Surviving in my Own Unpublished Failed Novel

"Oppa! Congrats on winning... And beating the hell out of him."

Freya — who is slowly walking beside her older brother, Amelie, and Amery — said in a cheerful tone.

"On Monday, I'll see you in class. By the way, what are you guys want to do?"

After winning the Ranking of Exchange against Bailey Clarkson, the privileges of being an A-1 student were transferred to him immediately, stripping Bailey of his. Then as a bonus reward for winning against someone within the rank bracket of 31 to 40, he received 50,000 Obel that was simultaneously sent to his Personal Obelisk Account after he received the congratulatory email from the DCO sent by Aisha Whispercrest, Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee.

"Oppa, let's grab some food first before going to your dorm, don't you need to pack your clothes and whatnot?"

Russell nodded before he looked at Amelie who also nodded without saying anything.

Amery — who was keeping her pace — looked at them suspiciously, but she didn't pry into it because she already developed a level of trust that she wouldn't be betrayed.

...

After arriving at Russell's dorm, the trio of women helped him assort his belongings before he put them inside his Dimensional Inventory.

"Oppa, I'm curious, why are normal items can't be appraised?"

Freya's question prompted Amelie and Amery to look at her while Russell paused for a second before he answered.

"Maybe because they didn't come from the System."

He answered vaguely with also curiosity in his words, but he knew the answer based on his unpublished novel in his previous life.

Anything that didn't have a sliver of a trace of Mana in it wouldn't be registered in the System's data, unable to be appraised. Although Mana became abundant, causing the technology to advance hundreds or maybe even thousands of years, professions especially the production-related ones could make items with the help of their skills through the use of Mana, there are still people who make necessities without the use of any skills because it was simply costly as Mana can be exhausted within one's body and needed time to be regenerated. The cost of Mana Potions outweighs the benefits of making items with Mana, thus the commonality of necessities in the Old World and Post-Emergence World still exists.

"Freya, you know, your brother is really smart. He answers vaguely, but maybe he really knows the answer."

Amelie said as she finished preparing the meal they bought in the Obelisk Cafeteria One.

'What's this again now?'

He couldn't understand, but he feels like he was being misunderstood again.

"Right, right, thanks to his Constellation. Heh heh."

Russell's mouth was slightly agape at his younger sister's words because he wouldn't be able to answer that.

'But strange, I'm almost certain that the Goddess of Night knew that I am a reincarnated person, but 'She' never brought it up. Well, I guess I should be thankful... Also, she just mocked me previously and not talked about Celine.'

Russell recalled when his younger sister asked him about the Pure Form of a potion that her classmate, Celine Cello-ana conjured when they were inside the Virtual Battleground and then the Goddess of Night grinned at him as per the System message, but nothing came after it.

"Sigh... that's all of it, thank you."

As he reined in his thoughts, Russell glanced at Amelie and Amery who are now munching some sandwiches and desserts, the two just nodded while eating, minding their own world.

'Can you two take a sit first before eating?'

...

Room 02, Gaia Building

"Student Council President, why did you call me here?"

"Relax, how are you feeling?"

The Student Council President looked at the standing Bailey Clarkson whose expressions were full of irritation as he seemed to remember what happened earlier.

"Go straight to the point, I don't have time for some chattering."

Bailey said with a clear irritation in his voice.

"Woah there, easy now. Do you want revenge?"

Bailey was confused at the Student Council President's words as he slightly cocked his head to the side before he asked in confirmation.

"Revenge? Did I hear that right? Ha... Hahaha!

"The Student Council President who is adored by many... is asking me if I want to have revenge? Hahahaha!

"I want to, but I don't need your help.

"I'll pretend I was never here and will take my leave."

'This f*cker is a two-faced bastard! Who knows if he'll leave me hanging in the air later!?'

Bailey realized something as he heard the Student Council President's previous words.

Arthur Wolfson just smiled at Bailey's babbling before he said in a monotonous yet ominous tone.

"Well, you'll have no choice, but to take revenge."

At that moment, Bailey's mind turned blank. Although he was still lucid, he couldn't control his body of his own will.

...

"Congratulations. I'll see you on Monday."

Samantha — who just made her own dinner — texted Russell via smartwatch as she came to know the result of his Ranking of Exchange. She, Elizabeth, Rumia, Anya, Jiho, and Leon didn't have any interest in watching such fights which weren't required to attend in the first place, and one of the main reasons were they wanted to avoid making a public appearance unnecessarily.

"Thank you."

Russell — on the other end of the line — replied succinctly, causing Samantha's lips to curl up a little before she proceeded to eat the meal she made.

After a few minutes, as she was just done washing the dishes, a notification from her smartwatch sounded in her ears, she then read the message's contents.

[DCO Notice]

"Tomorrow will be the final day of the Emergence Event Remembrance.

"And on this final day, everyone from the A-1 class of the same year has the right to challenge his/her classmate, taking into account that the one who is being challenged must have the same type of profession as the challenger.

