Chapter 9

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Translator: Wjin

Chapter: 9

Chapter Title: Overwhelming Response

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"Crazy..."

She felt like her heart was about to leap out of her throat.

The moment 8 p.m. hit, ten paid episodes of Kunlun Return went up in a rush. Just that alone had her on the verge of tears from sheer emotion, but she wasn't the only one who'd been waiting—thousands were flooding the comments.

The response was insane. The posts that went up at 8 p.m. had already surpassed 3,000 paid views in under two hours.

Climbing to the top of the paid rankings was a given, and tomorrow, predicting the 24-hour purchase numbers would be impossible.

This has to be a record, right?

Everyone had been waiting, and maybe everyone who was willing to pay had already done so.

But she still couldn't tear herself away, glued to the comments on Kunlun Return, nodding along with the reactions from new readers.

Yeah, up to this point, her heart wasn't really pounding.

Not until that weird comment showed up on the latest episode.

She knew there were plenty of jealous types timing their pity parties.

Is it real...?

She swallowed hard as the comments poured in real-time.

Back-to-back new series?

She didn't know why her mouse hand was shaking, but she typed into the search bar anyway.

Infinite Reincarnation.

It was there. Fresh episodes 1 through 7, uploaded just that evening at 8 p.m.

Is this even possible?

She'd just finished the ten paid episodes of Kunlun Return, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her excitement still buzzing, and now a new series from the same author? Her finger hesitated over the click.

Maybe Kunlun Return did so well he threw up an old draft?

That would be disappointing. Focusing on one work was hard enough—why make a blunder like this?

The title's weird too...

Kunlun Return was already unfamiliar; this one was Infinite Reincarnation.

She didn't know it yet, but these were two of the regression-reincarnation powerhouses that would dominate Korea's webnovel scene a decade later, debuting today.

No prologue. Had he forgotten it?

No subtitles either. Rushed upload?

Way too half-assed...

No author had hooked her this hard so fast, but the second work left her oddly emotional.

So she decided to check it out, expectations low.

"Oh my god..."

She binge-read all seven episodes like she was possessed, mouth agape.

"How does someone..."

She loved wuxia. But this was fantasy.

The plot was dead simple: one soul reincarnates endlessly—tree, bug, lion, even parasite—retaining memories and abilities until finally reborn human.

The imagination...

She loved wuxia, but Infinite Reincarnation had her dying to know what came next too.

The protagonist, born in a crumbling frontier lord's castle, his growth trajectory obvious—yet she had to see it.

"Wuxia..."

And then it hit her.

"...wasn't his main gig."

Comparing the two works objectively, Infinite Reincarnation was the funner one.

"Heh heh, can't resist pumping out multiples."

I'd called it insurance to Jin-seong, but after writing seven episodes in the first three days then dropping to four, I'd filled the gaps with Infinite Reincarnation.

Hunting for traces of Author No. 7, I'd stockpiled 1-2 episodes daily, so even after uploading seven yesterday, I still had buffer.

"Thanks to Kunlun Return? Crushing it on day one. No wonder big names are scary."

LitWorld had tons of wuxia fans, but good stories work anywhere—that was my creed.

Of course, tailor to male or female tastes. Bringing romance to LitWorld? Suicide.

Infinite Reincarnation landed straight in the free bestsellers top 5.

Truth be told, Infinite Reincarnation leaned on the 'reincarnation' cliché as buildup to push further.

What I'd realized before dying: as an author, modern settings with raids, hunters, systems, apocalypses suited me best.

But rushing ahead alone leaves readers behind.

Need familiar regression, possession, reincarnation—mix 'em or ease into systems to open the gates.

Two works is fine.

Keep Kunlun Return at 3 eps, Infinite Reincarnation at 4, and both wrap by year-end.

Money's nice, but to unload everything, readers need more exposure.

I glanced at the platform header.

Manager Kim said he could check sales real-time.

Into my library. Found the settlement page.

