100 – Results & Rewards!
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PART 1 – The Universe!
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The universe we know is technically infinite, constantly expanding.
But even in this infinite universe, what exists most is emptiness. There is no air, but there is something else in this emptiness, something that abhors mortality, the perfect home for beasts that do not follow the logic of life or death.
They have various names and titles, the most common being Void Beasts, Cosmic Terrors, and Elders.
There are many of them, a number equal to the universe, infinite.
Their power? Difficult to measure or comprehend, perhaps not even the System itself, which governs almost half of this universe, is capable of understanding the immensity of the power and complexity that surrounds these beings.
Their life expectancy is unlimited; no one has ever heard of one dying of old age, and the oldest has probably been alive since the creation of the universe. The worst part is that the older they get, the stronger, more intelligent, and more confusing they become.
And because of the existence of these beings of incomprehensible power, worlds and dimensions are protected. It is not like the universe full of planets that Skarla originates from.
Each world is surrounded by a kind of dome that makes it virtually invisible to the terrors that exist. They are invisible and imperceptible, even if one of these beasts touches you, you will not feel it.
But when this protection is damaged, it becomes like a beacon in the void, drawing the attention of these ancient and curious beasts, some of which have already devoured entire worlds or dimensions and become addicted to the taste, craving more.
Such beasts search for worlds, finding ways to seek them out, to cross their barriers. They corrupt mortals, becoming beings worse than demons, spreading a distorted truth that makes them want to become food for these beings and surrender their worlds.
And now, in the infinite void, where even the strongest Gods are careful, hiding in dimensions so as not to attract such beings, a beacon has appeared.
A colossal tear in one of the largest dimensions that exists, perhaps the largest, it's not as if anyone is counting.
And next to this tear that exposes the Demonic Realm, at its center, is something even brighter, pulsing in 8 different colors, spreading throughout the universe, an energy that the beasts that live in the void have never felt before.
Curiosity arises even in those ancient aberrations that have been dormant for billions of years. Even in those who do not care to devour worlds, who only wish to live in the quietness of the void, which for them is true peace.
Even in those who hate the stench of mortality, believing it to be something that should be eradicated.
And finally, the devourers of worlds who came like hungry hyenas. The clash in the void began, silent and brutal. Distorted concepts, escalating conflicts, nearby gods terrified, moving away.
Nearby dimensions doing everything they could to get away without being discovered. Growing despair.
The demons that for billions of years have been tormenting countless worlds, destroying, devouring, and corrupting.
Conceptual eyes began to cover their skies, the salivation of various aberrations that want to devour this colossal dimension.
Demonic gods together, desperately trying to close the dimensional rift. Others fought to ward off these aberrations, some already being killed, devoured before they could fight properly.
Many desperately tried to tear out the colorful matrix, the most intelligent Demonic Gods studying as much as they could, the immense pressure on their bodies as the corruption of the aberrations contaminated the Demonic Realm.
Lower demons mutating, going mad. Soon even Legendary Demons were going mad, knowing the so-called “truth,” starting conflicts, corrupting other demons.
A widespread war began, not in one or two regions, but throughout the entire Demon Realm.
Then one of the beasts, seemingly smaller, thought about entering, but saw the matrix, grabbed it easily, and devoured it, savoring it as if it were candy, licking its lips.
Its brief moment of appreciation was enough for the Demon Gods, desperate to get rid of this matrix, to close the rift with everything they could.
Several Demon Gods returned, but the nature of demons showed itself, some pushed their temporary allies, preventing them from returning, throwing them to the sharks.
The rift closed, but the chaos had only just begun.
For the first time in history, the demons are experiencing the feeling of having their world thrown into chaos, their people contaminated and killing each other.
Lands devoured, stained by aberrations. Abominations born without limit, corrupting and destroying.
Even Demonic Gods found themselves corrupted, going mad, and now they wanted to know the cause of this. Fury grew, but so did fear. Skarla was the name passed on to all.
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PART 2 – Post-Conflict!
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The attack ended and the gains were enormous. It lasted less than an hour, a precisely calculated time. The time before the Demon Gods decided to act, as they would not allow their world to be attacked for so long.
The paranoia that other gods might be involved, plotting something, was what gave them the confidence to act.
