Chapter 11: Writing Novels Is a Dead End

Item cards produced within spirit realm dungeons often acquire slightly different effects due to the rules of the real world. Much like the "Demon All-Access Pass" that Toya gave to Ron—which was originally just a "bus card" for the spirit realm where Toya resided—it became effective in any spirit realm dungeon once Ron brought it out.

The "Devil's Contract" is the same. It allows Ron to briefly transform into a demon warrior to fight during a dungeon expedition. Item cards that grant such direct power are extremely precious. While creators can summon characters from resonant spirit realms to fight for them using character cards, they themselves often possess no supernatural power. Consequently, in many dungeons, creators must focus on their own self-defense. This is precisely why Ron agreed to write his resonance experiences into a novel: he needed another character card to protect his safety within the dungeons.

With the "Devil's Contract" combined with the combat experience of the Mad Demon King, Ron now has the confidence to protect himself in dungeons—provided the opponent isn't strong enough to kill him instantly.

After a simple dinner, Ron sat down at his computer. Compared to fighting in a dungeon, writing a novel was a real test for him. Although every young boy has dreams of creating stories, turning those dreams into reality is a daunting hurdle. Writing four thousand words a day is a massive challenge for many. Following his initial outline, Ron began with Vivian’s crusade against a bandit group, gradually introducing his "golden finger" (cheat ability).

The writing process did not go smoothly. The resonance text constantly flickering before his eyes would interrupt his thoughts from time to time. Fortunately, Ron adapted quickly; as long as nothing major happened to Vivian, he could maintain his focus. By ten o'clock at night, Ron had finally squeezed out six thousand words. After sending the opening to Bai Lu, he opened the group chat to see if the veteran authors had shared any writing tips. As soon as he opened the chat history, he encountered a somber topic.

[Leader of the Cliffhanger Faction: The Awakened God hasn't updated in seven days...]

A creator stopping their updates is often an ominous sign in this world; it usually means they are either trapped in a dungeon or have already...

[Tomato Scrambled Egg: How could that be? Weren't his rankings very good?]
[Mucus-Roasted Octopus: Could it be that some Nightmare-level dungeon appeared? But isn't seven days a bit too long to be trapped?]
[Bai Lu: He's dead.]
[Mucus-Roasted Octopus: Oh my god...]
[Tomato Scrambled Egg: R.I.P]
[Leader of the Cliffhanger Faction: R.I.P]
[Five Days Without Sleep: R.I.P]
[White Jade Pavilion: ???]
[Five Days Without Sleep: Wait? Who the hell said I died?]
[Five Days Without Sleep: I just slacked off! I’m not dead! Which bastard is spreading rumors about me?!]
[Bai Lu: No rumors at all~! You’re dead now [Drawing Sword]]
[I Am Not A Hero: R.I.P [Image: Offender at the Funeral]]
[White Jade Pavilion: Damn! This is good! Link please [Kowtow]]
[I Am Not A Hero: [Download Link]]
[White Jade Pavilion: Praise the hero!]
[I Am Not A Hero: [Image: Big Thunder Thumbs Up]]

"..."

What a mess. Ron’s mouth twitched, and he didn't know how to join the conversation.

[Keyboard Milk-Spewer: Did you guys watch the Awakened God’s livestream? He got his head stepped on by his daughter while playing games!]
[Keyboard Milk-Spewer: It was white silk stockings stepping on his head!]
[Keyboard Milk-Spewer: Where’s the Awakened God? I want to recognize him as my father-in-law!]
[Keyboard Milk-Spewer: Huh? Why is everyone silent?]
[White Jade Pavilion: Rest in peace.]
[Keyboard Milk-Spewer: Why is it @Q%D@%T@FW]

Looking at the group chat, Ron felt a tinge of worry. Is Bai Lu really free to help him check his draft when she's so busy at night? Just as he was thinking this, the chat window popped up with a reply from Bai Lu.

[Bai Lu: The idea is good, but you don't seem to have developed Vivian much.]
[Bai Lu: If the readers don't have a deep impression of her, you won't be able to generate a character card.]
[Salmon: I did develop her.]
[Bai Lu: Did you? ...The whole passage is just you writing about her outfit, black silk stockings and such...]

Cold sweat broke out on Ron’s forehead instantly.

[Salmon: Is it not allowed by the censors?]
[Bai Lu: It’s just written poorly, not erotic at all.]

Ron covered his face. He’d been looked down upon...

But it was never his intention to write Vivian as a character who sells sex appeal. Even though this was his novel, Vivian was a real person. Ron had already written her into the story without her consent; if he went on to describe her physical features in a lascivious way, it would be far too much. That was why he had intentionally held back.

With Bai Lu’s reminder, Ron realized the situation. His original intent for the novel was to have readers remember the characters to obtain their character cards, so this aspect truly needed more emphasis. Bai Lu was indeed very busy; after giving Ron a few pointers, she rushed off to argue with the censors. It seemed that "Mucus-Roasted Octopus" had been caught by them.

Ron was curious about what kind of writing would get someone flagged. Was it too erotic? With that curiosity, he checked out the novel by Mucus-Roasted Octopus: "I Am Not Mentally Ill!"

Looking at the title, Ron had a bad feeling. Sure enough, in the very first chapter, the protagonist forcibly kissed an old lady and dug the key to clearing the dungeon out from between her teeth... Wait, it’s one thing to write that, but why describe the sensation of picking dental calculus with one's tongue in such detail! Hey!

Ron felt physically uncomfortable reading the description. The guy even included a "taste test." Considering this might actually be a real experience of Mucus-Roasted Octopus in the resonant spirit realm, Ron couldn't help but lose his composure. He suddenly felt that Vivian was truly wonderful! Not only did she give him benefits, but she also didn't cause any trouble.

With endless gratitude for Vivian’s kindness, Ron opened his writing software and quickly began revising the opening. With the experience from the first attempt, Ron’s speed increased significantly.

During the time Ron was writing, Vivian, under the guidance of the Demon King Cat, was still practicing magic through live combat. Just a moment ago, Ron had taught Vivian an area-of-effect spell. In truth, Ron was a bit puzzled by this. Vivian had been a magic apprentice for quite some time; if she were the protagonist of another novel, she would have been able to hold her own by now. Yet, Vivian had mastered very few spells. In her own words, she spent most of her time training her physique. Because her teacher told her that strong melee capability is a mage’s ultimate trump card.

Is that statement correct? Well, it’s partially true. A true powerhouse wouldn't give the opponent a chance to get into melee range. And besides, the premise of that statement is that you have to be a competent mage first! You are a mage! A mage! If you can't even master the most critical spells, what’s the point of training your physique!