Stumbling, The Wanderer's Return, On Going Live

This book was meant to be a pure wish-fulfillment novel.

If there was anything different about it, it was that I wanted to write a wish-fulfillment novel with progression that made as much sense as possible, a brisk pace, clear barriers between power tiers, and no collapse into chaos even in the late stages.

The purpose of starting this book was to please readers, let them enjoy themselves, and give them an outlet for the pressures of reality.

That was why this book came to be, and why I returned to the game-otherworld genre.

After Abyss Overlord won Game King of 2014, I never wrote another game-otherworld story.

This was an agreement I had with quite a few longtime readers who had known me for over a decade: "Futu, even if your book flops again, I'll still subscribe to the whole thing. For your next book, write us a wish-fulfillment novel like your old ones, preferably a game-otherworld story—the kind with that Spartacus style, where you chop everything to pieces and kill to your heart's content."

Now, I had come in keeping with that agreement and completed the overall framework for this book.

I would do my utmost. I would write whatever felt satisfying. If readers did not like too much background setup, I would cut it. Even completed drafts would still undergo major revisions and deletions. If they did not like a slow pace, I would speed it up. If readers pointed out too many problems, I would change them.

Because this book's original intention was to let readers have a good time and give back to them. There was no need for all that fancy nonsense.

I was lying here with pen in hand. Tell me what kind of satisfying moments you wanted to see, and I would write them.

That was all there was to it.

Volume One: No. 1 Human Form, Medieval Era—Barbarian Invasion, a hegemon script, Spartacus-style, Song of Killing and That Stuff, the Xiang Yu Overlord template.

That was written directly into the outline.

Every volume had a different style. After ascending dimensions, the protagonist was already equivalent to a Quasi-Supreme God and stood undefeated. Other than needing to descend through Human Forms, his true body only needed to fear beings at the Supreme God level.

Volume Two: No. 3 Human Form, Future Hive City, steampunk cyberpunk, the Era of Change, a cult leader template, a dark visual style. He would beat up Evil Gods from beyond the domain, seize the Human Forms through which those Evil Gods descended, use the "Purge Protocol" to sweep away the entire dark hive city, and kill his way through mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

This was the godfather script established in the outline.

Every volume was a different wish-fulfillment life script. Just like the title said, after ascending dimensions, you were the player, and the real world was your game field.

Basically, every volume would have a different writing style. Some would be rough and rugged, some hot-blooded, some grand and sweeping, and some would feature more Gothic gloom. I had written in this style before as well.

Different scripts would be adjusted according to reader feedback. If something did not work, I would change it. Simple and crude.

But once I had written a hegemon template for Xiang Yu, I would not write Lu Bu again.

Xiang Yu's divine valor was unmatched throughout the ages.

If Records of the Grand Historian dared to write it and the Liu family dared to acknowledge it, then I dared to put Xiang Yu's script in Medieval Era Europe and let him slaughter his way through everything. Even if he were directly measured against the power system of Lord of the Rings, Xiang Yu could still carve out a bloody path.

In God's name, Europe would be swept clean.

The protagonist was an existence that transcended dimensions. He could be a continental hegemon, a dark godfather, a wanderer of the astral realms, a space warrior who set the entire galaxy ablaze, or the world-destroying dragon of the Kingdom of End. He had many identities, but he could also be an ordinary person. After experiencing an ordinary person's life, perhaps one day he would "retire into seclusion" and directly hand the Human Form over to the Law of Causality.

He was a transdimensional existence who could live out all the different wish-fulfillment lives he wanted, according to his own will.

The hardest part of the entire book's framework was ensuring that the power system did not collapse. That was where I had spent the most effort, and it was also what tested my ability to arrange the script's progression.

The main thing was listening to advice. When the time came, we could pool our wisdom and arrange the wish-fulfillment scripts step by step.

I would do the writing, and you could see what would be satisfying and how it should be arranged. I had been writing for over a decade, so I still had some skill with the pen.

The same worlds would be revisited in the future. It might be through a Human Form, or it might be as a Heroic Spirit summoned by a ritual. Last time, he may have been a continental hegemon galloping across battlefields; next time, he might be an inconspicuous nobody. But he would not repeat the same life again.

I called that the "afterglow following the climax" after finishing a volume.

Yeah.

Some people might ask why Volume Two used No. 3 Human Form. What happened to No. 2 Human Form?

Well, Number Two was just an accessory—the first aberrant Human Form.

The kind that could live for several thousand years.

Before I knew it, I had said rather a lot. But that was roughly the idea behind this book: to let readers have a good time, and to do everything in my power for that purpose.

Stumbling along, the wanderer returned home.

If I wanted to head out again, hit more walls, and write other genres, that would be something to consider after this book was finished.

Now, let's talk about some serious matters.

First, there had been some drama lately, and negative reviews had suddenly increased. I was not good at managing reader communities, and I only knew one move: permanent mute. But as long as you were not stirring up drama, I would not ban you.

When this book had just begun, longtime readers joked about and mocked my ups and downs—up, down, down, down, down, down. That was all normal.

Everyone liked different genres. There were genres I did not like either when I read. As long as you were not deliberately looking for trouble, it was fine.

Everyone had their own preferences when reading, and everyone was a mature individual. They were not so easily influenced by others.

I had even kept the negative reviews from my books more than ten years ago, so readers could know that a book had both strengths and flaws. But if someone affected other people's reading experience or inconvenienced others, then I only had that one move: permanent mute.

In short, do not stir up drama, and do not affect other people's enjoyment of reading. This book's original purpose was to give readers a satisfying outlet.

Second, if you had any opinions, bring them up. I would read them, see how readers responded, and make changes accordingly. Since many stories were independent volumes, if readers did not like certain changes in writing style, I would switch them. But do not be overly malicious in your wording, and do not affect others.

Third, if you could, please give it an initial subscription.

Just an initial subscription would do. If you enjoyed it, keep following; if not, set it aside. After all, this book was a wish-fulfillment novel written to give back to readers.

This book was born for those old folks who subscribed even when they did not read, making me feel ashamed. The hegemon script of Volume One was the gift of Spartacus I offered to them.

Of course, I still had to ask for those initial subscriptions.

This book should have over ten thousand readers following it now. Let's make a push and see how it goes. I'll leave it to you all.

I wish everyone a happy and prosperous New Year, with great fortune in all things!

That was all.

—The flop Futu, who came in keeping with an agreement, was doing his best to write you a decisive, kill-without-hesitation wish-fulfillment novel.