As a result, hundreds of Demonic Demigods fell, tens of thousands of legendary demons, entire factions of demons destroyed, lands ravaged, and of course, many resources taken.
Demons are paranoid and trust no one, which means they tend to keep their greatest treasures in their possession. So when they killed them, they collected their storage items or even their bodies for research.
Many levels were acquired, Demigods reveling in their achievements.
The losses on their side? No Demigods died, but about 100 Legends died, they were too arrogant.
New Demigods ended up being born in the process. The scale of power in the world was increasing, but the best part was that Skarla brought a big chunk of the Demon Realm into his world.
But of course, he didn't use it at first. We're talking about the Demon Realm, the stench of that rotten race permeates it. It had to be purified, so Skarla left it in the possession of the elves, who could take care of it together with the World Tree.
...
Three days after the attack, all the Demigods and Legends who participated in the attack gathered together. Skarla recovered the staffs, even though many were willing to pay a high price to keep them, Skarla refused and was direct.
“The reason we have called everyone here is to investigate. We invaded the Demon Realm and caused astronomical damage. Many have become much stronger, but unfortunately, not everything is good.” Skarla's gaze was intense as she looked at the strongest beings in the world.
"So I humbly ask you to participate in the investigation. We need to know that none of those present have been contaminated by any parasites, possessed by any demons, or anything of the sort. We will not investigate your items, only your bodies and superficially your minds to make sure we have not brought any hidden danger to this world. Those who refuse, we will do nothing, but both I and the elves will refuse to cooperate with you in the future and with your allies." Skarla said calmly.
Many frowned, others complained, for such beings are full of pride. But the implication of Skarla's words is obvious.
She and no one else will force them to do so; they can leave whenever they want, but in return, anyone who leaves without going through the procedures will lose any relationship with Skarla or the High Elves, which will affect their allies/friends, and many already understand that this will impact their descendants.
Most agreed, as they cannot lose their friendship or relations with Skarla, much less with the Elves. Most have entire nations or continents ruled by their subordinates and descendants, they cannot allow them to be harmed.
And of course there are greater implications to this. Those who refused would not only be under the gaze of Skarla and the Elves, but also of everyone else.
Why not agree to such a simple security measure? Why make Skarla and the Elves enemies unnecessarily for a little pride?
...
After these individuals left, what followed was a colossal banquet to celebrate the achievements, the fact that the world had become stronger and clearer, a precious moment to establish relationships.
Those who came from other worlds needed it the most.
Skarla, who held the banquet, couldn't stay long, or she would be the center of attention and would have to spend weeks talking to all these people.
It was better to let them interact with each other. She was personally investigating those who had left, especially the Demigods who had refused.
The demigods were safe, but several Legends were not who they claimed to be. Others were being controlled.
Skarla dealt with all of them; she saw no problem with the others.
After making sure that the greatest dangers were gone, she returned to her residence. It was time to organize what she had received!
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PART 3 – Rewards!
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Skarla is in an isolated and sealed area that she personally created. A place to use highly dangerous items. Items that came from demons are included. Even if they don't seem like it, you can never trust beings who make a living by deceiving and corrupting others.
The Skull of a Human God of War. Skarla feels the divinity of the skull, the traces of a soul that is long gone, but was so strong that even millennia after its death, there are still traces.
But what made Skarla curious was Sloth's words. Talking about it helping her transcend.
She saw Queen transcend, using nothing but herself. Which means there are several other means, or perhaps it is not Divine Transcendence, but the second type, in which one continues with a kind of mortality, but without going to the Higher Realms or attaching oneself to them.
Skarla will need to do a lot of research and hopes that the library she took from Sueika has what she needs.
Finding nothing unusual about the Skull, Skarla stored it in a sealed box, as it may have other uses.
Next is the very simple vase, but it contains the soul of an Archangel, a high-ranking angel with power equivalent to that of a God. Skarla has knowledge about such individuals.
Beings born only to serve the deities. Individuals who were born with the power to rival lesser gods. Of course, they would still lose, being weaker, but much stronger than demigods.
Archangels have power that surpasses standard angels and most gods in the hierarchy, but they remain loyal to the gods they are connected to.
Skarla invades her inner self, thinking of creating a connection, but she understands that if she does, she will die!
