On the boistered night, a lone boy walked on the road avoiding the other passerby while looking down at his phone. In his ear, there was a pair of small earbuds playing some rock music, immersed in his own world. His name is Soma.
After he finished his part-time work, he intended to go home via bus.
Arriving at the waiting station. He spotted the empty station seat just before him. Take a seat on the hard cold steel, then lean his tired body, sighing.
No wonder he became like that. Almost every day after finishing college studies, Soma just went straight to his part-time job. This mundane activity was Soma's current life, ever since he became an orphan three years ago. He needed the money to spend for his everyday life.
Soma tinkered with his phone and then opened his e-money app to see his balance. There he saw a six-digit balance that he got from his deceased parents and savings from his part-time job.
"..Good job for today". Soma sighs once again and says those words to keep his spirit up.
Three years ago he lost both of his parents. After an airplane accident took their lives when they were on a business trip. Hearing that news, made Soma devastated at first, but he is the type that doesn't dwell on the past. He recovered fast and could move forward facing his life. It doesn't mean he hated his parents, No. This was because of his way of life. He simply hated being stuck in the past.
Both his parents were workaholics, they had pretty big savings on their ends. The sum is numerically big. Even if Soma used it for his college tuition. He could still have some large sum remaining in his possession after graduation.
However, Soma didn't want to become a lazy person. Even with his massive savings. He tried to earn his own money for his everyday life. So, he used his parent's money, only for his college tuition.
"Oh, right, almost forgot, did it update today?".
Soma changed the display on his phone and opened a certain app that contained web fiction. He clicked the app icon, and checked his library. Then found his currently read novel was updating a new chapter, and that was the last ten chapters.
"Let's unlock it first".
After he spent some coins and unlocked the latest chapter. The sound of a running engine could be heard nearing the station. In front of him on the side of the main road a public bus transportation stopped.
Soma stood up from his seat and entered the bus. He looked toward the inside only to find out that the seats were unusually empty without a single soul sitting on them. Finished with the payment he began to search for a random seat, and he chose the middle-row seat beside the window on the right.
Sitting down on the soft seat that absorbed his butt. Soma leaned his whole body to enjoy the pleasant feeling. He again turned his attention toward his phone. Then all of a sudden his eyes began to feel heavy for some reason. Soma starts to yawn.
"Let's rest for a bit. I can read it later at home".
He began to surrender himself. Before that he set the fifteen-minute timer for just in case situation, and began to doze off.
Time passed, when suddenly there was an earth-shattering loud explosion that rang in the middle of the street. The driver who was panicked stepped on the brake gas. Causing Soma's Body to jolt upfront, waking him up.
Soma knitted his brow and try to figure oit what is happening. He shot a glare toward the driver, but soon opened his eyes wide after he saw a fiery tail of fire that erupted in the middle of the street and the chaos that caused it.
"..Is it a traffic accident?".
On his left chest, his phone started to vibrate. Soma thought it was the notification for the timer to end, but the vibration and the melody it plays are different from what he knows. So he took out his phone and he found a single new email.
"Side_Author? Who is that? ..Strange, But I think I have heard of that name before".
Soma tilted his head seeing the unfamiliar and also familiar name on his phone screen. He began to ponder. Who it is from his acquaintance who had that weird nickname. Feeling curious, Soma opened his phone lock and tapped the mysterious email.
{From: Side_Author@*****.com}
{To: Soma_230909@*****.com}
{Subject: Hello, Good night, my dear loyal reader. This is the Author from Chronicles Saga Series..}
"..Oh, it was from the author. No wonder the name feels familiar".
Soma's question was answered as he nodded after finding out who the sender was.
{After four years of constant struggling. I finally finished writing my novel. At first, I thought this series might be over in just a year, but because of you, my loyal readers. I can keep fighting and can deliver my novel until its finish line. Many thanks, if it's not because of you I will not have gone this far, This comes from my heart, truly thank you very much…..
It was a thanks from the author to Soma who always read his novel. Part of it was true. At that time of release, the series was a boom at first, but after a year it was released, the readers' count began to drop drastically. Until there was only one person left, and that person was Soma.
Well, the story so far from Soma's perspective is not too good or bad, maybe in the middle. The story is a typical urban fantasy where a hero and his six heroines fight the awakened demon lord and his lackeys.
Soma also considered quitting reading after a certain chapter that made him furious, because one of his favorite heroines was killed by the author. At that time Soma wrote a two-page article that was filled with curses for the author. But the feeling of wanting to know the story's ending, kept pushing him to read the series. Well, in some cases Soma pretty enjoyed the story as he used it to fill his free time.
He was also hoping in the future the author would somehow resurrect his favorite heroine, but until the latest chapter he read. Soma didn't find a single foreshadowing about it. So he already let go of that resentment in his heart. He already moved on from that phase, and now he is only curious about how the story will end.
