Compared to the first volume, the second volume of WorldEnd was undoubtedly even more popular.
You see, according to the latest sales statistics, as of the 20th of last month, the first volume had sold 96,000 copies!
And this number continues to grow by several thousand copies each day.
As Machida Sonoko said, there's still a huge gap between where it is now and when its potential is fully exhausted.
The sales numbers are just mind-blowing!
Along with the incredible sales, the fanbase has grown to over 90,000 people, and their enthusiasm has caused many bookstores to sell out of WorldEnd.
Only a few smaller, more remote stores still had a couple of copies left.
For the fans who got their hands on it early, they couldn't wait to dive into the next part of the story as soon as they had a moment.
By 11 PM that night, there were explosive discussions across light novel forums and chat groups:
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"I owe an apology to sensei. When I first bought the second volume of WorldEnd, I was doubtful, but after reading it, I can only say... it was amazing!"
"If the first volume was a good wine, then the second volume is like an aged vintage. It's so delicious, I couldn't put it down!"
"It's clear that the first volume of WorldEnd is a mature commercial work. It perfectly captures the sadness of the story, targeting a specific audience. But the second volume is a huge leap forward! The plot twists are so perfectly timed, the story keeps escalating!"
"In this volume, we see Chtholly's choices, William's emotional struggles, and how these contrasting feelings—one cold and detached, the other warm—combine to add more heat to the story."
"Both of them are on different battlefields, with completely different fates. It's keeping me on edge, and I'm even more excited to see what happens next!"
"I don't really care about all that, I just know that this volume made me even sadder, especially Chtholly's story—it almost brought me to tears."
"+1, the story is amazing, and the impact of the second volume is huge."
"As a thirty-something wizard, even I'm starting to want to fall in love!"
"The quality of this volume is even better than the first! For fans who were worried that the fast release would mean a drop in quality, you can rest easy and just enjoy!"
"Really? It's easy to say when you're not the one running around for two hours after work, only to find every bookstore is sold out!"
"Exactly! Everyone online was saying the speed would hurt the quality, but now they're all rushing to buy it! Has anyone seen any second-hand copies yet? I'm not sure when we'll get a reprint."
"I bet those who were complaining about the release speed were just trying to stir up trouble!"
"Huh, I went to buy it this morning, and there were still plenty in stock. I honestly thought the second volume was going to flop!"
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After getting their hands on the second volume, many fans couldn't help but praise it, and even some popular bloggers posted lengthy reviews, drawing in even more enthusiastic fans.
For those who missed out on the second volume, there was a lot of complaining, but one thing was clear—WorldEnd Volume 2 was definitely not going to sell less than the first volume!
The next afternoon, after school, as soon as Akifumi got home, he received a congratulatory call from Machida.
"Congratulations, Sensei." Her voice was brimming with uncontainable joy, making it easy to imagine how good her day had been.
Akifumi smiled. "Did the first-day sales come in?"
"If I remember correctly, last time you didn't call me until a week after the release," he teased.
"For a new author and a new book, we need more time to figure out the full picture," Machida replied without hesitation.
"Calling it too early would just add pressure on the author," she added.
Akifumi chuckled.
He wasn't really bothered about the first-day sales.
Even though WorldEnd eventually became a hit, with its popularity peaking in 2015 and earning several awards, its journey was far from smooth.
After the second volume's release, the series was almost dropped, only surviving thanks to its strong reputation and fan support.
When Akifumi decided to venture into light novels, he didn't have huge expectations.
He figured that even if the sales were modest, they could push out some comics later on to boost the novels' numbers.
But to his surprise, things were going far better than he expected—WorldEnd had already taken off.
"Anyway, what were the first-day sales?" Akifumi asked with a smile.
"11,000 copies!" Machida couldn't help but smile even more, her excitement clear in her voice.
"Most importantly, the initial print run was only 12,000 copies, so we sold almost all of them on the first day!"
"Congratulations, Machida-san," Akifumi responded.
"Ha, thanks..." Machida began to thank him but suddenly paused and said with a mock frown, "But wait, isn't WorldEnd your book? Why are you congratulating me?"
"If WorldEnd sells well, you'll get a nice bonus, right? Doesn't that deserve congratulations?" Akifumi chuckled.
"Well, technically, us editors are just underpaid workers doing our job, so there's no real reason for congratulations," Machida grumbled.
Akifumi couldn't help but laugh.
Even though the lower-level editors were working hard for their paycheck, the chief editor at a major publishing house like Machida was more of an industry elite.
"But anyway, thank you for telling me the good news," Akifumi continued.
"Now that the second volume is doing so well, the third volume's release should be no problem, right?"
"The third volume!? Already?!" Machida's eyes twitched at the mention of the next book.
It had only been one day since the second volume's release, and Akifumi was already talking about the third?
If anyone else worked like that, they'd be lucky to keep up with such a fast pace!
"But, yes, of course," Machida sighed, finally letting it go. "I guess we can start talking about the third volume now..."
The second volume had a lot of content ready in advance, so the third volume would probably take at least two months to be publish.
If things continue like this, with a new volume released every month, her body won't be able to handle it!
"That's how it is? Well, I'll speed things up on my end," Akifumi said.
"Thank you for your hard work, Shadow-sensei!" replied Machida, her voice laced with appreciation.
After hanging up the phone, Akifumi looked at the 100,000-word manuscript on his computer screen and muttered to himself:
"Machida-san is saying this now... If I turn in Volume 3 in about 10 days, it should be fine, right?"
After all, she did say that the faster it's done, the better.
With that thought, Akifumi casually closed the document on his screen.
The first print run of WorldEnd Volume 2 was 100,000 copies. That meant Akifumi would earn 6 million yen in royalties!
For someone whose savings had already crossed into the nine-digit range, 6 million yen wasn't even noteworthy.
Madoka had been on sale for nearly half a year now, and its combined sales of two volumes had already reached an astonishing 1.55 million copies.
The royalties from this alone amounted to 137.64 million yen!
While Anohana didn't quite match Madoka's success, it had still sold 920,000 copies, contributing 81.7 million yen in royalties.
With magazine serializations, Madoka's animation, and merchandise, Akifumi's savings had now surpassed 300 million yen.
So, 6 million yen really wasn't much at all.
Stepping out of his room, he saw Mashiro sitting on the couch, focused on her pink drawing tablet.
Mahiru was busy in the kitchen, and Eriri was absent due to something she had to take care of.
Just as Akifumi was about to sit on the other side of the couch and check his phone again, the doorbell suddenly rang.
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