With that, the Europe arc had completely come to an end. This was probably the volume that had felt the hardest to write since I started writing novels.
When I was in the middle of writing it, I had so, so much I wanted to tell you all—about my designs, my ideas—
But once I had truly finished it, I suddenly didn't want to explain any of it in detail.
Because even clearly laying out the creative difficulties I encountered had become a very difficult thing in itself.
I believe the experience of this volume probably hadn't been perfect for readers following the pirated version. After all, almost every chapter had to be revised again and again the next day after I finished it.
Some parts had even taken so much time that I practically rewrote them.
This volume's story was too complicated. It was probably the most complicated plot I had ever written.
This had also been a breakthrough and a challenge for me. Even though the exhausting parts of hot-blooded youth stories were real, I didn't want to keep writing the same formula of saving people and suddenly powering up.
So in this volume, I set things up so Fang Ran could have walked away if he wanted to.
Being forced into something by outside circumstances and choosing to become involved yourself should be different, right?
Also, some people had said that I kept writing and rewriting emotional changes, that it was repetitive and long-winded. All I could say was that those people probably hadn't carefully read those passages.
During the Arctic plane incident, he had acknowledged his power and decided to move forward despite his unease. In the National War arc, he had stepped onto the stage, no longer standing still and leaving his ordinary life behind.