Chapter 117: Gods and Demons

Chapter 117: Gods and Demons

Meanwhile, Yang Shuzhun's new work, *The Divine Clan*, quietly made its debut in *Comic World* magazine.

The first chapter opens with what appears to be a strange dream, featuring a conversation between brothers in an ancient setting.

"Brother... when you raise your battle flag and devour the world, will you consume me too?"

In the opening scene of the manga, a small, delicate-looking boy speaks to his older brother.

"Yes, I will. That way, you and I will rule the world together," the man responds softly.

The plot then shifts, revealing that this was merely a dream of the man. The scene transitions to focus on a high school senior named... "Yang Mingfei."

It becomes clear that this character, Yang Mingfei, is the protagonist of *The Divine Clan*. However, as protagonists go, he seems rather unlucky. The manga quickly establishes that Yang Mingfei is poor in academics and has a miserable family life.

Although both of his parents are alive, they have been living abroad for years, leaving Yang Mingfei to be raised by his uncle and aunt. This neglect has lasted for over a decade, and as a result, Yang Mingfei is timid and lacking in confidence, with little hope of getting into college.

His only notable skill is playing a game called *Starcraft*. Beyond that, his main traits are his sarcastic remarks and his propensity for misfortune.

Yang Mingfei has a crush on a classmate who is the epitome of a school goddess—pure, beautiful, smart, and kind. She is even quite friendly towards Yang Mingfei, which makes him like her even more. However, readers begin to sense that this "goddess" may not have sincere feelings for him. It seems like she's stringing him along, treating him like a convenient errand boy.

It's a pitiful situation, really.

But, as the protagonist, things start to take an unexpected turn. An elite private university from the United States—Kasala Academy—arrives at his high school to recruit students. Surprisingly, instead of selecting from the pool of capable and privileged students, the academy chooses Yang Mingfei.

He also catches the attention of a beautiful senior named Chen Nuonuo, who seems to have a special interest in him. This moment provides a sense of vicarious satisfaction for some readers who relate to Yang Mingfei's misfortune.

As if that weren't enough, the school goddess, whom Yang Mingfei secretly admires, gets publicly confessed to by a wealthy classmate and accepts. But just as Yang Mingfei is about to be humiliated, Chen Nuonuo appears and whisks him away in her luxury car, restoring his dignity.

Yang Mingfei is finally taking off!

This twist in the plot gives readers a bit of satisfaction. However, after reading the first chapter, most people are left feeling puzzled.

The settings and concepts haven't been fully revealed yet. It almost feels like a gender-reversed version of a typical Mary Sue romance manga.

But since this is a series in *Comic World GoGo*, it's bound to be more than just a sweet, daily romance.

Most likely, the first chapter just didn't have enough space to unveil the full setup. The strange dream at the beginning, the mysterious Kasala Academy, and Chen Nuonuo's behavior all suggest that *The Divine Clan* has much more to offer in terms of plot and world-building.

Even so, the first chapter feels somewhat boring and perplexing.

That's the general impression of *The Divine Clan*'s debut.

However, one person doesn't share this opinion.

Lin Qingshan, after reading the story, blinks in surprise.

Isn't this... the famous young adult fantasy novel from a Chinese website in his previous life?

The title is different—*The Divine Clan*—but the opening, the protagonist, and the plot direction are unmistakable!

Even if the title were changed to *Demon Clan*, he would still recognize it!

"Well, it's a parallel world. It makes sense," Lin Qingshan says to himself as he looks at the magazine in front of him. "But I hope that this world's *The Divine Clan* will have a good ending..."

As a fan in his previous life, he genuinely hopes for a satisfying conclusion to the story.

Unfortunately...

All he can do now is hope that in this parallel world, this story will end well.

---

Soon, this week's popularity rankings for manga were released.

*Chainsaw Man* surged in popularity, with the fight between Denji and Aki Hayakawa providing plenty of comedic relief.

Comments flooded forums and posts:

- "What the heck? Only aiming for the crotch? Just reading it makes me wince."

- "This chapter was hilarious. Qingshan-sensei's mental state is as stable as ever."

- "Didn't expect a rival to show up so soon, and they started fighting right away."

- "Hahaha, Denji's got it right—when fighting a man, just aim for the crotch."

- "Got it. David from *Edgerunners* should've aimed for Adam Smasher's crotch to defeat him!"

- "David lands a punch—clang!—and realizes Adam Smasher's got an iron crotch implant."

- "What are you thinking? Adam Smasher's only got a brain left. The rest is all cyberware."

- "Great technique. It gives me phantom crotch pain just thinking about it."

As a result, *Chainsaw Man* shot up in popularity, boosted by *Edgerunners*' fame, reaching fifth place.

[Translator: sauron]

In a more unnoticed corner...

"Teacher Yanyan Shu, this time *The Divine Clan* ranked 21st," the new editor, Gu De'an, reported over the phone.

After finishing his previous series, *Psychic Sorcerer*, Yang Shuzhun switched editors from Xu Zhexuan to a more experienced senior editor. Gu De'an contributed significantly to the development and creation of *The Divine Clan*'s subsequent settings.

In this week's manga magazine, there were only 21 series being serialized, which means *The Divine Clan* debuted in last place.

This was expected, given that *The Divine Clan*'s first chapter didn't reveal much about its setting. Additionally, Yang Shuzhun wasn't well-known, so he didn't have a fan base to support him. Naturally, the series ranked last in popularity.

"Last place, huh?"

Yang Shuzhun's expression darkened, and doubt began to creep in.

However, Gu De'an reassured him, "Teacher Yanyan Shu, it's normal for a series to rank low in its first week. You were the only one debuting a new series this time."

"But I believe in you, and I believe in *The Divine Clan*. The upcoming settings and story will definitely shine."

"Don't lose heart. Believe in yourself and in *The Divine Clan*! It's the best!"

After Gu De'an's pep talk, Yang Shuzhun took a deep breath.

Yes... He had to believe in himself. He would succeed, no matter what!

Someday, he would make everyone look up to him!

"Okay, I understand. I'll keep working hard!"

Yang Shuzhun regained his determination and responded.

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(End of Chapter)