I Have Returned, but I Cannot Lay down My Gun

Chapter 660.1

"Hello everyone, this is Nam Sibja-seong.

Finally, the inevitable moment has come. Yes, it's the end...

Of course, since I might have confused things with my wording, some of you might misunderstand, but it’s only the conclusion of Part 1. In terms of the story, it feels like the end.

If there are people who are disappointed... I guess that’s a good thing. After all, if there are some who were looking forward to it, I’d feel good about it too. But no matter how I think about it, it seems like it’s already reached the point of ridiculousness, and continuing from here would be hard.

To be more precise, the reason I'm ending it here is that I felt continuing any further would just be publishing out of habit, rather than creating something new. Honestly, I think it would have been best to end it at the Hawaii chapter if I wanted a beautiful ending, no matter how long it would have taken. After that, things kind of... well, I felt it wasn’t quite right, at least by my standards.

But still, I did write everything I wanted to under the tags of 'streaming' and 'modern fantasy,' so I feel relieved in that sense. I truly appreciate the readers who have stuck with me until the end.

Writing this novel, there were many trial-and-error moments. Honestly, switching from a 'streaming' theme to a 'pro-gamer' theme was... well, I guess I could have made that switch, but it felt like it dragged on a bit too long... Even now, when I think about the completion of the story, there are still things that bother me, and I can’t help but feel disappointed.

But now, it's probably too late. I think from now on, I just need to write well. As a writer, I believe in expressing myself through writing, not by talking about it elsewhere.

Anyway, it’s better to focus on the positive aspects rather than the regrets I’ve felt. It’s thanks to everyone who read this that I could come this far, and because of that, I’m able to write everything I wanted. Thank you, as always.

Additionally, as for Part 2, I’m not sure how long it will be, but for those who are hoping for a canonical inclusion of the 'IF' storyline, I believe it might happen, or it might not. In other words, whether it becomes canonical or not, I’ll accept it either way. But I think it’s more likely to be the former, since it would be more fun.

Also, some of you had asked about things like the Shark Knight incident or the Gaia capture, but... unfortunately, yes. That's how it turned out. My mind is already shouting at me to stop forcing out more storylines.

I probably don’t remember if anyone still recalls, but I also tried to write about a military survival program, something like 'Steel Troops,' but it didn’t come to fruition. That too, was unfortunate.

So, here’s a quick sneak peek at the keywords for some side stories I had in mind:

Shark Bear Streaming
Useless Items Introduction by Vyam
The Military Ex-Officer (What if he continued to be a soldier without ever streaming?)
Dark Siren
Sicario
The Chilly Dismantling Show of the Enemy Kingdom
But for Part 3, it seems like it won't happen, so I’ll exclude the last one.

Sicario was a side story idea I thought about, where Harmonie gets kidnapped — but I dropped it out of laziness. Dark Siren was something I wanted to write with a Vyam in an R-17 game scenario. I might still write that if it's something light-hearted. As for Useless Items Introduction, well, it’s pretty much a direct rip-off from the content of the author, so I might not write that.

The Military Ex-Officer side story? After thinking about it, it didn’t seem like I could make it work, so I dropped that too. Shark Bear Streaming... I might be able to write that, after Part 2 is finished, if people are still interested.

And as for the adult-themed side story that you might have been secretly expecting... Hmm... Can I post that? Maybe I’ll put it up on the Surt fanfic site later on, or I could post a notice or maybe... I won’t be able to drop it suddenly while Part 2 is still running. It's a bit disappointing, though. I’ll think about that later. It’s a review of adult products by Dia-bang Eugene.

Part 2 should start either this Tuesday or Wednesday.

In other words, it will start within a day or two. Actually, I’ve been writing it since I mentioned I hurt my arm. The virus apocalypse couldn’t be resisted.

Of course, Eugene in Part 1 and Eugene in Part 2 are completely different people. And Part 2 will be much more intense. I hope you keep that in mind when reading. Practically, it could be considered an entirely different novel. Part 2 will introduce numerous mentors who weren’t mentioned in Part 1, so if I ever write a prequel, there will be some mess-ups...

Anyway, that concludes the not-so-long notice. Thanks to everyone who read Part 1, and thank you for your hard work.

Below is the Q/A session.

Q: Will the existing characters appear in Part 2? A: Of course.

Q: Will Kato ride the Vyam Bongo or the Shark Bongo? A: I think he'll ride both... moment of silence

Q: After the side story ends, will the characters who’ve changed bodies return to their original forms? / What happens to the Gaia capture mission? A: As I explained above, unfortunately...

Q: How did you research military-related data while writing? A: Mostly Google, and I also referred to the manga drawn by Death Pig. These days, I reference Quora a lot.

Q: When is the break period? A: As mentioned earlier, it should start on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Q: Will there be side stories or IFs after Part 2 ends? A: Probably not... I need to write a new novel...

If you have any more questions, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll reply after reviewing it.

Thanks again for all your hard work, everyone!"