9:30 in the morning when Corin Wolsey received a bad news.
Contract Application Rejected
Still not fully awake, the first thing he saw was a notification from WebNovel. He clicked on it with furrowed brows and was immediately disheartened by the content.
Regrettably, your
1. Your book will not be deleted and can still be regularly updated, readers can continue to support it by giving power stones, but reapplying for a contract is no longer possible.
2. Please, improve your future books based on the editor's suggestion and we wish you good luck on your next book.
3. Looking to improve your chances of contract signing?
Corin tossed his phone to the laundry bin and snuggled back under his blanket. He kind of expected this outcome already so there wasn't any surprise really. Just that... he had already lost count how many rejection notices he had gotten over the years.
He had been trying to get an exclusive contract since 2019, five years had passed since then. Even so, he still didn't wanna give up writing. He was one of those passionate people with no talent.
After a while, he took his phone back and opened the file manager and clicked on a downloaded video. There was this certain video he always watched whenever he got rejected. An old video from seven years ago about an interview of his favorite web fiction author: QuantomSloth.
In the video, QuantomSloth said, "...been writing since I was, like… fourteen. Even posted some online, but then that certain auntie in the church found out about them and made me delete everything because she thought dragons were, I don't know, demonic or something. By the time I was eighteen, I'd written four stories and tried getting them published the traditional way, and… all I'd gotten were a bunch of rejection letters. Heartbroken, I turned to web fiction and bam! I'm suddenly successful. I guess what I'm trying to say is, there's no one right way to success…"
This video might not mean much to other people, but to Corin, it meant the world. It pushed him to never give up on his dream. Gave him hope that one day, there will be readers who could hardly wait for his next update, too. It wasn't even about the money anymore. He just wanted someone, anyone to appreciate his stories.
Sadly, QuantomSloth disappeared after the interview. She didn't even finish her ongoing story. There were rumors saying she was dead but there weren't any confirmations. Also, other than the downloaded files, all her works online were either destroyed or deleted.
With a yawn, Corin got out of his bed and headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast: instant coffee and pandesal slathered with salted butter then stuffed with ungodly amounts of cheese and eggs.
After much deliberation, he decided to have breakfast while editing his recently rejected novel. One thing he learned over the years of writing was that if your story got rejected, you don't simply toss it in the trash. Especially if it has a good concept. Instead, you revise it thoroughly, over and over again, and find another writing platform.
Because there was a big chance your story wasn't really bad, just that it lacked proper editing coupled by poor execution.
This was especially true for Corin who used to never do outlines. He had to spend more time on editing than writing itself.
With over fifty chapters written, each roughly 1,500 words long, he wasn't going to give this story up so easily. Having already poured so much time and effort into it, he was determined to see it published no matter what. Doesn't even matter if it got monetized or not.
By the time he finished revising the synopsis and the first three chapters, the sun had already set. The hours had slipped away unnoticed, and he realized he'd even forgotten to eat lunch.
Title: Symbiotic Relationship
Synopsis: In a post-apocalyptic world, a young woman named Iris Emberly lives under a strange dome that covers her entire city. Ever since she learned about it, she's been full of questions: What lies beyond the border? Why can't humans go there? And where does the city's food come from when there are no farms inside the dome?
Her life changes when a massive ship crashes from the sky, bringing with it a Vysalor—an otherworlder she had only heard about in rumors.
The Vysalor wants a new home and identity, while Iris dreams of freedom and protection.
Together, they form an unusual bond: a symbiotic relationship between a human and an otherworlder, where they must rely on each other to survive and to achieve their goals.
This time, instead of spending five to ten chapters on lengthy expositions with barely any progress, he jumped straight into the action when Iris was finally about to meet the otherworlder. He also cut off a lot of unnecessary dialogues, removed the annoying characters, and simplified the prose.
Finally, he had reworked the main antagonist of volume 1, making Bonji Galiban more formidable. Instead of being a generic gangster who beat people up for no reason, Bonji now ran an illegal fighting arena, adding a bit of depth to his character.
As Corin leaned back, rubbing his tired eyes after hours of work, a sudden email notification lit up his screen.
Exclusive Publishing Opportunity for "Symbiotic Relationship"
"Eh? Haven't I deleted the story already?" Corin wondered aloud but opened the mail anyway.
"Dear Chicken_Corin,
"I hope this email finds you well. My name is Audrey, and I am an Acquisition Editor at Phantasia Fictions, a growing platform dedicated to nurturing and showcasing exceptional literary talent.
"I recently came across your captivating story, "Symbiotic Relationship," and was thoroughly impressed by its potential. Your work demonstrates a unique voice and storytelling prowess that aligns perfectly with the high standards and creative vision we uphold at Phantasia Fictions…"
So basically, the email was an offer for an exclusive contract, promising monetization and larger audience. The sender even attached a link in case he was interested.
Corin read the email multiple times to make sure he wasn't seeing things, but he read correctly. He was indeed being offered an exclusive contract. His chest began to beat faster.
Without wasting time, he took his phone and searched the platform on the internet, but to his dismay, there weren't any writing platforms called Phantasia Fictions.
"Is this a scam? Damn! It's like rubbing salt on a wound."
He went back to the mail and read it all over again, this time with a heavy frown on his face. He clicked on the link to see what this was all about and was redirected to the Terms and Conditions. Obviously, like most people, he didn't bother reading it and scrolled past the walls of dense, legal jargon and put a check on the box.
Unfortunately for him, he should have read it thoroughly. Because as soon as his cursor clicked on the box, the screen flickered.
At first, it was just a slight glitch before it grew worse. Lines of codes warped and distorted the display. The email began to dissolve, letters coming out of the screen literally. And Corin, who was seeing all these, didn't hesitate to pick up his chair and smash his laptop with it.
Letters don't normally come out of the screen and most importantly, they don't float in the air. Last time he checked, he didn't have schizophrenia. Though he was sleep deprived, it wasn't bad enough to induce visual hallucinations yet. Though he admits he overreacted a bit when he could have checked first if there wasn't anything wrong with his eyes. But the more he stared at the wiggling letters, the more he was convinced he wasn't seeing things.
He staggered back. The screen flickering defiantly despite the damage.
"What the hell?" he whispered, beginning to question his own sanity.
The letters didn't stop. They kept spilling from the cracked display.
Corin didn't need to see more. His survival instincts kicked in. "Nope. Nope. Nope!" He bolted towards the door, nearly tripping over his chair in his haste.
As he yanked the door open, he heard a sharp crackle—or a static—behind him. His body froze the moment he turned his head.
The letters weren't just floating anymore. They twisted and churned, forming shapes, breaking apart, then snapping back together.
He took a step back, biting his lip.
'Don't be stupid, Corin. Just run. Just freaking run!'
But his feet stayed rooted. The laptop screen flared brighter and the static noise became louder.
And then… a hand.
A hand shot out from the letters, its long fingers grasping at the air before locking around Corin's collar.
His breath hitched, frozen in shock as the cold grip yanked him forward with inhuman force.
The last thing he saw was his own face reflected in the flickering monitor—terrified, and then gone. Replaced by a holographic screen that hovered in front of him.
[Synchronization Complete]
[Insufficient resources detected. Host interaction restricted to pre-programmed dialogue.]
[Universe transfer in progress: 23%]