The Author's POV Chapter 4: Ive reincarnated inside of my novel [3]

"Haaah…"

A prolonged exhale escaped me as I stared blankly at the vista unfolding ahead.

"I anticipated something extraordinary, yet this…"

'Overwhelmed' perfectly captured the emotion surging through me right then.

Before my eyes rose a colossal tree, its massive roots burrowing into the solid stone like soft mud, while its vibrant green foliage sparked doubts about the absence of sunlight.

At the tree's summit perched a light crimson fruit, brimming with juiciness. It looked much like a peach, yet unlike ordinary ones from the store, a golden radiance surrounded it, signaling its extraordinary nature.

Inhaling deeply, I fixed my gaze on the fruit housing the [Seed of limit], my longing intense.

'This is the one… securing that fruit will utterly transform my destiny.'

Such thoughts raced through my mind, my stare glued to the light red fruit atop the tree.

No more would I be that worthless writer lounging at home, venting fury at my readers.

No

Rather than crafting tales for others, I'd forge my own path, and…

Eyeing the fruit overhead, I lifted my hand and gradually tightened my fist.

"Everything begins with that fruit"

…

Obtaining the fruit proved surprisingly simple.

Originally, the protagonist was meant to stumble upon it by chance while venturing through Clayton ridge on his elective trip. Furthermore, unless my memory fails me, he never actually claimed the fruit himself—arriving too late, he only discovered the [Seed of limit].

It feels somewhat shameful to admit, but…

During the writing of this novel section, I completely overlooked including a trial.

You know, the kind of challenge the protagonist had to conquer to elevate his strength.

In a standard novel, a guardian beast would protect the fruit, or some protective barrier would hinder the protagonist's easy acquisition, but… I simply couldn't muster the effort to include one, viewing it as merely a minor power boost for him.

The core intent was accelerating the protagonist's cultivation by lifting his limiter, so I skipped any trial. My slothful self rushed it to wrap up the book quicker, having grown weary of it by then.

Yet now, with the fruit grasped in my palm, I saw my former arrogance and folly.

After all, this was an absolute cheat artifact!

Little surprise my readers grew furious with me…

I had over-equipped the protagonist completely. Plus, the [Seed of limit] offered a sure path to glory by breaking the natural human barriers on potential.

Though… that might not be entirely accurate.

While the [Seed of limit] qualified as a cheat item, it wasn't overwhelmingly dominant.

Removing one's limit didn't equate to enhancing talent.

In truth, talent stayed unchanged; beyond boundless growth and quicker training pace, the [Seed of limit] provided no boost to innate ability.

Take someone utterly devoid of combat talent who consumes the seed of limit—they won't magically become a war deity. No way; if an item like that truly existed, I'd scrap the novel and call it quits.

Really, who'd waste time on a story where the protagonist skips all obstacles and steamrolls to victory?

Thankfully, I avoided that blunder.

The [Seed of limit] merely lifted the rank ceiling, offering little beyond accelerated training. Even a talentless individual using it might max out stats to insane levels, but against an equal opponent, defeat would come swiftly.

Even so, picture the seed falling to a gifted person outside the protagonist… The mere idea chills me to the bone.

Suppressing my guilt with effort, I examined the fruit meticulously.

Its soft red hue, combined with the divine glow encasing it, gave the impression of clutching a heavenly delicacy.

Gulping down the saliva pooling in my throat, I parted my lips softly and nibbled a tiny piece from the fruit.

At once, an explosive sweetness flooded my palate, sending my taste buds into ecstatic frenzy. Juices burst forth from the fruit within my mouth, and its divine flavor caused me to lose all awareness of my surroundings for a moment.

Moments after swallowing the initial bite of the fruit, a transformation began surging through my body. My eyesight grew keener, my thoughts sharpened, and my muscles surged with greater power.

Strength was steadily building within me.

By checking my status, I observed my attributes shifting constantly with each second, and as these alterations hit me, an intense rush of bliss overwhelmed me, driving me to hungrily devour the fruit in front of me.

With every bite, I sensed every part of my physique growing tougher and more powerful.

===Status===

Name : Ren Dover

Rank : G +

Strength : G +

Agility : G +

Stamina : G +

Intelligence : G +

Mana capacity : G +

Luck : E

Charm : G-

--] Profession : [Swordsmanship lvl.1]

==========

"Haa…"

Wiping the lingering fruit juices from my mouth with my shirt, I carefully examined my status window.

While inspecting my status window, my gaze inevitably fell on the charm stat…

How come my charm wasn't rising?

Sure, I wasn't especially good-looking, but every other stat except Luck—which was already pretty good—had gone up by one or two levels. Couldn't it just give me a bit on charm?

Was I fated to stay a virgin forever?

-Slap!

I slapped my cheeks hard to banish those gloomy ideas, then fixed my eyes on my palms.

Nestled between my hands lay a tiny brown seed.

"Could this be the [Seed of limit]?"

Upon closer inspection, I struggled to spot any difference between this seed and an ordinary one from a grocery store.

It wasn't large or tiny, roughly coin-sized, and without knowing it came from that sacred fruit, I never would've guessed it was the [Seed of limit].

It appeared so ordinary that anyone might mock me if I claimed it was a cheat item.

