I, The Manga Artist, Became the Tragic Overpowered Protagonist

Chapter 5: [Forum Frenzy]

　　When Ange found me, I had just returned from buying some supplies at the Black Market and was waiting for him at the entrance.

　　“Aaron, sorry... I’m late.”

　　When Ange appeared in front of me, he looked visibly disheveled. His beautiful silver hair was a mess, and there were gray marks on his body, as if he had rolled through a pile of ash.

　　“What happened?” I asked with concern.

　　“It’s nothing, just ran into some trouble, no need to worry, it’s already resolved.” Ange shook his head with a wry smile.

　　It seemed he indeed kept his promise and didn’t mention anything about encountering my disguised identity.

　　It wouldn’t have been a big deal if he had said something, but I asked him to keep quiet to protect his safety and to test his trustworthiness. If he couldn’t even keep such a small matter confidential, then I couldn’t afford to give him more trust.

　　“Your money pouch.” I stopped asking and tossed his pouch back to him.

　　“Where did you find my pouch??” Ange was stunned for a moment.

　　“Someone gave it to me, said you dropped it.” I averted my gaze.

　　“I see...”

　　I didn’t know what Ange was thinking, but his expression didn’t look good.

　　“By the way, do you know how to get to the City?” Fortunately, he changed the topic himself, and it didn’t seem like he wanted to dwell on it.

　　“You want to go to the City?” Ange was somewhat surprised.

　　“Yes.”

　　“Why do you want to go to the City?” Ange was puzzled, “Isn’t it nice to stay in District 13? In a while, I’ll find a way to get you a resident ID, then you can find a job and settle down safely. Isn’t going to a place like the City dangerous?”

　　“I need to find someone. He’s in the City.” The black-haired boy lowered his eyes.

　　“A relative?”

　　“Yeah.”

　　Ange didn’t ask further. Everyone had their secrets, and constantly probing wasn’t a good thing.

　　But... if it was a relative, it must be someone very important, right?

　　Thinking back to the first time he saw the other in such a miserable state, Ange always felt I had many secrets he didn’t know, but it wasn’t appropriate to ask too much.

　　Was I abandoned by a relative, or forcibly separated?

　　It was probably something painful...

　　“If you absolutely must go to the City, you can consider registering at the Central Academy in District 4. Those who pass the exam can earn the qualification to work in the City.” Ange thought for a moment and still told me.

　　“Central Academy?”

　　“Yes, the registration threshold isn’t actually high, but...”

　　Ange paused, then continued hesitantly, “The mortality rate is almost above seventy percent. The moment you choose to step into the Central Academy, it means you’re prepared to head to the most dangerous place. The City needs talent and firewood, and if you can’t become the [talent] in their eyes, you can only become firewood burned to ashes by the flames.”

　　What he said made sense; those selected from the Dark Alley to go to the City were inevitably people with exceptional skills.

　　But what Ange told me was indeed one of the genuine paths.

　　“Thank you, I’ll consider it carefully.” I nodded.

　　“Don’t be like Alice, she’s always wanted to go to the Central Academy, but she’s not old enough yet.” Ange sighed, “And she doesn’t have a Spell Seal, so she’d be at a disadvantage in the Central Academy.”

　　“Saman people can also attend the Central Academy?” I was somewhat surprised.

　　“When it comes to the need for [talent] and [firewood], there’s actually no specific racial requirement.” Ange whispered, “One of the four major forces controlling the City is from the Saman clan. As long as you pledge loyalty to the City and surrender your Spell Seal, Saman people can gain the right to live normally.”

　　“That’s quite a spectacle...”

　　I didn’t bother thinking about the scheming of the City’s people anymore. Since Ange said I could register at the Academy, one path to the City was confirmed.

　　However, the [Aaron] identity couldn’t casually use Spell Seals openly, as I didn’t want to be suspected by my own kind so soon.

　　At this point, all three main line guidance tasks were completed. I had only intended to ask casually, but I didn’t expect Ange to actually know a way to the City, saving me a lot of effort.

　　After wandering around with Ange for a bit longer, we planned to return to District 13. I didn’t ask about Ange’s disheveled state, and Ange didn’t probe into why I wanted to go to the City, so we got along quite harmoniously.

　　But after completing the three main line tasks, I could return for a bit.

　　“Will the timeline here change when I come back next time?” I casually asked before leaving.

　　[The time here will be in a static state, and you can choose the time to return at will, so don’t worry about that.] The System reassured.

　　“Then can I go back now?” My heart stirred.

　　[Of course you can.]

　　Although there were still many things to handle in this world, the main popularity value still had to come from the manga. Without the support of popularity value, the road ahead would get harder and harder.

　　The thought of returning to the grueling life of rushing deadlines made my temples throb.

　　Thinking about it, it seemed like hell on both sides, but oh well... if I didn’t enter hell, who would? I had to face reality eventually.

　　With that thought, I quickly lay on my bed and soon closed my eyes.

　　***

　　When darkness invaded the night, my senses gradually became clearer with the passage of time. It felt like I had slept for a very, very long time, and when I woke up, it still felt extremely unreal.

