Chapter 1
“Nothing interesting to read.”
The same stories, the same setups.
As I was reading these novels that lacked originality, I wondered if it was just because I’d read too many of them by now.
And what’s with this twisted mess of a plot?
“Became the illegitimate daughter of my first love?”
As much as shock value is important, this is a title straight out of a morning drama, isn’t it?
Just as I was aimlessly turning pages and thinking it was about time to sleep.
‘Ding!’
A notification popped up with a cheerful sound.
[The Return of the King, Rebirth of Three Lives Chronicle.]
That phrase reminded me of a novel that I had completely forgotten about.
<312 Days of Survival Journal>, abbreviated as <Three Lives Chronicle>.
A few years ago, this novel, released by a small, unknown publishing house, had neither an eye-catching cover nor a flashy promotion but made a sensation solely through its storytelling.
“Constellation Genre”
A genre where the protagonist survives in an apocalyptic world while being sponsored by godlike entities or historical figures.
[Constellation The Hearth of the Cosmos looks upon you with the warmest flame.]
[Constellation The Creeping Chaos looks upon you with the warmest flame.]
[Constellation The Sage of Death….]
[Constellation The Warrior Who Punishes Gods….]
[Constellation The Abandoned Child….]
[…All the starlight of the night sky faces the warmth of a ruined world.]
The relentless support and encouragement from constellations.
And the heroine’s journey of saving a devastated world provided a great catharsis to readers.
But that only lasted for a while. As the story reached its midpoint, the author seemed to fall into a rut and began churning out clichés….
‘It ultimately ended with a terrible ending, causing a flood of backlash.’
And who would have thought it was one of the greatest scandals in Korean publishing history?
Shortly after, an internal whistleblower from the publishing house revealed the truth.
The author of Three Lives Chronicle had suffered an accident, and instead of revealing this fact, the publishing house hired a ghostwriter and ruined the story.
When I first learned about it, I felt like I was in the middle of some Truman Show.
‘Who knew such a thing was possible?’
The arrows of criticism directed at the author immediately turned to the publishing house.
The publishing house, which had been inundated with lawsuits and refund requests, eventually went bankrupt.
Anyhow, the scandal was so impactful that even now, the phrase “Got Three Lives-d” is used as a meme to describe being betrayed by someone you trust.
And now, that novel was returning as a remake.
‘Could it be the same again?’
I looked it up, wondering if they might have hired a ghostwriter again.
But the prologue assured me that the original author had indeed written this one.
Heavy readers can recognize an author’s style from just the first sentence.
“Oh, and it’s self-published?”
If they’ve gone so far as to set up their own publishing company, they must’ve been hurt a lot.
“Alright.”
Considering the author’s skill and narrative ability before the ghostwriter took over, I shouldn’t have to worry about the quality.
Feeling excited that there was finally something worth reading, I hummed a little tune and clicked on Chapter 1 without hesitation.
Click.
An alert box popped up on the screen as if it had been waiting.
‘Ding-dong!’
- ̩͙. ᘏ▸◂ᘏ .·̩͙
꒰ ⸝⸝ɞ̴̶̷ ·̮ ɞ̴̶̷ ⸝⸝꒱
*ଘ_(“)(“）┄┄♡゛
[Shh, here’s a special access pass just for you tonight♡]
Looking at the sparkling icon, I thought to myself, “The platform is really pulling out all the stops,” as I naturally clicked the confirmation button.
The moment I clicked, a huge burst of fanfare filled the screen.
Surprised for only a moment, a large golden notification window appeared on the screen.
[Congratulations. You are the ‘99,999th contestant’…. You have won!]
“What?”
Ridiculously, that’s when my consciousness was cut off.
***
I slowly opened my eyes to the sound of rain tapping against the window.
Wait, rain?
‘It was bright and sunny in the morning.’
Feeling something was off, I quickly sat up and wiped the cold sweat off my forehead as I looked around.
‘What is this place?’
An antique sofa and a princess-style bed.
And an old wooden floor that creaked with every move.
Of course, this wasn’t my room.
Could it be… inside a novel?
‘…That can’t be.’
No matter how much I think about it, this whole development is absurdly funny.
Even the latter parts of Three Lives Chronicle didn’t have such a shocking turn of events.
Waking up inside a novel after winning a special access pass?
I’m not even a romance-fantasy protagonist, so something this crazy could never happen, not even in a million years.
Finally reassured, I looked around the room.
Judging by this utterly out-of-place environment, it seemed like I was dreaming.
