Today is January 24th, 2026, and honestly… I'm still trying to process this.
I was just casually browsing the app, reading some fanfics like I usually do, when I noticed a notification on the writing icon. Most of the time, it's just that automated message saying that a few more people added your work to their favorites — and every single time, a small part of me hopes it's a comment I can reply to.
Well… not this time.
It was just another automated message. Still, for some reason, I decided to check the story's statistics. You know, just to see how things were going. Why not?
And then I saw it.
That big, beautiful, perfectly round number: 2k Collections.
I actually froze for a second. Like… wait, what?
Holy crap.
I always knew this day would come eventually. I check the numbers often, and I've seen them slowly climbing over time. Some days it's just five or six new collections. Other days, when I'm more motivated and post multiple chapters in a row, the number jumps a bit higher. I still remember the day I got thirty new collections in a single day — that one stuck with me.
Even so, I can't help but feel genuinely happy every time I see that number go up, even if it's just by one.
I also want to give a special thank you to Tyrant1103, AstraDelver, and WolfLord, who consistently comment on the chapters. WolfLord, in particular, often leaves a simple "Thank you for the chapter." It may sound generic, but honestly? That's something I don't even do with most works I enjoy, so it means more to me than you might think.
And of course, thank you to everyone who has supported this project so far. Whether you've been here since the early chapters or found the story recently and decided to give it a chance — your presence truly matters.
Now, let me be honest for a moment.
I know I'm not the most punctual author. And yeah, that's completely on me. Sometimes I'm not even busy. Instead of studying or practicing my skills for the upcoming semester, I end up reading fanfiction or getting distracted by random stuff. While reading, I'll think, "Wow, I really need to write the next chapter."
Then I get lazy.
Then I feel guilty.
And then I do… absolutely nothing.
The last few chapters followed a very clear pattern. I don't write anything on the afternoon of the day I post a chapter. The next day, I write a few paragraphs. The day after that, I almost finish it. Then I post it on the third day. Three whole days to write a chapter I know I could've finished in one if I had just focused.
Yeah. Not proud of that. But it's a flaw I recognize.
Still, somehow, the story keeps growing at its own pace. Sometimes I sit down planning to write just two chapters and end up writing twice that. Case in point: a reader named… uh… hold on, let me check…
(Five minutes of digging through the comments later)
— WolfLord again.
And look at me, eating my words.
He once asked how many chapters it would take for the protagonist to reappear. I confidently replied that I only needed two more scenes — meaning two chapters — before the protagonist was back on screen.
Well.
Here I am, getting ready to write the third chapter instead.
I still clearly remember the day I used ChatGPT to organize my ideas and plan the future of the story. I had outlined six scenes, which would turn into six chapters. Let me check that plan again real quick…
Let's see… seven? Yeah. Seven chapters already written.
Those chapters — focusing on Finn Deimne and Bell Cranel's journey through the Dungeon — were supposed to be just the first scene.
And there are still five more scenes left.
Oh my loooord… what have I done?
What's so hard about writing a short scene, anyway? I see so many translations of Chinese fanfics, and I can't help but feel a little envious. Everything is so neatly compressed. The reader gets just the essentials and fills in the rest with imagination.
But no! Of course not!
I have to write a full-length essay to describe even the most irrelevant moments — scenes where only NPCs are talking, for crying out loud. Do they need that much detail? Probably not. Do I do it anyway?
…Yeah. I do.
Sigh…
I actually started writing this message at nine o'clock at night. Now it's already ten twenty, Felipe Neto is on TV completely stealing my attention, and there goes my plan of at least writing the opening of the next chapter today.
Who remembers when I said I was lazy?
Anyway!
We're also getting dangerously close to another milestone: one hundred chapters. Just typing that feels unreal. This will be the first time I've ever reached that amount of content in a single work.
For comparison, my previous personal record was a Pokémon fanfic with a little over sixty chapters — and back then, that already felt massive. Reaching this point now feels like crossing a line I genuinely never thought I would.
Needless to say, my original plan was to finish this second arc exactly on chapter one hundred.
And now there are only seven chapters left.
…Yeah.
Who remembers when I said I tend to exaggerate scenes?
...Oh fuck, I'm screwed...
Once again, I want to thank everyone for the constant support. Truly. Every collection, every comment, every bit of interaction keeps this story alive more than you probably realize.
