Chapter 30-The Manga Pariah's Guide to Self-Salvation
The night was deep, and the entire city was quiet, but Ye Zheng woke up in the darkness. She was a light sleeper and quickly recovered from her drowsiness once she turned on the lights.
Ye Zheng sat on the sofa, holding the dragon bone replica in her hand, examining it for a while before deciding to store it away for now.
The dragon bone could give her a huge power boost, but it was too risky to carry, especially since she was going to be with that person's team next.
As the royal heir, Sykes must know a lot of secrets about the dragon bone.
Ye Zheng lowered her gaze thoughtfully. Was Sykes's strength truly innate...? When she used the dragon bone, she felt like she was about to become another Sykes.
She temporarily set aside the questions about the dragon bone, took out her phone, and saw a message from Percy. It said that the competition officials also couldn't figure out who had destroyed the core, and perhaps they had unintentionally triggered the rule for the Demonic Domain's collapse.
Given that no one died in this Demonic Domain and the injured were treated in time, the officials decided to award extra points to all three participating teams. The Cloud-Soaring Squad's points were now 5, tied for second place with the Divine Academy and the First Academy of the upper district.
As for the strange flood in the Demonic Domain, the new lord of the lower district, Chen Xue, said it seemed to be a problem with the city's water supply system and that he would investigate it thoroughly.
Ye Zheng subtly curved her lips as she read the message.
Wen De was staying with the new lord under the pretext of curia-related work, and she believed the two of them would know how to cover for her.
That bullet from a person of high status allowed the former lord's powerful family to order the ability user association to investigate, yet they couldn't find the culprit.
This world was used to using abilities to take lives, but often, the lethal power of ordinary people was no less than that of ability users.
Although Ye Zheng no longer relied on political struggles, having such an important person as her contact in the lower district was essential for her plans.
If the new lord, Chen Xue, was worthy of a deeper collaboration, she could use this person to probe into the mystery of the dragon bone in the lower district.
Ye Zheng stared at her phone, suddenly remembering that the new chapter of the manga should have been updated.
She thought back on her performance. She didn't have many on-screen moments. She had been secretly acting behind the scenes, whether it was healing ordinary people or exploring the core, all of which happened outside the manga's scope.
She figured the discussion about her on the forum wouldn't be very high this time, and her popularity probably wouldn't increase much.
That would be a problem. She had already used up all her action points. The next time she appeared, she wouldn't have enough points to change the plot, which would make her very passive.
"System, how many action points do I have left?" Ye Zheng asked in a gentle voice tinged with worry.
[You have 100 action points now, and they're still going up.] The System replied.
Ye Zheng tilted her head in confusion. 100 action points meant 10,000 popularity. How did she gain another 10,000?
[Your total popularity has reached 30,000. Congratulations, you've entered the realm of top-tier popular characters in King of the Demonic Domain!] The System's voice was a little excited.
"That sounds impressive." Although she had no idea why her popularity had risen again, Ye Zheng gave a generous round of applause and a faint smile, as if she were listening to a younger relative report excellent final exam grades.
[Don't get cocky. This is just within King of the Demonic Domain. This manga is only popular among a new generation of manga. It's still far from a true hit IP.]
[Even the male lead, Percy, hasn't made it into the top ten in the popularity vote on this shonen manga platform. If you can make it into the top ten, that's when you're a truly popular, hot commodity!]
[But insider news says it's getting an anime adaptation! Everyone is betting that King of the Demonic Domain will be the next big show. At that time, Zhao Mei's popularity will skyrocket even more than it has now—of course, you'd better not have your identity revealed by then.]
The System's tone sounded bittersweet. Ye Zheng was only curious about one word: what is an anime?
[How do I explain what an anime is to a manga character...]
[You currently appear as a static image in the manga app and manga books. Anime is when you're animated, like acting in a play.]
Ye Zheng found it hard to imagine. The concept of anime didn't exist in her world.
"Will I have a chance to see it?" Since she could see the forums and manga apps of a higher dimension, there must be a chance she could see the anime, too.
The System sounded a little hesitant. [Our comp... We haven't been given the permission. I'll see if I can try to get you access then?]
Ye Zheng's beautiful eyes curved, her gaze sparkling. "Then I'll leave it to you."
She was very curious about the world that created her, even though she knew it was not a utopia.
"So, why did my popularity go up so much this time? Zhao Mei didn't even have much plot."
Ye Zheng refocused on her phone screen and curiously tapped on the latest updated manga chapter.
