Chapter 1: The Novel I Was Reading Went on Hiatus
I was a regular on a webnovel site that started with "No Ja," and there was one novel I always enjoyed reading there: [Reversed World Labyrinth Exploration!]
It wasn't a major hit. The premise was a bit niche, and back then, instead of exploration stories like this, isekai rom-coms and slow-life tales were all the rage. So it never really blew up. But to me, it was more precious than any blockbuster genre.
And that was because...
"Whoa, check out those tits."
The female characters in the illustrations were smoking hot. Sure, it was a reason heavily influenced by my lower half, but I still found it super fun for the adventure elements and recruiting new party members.
Until I saw this notice.
[Indefinite Hiatus]
That day, like any other, I rushed to the site right when the update was due, only to be smacked in the face with this announcement. At first, I thought I was dreaming. The author had completed three works before, laid out all these tantalizing plot threads, and even bought custom illustrations of sexy female characters instead of using AI slop. With that level of trust...
But no, it was real.
[Due to personal circumstances, I can no longer continue serializing. Thank you for loving my work up to now.]
The impossible happened. I didn't wail to the heavens or sob uncontrollably at the notice. I just accepted it calmly. Well, truth be told, I'd half-expected this for a while.
'No popularity.'
The latest chapter's views were in the gutter—it was obvious. I'd braced myself, so I took it in stride.
Of course, most of the comments weren't like mine.
This novel had been a favorite in some community, so the users flooded in, making the comments way more toxic than your average hiatus post. Half of them had never even read it—comedy gold. I felt a twinge of pity for the author getting flamed, but since it was a hiatus, I didn't bother defending. I just closed the tab and flopped into bed.
Guess tomorrow's gonna feel a bit empty at this hour.
After sleeping like a rock, what I saw when I woke up was...
"Huh?"
"Elf awake!"
"Elf precious. Handle with care!"
A bunch of green-skinned, muscle-bound women staring at my naked ass in what looked like a cave, concern in their eyes. No. What the fuck is this?!
A few days after waking up in that cave-like place, it wasn't hard to figure out those green-skinned women were orcs.
I mean, they said it themselves.
"Elf! Eat!"
"I can't eat it raw."
"Hrm! Elf! Picky! Orcs just eat!"
"I'm not an orc—mmph!"
Who wouldn't get it when they call themselves orcs? Anyway, I'd been imprisoned in an orc cave. Oh, and bonus: I wasn't human anymore.
Not human? Then what?
"Elf! Suspicious!"
"What is?"
"Hiding something in pants!"
I was an elf. More precisely, a half-elf, it seemed. How'd I know?
"Ugh, back off, inferior breed."
"We share half the blood, you know?"
"That's why you're inferior. Otherwise, it'd be subhuman."
The other captured male elves kindly explained. 'Fucking elf pricks.'
Anyway, being a half-elf wasn't the priority. What mattered was escaping this cave and...
[Final Goal: Conquer the Labyrinth!]
[Reward: Return to the Real World]
...figuring out how to achieve this goal. Judging by "Labyrinth" and "conquer," this had to be the world of [Reversed World Labyrinth Exploration!] No other game or novel I knew had that combo.
'How the hell do I pull this off?'
My worries deepened. Even escaping here, to return home, I'd have to delve a 50+ layer mega-dungeon, risking death the whole way. Sure, it was a harem story fronted by female characters, but it was packed with life-or-death episodes. For a regular 21st-century Korean guy, it was brutal.
'Already got a headache from isekai-ing here, and now conquer the labyrinth too?'
I was seriously tempted to jump in the Han River, but I'm the type who values his life. No dumb risks. Though yeah, a little tempted.
As I pondered my options, five orcs busted into my cell, yanked open the bars, and pointed at the huddled humans.
"Humans! Come!"
"N-no, don't!"
"Yes!!!"
They dragged off eight human guys. Moments later...
"Gaaahhh!!"
"P-please, stop!"
"No more coming out!"
"O-oh god, I'm..."
Screams echoed from deeper in the cave. My balls instinctively shriveled. And the reason?
The noise from orcs milking men dry for impregnation. If it was just a squeeze, I'd think, 'Pfft, guys screaming like that over a girl?' But while I mulled that, the door creaked open again, and the captives stumbled out.
-Screeech.
"Hoo! Good use! Back to cell!"
"...Yes."
More like zombies—faces pale as death. They shuffled to some filthy rags (blankets? trash?), collapsed, and passed out.
Then...
"Th-three of them... aren't breathing..."
Three human men dead. -Chills. Horrifying every time. How do you kill someone just by draining semen? Well, duh—in modern times, three loads tire out even healthy guys. Here? Malnourished slaves chowing nutrient paste. No wonder.
Lucky me, though. Why?
"Th-this guy? No take?"
"Elf! Dick small! Need grow!"
My underdeveloped dick (and small body) meant no orc interest. Yay? Nay? Who knows. Another day passed in mixed feelings.
Months in the orc cave later, they seemed to realize I was a dud.
"Hrm. Growth too slow!"
"Slave! Sell!"
"Good idea!"
"Human! Contact!"
Planning to sell me to humans for fresh seed slaves. Trembling, I thought:
'Fuck! No way!'
I'd stayed chill to survive so far, but now? Panic. Humans here were the worst.
Males pulled gangster power plays, true to the reversed world.
"Hey, elf, your food looks tasty?"
"We get the same rations."
"What? Too small, can't hear?"
Tired of that shit endless times. Females? Worse.
"W-wanna do good stuff with sis?"
"Heh. Lick sis's pussy!"
Captured women demanded prostitution; refusal meant beatings. Orcs separated us eventually—no major damage, but the trauma lingered.
Slave to those? No way.
I freaked, but powerless.
"P-please, not humans..."
"Elf! Shut!"
-Thwack!
Just a weak half-elf. Sold to humans, inevitable.
"Grahhh! Elf strong!"
"Attack! Attack!"
"Boss dead! Run!"
Until a female elf—no, knight—appeared.
"Slay all who resist."
She carved through the orcs.