Beers and Beards - Chapter 53Book 3: : Bocks and Balls

I’m a high school student who became an author after debuting at Dengeki Bunko. After taking a year of hiatus from school to write my work, I transferred out to another high school to study, and met a girl called Eri Nitadori in school, a rookie voice actress cast as a character in the anime adaptation of my work.

In school, we treat our professions as a secret. However, Nitadori’s very popular in class, and I’m a loner…the only chance we get to talk to each other is when we take the Limited Express train together every Thursday, seated side by side as we head off for an anime, After Recording.

To improve her skills, she asked me questions regarding the profession. While I was answering the questions regarding the process–how did it end up like this.

This is what I last remembered before I lost consciousness, and the story of my near-death experience.

Aether Moirai was never meant to be free.Born from the final spark of the Abyss—a forgotten god’s last act of rebellion—he is the last vessel, a boy whose powers grow stronger the more his mind fractures. Bound by the Codex, a system that can rewrite history itself, Aether is hunted by worlds that fear what he might become.The Infinite Library has always been his home—a labyrinth between worlds where every book is a living realm, and every story is a battlefield. But when the tales begin to warp, birthing monsters and rewriting entire histories, even the Library’s endless shelves can’t protect him.To survive, Aether must step into dangerous books where myths breathe, legends bleed, and the wrong choice can erase you from existence. Each journey brings him closer to the truth of his creation—and the author who penned his fate.He is not the hero of these stories.He is the flaw in every one of them.

Leon was supposed to disappear.On Earth, he was nobody.In this new world of cultivation, reborn into a body that wasn’t even his own, he was less than that — a forgotten teacher exiled to the quiet heights of Amethyst Summit Division.No glory.No backing.No destiny.Until the Grand Return System awakened.Every resource he gives… returns a thousandfold.Every treasure he parts with… comes back stronger.Every disciple he nurtures… becomes a storm the heavens cannot ignore.While the sect mocks him as a useless master wasting potential, Leon calmly shapes a silver-haired girl born with Divine Ice Bones into something terrifying. A legend in the making. A blade pointed at fate itself.They see obscurity.Heaven sees a silent calamity rising.Leon doesn’t seek fame.He doesn’t chase thrones.But when destiny finally turns its gaze toward him…The teacher who hid in the shadows will begin rewriting the rules of the world.-----

competitive career in his sport, and his only solace is the daily training sessions with his coach, Sterling. At school, Winter keeps to himself, focusing on his studies while avoiding any unwanted attention. However, his life is turned upside down when a mysterious phenomenon engulfs the world.During class, an eerie black cloud blankets the sky, and a strange message appears in front of people around the world, announcing that humanity is about to face an apocalypse. Infected beings, known as 'The Stranded,' will rise—mutants, zombies, and other horrors with a single purpose: to eradicate mankind. At the same time, humans will undergo an awakening, gaining abilities based on their potential.As chaos erupts in his classroom, Winter witnesses classmates transforming into horrific monsters, and the world outside seems to fall apart. With survival instincts kicking in, Winter is forced to use his combat skills to defend himself and others, battling through his former classmates-turned-creatures. As he kills the 'walkers' and gains experience points from his victories, Winter realizes the stakes have changed—he must level up, survive, and adapt to a new, brutal world.But as Winter confronts the deadly new reality, he is faced with not only the horrors of a decimated world but the cold truth that his choices, abilities, and past will shape the fate of humanity.*******What's up, Author here. So I plan on releasing a chapter every 1-3 days as to not overwork myself, knowing that if I do, I might drop it the novel as a whole. So be patient with me.