Only a god can control another. Skarla is mortal, trying to do so will surely explode her soul. But feeling the Archangel, the power that even she trembles to observe, she connected to the world.
“Do you have any use for an Archangel? Can I become a kind of guardian for you, or shall I hand her over to Queen?” Skarla asks, and at her side a mass of energy manifests itself.
Because of the recent attack, the world is evolving. You could say that it received a ton of EXP from technically emerging victorious against the Demon Realm, which is thousands of levels ahead.
Now it is able to manifest itself in specific places, where normally only its presence would be felt, never seen. But Skarla has a deep connection with the world and the universe. She can see its form.
“I can't use it, but Queen can connect and have a loyal follower,” the world said calmly.
“Well, but... it still seems like a problem to me. Did the Demons do something? How could a mere Sin of Sloth have the soul and grace of an Archangel? A being who could annihilate him with a single glance.” Skarla narrowed her eyes.
"Angels are born in paradise, their birth is extremely rare. When they are born, they are innocent and fragile. Their rank is only consolidated when their Grace, the source of their power, is consolidated. Before that... one could say they are weaker than goblins. Paradise is a colossal dimension and angels can be born anywhere, the Gods and other Angels who live there cannot detect when it occurs, only when the soul forms a grace." The world said, and Skarla nodded.
“So somehow Sloth got his hands on an angel before it formed its grace, and then, once in his possession, it abruptly became an Archangel?” Skarla laughed.
“Most likely. At the time when I was stronger and more influential, I heard rumors about some Angels who accidentally found these weak and graceless little angels, then imprisoned and sold them. If discovered, they would have their wings torn off, becoming Fallen Angels. This Archangel is probably one of those cases.” The world laughed. “If Queen uses it, Heaven may pay a high price to access the Archangel's memories before the connection, to find out who was responsible for him falling into the hands of the demons. We may have a large number of Fallen Angels appearing soon.”
“It seems that wherever I go, I create a storm.” Skarla laughed.
“Storm? You cause a damn calamity! But congratulations, you've turned everyone in the Demon Realm into your mortal enemy, Heaven is already creating statues in your honor, maybe some Angels will come to invite you or something.”
Skarla laughed. “But tell me, what use would an Angel be to a Demon?”
"Perhaps to corrupt him. If it were a normal Angel, the Sin of Sloth could corrupt him and use the laws of the Demon Realm to control him. But an Archangel is many times more powerful, never would a mere Demonic Demigod, even if he were the Aspect of Lust, have the ability to control a Corrupted Archangel. It would be like a mortal putting a collar on a god. I don't see how that could work."
Skarla nodded. “How do I deliver this to Queen?”
“...you're not going to ask for anything in return?” The world was surprised.
“No. But she will owe me another favor. Having a good relationship with the Elves is always beneficial, and soon my daughter will be born, so the better the relationship with the Elves, the better for her.” Skarla laughs.
“... Did you know they are considering giving your daughter the title of Princess?” The world laughed.
“What?” Skarla blinked.
“Yes. Your daughter has potential that rivals the Queen in her upbringing. In other words, she could be the next Queen, but with your guidance, it's obvious that she will be far superior. So they want to show due respect to a child who is so dear to me. As a grandmother, I have to spoil my granddaughter.”
“Grandmother? I remember you didn't like that title.” Skarla laughed, because all beings in this world are her children, except those from other worlds.
Skarla may have been born here, but her soul is not of this world. In other words, Skarla is fucking several of the world's daughters, so all her children are the world's grandchildren.
“I can’t escape that. Not to mention that many of my grandchildren are slowly connecting with me. Lohan was the first, of course, the connection I have with him is practically the same as I had with Queen, but the stronger he gets, the greater our connection will be and… I believe that my granddaughter who is about to be born will be very… chaotic, just like her mother.”
Skarla laughs. “Give the Archangel to Queen, but tell her not to give her memories away yet, wait until the other party who sold her comes to request her silence. She can decide what to receive after that.”
“No problem... the Skull, I don't think there's anything wrong with it, but I don't recommend using it, since you want to become a Transcendent and not a Goddess.” The world said as it disappeared along with the jug.
Skarla nodded.
