Dear Fellow Readers,
I hope you're all doing well! Before we dive in, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude for checking out this book. It truly means a lot—even if you don't read any further.
In Weekly Shonen Jump, mangaka often include special chapters where they talk with their readers at the end of an arc or volume.
This is my attempt at something similar.
At the start of each new volume, I'll be writing an informal letter like this to discuss my inspirations behind certain characters, events, and scenarios from the previous volume.
I'll also be answering a few questions from the last letter—without spoilers, of course.
Since you're ideally reading this before the prologue, I want to take a moment to talk about this book as a whole and the kind of story it will be.
I love reading isekai novels because they're the best for self-insertion.
The thrill of imagining oneself fighting goblins with a katana in hand is addictive.
That's why I chose to reincarnate my protagonist with his memories intact—to give both myself and my readers the chance to step into his shoes.
Real life can be tough and unfair, so after a long day of work, many people prefer to escape into stories where life is simpler and full of adventure.
Maybe that's why overpowered protagonists are so popular—there are so many SSS-class cheat novels out there.
They're fun, fast-paced, and constantly updated, which keeps readers satisfied.
Mad respect to those authors.
I have no idea how they write so fast. I'm extremely jealous. May they get brain freeze the next time they eat ice cream.
Personally, I love in-depth high fantasy, so I enjoy exploring magic systems and world-building when writing.
That said, overpowered characters can be super hard to write. As a novice writer, I've found that the easiest way to make a book engaging is to let characters grow gradually.
So, instead of giving my protagonist unlimited power, I've given him unlimited potential.
This novel will be a slow-paced LitRPG with some slice-of-life elements in the first volume. It's a progression fantasy with plenty of action, but action would be the secondary focus—at least, in Volume 1.
The Theme of Volume 1 is Growth
Growth in terms of:
Leveling up
Gaining skills
Obtaining a class
Training and gaining experience
Letting go of modern moral reservations
Emotional growth
Mental growth
Volume 1 serves as a foundation, meant to help the protagonist assimilate into his new world. That doesn't mean there won't be action—there will be, even as early as Chapter 8, if I remember correctly.
When I say this is a self-insert, I mean it. The pacing will be a bit slow.
We'll start from birth and follow the protagonist's journey step by step, with plenty of time skips when needed, gradually exploring the game-like system and the world around him.
But just because the pacing is slow doesn't mean life will be easy.
There will be challenges—his childhood won't be all sunshine and flowers.
That said, even protagonists deserve a happy childhood, right? Trauma and hardships can come a little bit later.
The sweeter the mango, the more care it needs in its early years.
All the care given to him would be worth it when things hit the fan and world starts to collapse around him.
Despair is sweeter when it comes after happiness.
This novel is meant to be a mix of relaxing and intense moments. There will be plenty of action—but only when it serves the story, which technically speaking is a lot.
Just don't expect the protagonist to defeat an entire band of bandits at the age of two.(Other characters, though? They might.)
Thank you for reading.
P.S. First person is only limited to the first few chapters, after that its third person Narrative P.O.V.
I chose First person at the start because it lets the readers connect more with the character emotionally.
With love,
Kitshaar