Li Yixin couldn't wait to click on the new chapter. In the last chapter's plot, Zhao Mei had stayed behind to cover for everyone, fighting the black shadows alone, only to mysteriously reunite with the protagonist team, bearing some injuries at the end.
She had spent the whole week reminiscing about Zhao Mei's mysterious and fragile smile at the end of the chapter. Today, she could finally get her dose of fresh Babe-Mei!
"Old Uncle" (the creator's nickname), get on with the plot! What happened when Zhao Mei was alone? She was so eager to see how a healing-type Zhao Mei fought. He must have looked incredibly cool!
The new chapter began with everyone showing happy expressions as they welcomed the returned Zhao Mei. However, black shadows quickly interrupted the young people's reunion.
The protagonist team started a fierce battle again, but in the cool and tense panels, Zhao Mei didn't appear in the fight.
Li Yixin was a little disappointed at first. It seemed the creator wouldn't easily let Zhao Mei expose his true strength, but she immediately became even more expectant.
The creator must also think that Zhao Mei's hidden true side is a major plot point of the manga! That's why he was building up to it for so long, whetting their appetite.
During the battle, Percy's sharp sword struck an empty space, and he solved the black shadow with a stern face, revealing the characteristics and secrets of the black shadows.
Seeing this, Li Yixin's affection for Percy was rekindled. Although she now preferred to focus solely on Zhao Mei, it was hard not to like a powerful, smart, and handsome protagonist.
After another battle, everyone finally had time to rest. Zhao Mei, who had been missing during the fight, gently appeared in the plot again to heal their wounds. The screen was filled with their noisy conversations, and their bonds and friendship bloomed in this warm atmosphere.
Everyone even agreed to visit Lucy's hometown after the competition. Roy grumbled on the surface but secretly looked forward to it, and even the usually indifferent Zhao Mei showed a hint of yearning. This was the unique and touching part of a shonen manga; she would always be moved by the camaraderie of the young people!
Next, the very popular Yin Kong appeared again, along with a mysterious white-haired, white-eyed female character who also looked very strong.
To be honest, she didn't like Yin Kong, the kind of fun-seeker with a wavering stance. He felt very unsafe. Yin Kong had betrayed the protagonist team a few times in the second stage. She still preferred a character like Zhao Mei, who looked gentle and righteous.
However, she was looking forward to the protagonist team, Yin Kong, and the newly appeared Bai Muqing forming an alliance. Old Uncle was finally going to draw a team battle!
Yin Kong's personality wasn't her type, but his ability was very interesting. The new character Bai Muqing's [Divine Domain] gave off an invincible aura. Although she only genuinely liked male characters, she had a good impression of this powerful and beautiful "big sister."
[Ahhhh, Yin Kong is finally here. My life has been hard-controlled by white hair!]
[Yes! Team battle! I'm looking forward to it!]
[What is Divine Academy, a white-haired base... Does anyone get how perfect Bai Muqing's white hair and white eyes are?]
[Compared to the one from the Royal Academy, the Divine Academy group are really all angels!]
[Don't compare them above, Sykes didn't do anything!]
[I feel like Yin Kong and Bai Muqing's abilities are especially suitable for large-scale battles. Old Uncle, hurry up and bring on the big fight!]
Li Yixin started following this manga for the handsome characters, but the creator's combat scenes often made her blood boil, making her so excited she wanted to punch something. Therefore, she was also looking forward to the Cloud-Soaring Squad and Divine Academy teaming up.
In the manga, a greatsword shot up into the sky with an amazing aura, and with a single strike, the surrounding buildings quickly collapsed. The immense pressure made her feel anxious for the protagonist team.
The new character Bai Muqing closed her white eyes, seeming to begin an incantation. Caleb used his ability [Bulwark] to create a large-scale defense to protect his companions, while Percy's expression was solemn, his arms transforming into heavy swords as he fought the surging black shadows with a stern look.
Li Yixin was tense and excited. These black shadows were unexpectedly powerful, making Percy a little overwhelmed.
"Do I have to use that ability..." the young man in the manga muttered.
Seeing this, Li Yixin thought, is the creator finally going to reveal Percy's second ability?
She was filled with anticipation for Percy to use his second ability to turn the tide, but she never expected that in the next panel, she wouldn't see Percy's other secret ability. Instead, a massive flood swept over everything!
"...Huh?" Li Yixin was stunned. Wait, whose ability is this? No character currently has such a powerful water ability.
Even more bizarrely, was it an enemy or an ally?! It looked like it was trying to wipe out both the protagonist team and the black shadows.
