Hey, everyone. It's been a while.

Things have been turbulent this year, both here and outside. Maybe I was the lucky one, since the only worries I had were getting past the drills and labor with my fellow soldiers. Tough, but not terrible compared to everything going on beyond the gates.

You'd know it better than I.

But 2021 has finally come, as well as the time for me to get out. I have some vacation days stored up, and policy states that I'll be able to use them to shorten my days of service. Expect me to show up somewhere before March arrives.

For better or worse, I've leveled up! As a human, as a soldier, as a writer. I've been writing whenever I've had the time, and looking back at DCT makes me realize how much I've grown, and just how amateur the writing was. I can't believe how everyone managed to put up with all the awkward dialogue and characters, much less waiting for the story to continue. I love DCT as its writer, but for you to like it too—well, I can't thank you enough.

I pray you'll be able to wait a little more. I've got a little surprise prepared.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

And here comes the rant! (I'm sorry for my past rants, I was being a delicate, little rascal. Being in the army, you learn to...enjoy criticism? Something along those lines.)

Before I wrote DCT, I loved to read. Still do, but you get the idea. One of my favorite stories was Mushoku Tensei, which I read two years ago before writing DCT. It's correct to say that many of the elements surrounding DCT were inspired by MT, but having a blurry memory of the details then, I thought I'd made my story unique enough to not be compared to MT.

I was wrong. I watched the new anime that came out, and...wow. DCT mirrors MT a lot. The five-year birthday system, I didn't even know that was the same. Even the magic system was similar. While I've concreted the peculiarities of magic now, I won't blame everyone if they accused me of copying.

Sorry, those people I've ranted to. I was short-sighted. I think I really, really liked MT then. I've diverged from it since, but the parallel remains.

Well, the details are different, if that serves to defend against plagiarism.

Anyway...

Just a while longer everyone, for both you and me. We're almost at the finish line.

Cheers, and Happy 2021!

-Parky-