Yet, as the author, I knew this unremarkable seed held the secret to my future success.

I've noted this earlier, but the protagonist never consumed the fruit. The reason? He never got the opportunity.

In the original storyline, the protagonist and his classmates headed to Clayton ridge for an excursion.

On that trip, it wasn't the protagonist who first discovered this spot, but his rival. Upon finding the tree with the fruit, the rival devoured it right away and tossed aside the plain-looking seed, which the protagonist later stumbled upon by pure chance, uncovering its power and consuming it.

Yeah, I get it. I'm deeply regretting my own writing now. The longer I linger in this world, the more I see how bleak my story was…

Thinking back, by eating the fruit, I've essentially blocked the rival from his own enhancement.

…This spelled trouble.

The rival played a crucial role in the plot. He was a key factor in pushing the protagonist to such heights of strength. By hindering the rival's progress indirectly, I'm also stunting the protagonist's development.

Hmm…I suppose I'll compensate them somehow down the line.

What's done is done—I can't rewind time to fix it. Rather than fret over it here, I'll stick to my specialty: postponing issues for the future.

I'll just repay the favor later.

Drawing in a deep breath, I examined the seed closely in my palm before gently positioning it atop my tongue.

-Gulp!

After swallowing the seed, I settled onto the ground, anticipating the [Seed of limit]'s effects. Then…

1 minute elapsed.

2 minutes went by.

5 minutes passed.

10 minutes ticked away, yet nothing occurred.

Just as doubt crept in that something might be amiss, a torrent of energy slammed into my body.

It resembled a bursting dam, forcing my veins and frame to endure the raging floodwaters.

'Excruciating' perfectly captured the agony ripping through me, an unimaginable torment flooding every inch. The suffering was so overwhelming that no cries or sounds emerged from my lips. It was like all my bones and veins had shattered simultaneously.

Before blacking out, the final sight was the massive tree in the cave gradually wilting.

"Haa…I really am reckless"

…

No idea how long I'd been unconscious, but that wasn't important right then.

Pain throbbed everywhere in my body, making standing a challenge. Pulling myself together, I reached into my bag's front pocket and retrieved a slim rectangular tablet.

A tap on the screen brought up a 3D holographic projection of my figure.

I still wasn't accustomed to the holographic display, so each time it appeared before me, I instinctively flinched.

Swiping to the right unlocked the tablet, allowing me to verify the date.

========================

Time : 06 : 47 Date : 07/09/2055

Mail(5) Calls (0) Messages(0) Browser

========================

I shut the tablet and breathed a sigh of relief. Just three hours had ticked by since I blacked out. Thankfully, I hadn't lain unconscious for days on end.

Had I failed to rouse myself before the academy's gates swung open, dire consequences would have awaited me.

Typically, I wouldn't bat an eye at skipping lectures—I've no wish to relive high school torments—but as the Lock's creator, I know the instructors' iron grip all too well. They hammer low-rankers like me hardest, viewing us as mere cannon fodder doomed to frontline graves. Cross a professor, and you'd best pack your things, for graduation slips forever from your grasp.

The absolute last scenario I craved, with countless objectives demanding completion inside the 'Lock' before daring human borders.

First priority: diving into key events slated within the Lock.

Wouldn't meddling twist the plot? Absolutely, yet uncertain if my reincarnation already stirred the tale, I must scout personally to confirm the storyline mirrors my script.

Everything tracks identically so far, but should my rebirth unleash a butterfly effect, catastrophe looms. Weighing this, I've vowed to leap in and steer things back should deviations arise.

Next, the Lock reigns as humanity's top hero-forging academy; blowing it off spells utter folly. To steel myself against the third cataclysm, seizing this golden chance is non-negotiable. Their pinnacle facilities promise rapid power-ups for independent living.

Yet first, snagging that sword art looms vital to dodge freshman-year boot for 'talent shortage.'

As in any standard academy, flunk the year and repeat it you shall. Thus, sans the [Keiki style], even with [Seed of limit] smashing my ceilings, first-year clearance stays no sure bet. Overnight godhood evades me; sans grind and time, trailing the protagonist and crew proves impossible.

Status check revealed no stat jumps post-[Seed of limit] swallow. No shocker—the thing specializes in cap-cracking, not raw stat pumps like that fruit.

Yet unshackled from this realm's rules, I can grind endlessly free of bottleneck dread.

…

Escaping the cave dragged longer than hoped. Bang on two hours after stirring, I clawed free. Exit-hunting? Piece of cake. No, my traitorous body stonewalled me—arms twitched, but stiff as boards.

An hour solid went into inching muscle tension from fingertips to toes. Every fiber rebelled. It echoed that alien-body shock from reincarnation's dawn.

"Haa…finally some fresh air"

Deep lungfuls outdoors unwound my frame, sparking energy's return.

Outside breeze crushed the cave's choking fug.

Enhanced eyes pierced east, snagging horizon's megacity vista. Soaring spires and tireless sky-trains pulsed the sprawl with electric buzz.

"Beautiful…"

My sole whisper gazing at Ashton City.

Astonishing how humanity, battered as they are, rallied to birth such splendor. This gleaming metropolis now claims me as resident.

"Alright!"

Surge of vigor propelled me mountain-bound descent.

Time to snag the [Keiki style]