She watched as the protagonist team was "hunted" by the flood, running all the way to a plaza. The teams from the Cloud-Soaring Academy, Divine Academy, and the First Academy of the upper district were all gathered there. Li Yixin suddenly narrowed her eyes, searching every corner of the screen—why was Zhao Mei missing?
At this point, the comments were as confused as she was.
[Where did this big flood come from? Is there a new character?]
[I've spotted a blind spot, Zhao Mei seems to be gone.]
[Ahhh, are the three academies going to team up and fight? Old Uncle is going for a big scene!]
[It must be a flood created by an enemy, trying to wipe out all the participants. So terrifying!]
[Little cute Xingxing is finally here again! I'm looking forward to him and Percy working together again!]
Li Yixin, like the comments, thought a three-academy team-up was about to start. After all, this was a shonen manga. The main theme of friendship and courage was for everyone to temporarily put aside their interests and work together.
She excitedly scrolled down. The young people from the three academies greeted each other warmly, and then... the Demonic Domain was gone?
In the manga, Percy looked up, and the Demonic Domain had already disappeared!
Not only were the readers outside the manga shocked, but the characters in the manga were even more shocked. They hadn't done anything yet.
"Is everyone okay?"
Dialogue boxes of suspicion, anger, and disbelief filled most of the screen. A gentle greeting stood out so much among them.
Li Yixin didn't need to scroll down. She was sure it was Zhao Mei!
Even though it was just a manga, she could imagine Zhao Mei's voice from his words. It must be clear and gentle.
The glow of the sunset fell on the black-clad young man, coating him in a warm light. For some reason, Li Yixin felt that Zhao Mei, who appeared at this moment, had an ethereal, strange beauty.
She stared blankly at the tall, handsome figure in the manga. Even with her average intelligence, she could feel that the Zhao Mei who appeared at this moment must be hiding a huge secret, like a bottomless vortex.
Ye Zheng finished reading the manga content and didn't find anything special, except that watching herself from a third-person perspective... she felt very suspicious?
Especially since the moment the Demonic Domain was destroyed, the creator gave her a special close-up shot, as if he was afraid the readers wouldn't notice there was something fishy about her.
Ye Zheng subtly frowned, then quickly relaxed. As long as the readers didn't find out her true identity for now, even if they guessed the flood was Zhao Mei's ability, it wasn't a big deal.
[No, it's a very big deal, but it's not bad. At least your popularity is skyrocketing.]
"What's wrong?"
[You'll know if you check the forum.]
Ye Zheng opened the forum and glanced at today's hot topics.
[Discussion: How much strength is Zhao Mei hiding?]
[Please creator, respect Percy's status as the sole male protagonist of King of the Demonic Domain! Don't diminish Percy's highlights! Don't step on the protagonist to elevate side characters!]
[We Zhao Mei fans aren't looking for trouble, but we're not afraid of it either. Don't act like we're dead...]
These three posts were the most popular, with thousands of replies.
Ye Zheng was used to having hot posts about herself after every update, and Percy, as the protagonist, also had a lot. But today's hot posts about her and Percy looked different from the usual discussions about plot and appearance.
[That hot post with Percy's name, at first glance, looks like it's about Percy, but it's actually about you.]
[I can only say, Zhao Mei, you're really popular now. You need to be careful with your behavior so people don't think you're a bad kid who loves to steal the spotlight...]
The System rambled on with emotion.
Ye Zheng blinked innocently, then hesitated and first clicked on the second post. Both the second and third post titles were very confusing to her, so she decided to read them in order.
[#1: Please creator, respect Percy's status as the sole male protagonist of King of the Demonic Domain! Don't diminish Percy's highlights! Don't step on the protagonist to elevate side characters!
I've been putting up with a certain side character for a long time. I liked this character at first, but as the plot developed, he's gotten almost all the highlights in these recent chapters. This is too ridiculous! Old Uncle, do you still remember you're drawing a big shonen manga for a male lead?
First there's the inexplicable female protagonist, Ye Zheng, and now there's Zhao Mei, who's more of a protagonist than the actual protagonist. Please give Percy back his status as the male lead for free! Don't "leech" off him for some kind of ensemble cast!]
Ye Zheng let out a soft "oh" and felt a little embarrassed. If the poster knew that the two characters "leeching" off Percy were actually the same person...
Author's note:
Sorry, I'm a gloomy little girl. Instead of a forum full of compliments, I'd rather write about everyone fighting over Ye Zheng, stirring up trouble...
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