The World Draft and the One Who Writes It

[You have acquired: Narrative Core – Authorship Token Lv. 1] [Scenario Layers: Reorganizing to Reflect Your Vision] [World Draft Zone Activated – Class-Specific Realm]

Everything dissolved into white.

Not just blank, but breathing.

The air felt like turning pages. Somewhere beyond the void, metaphors rustled like leaves, and unwritten worlds vibrated against Jae-hwan's fingertips.

He stood on a circular platform suspended above nothing. Floating ink trails danced around his feet. At the center, a towering spire made of script and calligraphy loomed, turning slowly.

A window appeared before him:

[Welcome, Author Kang Jae-hwan]

[This is your World Draft]

[You may write, rewrite, or erase—within your Authority Level (Lv. 1)]

Jae-hwan reached into his inventory. The pen was still there, pulsing with faint silver light. Not just an object now—an extension of his will.

He tapped it against the air.

Words spilled forward.

"The next scenario begins not with terror—but with choice."

[You have created a Forked Narrative Point]

[Players will now receive alternate starting locations in Scenario #3 based on their decisions, not randomness.]

He breathed out.

"Is this... how it feels to be the author?"

A voice echoed.

"No. This is how it feels to carry the weight of someone else's survival."

Jae-hwan turned.

A young woman stood at the edge of the platform, hair the color of rainclouds, dressed in a robe stitched from book pages.

[You have encountered: Draft Guardian – Ink Revenant (Lv. ???)]

Her eyes were hollow.

"I was the first draft," she said. "The version the author deleted."

He blinked.

"You're a scrapped character?"

"I was the original heroine," she said with a brittle smile. "Until the author rewrote me out."

[Warning: Emotional Hostility Detected – Narrative Disruption Possible]

"Then why are you here?"

She stepped closer. "Because I still remember. I still feel the story I was supposed to live. And I want to ask you, Kang Jae-hwan…"

She raised a hand.

"Will you write me back in?"

Jae-hwan hesitated.

He looked down at the pen.

One stroke could change everything.

"I don't even know who you were."

"You don't have to," she said. "Just give me a name. That's where all stories begin, right?"

[Narrative Dilemma: Add or Reject Lost Character] [If accepted, storyline complexity and instability will increase]

He thought of Han Yura. Of the others. Of the price of writing.

Then he said:

"…Arin."

The world shuddered.

[You have Named the Forgotten Character – Draft Integration in Progress]

[Arin has been restored as a Conditional Protagonist. Her fate will now intertwine with your world.]

She smiled.

And vanished.

[System Message: Scenario #3 Initializing]

[Scenario Title: The Choice of Masks]

[Time Limit: 6 Hours]

[Players: 2,000 (Regional Bracket)]

[Objective: Choose a Mask – Survivor, Villain, Savior, or Observer]

Jae-hwan's surroundings shifted.

He stood now in a vast amphitheater surrounded by mirrors. Each mirror reflected a different version of himself—laughing, broken, bloodstained, heroic.

A voice boomed:

[Choose who you will become. Your next path will be shaped by your mask.]

Jae-hwan looked around.

Other players were appearing. Familiar faces. Strangers. Some stunned, others ready.

Han Yura emerged beside him.

"Is this… your doing?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Good," she said. "About time someone like you was in charge."

The voice called again:

[You have 3 minutes to choose. Masks unclaimed after the limit will be assigned randomly.]

Jae-hwan stepped toward the mirror labeled Savior.

But paused.

Was that really who he wanted to be?

He turned.

The Observer mask shimmered—simple, blank, but with infinite reflection.

He reached out.

[You have chosen: Observer Mask]

[Perk Unlocked – See the truths behind every lie, but act only once per phase]

[Scenario Begins Now]

Light burst across the amphitheater.

Everyone vanished.

[You are now in: Mask Phase – Zone 7: City of Illusions]

[Time Limit: 6 Hours – Countdown: 05:59:59]

[You may interact with all classes but act directly only once]

[Survival Bonus: 10,000 Coins]

Jae-hwan blinked.

The world before him was unfamiliar.

A mirror city. Roads curved in impossible loops. Buildings reflected parts of other timelines.

And behind it all, someone watched.

[Scenario Admin Detected: Vaelith Host – Tier 2 Scenario Architect]

A new window opened:

"Player Kang Jae-hwan. We see you've begun rewriting. Let's see how well your story holds... when others start writing back."

The game had changed.

Jae-hwan gripped the pen.

And began to walk.

To be continue...