A man lay stretched across a wooden beach bench chair under the blazing warmth of a bright, cloudless afternoon. The sky above him was a flawless expanse of blue, endless and serene. In front of him shimmered a luxurious rooftop pool, its surface rippling gently beneath the sunlight.
He was on the twentieth floor of a high-end building, far above the noise of the city. Up here, the world felt distant. Small. Manageable.
Leon was tall, fit, and athletic. His pale skin contrasted sharply with his jet-black hair. Sharp blue eyes rested behind black sunglasses perched over his head. Around twenty-six years old, effortlessly handsome. He wore a cyan Hawaiian half-sleeve shirt with open buttons and tropical prints, paired with white shorts.
Comfortable. Wealthy. Untouchable.
He scrolled through his phone, a faint smile forming.
"So it's finally ending… but it was an incomplete one."
His voice carried mild amusement, but beneath it was something else. Nostalgia, perhaps.
"It's been so many years since I started reading it."
TWILIGHT OF FANTASY SAGA — TLFS in short.
A typical light novel about another world filled with magic and swords. Popular and unpopular at the same time. Not because the story was bad — but because of its OVA volume chapters. The price of those chapters was ridiculously expensive, and the writing style was completely messed up, totally different from the main story.
The first three chapters were free and had a decent plot, even if the writing was chaotic. But after chapter three, it became paid — absurdly overpriced. Like paying for caviar just to taste a single spoonful. And the chapters were excessively long.
No one reads it.
Except, of course, me.
He exhaled softly.
The reason he started reading was because it was popular. It sucked at first, so he decided to quit. But then came the cameo of Lucas — a side background character in the entire story.
"This bastard was too evil yet too kind and hardworking, but he sucks."
He chuckled under his breath.
Yet I couldn't stop reading because of him.
Lucas barely appeared thirty to fifty times in the entire main story. Still, every scene with him felt… alive.
When he heard about the OVA focusing on Lucas, he started reading that too. It was crappy — but readable. And Lucas was also one of the reasons it became so unpopular.
But I can't get enough of him.
Lucas's life was filled with misfortunes and tragedies, moving toward an expected bad ending. And now, this final chapter had ended with an unresolved conclusion.
"I have come a long way from when I started," he said with a grin of satisfaction while lying back.
"Thanks to that bastard."
His smile widened slightly.
"Now I can enjoy my life full of luxury without doing any work for the rest of my life."
And that's the best ending anyone could ask for.
He closed his eyes, letting the sun warm his face.
Then—
His phone vibrated.
A notification popped up.
He frowned faintly.
What is it now?
He picked up his phone.
Hmm.
A message from the author of TLFS.
"Why would someone like him message me? Maybe because I am the only reader who finished his crappy work… but how did he get my number?"
A strange chill crept down his spine.
The message read:
---
Dear reader I am touched that despite calling it 'crappy,' you never truly abandoned it . I am gifting you a opportunity to experience the story more closely with your own yes , plz accept my generosity.
[Accept the Offer]
[Decline and Remai Ignorant]
---
"What is this nonsense? Of course I would."
His thumb hovered over the screen for a second.
Wait… I never wrote that in a comment section…
A faint crease formed between his brows.
He clicked at "Decline and Remai Ignorant".
A relieved smile appeared.
"Hard pass. I am happy living my life in luxury to the fullest. I don't want your crappy gift."
Why would I throw this away for fiction?
He turned off his phone and closed his eyes again.
Peace.
Silence.
Then—
The phone began vibrating violently.
His brows furrowed.
More messages appeared. One after another.
Are you sure
Did you really make your mind
Its a great once in awhile lifetime opportunity
Do you really want to miss this chance
You should think one more time
How can you
You should accept it
You are making a rash decision
Reconsider it
"What the heck? He is insane, sending me so many spam messages."
"I already said no thanks."
He turned off his phone again and lay back, smiling in relief.
"Finally, I can rest easy."
This is ridiculous.
Suddenly—
The phone shook more violently than before.
He opened his eyes, confusion replacing calm.
"What the hell? I am sure u turned it off."
A red message appeared on the black screen.
Look like I have to use force
Before he could react—
His phone lifted into mid-air in front of him.
The space around it warped.
Reality bent.
And then—
It vanished.
He blinked, frozen.
What just happened?
Silence.
A second passed.
Then—
Snap.
A white void-like portal tore open in front of him, ripping through space itself. The air distorted violently. The pool water trembled as if gravity had been reversed.
"What's happening?!"
The portal began sucking everything toward it with immense force.
His body slid forward.
He reacted instantly, grabbing the edge of the pool tightly, fingers straining.
"I am not leaving my luxurious life, never and ever!"
Not for some stupid novel. Not for anyone.
The wooden bench chair behind him lifted into the air.
His eyes widened.
"No… no… not this!"
Bam.
The bench slammed into him.
Pain exploded through his body.
His grip loosened.
And in the next second—
He was dragged into the blinding white void.
"—"
Zap.
The portal vanished with a violent blast.
The rooftop fell silent once more.
As if Leon had never existed.