1 Hello! This is Diesel! (1/2)
In a cold, rural area of Poland was home to a workshop of writers, many who were furiously sweating as they tried to churn out line after line of fictional content. They were paid by the word, so their fountain pens hardly ever stopped to take a break. The sounds of muffled scribbling were the only noise that permeated between each of them.
The only time that a member of the chorus paused to take a break was when they had noticed their inkwell had dried up. A man with tired eyes looked up from his paper, his mind having separated from the fantasy novel that he had been penning.
He didn't particularly like his work, but this was what fed his family. Some giant company named NovelWorks had rolled in offering guaranteed sums of money in exchange for writing. It didn't matter what quality the writing was, it just had to appease the numerous masses that were starving for content.
It sounded like a good deal – a set wage stemming from a page count and no people to criticize how sloppy the actual content was. It seemed too good to be true. But if it had been, the desks around him wouldn't have been filled as much as it had been.
And so, he decided to join them. This person, who went simply by Mark, churned out whatever ideas he could think of, no matter how overused it seemed. It wasn't such a big deal. He just simply had to transfer the stories he had heard from wherever onto paper.
Likely, everyone around him was doing the same. There was no one to double check whether their ideas had coincided, but it was doubtful that anyone cared to begin with. As such, Mark wouldn't have been surprised if his stories were just the same as another's, with merely the names and locations changed.
However, there was one thing that he absolutely despised. The sound of a low humming outside slowly growing louder reminded him of that fact. He turned his eyes toward the front door, as it suddenly burst open. Behind it, a smug looking man pranced through, dancing through the middle of the workshop.
”It is I, Dio! The workshop's greatest author!”
Other than his sheer aura of confidence and self-worth, nothing else could really be said of him. He was simply another writer in the workshop, but one that happened to capitalize on the deal early on. As such, his works were recognized early, and he was the first to gain loads of money and fans.
For that reason, that man, who went by Dio Kowalcyzk, pranced toward the fancy room that was in the back of the workshop. The enclosed walls that isolated his desk from the others was a self-imposed status upgrade that made him seemingly 'better' than all the others.
Mark had read his work, seeing that it was literally no different from his own or his peers. The only difference was that he already had a name out there recommended by NovelWorks. The publicity boost had given him plenty of fans who dedicated themselves to his works and fiercely defended any competition.
Even when his fellow peers had accomplished a piece of writing that they were proud of, they would mainly get jeers and deprecating comments from Dio's lackeys.
”What the hell is this? It's sooo boring compared to Dio!”
”You're not going to get popular by simply imitating the famous Dio!”
”Dio does this much better. Yours is garbage. A mere peasant in the throes of the mighty Dio!”
This was not something that Mark nor any of his coworkers had expected when they first joined. To be endlessly compared to someone who had been put on a pedestal. To be insulted and taunted at every corner, regardless of how their skill compared to Dio.
Often, he found others' works to be more interesting, as many of Dio's works used the same formula time and time again. There was only so much that Mark could read involving main characters who confidently steamrolled through their villains, bedded numerous droves of women, and gave little shits about how much of a douche they were to everyone who wasn't on their side.
”Give me some freaking variety and someone who actually behaves reasonably!” Mark commented aloud by accident once. Unfortunately, Dio had been standing right within earshot and had took notice.
”Oh? And what kind of story are you writing?” Dio walked over and ripped the pages from his table.
After scanning through hardly the first page, he mockingly sneered and crumpled the pages in his hand. With a demeaning laugh, he threw it down like it had dirtied his hand.
”Such pointless dribble! Who cares about issues of the heart?! People read to fantasize. Not to dwell on realistic issues from no-name peasants! If you're going to gain even a fraction of the fame I hold, then you'd better heed my advice. Target their libidos, not their minds.”
Mark couldn't disagree anymore, but given his 'no-name' standing, he didn't have the footing to argue. Not that Dio would listen to 'peasants' anyways.
And so, Mark just continued to write without a word. It was all he could do to simply not stir the pot. Maybe if he kept silent, then he wouldn't have to face such scrutiny again. But to his surprise, he started receiving letters all of a sudden.
Since they were letters that came through his work mailbox, he had initially held hopes that they were words of encouragement for his writing. However, all that greeted him were threats and insults that his writing was 'absolute garbage' and that 'he should quit.'
He was enraged by this. Given the timing, it was highly suspicious. No doubt that Dio had conversed with his fans and spread the word about him and his 'shoddy writing'. Once they had set their sights on him as a target, the stream of degrading mail never stopped coming.
Mark had pretty much given up on checking his mail because of this, as it only served to put a hamper on his creativity. If it weren't for the guaranteed wage, he would've quit long ago. Still, he managed to hold on while gritting his teeth and ignoring them. Oh, how he wished that he hadn't said anything in the first place. His peers had even started ignoring him to steer clear of being victimized themselves.
On his way to refill his inkwell, Mark passed by his cubby that was clearly stuffed with mail. Since it was so full, it would just be an eyesore to whoever would come chew him out for ignoring it. Hesitantly, he grabbed the whole bundle on his way back and plopped it onto his desk.
The stack of letters parted as the stack lost its balance. A cursory glance told him that they were the generic flame mail that was generated by his fake readers.
However, one letter stood out among it all. A single card with an emblem that he wasn't familiar with had been partially obscured within the letters. Pushing them aside, Mark picked up the card and scanned the single line that was written below it.
'Got someone to isekai? Please call this number XX-XXX-XX-XX.'