The Trash Author Cleans his Novel

[ LOL! Serves the Hero right! ]

[ Nearly died because of a slap? -9999 aura. ]

[ What kind of development was that? LOL? ]

[ (xD) I know right? I think Mr Author plagiarized this arc from a baby! ]

[ YEAH! KILL EVERYTHING. KILL EVERYONE. WOOOOOO! ]

"..."

Looking at the chaos of his comment section, Arcine could barely form a coherent thought. Today would mark the end of his novel's stockpile, and he could no longer post any more chapters.

"Arcine..." A young woman sighed, reading the rest of the comments to him.

Yet Arcine wasn't paying much attention. No, the more accurate description would be that he simply could not.

His older sister, who helped him compose his parting message for his fans, watched as Arcine once again fell into the abyss of his own mind.

He was returning less and less lately. It was like watching a hundred-year-old man on his deathbed, gradually stepping into his grave. Yet, Arcine was only twenty-two this year.

Avilla had long prepared herself for her little brother's death. Yet her heart continued to break with each of his labored breaths.

"I wish we had more time, little bro."

Avilla watched as Arcine's eyes grew vacant. The young man stared into the white lights of his hospital bed.

He fell asleep.

Closing his eyes with her hand, she sighed. His heartbeat had grown even weaker today... and continued growing weaker with every minute.

Looking at the slow deterioration of her brother's body, Avilla stayed silent.

There was a tug in her gut. Forcing out her next words as if 'that' moment finally arrived.

"Arcine..? Ah," Avilla choked. "Is this goodbye?"

It was.

With a glance at his descending heart rate, Avilla put on one last gentle smile.

"Goodbye, my dear brother. I hope you can live a better life in the next one."

Arcine d'Vyde would thus breathe his last today, as his mind and body perished at the same time.

***

"..."

Speechless, I stood in the middle of a busy plaza. My dark grey eyes were magically reflected upon a flowing fountain. The abyssal depths made it so that I could feel the pressure of my own gaze. On top of that, the hustle and bustle of the city folk around me was an incessant buzzing in my ears.

"Uh..?"

Realizing the clarity of my thoughts and senses, I blinked. My tongue was twisted in a gasp.

Slowly, I managed to eke out my first word in ages.

"What..?"

The last thing I remembered was my dear older sister's final words for me.

A goodbye that would last for eternity.

Her final farewell to me.

"Sniff,"

I felt a tear flow down my cheek.

Huh... Was I crying? That... How was that possible?

Last I checked, I was incapable of any human mental faculty. I could do nothing in the face of my declining mind.

The sadness of parting with my only sister and the happiness of my mind and body's liberation mixed into a sludge of raw emotions. I did not know how to feel, nor did I know how I could react.

No...

Wait.

In the first place...

Where was I?

—Snap.

I heard my neck crack as my gaze snapped to my side. All it took was a glance at the beautiful high-rise buildings of rune-carved marble. Their magical hum and the pulsating mana that emanated from them gave me the feeling that they were alive.

I instantly recognized where I was. The sights surrounding me were familiar.

Once, in the past, I had written the exact words that represented the images in my mind.

"This place..."

A significant location in the novel I had written for fun. A place booming with technological and magical advancements. The only bastion of endless progress, representative of its resident race.

"Is the capital of humanity."

A sprawling metropolis that should've been a mere fragment of my imagination.

"What the fuck?"

***

I recognized the surface-level characteristics of what was happening to me. 

Reincarnated into my novel, I had somehow spawned into existence. As if my body had simply existed through the imposition of words on paper, I became a part of this world I created.

How was I so sure of this?

Well...

'Status,' I commanded in my mind.

[]=[]=[]=[]=[]

Name: Arcine d'Vyde

Race: Human

Age: 15

=======

TRAITS

> Author's Authority: []-Rank ([]/[])

PHYSIQUE

> STR: F-Rank (0/3)

> DEX: F-Rank (0/3)

> RES: F-Rank (0/3)

MAGIC

> INT: F-Rank (0/3)

> FLUX: F-Rank (0/3)

> M-RES: F-Rank (0/3)

MISC

> LCK: F-Rank (0/3)

> PER: F-Rank (0/3)

> CHA: F-Rank (0/3)

> WIL: F-Rank (0/3)

[]=[]=[]=[]=[]

I was a blank slate, with nothing to my name other than that one curious trait. According to this world's system, everything I did have was fixed at rock bottom.

Furthermore, I had no idea as to how or why I was here.

"Hmmm,"

No, perhaps I did have an idea.

'System, give me the description of the Trait, Author's Authority.'

—Ding.

[ Command registered. Displaying description... ]

[]=[]=[]=[]=[]

Trait: Author's Authority

Rank: Null

Description: A trait wielded only by the creator of all things. At the moment, grants the user the ability to choose three (3) new Traits to assign to himself.

[]=[]=[]=[]=[]

"Ah, well... That's generous, I guess,"

'Activate the Trait, Author's Authority,' I commanded respectfully. 'I would like to choose my three Traits.'

—Ding!

[ Command acknowledged. Initiating primary activation of Trait, Author's Authority! ]

[ Activated. ]

[ Please input your three Traits! ]

[ ... ]

Looking at the new panels that appeared before me, I fell into thought. What Traits did I want?

Moreover... What kind of traits would keep me alive in this shallow world? This place, where people could die for no reason at all?

I had to tread carefully, otherwise, I might as well throw my second chance at life away.

In no universe did I want to do that.

So, I went through what I created. The different Traits that existed in this world, as well as the secret interactions between each one. As the Creator, I could even come up with possible combinations.

Combinations that could keep me alive.

I also began planning for the future. Given the date displayed on one of the massive holographic clocks in the sky, different scenarios began popping into my mind.

After hours of thought, I finally came up with a good plan.

Thus,

'My Traits will be...'