr! Listen, I have some great news!”

“Did your guardian turn down the professorship and say he wouldn’t meet with me?”

“No, that’s not it.”

I had expected as much, but hearing the denial was disappointing.

I tried not to make a sour face as I fully stepped out of the room and locked the door.

Meanwhile, Reysir delivered his “good news.”

“Actually, Helly was also at the Academy. So she’ll be joining us for dinner, and I’ve recruited her!”

“Recruited her?”

“It means that if Master Dyuf has any misunderstandings about you, Helly will also stand by your side and help clear them up.”

The protagonist of another novel seemed to have left out a word.

This wasn’t just “good news,” it was “news that didn’t matter.”

“Why are you making such a half-hearted expression?”

“It’s nothing.”

Instead of explaining the shift in my facial muscles, I turned away and walked off with long strides.

Reysir caught up with me at a quick pace and walked beside me, rambling on about Dyuf.

He said his guardian still saw him and Hailga as children.

Therefore, he was just worried because of his protective nature, so even if he was wary of me, I shouldn’t think too poorly of him.

He hoped that he and I would see each other as decent people and build a good relationship.

‘He probably said similar things to Dyuf.’

His efforts were truly commendable.

In reality, even if Dyuf thought poorly of me, it wouldn’t matter to me at all; in fact, I could accept it as perfectly reasonable.

And crucially, I didn’t want to increase the number of original characters hovering around me anymore.