What makes a novel good?
Is it entertaining?
Or maybe following trends?
A strong plot, perhaps?
No, maybe it's the characters that make a story.
...
'Slash!'
"Quick! Run away!" The shout echoed coming from the voice of a young teen age.
The scenery was painted in shades of red, as though blood pooled towards the rain-slicked ground together with the moonlight that filters through the heavy thunderstorm above.
It looks like a one-man massacre indeed.
There stood a lone figure, a young man with silver-white hair, covered with rain and sweat, and streaked with blood. His breath filled the silence as he clutched tightly against the broken sword.
Everyone had already evacuated and fled except him.
All of them simply obeyed his command to run away, retreating in far distance as not even a single person dared to look back. None of them dared to save the young man who stayed behind.
In their hearts, they carried only one thought:
'What a heroic person!'
If a viewer were reading this through their books or screen, they'd probably think:
'Ah... this is the 'protagonist' of this story'.
But is it really?
The silver-haired man stood alone as the horde of monstrous wolves surrounded him.
The monster's red eyes did not dare to leave their gaze against him, their low growls could be heard visibly.
The young man kept his focus, even though his body started to tremble in fear.
This is where most stories would follow a familiar script:
01: A weak young boy who was about to die. But due to his determination to live, he was able to survive thanks to a somewhat overpowered skill or something.
Or perhaps...
02: A powerful ally would swoop in to save him, and this act of mercy would spark a desire in the man's heart to grow stronger, to repay the debt.
Yes, that's how it usually goes, no?
But not this time.
'Crunch!!'
This isn't 'his' story.
The wolves lunged. One after another, they tore into him.
Fangs sank into his flesh. Claws raked through his body.
The young man let out a guttural scream, unfortunately, his voice was swallowed by the storm.
The broken sword fell from his hand, clattering uselessly onto the ground.
His once commendable figure was now tangled into pieces. Its limbs were ripped apart.
And those people he saved?
Bullshit!
Would they remember him? Would they honor his sacrifice?
Obviously, not.
The moment they looked back at his corpse, all they would feel was fleeting pity. A sad tale, yes; but one they'd forget in time.
His heroic attitude would fade into obscurity, and will not even go to history.
That's it.
When the wolves finally left, their feast complete, a figure approached hiding from the trees.
The newcomer had darker skin, deep blue eyes, and messy black hair tied into a loose ponytail. He crouched beside the mutilated body, his lips curling into a smile.
"Well," he speaks, almost conversationally, "this is the story I wanted to write."
As he stood, a faint blue glow illuminated suspended right in front of him.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
A translucent screen appeared before his eyes.
'Ping!'
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[System Notification]
Prologue Completed.
Total Accumulated Views: 100
Comments: (1)
User8927: "WTF? The protagonist died right away? No way that was the MC, right?"
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*****
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Webnovel Title: I saved the characters
Chapters: 1,999 (ONGOING) [ Recently Updated ]
2.4 million views
Rating: 4.2/5 (967 reviews)
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Author E: X X X X X
Hey, author here! The next chapter would be the ending of this story. Thank you everyone for supporting 'ISTC'. Please let me know in the comments what do you think so far in reading the story! ^^
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User2910: Rated: 5/5
I love this author, he's so good at making stories like this. I especially like how the main character appears... see more.
User1102: Rated: 4/5
God, I hate Karen so much! Thank God she died in most horrible way, I definitely recommend this novel to everyone...see more.
User 0178: Rated: 5/5
Thank you for the chapter author! I hope to see Yuki and Dren get married hehe, probably a side story?
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User Ama???: Rated: 1/5
Dog shit story, just another cliche plot with Savior mc having op skills, and a harem tag. The early chapters are amazing but it seems the author just wants cash so he resorted to a cliche plot. It's not worth my time. I hope the author gets creative in his work smh.
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Upon reaching the lowest point of his work's reviews, Elijah couldn't even blink as he stared at the final comment.
He recognized the name: Ama.
Ama had been there since the very beginning, back when Elijah's first web novel barely scraped together 100 views. Every update, every paragraph—Ama would read and leave a comment almost at light speed.
For a long time, that unknown reader had been Elijah's only reason to keep going. Yet after Chapter 180, Ama's comments stopped.
At the time, Elijah hadn't been too bothered. By then, his novel had exploded in popularity, and new viewers flooded in.
