Originally, the plot of Hunter x Hunter had been very steady since serialization began. It was interesting, easy to read, and most of the time felt relatively lighthearted.
However, the sudden arrival of Chapter Seven still brought many readers to tears.
The character Leorio had not been popular when he first appeared. He was sloppy, short-tempered, greedy for money, and seemed not particularly intelligent.
But after the reason behind his obsession with money was revealed, he deeply moved a large number of readers.
The following day, the latest ranking results for Hunter x Hunter in Dream Comic Journal were announced.
Compared to the previous week, the number of votes surged dramatically, reaching 780,000, and the ranking rose from third place to second place.
At the same time, the overall reputation of Hunter x Hunter across the Dream Comic platform began to change.
Previously, most readers had followed the series mainly because of Shirogane's reputation as the creator of Hikaru no Go.
To be honest, a twelve-year-old, naturally clumsy boy as the protagonist, combined with spending five full chapters just to enter the main Hunter Exam storyline, had indeed been difficult for many impatient readers to tolerate.
But now, opinions were shifting.
"This manga is actually very interesting."
"Even setting aside Teacher Shirogane's reputation, if this were the work of a new manga artist, I would definitely keep following it."
"Even though there hasn't been any clear superpower system yet, I don't know why, but I look forward to it every week."
"It has to be Shirogane's strength in character creation. Every character in this manga is distinct. Even brief appearances leave a strong impression. As long as the characters are well written, even everyday plots become interesting."
"I just feel that some of the Hunter Exam stages feel a bit random. The first stage was supposed to test physical endurance, right?"
"This manga is completely different from Hikaru no Go, but strangely enough, it really suits my taste."
"Same here. I love manga where the protagonist uses his brain."
"I honestly find brainless battle manga, where the protagonist suddenly shouts and explodes with power to reverse the situation, extremely boring. If Hunter keeps this level of quality, I will definitely buy the collected volumes later."
Rei was reading these online reviews of Hunter x Hunter while sitting in a car on his way to Illumination.
Today was the voice actor audition for One-Punch Man.
The department heads of the One-Punch Man animation production team, together with Rei, the original creator and primary investor, served as the judges for the audition.
As soon as he arrived at the venue entrance, an employee from Illumination greeted him enthusiastically and guided him inside.
"Hello, Teacher Shirogane."
"Good morning, Teacher Shirogane."
"Teacher Shirogane, I'm a fan of Hikaru no Go."
Inside the audition hall, more than a hundred voice actors for both main and supporting roles in One-Punch Man had already gathered.
Although Illumination was not considered one of the largest studios in Japan, the investment in One-Punch Man was substantial. Combined with Rei's rapidly rising fame, the audition attracted far more than just unknown voice actors from small agencies.
In fact, several well-known and highly popular voice actors in Japan were also present.
Himari, the producer and company chairperson, quickly led Rei into a private room. After having a staff member serve him tea, she smiled and said,
"Thank you for coming, Teacher Shirogane. You even took time out of Hunter x Hunter's intense serialization schedule to attend today's audition."
"Hunter x Hunter is my work, and One-Punch Man is as well," Rei replied calmly.
"I treat them equally. There is no difference in importance to me. There's no need to talk about hard work. These are simply the responsibilities I should fulfill."
Himari was momentarily stunned.
Rei was very different from the creators she had worked with before. He was humble, easy to communicate with, and although he liked to be deeply involved in production, his suggestions were always precise and effective.
Whether it was character design, visual style, or music direction, he might not focus on technical details, but his grasp of the overall direction was always accurate. He never behaved like an amateur instructing professionals.
What shocked Himari the most was that Rei, still a high school student and manga artist, could also compose anime music. He had even personally created five high-quality opening themes and insert songs.
That realization had kept her awake the entire night.
How could the gap between people be this large?
"Teacher Shirogane," Himari finally asked, "what are your expectations for the broadcast performance of One-Punch Man?"
