Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

"Sss."

A paw poked him again from the left.

He turned his head. Xiaolan was blinking, her gaze burning into him.

’Big Brother Xiaoyue, is that crispy cartilage thingy really good? I want to eat it too!’

Xiaoyue’s eyes went wide.

’It’s over! The stupid puppy virus has infected my own camp!’

·

「Huai City, Wudu New Village—」

"CLACK-CLACK-CLACK... CLACK-CLACK-CLACK..."

The rhythmic sound of a keyboard echoed through the room. Su Mao was at his desk, writing furiously.

Wang Sujuan came over and rubbed his shoulders. "Tired? Why don’t you take a break?"

Su Mao savored the moment. "You’re the best, honey~"

"So, how much have you written since this morning?"

"Uh..."

"..."

The couple’s gazes fell together on the word count for the current Chapter in the bottom right corner of the writing software: 374.

"BAM—"

Wang Sujuan slammed Su Mao’s face onto the keyboard.

"This is all you’ve written all morning! Are you constipated or something?!"

Su Mao cowered, protecting his head. "If I were constipated, it’d be 0..."

"You have the nerve to talk back? If I sprinkled some pet food on the keyboard, even Wu Bao would write more than you!"

"Wu Bao doesn’t know how to write web novels."

"Trying to change the subject, are we? Six thousand words today! Don’t even think about sleeping if you don’t hit six thousand. I’ve already helped you post an announcement in the fan group chat~"

"Don’t! I’ll write now! Please don’t post it!"

The married life of a fan and her author-husband was just that harmonious, so much so that Wu Bao, who was holed up in the garage furiously typing away, felt a little envious.

Oh well. Fortune favors the diligent!

A few days ago, he’d seen a casual chat in the author group between Editor Er Shang and everyone else.

Er Shang had said that one of the authors among them was actually the alt account of a certain great author. This luminary specialized in traditional xuanhuan novels but had resolutely stepped out of his comfort zone, creating an alt account to write a light novel-style Beast Taming text, a complete departure from his previous works.

This great author’s style was also unique: while the updates on his main account were terrible, his new book on the alt account was on fire. Rumor was he wrote ten thousand words a day during the new book period, only publishing four thousand due to the recommendation system’s constraints.

It just went to show this great author’s determination to break through his limits!

The tale of the great author’s alt account earned everyone’s unanimous admiration and approval. At the same time, the old-guard slacker authors, led by Gou Mao, were criticized.

What flattered and overwhelmed Wu Bao even more was that many authors thought he was that great author’s alt account. They secretly sent him friend requests, Su Mao included.

’How could I possibly compare to such a senior?’

At first, he thought the description sounded a bit like a combination of Su Mao and himself. But then he reconsidered. After getting a keyboard, he usually wrote twenty to thirty thousand words a day. Only when he was really busy would he barely manage to write ten thousand, and then he’d fall asleep under a heavy blanket of guilt and self-reproach... so it couldn’t be him.

Still, the thought of such a respectable great author, willing to sacrifice so much to break through his limits, filled Wu Bao with motivation!

’I absolutely cannot end up like Su Mao, cursed with a mid-life malaise, becoming a slacker and a plaything for his fan-turned-wife to toy with!’

At this thought, the sound of Wu Bao’s typing couldn’t help but become even more vigorous.

"BUZZ BUZZ." His tablet vibrated.

Wu Bao poked his head out to peek at the bedroom. Confirming that Su Mao was still slaving away at his writing, he ducked back and opened his private messages.

[Er Shang]: Hmmm

[Er Shang]: Wu Bao, do you remember if I told you that the Effect from your trial recommendation would probably be around two or three thousand active readers?

[Wu Bao]: I remember

Qi Dian’s recommendation system has four tiers: Popular Serial, New Book Select, This Week’s Strong Push, and Editor’s Choice. Beyond that, there are also the top-tier cross-channel recommendations for new books: Small Megaphone and Sanjiang. The rule for all of them is that you can get on if you have enough active readers.

Popular Serial is the first round of recommendations for a new book, also known as the trial recommendation. It’s the most competitive round; the later ones are relatively easier.

The data from the Popular Serial run basically determines if a book will make it or not, so most authors decide whether to drop their novel at this stage.

[Wu Bao]: Did something happen with the trial recommendation, Boss?

[Er Shang]: Nothing major

[Er Shang]: It’s just that the Effect wasn’t quite what we expected

Wu Bao immediately felt a little nervous.

’Did it bomb? I thought I’d at least make it to the second round... I guess I really don’t know how to write web novels, sigh.’