There wasn’t a single mirror in sight.
‘I’m kind of curious what I look like in this dream.’
Walking slowly around the room, I soon found a large glass window.
I extended my sleeve and started wiping the dusty glass with enthusiasm.
Wipe, wipe.
As the dust gradually cleared, my reflection began to appear.
The first thing I saw was long, curly red hair that reached down to my waist.
Next were sparkling pink eyes.
Lastly, I noticed fair, smooth skin and slender limbs.
Oh my goodness.
Looking closely, it’s the appearance of someone I know very well.
“Wendy?”
I stared at my reflection in the glass with a dumbfounded expression.
Wow, it’s really Wendy.
She looks exactly like the illustration on the cover.
She’s even prettier than I thought! Her face doesn’t look as fierce, and her skin is so soft!
‘…Maybe because this is before she had to suffer?’
The fascination didn’t last long.
I banged on the window with all my might.
This is a dream. It’s just a dream!
I had to wake up from this awful dream as soon as possible.
I hate stuff like this.
“…It freaking hurts.”
But unfortunately, the glass was solid, and my tiny fist turned red as if I’d been stung by a bee.
You’re not supposed to feel pain in a dream, right?
‘Am I really possessed?’
After that, I tried slamming my head on the floor and slapping myself.
I tried all sorts of crazy things, but the fact that it hurt remained unchanged.
“No way!”
I finally had to admit it.
I’ve been possessed.
And it’s in the body of Wendy Porcelain!
Wendy’s appearance was exactly as described in the novel.
Her curly red hair, tangled like vine roses.
Her light pink eyes that sparkle like honey-glazed candy.
She was the undisputed heroine of Three Lives Chronicle.
‘…Or rather, the evil villainess who tormented the heroine!’
Slowly, the contents of the original novel began to come back to me.
The original 312 Days of Survival Journal was about people with cold personalities and loose morals being touched by the heroine Lyria.
Lyria, chosen by the constellation of peace, Hestia, spread warmth in a world of barbarism.
She was a symbol of devotion who descended into a world turned savage and violent.
It seemed like she could make the world a beautiful and peaceful place.
…If only Wendy didn’t exist.
The Peace Stone, a byproduct of an S-rank dungeon.
The Peace Stone was an object that allowed survivors within a base to enjoy high-quality rest in a safe space for a whole month.
Wendy, blinded by the stone’s value, got into a scuffle with Lyria and accidentally shattered it.
What did Wendy say back then?
“Are you trying to activate this and hog all the praise again? You’re really something else! Lady Lyria, the Flame Saintess!”
…And that wasn’t all.
“Caltain~ Wanna ditch today’s mission and hang out with me?”
She had the audacity to string along the male protagonists.
“It’s not my fault. I was just scared…, If you guys hadn’t left me behind, everything would’ve been fine….”
She even endangered the entire team with her mistakes.
“It’s all your fault! If you leave me here, I’ll turn into a ghost and haunt you for the rest of your lives!”
That was Wendy Porcelain.
As a certified villain, Wendy was bashed relentlessly in the reader communities.
She tormented Lyria so persistently, at every chance she got.
Oh dear.
Recalling Wendy’s deeds in the novel made my temples throb.
What happened to this character in the end…?
‘I believed in you, but I guess this is it.’
‘You’re still as vile as ever, not that I expected much.’
‘Can’t you even measure up to your sister’s little toe?’
‘The only stain on my life was liking you. Not anymore, though.’
Scenes from the novel flashed through my mind.
Yeah, that’s right, how could I forget?
Wendy was abandoned.
‘Are you really going to leave your sister like this?’
Lyria’s lips quivered slightly. Her gaze remained fixed on the dark forest.
‘What does it matter? She’s just a crazy woman.’
They abandoned Wendy ruthlessly, without even a hint of acknowledgment that they had once been comrades.
And they left her in the middle of a monster-infested forest!
The useless villainess, abandoned by her comrades, became a delicious meal for the monsters.
In the lonely forest where no one remembers or seeks her….
“Damn you, Wendy Porcelain!”
Why did you have to live like that?
Shouting her name in a desperate cry, my legs gave out, and I collapsed.
As I fell, a strange window popped up before me.
It was a rectangular window emitting a soft light, something that looked just like the community page of the web novel site I frequented.
Ah, could this be…
“Is this… the comment section?”
As I mumbled softly, words began to appear at an insane speed on the previously blank white page.
—Enoch (asdxxx): A legend has begun.
—
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