Living in the bubble economy of Tokyo, I became a literary giant through lotteries.

He wore a black suit, carried a briefcase, wore thin-rimmed glasses, and had a refined and scholarly appearance.

"Mr. Kurokawa!"

Kurokawa looked in the direction of the sound and his gaze fell on the young face behind the cashier. He was slightly taken aback.

"Guan Gu? What are you doing here?"

"I work here." Guan Gufeng stood up from behind the counter and bowed slightly.

"Work part-time?" Kurokawa Akuta frowned immediately. He had seen the job posting on the door when he came in.

"Your father wouldn't let you work under me as an intern editor, but instead made you work here as a shop assistant?" His tone was filled with undisguised confusion and dissatisfaction. "Incomprehensible."

Guan Gu Feng smiled awkwardly and didn't reply. He wasn't familiar with Kurokawa Akuta, so there was no need for him to reveal all his secrets.

However, since we're already here...

"Editor Kurokawa," Guan Gufeng carefully chose his words, "Could I take a moment of your time? I've written something and would like you to take a look."

"What is it?"

"I want to submit my novel to the latest fantasy novel award."

Kurokawa looked at him but did not answer immediately.

He was exhausted from working overtime until late at night. He had read a lot of manuscripts today, and his eyes were sore. All he wanted to do was eat something and go home to sleep.

But Guan Gufeng's eyes reminded him of someone else: his mother.

Kurokawa Akuta sighed.

"Sure, but I have high standards. I'll scold you directly if it's not written well."

Guan Gufeng took out a stack of manuscript paper from his bag and handed it over with both hands.

Kurokawa Akuta took it. The first thing he noticed was the paper's clean and neat appearance, with handwriting as neat as if it were printed.

In an era where most contributors are too lazy to even fold their manuscripts flat, this attitude alone has already won over many people.

He glanced at the title, "Sword Art Online," and frowned slightly.

Swords and magic? Heroes slaying dragons? Western fantasy?

He turned to the first page with a scrutinizing look.

"...Is it going to be told from a game perspective? That's interesting."

Kurokawa Akuta muttered to himself, tapping his finger lightly twice on the paper.

Given his speed in reviewing manuscripts, it wasn't long before he saw the passage where Kayaba Akihiko appeared and delivered his declaration of world domination.

"This may be a game, but it's not something to be taken lightly."

Kurokawa Akuta's gaze lingered on that sentence, and this time, his attitude changed.

It is no longer "examining", but "reading".

He placed his briefcase at his feet, took off his suit jacket and draped it over the back of his chair, and sat down at the table by the window.

"Guan Gu, pour me a cup of hot water."

"OK."

Time passed by, second by second.

The convenience store lights emitted a faint hum, and cars occasionally passed by outside the window.

Guan Gu Feng returned behind the counter, took out his pen, and continued writing the next chapter, feeling a sense of relief.

He was initially worried that it might be too advanced, but now it seems there shouldn't be any problem.

About half an hour later, Kurokawa Akuta finished turning the last page.

He didn't speak immediately, but instead neatly stacked the manuscript paper on the table, picked up the glass of water that had gone cold, and took a sip.

Then he let out a long sigh, a sigh of satisfaction.

This was the only novel in recent days that had captured his emotions and made him eager to know what would happen next.

Looking sideways at Guan Gufeng, I saw him leaning over the counter, intently writing a novel.

Seeing this, Kurokawa Akuta felt somewhat relieved, but then he suddenly remembered Sekiya Aki, who had come to report today, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

He's clearly a young man, but his thinking is stuck decades in the past. He doesn't know how to do basic tasks, yet he acts like he's incredibly self-important. The editor who was supervising him today was driven crazy by his stupidity.

Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.

"Guan Gu".

"exist."

Kurokawa Akuta turned around and looked at the young man behind the counter with a serious expression.

"This novel is excellent."

"To be honest, it's been a long time since I've come across a manuscript that I can read in one sitting, especially in the fantasy genre. There are only a few formulas on the market."

He waved the manuscript paper in his hand.

"But yours is different; you could even say it surpasses all fantasy novels of this era."

"Of course, it lacks a bit of literary flair." He stood up, picked up an empty cup, and walked to the counter. "If you focus on piling up fancy words, it will ruin the quality of the story. Just stick to your current direction."

"How long do you think it will take you to finish writing?"

Guan Gu Feng thought for a moment. "About a week."

"Being in a rush is fine," Kurokawa Akuta nodded, switching into work mode, "but the quality can't be compromised."

His gaze swept over the surroundings, and his brow furrowed again.

"Your job as a shop assistant... never mind, you must have your own plans, so I won't say more. Contact me anytime if you have any difficulties."

He took a business card out of his suit pocket and placed it on the counter. Guan Gufeng already had one, but Kurokawa Akuta seemed to have forgotten.

"After you finish writing it, let me take a look at it before submitting it."

"If there are no problems, I'll submit it directly to the final review for you." He smiled, a smile with a hint of shrewdness typical of a seasoned professional.

"I, as the deputy editor-in-chief, do have this kind of privilege."

Guan Gufeng was stunned for a moment, then bowed deeply.

"Thank you, Editor Kurokawa!"

Kurokawa Akuta waved his hand, his tone returning to its usual casualness.

"Don't thank me yet. Given the quality of this novel, it would have made it to the final review stage if it had gone through the normal submission process. I just saved you some time."

He glanced at the shelf. "Give me a tuna bento box, and oh yeah, a pack of Seven Stars too."

Guan Gu Feng skillfully packed the items and handed them over. Kurokawa Akuta paid, picked up the bag, walked to the door, and then turned back.

"Guan Gu".

"exist."

"Write well, don't waste your talent."

After working for a while, Guan Gu sat down to rest, opened the can of delicious sugar-free cola he had been drinking, and took a few sips.

It's good, at least it tastes much better than Pepsi.

……

For the next week, Guan Gufeng's life entered an almost obsessive rhythm.

I sleep during the day, wake up in the afternoon, write for four hours, and then go to work at the convenience store.

When there are fewer customers during the night shift, I would lean over the counter and write.

On the very last day, he reviewed the entire manuscript from beginning to end before finalizing it.

He put the thick stack of manuscript paper into a kraft paper envelope, wrote the book title on the cover, pondered for a long time, and decided to submit the manuscript under a pen name.

As for pen names, that's an interesting story.

Guan Gu is magical.

Shinchosha, Literary Editorial Department.

Kurokawa Akuta took the envelope, but did not open it on the spot. Instead, he placed it on the table and weighed it down with a paperweight.

Go back and wait for my message.

Guan Gufeng nodded without asking any further questions.

That night, the convenience store's phone rang.

"Final verdict." Kurokawa Akuta's voice came through the receiver, tinged with barely concealed satisfaction. "I've submitted it for you. Now we just wait for the results."

"Thank you, Editor Kurokawa."

"Don't thank me, it's because you wrote it well."

The call ended, and Guan Gufeng sat at the bar, staring at the receiver for a few seconds before putting it back.

With a thought, he brought up the system panel.

Current equipment slots: 1 (expandable)

【Equipped Items: None】

Current number of draws: 1 (refreshed weekly)

[Permanent entry: Increases writing inspiration, boosting handwriting speed to 1500 words/hour]

The pen's entry has been made permanent, which means he can maintain his current writing speed indefinitely.

As for the lottery, let's talk about it when we get back to our hotel room.

As he got up to restock the shelves, the convenience store door was pushed open.