Chapter 76: Initial Completion
### Chapter 76: Initial Completion
Back in the domestic scene, the popularity of "Edgewalker" continued to rise due to the deaths of Mann and Dorio, generating a buzz reminiscent of how "Spy x Family" gained traction in Lin Qingshan's previous life.
In the manga community, it's quite popular—similar to how "Spy x Family" was known among manga circles. Outside the niche, it's somewhat known but still not widely recognized.
Typically, manga only truly breaks into mainstream success when it's adapted into a highly popular anime. However, the fact that "Edgewalker" has gained more popularity through dramatic plot twists has certainly caught the attention of industry peers.
Could it really be possible to boost popularity this way?
Soon, manga works featuring shocking twists with popular characters began to emerge.
Yet...
They were puzzled that their attempts to shock readers didn't boost their own popularity but rather resulted in backlash from fans.
Unlike "Edgewalker," which had a more constructive critique, these works faced genuine criticism.
The reason was that their plot twists were too abrupt and unexpected, and the "betrayal" of popular characters lacked impact.
Yang Shuzhun, having just read Chapter 23 of "Edgewalker," was reflective.
"Mann... has reached the end here."
As a fan of "Edgewalker," Yang Shuzhun felt a pang of sadness at Mann's exit.
Early chapters had Mann's words resonating with him, akin to his own struggles.
Mann, unwilling to abandon his increasingly burdensome cybernetics, mirrored Yang Shuzhun's own determination to not give up on his dream of becoming a manga artist despite the challenges.
Mann's ultimate sacrifice, losing Dorio but protecting David and Lucy, left Yang Shuzhun deeply moved.
After reflecting on Mann's death, Yang Shuzhun turned his thoughts to "Edgewalker." "It seems 'Edgewalker' will continue to use dramatic twists to maintain its popularity, but how is it even increasing?"
"Is this what fans of this era really want?"
He mused, suddenly struck by a bold idea.
However...
He decided not to test this idea with "Spirit Mage."
Even if "Spirit Mage" started to use similar plot twists, it would likely still lag far behind "Edgewalker" in terms of popularity.
Given "Edgewalker's" current acclaim, Lin Qingshan might be the most formidable rising star from the Republic in the past decade.
Didn't a renowned manga creator fall from the third spot because of it?
[Translator: sauron]
"Spirit Mage" trying to emulate "Edgewalker" would not surpass it.
Both "Spirit Mage" and "Edgewalker" are mid-to-long serial works participating in rookie competitions.
"Edgewalker" has up to 17 chapters remaining, while "Spirit Mage" has about twenty chapters left.
Such a short time frame would not allow catching up with "Edgewalker."
So... Yang Shuzhun decided to look forward to his next manga project!
He planned to use a similar plot approach to "Edgewalker," focusing on creating compelling characters to boost popularity!
The setting... should be a university like in "Spirit Mage," but given that "Edgewalker" is set in the U.S., it seems people still have a strong admiration for foreign settings.
So, it will be set in an American university.
However, the protagonist will definitely be from the Republic!
As for the power system... perhaps something akin to magic and swordsmanship...
Yang Shuzhun began brainstorming and preparing for the next manga's concept.
---
"I couldn't wait for you to come clear the cupboards~"
Lin Qingshan hummed a melancholy tune as he walked into LightSpeed Company.
"Teacher Qingshan, what song are you singing?"
Wang Weijie greeted him first, smiling broadly, "You seem in good spirits…"
Recently, Lin Qingshan had been impressively skilled.
His expertise was so advanced that Wang Weijie couldn't even discern the layers of it.
Even a slight demonstration from Lin Qingshan felt like the pinnacle of Wang Weijie's lifetime.
But, because of this, Wang Weijie had learned a lot.
Working with a master meant picking up some of their skills.
Plus, Lin Qingshan was generous, imparting all he knew—how much one could grasp depended on the learner.
As a result, Wang Weijie and his development team had made tremendous progress over the past two months!
He was almost like their half-teacher, so it's only natural they'd show some respect.
After all, learning skills that could lead to promotions and raises deserved some reverence.
"Oh, this is just a song that will feature on a radio station in the game."
Lin Qingshan casually said, "And it will be the theme song for the upcoming 'Edgewalker' anime!"
"Ah? For the music... we should hire professional singers. We're not really good at music, are we?"
Wang Weijie scratched his head, "We're not really into music..."
The Republic's ACG culture, having evolved similarly to Japan's anime industry in the past life, now has a highly standardized industry chain and processes.
Even professional voice actors and ACG singers have emerged.
"It's fine! I'm not asking us to handle it all. I'm just saying I'll be involved in writing and composing the song."
Lin Qingshan clarified.
He was well aware that professional tasks should be left to the experts.
He'd handle the songwriting, and then professional singers would handle the arrangements and performance.
"Well... that's okay, I guess."
Wang Weijie blinked, reluctantly agreeing.
After all, this was Lin Qingshan's project. If he wanted to add a song, then a song would be added.
Although the song might be unremarkable, it probably won't matter much to fans.
It will be added to the game regardless.
"Alright, the game engine development should be almost complete. How's the progress on your end?"
Lin Qingshan asked.
He had completed the core code and some of the more challenging parts of the game engine.
But he had made it clear from the start that he wasn't going to be a company worker. Not only was 996 impossible, but even a 9-to-6 schedule was out of the question!
A maximum of two hours of regular work per day, and four hours if including online time.
Anything beyond that would mean Lin Qingshan would become unreachable.
The rest depended on Wang Weijie and his team, or waiting for Lin Qingshan to show up the next day.
During this time, the game engine was nearly finished.
Meanwhile, "Edgewalker" continued its serialization, reaching Chapter 25.
Lin Qingshan casually named the game engine "Cyber Game Engine," originally intended for "Cyberpunk 2077."
He and Liang Zhiyuan signed a contract for revenue sharing once the engine went live—70% for Lin Qingshan and 30% for LightSpeed Company, which was a reasonable distribution.
After all, Lin Qingshan was the core developer of the engine.
Without LightSpeed Company, another company could still collaborate with Lin Qingshan on this engine.
But without Lin Qingshan, even a hundred LightSpeed Companies wouldn't be able to develop a new game engine.
"It's almost done, in the testing phase now."
Wang Weijie said, "We can start the official game production soon."
---