Having known Rei for three months, Himari had met him almost every three days during that period. Yet until now, she had never dared to ask this sensitive question.
But ten minutes before the audition selection began, she suddenly blurted it out.
"Of course, like Hikaru no Go," Rei replied without hesitation.
"During its broadcast, the Hikaru no Go anime consistently held the highest ratings in its time slot."
"So naturally, my expectation for One-Punch Man is the same."
Number one in ratings.
Himari's expression shifted slightly.
Rei dared to think it, but she had never dared to.
Hikaru no Go had achieved first place because it was backed by the enormous popularity of the original manga.
But One-Punch Man was a completely original animation.
And it would be airing during the fiercely competitive October season.
Could it really top the charts?
Still, having dreams was never a bad thing.
Himari glanced at the time. The audition was about to begin.
Yet a small spark had been ignited in her heart, one that reason could not easily extinguish.
A single thought surfaced. What if?
July passed, and August arrived.
While serializing and producing both of his works, Rei also submitted his university applications.
To better support his manga and animation career, Rei applied to a local university.
With a score slightly above six hundred, and by applying to animation, a relatively niche major, he was admitted without difficulty.
As for Rei's friend and classmate, Miyu, she shared his thinking.
Although her score was significantly higher, high enough to easily enter the top universities in Japan, serializing a manga while living there and having to send manuscripts to her sister every week was simply too inconvenient.
As a result, Miyu also enrolled at the same university, choosing economics and management as her major.
For both of them, however, their field of study had already become secondary.
Meanwhile, over the following weeks, the plot of Hunter x Hunter progressed rapidly.
From the first stage, a physical endurance test.
To the second stage, where candidates' observation skills were tested through cooking.
And then to the third stage.
The Trap Tower test.
Candidates had to descend from the top of the tower to the bottom within seventy-two hours. Along the way, the organizers deliberately placed numerous obstacles inside the tower, including traps, death row inmates, and mechanical corridors, all designed to hinder progress.
People could die during the Hunter Exam.
And within the Hunter worldview, if someone died during the exam, no government or organization would investigate the matter.
Within just two weeks of the third stage's serialization, readers clearly realized this reality.
At the same time, Hunter's weekly vote count surged dramatically.
Its growth momentum was even faster than the early rise of Hikaru no Go.
After all, Hikaru no Go had built its popularity from nothing, while Hunter was already standing on the foundation of Shirogane's reputation.
After the latest update, the number of discussion posts for Hunter on the official Dream Comic website had already caught up with Source War Chronicle during the same period.
"Holy crap, this manga is insanely good."
"This Hunter Exam perfectly matches what I imagined. I thought the first test was just about stamina, but the second test using cooking to evaluate observation skills really hit my taste."
"In this third exam, Tonpa is absolutely incredible."
"Tonpa killed me with laughter. I thought he was a villain earlier, but it turns out he's pure comic relief."
"Who understands this feeling? When I was reading the Trap Tower arc and saw Gon's group forced to team up with Tonpa, then facing the death row inmates blocking the bridge, Tonpa swore he'd fight first. I thought Shirogane was about to give him a power-up moment."
"But the instant he stepped forward, he knelt and surrendered. I was eating snacks and spat them everywhere. I nearly died laughing."
"Same. Gon and the others were watching him with so much anticipation."
"This guy exists purely to sabotage others. The forced team-matching rule Shirogane gave Gon's group is so infuriating."
"The Majority Rule Path needs five people. Without Tonpa joining them, they literally couldn't proceed."
"I'm starting to like Tonpa. He's despicable, shameless, and has real villain charm. Way better than the fake righteous types in other manga."
"All those people who claimed Shirogane would fail after Hikaru no Go have completely vanished."
"Of course. Since serialization began, Hunter has never dropped out of the top three in Dream Comic. And over the past two weeks, it's been closing in on Source War Chronicle's vote count. There's nothing left for the haters to say."