Money followed soon after. Four-digit monthly earnings became routine, numbers he had never dreamed of.
Golden Castle? Yeah breeze it, four times a day is just a normal day.
The truth, though? Elijah never expected his work to succeed. It hadn't been meant to. His novel only started gaining traction when he rewrote everything.
He remembered an early critique from another reader, back when he was just starting out:
[ Your novel is good. But I don't think it'll do well... You know, people like certain things. ]
It had stung at the time, but they weren't wrong.
Desperate to understand what "certain things" meant, Elijah dove into research. He learned what the algorithm favored, what readers craved, and the marketplace of the platform. And slowly, his views soared.
He cracked the code:
01: Readers love smart, nearly omniscient main characters. They need to be decisive, rarely making mistakes—because readers hate when protagonists fail.
02: Romance? Even better if it's a harem. Save a woman, and she falls in love? It doesn't have to make sense; it just works.
03: Add tension; forbidden love? Drama sells.
04: System mechanics and reincarnation themes? Always trending. If you want clicks, use them.
05: And if you're writing fantasy? Male leads dominate unless romance is the focus. Female protagonists in action fantasy just don't pull the same crowd.
Elijah kept that rule, molded in his stories but never in his own tastes, but instead to the market's demands.
And it worked.
Success came, not from originality, but from formulaic precision. Clichés? Who cared?
Repetitive plots? As long as the prologue hooked them, the rest didn't matter.
Elijah had stopped writing for himself long ago. Now, he wrote for the views. For the money.
He no longer cared about his plot, his characters, or the soul of his stories. All that mattered was what sold.
And he sold well.
Sitting at his desk, the computer glowing in front of him, Elijah began typing the final chapter of his most successful novel.
This novel was his golden goose—the endless cash grab he had milked for all it was worth.
Update after update, it brought in money, views, and fame.
But now, he was ending it.
And with it, he planned to end his life at the same time he ended this novel.
Did the reason matter? Not really.
As his fingers moved across the keyboard, his thoughts drifted.
'What kind of ending would the readers want?'
A happy ending, of course. Something clean and satisfying, tied up with a neat little bow.
But then a new question surfaced.
'What kind of ending do I want?'
...
...
...?
Elijah stared at the screen as he finally snapped out.
Why should my thoughts matter? I'll just write the ending that makes the most sense!
He began typing again, typing on what his story board supposed to be.
But as his hands hovered over the keyboard, his fingers suddenly froze.
This isn't my story...
If this story were mine... it would be—
Without hesitation, he hit Ctrl + A and then Delete.
He started fresh.
The system fails. The last boss seizes the opportunity and drives his sword straight into the protagonist's chest.
The remaining party falters, screaming the hero's name.
But they're useless without him. Just like the audience wanted them to be. Predictable. Helpless.
One by one, they died, unable to save themselves.
And with that, Elijah smiled genuinely.
And hit Publish.
Ding...
....Ding.... Ding...
..Ding.... Ding...
One comment and another appears flashing in his screen.
The message follows:
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User 0123: What the hell?!
User 3479: No Fucking way did the author just killed all his characters!
User 8201: Die Die Die! What's up with this plot! Trash!!
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Seeing the wave of massive hate pouring in, Elijah couldn't help but laugh.
It wasn't a bitter laugh or something like despair thingy laugh. It was just a genuine childish laugh.
When was the last time he'd laughed like this? Probably back when he earned his first hundred dollars from writing. Back when it all felt new and exciting.
He never imagined that such a small act—ending his story the way he wanted—could set him free.
But wasn't it tragic? If Elijah had known that writing something true to himself could feel this liberating, he might have done it from the very beginning.
"If only I could rewrite it from the start."
Rising from his chair, Elijah took in his surroundings.
The room was a mess—papers scattered, empty cups piling up, and dust clings in every corners. Not the kind of space you'd expect from a successful author.
His bank account wasn't much better. Nearly drained, just enough left to cover his bills. At least he'd finally paid off his last debt.
His gaze drifted to the rope hanging from the ceiling. It swayed gently, almost mocking him.
Standing over the small stool, he curled the loop of the rope around his neck.
He took one final breath.
And then, Elijah leapt.
He died at the age of 19.
...
[ Welcome Back To Your Play Ground ]