"Hoo..."

70-30 split here, but in just 12 hours? Massive haul.

"Th-this..."

Yesterday, stayed up late, scarfed samgyeopsal, got hyped with Jin-seong, hit the convenience store for round two beers. Crashed around 11, no time to check sales.

"Three million a day..."

Couldn't keep pumping 10 eps of Kunlun Return forever. But turn Infinite Reincarnation paid? Everything I write turns to cash.

"Insane..."

If it's this good now, what happens in the webnovel golden age ten years from now?

"Team Leader, you bastard..."

Normal pace: 5 eps. Push: 7.

"Haa, hold it together. Not on a day like this..."

Can't predict, so standardize at 3 eps/day from today, build stockpile.

Routine over cash. Serializing's a marathon—stamina, mental war.

3 eps/day = 90/month. Almost 4 volumes.

Six months? 540 eps. 21-22 volumes. Times two: over 40 easy.

Better quick multiples than dragging one. That's how I reach my real stuff.

Ten years taught me: two's fine, three shatters focus. Stick to this wheel.

Over 20 volumes, even I'd get bored.

Next move?

Grind like hell!

Smartphones booming, genre fiction market exploding.

But LitWorld, male-focused, hit clear limits.

Couldn't outscale romance giants covering female tastes—neighbor platforms had bigger romance pools anyway.

"My god..."

Manager Kim stared at his monitor, dumbfounded. He'd watched it build, knew it'd happen, but seeing it? Dreamlike.

"Sir, the author's already shattered the single-work first-month revenue record."

Free best #1 and paid best #1: same author. And his follow-up Infinite Reincarnation outviewed the prior's free run.

Kunlun Return still held paid #1, but today Infinite Reincarnation went paid.

"Has this ever happened...?"

"Never."

He'd muttered unconsciously; the reply startled him off the screen.

"Tons of new reader influx. Everyone's swarming these two."

All this magic in one month.

Where'd this author pop from?

Prose wasn't overwhelming—Dragon Lair or Dream Kids authors wrote better pure text.

But he nailed genre essence.

Above all, ideas and mindset worlds apart. No boundaries, no molds. Delivered exactly what readers craved.

"..."

Kunlun Return went paid yesterday-ish, now over 80 eps. Three volumes in under a month. With two series.

"What was Kunlun Return's paid day-one score?"

Staffer answered instantly.

"24-hour: 5,719."

LitWorld's first record—staff obsessed too.

"This one might top 6k."

Paid switch days: reader rush first 12 hours. Break to 4h for trends.

1k in 4h → 2k in 8h → 3k in 12h, tapering.

Staffer whistled.

"Both combined? Daily paid 10k+?"

No one's hit paid 10k ever. Platform didn't have that many payers.

But this author? Revenue-wise, surpassing.

Why? Monster dropping 6 eps/day across two.

Not 10k. 30k.

100 won/ep. Author 70. After cuts, ~60. 10k paid = 600k. Times 6?

3.6 million!

Just math; backlog sells to newbies, cumulative snowballs...

No days off.

Rough: 5 mil x 30?

150 million...

100 mil salary wows; this guy's pocketing 150 mil monthly potential.

Early twenties-looking.

Lotte World image still vivid.

How's he craft such seasoned works?

Genius beyond normals, huh?

One ep/day like others? No this revenue.

But this genius works too.

Huge stockpile start, yet paces perfectly. Even sequels calculated!

Keep him with us at all costs. He's our growth engine.

Platform wars: burn marketing, virals for rivals' readers.

Best? Drop 'masterpieces' so they come crawling.

"How much time left?"

"1 hour 22 to Infinite Reincarnation paid switch!"

Author set 8 p.m. again—overtime today. But fun overtime.

Better reception than Kunlun Return.

Prior wuxia: few women, young'uns.

But Infinite Reincarnation: fantasy base. Women, teens dive in.

6k...

He didn't know. The storm women and teens would unleash.