Ten Lucky Draws: I Became OP

"Technically we are in the First Absence," NovelGeek said, taking another slow drag from the joint before exhaling a thin stream of smoke.

"And you can say... that technically I’m only writing this scene in real time in the real world."

Ash took a moment to think, his reddish-purple eyes steady as he processed the words.

’Well, I guess it wouldn’t make sense for me to truly appear on Earth, huh?’

He then leaned forward slightly, getting straight to the point.

"Just what did you really bring me here for?" he asked. "And... is there truly much left to the novel?"

NovelGeek paused, thinking thoughtfully for a moment as he swirled the remaining smoke in the air.

He then looked at Ash with a calm, earnest expression.

"You’re here for two reasons in particular," he said.

He turned and handed Ash a sleek, unassuming laptop.

"With this," NovelGeek continued, "you will now have full authority to write new Chapters or do quite literally whatever you please. When you’re back in Pantheos, you can just add it into your Codex along with the phone."

As he had told Ash before, this meeting would be the moment he truly became free from any chains.

While Ash had already been able to do almost anything he wanted, his actions had always carried the subtle influence of the path NovelGeek had set for him.

There was a time when this might have angered him, but now he could only feel gratitude toward the Author.

Every step of that path had led him to heights he never imagined were possible. Even so, Ash couldn’t help but smile as he took the laptop in his hands.

As now he didn’t mind the path he was on because of NovelGeek—it was more about the comfort of knowing there was no one who could truly sway him.

His dream of complete freedom was right there in his hands, though both of them knew it hadn’t been an easy ride to reach this point.

No, it had been more like a wild sprint littered with epic explosions along the way. With the laptop in his grasp, Ash turned and glanced back at him.

"What’s the second reason?"

NovelGeek smiled, taking another puff before answering.

"We will have a wager."

He leaned forward slightly, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Since you’ll be using my account to write novels and cannot create your own, I propose we both make separate novel in the same era of Pantheos. And see who can make the strongest character."

Ash tilted his head, his smile taking on a thoughtful edge.

’Eh... maybe these thoughts came from this guy to begin with...’

It was something he’d been mulling over for quite some time.

By now, he had already fleshed out much of Nullen’s backstory and even started releasing Chapters.

However, those Chapters had since been taken down after the novel he’d submitted was rejected, prompting him to return to the drawing board.

"Well, funnily enough, I already had two characters in mind—Nullen and my future grandson."

NovelGeek met his gaze directly, a wide grin spreading across his face.

"Dude, you should hand over the Nullen story to me," he said.

"I won’t mess with the core ideas you’ve already established with the women and his Star. But... since it’s been turned down once before, why not let me take a crack at mixing things up a bit?"

Ash took his time, his expression calm and thoughtful as he weighed the offer.

He couldn’t deny that he didn’t want to part with the Nullen novel, yet the idea of anyone else writing his grandson’s story was even less appealing.

As he considered how things might unfold, a wry thought crossed his mind.

’Boy... things are going to get pretty complicated down the road.’

Still, the fact that the premises and the Blank Star would remain unchanged meant he would essentially still have part in it.

On top of that, since it would exist within his own verse, he could do as he pleased regardless of the wager.

With that thought lingering, he gave a slow, deliberate nod.

"Alright... I agree. Heh, just don’t go stress-smoking when you lose."

Before NovelGeek could dismiss him, Ash posed one last question.

"And... right, what exactly lies within the First Absence... and the Unknown?"

NovelGeek’s lip twitched as he took another drag from the joint, the smoke curling lazily around him.

"Stress smoking.... Tsk,"

"Well, a few of my buddies in the Discord offered some brilliant ideas," he said.

"First, each and every being from now on you meet will have narrative immunity. Essentially meaning they can’t be simply erased from the novel, and you and the others will have to actually kill them."

He paused, his eyes glinting with mischief.

"And lastly... I will only say that the ruling faction over the First Absence... is called the Reader’s Faction."

Before Ash could ask anything more, the world around him shifted.

He found himself back at the entrance of the First Absence, the vast emptiness stretching out before him once more.

Ash floated silently for a moment, the faint outline of the entrance fading behind him like a dissolving mirage.

He began to descend slowly toward the multicolored black hole swirling far below, its colors shifting in hypnotic patterns — deep purples, vibrant golds, and swirling blacks that seemed to pull at the fabric of existence itself.

Ash muttered to himself as he floated downward, his voice low and thoughtful.

"The Reader’s Faction, huh?"

He narrowed his eyes just a bit, a faint smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

"Well, that might explain why I couldn’t see it on Discord..."

If it had been hidden from him, it had to be something intriguing.

Now that he knew it was tied to the "Reader’s" faction, he wasn’t sure what to expect—but that only made him more eager to find out.

The mystery itself was half the thrill.

"Tsk, and that guy didn’t even bother to mention anything about the Unknown."