Chapter 7 - Episode 2: Become the Protagonist (3)
◈ How to Become a Star Writer ◈
Episode 2: Become the Protagonist (3)
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Bintz's head flew off.
The bandit gang was wiped out.
And, as always, the message followed.
[You have died.]
...Damn it, how many times had I died now?
Even seeing blood everywhere now only made me think, “Fuck, again?”
It was enough to make me confident I could write a thrilling fight scene if I ever wrote a novel. No, more precisely, I could properly write a scene where the protagonist dies...
[You have died.]
[Your soul has entered a state of suspended animation.]
[The Abyss watches you.]
Tentacles stared at me from the pitch-black darkness. Voices howled like screams.
“Come here. To this place.”
“You too. Soon. Like this.”
No matter how many times I saw it, I could never get used to it.
This was the most horrifying part of this damned death.
[You barely escape the Abyss. 500 Dust has been deducted.]
[The story restarts.]
[Dust held: 900]
I raised my head after struggling to catch my breath, and the desert spread out before me again.
Once again, I was alive.
Watching the Dust-related windows briefly appear and vanish before my eyes, I thought:
So this was why.
For some reason, every time I did something, those things called “Stars” gave me something called “Dust.”
Going by the circumstances, it felt similar to the Star Candies live streamers received.
What I knew for sure was that this Dust decreased every time I died, and that I returned to the moment just before my death. Still... it felt deeply unsettling. Like I was buying my life with money.
“Hey, Lance. Hurry up. The boss is waiting.”
To sum it up, as long as I had Dust, I could come back to life as many times as I wanted.
Of course, that didn't mean I wanted to keep dying.
“Hey! Where are you going?!”
Bintz's startled face grew distant as I ran with all my strength.
Sorry, Bandit Lackey #1. But what else could I do?
If you stay there, your head will fly off.
[Some Stars are disappointed by your cowardice.]
[300 Dust has been deducted.]
They could be disappointed all they wanted.
Did they think I was going to die again?
According to the setting, the protagonist possessed enough swordsmanship to wipe out the entire bandit gang with a single swing.
More importantly, after seeing that bastard's combat ability in the previous round, I had no reason to stay there any longer.
That bastard's total combat power was 2,281.
And mine was 5.
How was I supposed to beat him in that situation?
Whoosh!
Splat!
[You have died.]
...Fuck.
[You barely escape the Abyss. 500 Dust has been deducted.]
[Dust held: 100]
The horrible scene passed by like a panorama, and the vast desert stretched out before me again. As I stood there blankly, clueless Bintz spoke to me once more.
“Hey, Lance. Hurry up. The boss is waiting.”
“Aaaaaagh! Fuuuuuck!”
“W-What? Are you crazy?”
...It was an infinite loop.
There was no way out, no matter what I did.
If I ran, I died. If I fought back, I died anyway.
Because this was that kind of story. That bastard was the protagonist, and I was just an extra. Of course I couldn't win, no matter what I did.
Now I only had 100 Dust left.
What would happen if I fell into the Abyss without enough Dust?
Would that monster eat me after all?
I had failed in the literary establishment, failed on the platform, and now my life was going to end in a place like this without leaving behind a single worthwhile work.
I couldn't believe it.
What had I done wrong?
[Writer Skill “Inferiority Complex” activates.]
[Your mental strength decreases due to self-deprecation.]
Even my skills were useless at a time like this.
And Inferiority Complex?
Why was the skill name like this, too?
[A very small number of Stars enjoy your self-deprecation and pay 100 Dust.]
[Some Stars are frustrated by your self-deprecation.]
[100 Dust has been deducted.]
They were really putting on a whole performance by themselves.
And what was with giving it to me, then taking it away?
With a sigh, I looked around.
Bintz, with a stupid face, and several bandits marched on without knowing their futures.
I had to find a solution.
The enemy was too strong, and there was no way to escape from here.
No matter what I did, that protagonist bastard would follow me like Misery and chop my head off with a sword.
Think, Lee Hak-hyeon.
There had to be a way.
I recalled the contents of Yoo Chan-young's novel.
This scene where my head kept falling off was clearly the prologue of Yoo Chan-young's novel.
It was the opening of an overpowered protagonist story, where a regressor slaughtered a passing bandit gang, stole their artifact, and amplified their spiritual power... Huh? Wait a second.
“Lance, you've still got the Upper Soul, right? It'll be a disaster if you lose it. We deliberately hid it on you because you looked like the weakest one, so take good care of it.”
...I had something?
Without thinking, I reached into my clothes. A bead radiating five brilliant colors soon appeared.
[Artifact Information]
Name: Upper Soul
Rank: S
Type: Consumable
Description: A rare soul elixir developed by ancient mages. Greatly increases the consumer's spiritual power.
One of the Four Great Elixirs of the Continent, though it has the drawback of raising attributes unevenly.
The moment I read the item description, my mind rang.
Why hadn't I thought of this?
Through the sandstorm, I could see the protagonist charging toward me, eyes gleaming.
I didn't have to think for long.
Yeah. Who said only the protagonist got to swallow this thing?
“Hey, you bastard! What are you doing?!”
At Bintz's shout, dazzling five-colored light burst from my mouth. Hot energy passed down my throat, and prickling particles seemed to spread through my entire body.
I already felt stronger.
Hahahaha! How do you like that?
But the good feeling didn't last long. Heat gathered around my lower abdomen, and soon pain began, as though lava were flowing through every vein in my body.
G-Gaaaaaah...?
It hurt so much that I couldn't even scream.
Every time my blood surged, something like a massive iron plate in my head shattered with a Crack, crack, crack.
Was I going to die from taking medicine before I could even fight?
At last, the hot energy that had circulated through my entire body gathered in my lower abdomen again.
[Your spiritual power greatly increases!]
I could hear the startled bandits cursing, but I didn't care.
Was this what it felt like when the Ren and Du meridians were unblocked in a martial arts novel?
Power suddenly overflowed through my body.
[Your total combat power has increased.]
[A small number of Stars are pleased by your judgment and pay you 500 Dust.]
My field of vision widened.
As my five senses expanded, I could perceive things I hadn't sensed before.
Bintz's breathing.
The movements of the bandits drawing their swords.
The wind's murmur and the presence of desert insects.
And then...
Whoosh!
Even the movement of the throwing knife flying in from afar.
Bintz's head shattered, the bandits' heads flew off, and the furious protagonist's blade came at me.
Clang!
I could see the protagonist's startled expression.
Yeah, bastard. Surprised?
This time, things would be different.
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