Chapter 54: The First Ending (2) Fin
It feels a little late to be saying this now, but one of the genres that makes up [The Genius Mage of the Slums] is the academy genre.
From the very beginning, I had deliberately tied it to a real-life academy and even carried out a large-scale renovation of the academy itself.
Since I had held all sorts of events with the academy as the backdrop, the readers were naturally aware of that aspect as well.
“So if possible, I’m thinking of bringing the series to its conclusion with the academy as the setting too.”
“You mean you intend to make the academy the site of the protagonists’ final battle against the black mages?”
“Yes. I’ve deliberately laid all sorts of foreshadowing for that.”
Therefore, the site of the final battle in [The Genius Mage of the Slums] would, after everything came full circle, be the academy.
That would better fit the purpose of an academy story, and it would also match the awareness and expectations the existing readers had.
“Well, if the final battle happened outside the academy, the academy students would be terribly disappointed right away.”
“Exactly. That’s precisely the feeling.”
So I had intentionally laid down reasons why the black mages would have no choice but to come to the academy, and why the protagonists’ party would have no choice but to meet them there.
Things like the evil treasure the black mages were determined to get their hands on, or the counter-magic hidden within the academy.
And to be honest, that was also a little more to my taste.
“To dress it up nicely, I suppose you could call it genre bookending.”
Well, there were cases where a story had the characters graduate from the academy midway and wrap things up outside.
But those were cases where the scale expanded, or the genre changed partway through.
As I said before, for me, who had no intention of revising or expanding things at this point, ending it at the academy was the cleanest and best option.
Some might criticize it by saying, “Is it really right for academy students to take the lead in a battle of such continental importance?”
But that was simply one of the characteristics of the academy genre.
That was also why I had added the genius genre on top of the academy genre.
In any case.
For those reasons and on those grounds, I wrote and released the final volume of [The Genius Mage of the Slums], with the academy as the final stage.
“Author Wei, wake up!! Wake up!!
What do you mean, ending it?! Continue the serialization! Continue it!!”
“From now on, I won’t stop burning down the Publishing Guild until the announcement of the ending is withdrawn!”
“Don’t run away with an ending! Fight us with serialization!
If you write roughly ten times more than what you’ve written so far, then we’ll let you end it!”
And I ran headlong into the readers’ fierce backlash and protests.
“Author Wei, please, save us!
This time, we’re really, truly in danger!
At this rate, we’re all going to die!!”
“Um…”
Even the Publishing Guild, which had grown used to being dragged out and used as firewood every time this happened, sent out a distress signal this time, saying they were truly in danger.
No.
I hadn’t expected it to go this far?
***
The sudden announcement that the [The Genius Mage of the Slums] series was ending.
In order to accept this dreadful news, the readers had to go through five stages, as if accepting death itself.
“No. That can’t be.
Author Wei definitely promised inside my head that he would keep serializing it!”
“Lies, lies, lies!
It’s selling this well right now, so why is he stopping?”
It began with denial, with people refusing to believe the news of the ending or insisting it was a lie.
“If he doesn’t withdraw the ending right now, everyone dies!”
“What can I do even if he says he won’t withdraw it?
Fine. Watch closely from now on and see exactly what I can do!”
Then came anger, blazing so fiercely that even flame magic would feel lukewarm by comparison.
“How about we call it a draw?
I won’t tell you to serialize it until you die.
Just serialize twice as much as you’ve written so far and then end it. How about that?”
“Or at least two more volumes… no, even just one more…!”
Then came compromise and negotiation, with people half giving up on making him withdraw it completely and trying to get even a little more serialization out of him somehow.
“It’s over… It really is the ending…”
“What joy am I supposed to live for now? What am I supposed to wait for?”
After that came depression, making the whole atmosphere damp and gloomy.
“Right. An ending is bound to come someday anyway.
Instead of denying something that’s already been decided, shouldn’t we read it enjoyably until the very end? Wouldn’t that be for Author Wei’s sake?”
“Let’s think of it positively. We’re sending off the protagonists who entertained us in style before they get ruined.”
“The death of one thing leads to the birth of another.
If it’s Author Wei, then even after [The Genius Mage of the Slums] ends, won’t he surely repay us with another work?”
At last, the readers were barely able to attain enlightenment and acceptance.
It took nearly a week for them to reach acceptance.
During that time, the Publishing Guild trembled in fear that they might truly be burned alive.
And the fact that the kingdom’s ruling class wondered whether they should view this as a national disturbance and intervene was a secret known only to those involved.
“Ha… For now, give me one copy of the final volume of [The Genius Mage of the Slums].
Right. Three copies in total: one to read, one to preach with, and one to preserve.”
“Even if things turned out like this, we still have to read what needs to be read.”
Fortunately, before anything dangerous happened, the readers who succeeded in accepting reality.
Only then did they purchase the final volume of [The Genius Mage of the Slums] and begin to read it.
-Tian. I plan to lure the black mages to the academy.
And then we will gather all our forces and wage the final battle against them.-
-How, Headmaster?-
-Their ultimate goal is to free the sealed evil god and destroy this world.
And I am currently in possession of that evil god’s seal.
They have no choice but to come to the academy.-
“Ohhh! So they’re luring them to the academy here and having the final battle?”