…
The crystal ball she received from Gluttony. An artifact that has a close connection to the system, Skarla feels it. She can choose any skill to always have 1 extra level, an improvement that goes beyond her maximum...
Skarla thought of [8 Trigrams], which has perfect synergy with 8 elements, adding a 9th would break the synergy, but it could give her more hints.
But as she thought, she saw that [Space Domain], the Special Skill, could be chosen. Skarla blinked and chose it without hesitation. An unchangeable decision, no matter what.
As soon as the choice was made, Skarla felt nothing different, until she felt a ripple, it was calm, until it became intense and... BOOM!
The entire environment exploded, the isolated and resistant room couldn't withstand the changes, the space itself distorting and destroying itself. It wasn't physical or magical damage, just space breaking apart.
Skarla controlled the sudden power, her control growing ridiculously, new understanding emerging, and several flaws in her understanding of space and time itself were fixed.
She blinked in disbelief, but soon laughed out loud. She is getting closer and closer to achieving what she desires.
A wave of her hand and all the items in her storage bag were expelled, another wave of her hand and they disappeared. Where did they go? Skarla imitated the Sin of Greed, she already had her doubts and the means to imitate it.
But now, with her understanding increasing and her own body adapting more to the laws of time and space, she effortlessly managed to replicate it, connect it to her power, and insert it into her cultivation, her Internal Energy.
Then she found a huge space, hundreds of meters, continuing to expand, reaching almost 8 kilometers.
Skarla smiled. While the Sin of Greed had to exchange her heart for materials from space, Skarla, who possesses a Special Ability that modifies her body, is technically a space material.
……
The library. Skarla took it from Sueika's hands, but she is very careful, as it is different from what she remembers. Several floors. Skarla saw that she could enter with her soul or body.
But she didn't just enter, that would be foolish. Sueika is resourceful, she wouldn't show this treasure knowing how strong Skarla is. Of course, she didn't understand the full extent of her power, but simply entering would be foolish, she could get trapped.
So she brought some test dummies, criminals on death row. Skarla made their bodies and minds enter. Once she was sure they weren't trapped or anything like that, Skarla sent everyone's bodies inside, then guided them.
They went to the upper floors, where they began to investigate several suspicious-looking books.
Many were cursed, pain and madness overwhelmed the criminals, Skarla protected them as much as she could, but when it reached an irreversible level, she simply got rid of them.
Soon they all died, their bodies sent for cremation. Skarla went in and investigated on her own. The curses did not affect her, especially when she was involved in the Element of Order.
She undid the curse on several books by reading their contents. Naturally, cursed books would have brutal content, and she was unable to read most of them, but she noticed that many had a connection to the Beasts of the Void.
Skarla liked that the library had time dilation; 100 days here was 1 day outside.
Sueika didn't create this; Skarla highly doubts she did. Most likely, she took it from someone else. She must have organized the library, gathering all this content over millions of years, but she didn't create the space or its structure.
Either way, it's hers now.
Skarla found the core of this place, but unfortunately she didn't find any records about its creator or how to replicate it. She would need to spend a lot of time studying to try something like that.
The problem is that more than 99% of the books are in other languages. Sueika had automatic translation items, which she used on herself, but Sueika didn't need them. She was fluent in countless languages. She even joked that she only learned so many languages so she could have infinite ways to curse her enemies.
But luckily, Sueika organized the language-related area of the library, dictionaries that she created and that the original owner had created. Skarla benefited from this.
Mastering languages is very easy for her. But there are millions of books in this place, Skarla would spend millennia to be able to understand everything, it's not worth it.
“I'll put some Spirits here to understand the languages and organize everything. I think it's time to create computers...” - Skarla scratched her chin and left the library.
......
The Heart of Greed.
Skarla was as careful as possible; we are talking about the heart of a Demonic Demigod, the Aspect of Greed.
Skarla investigated it carefully, stirring the interior with the Element of Order, and indeed found several traps, powerful curses that fired at Skarla.
Many dangerous things, various artifacts and treasures being destroyed in the process, showing that Greed did not want his things to be taken.
But Skarla had already expected this, she suppressed the damage from the traps as much as possible, isolating them, studying their internal structure, managing to protect many valuable things.
She passed this on, then studied it. Gold, valuable and dangerous. It is not ordinary gold, not a good part of it.
