A Treasure from the Depths
"Tsk. There aren't any good new releases these days."
The more I binge a series, the heavier my sighs become. Maybe it's because the contest is starting soon? The list of new novels has noticeably shrunk.
"Damn authors. Instead of stockpiling chapters, they could at least do reaction updates. This is just frustrating."
How is it possible that there's literally nothing worth reading? I scrolled mindlessly through the list, scanning titles one by one. If I sorted by views, I'd easily find something entertaining, but I wasn't looking for guaranteed fun.
"As they say, the real treasure lies in the deep sea. Tch tch."
What I truly wanted were hidden gems that hadn't seen the light yet. To put it another way, isn't it more rewarding to raise a clueless child than to deal with a fully grown adult? It's a kind of paternal satisfaction. Sure, people might call me a pervert for this, but I have plenty of excuses. Think about it. Giving a slice of bread to a rich kid who already lives in abundance? That's just an ordinary piece of bread. They wouldn't even thank you. On the other hand, give that same slice to a starving child who's never known love. They'll savor it slowly, gratefully, thanking you over and over with little bows. And they won't just be grateful for the bread—they'll recognize the care behind it. It's all about the psychology of reward.
"Mm-hmm." I nodded, satisfied with my own reasoning. Thanks to this perfectly valid logic, I continued my search through the depths. Today was no different.
"Nothing catches my eye. Why do they all sound like classical literature?"
I'd been doing this for a year now. A year wasn't a short time. The experience had sharpened my eye, letting me tell masterpieces from trash at a glance. Just the title was enough to get a feel for it, and the synopsis usually confirmed my guess.
"Hmmm." Skip. Skip. Skip. Skip. Oh, this one looks pretty good...? Ah, shit, it's a TS futanari story. ...I'll save it for later.
I kept flipping through pages until my finger suddenly stopped on its own. It wasn't a conscious decision. My mind had already wandered off long ago, so my body reacted on pure reflex.
The Novel I Discontinued Became a Masterpiece.
A title that sparked curiosity and made you thirst for more. It was the very essence of web novels distilled into words. I smirked and clicked on it.
The overall stats were a sight to behold. Favorites: 0. Views: 0. The author's happiness index: 0. My happiness index, on the other hand: 100. It was an incredibly stimulating scene that tugged at my heartstrings and made me grin like an idiot.
"Okay." The title passed. But a flashy signboard didn't guarantee good food. I started reading in earnest.
#
"Bravo! To think such an incredible talent was hiding here! No choice but to promote you!"
I'd only read ten chapters, yet I was already grinning ear to ear. The prose was lyrical yet concise and efficient. The dialogue between characters was the very definition of realism. The way a few lines could convey such dynamic movement was downright shocking. The natural flow and the direction that instantly pulled you in reeked of a master. And that final touch with the amputation scene? Perfect. This author had to be a professional. Or a genius. Either way, it had to be the latter. Nothing else explained the quality.
"Tsk... It's a shame, though." The only downside was the low chapter count. My excitement couldn't reach its peak. Still, I couldn't complain. This much was already more than enough. If anything, the short length only made me crave more.
"Today's deep-sea dive was a huge success!"
I immediately hit the recommend button and opened the comment section. The moment I'd been waiting for had finally arrived. Nothing made my heart race quite like this. I typed carefully, pouring my heart into every keystroke. Like writing a love letter to my first crush, I shyly listed the novel's charms. I wrote, deleted, and rewrote dozens of times. Eventually, my heartfelt comment was complete.
"Phew!" I muttered playfully, lips curling upward. "Virgin comment on a new author, acquired~"
Tap! The moment I hit enter, my words became reality. Heh. So this is the climax I couldn't get from the novel itself! I stretched in satisfaction. I'd even gotten an unexpected bonus. Just as I was about to shut my laptop and head to bed—
"Huh? There's already a reply?"
I refreshed just in case, and sure enough, there was a response. My eyes widened as I read it.
"Thanks for the first comment!!! I'll work hard, sniffle? Heh heh."
The words sank in, bringing an indescribable joy. What did those exclamation marks mean? And that little crying emoticon at the end—was that flirting? How did she know I liked seeing new authors cry?
"...How touching."
A warm sense of pride swelled in my chest. This was exactly why I raised hidden gems.
#
"Uuuu..."
Kang Ajin stared at her monitor with a sorrowful expression. Her novel, The Novel I Discontinued Became a Masterpiece, had reached chapter ten, but its performance was abysmal. No, it hadn't even declined—it had been at rock bottom from the very start. Views: 0. Recommendations: 0. Comments: 0. Even her own happiness index as the author sat at 0. Everything was represented by those round little zeros, and they only deepened her sadness.
"I guess there's no hope for me..."
They said no comments were scarier than hate comments. She wished there were at least some hate comments. At least then the view count would go up...
"Huuu..."
Blocked by the wall of reality, she sank into melancholy. She hated seeing that zero, yet her eyes kept drifting back to it. Unable to look away, she kept refreshing the page, clinging to a pointless hope. She knew it was meaningless. But if she didn't do at least this, she felt like she wouldn't be able to endure it.
"...Sniff."
Other authors were so enviable. Unlike her pathetic self, they had numbers with multiple zeros attached—and even greater earnings. She felt nothing but pure admiration for them, without a trace of jealousy. At the same time, her own situation felt all the more pitiful.
"..."
Seeking some kind of vicarious satisfaction, she browsed the comment sections of popular authors. The moment she opened one, countless comments flooded her vision. She read them one by one, lost in thought.
'So many people...'
So many people were sending messages. All for the sake of a single author. And even more people were reading a single story. A story written by one author.
"I wish I had readers like that too... Even just one would be enough..."
If even one person read her work and left a comment saying it was fun, it would be such a comfort, she thought.
"Sniff."
She wiped her eyes with her sleeve and moved the mouse, returning to her own novel's page. Still zero... Even after dozens of refreshes, the number remained unchanged. The clearer that fact became, the redder her eyes grew. She was seriously considering giving up writing when—
"...Huh?!"
The zeros had all turned into ones. Views, favorites, recommendations, even the comment section. Everything that had been zero was now one.
"W-what?! Even comments?!"
Overcome by shock she hadn't anticipated, she cried out without thinking. Quickly covering her mouth with both hands, she whispered, "The view count went up... Favorites too...!"
Her fingers trembled like leaves in the wind. No matter how hard she tried to steady them, the shaking wouldn't stop. Left with no choice, she forced her quivering hand toward the mouse. Gulp.
'I wonder what the comment says...'
Yet for some reason, she hesitated. A mix of hope and vague fear created an overwhelming tension, making it impossible to act. After a long internal struggle, she finally opened the comment section.
Squeeze!
And then she saw it.
She took in every single character with wide eyes. Only after finishing the last word could she finally speak.
"Ehh?"
A deflating sound escaped her lips. It was a rather pathetic noise, but she didn't have the presence of mind to care. Still dazed from the shock, Ajin stared blankly at the comment.
"It... it says it's fun...?"
Once she came back to her senses, her lips curled upward. No matter how hard she tried to hold it back, giggles kept leaking out.
"Heeheehee! My writing is fun!"
She had a reader now! And not just any reader—a genuinely sincere one! That day was better than her birthday.