Fateful Encounter (1)

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Someone vigorously typing on a keyboard could be heard in a small one-bedroom apartment.

"Haaah? What the hell do you mean I'm ruining my own story?!"

A man in his early 30s could be seen screaming at a computer screen.

"You just can't comprehend good writing when it's staring you in the face!"

What the hell? I spend countless hours and many sleepless nights typing away a story that can be satisfactory, but this is what I get. Hate?

No.

It could be just this one person; you always see one or two hate comments.

Using my mouse, I scroll down to see more of the comments

Click!

"Let's see... "

StarKiller: What the hell happened to this novel? It used to be so good.

Boobmaster69 Replying to StarKiller: I'm with you there, man; what happened to all the girls?

HackBot4245: This is getting dropped; the author should stop writing.

GeniusWriter: Author-nim is just digging himself into a hole. Every arc is getting boring and repetitive, and the author clearly….

"…"

Sigh

Letting out a long sigh, I place my hands on my head.

"Dammit…"

I can't refute their statements. These past few months have been rough, and I can feel the quality of my writing decrease. But to think it was so bad that even the comments are like this…

"How did it get to this…"

It didn't use to be like this; I used to be a well-known and respected author. I had a few hits, some even reaching the top 50 in the popularity poll, but none came close to the one I am writing now. I poured everything into it and was proud of it; after all, it was my best and most viewed.

But lately, my mental state has been suffering from writing for a year straight without ever going on hiatus, and shortly after, bad habits that I had thought I had fixed started showing up in my writing again.

I was slowly starting to get worse and worse, and as I tried to deny that it was happening now, I had to face reality.

Sigh

I decided to take a break today and go to the convenience store I frequent to buy my meds. It's nothing serious; it's just that lately, I've been getting these severe migraines that won't go away. At first, they weren't that bad, it started with pain here and there, but later, it grew into full hour-long migraines that hurt like hell.

I went to a doctor to get it checked out, and luckily, it wasn't serious, as they just told me that if I take certain meds for a few weeks, they should subside.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

On my way to the store, I suddenly felt my phone starting to vibrate in my pocket. Curious to see who was calling me, I took my phone and checked the name, and with a bitter smile, I answered.

"Hey, Mom"

"How's my little author doing?"

"Haha… It's going great right now, Mom; the series I'm working on is more popular than ever."

'Though not for good reasons'

"That's wonderful, son. I'm glad it is going well."

While lying to her does hurt my heart, there is no reason to tell her the state of my novel and worsen her mood. She gets overly sensitive about such things, so it's better not to make her worry.

"Though I don't understand what you write, I do understand that you love what you write and have a passion for writing."

"Haaah, thanks, Mom."

She has always been my number-one supporter. Whatever I go through, she is always there to cheer me on and be my moral support.

Whether going through a breakup or making terrible decisions, she has always been there; she is the crutch that has kept me going all these years. I don't know who I'd be or what I'd be doing without her.

"I bet your father would be very proud to know you are an author."

"Ha. You think so?"

My Father.

He passed away when I was 10. I don't remember much about him, but I know he loved me and my mom, at least I think, and that he was an author.

I remember he would always be behind a desk writing and would always get yelled at by my mom. According to my mom, he was very stubborn and determined, as he would never budge from his desk until all his work was finished; only then would he acknowledge me and my mom. He wasn't a perfect dad, but he was enough for me; tragedy struck, as it does so well.

It was a typical day, just like any other. I remember it like it was yesterday; Dad had just gone out to pick some things up from the convenience store as my mom had ordered him. He left, saying it should take a little time because he would only get a few things and would be right back. That was the last time I ever saw him.

30 Minutes...

1 Hour...

2 hours...

Eventually, 3 hours passed, and Mom started calling him like crazy but to no avail as she then resorted to the police and filed a missing persons report. 6 Hours later, they found him; however, he was not breathing and was pronounced dead.

The cause of death was a simple heart attack. They suspected that when walking back due to stress or other possible reasons caused him to have a heart attack with no one around to help him, he was left there, slowly dying on the ground.

After that incident, it took a while before my mom and I could adjust. During this, my mom fell into severe depression, and I was not much better.

When school started, I wasn't doing very well, but my mom was trying her hardest to do what she could. Seeing her try so despite being in so much pain made me realize that I needed to do something to help her, and that was when I decided to become a writer.

I started trying hard in school to get good, I wasn't the best, but they were above average. After graduating high school and college, my mom and I slowly recovered from the incident. I studied to become a better writer, and my mom helped me with her continued support. And here we are today, to this conversation between me and my mom.

"Of course, he would be."

"Pfft yeah… I sure hope so."

"...So, was there a reason for you calling mother?"

"Ah. Right. Would you like to have dinner at my house tonight?"

"Dinner? Tonight? I don't know…"

"Oh, common, spend some time with me, your mother."

"Alright, Alright, I'll be there."

"Great! I'll see you around 7. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good, Mom; I'll see you then."

"See you soon."

Beep!

"Whew…"

I couldn't say no to that. I mean, look at how she was begging me; I had to.

"Maybe I should get something for her at the store…hmm?"

Just then, I spotted an older woman struggling to carry some groceries she had just bought. Slowly I started to make my way over there to help her.

"Haa… Hello, ma'am. Would you like some assistance?"

I asked as I started walking towards her, putting my arms out to help her.

"Oh no, I'm alright."

She proclaimed, but I could see her struggling, so I would help her anyway. That's what my mom taught me.

"It's okay, I insist."

"Alright, young man, if you insist."

"Alright, just down this street, yeah?"

With a smile, she replied

"Yes, that'll be fine."

I began walking her down the street we were at while holding some of the bags so she could be comfortable; although I'll return them later, she'll already be home.

Making small talk as we walked, we reached her destination, and I gave her back the bags I was caring for.

"Alright, ma'am, be careful now when you buy too much."

"Thanks for your help, young man. I appreciate it."

"Yeah yeah, just get back safe."

I said as I turned around and started walking back. Right before I fully turned, I could hear something coming from the older woman's direction.

With a grin, she mumbled

"Good luck, Nico."

Turning around, I said

"Huh? What did you just...hmm?

However, contrary to my prediction, she was not there at all. It was like she had disappeared. No. More than that, where is this? Everything looks completely different than it did a second ago. What was once a street was now full-scale buildings that looked like skyscrapers, and countless people were around me.

Rubbing my eyes, I exclaimed

"What the hell?"

Still bewildered by what had happened, a screen appeared like magic in front of my face.

[Welcome to the land you created, the world of 'The Hero.' Good Luck]

The Hero? Isn't that the name of my novel? What the hell is going on, and what happened to that old woman? Where did she go? Am I really in...

A million questions started going through my head. Another screen popped up as if to prove that everything in front of me was real.

===Status===

-Nico Wells-

Rank: E-

Strength: 4

Stamina: 3

Speed: 4

Intelligence: 6

Perception: 3

Ki: 2

Luck: 3

Charm: 6

--> Ki Arts: None

==========

Nico Wells?

Whos that?

More importantly, who the hell was that granny?