Among all the piles of gold and jewels, there is “Demon Gold,” she has read about it. A gold that is born in the Demon Realm, it has no effect on demons, but mortals who touch it become unlucky, their vitality sucked away.
It is cursed gold, where everything taken from its owner goes to the Demon Realm.
Skarla spent a long time separating the gold, what she could use and what she couldn't. The jewels were not much different, most of them were cursed.
“Interesting...” - Skarla noticed many interesting things when analyzing the jewels.
Demonic Gold is natural, but the jewels are not. The curse was created by none other than the Sin of Greed. Skarla noticed that he never had any plans to use it, he just kept it stored away, perhaps to sacrifice when attacking, but... she laughed.
"If you use this, it will devour your vitality and soul... that bastard created countermeasures in case of death. He would revive using this... I admit it's genius!" Skarla laughed, she may not be the most intelligent and knowledgeable about rebirth, reincarnation, etc., but she knows enough.
And what she understands is that it will store the gains from the curses, even if it is purified, there are hidden layers of curses.
If Skarla purifies it, only the outer layer of the curse will be undone, the lower layer is imperceptible and even the most sensitive Priests would not discover it.
Skarla has to admit the genius, unfortunately Skarla's sensitivity is supernatural. She discovered his plans and knows that all of this would be stored in the heart.
The heart itself has a hidden curse. If she uses the heart as a storage item, which is very tempting because of its gigantic size. It is possible to change its appearance and shape, even its texture is not a problem. This does not affect the internal space.
Skarla began to purify everything, finding the fragments of the soul and ignoring its cries or temptations. Skarla erased everything.
After the arduous process, she continued evaluating the artifacts. She would need the help of the elves in the future to get better details, but she took out several prepared sealing boxes and stored them inside.
After weeks of organizing everything, Skarla threw away the Demonic Gold and several other items and materials that she found useless and disgusting. Everything inside her storage item was almost full.
She then sent it to Cellus with a letter detailing what was inside and what he should do to identify more Demonic Gold and even contact those who took resources from the demons, so they would not use the gold.
......
After all that, Skarla investigated several other gains. She didn't just kill 3 of the 7 Deadly Sins and extort them. She killed other Demigods and took their treasures as well, but many of the things she took need careful evaluation and testing.
And now the time has come, the thing Skarla feared most, a key...
Envy gave her a dimension. Skarla fears what is on the other side, it could be a huge trap, encountering a Void Beast, or what she promised.
Skarla hesitated, but sticking the key into a doorknob and opening it, she felt the space distort and change, briefly sensed what was on the other side, and opened the door.
She stood still, her face expressionless, she blinked, her senses spreading, analyzing everything and... tears began to fall, Skarla's body shook vigorously... she simply froze!
Nothing could prepare her for what she had just seen.
Trembling, she extended her palm, her own eyes shaking, her senses numbing, she didn't want to see any more of it.
Then began the fall of her attacks, the destruction. Everything here must be annihilated, no trace must remain.
When it was over... her Internal Energy was exhausted. Her face remained expressionless with tears streaming down. What she saw and felt can never be forgotten.
It's just one more thing she'll take to the grave.
And the deeper she delves into this life, the more pieces of her soul are lost. The more she realizes that in the face of true cruelty, the acts she has done in the past are nothing more than the mischief of a child.
She has gained a dimension, apparently the only entrance. Its size is something she cannot measure now... she has gained a lot, but she has lost a piece of her soul in the process.
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PART 4 – The... price?
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Skarla sighs. She is exhausted because her work never ends.
And we're not talking about administrative work, which ends and returns periodically, like a persistent nightmare. Skarla already has a lot to worry about and has gotten used to most of it.
We're talking about progress! Technology, magic, science, and much more.
Skarla always thought that having resources, subordinates, etc., would make the work stop, that there would come a point where there would be nothing left, but she keeps discovering more and more things.
It's not like in her previous lives. Not that there were fewer things or anything like that, just that her positions were quite different.
Her first life as a novice in science, still with much to learn. She was brilliant, a fact, but sooner or later she would run into walls, her limitations, intellectual and resourceful.
In her second life, her inhuman acts, her research, she researched many things, reaching a kind of “end,” reinventing others, but always encountering a barrier, limitations again.
