Chương 1: Dorian ( 1 )
AUTHOR NOTE: For the old readers, this is the final version and I plan to be serious with it.
_3rd July, 2030_
_Starmap Academy_
It was the mid-hours of the day, and the luxurious Starmap Academy cafeteria buzzed with activities. Students ordered and devoured their desired dishes while conversing with one another.
The exquisite aroma and top-notch 5-star structure, combined with the refined manner of the students, highlighted the school's prestigious status as the most expensive high school in the eastern region.
A place like this was a dreamland for many scholars but only a few could afford or even meet the academic standard required to be here. Most students here were sons and daughters of top politicians, famous celebrities, and business moguls.
However, a few, like Dorian, were the total opposite, hailing from the lowest class of society and barely sneaking into this magnificent educational paradise with many sleepless nights.
Sitting in an isolated corner of the luxurious cafeteria, Dorian, a young man with curly black hair and blue eyes, could be seen holding his aged-stricken phone, his eyes fixed on it deeply and strangely, causing odd looks to fall on him.
Not too far away from Dorian, a group of neatly dressed high-class young ladies exchanged looks of irritation as they watched him.
"Look at that rat, deeply engrossed in his stinky old smelly android again. I'd be damned if my maids owned androids, let alone one so old and cheap," one of them scoffed, picking a piece of over-decorated cupcake from her plate.
"I can't believe the school director accepted this peasant into the academy. Coming to school every day and realizing he is one of us makes my blood boil," another responded, staring daggers at Dorian.
There were four of them sitting together, three kept blabbering about their exaggerated opinions of him, while the last one kept quiet.
The quiet one had mesmerizing blonde hair and blue eyes that stared quietly at her noisy friends. From time to time, she peeked at Dorian, wondering what was so different about him that made others despise him so much.
However, while all these talks went on, Dorian kept his cool as he scrolled through the last few chapters of his favorite novel 'Ethereal Descent,' completely isolating himself in it.
'Ethereal Descent' was a novel Dorian started reading two years ago. At that time he picked it up, it had around two thousand chapters, and the author was pretty consistent, updating 21 chapters every week.
The novel was about a digitized apocalypse orchestrated by a powerful mythical organization of gods and devils who sought pleasure in the suffering of humans as they fought for survival.
This organization turned the human world into their personal gaming server, pumping all sorts of dangerous survival missions which claimed millions of lives daily. The protagonist was just an average male gamer who found a leak in their little game and used it to his advantage.
The novel was pretty unpopular and underrated as only less than ten readers came back every day to read the latest chapters.
The reason was quite understandable. Around 500 chapters into the novel, one of the fans' popular favorite female leads was sacrificed by the protagonist, which made most of the readers drop the novel.
While Dorian also loved this female lead's character, he didn't blame the protagonist for doing what he did, as he had no other way out. He had no plot armor, and all his progress was based on his personal hard work and decisions, which is why Dorian loved it.
-Chapter 3666: Last Echo (FINAL CHAPTER)-
"Hmm, final chapter? There are still a lot of plots running in the novel that are not even halfway to completion. Why did the author have to end it now?" Dorian muttered with a frown on his face.
If the author rushed the ending of this novel, Dorian would spend the rest of his life praying the author never knows true peace. The novel had been his companion for the last two years, and a rushed ending would be akin to killing that companionship.
"This has to be a joke."
Dorian used the volume button to slide to the next page, but to his shock, there was nothing except a short author note.
[ -AUTHOR NOTE- ]
-First of all, I want to thank all my loyal readers who understood my reasons for killing XXXX and stayed with me while others left. Your presence has been the only reason I am able to update daily for two years. Big thanks.
-Lastly and sadly, I want to use this medium to inform you that 'Ethereal Descent' has come to an unplanned end. I do not have the right to share this, but for your loyalty, I will risk it — THIS IS NOT A FICTIONAL WORK, BEWARE!!
'What the fuck is this piece of shit author trying to pull off with this note at the end? Is he trying to play cool and mysterious or something?'
Dorian quickly checked the comment section, which was already flooded with hate messages for the author.
@Immortalsaltywater: KYS author, pray I don't get your location, or else I would do the honors of killing you myself for this bullshit.
@Ligmaballz55: I shall swing my rod against thine face anytime I see thee.
@Aura+9999: Why would you do such a thing to me, author-kun, after three years of commitment? This is almost the same as cheating on me.
Dorian studied the comments with a frown on his face. No matter how weird these comments were, he couldn't help but agree with them. The amount of rage he felt at this moment was enough to land him in jail.
With that rage, he started typing.
@NotDorian:I hope this is a joke, author. If you don't correct this joke, I promise to dedicate my life to making yours a living hell.
Dorian was so enraged, he ended up writing a five hundred-word-long essay about how he was going to make the author's life miserable.
In just ten seconds, he got four likes, and one of them was from the author himself.
"The bastard is even online," he gritted his teeth. "Wait, the bastard is typing. Let's see what he has to say about this."
Dorian focused on his phone's screen with squinted eyes.
At this moment, Dorian totally forgot he was in a public gathering.
@AUTHOR: I understand your feelings, everyone. The novel will be deleted soon.
"What!!!!" Dorian exclaimed loudly, drawing the attention of every eye in the cafeteria.
"Hey idiot, keep it down! This is not the slum where uncivilized bastards like you can scream as you like."
"This fool..."
"Someone take that stinky pig out of here."
Everyone retorted harshly at Dorian for screaming.
Dorian raised his head and observed their reactions with a calm expression on his face. He knew he went all out when he exclaimed, but their reactions were totally fueled by the hatred they had for him, which he didn't mind because he actually didn't give a fuck about their feelings toward him.
"Hey fool, do you think this is your house?"
A burly voice sounded behind Dorian. Before he could react, he was yanked out from his seat by his collar, and his phone fell to the ground.
Grabbed by the collar, Dorian felt a strong choking sensation, almost as though he was running out of breath.
He could see everyone standing up from their seats, looking towards his direction with happy expressions on their faces, all glad to see him get bullied once again.
"No one pisses off Brandon and gets away with it. That bastard got what he deserves," a guy standing not too far away declared with a scoff.
"Deal with him, Brandon," another added, praising the guy grabbing Dorian.
Dorian was used to Brandon, the 6'7" bully whose muscular build made him one of the most intimidating figures at Starmap Academy.
Facing Brandon now, Dorian felt a surge of rage, his fists clenching at the urge to fight back. But he knew he was too weak to do so; it would only get him more beatings.
"Hey, I know I messed up big time, and I'm sorry. Please put me down before we both get into trouble for something so insignificant," Dorian said, trying to talk his way out.
"The only one getting in trouble today would be me for beating your stupid ass. And with my dad's authority, I'm sure no one would dare punish me," Brandon scoffed.
"Then be fast about it before the novel gets deleted," Dorian made a bizarre request that shocked everyone.
They exchanged gazes, wondering who would want to get beaten by someone as strong as Brandon.
"He's definitely on something."
"Who gave him weed to smoke?"
Some guys commented.
Even Brandon was confused. He loved it when his prey begged for mercy, but why was this one begging for a beating instead? Did he hit his head on something?
"Are you serious?"
"If I ask you not to do it, would you let me go?"
"No."
"Then hurry up and get it over with, you big lump of fat."
Following this little interaction was a silence that spread across the cafeteria. Everyone had the same question in their head—if this conversation was real or straight out of a comic book.
But this question soon disappeared when a loud, robotic, and terrifying voice echoed across the cafeteria.
[ "WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE" ]
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