"..Wait, why did the author suddenly give me a message like this?".
…Now as my gratitude for you my loyal readers. I will bestow you a chance…
Soma tilted his head and read the continuation of it.
..YOU are now inside the novel I wrote.
"....? Huh?".
A blank face is etched on Soma's face and a huge question mark appears above his head.
..There was one time when you wrote a two-page article that contained curse words, directed at me. After I killed one of the heroines. I feel my heart being stabbed by a thousand knives. It pains me(sob,, sob,,). Well, anyway. Now I give you a chance to save that favorite heroine of yours, yourself. The decision is yours to make, how will you handle it? (Smirk). I hope you can do it, hehehe(Wink). Now for the last, I hope you can experience and enjoy yourself, and live however you like in a world that I created.
Sincerely from
Side_Author}
Soma just sat there motionlessly not moving any finger, even his breath began to slow down because of the absurd confession he had just gotten from the email. The Author claimed that Soma was transferring him into the world of novels.
Another loud explosion jolted him from his absentminded state. He turned his gaze toward the source only to find a dozen flames shaped like a ball flying in every direction outside the window causing an explosion.
"...Is this for real?".
Soma stood up from his seat and began to dash to the front trying to make sure of something. He opened the bus door and stepped outside
"..Wait, dear customer, outside is dangerous"
Ignoring the warning from the driver. After stepping outside his surroundings are filled with dozens of people who run desperately with fear-stricken faces.
Again the sound from the explosion brought him into attention. He tried to look for the source of the flame ball that scattered across the street. Then one of them flew past beside his head and hit the person who just ran beside him.
"Ack, aaaaaaaaaa".
Soma turned his gaze behind, and his body stiffened. The bright orange color that filled his sight, and the heat that caressed his skin made him stand there petrified. Then the burning smell of charred meat and silk hit his nostrils and made his body tremble.
He saw the person behind him while his whole body lit up, walking a step approaching Soma while raising his hands. As if asking for help, but soma whose body was paralyzed by fear could only watch dumbstruck. The walking flame began to kneel, dropped to the ground and kept being eaten by the flame.
"Aaaaaaa".
Soma who regained control over his body began to run, trying to get as far away as possible from those walking fire. He desperately just worked his legs to carry him away from that place, but then a fireball struck the car beside him and the car exploded while Soma was beside it.
"Ack".
The car exploded causing soma to bounce off and hit the ground. Soma desperately tried to raise his body and began to run away again into the spaces between the buildings. After he realized that he got pretty far away from the main road.
Stopping his advance, he leaned his tired body toward the wall. His throat was barren, and his lungs felt like they were on fire. He is desperately trying to gather some air into his lungs. The night wind that struck him, chilled his drenched body to the bone.
After calming himself, the sound from the explosion on the main road made his body flinch again. Then Soma's legs turned like jelly as he plopped onto his butt.
"..Are all of these real? ..Are you kidding me?".
Soma raised his phone and turned it on. He began to read again the email from the author, and realized that the message still had some additional information below it. Soma slid his finger on his phone. Then found an additional note from the author.
{Note: Ah, almost forgot. Since you are lucky to have a chance to transfer into a fantasy world. It would be my obligation to bestow you with some sort of ability Right? So I will be giving you some skills that will help you to live in the world I create. Try to check your status! There, I already bestow your skills, and I think I made a good decision to give that to you. Well then, thank you for your attention, and Good luck in your new life. Bye, Soma}
After reading the message. Soma's face contorted. He clenched his fist around his phone trying to tear it apart. He was so furious because of what the person had done to him.
"That bastard…".
Soma's body trembles. His vision began to blur and a single streak of tears ran across his cheek. He shoved both of his hands toward his face covering his moist eyes. After what he experienced since he awoke from the bus was too real, to be called a dream.
The screaming of the people, the scorching heat from the flame that burned the air around him, and worse of it the smell of a burning meat and silk he felt back then made his body tremble in terror.
"..That bastard, I have no complaints about my life, why should I got transferred into an unknown world all of a sudden ..Don't mess around with other people's life..".
Inside the gloomy dark alley. A sob from a lone boy could be heard. Soma keeps pressing his eyes while sobbing. In his mind, a hundredth of thought swirls like a spiral wearing his tired soul.
Thrown into a world where no one knows him, now he feels isolated. When his mind almost reaches a breaking point.
[Skill Mental Enhancement level 1(Passive) is activated]
After those emotionless robotic voices reverberated inside his mind. His chaotic thoughts began to dwindle down and the cloud that corroded his heart began to disappear.
Soma releases his hands that cover his eyes. Then wiped his tear-stricken face and soon opened his eyes. There one could only see a pair of calm eyes that were filled with strong light.