Chapter 771
Chapter 771
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 771
Chapter Title: Side Story 01: Twins and the Contest (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
#Special 4
1.
The Yesod Count's enthusiastic participation, worthy of an award winner.
The twins and Sharon had ditched their classes and were now side by side, engrossed in browsing works on Novelpia.
The twins' smartphone was too small, so Sharon's tablet was pulling its weight perfectly.
"Whoa..."
All three let out unified sighs of admiration.
Their faces were flushed red, just like after a full day of playing on a midsummer beach.
"It's insanely hot."
"Yeah, super explicit."
Both the twins and Sharon had read Gehenna's foot fetish sensual novels before.
They were no exaggeration to call works of art.
Like meticulously crafted artworks depicting the sticky love affairs between men and women, or even perverse acts, stroke by stroke.
But web novels were different from anything the three had experienced so far.
There was a whole other level of raw explicitness.
If Gehenna's erotic tales were like erotic pointillism, this was basically straight-up porn.
Not about ranking quality—it was just a thrilling stimulation they'd never tasted before.
"Honestly... the writing quality is just okay."
"Maybe they wrote it simply on purpose? It'd lose focus compared to reading a book..."
"Yeah, that makes sense. Above all, they cut out metaphors as much as possible, so it feels like the text is slamming straight into your brain."
Unlike the twins, who were seriously analyzing, Sharon found the situation pretty embarrassing.
Every now and then, pangs of conscience hit her too: Is it really okay to show an apprentice witch stuff like this?
"Sharon sis."
"Yeah?"
"But is there really a hypnosis app?"
"Of course not."
"What about TS then? Does that happen a lot in the modern world?"
"Uh... somewhere, maybe? There's transgender stuff, and some countries have normalized it pretty well..."
"The Assistant would look great if he got TS'd."
"Yeah, he'd be super pretty."
Occasionally veering off into tangents, the twins and Sharon steadily analyzed 'reader demands' based on solid input.
They jotted down synopses for their work on a single sheet, drawing from all their analyzed data so far.
"Protagonist should be a guy."
"There are TS-tagged ones, but they're barely even smut."
"Yeah, yeah. Most are clearly aimed at male readers."
"Odet, write it down."
"Okay, sis."
- Protagonist is male.
"Oh, harem stuff seems especially popular."
"Should we reference the Assistant's womanizing history?"
"Ugh, we're such good girls. Going this far for that playboy Assistant."
"Totally."
- Lots of heroines.
"In my opinion, it's less about sticky sex scenes and more about 'how the protagonist conquers the women?' That's the focus."
"Odet, smart take for once."
"I'm always smart..."
"I agree. And there's a lot of attention on the gap between 'before' and 'after' conquest."
- Build solid buildup. Or emphasize the before/after contrast well.
"And not vanilla stuff... like what gets the Assistant excited."
"Yeah, everyone's total perverts."
"Focus on event-based descriptions, I think."
The three decided they'd analyzed enough.
They boldly picked up their quills to start writing.
2.
Two days flew by like an arrow.
In that time, the twins and Sharon huddled together, pushing forward with their creative work.
It's tough for even the first draft to spring perfectly from pure imagination.
Combining prerequisites from their research with the closest references around them—the twins and Sharon.
They ended up with someone closer to ideal smut material than anyone else.
Assistant Shin Si-woo.
Sure, using a real person as a model without permission felt a bit rude, but so what?
They weren't doing anything bad.
Besides, if they said it was to buy him a gift, he'd happily agree for sure.
And if he'd definitely agree, no need to even ask.
Thus was born the tale of 'Slave of the Witch City'.
"Hmm..."
Lucy Yesod gazed at the novel manuscript with a gravely serious expression.
Today was the day for the Yesod Count's review.
The day to get feedback on the smut they'd skipped elemental classes and sacrificed sleep to write.
"What do you think?"
"We worked really hard on it..."
Odil and Odet gripped each other's hands tightly, hearts pounding harder than for any assignment submission.
The last page of the manuscript fluttered down onto the table.
"You did great."
"Right?"
