Chapter 135
Chapter 135
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Web Novel Writer
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html, body { margin:0; padding:0; } Web Novel Author
"My work is currently sailing smoothly on the platform where it's being serialized."
The guest who'd come to see me was a web novel author named Min Sung-ho.
I pulled up the novel he'd told me about on my monitor and gave it a quick scan.
[Isekai Black-Haired Munchkin Muay Thai Fighter Survival]
[Author: Bamboo Doggy]
[Synopsis]
During a family trip, Kim Man-deok awakens to his Muay Thai talent in Thailand.
With his insane talent, he conquers the Thai Muay Thai scene by age 20—but then an unfortunate plane crash sends him to another world...
Sword Master?
Archmage?
Spirit Summoner?
Emperor?
High Elf?
All yerapongdit-!
Here comes the legendary Muay Thai fighter, Kim Man-deok!
[Views: 11,672,456]
[Recommendations: 1,160,040]
[Life Pick: #5]
I didn't know the details, but the vibe from "Life Pick" and its #5 ranking told me the novel was hugely popular.
"But what does 'yerapongdit' mean?"
"No idea. I just borrowed it from some comedian's old catchphrase."
"Is it okay to use it without knowing what it means?"
"Yeah. If it were historical fiction, I'd worry about accuracy, but fantasy doesn't nitpick like that."
The key is fun, not historical fidelity.
With that, the web novel author poured out his悩み.
"The novel was popular, the story flowed great—no issues. But one day, this thought hit me: Is this really the story I wanted to write?"
From that day on, Min Sung-ho couldn't write anymore.
Whenever he tried to push the plot forward, his fingers froze on the keyboard, and he kept yearning to take it in a totally different direction.
"Then just go with that new direction."
"But readers would hate it. It doesn't fit the vibe at all."
"Then stick to the original."
"The original isn't my style. I wanted something other than munchkin gag fest. This started as a practice piece that unexpectedly took off, so I kept going."
I could tell what he wanted.
"I've helped a lot of guests over the years. Some, like you, came for personal advice. But some weren't satisfied no matter what I said."
Those guests had one thing in common.
"They'd already decided the answer themselves. They just lacked confidence in it or the courage to take the first step, so they came to me."
"..."
"So, Min Sung-ho, walk the path you want. That's the only advice I can give."
Min Sung-ho kept his head bowed, shoulders trembling for a long time.
"Thank you. That's exactly what I needed to hear."
I wished him luck going forward.
After work, I read the novel he'd written.
[Hahaha! Muay Thai? What's that? Looks like some martial art, but how dare a lowly fighter sit at the same table!]
A Muay Thai champ in a fantasy world where martial artists are discriminated against unleashes action-comedy chaos.
[Yerapongdit-!]
[Gaaah! H-how can a mere fighter have this kind of power...!]
"Don't ever underestimate Muay Thai again!"
It was a classic munchkin tale—the protagonist absorbs the other world's abundant mana, unleashing transcendent power from his whole body to conquer everything.
[Tae Khan Khor (High Kick)!]
"You blocked the sword of this empire's Sword Master with a kick!?]
[Tae Kham Thao (Middle Kick)!]
"My Meteor from a 9th-circle Archmage, destroyed by a kick!?"
[Chorakhe Padthong (Spinning Back Kick)!]
"For the Demon King's Four Heavenly Kings like me to fall to a mere kick!"
When was the last time I'd read a web novel?
Just a few for community debates, that's it.
'Ebooks just don't feel as good in my hands as paper books.'
But once I dove in, it was surprisingly gripping.
"So this is what they mean by a killing-time novel."
It slid right into my brain, no resistance.
I binged through to the latest chapter overnight and realized I'd been prejudiced all along.
'Ebooks can be great books too.'
Plus, it had this fun system.
[Tags: #Munchkin #Harem #OPFromTheStart #Isekai #Fantasy #Medieval #Transfer]
Like tags in an offline store's corner, they hooked readers' interest and made jumping in easy.
'I wonder how Min Sung-ho plans to change the style?'
Gags, munchkin power fantasy, breakneck pacing.
The novel's identity was rock-solid.
As a reader, I waited with a mix of worry and excitement to see how it'd evolve.
Next morning.
The tags had changed.
[Tags: #Munchkin #TS #Bitchfall #Isekai #Fantasy #Medieval #Transfer]
The reaction was explosive.
[Uh, author? Tags changed?]
[Wait, bitchfall? TS? Why?]
[Must've messed up and put new novel tags here. New one's TS bitchfall lol]
Lacking knowledge, I looked up the tags.
[TS: Transsexual. Refers to gender swap stories. Not realistic swaps, but perfect magical gender changes. Usually male-to-female.]
