XXXX December 31
Seven days ago, the novel world was shaken by the sudden rise of a new author, RealityKing, with his release, 'Heavenly Path Awakened: Growing Through Every Storm.' Shockingly, within those few days, it amassed a staggering 5.7 million views and now around 60k+ collections, despite having barely twenty chapters.
Due to its speedy popularity, it was featured on every promotional banner and recommendation list across the platform, adding more fuel to its growth.
How did it happen?
The novel's rapid rise left readers and fellow authors baffled. Some called it luck, while others suspected the author had some secret advantage—perhaps even hacking into the platform. However, platform officials came out to dismiss any technical issues, deepening the mystery surrounding this author.
.
.
.
In a large, elegantly furnished room illuminated by soft, colorful lights, a nineteen-year-old boy sat before a table filled with high-end computers. Slow, calming instrumental music played through his headset, easing his mind into a relaxed state as he focused on his system's screen.
"Dammit! This MC is an idiot!" Alden muttered, scowling as he clenched his fists.
His expression shifted from anger to disappointment and then back to anger as he kept reading.
After a few minutes, he let out a frustrated groan and slammed his fist on the desk. "Who the hell wrote this crap?" he shouted to the empty room.
His voice echoed, breaking the silence.
"A waste of my precious time!"
With a loud thud, Alden yanked off the headset on his head and hurled it across the room, his mind overtaken by anger and regret.
After days of sleepless nights in front of his computer, he was drained, his body begging for rest. Just before heading to bed, ready to welcome the new year with a good sleep…
He decided to check the web novel rankings, something he hadn't done in a while.
To his surprise, he found 'Heavenly Path Awakened' in the top 10 trending list.
As a popular streamer, Alden was no stranger to the buzz around new releases. Over the past few days, he'd seen countless streamers broadcasting about this particular book, but he had been too deeply occupied with his project to read or air about the novel himself.
'Is there something groundbreaking about this book that sets it apart?' Filled with curiosity, he clicked on it, expecting to find some unique charm that explained its fast growth—only to be met with utter disappointment.
Alden let out an irritated sigh, running his hand through his hair as he stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Unbelievable…"
"These days, people jump into writing without even understanding the basics," he scoffed, voice dripping with disdain. "They think they can just slap words together and call it a story."
His heart at the moment was bitter... seeing an unworthy novel rise to fame was deeply infuriating.
For a few moments, he sat there, trying to calm himself. But his mind wouldn't let it go. How could such a poorly written story gain so much popularity?
His anger only grew as he imagined readers blindly following the plot, hyping it up as though it was a masterpiece.
He laughed bitterly when he went through the novel's reviews filled with praises. "What a joke! Ridiculous. Are these people ignorant or what?"
Click! Click!...
"I can't stay idle, watching something not even deserving of its accomplishments going viral," he muttered, a bitter sense of injustice weighing heavily on his chest.
Without hesitation, Alden's fingers flew over the keyboard as he set up his livestream, his tired face illuminated by the glow of his monitor. He took a few deep breaths, regaining his composure before hitting the 'Go Live' button.
"Hey yo, what's up, guys? It's been a while since my last stream—work's been crazy, you know..."
"And HAPPY NEW YEAR in advance to you guys," he happily screamed into the mic. "I want to thank you for your support and dedication till this moment…"
He wasted no time getting to the point. "…I usually don't bother with trash novels, but this one, Heavenly Path Awakened, is everywhere, and I just can't stay silent."
Almost immediately, comments started flowing in as his loyal fans joined the stream after being notified.
-InfinityKing: Oh? Den-Den is mad at it again! Spill it, bro!
-Meetmehere001: Happy New Year, too, dude; you finally remember us after a while of abandonment! ^_^
-A_boy_called_john: Aldie, drop an update on the project you're working on as a New Year gift.
-Annoymus_user: Go ahead!!
-PotatoOnCouch: Little one, don't hold back. Fry them till they're ashier than my burnt sweet potatoes!
-CallMeYourLord: Say it loud, say it proud. We're all ears… and totally not recording for blackmail (◠‿◕)
Within minutes, the live stream hit 98,000 views, with over 3,000 reactions and comments rapidly climbing.
-Badguy: Finally, someone's gonna roast this overrated mess.
.....
.....
Alden chuckled seeing some of the comments, adjusting his mic. "I spent an hour reading through this so-called 'masterpiece' everyone's hyping up."
Let me tell you about my observation... my point of view though not yours, in case it doesn't sit well with you or I make you angry with my view then you can go ahead and punch yourself straight in the face.."
