Countless freshmen sat in the vast gymnasium.
Tucked among them, I was able to kill time quite comfortably.
"...You! Get up already!"
"Aack!"
"I get that the principal's speech is boring, but you need to set an example as an Academy student."
"Yes, sorry."
Everyone had fallen victim to the principal's speech, that wide-area sleep attack it created. But I was fine.
[Ah. The teacher's coming, reader!]
"I'm not sleeping, Teacher."
"Oh, right... Sorry..."
I caught sight of the teacher who had approached me tilting her head before turning away.
A confused expression, unsure if I was asleep or not.
Times like this, this face of mine really comes in handy.
With half-lidded eyes, no one can tell if I'm sleeping or awake.
Hehe.
[...You're remembering it right?]
"Of course, Writer-nim. I remember."
Naturally, I wasn't sleeping.
I was just doing something else.
And the question of what exactly? Simple.
I'm looking for someone.
[Ugh, today's serialization was tough too... Comfort me, reader...!]
"You're the only one who could create a world like this, Writer-nim. I think it's amazing."
Yeah, just you.
The only one who forced someone else into a novel.
How do you have that kind of power and still write webnovels?
If it were a completed novel or one on hiatus, fine. There are plenty like that.
I could've forced myself to accept it.
But shoving someone into a novel that hasn't even been written yet? What the hell?
And why put a guy into a female character?
[Hehe, that praise...]
Not praise.
I let out a small sigh and refocused my scattered concentration, inwardly cursing the writer.
Yeah, what can you do? It's already happened.
The writer created this world and started serializing.
In the end, webnovels revolve around the protagonist, so I have to stay by his side.
To shape the story to the writer's tastes.
What if the writer gets tired of writing and leaves? Or if Yoo Siu suffers some major injury that halts the plot?
...I don't even want to imagine it. Who knows what would happen?
In the end, there's only one way for me to survive.
Protecting the fragile, sardine-like webnovel writer and the protagonist who hasn't grown yet.
And taking down whatever evil force it is—probably not even properly plotted yet.
The difficulty level is insane.
"...Found him."
[Ah, really?! Oh, there he is.]
After staring at the backs of the Academy cadets' heads for a good while, a familiar head came into view.
Yes. That's the one.
No way I'd mistake it.
Why? Even the back of his head looks handsome. Damn it.
Why does the protagonist have to be this good-looking? ...Probably because he's handsome, duh.
The world is unfair.
Ah, he's looking this way.
I naturally turned my gaze to the principal.
He kept saying his piece, heedless of whether the freshmen were listening or not. Consistent as ever.
Are all principals like this, no matter the world?
[Reader, you can look again. He's facing forward now.]
"Thanks, Writer-nim."
I looked at Yoo Siu again.
Yes, that boy is the protagonist.
No matter what, he can't get hurt.
If he does get hurt, it has to be within a range I can handle.
But approaching him with this suspicious face would just get me rejected, obviously.
[Hmm, what to do...]
To begin with, I can't act like the protagonists in other webnovels.
Snatching all the fortuitous encounters and getting stronger?
Questionable if those even exist. Probably no settings for them.
Major characters?
Ha, from what I've seen of Writer-nim these past few days, she doesn't even think about that stuff.
The huge plot event that ties the story together?
...No major characters, no encounters—what plot?
It's literally live serialization.
She said she writes based on this world's motifs.
Whether she created the world or is just spectating it.
I don't know, and it doesn't matter.
[This one? Hmm, this one's good too...]
In the end, there's only one thing I have to do.
Steer this unpredictable world in as safe a direction as possible.
Not a bad end, but a happy one.
For that, I need to observe the protagonist first.
I envied webnovel protagonists.
They remember the entire novel, snatch all the encounters, know all the characters' secrets.
Solve their problems and become friends in an instant.
But me?
The result is the same—dropped into a novel—but why the difference?
Stuck as a girl, staring at a guy's back of the head.
[Ugh, tough choice... Alright, decided!]
"What did you decide?"
Irritated, I snapped back at Writer-nim.
She'd been mumbling to herself, and I'd tried ignoring it, but she kept going.
It was getting on my nerves.
[Here's the thing! Reader, what comes to mind for the early part of an Academy novel?]
