The vast rolling hills stood tall in the warm radiance of the sun's golden light. It was almost sundown on this horrific battleground where many had given their lives, all for what they believed was the greater good.
However, despite all their efforts, this cursed world still ended in utter tragedy.
Or so it could be said.
The battlefield was littered with countless bodies — humans and other creatures, ranging from elves to dwarves, giants, orcs, and even dragons.
The world all around carried a thick, suffocating smell, and the only person here to witness this horror unfold was none other than Theodore Vance.
He was the hero of the story, the one who had landed the finishing blow, and yet he did not feel as though he was a hero.
He had sacrificed everything he had deemed human and worth living for, all to take down the Supreme Lord Kai. And though he had won, the victory felt like nothing more than a hollow loss.
He had saved the world — but definitely not the beings in it.
Now Theodore sat on the ground in his battle-damaged armour, having lost an eye that still oozed blood, a hand wrinkled and destroyed beyond repair, and most of all, skin peeled from flesh.
He was more or less like the corpses around him, except that he had a little more life lingering within his damned being.
Staring at the vast scape of destruction, he thought of nothing more than sliding the tip of his sword into his throat and ending his life.
But whenever he brought the chipped end of his blade to his neck, he paused, thinking of the sacrifices the others had made for him to be here — the single survivor of it all. Wasting his life was not an option.
He debated for a while before throwing his sword down onto the hot ash covering the ground, then fell back to watch the skies — the last beauty the earth still had to offer, yet to be tainted.
And with his last will, he wished… for a second chance to make things right.
<>
With that final paragraph, Zhang Feng manually saved the last chapter of his novel. Then he pushed his glasses back a bit and yawned, satisfied with a job well done.
Wait till the readers see this. Those comments will be coming in like water! he mused, minimizing his writing document until he reached his homepage. He glanced at the game icons there but scolded himself not to get distracted just yet.
He was an author — a full-time one at that — so he didn't need anyone to tell him he had to come up with his next idea as soon as possible.
His last work, which he had just completed, was roughly two thousand chapters long and had over fifty thousand fans globally. He needed to beat that with an even better idea… but how? The Classless King Hero was his best work yet.
Zhang Feng questioned his own ideologies and inspirations toward a new work, thinking for a while before rising from his seat without the slightest idea of what to do next.
"Maybe I should take a breather," he said, turning away from his laptop and going outside his room. Since he was hungry after a job well done, he picked up his coat and set off to leave his house.
Though he spent most of his time indoors writing, plotting, and planning his works, he had done quite a good job of keeping his workspace clean — well enough, at least.
Finally stepping outside, Zhang was struck with a view that stunned him. He was instantly reminded of his age — being in his late twenties — and how, after staying indoors for months, the world now felt somewhat foreign.
Seeing girls, children, and other people reminded him of his loneliness. But who was he to complain? He had known the mantle of being an author before taking it up.
Zhang yawned and began to walk from his house toward the busy road. He mixed into the crowd quickly and found it hard to navigate his way.
Luckily, not much had changed since the last time he had gone out, so he was able to find his way through the busy streets to a personal spot he loved.
He finally reached a bridge. It was silent and almost bereft of people. In his hand, he carried a nylon bag filled with rice balls he had bought along the way.
Walking to the edge of the bridge, he rested on it and stared into the clean water, watching the koi fish swim, vibrant as ever.
The Shinai Bridge had always been a place where he found peace and inspiration to write further. It felt extremely fulfilling to be there after completing his novel and…
"Man, I need a girlfriend. Am I going to wallow in this forever…"
He heard a clang from behind — something like luggage or a chunk of metal being dropped.
Zhang disregarded it at first, assuming it was just a passerby. But as he heard the sound again and again, disturbingly loud, he turned his head in question.
A man stood before him, badly battered and torn apart in all kinds of ways. It looked like a Halloween costume with graphics-level realism.
But something felt wrong.
"Hello? Can I help you?" Zhang asked, uneasy at the sight — especially at the man's almost human-sized sword, chipped in all kinds of ways.
"You!" The man's voice trembled, yet held authority. "You are the cause of it all!"
Now Zhang was even more confused. He dropped his bag of rice balls on the bridge railing and raised both hands.
"Dude, I don't get you at all. What did I cause? I've literally been in my house for days. Please be specific."
Zhang's mind raced with scenarios. If worst came to worst, he would jump off the bridge and scream for help.
"I am Theodore Vance! And for my loved ones who died and my world that perished, I must kill you!"
Too fast for Zhang to react, the man — claiming to be Theodore — soared forward, sword raised high overhead.
Zhang stood stunned. This was a novel character he had written? Here before him, battered exactly as described in the last chapter… and going for the kill?
Is it me, or am I hallucinating rubbish?
His answer came almost immediately as the end of Theodore's blade tore through his neck completely, beheading him.
It was a swift exit, but…
Did I just get killed by my novel character?
***Author's note***
Thanks for embarking on this journey with me. Let's enjoy the story together.