Just a fun fact about me, guys... I actually started writing this story as a joke.
You know how you get that one specific, incredibly cool scene stuck in your head, and you just want to write an entire story just to justify it? Yeah, I had that exact moment.
About two or three months ago, I pictured this one scene: my MC sitting on top of a massive, bleeding monster corpse, just casually talking shit about how this world had given him absolutely nothing. That was it. I didn't have a title for the book. I didn't even have a power system yet. I just wrote that one edgy scene, thought wow, that's pretty cool, and left it sitting in my drafts doing nothing.
As time progressed, I finally sat down and tried to come up with a genius power system. Originally, it was heavily inspired by Shadow Slave. I had nightmares, the whole nine yards. But I took a step back and thought, Man, this is way too much of a copy. So, I pivoted. I went with the concept of Sins and Virtues, but I structured it using a Lord of the Mysteries style with pathways and sequences. It just clicked perfectly with the dark fantasy vibe I was going for.
Fast forward to today, and we have over 100k views. That is absolutely insane to me. Some of you guys absolutely love the story, some of you hate it, and honestly? I genuinely enjoy it all. I read the comments where people go, "Oh, this is just a copy of LOTM!" or "Bro, this is totally SS!" and it doesn't bother me at all. I don't mind it because, obviously, it was heavily inspired by them! They're masterpieces.
The reason I'm bringing all this up today is because we've officially completed 49 chapters. Yes, yes, I know—some of those chapters were filler, or just me dropping in to wish you guys a Happy New Year... but hey, a chapter is a chapter!
So, with this post, we are officially hitting Chapter 50!
I just want to take a second to congratulate myself for pushing through, but more importantly, I want to thank you guys. Thank you for sticking with my story, for leaving comments, and for being along for this crazy ride.
Also, I have a quick favor to ask! Please go check out my brand new novel called "The Crimson Runes." And before you even ask—no, it is not a copy of anything, don't worry! It has its own completely unique power system and original world-building from the ground up. I'm really proud of it.
For anyone panicking, please relax. I am absolutely NOT abandoning this novel. I will be continuing this one, my second novel, and The Crimson Runes all at the same time. So yes, in total, I will be writing three novels at once. Pray for my sleep schedule.
Thanks for everything, guys. Here's to the next 50 chapters!