"Ugh. Why won't this fucker just die!"
The final words of the chapter ignited a fury so intense, Han had to physically restrain himself from hurling his phone against the wall.
Inside the dimly lit room, Han sat on a plastic chair before the wooden table. Clutching a smartphone in his hand while massaging his temples with the other.
He usually considered himself a composed individual, yet what was he doing now?
Cursing out loud because of some text written by a stranger?
Not that he wasn't self-aware. He had simply changed.
Maybe that's what addiction does to people.
Switching off the screen, Han turned to his bed with a tired expression. His room was neither too large nor too small. In fact, it was perfect for a single person. Beside the bed was a wooden shelf with some books, and on the opposite wall was a 40-inch television with a mirror to the side of it.
Han was a loyal reader. Someone who couldn't stop a story midway without seeing its ending.
That's also why he ponders a lot before starting one. Going through every single review of it on the internet.
"Hero High" was also such a read.
It was really good at first, with great reviews and an exceptional rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars.
A far cry from the pathetic 1.8 stars it currently held.
Yet for some reason, the author doesn't seem to drop it anytime soon.
His last chapters barely have any views. How is he able to make a living with this? Not to mention how quickly he's pushing out chapter after chapter.
Han rose, stretched his stiff back, and collapsed onto his bed. He unlocked his phone one last time, his thumb hovering over the webnovel app's icon. A long press, and the option to uninstall appeared. It was time to finally put this monstrosity of a story to an end.
Right before he could uninstall—
"Ding"
His phone vibrated for a moment, followed by the notification sound.
It was an announcement from the author of "Hero High".
[Dear readers, I saw some comments of y'all requesting an Illustration of Han. This announcement is to say that I've hired an artist and made an illustration of how he would look in real life, which I've attached below. I never thought an insignificant character like him would be a fan favourite, and I was wrong. Once again, thank you so much for supporting the story.]
[From Your_fav_author]
[see attachment]
Han snorted in disbelief.
Fan favourite, my ass.
After the unending streak of conflicts and drama, it was finally about time to see some romance. Only for this Han bastard to mess everything up.
The author killed the heroine and kept the bastard alive. What was he even doing with his story?
At this point, he wasn't even a bit reluctant when calling him a bastard, considering they both shared the same name.
The novel's Han wasn't an antagonist, but an annoying lackey of the bully gang. If not for them, he'd have died from the very first arc.
It could be said that Han hated him more than the antagonists
Who'd like a character that's single-handedly ruined the whole story?
And what comments was the author even talking about? The last hundred chapters were a ghost town.
Maybe he should change his name to Your_Delusional_Author.
Han didn't really care about the illustration; he just wished to get rid of it.
Yet he found himself clicking the attachment.
"..."
The illustration showed a youth of around 20 years old, with short hair and somewhat sharp eyebrows.
Han instinctively turned his head to the mirror, staring straight at it in a daze.
"Isn't this…Me?"
Realisation settled in, followed by fear, confusion, and panic.
Why was his image in the illustration? Who drew him? How did the author know him?
Han felt a sudden difficulty in breathing, as if telling him something terrible was about to happen. His mouth dried out, and his head started aching.
At this point, he thought he was actually about to die before his phone vibrated again.
"Ding"
Another notification, this one coming from an anonymous e-mail.
[Dear Han, After thoroughly examining your application, we're happy to inform you that Hero High welcomes you as a first-year cadet for the upcoming academic term. The heroes shall rise.]
Attached were two files: 'ID_Card.jpg' and 'Flight_Ticket.pdf'.
Han directly clicked the ID card without hesitation.
[Name: Han Lewen]
[Age: 19]
[Department: Special]
[Speciality: Gravity]
[Class: C]
[Tier: 1]
Was this all a prank from the author? Maybe they knew him in real life?
He wished.