　　“Ugh...”

　　When I opened my eyes again, my whole body was filled with a sore, aching pain, the numbness nearly making me fall off the chair.

　　“Beep beep beep... beep beep beep...”

　　The alarm clock was still ringing incessantly. I tiredly reached out to grab it and looked— it was three in the morning, and I was sprawled over a pile of manuscripts, apparently having fallen asleep while drawing manga again.

　　“Headache... tsk.”

　　I pulled out my phone to check the date, my pupils slightly contracting.

　　The time had actually returned to the day before I was hit by the car.

　　The text messages on my phone were still flashing, reminders from my editor. According to my original memory, the editor had been asking about my new manga a month ago.

　　Since my last manga concluded, I hadn’t had new inspiration to support a new work for a long time.

　　Fortunately, my inspiration now was far more abundant than ever before.

　　[Already thought of a new theme, I’ll send you the new draft settings and outline sketches once they’re done.]

　　I typed quickly on my phone, then turned it off and tossed it aside, preparing to shower and sleep.

　　Staying up late to rush deadlines was inadvisable; early to bed, early to rise was the true way of life.

　　***

　　I slept the most restful sleep ever. Even the alarm clock couldn’t wake me the next morning.

　　Life in the manga world wasn’t peaceful; no matter how nice the house, it wasn’t as comfortable as my own room.

　　So when I slept straight through to noon, opening my phone to see 99+ messages in my email and a dozen missed calls, I fell into silence.

　　[Editor: What’s wrong with you?? Not answering calls!? Didn’t you say you had new inspiration!? At least tell me what the inspiration is?]

　　[Editor: Are you staying up late again?? Did you forget about the hospital checkup saying you were frail?!]

　　[Editor: You’re not asleep, are you? Remember to ping me when you wake up tomorrow morning.]

　　[Editor: It’s already ten in the morning, where are you??]

　　Looking at the string of messages, I felt inexplicably guilty.

　　Due to health reasons, I had taken a half-year break without releasing new manga. Probably because of my previous work’s success, the editorial department finally approved my leave.

　　Long-term illness and treatment could drain one’s energy. When I finally got discharged, I found that my once inspiration-filled and driven mind had become empty. Picking up the pen again, even my proud drawing skills had declined.

　　Fans were still waiting for my new work, but did I still have the energy to create?

　　Perhaps I did.

　　……

　　A month was enough for me to complete the sketches and basic storyboards for the first chapter of the manga. As a former star author of Huixing, my foundation was still there, and picking up the pen again wasn’t too difficult.

　　My editor, Luo Zhou, was a young editor with glasses, very professional-looking, appearing strict but actually quite gentle.

　　After learning I had new inspiration, I called and told him my ideas, receiving his affirmation.

　　“By the way, Lin Ge.” Luo Zhou seemed to remember something, still speaking with concern, “I still want to tell you, no matter what, prioritize your health. Having inspiration to draw manga is good, but don’t ruin yourself. Got it?”

　　“Yeah, I understand.” I smiled, “I can finish the basic storyboards and sketches for the first chapter within this month. Please help review them then.”

　　“Hey, no problem, need me to call some assistants to help? It’s been a while since you drew, you might be rusty, right?”

　　“No need, I prefer drawing myself. I’m slowly rebuilding.”

　　“Alright then. I’ll report it up for you, try to get you a good time slot for promotion!!”

　　“Good, thanks, Editor Luo.”

　　“Don’t be too nervous either, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse, your drawing skills are solid, you won’t be worse than those shoddy newbies. You don’t know, some of the newbies who got in through connections recently, even their basic anatomy is off, and I can’t even criticize them, I don’t know what to say...”

　　Listening to the chatter from the other end of the phone, I gradually slowed my breathing, a warmth suddenly surging in my heart.

　　There were still people in this world who cared about me.

　　Like Editor Luo Zhou, like my brother and sister...

　　Because of this, I had to work harder to live on.

　　After much deliberation, I finally touched the tablet I hadn’t used in a long time, turned on the desk lamp, and immersed myself in drawing again.

　　***

　　A month later, on Huixing’s serialized weekly, a newly released work Future City: Wasteland Remnant Song quickly sparked heated discussions in Huixing’s exclusive forum thread. Everyone was delighted about the return of this author who had just recovered from a serious illness, and they showed strong interest in his new work.

　　Besides the printed book, Huixing’s exclusive digital app also started serializing my manga, and the manga’s comment barrage seemed even livelier than the Huixing forum, which warmed my heart a bit.

　　[Is this for real?? Lin Gugu actually made a comeback!? My treasure author is back!!]

　　[This dynamic art style!! This strong sense of storyboarding! It’s Lin Gugu! Lin Gugu is back!!!]

　　[Who’s Lin Gugu? I just got into Huixing, looks like you guys are discussing him so eagerly...]

　　[His art style is super recognizable, you must’ve heard of his famous work Fantasy World!! Teacher Lin Gugu outshines most of the new artists on Huixing now! And that work was even his debut!!]

　　[The new work is awesome too!! It’s a mix of futuristic sci-fi with a bit of shonen manga vibe!!]

