I’m Actually the Protagonist of the Previous Comic

The comic Mortal World was a classic, action-packed battle manga through and through. Its third season had arrived, along with a storm of furious complaints. The author was accused of caring about nothing but the paycheck, adding characters at random whenever he ran out of plot, and being a shameless hack who ruined the power scaling. Readers wailed, “Give me back my passionate youth!” Until, a character appeared, and the story took a sudden turn. Every opportunity and every turning point came from one person. The original protagonist of the comic, a dead legend, a ghost absent from history, the last heir to the spark Zhong Chongchen. Zhong Chongchen, who had been dragged into the mess for no apparent reason, had just graduated from high school and spent three months working at a restaurant, only to end up owing the owner three hundred yuan. “?” Who’s this guy? There’s not enough room for all these people! Yet somehow, it seemed like everyone in this world knew him. Then the unscrupulous author showed up and told Zhong Chongchen that this was just a makeshift solution he’d blurted out because he couldn’t figure out where to take the plot. Now he was going to give Zhong Chongchen powers so he could survive the chaos. But all he saw was the comic’s villain kneeling before Zhong Chongchen, leading a crowd of underlings in a shout: “Beneath Chongtian, the Mortal World knows peace!” Only when the author came to his senses did he realize that, during the year he had gone offline to escape the backlash, the comic had already reached the ending Zhong Chongchen had planned. And it had even earned widespread acclaim! -- After the comic Mortal World ended, its original story was released as an animated film to celebrate the finale. The original protagonist, Zhong Chongchen, was a monster, the world’s first person with supernatural abilities, and the only first-generation leader to die bearing the blame. He was also the part of history that had always been left blank in the textbooks. Years later, he appeared in the world once more, but not to destroy those who had piled all the evidence of their crimes onto him, nor to seek revenge. He simply appeared, then faded once more into a tiny footnote in history. And brought about a new beginning. Readers wept and wailed, and the comic’s popularity continued to soar. “Zhong Chongchen” became synonymous with popular characters, while Mortal World was hailed as a masterpiece that changed everything. The unscrupulous author became a celebrated, sought-after comic artist overnight. Having done what he came to do, Zhong Chongchen disappeared without a trace, leaving none the wiser about his contribution. He had one thing to say: “Rather than becoming a popular character, I’d much rather be a comic artist who makes a hundred thousand a month.” “Seriously, shouldn’t I get half the comic’s licensing fees?” --------The following is a preview of an upcoming novel-------- 【Gigantic structures + post-apocalypse + celestial rankings. I know it sounds weird, but it’s so cool (】 The hottest young adult comic of the moment, Under Eden, had taken the world by storm with its character-killing twists and unique ladder ranking system. Yi Fu was a devoted reader of Under Eden. One night, he made an impassioned post before bed, blasting the mysterious villain Charon, who had killed off so many readers’ favorite characters before even making an official appearance. The post went viral. Then he woke up to find he’d transmigrated into Charon himself. 【Welcome to Under Eden】 【Here, power determines your rank, and popularity determines whether you live】 Wait a minute. They expect him to survive in a world where popularity decides your fate, while playing the most hated villain? They might as well sentence him to death outright! Luckily, Yi Fu chuckled. He was a professional at manipulating public opinion! Villains in Under Eden always met gruesome ends. People cherished peace, praised the sanctity of life, celebrated a bright future, and despised injustice and nihilism. Charon was hungry, young, and ambitious. He killed eight of the original top ten on the Celestial Ladder and stole their authority, earning him the scornful name “Fire Thief.” His name stood at the very top of the Celestial Ladder, where he held firm to first place. Anyone who tried to challenge him was killed. Readers hated him and cursed him, but they could only watch helplessly as one character after another finished telling their story and turned toward the world with a smile that seemed to be bathed in sunlight. Because that smile heralded the arrival of Charon, and death. But in the end, the young man fell before the protagonist of the comic, wearing a carefree expression 【I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. From now on, a crown of righteousness is laid up for me.】 No one knew that the one who reached first place on the Celestial Ladder could make a wish. The first-ever champion said, “I want to rule the world. I want everything in it to exist for me alone.” Charon said, “Then I’ll be the end you meet in death.” Readers were stunned. Readers fell silent. Readers deleted their negative reviews of Charon. He really had it rough. And behind all those tears, Yi Fu gave a sinister smile. Sorry, public relations was his first job! 【Reader’s Note】 The quotation in the box is based on the Chinese version of the Bible, New Testament, Second Epistle to Timothy. The phrasing was also informed by Jiang Nan’s Dragon Raja III: Black Moon Tide. Theme: Fortune always favors the brave.