"It's a masterpiece for the ages, huh?"
Lucy slowly nodded.
To her, fully adapted to modern web novels, it was pretty damn good.
"Boldly skipping flowery language for concise essence. Speedy pacing and cliffhanger hooks that make you click next like you're hypnotized, plus... familiar yet unique material. This'll hit big."
Sure enough, being young helped—they picked up the new genre at an impressive speed.
In that short time, the twins had produced something meeting even the strictest standards.
The twins sprang up like coils at the Yesod Count's satisfied smile.
"Ahh, nailing a masterpiece on our first try..."
"We're definitely geniuses, Odet!"
"Great job, girls!"
Sharon, who'd contributed tons of advice on modern mindsets and protagonist monologues, clapped joyfully as if it were her own achievement.
The Yesod Count quietly watched the three.
Truth be told, it started as meddling.
She, with pride as an erotic author, couldn't just leave the budding sensual novelists—the twins—alone.
So no plans to pass down secret techniques or hold them to harsh standards.
Just guide them enough to get the feel and send them off.
"..."
But adaptability, material selection, apt word choice, and flair for steamy scenarios.
Like a hidden master spotting successor material.
If the twins could fully embrace her teachings...
If they endured the brutal trials...
She grew curious about the limits of their talent.
"But..."
The twins flinched at her suddenly stern tone.
"This writing swings not at all!"
-Thwack!
The Yesod Count slammed the desk, her shout echoing through the classroom.
"What... what do you mean?"
"Swing? Like jazz?"
The Yesod Count dramatically swept back her tousled bangs, imparting her wisdom.
"Trend-following adaptability. Excellent—honestly, beyond expectations. I didn't think you'd nail it this far."
"Th-thank you..."
"But it lacks any real heart. A sensual novelist must write prose that arouses even themselves. This is just pandering to reader demands, a hollow imitation."
"...Count?"
Amid it all, Sharon tried reining in the oddly excited Count.
But the Yesod Count, radiating grand master aura nonstop, was unstoppable.
"Take this scene, for example? Slave Jin Ji-woo peeping on the blonde baroness bathing and stealing her panties!"
No matter how humbly they sought feedback, a writer's work is like their child.
Criticism stings as much as a rod on tender flesh.
"What's wrong with that scene?"
"Yeah, we put a ton of effort into it!"
So the twins bristled and pushed back.
"Effort? I felt zero tension or excitement reading this episode."
"..."
"Miss Odil, Miss Odet. Did you feel gripping tension while writing it? The thrill of voyeurism's peril and the pathos of depravity?"
They'd pushed back first, but the twins were stunned.
Truth was, that part wasn't written from passion—it was shoehorned in for 'buildup'.
"Do you see motives for Jin Ji-woo stealing panties, attachment to the intimate fabric touching the pretty blonde baroness's secrets, or intense drive risking all for lewd goals?"
"..."
"If it doesn't move the writer, how can it move readers?"
"..."
Having dropped what felt like a famous quote, the Yesod Count turned away without regret.
Before fully exiting the classroom, she added one last line.
"Today's lesson ends here. I'll look forward to seeing you grow as writers when we meet again the day after tomorrow."
"Thank you! Master!"
"We gained so much insight!"
After the Yesod Count swept out like the wind, a slightly dazed Sharon asked.
"D-did you really gain insight from that?"
From Sharon's view, it was vague advice.
Intensely serious advice, burdensome even...
But the twins were flushed with excitement, cheeks bright red.
Like witches struck by massive inspiration.
"Sharon sis, we totally got it. The Yesod Count must be a sensual novelist."
"And a deep master at that."
"Nah, no way."
Why would that Yesod Count stoop to writing erotica?
But unlike skeptical Sharon, the twins were convinced.
"Nothing else explains such profound advice."
"Yeah, we know exactly what to do now."
"What do you have to do?"
Two pairs of dead-serious eyes fixed on Sharon.
"We gotta head out early today. Odet."
"Okay, sis, let's go."
"What do you have to do?!"
Leaving Sharon's curiosity behind, the twins headed toward the treasure vault storing the music box.