And while we're here — don't forget to leave a comment on the chapter. It's incredibly motivating. Seriously. Even a short one already makes my day.
Also, throw me some stones if you can. My next goal is finally breaking into the Top 200 of the week, and every stone helps. I usually don't ask for stones at the beginning or end of chapters — something I definitely should do, but don't, out of pure laziness. Writing a message and then copying and pasting it every time feels like way too much work for my tired brain.
So please, do me this favor and leave a few stones here.
And if you're feeling extra patient and generous, leave a review as well — preferably a five-star one. Not gonna lie, that makes me very happy.
Now, after all this sentimental rambling — which I'm sure most people skipped the moment they realized this wasn't a surprise chapter, except for the most loyal souls among you — it's finally time for the reward.
(Commemorative music starts playing)
Here's the thing. I already tried something like this back when the story hit the 1k Collections milestone, and… yeah, that didn't really work out. Back then, I tried to post an extra chapter as a thank-you but didn't made it in time, posted on the next day.
I still plan on trying to write a chapter to post tomorrow, but if I'm being honest, I don't fully trust myself to actually pull that off. So this time, I decided to do something simpler.
A spoiler.
People tend to complain about spoilers, but honestly? I don't see the problem. If there's one thing I enjoy, it's spoilers — especially when I'm the one actively looking for them, and not when some random jerk with nothing better to do decides to ruin things out of spite.
So, for those of you who don't want spoilers, don't worry. Just ignore the italicized text and you'll be perfectly fine. You can skip ahead and continue reading the rest of the message — you really won't miss anything important.
It's not a major spoiler for the story, and with the hints I've been dropping throughout the chapters, I'm pretty sure some of you already suspected it anyway.
Alright.
Here we go.
Here is the protagonist's status sheet after the three months he spent inside the Dungeon without updating his Falna with Hestia. As some of you already know, training still produces measurable results through the Falna system — but at a much slower pace compared to actively earning and converting Excelia to draw out latent potential.
This sheet reflects his current state. There is still a major battle ahead, along with a planned limit-breaking moment, where his stats will increase even further — but that's not important right now.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
Level: 1
Strength: 4,850 (Level 3)
Endurance: 4,300 (Level 3)
Dexterity: 5,100 (Level 3)
Agility: 4,600 (Level 3)
Magic: 0 (No magic, no mana)
TotalAttributePoints: 22,550/50,000
Unique Skill — Tireless Explorer (Rank B)
A survival-oriented Unique Skill that grants a remarkable increase in stamina recovery and significantly accelerates physical regeneration, allowing the user to endure prolonged exploration and extended combat far beyond normal limits.
The user's stamina capacity and vitality are reinforced, while mana recovery is steadily improved, enabling sustained physical and magical activity. Strong resistance to mental afflictions—such as fatigue, pain, hunger, fear, charm, and confusion—is provided, keeping the user clear-headed under extreme conditions.
Additionally, resistance to abnormal status effects, including poison and disease, is noticeably increased, reducing their impact and duration.
Unique Skill — Maze Runner (Rank D)
Grants an extremely refined spatial sense, allowing the user to mentally map complex environments and instinctively identify the safest and most efficient routes through labyrinthine structures such as the Dungeon, ruins, or narrow urban areas.
The skill greatly enhances the detection of anomalies and patterns, including traps, hidden passages, structural irregularities, and subtle changes in monster behavior.
In enclosed or complex environments, motor control and balance are noticeably improved, refining movement, footwork, and positioning. Agility and Dexterity receive a moderate boost, optimizing tactical maneuverability and reducing wasted motion during exploration or combat.
— — — — — — — — — — — — —
Alright, that's it for tonight.
Thank you, truly, to everyone who stayed until the very end of this ridiculously long message. It's already 11:50 PM, my brain is fried, and I'm finally going to sleep. Still, I couldn't end this without saying how genuinely happy I am with what we've built together so far. This story started small, and seeing how far it's come honestly means more to me than I can properly explain.
That said… if you really want to make me even happier, leave a comment.That said… if you really want to make me even happier, leave a comment.
Seriously. You don't need to leave a review. You don't need to give stones. Just leave a comment. For real.
…Okay, okay, you can still leave the stones too. Hehehe.
Let's make a deal, though. Just so I know who actually read all this nonsense until the end: comment a simple "hi" anywhere you want, and I promise I'll reply with a "hi" back. That's it. Nothing complicated.
Good night, everyone. And thank you again.