[Bitchfall: Genre where a TS'd man discovers female sexual pleasure, indulges in it, and becomes a highly lewd woman.]
"TS and bitchfall, huh."
That evening, a new chapter dropped.
It was the climax facing the final boss.
[Take this curse with all my mana!]
"Kaaaah! W-why is my voice so... dainty? And my body...!"
The protagonist screamed at his reflection in the mirror.
"I've turned into a woman!"
[Part 1 - Complete -]
[Part 2 starts tomorrow.]
The comments section blew up.
[Author, you wanna die?]
[500 chapters, ends Part 1 with protag TS? And bitchfall tag? For real lololol]
[Dude... don't project your weird fetishes into the story...]
[Not even BL drift, but TS bitchfall drift? First time lololol]
Flipping the core genre meant most readers vented fury in comments.
[I like it.]
[TS fan here, happy.]
[I'm an anything-goes reader, this works.]
A tiny minority didn't care.
As it escalated, the author posted a notice.
[This is Bamboo Doggy...]
Wrapping up Part 1, I wanted to communicate about the protagonist's TS and bitchfall tags.
Straight to the point: No changes.
Folks, TS isn't weird. Totally plausible in fantasy, and others have tried it.
Yes, a martial arts novel by a senior author shifted to this in Part 2.
Won't name it out of respect, but genre fans will know.
Did that flop?
No, it thrived.
Mine will too. Or rather, I'll make it so.
I'll pour even more love into the TS protag than Part 1, with a solid, perfect plot ready.
No regrets.
You won't either.
Just watch.
And bitchfall tag? Perfectly natural human reaction.
A healthy body turned female means instant health, beauty, allure.
Impossible for her not to get skinship or romantic tension with guys.
What, outside woman, inside man?
Sorry, but the human mind is an illusion. Hormones can reshape it anytime.
Postpartum depression? Hormones.
Regular depression? Hormones.
Anger issues, kleptomania? Hormones.
Yes, humans are slaves to hormones.
TS protag can't escape that truth.
No interest in men post-TS? Not real TS.
Just TS skin—surface level.
Or coward TS, in other words.
Ignores core TS elements like sexual conflict and life upheaval. Just slaps on female shell and milks the fun bits.
Forgot the raw taste of early TS?
The agony of man turning woman.
Hormonal side effects, mental breakdown.
Shifting gazes, social status drop.
Weakened body, even tear glands.
I'm no coward, so bitchfall tag for perfect TS.
Please keep supporting Isekai Black-Haired Munchkin Muay Thai Fighter Survival.
One hour later.
1,780 comments on the notice.
"Insane firepower."
To grasp the situation, I dove into communities, gathered knowledge, and summarized.
[Coward ○○: Twisting taboo setups to soften them. Steps back from full taboo into plausible territory. Ex) Blood-related siblings = Incest / Non-blood half-siblings = Coward Incest]
[Drift: Abrupt genre shift. Readers hate it; survivors get PTSD, scouring early chapters for foreshadowing. Ex) Protagonist keeps linking with male chars? Not BL drift, right?]
[My Writing Sucks Disease: Author lacks confidence, can't write properly. Needs objective feedback, but most spiral alone—doodle, delete. Don't rush support; can lead to hiatus from pressure.]
[My Writing's Fire Disease: Overconfident author steamrolls plot. Loses objectivity, story pierces ceiling or drifts genres. Cured by flop sometimes, but some blame "lowbrow readers ruining my genius."]
[Yuri: F/F romance genre.]
[BL: Boys' Love, M/M romance genre.]
[Polar Bear: Yuri euphemism.]
[Monkeypox: From outbreak among gay men; slur for male homosexuals. Web novel communities use for BL.]
"Wow, so much lore."
Even this niche web novel world was packed with knowledge.
Min Sung-ho seemed to have My Writing's Fire Disease, leading to this drift.
"Well, he'll figure it out."
Even if it tanks, if he finishes it...
Completing his labor of love should satisfy him, right?
"Please see it to the end."
A week later, a notice.
[Feeling under the weather, taking a short break.]
No updates after that.
"Things like that happened?"
"Yeah, web novel scene's scary. Comments mentioned 'getting off the ride' at 5,800 chars."
"Hmm, slang, huh? No clue what that means."
"Basically..."
It had been a while since I'd seen Kim Dong-wook.
He wanted advice and some catch-up chat.
"So that's the context. Wild. Telling the author to hop off since you're hopping off. Poetic."
"More importantly, you needed advice—what's up?"
"Seung-hoon. Sephirot's predicting a crisis."
Kim Dong-wook said gravely.
"A new constellation like the Munchkin Mary Sue one—due down within a week."