Extra Pages: The Author's Odyssey - Chapter 1: The Author’s Tale

“With each stroke, a river and a sea are painted, and with a brush, mountains and rivers are determined.Some people admire a painting depicting a fierce ox toppling a mountain and comprehend the profound martial art technique called 'Crushing Mountain Force.' With boundless strength, one can move mountains barehanded!Others gaze upon a sword shining with a cold moonlight in the painting, thus realizing the 'Cold Moon Divine Sword Art.' With this sword, they can slay otherworldly beings and gain fame that resounds in all directions.Li Changqing, a top woodcarver, transmigrates into the world of Cangyuan. He discovers that his woodcarvings are more enlightening than his paintings. From being a destitute and worthless painter, he rises to the pinnacle of the Cangyuan world.In his previous life, he indulged in sculpture and ended up raising a wayward child. However, in this world of Cangyuan, he has a well-behaved and filial son who lacks talent but dreams of becoming an immortal through cultivation.If my son wants to become an immortal, then as his father, I will help him achieve it!However, Li Hengsheng, the son, begins to suspect that his useless daydreaming and money-begging father may have been possessed by someone else!”

Champion dream of an e-sports boy!
Champion dream of an e-sports boy!
Champion dream of an e-sports boy!

- Description from Uukanshu

Ethan is a man nearing forty who has squandered his life behind a screen. Since his teenage years, he has poured everything into online games, chasing digital achievements while real life quietly passed him by. Now, with reality finally weighing on him, he realizes how empty his existence has become.Despite decades of obsession, he has only one thing to show for it: the #1 account in the world’s most popular MMORPG, Lost World Online—a fully immersive virtual game operated through neural-link technology. It is an account powerful enough to guarantee fame, sponsorships, and a second chance at life.But overnight… it vanishes.No warnings… No errors… His account simply ceases to exist.Ethan spends the entire night frantically searching for answers, contacting the developers through official forums, only to be told that nothing can be done. Without the account, even streaming or professional contracts are impossible. Exhausted and hollow, he finally gives up and falls asleep, deciding to forget his regret, half hoping everything would be a dream when he wakes up.When Ethan opens his eyes, he finds himself standing before the character creation screen of Lost World Online.It feels like a dream, yet his mind is clear, his body well responsive, not even like a game. Paying little attention, he goes ahead and creates a character and initiates the game.Then, his vision is swallowed by darkness.A violent rush of wind slams into him, and when his senses return, he is standing inside a bustling town from the game. Before he can question the missing opening cutscene—something that should always play after character creation—his attention is seized by the scene around him.The town was celebrating an Annual Festival. This was a festival that only ever occurred once, a festival that marked the first day Lost World Online was launched.Realizing the impossible, Ethan hurriedly calls up his system interface—only to find that there is no options menu, no settings, no log-out button…“This cannot be real.”

As a human, I should be miles away from any large shifter event. Especially the annual Mate Hunt.A hunt for mates. Doesn't that sound barbaric? Yeah, it's as bad as it sounds.Several packs in the area gather as their newly minted adult wolves shift. Females are let into the woods first and are given an hour's head start, just before sundown. Then it's time for the males, ostensibly thrown out to hunt down the scent of their fated (or chosen) mates.It isn't an event for the faint of heart, and it's definitely no place for someone who can't shift. So why the fuck am I here, running my little human heart out, chased by what sounds like an entire pack of wolves? Great question. I don't know, either.But I'm here.Surrounded by howls fueled by the thrill of the hunt.Feet bleeding. Lungs freezing.I am so fucked.----R18. Dark themes, including but not limited to: Murder, attempted murder, a stack of dead bodies, betrayal, mild sociopathy, an ML who appears to bathe in red flags despite his favorite color being green, an unwarranted hatred of blueberry muffins, and pillow thievery.