"Samantha Hall, Rank 1, I'm here to announce that you have been challenged by Han Jiho, Rank 6 in your class.

"Take note that this exhibition battle is without concessions, thus whatever the result of the battle is, your Rank will not be affected.

"Your exhibition battle tomorrow is scheduled at exactly 4:00 P.M.

"Please, prepare however you can."

[Sender: Aisha, DCO Secretary]

After Samantha read that, she just went on her normal route, sitting on her couch for a minute or two as if she completely forgot what she had just read.

Then after a few seconds when she just took her seat, a womanly, dignified voice rang in her head.

<I'm awake.>

Samantha — who heard the voice in her head — didn't freak out or let out any reaction as if what she heard was very normal to her.

...

[DCO Notice]

"Tomorrow will be the final day of the Emergence Event Remembrance.

"And on this final day, everyone from the A-1 class of the same year has the right to challenge his/her classmate, taking into account that the one who is being challenged must have the same type of profession as the challenger.

"Han Jiho, Rank 5, I'm here to announce that you have been challenged by Leon von Obreyon, Rank 6 in your class.

"Take note that this exhibition battle is without concessions, thus whatever the result of the battle is, your Rank will not be affected.

"Your exhibition battle tomorrow is scheduled at exactly 10:30 A.M.

"Please, prepare however you can."

[Sender: Aisha, DCO Secretary]

Han Jiho — who was training in his Personal Training Ground in his dorm room — suddenly paused for a moment as he read the contents of the message.

'I don't know why, but it seems that guy has something on me.'

Although he wanted to fight Samantha to see how strong she is based on the praises she's having that came from notable people like the two Princesses, he felt that Leon's reason for challenging him was something that has to do with rankings itself.

'Sigh... I guess I'll have two battles tomorrow.'

...

Looking outside the window where the bluish moon was hanging above the starry night, vast sky. Russell — who was now sitting on his bed — thought about various things. It was the personality he seemed to have inherited in his previous life... That when he's alone, thoughts after thoughts were surfacing within his head.

'I don't know what will happen tomorrow. What a drag.'

As the author who reincarnated in his unpublished novel, he very well knew about the major events that will happen in the far future, but somehow he's feeling irritated because the simple event tomorrow is completely blurry to him. He may have various ideas based on the relationship of the Main Characters, but he still felt lost for some inexplicable reason.

'I guess the plot is f*cking me up.'

Russell jokingly said inwardly.

He knew deep inside that this was almost very different from the story he didn't manage to publish.

The moment he reincarnated inside his own unpublished novel, he already realized that there was something, some reason behind his reincarnation.

'But I don't care. Because I want this life more than the previous one.'

He said inwardly before he organized himself, putting on some plain clothes, and a mask, and then suddenly vanished from his soon-to-be former dorm room.

...

Room 01, Gaia Building.

A woman with platinum hair and ruby eyes was standing in front of a full-body mirror, combing her hair as a towel wrapped in her body.

Azalea — who just finished taking a bath at this late at night — suddenly noticed an existence from behind through her instinct as she reflexively look behind, quickly taking out a certain Spellbook from her Dimensional Inventory, ready to defend herself.

"Who's there?"

She calmly asked, observing the interiors of her dorm that was very complicated in design. A-1 students certainly have a kind of liberty to do whatever they wanted in their dorm, considering that the costs were from their own pocket.

"I'll count to three, if you don't show yourself, I'll call the guards, you know very well how strong are the guards who work here."

'I can't even sense this intruder's presence.'

She became gradually alarmed at the realization because her perception was not to be scoffed at, but at this moment, it seems like the intruder just vanished into thin air.

'Ah crap, screw it!'

She quickly tapped on her smartwatch... At least that's what was supposed to happen, but then a hand of a man grabbed her wrist, prompting her to struggle reflexively.

After a second or two, she looked at the intruder and saw an average-looking man with deep black hair that seemed to represent the darkness of the night, and deep blue eyes that resembles the deepness of the unexplored ocean.

She then muttered the name of the person in front of her.

"R-Russell?

"W-what, No, how are you here?

It was the man who demanded to have a change in schedule in his Ranking of Exchange battle.

It was the man who somehow left a certain impression on her by winning the Challenge of Exchange.

"Let me go first."

She calmly said, looking at him as she sensed that he meant no harm, at least according to what her instincts told her as someone experienced in various kinds of things.

Her expression turned into bewilderment after her realization about something... It's because a supposed-to-be F rank had just sneaked into her dorm room which could only mean a thing — he bypassed the security guards whose ranks were not to be scoffed at undetected.

'How did he do it? This man is really something else!'

She thought inwardly as she kept her distance after Russell let go of her hand before she sat on one of the armchairs around the kitchen table with her legs crossed.

Russell looked at her ruby eyes and without any word of greetings, Azalea's ruby eyes slightly constricted at his first words that reverberated in her dorm room, entered her ears, echoed in her mind, then pierced her very being.

"Good evening, Miss Thorn of Rose."