[Wu Bao]: So... do I still have a chance to advance to the second round next week...

[Wu Bao]: Or am I getting knocked out in the first round and going straight to premium?

[Wu Bao]: This is my first time writing a book. I want to finish it.

...

A moment of silence.

[Er Shang]: Who told you it bombed?

[Wu Bao]: Huh?

[Er Shang]: Your trial recommendation’s Effect was ridiculously good! You’re already at five thousand active readers! I’ve really struck gold, hahaha!

[Er Shang]: Just keep writing well. With these numbers, you don’t have to worry about recommendations anymore.

[Er Shang]: Even though this book is a completely new field for you, I can tell you still have the skills.

[Er Shang]: The experiment was a huge success! My heartfelt congratulations!

[Wu Bao]: confused_face.jpg

[Wu Bao]: Roger that!

Almost at the same time, a new message popped up in his author dashboard. He had been promoted to the next recommendation round—"New Book Select" would officially begin at midnight on Sunday!

Wu Bao was overcome with emotion.

He didn’t understand the last few things Boss Er Shang was saying, but he could feel his boss’s deep appreciation for him.

’I absolutely cannot let Er Shang down.’

’Starting today, I’ll write thirty thousand words a day! On the day it goes premium, I’ll drop a hundred Chapters at once!’

’I, Wu Bao, am Er Shang’s number one King of the grind!’

...

「Qi Dian Editorial Department.」

Er Shang let out a breath and gently moved his hands away from the keyboard. A few young junior editors were gathered around him, staring in awe at the chat history between Er Shang and Wu Bao.

One of the younger female editors already had red, teary eyes. The other editors also looked like they were on the verge of tears.

"Do you feel it? That is a Qi Dian Great God," Er Shang took a sip of his coffee and said lightly.

The junior editors behind him nodded in unison.

"Great God Gou Mao... I’m crying my eyes out!"

"Senior Gou Mao has shouldered too much, waaah..."

"Yeah, even when he was used as a negative example and mocked by everyone in the group chat, he never said a word in his own defense. And all the while, he was secretly working tirelessly... He’s a true author!"

"Great God Gou Mao has been such a slacker ever since he got his Great God contract, but now it feels like he’s starting a second life!"

"That’s not quite right. Even phoning it in with his updates, he still ranks in the top three on the bestseller list. Ugh, I’m so jealous, damn."

"And even so, he still has the courage to step out of his comfort zone. He’s so pure..."

Just then, a junior editor asked in confusion, "But Senior Er Shang, why does Great God Gou Mao’s chat style seem like a complete newbie’s? Is it possible we’ve made a mistake?"

Immediately, a bunch of people chimed in:

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

"The identity information in the backend matches. There’s no way that’s wrong."

"Maybe it’s Gou Mao’s kid secretly using his dad’s ID to write a book? That’s happened before. Though, a great author’s kid using their parent’s author ID to write is definitely a first..."

"No, I remember his kid is a Beast Tamer. They should be participating in the team tournament right now. Where would they find the time to write ten thousand words a day?"

"But then again, he’s a proper middle-aged man. If he’s really the one typing all this, it’s so damn embarrassing..."

"Alright, everyone, quiet down."

Er Shang also stared at the screen for a moment, the corners of his mouth curling into a slight smile.

"Regarding his chat style and writing style, I was actually curious about that too.

"Gou Mao was a late bloomer as an author. He wrote for nearly ten years before he suddenly rose to prominence. In his early days, he couldn’t even manage to get the full-attendance bonus. Just like many people around us, by the time he achieved some success in his career and looked back, he had already reached middle age.

"A person’s passion and inspiration gradually run dry. This is also why many writers are slowly phased out as they get older.

"However, behind this chat log, I can feel Great God Gou Mao’s unwillingness to yield and his determination.

"He... refuses to go gentle into that good night.

"Therefore, he chose a chat and writing style that’s overflowing with otaku flavor. Even if it’s incredibly embarrassing, even if it might ruin his reputation in his later years, he still took that resolute step forward, never looking back.

"This... is YOUTH!!!"

As he spoke, Er Shang’s own eyes started to well up with tears.

"And what I can do as his editor is simply play along, treat him like a complete novice, and witness the rekindling of this youth!"

The editors were all moved to tears.

Great God Gou Mao, he is a true standard-bearer for modern web novel authors!

·

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Happy Children’s Day! Any kind soul willing to send me 50 bucks? Just think of it as paying to learn a lesson.jpg