LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 7: Gaining a Million Fans!
Hiratsuka Yuko spent nearly an hour carefully reading the manuscript on her computer. Yukinoshita Haruno, sitting quietly beside her, didn't interrupt, instead waiting patiently for the editor-in-chief's evaluation of Sword Art Online.
Haruno was slightly surprised, as Hiratsuka was known for her sharp insight when it came to evaluating novels. Normally, it took her less than ten minutes to determine whether a book had potential. Yet, this time, Hiratsuka was spending an unusually long time on Sword Art Online.
Although Haruno found this unexpected, she was pleased deep down. The detailed world-building in Sword Art Online suggested that the novel had the potential to become a long-running series. As long as the story didn't lose its way later on, Sword Art Online could easily become one of Dengeki Bunko's flagship titles.
If Sword Art Online really became a cornerstone of Dengeki Bunko, then as the person who first discovered and nurtured the novel, Haruno herself might be in line for promotions and pay raises!
She even let herself dream a little—perhaps within three years, she could be promoted to deputy editor-in-chief, and in six years, she might officially become editor-in-chief!
Just the thought of it made Haruno feel a bit giddy with excitement.
Finally, after reading for a while, Hiratsuka Yuko nodded in approval and said, "This novel is excellent! The author, Izumi Ki, is truly a genius. I have friends in the gaming industry, and if I introduced this book to them, they would be blown away by Izumi-sensei's imagination. They might even go to great lengths to recruit her into their game development teams. A game helmet, virtual reality... If these concepts became a reality, it would revolutionize the current gaming industry."
Hearing this, Haruno couldn't help but chuckle, "If Izumi-sensei weren't writing novels and instead pursued game development, she might actually become the real-life 'Kayaba Akihiko' in a decade or so."
Though Haruno was half-joking, little did she know that Izumi Kotomi did indeed have plans to venture into the gaming industry. Of course, she wouldn't be joining any existing companies; she planned to start her own game development company in Japan. She had already thought of a name for it—Type-Moon Boundary.
"By the way, did you check the view count for Sword Art Online on the website when you first came in?" Hiratsuka suddenly asked.
"The view count? When I discovered the novel, it had just been uploaded, so I immediately started reading and then came straight to see you. I haven't checked the view count since," Haruno admitted.
"Take a look for yourself," Hiratsuka said, switching the screen to the details page. When Haruno saw the numbers, she froze.
1.7 million views?!
And the comment section had exploded with over 10,000 new comments!
[First comment]
[Second comment, still fresh]
[A game-themed light novel? Probably another story about a retired esports pro making a comeback years later... I'm so tired of these.]
Ten minutes later, the same reader left another comment:
[Whoa! This light novel is amazing! I feel like I just got slapped in the face, but I don't care as long as I get to read something this good!]
[Is the author a deity?!]
[Full Dive? Virtual Reality? The setting and plot of this light novel are incredible!]
[Is the author's brain really human?]
[The concept of virtual reality gaming is so shocking. I've never seen anything like it before. It feels so real, almost as if it actually exists. Could the author be a time traveler from the future?!]
[Replying to the above: I was there when it happened. I can confirm the author is indeed from the future. Don't ask how I know—my job is being a truck driver.]
[I've finished reading Volume 1! I'm bowing down to Izumi-sensei! Please hurry up with Volume 2!]
[Damn it! I can't wait to read Volume 2!]
[Where are the Dengeki Bunko editors? Can you see this comment? Don't make Izumi-sensei wait for the competition results—just give her the two-million-yen prize now! We need the paperback, the limited first edition, the special edition, the deluxe collector's edition, all of it hurry up!]
…
"My God! Is the website glitching? Sword Art Online has only been up for less than a day, and these numbers are insane!" Haruno couldn't hide her shock.
