episode_0021

There are many reasons why a work becomes ‘great’.

A delicate sensitivity that touches the soul, beautiful sentences, sharp social criticism, and a highly complete worldview. Literature can become great for a variety of reasons.

And The Count of Monte Cristo was a work that was worthy of its name alongside many ‘great’ classics in literary history, just for its sheer fun.

“Hehe, this is a novel!”

“Da, when is the next story coming out?!”

The Count of Monte Cristo contained a lot of provocative content, even when compared to his previous life.

A breakup with a fiancé due to false accusation, a fiancé taken away by a friend, escape with help, luck, hot revenge and a conventional plot. The Count of Monte Cristo was a novel that was literally written just for ‘fun.’

If you look at it objectively, it was a novel with a lot of holes in the setting, but the sheer fun of it made it impossible to even look at such ‘external’ things.

“Compared to The Count of Monte Cristo, other novels are a bit… Aren’t you bored?”

“That’s right. Well, I think I’m definitely good at writing… . Right?”

It was the Count of Monte Cristo, who could be said to be the completion of the provocative plot of revenge.

It was impossible to defeat the Count of Monte Cristo for pure fun.

The cheap magazine ‘Half and Half’ was a magazine purchased by people who read novels purely for fun.

“Reader voting? Of course this is the Count of Monte Cristo!”

Naturally, the result of the readers’ vote was a landslide victory for the Count of Monte Cristo.

More than 90% of readers chose The Count of Monte Cristo as the best novel.

The results were immediately conveyed to writers who serialized novels in magazines.

“Kaaak! Oh, that’s ridiculous!”

“The opportunity to co-write with the author of Homer… !”

“Well, we have to turn things around somehow in the next series… !”

It was truly a crucible of shock and fear.

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American psychiatrist Elizabeth Kubler-Ross divided a person’s acceptance of death into five stages: denial, anger, negotiation, depression, and acceptance.

The reactions of aspiring writers after hearing the results of the ‘Half and Half’ reader vote were no different.

“Even if you add it all up, it’s less than 10%… ?”

First step. denial.

“That’s ridiculous! Ugh, maybe there was an error in the process of counting the voting results?!”

“It’s manipulation! It is clear that Herodotus manipulated the voting results!”

“It’s just that it’s still early and it’s a bit boring… . Once you start retrieving the double track, it will start to soar… .”

Second step. anger.

“Keueuuuu! Um, why is that author publishing a series at the same time as us!”

“It’s not that my work is lacking! It’s the problem of readers who don’t recognize the true value of my work!”

“That novel has a lot of holes in the setting… Nippijinseong is also a mess… too bad… .”

Third step. Negotiation.

“Now, writer? Well, they said they would co-author it if they came in first place in the readers’ vote, but that only meant that they were first among our students… ? Are you choosing the first place among our works excluding the work called ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’?”

“How about you, the writer, choose first place among us? After all, isn’t popularity just a one-time fad?”

“Couldn’t you just write it together? ?”

Fourth step. depressed.

“My novel is trash… . In the first place, the very idea of writing with someone as great as Homer was greedy… .”

“This is the end of it all! There is no way you can beat this difference! Ugh… .”

“Hehe, hehe, my writing is not interesting… . I had no talent for writing… .”

And it had to lead to the fifth step, acceptance—.

Defeat was not death.

These were all writers overflowing with artistic pride.

“There is still a chance. If I can somehow steal the attention of readers in the next series… !”

“Haha, it would be better if I killed all the main characters… .”

“In my opinion, my writing is the most interesting… . I think everyone will appreciate the fun of my writing in the next series… ?”

Instead of accepting defeat, writers began to burn their desire to create like crazy.

Thus, writers awakened.

[“Fernand! Among my many names, there is only one that will defeat you.”]

The day when serial books by awakened writers were published.

The Count of Monte Cristo’s first revenge has been completed.

The results of the readers’ vote… .

“Kaaak!!!”

“I curse you! Herodotus!!!”

Well, there’s no need to explain.

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The Count of Monte Cristo was a revenge story.

Naturally, the story readers wanted was also hot and absolute revenge against the enemy. Even before that, refreshing stories continued, including escape from prison, salvation, and the fall of Cadrus, a bystander.

