1 Reader Master
Tang Xuan was lying on his bed, playing a round of battle royale, his eyes sharp, his movements deft and practiced. This was one of his daily pleasures, yet as a eunuch-novel author, every time he played—especially in the Q Zone—he never escaped the affectionate attention of his readers and fans linked through QQ.
“Useless eunuch! Not updating your novel again, just playing games!”
“Useless eunuch, you’ll never have a son!” (Too true, I won’t say who, but you know who you are.)
“The world’s gone to ruin, morals have collapsed, these authors all abandon their stories at the drop of a hat!”
Tang Xuan had just entered the final circle when a sudden voice sounded in his ear, nearly making him jump out of his skin.
“Who’s speaking?” Tang Xuan scanned his room swiftly, but there was no one there.
Had he been cursed so much he was hearing things?
“Don’t be afraid.” The voice came again. Tang Xuan stared at his empty room, beginning to panic.
The next moment, he realized his surroundings were changing.
He had left his room, and now stood amid a vast and ethereal, dazzling expanse of stars.
As a seasoned eunuch-novel author, Tang Xuan quickly understood what he had encountered.
He forced himself to calm down and asked the starry void, “Esteemed one, do you have any instructions for me?”
The voice returned, with a hint of irritation: “I usually enjoy reading novels on Qidian. One day, on a whim, I manifested the worlds of every novel on the site.”
“Do you understand what it means to manifest?”
“I do,” Tang Xuan nodded honestly, thinking to himself, Who would have thought there was such a supreme being among Qidian’s readers? To turn all those fictional worlds into reality—what a feat!
The supreme being spoke again, sounding even more displeased. “The worlds I’ve manifested—if their authors manage to finish their stories, those worlds can continue to thrive and develop like any normal world. But! If an author abandons their work, those worlds lose their rules and order, and soon after, they face destruction, and all living things within face the end of their world.”
“How lamentable!” The supreme being sighed.
Tang Xuan looked awkward; as a seasoned serial abandoner, what could he say? He could only nod fervently in agreement, “It truly is lamentable, truly! I swear I’ll never abandon a novel again!”
The supreme being spoke calmly, “Rest assured, I didn’t call you here to punish you. I have a task for you.”
Tang Xuan quickly replied, “At your command, great one!”
There was a pause, then the supreme being continued, “I want you to enter those abandoned novel worlds, become the protagonist of each, and complete specific tasks. So long as you succeed, those doomed worlds will be saved, allowed to prosper and become as real as any other.”
“Are you willing?”
“I am!” Tang Xuan nodded eagerly. Was there any room for refusal?
For a being of such power, there were surely countless ways to save those worlds, or even destroy the authors who abandoned them with a thought. But since the supreme being had made this decision—be it out of careful thought or sudden whim—Tang Xuan had no choice.
Still, why him? Was it because he was a seasoned serial abandoner, or mere coincidence?
The supreme being spoke once more: “I won’t have you work for nothing. For each task you complete, you will permanently gain the protagonist’s golden finger from that novel world, usable in all worlds.”
Tang Xuan’s eyes lit up, excitement surging through him. “Thank you, great one!”
“Go then. The worlds of those abandoned novels will be sent to you, one by one.”
In an instant, the starry expanse shifted.
Tang Xuan found himself in another world.
A surge of information flooded his mind.
The first world he was to save—or rather, the first abandoned novel—was titled:
“Online Game: The Grand Martial Hero”
From the title alone, it was easy to glean some information.
It was an online game novel, crossed with martial arts.
According to the author’s setting, “The Grand Martial Hero” was about to take China by storm, boasting one hundred percent virtual reality.
At first, ordinary people believed it was merely a breakthrough and revolution in VR technology.
Other countries would also release similar games.
Yet only a select few knew this was an opportunity for the evolution of all humanity!
Skills gained in the game could be brought back into reality.
Super martial artists from China, onmyoji and ninja from Japan, psychics from the West—they would all emerge!
The protagonist’s golden finger was a system wherein any skill he practiced would instantly reach perfection—whatever he learned, he mastered immediately, and to the highest degree.
For a new author, the concept was decent enough.
Unfortunately, the writer was inexperienced; after dozens of chapters, the main story had yet to begin. So many chapters, and the “Grand Martial Hero” game hadn’t even launched—too much dragging, poor results, and the novel was abandoned.
“The protagonist of this novel is also named Tang Xuan.”
As he entered the new world, Tang Xuan muttered to himself.
He had thought the first world he would have to save would be from his own abandoned works.
Apparently, the supreme being had no such malicious sense of humor.
Perhaps, because his name matched the protagonist’s, this world was chosen as the first.
“To think there’s such a supreme being among Qidian’s readers,” Tang Xuan murmured, rubbing his face with a complex expression.
This was nothing short of a miraculous encounter.
All he had to do was complete each task, and he would gain the golden finger of each world’s protagonist, useable across all worlds.
The system that let him master any skill to perfection was only the first.
In time, thousands—perhaps even billions—of golden fingers would be his.
Wouldn’t he then be able to brag, “Let the hacks begin!”
(The Abandoning Rabbit is back! Always getting scolded for playing games and neglecting my work. But rest assured, I’ll never abandon a novel again! I swear!)