'What....the...fuckkk....'
Steve slowly fluttered his eyes open, his vision blurring more with every passing second. His eyes felt heavy, like they were staring into a pool of fog.
'What... is this?' he thought, blinking hard.
Before he could process it, he realized the water in his mind wasn't just imagination — it was real, and very much on him. He blinked again, sluggishly lifting his body up from the floor. The water — no, the memory of it — remained etched over him.
He stood there, confused, and then suddenly, he gave a soft cheer under his breath.
'...Hmmm...Hey... I'm up.' he thought with a weak smile.
But right then, something else hit him.
The street.
It was empty.
Not just patches of wet concrete — everything was abandoned.
Shops with their lights off. Stores boarded up. No people. No sounds. No cars.
Steve's heart squeezed tightly in his chest.
'Mmmm....there's noone here? what's going on? Where the hell is everyone?'
The rain that had been pouring before was gone too.
The world felt muted. Silent. Hollow...like it was just him left.
"Ahem." a voice coughed behind him.
Steve's body stiffened.
His blurry eyes widened slightly, but he didn't turn immediately. His neck creaked slowly as he forced his head around, dread sinking into his gut.
Standing right behind him was a figure — glowing, bright, and unmistakably not human.
It had no distinct features, just a humanoid shape bathed in radiant white light.
Steve froze, staring at it, his breath catching in his throat.
For a few seconds, they just looked at each other.
Then —
"AH, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU?!" Steve yelped, scrambling backward so fast he almost slipped. His back slammed against the wall of a closed store, his hands splayed out, trembling.
The being remained still, almost relaxed. It cocked its head slightly, as if confused.
"Man..." the glowing being spoke, voice casual and slightly amused.
"You humans really overreact to everything. I mean, it's the same every time. Yell, scream, crawl... nobody just says hi anymore."
Steve's chest heaved with shallow, panicked breaths. He stared at the entity like it was some impossible ghost.
The being, unfazed, continued,
"Well...Cheers. Listen, there's no easy way to say this but — you got struck by lightning. You're dead."
Steve's face froze.
A heavy, deafening silence followed.
His hand slowly reached up, brushing against his own chin, almost like he needed to touch something solid to believe it.
"I'm... I'm dead?" Steve muttered, voice breaking a little.
The thought hit him harder than a punch to the gut.
'what? No...this can't....No, no... this can't be happening... I was just about to...'
"I was just about to become..." Steve mumbled, eyes clouding over.
"I was just about to become... the... I was about to write the greatest harem story ever..."
The spirit looked at him, expressionless but somehow understanding.
"Yeah, well." it said,
"I'm sorry, but that's just the way shit goes around here."
Steve's lips quivered. His dreams. His plans. His web novel career. All wiped out in one stupid, absurd moment.
The glowing figure tilted its head again, almost sympathetic now.
"There's no easy way to say this...but let's get this over with..." it said.
"....you have two options."
Steve swallowed, his throat dry like sandpaper.
"Two... options?" he echoed, barely above a whisper.
"Yeah," the being nodded.
"One, you can say your goodbyes and I'll escort you to the afterlife. End of story."
Steve's stomach twisted violently.
'No... no way... definitely option two.'
The being's glowing form shimmered slightly as it continued,
"Or... I can grant you what you wanted. A chance to write again. To create the fantasy world you always dreamed of."
Steve blinked. His heart thudded painfully.
"H-Harem." Steve corrected without thinking, voice weak but insistent.
The spirit chuckled.
"What's the difference?"
"There's a BIG difference!" Steve snapped immediately, his voice cracking but firm.
The spirit just smiled faintly, unfazed.
"Alright, alright." it said, waving its hand lazily.
"How about this? I'll give you a chance to live the novel you wanted to write."
Steve's eyes widened.
"Live... my novel?"
The being nodded calmly.
"You see...since you're dead... I have your memories. I know everything you planned for the novel — from beginning to end. Every twist. Every character. Every scene."
It paused.
"If you say the word, I'll create that reality for you. You'll be transmigrated right into it. You'll live in your own story."
Steve felt his breath catch. His mind reeled.
"And to sweeten the deal." the being added, smiling faintly,
"I'll make you the Author."
Steve's brows furrowed.
"The Author? how?"
"Exactly." the being said.
"You'll possess the 'Author Skill.' It will allow you to rewrite small parts of the story whenever you want, as long as the changes don't mess with the main plotline."
Steve stared, stunned.
'This... this is insane.' he thought.
'Is this real? Or just a crazy hallucination?'
The spirit's offer dangled in front of him like a golden ticket.
He could really do it — live in his novel. Shape his destiny.
But still...
Steve's gaze hardened slightly.
'Why?' he thought.
'Why is this angel offering me this?'
He shifted his eyes back to the glowing figure, hesitating for a heartbeat before finally asking:
"That's... a really good deal. But why me? Why give me something like this?"
The spirit just stared at him, silent.
There was no answer in its glowing features.
Then, with a simple motion, it raised its hand.
From its palm, a small, shimmering orb floated into existence.
Tiny, brilliant — like a piece of a star.
The orb floated closer to Steve, hovering inches away.
"If I told you..." the spirit said softly,
"it would ruin everything."
Steve stared at the orb, mesmerized.
It shimmered beautifully, pulsing softly, like it was alive.
"Touch the shimmering light..." the being instructed, voice calm,
"...and you will be given the power you seek. Then, you'll be transmigrated into your novel's world."
It paused.
"I'll give you one last chance. Choose now. Live your days in the novel... Or follow me to the afterlife."
Steve's heart pounded painfully in his ears.
He looked at the floating orb.
He looked at the angel.
He looked at the dark, empty world around him.
If he touched it — he could live his dream.
If he refused — it was over.
'But what if I'm not the MC?' a fearful thought flickered through his mind.
'What if I'm just some side character?'
But then again — he was the Author.
He could nudge fate in his favor.
He gritted his teeth.
'It's not a bad deal... It's actually... a damn good one.'
Steve muttered under his breath, body tensing.
Slowly, he stretched out his hand.
Fingers trembling slightly, he reached out —
"I accept." he whispered.
The moment his fingers touched the orb, a brilliant white light engulfed him.
He felt weightless, like he was being pulled upward into a sea of stars.
And in a single, silent poof, he vanished.
There was a pending darkness which remained for a few seconds.
Then, in the void, a soft mechanical ding echoed.
[Ding!]
In front of the darkness, a text floated in front his gaze, displaying the information-
[Author Mode has been obtained.]
[Author Mode Activated.]
[Welcome, Harem Overlord.]
***
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