"Early Academy arc? Suddenly?"
[Yes!]
Early Academy arc?
Was she thinking about the plot? Asking for help?
I picked out a few storylines that came to mind.
"Hmm, weapon selection? Sparring matches?"
[Ehehe, those are good too! But entrance ceremonies often kick off with incidents. Thought I'd try it!]
"...Huh?"
Wait.
What is this person saying?
Not noticing my reaction, Writer-nim continued cheerfully.
[You know, there are two types of entrance ceremony attacks: monster appearances or evil organization raids!]
"W-wait. Writer-nim. Let's talk this through seriously."
[On second thought, evil org from the first raid might be too soon, so I decided on a monster!]
Cold sweat trickled down.
This is bad.
"Um, when exactly is the monster showing up...?"
[Impactful: right after the principal's speech ends and the applause stops, the ceiling breaks!]
Ah, seriously.
Can't we just have a normal one for once?
It's only been a day since the novel started!
I couldn't comprehend it, so I confronted Writer-nim boldly.
"Is it even possible for a monster to appear in the city? Make sense."
[Oh, right, it's the city... Hmm. Then, a monster illegally raised by a subcontractor under an evil org's affiliate escapes by chance!]
"..."
No reasoning with her.
What evil org has a corporate structure like that?
Sub-sub-subcontractor?
Writer-nim seemed dead set on an incident at the entrance ceremony.
"So, after the principal's speech ends and applause stops, monster attacks from the ceiling..."
[Protagonist dramatically defeats the impactful monster to make his presence known! What do you think?]
"I-it's fine, I guess... You're really doing it?"
Yeah, it's fine.
Perfect for the novel.
A device to subtly show the protagonist's strength.
While other students panic and flee, he handles the threat coolly.
Naturally explains he's stronger than his peers.
Flawless plot.
As long as I'm not caught up in it!
"You said the protagonist isn't a regressor, possessor, or reincarnator, right?"
[Yes. Too many of those lately, so I wanted a classic protagonist!]
Why flex your hipster tendencies here of all places...!
Just do the standard regression/possession/reincarnation and power through.
Everyone assumes prior knowledge anyway!
What if the protagonist panics and runs in this sudden situation!
"...And with that, the principal's speech concludes. Everyone, applaud!"
Too late.
According to the writer, this place will soon be chaos.
Even if I shouted a monster was coming now, no one would believe me.
Lucky if I'm not called crazy.
Somehow, I need to hint it to the protagonist...
[Here we go, here we go! Heart pounding!]
"Kyaaaaaaaack?!"
"M-monster! It's a Grade 3!"
"Why is a Grade 3 monster at school...!"
"Everyone evacuate, hurry!"
"...Grade 3?"
[Eh, for foreshadowing maybe? Later: 'That guy got that strong!' Easy explanation.]
So meticulous in the useless spots.
I suppressed the urge to snark.
Obviously a half-baked ranking system, so I had no idea how strong a Grade 3 was.
Probably some field designation or whatever.
Still, as a threat to show the gap between normal students and the protagonist, it wouldn't be easy at this stage... Whoa.
I sliced a flying concrete chunk in two with my Thread.
That startled me.
[Gasp! Reader! You okay?!]
"I'm fine. ...This glove's done for now."
I tossed aside one tattered half-glove, threads already unraveling.
Need to get a new one later.
"More importantly, find where the protagonist is and what he's doing..."
Kuuaaaaaah!
Startled by the roar like a movie monster, I looked at the monster writhing in pain.
What? When did the protagonist get over there?
Didn't even notice. He's insanely fast.
The monster's mouth was slashed, bleeding as it howled.
[Eek... Was watching reader, missed protagonist's action...]
Teachers evacuated nearby students and joined to take down the monster.
Where were the teachers? Protecting students, apparently.
Yeah, even so, a new student can't outdo teachers yet.
Though in Academy novels, he probably solos them in a year.
Still, how'd he get all the way over there?
He stood far from his original spot.
As if he knew the monster was coming there.
...Protagonist's signature Intuition?
Whatever, good is good.
"Don't cry, Writer-nim. I saw it, so I'll describe it in detail."
[...Really? You're the only one, reader!]
Haa.
It felt like babysitting a child.