He pulled up the novel and shared the screen with his followers. For some minutes, he rapidly scrolled through a few chapters, his expression darkening with every passing line.
"There's no character development, the pacing isn't even organized... and the structure is a mess.... The MC is so idiotic.... This novel doesn't deserve the flow...."
He took his time to point out tons of errors.
He shook his head, rubbing his temples. "And the title? It doesn't match the story at all. How is the MC supposed to survive in that world without any talent? It's just like a level 1 gamer standing to fight against players 10x powerful than him... This is bullsh*t, I'm sure the author doesn't even understand his own plot..."
-NotAvailable: Needs hours of editing before it can even count as a 'novel.'
-keyboardWarrior: I tried reading it, but my IQ dropped so low I almost forgot my own name.
-WeebLord: Dropped it after a few chapters. Not promising.
-DarkMan: All hype, nothing else. Should be called 'Heavenly Path Wasted' instead ಠ_｣ಠ.
Alden shook his head, sighing. "I'd rather read random forum posts; at least those have more emotion. This? They're just empty words."
Leaning closer to the camera, he lowered his voice. "You guys know something is off, right? This thing has millions of views, but why? It's like someone is pulling strings from behind."
-NextDoor: Haha, it's being shoved in our faces, but there is no soul in it!
-AnimeLord: Aldo going full detective mode!
-MadDude: Expose it, bro! Let's see if it's worse than my Wi-Fi connection!
-User262: Bunch of cliches thrown in to grab attention.
-ChosenOne: Trash goes trending, and the gems stay hidden.
-User234074: *sighs* Real talent buried under stuff like this. Well, that aside, tell us about your project.
Typing.....
More comments flooded in.
"There are so many talented authors out there who deserve the spotlight. But no, this garbage gets all the attention. The whole thing is just messed up."
He paused, his voice softening. "It's sad. Real stories are buried under stuff like this. But people keep chasing the hype."
Nodding at the camera, he continued, "So yeah, Heavenly Path? Not worth your time. Let's support the real gems in this new year."
"Oh, one more thing!" He broke into a smile. "Tomorrow, my team and I will release the game project for beta testing as our New Year gift to you!"
He decided to end the live stream there after dropping the announcement without bothering to reply to the tons of comments raining praises on him and his team.
As Alden clicked to exit his channel, strangely, the interface froze.
At first, he thought it was a standard glitch, but the screen flickered unnaturally before going black and then lighting up again on its own.
"W-What the hell?" he shouted, jumping up from his chair.
A message appeared on the screen.
⟨Oh, Alden, why don't you put yourself in my MC's shoes? Are you sure you'd do any better?—RealityKing⟩
"REALITYKING! HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE?" he exclaimed in shock, almost falling off his feet.
Alden's eyes widened. "F*ck! What did this bastard do to my system?" he muttered, trying to dismiss the unsettling feeling.
"This bastard is toying with me, WTF! Why would I be scared?"
He felt a wave of relief and sat back down.
He quickly typed a string of curses but cleared it all and sent a middle-finger emoji instead.
Seconds later, another message popped up.
⟨Let's say you get sent into that world. Are you sure you will survive?⟩
Click! Click!
His hands speedily ran through the keyboard.
Alden replied... ⟨Dude, even if you've read the coolest web novels, don't think that stuff works in real life. But about your question—yeah, I'm 100% sure I'd survive in that world⟩
He hit 'send' and waited, keeping his gaze locked on the screen.
RealityKing's replies came almost instantly like he had them pre-written and ready to go.
⟨Alright then, hehe. So be it. Good luck xD⟩
That was the last reply he received.
"How was it even possible for him to hack into my system!" Alden shouted in annoyance, typing away to strengthen his system's security without thinking much of what happened.
Alden's skin prickled. The air felt colder—strangely. A faint hum filled the room, vibrating through everywhere.
His pulse quickened as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. He glanced around, but nothing seemed out of place. But the eerie sensation wouldn't leave, which confused him.
Then, it hit. A burning pain, sharp and sudden, shot through his chest like someone had driven a knife into him.
He gasped for air, his eyes wide open as the room began to tilt and spin.
And then, he fell off the chair.
"What's… happening?" Seeking for air.
"I-is this the end of me—"
He muttered, blood pouring out of his mouth as he slowly succumbed to unconsciousness
The pain in his chest spread like wildfire while his vision darkened. For a fleeting moment, it felt as though the room itself had disappeared, replaced by a void of swirling lights and shadows.
****
Moments later, Alden opened his eyes slowly. A strong headache was pounding in his head.
"Look! He's finally waking up."