'Anika slowly took off her shirt, revealing her big breasts. They stood firm and pointy, practically bouncing as she moved.'
Steve leaned back in his chair, staring at the phone screen. His lips twitched into a grin before he caught himself.
'Damn...' he thought, dragging his eyes away from his phone.
He grunted loudly, stretching his arms above his head. A cool evening breeze brushed against his skin, making him shiver slightly. Another groan slipped out of his mouth.
'Ugh, this scene sounds so hot... but the writing's horrible.' he thought, exhaling hard.
He tossed his phone onto the table, rubbing his face with both hands. The story he had been reading was from a web novel, a harem story, particularly...however, it wasn't going exactly as he had wanted.
'What the hell is so hard about writing a harem story?' he thought, frowning as he stared at the dark screen.
'All you have to do is write about some guy getting it on with a hot milf or some hot lady. Isn't that it?'
Then again... maybe there was more to it.
He leaned back, resting his head against the chair, his fingers tapping mindlessly on the wood.
'I guess you have to add more depth to the story.' he mused with a sigh.
He lifted his head and looked up. Dark clouds were rolling in fast, heavy and angry, the sky dimming by the second. A storm was definitely on its way.
Steve sighed heavily.
'Man, nothing beats reading web novels when the rain pours.' he thought, a lazy smile tugging at his lips.
He was sitting outside a small coffee shop, just along the edge where the seating faced the road. Cars rushed by, horns blaring occasionally. People hurried past, umbrellas half-open, shoulders hunched. Everyone was rushing.
Today wasn't like any other day — the air was tense, alive. It was obvious a huge storm was coming, and nobody wanted to be caught in it.
Steve, though? He had been so caught up reading his web novels that he almost forgot about the weather.
Letting out a soft sigh, he rose from his chair. His knees popped quietly as he stretched his arms.
"Well, better get going." he muttered under his breath.
He pulled out some loose change from his jeans pocket and dropped it onto the table with a clink, paying for the coffee he had barely touched.
Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he shoved his hands deep into his hoodie and started walking.
Step.
Step.
Step.
He hunched slightly, raising his shoulders against the cold, building a makeshift shelter from the wind. His hands stayed buried in his pockets, head bowed.
Around him, people jogged, umbrellas flipping in the wild air, desperate to get home before the sky fell apart.
But Steve's mind wasn't really on the rain or the rush around him.
'What has harem become...' he thought idly, lifting his phone and glancing down at the novel he had been reading earlier.
"'Harem Overload' my ass." he scoffed under his breath, lips pulling into a grimace.
This writer had thrown away a perfectly good idea with horrible execution.
But then again, that was just Steve for you.
A 19 year old guy who loved web novels more than anything — reading them, thinking about them.
Not just any web novels, either.
He loved the smutty, R-18 ones.
The ones that dished out all the juicy lemons, overflowing with enough "content" to please even the thirstiest reader.
That was his guilty pleasure.
Yet no matter how many he read, there was always a problem.
Either the endings were horrible, making him regret every coin he ever gifted the author, or the stories started off plain boring.
Or worse... the writing was so bad he wanted to claw his own eyes out.
He clenched his fists in his pockets.
'I'm sick of it.' he thought, gritting his teeth.
'Why can't someone just give me a web novel that has everything I need? Proper lemons, an actual story, and of course... HAREEEEMMMM!'
Right then, tiny droplets of rain began to fall.
It started with soft drips against his hoodie, light and teasing. But then, thicker, faster drops came rushing down, and the street quickly began to glisten.
Steve groaned, pulling out his raincoat from his backpack and slipping it on.
"Tsk.... Damned rain." he hissed, fastening the front quickly before the drizzle turned into something worse.
He kept walking, head lowered, footsteps steady.
Somewhere along the way, he stopped mid-step, a wild, determined thought sparking in his mind.
'You know what? Fuck it.' he thought, fire lighting up in his chest.
"I'm going to write my own web novel."
A grin split his face.
"Yeah. I have the best story in my mind right now."
His fingers itched, desperate to type, to pour out the vision forming behind his eyes.
"That's right. I'm going to write it. I'm going to write the best damn harem story the world has ever seen!"
Without hesitation, he pulled out his phone again. His thumbs raced across the screen as he opened his favorite web novel app.
The rain now fell harder, a soft thunder rolling over the horizon, but Steve didn't care.
Not one bit.
As people ran by, dodging puddles and slipping under whatever shelter they could find, Steve found a spot under the edge of a building. Not inside, just tucked beneath the shallow roof, where the rain couldn't touch him directly.
His heart pounded in his chest, adrenaline mixing with the cold air.
'Yes, I have the perfect idea.' he thought, breathing faster.
He clicked on the "Create A Book" section.
The screen blinked, and a prompt appeared asking him to name his novel.
A laugh escaped him, light and proud.
"That's righ.," he whispered, feeling a rare giddiness.
"I have the perfect name for this one too."
His fingers moved quickly, tapping out the title with care.
[The Harem Slave Author's POV.]
"So original..." he chuckled to himself, unable to hide the stupid smile stretching his lips.
He pressed the next button.
A new screen popped up, and he hovered his thumb over the final Create button.
'This is it.' he thought, chest swelling. "I'm going to become the best damn Harem author ever."
His thumb came down—
BOOM!
Without warning, a blinding flash tore across the sky, and a massive lightning bolt ripped through the clouds.
There wasn't even time to scream.
The lightning struck him dead-on, the heat and force unbearable for a fraction of a second — and then gone.
There was barely any pain.
Only the sensation of overwhelming pressure... and then nothingness.
His last thought, his final memory, was simple:
"I was clicking... the create button..."
A blackened, scorched corpse collapsed onto the wet sidewalk, steam rising from the remains as the rain poured down without mercy.
The streets were deserted now.
No footsteps.
No voices.
Only the sound of rain crashing against the ground, and the distant rumble of thunder.
Time seemed to freeze.
Darkness lingered.
It swallowed everything.
And then...
A voice echoed out from the shadows, deep and ancient, vibrating against the soul.
"Rise, Steven Jobson."
***
Add to your collection and feel free to drop a review or your thoughts or recommendations on the book.
Bonus chapters will be unlocked at 20, 50, 100, 300, 500, and 1000 Powerstones!