Chapter 19: Update on "Bloodline" Episode 2
A few more days passed, and it was time for the JUMP serialization again.
Among those most concerned were Akito and Saiko, who shared the pen name Ashirogi Muto.
Last time, they were confident in their work, believing they would get a serialization slot.
However, their opponent turned out to be Naoto's "Bloodline."
The result, without a doubt, was a crushing defeat.
The winner of the JUMP Newcomer Award, no matter how one thought about it, could only be Naoto.
Although they lost and didn't get a serialization opportunity, neither of them was particularly upset.
After all, Naoto's artwork was truly top-notch, making their work seem like child's scribbles in comparison. After seeing it for the first time, they both felt that their chances of getting a serialization were slim to none.
However, the two, who were like unkillable cockroaches, naturally wouldn't give up so easily. They immediately submitted another one-shot, confident that this time, they would definitely get a serialization opportunity.
But while submitting, they were also eager to see the results of "Bloodline" Episode 2.
After all, many manga do well as one-shots but then plummet in popularity once they start serialization.
But clearly, they were overthinking it.
This time, Naoto went all out to make his manga top the popularity charts.
Coupled with the upgrade in his drawing skill level, this manga was arguably several times better than the last one.
Just the initial cover was refreshing.
Liloe, with a hint of blood on her face, showed a touch of astonishment, as if she was utterly bewildered by the situation before her.
The plot of Episode 2 followed directly from the previous one, but unlike the previous lightheartedness, this episode introduced more detailed settings.
In the previous episode, Yaren, in order to save his sister who had become a ghost, was forced to make a contract with the vampire Liloe.
However, Yaren was still very afraid of Liloe because his life was threatened. He always treated Liloe with indifference, completely unlike most male protagonists who become smitten upon seeing a beautiful woman.
And because he wanted to get rid of Liloe, he coincidentally befriended Sage, the school bully, and heard from him a strange campus legend, which prominently featured rumors about Liloe.
For various reasons, the two went together to the rumored campus location at night, only to find a burly man dressed similarly to Liloe waiting there.
From his mouth, the biggest mystery of the story was unveiled—Liloe's father, the last remaining elder of the Blood Clan.
And the reason Liloe came out was to find her father.
In the end, Yaren and Liloe, in order to defeat this cross-dressing pervert, had Liloe absorb his remaining blood, and Yaren became good friends with the school bully, Sage.
The story was still relatively cheerful, but within the cheerfulness, there was a subtle unsettling feeling.
It was like the calm before a storm, which made everyone look forward to the upcoming plot.
Yaren had already had most of his blood absorbed. So, if it happened again, would Yaren die?
After finishing the manga, Saiko and Akito exchanged glances.
They genuinely felt the terrifying progress in Naoto's manga.
Not only in drawing technique, but even in plot development, it seemed more mature than before.
Their first impression of Naoto's strength was that it was boundless.
It felt like he was on a different dimension.
Online, the discussions were even more lively.
As mentioned before, after winning the Grand Prize at the National High School Art Competition, many people knew that Naoto was not only outstanding in oil painting but also quite accomplished in manga.
Many high school students who regarded Naoto as an idol, as well as those who didn't understand manga but simply wanted to know about Naoto, bought JUMP and were immediately stunned by Naoto's drawings.
This drawing technique was simply like animation.
Although the characters in the drawing weren't moving, you could somehow imagine their every action.
After seeing it, these people all expressed that Naoto's drawing skills were a waste if he didn't do oil paintings and sketches!
So, they all went online to ask Naoto to quickly return to the embrace of traditional art and stop messing around in manga.
But this made the manga readers unhappy.
Oh, really? We finally found a manga artist who could become a pillar, and you want to lure him into traditional art? They wouldn't agree.
Thus, the two groups started bickering online.
Of course, Naoto knew nothing about this at the time, as he hadn't even opened social media accounts. Recently, he was either drawing or drawing, with no time for communication.
However, even if he knew, he probably wouldn't care, as his life goals were already set.
Becoming a great artist was another matter.
However, at this time, neither Naoto nor Saiko and Akito, who were reading the "Bloodline" manga, knew that a monster in the manga world was about to awaken.
In a rural area, a fifteen-year-old boy listlessly walked into a bookstore and casually picked up a JUMP magazine displayed on the shelf.
After paying, he listlessly returned home and started flipping through his manga.
But when he saw the first page of the manga, he was immediately captivated by everything before his eyes.
His originally listless eyes seemed to be emitting golden light.
"What an interesting manga! An unexpected development! ONE-sensei is truly powerful!"
The boy named Niizuma Eiji became exceptionally excited after reading Naoto's manga. Afterward, countless inspirations seemed to flash through his mind.
Feeling inspired in his creative process, Niizuma Eiji immediately picked up his brush and began to draw and sketch on the paper.
In a short while, a drawing of Liloe, the female lead of "Bloodline," was completed by him.
"Indeed, it's still not enough. ONE-sensei's drawing skills are truly amazing. How on earth are such drawing skills achieved?"
The fifteen-year-old boy meticulously looked at the drawing in his hand and fell into deep thought.
At this moment, no one could have imagined what kind of storm this somewhat eccentric-looking boy would stir up in the manga world in the future.