In the end, a revenge story is a blind story that only focuses on ‘revenge’.

And the first revenge was completed. The reactions of readers who followed the story of the Count of Monte Cristo were also bound to be different.

“K, this is it! I kept reading Half and Half just to see this scene!!!”

“Wow, I feel so cold inside that I can’t stand it! I’m pouring beer today!!!”

“Then I will buy the snack!”

Every tavern in the empire was abuzz with the story of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’.

“This is just cause and effect! In the end, if you commit a crime, you will all be punished! Hehe, Count Monte Cristo’s revenge is the will of God!”

“That’s right. In the end, isn’t it like I’m being returned for the same sin I committed?”

Most people raised their voices saying that they were happy about the ending that Fernand, the enemy of the Count of Monte Cristo, met.

There were also people who were so absorbed in the story that they prayed that all of this was God’s will.

“Other enemies must also meet a terrible ending!”

“God is with the Count, so what is there to worry about? Everyone will pay for their sins!”

Many people speculated about the endings other enemies would face.

But the loudest topic in the pub was something else.

“Now that revenge on Fernand is over, will the Count reconnect with Mercedes?”

“Heide’s love for the Count was very impressive. Of course the Count will be connected to Heide, right?”

“What?”

“What?”

That’s right, it was the heroine.

Since ancient times, as a side dish to talk about while drinking at a bar, there has been no topic better for raising men’s voices than women’s stories.

“Mercedes is the Count’s first love! The Count still can’t let go of his feelings for Mercedes! Of course, shouldn’t the Count and Mercedes get back together?!”

“Ha! Are you sane to marry another man and have a relationship with a married woman with children?! Heide truly loves the Count! Of course Heide should be connected to the Count!”

“Heide is just my daughter! In the first place, marrying a girl who is over 20 years older than you makes me question your taste!”

“I guess that’s just your taste for liking old married women!”

“This bastard?! It’s a duel!”

“Who knows who will run away!”

Because the differences in each other’s positions were clear, this topic quickly led to a fight.

As the people around them continued to cheer and bet, the bar quickly turned into chaos.

“Giving up on your first love, are you still a man!”

“Clinging to a married woman, are you still a man!”

Overly immersed.

An overwhelming sense of overindulgence was taking over people.

Due to the nature of the serial novel, over-immersion was bound to become more severe. Because the ending hasn’t come out yet!

“If you’ve read the novel properly, you can’t help but know that Mercedes is the only one in the Count’s heart! Is it true that I read your novel properly?”

“If you read the novel properly, you can’t help but know how passionate Heide’s feelings for the Count are! Have you really read the novel only vaguely? Huh?”

People guessed, analyzed, and predicted the story as they pleased, adding to their imagination.

There were many crazy people who believed that what they had guessed was the truth.

Interesting novels drive people crazy. And ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ was the most entertaining novel in literary history.

Thus, the taverns of the Empire were aflame for days and days with topics such as ‘Who should be next to the Count?’

The plagiarist writer who caused all the confusion.

“Oh, everyone had a lot of fun writing it. Wow, this is how people live.”

I was enjoying reading the works buried in the heat of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’.

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The reason I released literature from my past life in this world was because I wanted to read more works.

And at this moment, I was very satisfied.

The magazine serial novels influenced by ‘The Conan Saga’ and ‘The Count of Monte Cristo’ were refreshingly fun, and the romance novels that became popular after ‘The Sorrows of Young Werther’ were full of emotions that tickled the heart.

Aspiring writers who learned literary arts through various short stories also wrote several unique works.

“This is the world that has become right! Hehe… .”

They said they would give the students a chance to participate in writing together if they ranked first in the ‘readers’ vote…’ .

In fact, I planned to have students participate in writing if necessary, even if I didn’t necessarily win first place.

There were so many classics in my past life, and it would have been unreasonable for me to plagiarize all of those great classics.

This ‘magazine series’ was also a means to understand the students’ styles.

“Should we push the students further? Hmm.”

I hummed as I wrote down the fragments I remembered one by one on manuscript paper.

Literature, don’t stop.

You are so beautiful!