Tldr:

We did it! It’s the end of the first arc. Thank you to everyone that has stuck with me through the story so far. There is more to come, there is just so much unexplored, unanswered and unread.

Extended:

The reason I started writing this web novel was because I wanted to create something that I could share with many people. It’s even reached my parents and grandma! Instead of writing flash fiction, I wanted to try writing a longer series.

At the time, I was reading a lot of light novels and web novels, which inspired me to write my own. One of the light novels that influenced me was “Ascendance of a Bookworm.” I loved the main character, who was strong and knowledgeable, but also worried about the consequences of her actions. Another light novel, “I Kept Pressing the 100-Million Button and Came Out on Top,” inspired me to be different from that book. It’s one of the reasons why Astrid, the main character, spends so much time in the library. “This Game Is Way Too Real” gave me ideas for post-apocalyptic themes, and “Magic Industry Empire” inspired me to include magical technology concepts.

I wanted to address certain themes in my web novel. One of them is having a powerful female character who takes the time to think about the consequences of her actions, both in the short and long term. She doesn’t always use her strength at every opportunity. I also wanted to challenge some common tropes and issues I’ve encountered in other stories involving magic. There are also some political themes, but I prefer to explore and resolve them within the story rather than just posing hypothetical questions. Although I guess a fantasy story is technically just a hypothetical. In the future, I’ll touch on various philosophical ideas, but they won’t be the main focus. They’ll be there for readers who want to dive deeper into the story.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

After considering all these ideas, everything came together, and I wrote the first three chapters all at once. Then I pushed myself to write two more chapters, and I almost stopped writing. But I wanted to give web novel publishing a try, so I posted a few chapters. I received many kind and encouraging comments from people, which motivated me to continue. And now, here we are, with 48 chapters completed. I’m not sure how many more chapters there will be. It could potentially be as long as the 24 volumes of “Spice and Wolf” or wrapped up in about three volumes if necessary.

My plan is to divide the first 48 chapters into separate books after a full rewrite so that I can publish them. I’ll be publishing them widely, so they won’t be exclusive to Kindle Unlimited. I also plan to hire a developmental editor for that.

The next arc in the story will be called “Undercover Goddess,” where I’ll focus more on Astrid’s relationships with her people and her church. I plan on taking a couple of weeks to actually try and build up a stock of chapters. I hope to see all of you around, especially those who comment, leave edits, and share their thoughts on the chapters. Your feedback helps me grow as a writer.