The Birth of a Drama King

The Birth of a Drama King is a science fiction novel by Ran Lengguang, an Lv.5 author on Yuewen Group's Qidian, serialized from December 2020 to November 2021. It runs about 1,956,300 characters across 863 chapters, and its collection count surpassed 100,000 during serialization. The protagonist, Ma Ran, possesses a special ability called "Acting": if he "acts" a certain identity or power convincingly enough, and enough people genuinely believe in it, the fiction solidifies into reality. The story opens at the end of the world: an alien civilization invades, humanity is on the brink of extinction, and in desperation Ma Ran tells a colossal lie—that his true ability is to "restart the timeline," at the cost of his own disappearance. The survivors' belief makes the lie come true, and he returns alone, memories intact, to before everything began. In his second life he lays plans in advance, entering the core of human power and the transcendent system under identities such as genius youth, academic prodigy, and prophet, guiding civilization with foreknowledge while continuously creating clones and alter egos: Lin Qiubai, sword leader of the Seven Whirl Sword Sect; Zhang Kuang, demon child of the Blood Lotus Demon Sect; Zhao Guanlan, immortal of the Wondrous Dharma Immortal Gate; Ye Fengqing, lord of Red Lotus... one legend believed into truth after another eventually becomes real, tangible power against the alien civilization. The work makes the "acting—belief—becoming real" premise the driving core throughout, delivering both the thrill of hiding one's strength and showing off in public, and a grand framework about civilizational self-rescue, public opinion, and faith. It is one of the more distinctive entries in the web novel genres of "acting" and "alter ego" stories.