"We had our programmers work through the night yesterday to maintain the site for today's competition. The site has been running smoothly without any issues that could affect the novel's data. The backend has been monitoring traffic, and there's no sign of click manipulation. Particularly around noon, the site traffic surged, with many visitors heading straight for Sword Art Online. In simple terms, the popularity of Sword Art Online has far exceeded our expectations."
"Although I had a hunch Sword Art Online would become popular, I never imagined it would hit over a million views in just one day."
Haruno rubbed her eyes in disbelief. To reach a million views within a day of posting, with numbers still climbing—Sword Art Online's popularity was beyond extraordinary; it was terrifying!
Hiratsuka Yuko stood up from her chair and instructed Haruno, "Notify all the editors to bring their laptops and meet in the conference room in fifteen minutes."
"Understood."
Haruno nodded and quickly left the office to inform the other editors about the meeting.
Although Hiratsuka hadn't specified the purpose of the meeting, Haruno had a good idea.
Hiratsuka seemed eager to discuss Sword Art Online with all the editors. While this wasn't a serialization meeting, it was clear that Hiratsuka was already considering signing Sword Art Online and moving forward with its publication.
If they delayed any longer, Hiratsuka might even start thinking about which illustrator should be responsible for the book's artwork.
Fifteen minutes later, all the editors at Dengeki Bunko gathered in the conference room.
"I've called everyone here despite your busy schedules for one reason," Hiratsuka began as she opened her laptop. "Please open the Dengeki Bunko website and search for Sword Art Online."
The editors quickly complied, searching for the title Hiratsuka mentioned.
Some were still wondering what the meeting was about, but the moment they saw Sword Art Online's popularity ranking, every editor in the room was stunned.
If it weren't for their trust in the programming team that had worked overnight to maintain the site, the editors might have suspected either they were seeing things or that the site was experiencing a glitch.
Hiratsuka looked around the room, satisfied with the editors' reactions, and then asked, "I believe you've all seen the popularity of Sword Art Online. What are your thoughts?"
"It's truly... an extraordinary light novel."
"I didn't expect that while we were busy reviewing submissions, a light novel with such terrifying popularity would appear. Is this written by some big-shot author using a pseudonym?"
"Gaining a million views in just one day—this is difficult even for top-tier light novel authors."
"I'll give you all ten minutes to skim through Sword Art Online. I'm sure you're all very curious about its content."
As soon as Hiratsuka finished speaking, every editor in the room opened Sword Art Online and began reading.
Ten minutes later, every editor's face displayed shock, disbelief, and astonishment.
"What powerful writing! Izumi Ki-sensei doesn't just have excellent prose; she also has an outstanding grasp of plot structure. I've worked on three game-themed light novels before, but I've rarely seen one that integrates concept and story so seamlessly, creating such a harmonious blend."
"The settings presented in SAO—I've been a hardcore gamer for years, yet I've never encountered anything like them. Moreover, no one in the gaming industry has ever proposed such concepts. In other words, the idea of virtual reality gaming is a completely original concept created by Izumi Ki-sensei without any reference material? What kind of immense imagination does it take to devise such a groundbreaking concept?"
"These fictional settings are incredibly advanced, yet they feel so real. No wonder someone in the comment section asked if the author is a time traveler."
"Izumi Ki... Are there any big names in the gaming industry with that surname? Somehow, this feels more like a gaming industry veteran who decided to try their hand at writing light novels."
"Every sentence has a purpose; there's no filler in the plot. Whether it's daily life scenes or battle sequences, everything is perfectly balanced. If even one word were removed, it could disrupt the entire story's flow. This must be the result of Izumi Ki-sensei's painstaking efforts to polish every detail," Kagami Ai remarked.
The editors nodded in agreement with Kagami's assessment.
Hiratsuka then addressed the room, "Although this isn't a serialization meeting—after all, we're still in the submission phase for the Dengeki Bunko contest—it might be too early to discuss publication. However, I want to know, what are your opinions on Sword Art Online?"