Both intellectual and resourceful. She lacked research material, cultivation techniques that she only heard rumors about, texts with spells and more. She wanted everything, but had to be content with the little she had access to.
But in this life, she is Skarla Verona, having almost complete control over the Seahorse Continent. It is already hers, it just isn't written yet. She has another isolated continent that is her possession, still under development, and she has big plans.
She has connections to countless continents, demigods, and legends. Brilliant minds from countless areas of magic, technology, etc., all of whom would kill to work with her.
And what frustrates Skarla is not the limitation of resources; she has money, much more now after the venture. She can buy whatever she wants or simply take it.
Could it be intellectual limitations? Ha!
Skarla has a +27 modifier in Intelligence and Wisdom, not to mention that her skills in various areas of study have already reached 1 star, some already at 2 stars. She has a tremendous facility for mastering knowledge, discovering new things, improving old ones, and much more.
Resources or her mind do not limit her. What limits her is the damn time!
There are so many things she wants to research, so many she needs to master. She already knew it would be like this, from the first months she entered the Sueika library and was tormented by it.
Skarla had access to knowledge that was unlimited for a mortal. So much to discover, ways to improve, all in that place she accessed through her mind.
She knew at that moment that she would never lack things to discover and improve. But she knew that time would become her enemy. Even if she were given 10 or 100 times more time, it would still be a problem.
But beyond time, what limits her is the fact that she is only one person. She is the only one with her mind, even though her wives, children, and disciples have high physical and mental attributes, they are not even close to her.
Everyone has mastery in their respective areas, it is only Skarla who is an anomaly with the potential and passion to study and master various areas of study.
So her frustration stems from the fact that she is so excellent, so brilliant, that she cannot focus on just one or two things. She focuses on dozens of things at the same time and achieves high levels in them, making great progress in these areas and placing more weight on her shoulders, because she can handle it and wants it.
Overwork? The only thing that affects her are emotional problems. Work overload is impossible for something she loves, not to mention that she is a Legend with power to almost rival a God, even though she knows she is far from it.
“Being so incredible is sometimes difficult...” - Skarla sighs as she finishes another project that, if left in the hands of her subordinates, would take 1 to 2 years to complete, but she finished in 1 week.
=== [Author's Note] ===
Finally, Chapter 100... I'm not that excited, of course, it's an important milestone and for my plans, we're not that far from the final route of this book (there will be others, a continuation of Skarla fucking Gods and Beasts of the Void).
My lack of excitement, I would say, is due to all the setbacks that simply explode in my lap whenever my weekends arrive. Moments when I should rest, relax, and focus on what I love to do, writing.
But in the end, I end up solving family problems, paying bills, suddenly something of mine breaks, like my laptop, I just got it fixed and now my cell phone has a problem with the charger, meaning more money down the drain.
I'm happy to have reached this incredible milestone, but frustrated that I've only reached it now. If it weren't for all the setbacks, we would have reached it months ago. I think we should be around Chapter 110-115 by now.
But I think I should be grateful for the setbacks. Even though I hate them and pray for them to stop happening, at least when I'm at work, I'm already stressed out there and can just throw the problems on others or just ignore them. But when I'm relaxing, I can't ignore them, because I “have nothing else to do.”
But still, it was these setbacks that led us to the current state of the work. Without them, it would be very different in many ways. I think it would be far inferior to what we have now. There were even cases where I had chapters ready, about to be posted, but then I had to leave them alone for several days, and when I reviewed them, I hated what I had written and rewrote everything, which turned out much better.
Well... I think I'll stop my monologue and thank all my dear readers and supporters over the last few years for supporting my writing, which is far from the best, but seeing so many loyal readers and the few, but appreciated, comments fill me with joy and motivation to continue.
100 chapters is just the beginning; many more will come.
Oh. A reader asked how much it would take for me to focus purely on writing, how much money I need to earn per month to reduce my weekly workload so I can do what I love... I thought about it, and here's my answer: $500.
I “only” need $500 per month to focus solely on writing. But I believe that is a distant dream. So I am just responding to him and anyone else with questions about this. Well, have a great day, everyone, and thank you for reading this far. I hope you continue to follow me.