　　[Is Lin Gugu trying a new style? I love it!!]

　　[Wow! The opening is too thrilling! Getting chased right away!?]

　　[Wuwuwu, Howers, my new favorite!! Teacher Lin Gugu is godly! It’s not that absolute beauty style, but the expressions and emotions are always captured so perfectly!]

　　[Howers’ gem-like red eyes make my heart race!! Eyes filled with sadness, anger, and unwillingness, a fragile soul struggling in the snowstorm, I’m totally dead wuwuwu!!]

　　[The Spell Seal setting is so cool! I really want to know what the protagonist’s Spell Seal is!!]

　　[A revenge-driven protagonist is definitely growth-oriented, revealing the ability at the start would be boring~]

　　[Ange, little angel wuwuwu! Thank you for saving little Huo! This is the protagonist team! The designated little angel by the protagonist’s side!]

　　[Based on the next development, little Huo should be heading to the Central Academy, right? So the next arc is the Central Academy arc!]

　　[I’m more curious about the mysterious person who saved Ange, the Red Magic Troupe? Sounds like a villain group’s name?]

　　[Let’s call him X for now, what we know so far—mysterious person X saved Ange, but why did he save Ange? And he’s going to meet the Prosecutor chief? Given that the Prosecutors are chasing the protagonist, I bet fifty cents this mysterious person X is related to Howers.]

　　[Do you guys remember, Howers said he wanted to go to the City to find his relative? I think X might be related to the [relative] Howers mentioned...]

　　[Hehehe, the forum already has people drawing Howers fan art!!! It’s Ange little angel and little Huo being all cuddly!! So cute my heart melted!]

　　[Ohhhh!! It’s the big shot Caihua, right!! I saw it too!!]

　　[Teacher Lin Gugu is truly godly! It’s only been so long and there’s already fan art, the future must be filled with heaps of fan content...]

　　[Damn it!! It’s over!? That’s it!! I only flipped a few pages and it’s gone!!]

　　[Wuwuwu, back to the days of longing for the next chapter, when will Teacher Lin Gugu release the next one!!]

　　……

　　The response from the forum and comments was much livelier than I imagined, leaving me a bit overwhelmed.

　　Even the tag [Teacher Lin Gugu Returns to the Scene] hit the trending list, which was absurd enough already.

　　Editor Luo Zhou happily called back, not only congratulating me but also asking about my plans for the next plot.

　　“The popularity ranking jumped straight to fifth! This is just the first chapter!! You’ve already surpassed a lot of old works!” Luo Zhou said cheerfully,

　　“I was practically floating when I went to work today, you can’t imagine how excited I was!”

　　“Hahaha...” I smiled awkwardly, still browsing the fan art on the forum. I just saw a slightly suggestive piece and quickly swiped past it.

　　For some reason, thinking that I was the one playing Howers gave me chills.

　　Oh well, I rarely went on social forums anyway, so I’d just pretend I didn’t know anything.

　　“By the way! About that Red Magic Troupe character’s identity, you haven’t decided yet, right?” Luo Zhou said enthusiastically,

　　“The character design section you gave me was blank, there should be room for development, I have a brilliant idea, want to hear it?”

　　“What idea?” My heart inexplicably tightened.

　　“How about giving the protagonist a nemesis!” Luo Zhou said seriously.

　　“A nemesis?”

　　“In normal manga, the protagonist definitely needs a nemesis or something, not only can you play the love-hate trope, but it also boosts CP fan development, right!” Luo Zhou laughed,

　　“Isn’t the black-and-white twin setting super popular now? Your protagonist’s goal in going to the City is to find his relative, right? This fits perfectly!”

　　“You mean, the Red Magic Troupe member who appeared could be set as the protagonist’s brother?” I fell into thought.

　　“Yes! Ideally with opposing political stances, goals, and ideals, but because they’re brothers, they cherish each other, isn’t that thrilling!”

　　……

　　A Red Magic Troupe member as Howers’ brother, a rebellious Saman, and also a high-ranking City figure??

　　Forget whether my disguise is actually a Red Magic Troupe member, even if I managed to fake it, infiltrating the City’s upper ranks would be tough, right??

　　“I’ll give it a try.” I could only agree for now, “I’ll think about the character design first, and talk to you after I draw it.”

　　“Alright! Lin Ge, don’t stay up late! Early to bed, early to rise!!”

　　“Okay, okay... I got it.”

　　After hanging up, I fell into thought again.

　　A twin disguise, huh...

　　It was worth a try.

　　I picked up my pencil, and it glided freely on the paper. With a few strokes, an elegant boy with a mysterious smile, holding a mask, appeared vividly on the page.

　　Silver long hair fell by his ears, exquisite clothing symbolizing his high-class status, black long horns highlighting his race with sinful blood, but those red eyes, identical to Howers’, revealed a depth steeped in the darkness of night.

　　The black-haired boy facing away from him slightly turned his head, standing just in the light, with shadows enveloping his blood kin behind him.

　　Night versus day, noble versus commoner, clearly sharing the same bloodline, yet fatefully walking entirely different paths.

　　They were destined to meet in conflict.