“Wow. Did you see this illustration?
Because of the fully revived black mage leader, the dark mana that’s grown several times stronger is covering the sky, making it look like night.
I wonder how Tian will overcome this.”
Forgetting the gloom that still lingered in an instant.
They began to immerse themselves in the final battle fought by the protagonist Tian and his companions.
The final team battle for the fate of the world, staged at the academy!
How could anyone not focus on such a heated development?
-And for decades… no, for hundreds of years.
For the sake of this one decisive battle, I have prepared a grand spell within the academy to suppress and restrict the black mages.
With this much, no matter how much their leader has revived, our forces should be evenly matched...-
-Um, Headmaster? This is a little awkward to say in the current situation.
But I think this spell can be adjusted a little further.-
-...Are you saying that after looking at the spell I prepared over hundreds of years, you found a way to modify it in five minutes?-
-Yes. If we start now, I think we can barely make it in time. What do you think?
Of course, the one actually fixing it will have to be you, Headmaster, since you installed the spell.-
-...I never thought I would say something like this, but Tian, your talent is truly unreasonable.
Very well. Let us begin at once.-
“Ahh. If they have a secret weapon like this, that changes things!”
“As expected, Author Wei had a plan all along!”
On top of that, Tian’s overwhelming talent and genius were shown once again.
With the further strengthened suppression magic, they gained the upper hand in terms of power.
-It has been a while, Tian. Have you been well?-
-Master?!-
-Dad?!-
And when Gray, Tian’s teacher who had been separated from him all this time, joined them for the sake of final victory.
The readers’ anticipation swelled to the point of bursting.
And Author Wei rewarded their expectations.
-Nuuoooh! This magic is...! So it was a trap after all?!-
-Now is the time for all of us to lay down our lives!
For the world!-
-For the world!-
The scene continued, accompanied by illustrations, showing the protagonists and their companions gathered at the academy, shouting their rallying cry together as they waged a fierce battle against the enemy.
At the dazzling, intense, fast-paced development that made it impossible to take their eyes off the page.
Gulp—
Aside from the occasional sound of someone swallowing.
The readers made no sound at all.
Forgetting even to breathe, they began to focus on the novel.
-You are the only one left now.-
-Khuhuhuhu! To think that this body’s end would come at the hands of a fledgling who hasn’t even graduated from the academy...!-
“Phewww. Good, they won! All the others have been dealt with now, and only the black mage leader Tian is facing remains!”
“When the evil god’s seal was stolen in the middle, my heart nearly dropped, but thankfully it turned out all right.”
In the end, only after all the other enemies had fallen and only the final boss, the black mage leader, remained, were they finally able to let out the breath they had been holding.
They were certain that the novel [The Genius Mage of the Slums] would come to a close with a clean ending, with victory for the protagonist’s side.
However, if there was one thing the readers had never dared to expect.
It was the fact that Wade had no intention of ending this novel so honestly, and that it was obviously still too early for the readers to relax!
Just when the readers let their guards down a little, thinking all that remained was for Tian to join forces with his companions and defeat the final boss.
Not missing that deliberately created moment of brief carelessness, Wade unleashed the final weapon he had prepared.
-I can’t die alone like this!
I will offer my life as a sacrifice and undo the evil god’s seal!
Kahahaha! We’re going to hell together!-
As his final desperate struggle, the black mage leader tried to break the evil god’s seal he had stolen by offering his own life as a sacrifice.
-I won’t let that happen. You going to hell alone is enough.-
-You damned brat!
You dare think the likes of you can be my final companion on the road?!-
And the protagonist, Tian, in order to stop him, self-destructed together with the black mage leader and ended up falling off the cliff.
“What the hell! Don’t fuck with me!
You’re killing Tian? The protagonist?
This is the development you choose at the very, very end??”
“No, that can’t be!
There’s no way Author Wei would do something this insane, right?”
Seeing the desperate screams of his companions and the heroines that followed.
The readers immediately screamed just like the characters and spat out curses.
Their hearts, which had been relieved, instantly began to pound violently, and the blood rushed all the way to their heads.
If it had truly ended like that, this time Wade might have been transformed by the rampaging readers into “what used to be Wade.”
Fortunately, just before that could happen.
-Cough, cough!-
-Here! He’s here!
He’s still alive!-
Tian was found with his breath barely still clinging to him and was rescued.
“Ah, my heart and my head hurt so much.”
“Damn it. He really lifted the readers from heaven to earth and back again.”
Seeing that, the readers either made bizarre expressions as they laughed through their tears, or clutched their hearts and collapsed in exhaustion.
“Should I call it an ending befitting Author Wei?
Or should I say he didn’t have to go this far right up until the very end? I don’t know.”
“Did he really have to make the readers’ hearts hurt like this...?”
“Still, thanks to that, wasn’t it tense until the very end?”
“Well, that’s true.”
Wade’s final move left opinions sharply divided between complaints of “Did it really have to be that way?”
And admiration of “But it was tense and fun, wasn’t it?”
In any case, thanks to that shock.
The readers were able to forget their regret over the ending and accept the conclusion of [The Genius Mage of the Slums] with satisfaction, and naturally at that.
As expected, shock therapy was truly a useful method.