Chapter 695: A Meeting With NovelGeek (2)
"Have you really been writing from your room this whole time?" Ash asked, his voice carrying a mix of amusement and disbelief.
NovelGeek took another slow drag from the joint, the tip glowing bright orange as he inhaled deeply.
He held the smoke for a moment, then exhaled a thick, sweet-scented cloud that drifted lazily toward the ceiling.
His shoulder-length dreadlocks shifted slightly as he leaned back in his chair, a relaxed smile spreading across his face.
"Well, obviously" he said casually, his voice smooth and slightly raspy from the smoke.
"As you can see.... this is where it all started. My own personal bedroom and just a few laptops."
Hearing this, Ash was genuinely a bit surprised.
From the brief glimpses he’d always caught of NovelGeek, standing in a vast white expanse and scribbling on whiteboards, he had imagined something far more elaborate.
He figured there would at least be a bit more flair to it all.
In this moment, he then tried to wave his hand to create a chair for himself, but nothing happened.
No power answered—no Quantum, no divinity, no racial authority—only the hollow stillness of empty air.
His eyes narrowed a fraction, a subtle edge of suspicion or curiosity flickering there as he turned his gaze toward NovelGeek.
NovelGeek chuckled, the sound low and amused as he took another puff.
"Did you really think your powers would work here?" he asked, tilting his head.
He gestured lazily with the joint toward a simple chair in the corner of the room.
"Go ahead. Fetch it the old-fashioned way."
Ash let out a wry laugh, shaking his head as he walked over and grabbed the chair.
He brought it to the opposite side of the desk and sat down, leaning back as he studied the young man in front of him.
NovelGeek exhaled another stream of smoke, the scent filling the room with a sweet, herbal aroma.
He smiled, his eyes half-lidded yet keen with awareness.
"Well, if there’s no issue with my room, then welcome to my humble abode, my friend," he said, his voice carrying a playful lilt.
"And... this is the very spot where I wrote my first successful novel—your novel—Ten Lucky Draws: I Became OP. Right here at this desk."
Ash’s smile softened, a hint of pride glinting in his eyes as he glanced over the workspace.
He looked around the room again — the whiteboards covered in chaotic notes, timelines, and half-erased ideas, the two monitors with multiple tabs open, the snacks and ash tray.
Then he let out a low chuckle, leaning back in the chair.
"Heh... No, there’s not a problem with your humble abode" Ash said, his tone light and teasing. "As long as you’re not planning to trap me here or something."
NovelGeek let out a relaxed, genuine laugh, exhaling another plume of smoke.
"Yeah, right. Why would I want to trap another man in my room?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
Ash’s expression grew more thoughtful as he glanced back at him.
"Well, at least we have that in common," he said with a small shake of his head.
Then, tilting his head slightly, he asked in a calm yet genuinely curious tone,
"What made you decide to create me... and with so much freedom, no less?"
NovelGeek took another slow drag before speaking again.
He paused, exhaling smoke as he leaned forward slightly.
"Simple... I ran out of novels that actually pleased my entertainment. I wanted something different. Something that felt more in line with what I was missing."
He went on to give Ash a glimpse into his journey toward becoming an author.
As his name implied, NovelGeek was, without a doubt, a geek when it came to novels.
Over time, he compiled a long list of manga and anime before eventually discovering the world of Chinese cultivation stories.
This was merely the beginning of what would turn into the bittersweet realization that he had exhausted all the novels that truly captivated him.
From titles like Martial Peak, where he devoured over 6,000 Chapters, to Martial God Asura, which boasted another 6,000-plus Chapters, his love for fantasy only deepened.
By then, NovelGeek had already started crafting a plan to write his own stories—studying not just by reading, but by dissecting what made his favorite works so compelling and shaping those elements into his own style.
Eventually, he delved into more modern novels like Supreme Harem God, Harem Stealer, and others, but by that time, his options had grown frustratingly scarce.
He looked straight at Ash, his expression earnest.
"And... while you’re my first published novel, I have four others filled with characters that never saw the light of day."
Like many authors, the journey to getting a novel published was far from easy, and there were plenty of moments when it would have been easy to give up.
But none of that ever seemed to faze NovelGeek.
Ash arched a brow, leaning forward slightly in the chair as he studied him.
"Four other novels?" he asked, his voice carrying genuine curiosity.
"What happened with them? Did you scrap them... or...?"
NovelGeek took another slow drag from the joint, holding the smoke for a moment before exhaling a thick, sweet-scented cloud that drifted lazily toward the ceiling.
He leaned back in his chair, a small, nostalgic smile playing on his lips as he looked at Ash.
"Well, they were not good" he said, his tone relaxed but honest. "In some of them my writing seemed far too childish once going back to read them. In others, the Power System was not cohesive enough..."
He shrugged lightly, though there was a hint of quiet pride in his eyes.
"But you... you were different. The moment I started writing you, everything just clicked. So, I kept going. And here we are."
Ash took a moment to process his words, then finally asked, his voice calm but curious.
"So where are we exactly? On Earth or something?"
NovelGeek looked at him straight on, a sarcastic smile forming on his face.
"Tch... Do you think I’m some god or guy hiding powers?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We are not on Earth... not exactly at least....."