Lelouche VI Zéro.
That was the pen name Michael used online to post on Webnovel.
Was he a famous author on the platform?
Unfortunately, no.
Michael would describe himself as a third-rate author, based on his own understanding of the writing scene.
He never managed to crack the top 15 in the fanfiction category on the site, nor did he ever write anything that truly blew up.
Even calling himself third-rate felt generous to Michael.
Three years…
Three years of online writing experience.
Eight completed works.
Most of them fanfictions ranging from thirty to fifty+ chapters. He often pulled all-nighters writing and revising plots.
Unfortunately, reality was brutal.
The view count on his latest works never surpassed that of his friend "herohero".
He was dissatisfied.
At first, Michael wondered.
Had he picked the wrong types of fanfics?
Should he write gooner-bait stuff like another friend had suggested?
Michael didn't know.
He felt lost.
Some of the stories he wrote did get real traction on Webnovel — stuff like Gorou Hyoudou and Jin Itadori.
Still, deep down Michael knew he would never reach the top with them, nor monetize them enough to justify writing alongside his day job.
Michael had to… grow up and face reality.
Glancing at his trusty PC, the young man saw a lively comment section reacting to the latest events in his Jujutsu Kaisen fanfic.
But… Michael wasn't satisfied.
He wanted more.
It was driving him almost insane.
"What am I missing?" he muttered, staring at the screen through his glasses.
Effort?
Michael was a student and also worked part-time to pay his bills.
He didn't consider himself lazy.
Proof: when inspiration hit and he milked his drafts properly, he could pump out three chapters.
The writing ability of author Lelouche VI Zéro could be summed up in one word: obsession.
Unfortunately, even obsession has limits.
When the passion fuel ran dry, the factory inevitably collapsed.
Lelouche VI Zéro was the living embodiment of that.
An author burning with passion, yet brought to his knees by reality.
Talent > hard work.
"N… no… I-I can still write… yeah… Jin Itadori can reach a higher level… if I succeed, then… a Patreon could be possible…" he mumbled, eyes glued to the screen.
As the pressure and anxiety built, the student's fingers trembled on the keyboard.
He wrote, then deleted.
Wrote again, deleted again — a perfect infernal spiral.
Eventually he realized the laptop screen hadn't been filled with chapter 36 of his fanfic.
There was only a blank page.
"Haha… pathetic," he said, rubbing his temples to ease his exhausted mind.
By now such scenes were no longer unusual for Michael.
He already knew crying about how pathetic he was wouldn't change anything in this shitty world.
Heroes don't exist in real life.
He was alone.
"A third-rate novelist… no, just an insignificant unemployed loser… with no future," he muttered, staring at the ceiling.
"If I hanged myself now, would my works get re-evaluated posthumously like so many artists who only became famous after death?" he thought for a brief moment before shoving the morbid idea away.
Right now the young man felt neither madness nor bravado — nothing at all.
God hadn't granted him the talent he so desperately wanted.
But they say there's always a way out, even when everything is collapsing on your head.
**[Goblin: Hello, author. I'm a fan.]**
One day, a message from "Goblin" appeared on his screen as if by magic.
It felt like the sublime words of a sage who had seen through every truth the world couldn't grasp.
That's how it hit Michael.
"…Am I finally being recognized for what I'm worth?" he said, feeling a flicker of pride.
**[Goblin: I've carefully read every one of your works in my spare time]**
**[Goblin: I could feel the soul poured into each work, each chapter, each sentence — it was beautiful. You dropped your latest High School DxD story, but I see huge potential in you for R-18 works, author. Don't you think so too, Michael?]**
Shocked by the use of his real name, Michael immediately checked his Webnovel account privacy settings.
His real name was definitely set to private on the platform.
There was no way Goblin could have seen it by mistake.
"What the hell? Was I hacked? Is this some hacker's prank?" he thought, trying to stay calm.
Panic wasn't a solution — just an extra danger.
So Michael decided to keep talking to the unknown person.
**[Goblin: You're going to write a new chapter, right?]**
Faced with Goblin's question, Michael looked at the blank page on his screen and clenched his fists in frustration.
He had ideas, but none satisfied him.
Whether he should push out a half-assed chapter wasn't something he wanted to answer right away.
Still, Michael had to reply, but…
"Uh… uh… uh…"
Instead of typing, he stammered for a moment.
He blinked hard to clear his vision blurred by the blue light of the screen, then finally decided to respond.
**[Hello Goblin. Thank you for being a fan. I'm genuinely happy you read my works even though they're far from perfect. Your message really touches me. Yeah, I know I'm nowhere near good enough, but when I write I try to pour my whole heart into it…]**
It was a rambling, somewhat clichéd, incoherent mess.
But he had clearly expressed his honest feelings.
**[…Yes. I'm writing a chapter.]**
**[Goblin: Interesting, but I doubt the Jujutsu Kaisen story can satisfy your ambitions.]** came the reply right after he sent it.
He was right.
That was exactly why Michael was depressed.
**[Goblin: So I have an idea. Why don't you write this instead?]**
**[Goblin has sent a Word file]**
"They're giving me an idea? They want me to write for them?" he muttered, frowning.
Even if Michael wanted to write something popular, writing exactly what someone else dictated went against his pride.
He didn't like writing from someone else's prompt.
As a writer, sure, ideas can overlap — but shamelessly using another person's idea to write? That wasn't his style.
It wasn't his world.
How would that be any different from plagiarism?
That wasn't what Michael wanted for himself.
Why had he struggled for three years?
To write his ultimate novel.
To pour everything into it.
And now some stranger was asking him to use their ideas to achieve that dream?
Heresy.
**[Goblin: The title is "High School DxD: The Novel's Extra Is a Pervert".]**
Without waiting for Michael's answer, the Goblin ID sent a Word file to his account.
It was a draft outline so massive that the word "idea" felt insulting.
The structure was already perfectly built — like a body with the muscles already attached.
All Michael had to do was add the flesh and polish.
"And they're handing me this?" he muttered while reading the fanfic plot.
**[Goblin: I believe in you, author. More than anyone else, you will bring this work to completion brilliantly.]**
Michael's pride took a hit.
"Even if I'm barely a third-rate author… I'm still an author," he said to no one in particular.
A pitiful attempt at self-convincing.
**[Goblin: So trust me and give it a try. That said, I'd like you to finish your Jujutsu Kaisen story first.]**
**[Goblin: It would be a shame… if I disappeared. Hehe ~]**
The last part of the message was weird, but Michael decided to chalk it up to an eccentric online personality quirk.
After all, there were plenty of oddballs on the internet.