The Trash Author Cleans his Novel

After several minutes of combing through the roots of the willow tree, my fingers finally closed around a glass vial, its surface cold and smooth against my skin. It was a chilling cold, not the kind that bloomed out of fear, but one born from an unending loneliness.

A surge of melancholy consumed me, creeping up my arm and surging into my mind.

—Twitch.

I felt annoyed. Something was toying with my emotions, reminding me of a bitter past.

A stronger feeling erupted from within me, drowning out the sadness.

It was disgust.

The terminally ill Arcine had already died. There was no need to bring him back and wallow in his misery.

I was building a new life.

The past had no place here.

So, I pocketed the vial and left. The gradual weakening of gravity was a pleasant feeling. Spending so much time at such depths with just the sheer force of will had allowed my [WIL] to soar.

[ > WIL: D-Rank (2/27) -> (18/27) ]

***

Emerging from the Wilderness Park, I was drenched in my own sweat. Unfortunately, I had no other belongings than what I had now. No money, no spare change of clothes.

Nothing.

Public transport was my only hope of getting around, and I did not want to stink up the buses and trains.

This was another problem I had to face and I had to solve it as soon as possible.

Of course, you may ask...

"How do I get rich with nothing to my name?"

One such answer was simple.

"I'll scam the world."

A single phoenix tear, when diluted, could create more than a billion lesser healing potions. An absurd number, but that was reality. Even an infinite number of lesser healing potions had no effects on a terminal illness, nor can they regenerate lost limbs.

Only a Phoenix's Tear could do so completely.

Moreover, taking an infinite amount of such potions would guarantee potion poisoning. 

Even taking a hundred in a short period would be detrimental to one's health... Or perhaps even lethal.

"Sigh,"

If only a rich and powerful person in the story was in dire need of a Phoenix Tear, I could've sold it to them for at least a hundred billion Credits... maybe even more. It all depended on their desperation.

It would also be much less risky given the nature of such a task. Other than facing that person's enemies due to my actions, I wouldn't have the problems that would've occurred in business deals to sell all those lesser potions.

Unfortunately, such a figure would only appear in a year or two.

A year that I could not afford.

"...Hmmm,"

There was also another option — going through the Online Vircadian Auction.

Now that I thought about it, such an action would be far more convenient, and a lot of people would go crazy for a Phoenix Tear.

I just had to play my cards right before I even put the item up for auction.

I either had to find myself a trustworthy backer or fabricate one out of nothingness. Each bore their own risks, but I was more amenable to the latter. I did not want to be bound. Not now, not ever.

The shackles of my hospital room weighed upon me, terrifying me of stagnancy.

So, I had to move.

***

Reading through the runes carved into the city, I found my way to a secluded alleyway where surveillance runes were sparse. There, I took out my phone card and opened a website known only to a few people.

It was the Black Market.

The only place where I could start the chain reaction of my fabricated organization.

Staring at the login screen composed only of a single rectangular, white box against a plain black background, I thought of the consequences of my actions.

The length of the password one uses would dictate one's membership authority in the black market. Different passwords were given to different people, and only VIPs and VVIPs had access to passwords with at least 64 characters.

These long strings of text, however, had an algorithm. One that I made using my own birthday and a simple program back in my world.

***

Looking at the simple program I made using the exact date and time of my birthday, I inputted a command.

[ Generate VIP access code. ]

—Tiring!

[ Bm5dE15-8Aqz24!kXp7W4a3dTyG$V2@MN#QrLx1C6&HZbKP9w82fJYvRT ]

I copy-pasted this password onto the Black Market's website.

Soon, a welcoming page loaded into existence.

[ Welcome, Honoured Guest! ]

A smile cracked open on my lips. That was easy.

...A little too easy.

I squinted. Had this world been exactly like that of my novel, I wouldn't have suspected anything. Now, however, I had a feeling that this account of mine would be duly monitored.

Especially when I place a Phoenix Tear up for auction.

My preparations were still incomplete.

***

After confirming my Black Market membership, the next step would be to get a few more. Like an organization of powerhouses sprouting from out of the blue, this subtle but integral play would be useful in the far future.

I generated four more VIP codes.

[ Z3q15-DEC@K8x7a2Wf1#MpVL6&N4$Y5TwXbQHZ!R2vJGrtyP9C ]

[ 8AqD-2024wKLR$7M2C!Xb3&QTY5vJ9N15E42@GRZpfW#Vx1Ht ]

[ Bm12!5TZ@8Q7VLXR2&C4$NqY#9Wa3JPkNGRtXp1v6Mf5E2KD ]

[ K4N15+2v$QWp!Y8AZb7GRqLR&CY9Mf1T3#2XTE2@H6VWJpMD ]

However, I wasn't going to use them just yet. What idiot would claim five different individuals were all logging into just one device? At least, aside from the initial registration, I planned to use these five accounts for different considerations.

They needed to stay separate, becoming prominent at different stages of my life in this world.

"Time to sell what I know..."

The first account would have the alias, [ Scribe ], an information broker.

Simple and effective. A good source of income before the eventual hundred billions I was destined to earn.

My first foundation settling into the underworld.

[ Unlock the Secrets to Slaying Monsters! Discover Their Weaknesses, Behaviors, and Hidden Habits—Your Ultimate Guide to Victory Awaits! ]

"..."

Looking at the title I came up with, I marveled at how scummy it sounded. It was clickbait, that was for sure, but it was the best way to get the job done.

I cringed.

I never thought I would write something like this.

***

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

Name: Arcine d'Vyde

Race: Shadow Demon [F-Rank (0/3)]

Age: 15

=======

TRAITS

> Author's Authority: N/A

> Angelic Light (Elemental Affinity): F-Rank (0/3)

> Shadow Demon Body (Physique): E-Rank (6/9) [Hidden: E-Rank (0/9)]

> True Shadow (Racial Trait): F-Rank (0/3)

> Eight Senses (Unique Trait): F-Rank (0/3)

PHYSIQUE

> STR: F-Rank (1/3) [Hidden: F-Rank (1/3)]

> DEX: F-Rank (1/3) [Hidden: F-Rank (1/3)]

> RES: F-Rank (1/3) [Hidden: F-Rank (1/3)]

MAGIC

> INT: F-Rank (0/3)

> FLUX: F-Rank (1/3) [Hidden: F-Rank (1/3)]

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

MISC

> LCK: F-Rank (0/3) [Hidden: F-Rank (2/3)]

> PER: F-Rank (0/3)

> CHA: F-Rank (0/3)

> WIL: D-Rank (18/27) [Hidden: D-Rank (12/27)]

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