Chapter 12 (continued)

[My worldview was shattered, so I made a bold decision.] new

[This is so explosive it went straight to my mouth-nose machine gun, I'm going completely crazy! I'm diving in first, sisters!][1][2][3][4][5][6] hot

[Something this explosive obviously has to be shared with the sisters!] new

Qi Yue: "..."

Clickbait worked everywhere, apparently.

Whatever nonsense was actually inside, every single title made him want to click in and see what it was about.

He wanted to see just how "explosive" they were.

Come to think of it, he hadn't done anything explosive or crawled around darkly and twistedly, had he? Qi Yue reviewed everything he'd said and done since transmigrating to this world.

The facts proved it: not a single thing!

In short, the posts all centered on "explosive," supplemented by plenty of common clickbait phrases. Together, they formed a vast collection of threads, some followed by "hot" or "new," and some with no label at all. Some posts had been marked featured by the forum moderation team.

To gain permission to unlock the forum, he had to successfully copy an Esper Ability once. The key word was "unlock," not "view." Qi Yue didn't believe the Riddle Panel, which was every bit his equal, had left no loophole in its wording.

Looking at the thread titles, each tempting him to click, Qi Yue didn't act rashly. He immediately asked the Panel.

"What are the conditions for viewing the contents of a forum thread?"

[To view forum threads, you must exchange manga popularity points for forum points.] A line appeared on the Panel, which glowed faintly green.

Qi Yue: "..."

Sure enough, there was no such thing as a free lunch. The Panel was no exception.

Qi Yue's gaze fell on the thread titles. Without a doubt, he did have a little popularity. Otherwise, discussions about him wouldn't have a "hot" label.

He just didn't know how many forum threads his current manga popularity points would let him read. Recently, he'd been so absorbed in getting close to Beixing and copying his Esper Ability that he hadn't had any spare time to think about increasing his manga popularity.

"Check popularity points."

[Character Qi Yue's popularity points in the manga Chronicles of the Young Hunters Season Two: 6,000. Exchangeable for 60 forum viewing points. Would you like to spend 60 points to view forum threads?] "Yes" and "no" buttons appeared below.

Qi Yue: "..."

A 100:1 exchange rate. Even bloodsucking capitalists were no worse than this.

With only 60 forum points, he had to use them sparingly.

Afraid of being lured in and fleeced by clickbait, wasting his excessively devalued points, he had to choose carefully.

In that case...

Qi Yue quickly scanned the clickbait threads.

This was the one.

Featured [Help, this is too explosive! It's a BKing, we're saved! So this is the right way to be a transfer student, crawling around darkly and twistedly like never before!][1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] hot

"Featured," "transfer student," "hot," plus a full eight pages of discussion. With those keywords together, he couldn't lose, however he looked at it.

Qi Yue clicked to confirm and entered the thread—

[Original poster: Help, everyone! Transfer student Qi Yue tore off his gentle gentleman's mask and went all out right in their faces, blowing the Esper Detection Crystal Ball to pieces. The way he calmly withdrew his hand afterward was explosively cool in every sense! This is the right way to be a transfer student! Of course, except for the students who were so startled by the sudden explosion that they either clutched their heads with twisted expressions or simply dropped to the floor and crawled darkly toward the exit.

But... can someone tell me just what kind of identity and strength the new character, transfer student Qi Yue, has? Something that has never happened since the mutation occurred happened to him. Could it really be a problem with the crystal ball's "quality," like the transfer student said? Or is it because of some mysterious power no one knows about in the transfer student?

Old Man Li reported the crystal ball's explosion to the First Hunter Academy. Will they believe it's true? Or will they think Old Man Li is going crazy again? Help... I don't want the First Hunter Academy to notice the transfer student and snatch him away! (P.S. Say important things three times: let's discuss rationally, let's discuss rationally, let's discuss rationally. This thread is focused on the new character, the transfer student. No bringing up unrelated topics or fighting!!!)]

[1st reply: Great, it's a BKing, we're saved!]

[2nd reply: (Disclaimer: I'm a fan of mindless wish fulfillment.) Why worry about all that? It was just so cool, and that's all that matters! When I read the previous chapter, I knew the crystal ball wouldn't survive this test. After the latest chapter, I just want to shout: BKing is forever the GOAT!]

[3rd reply: I agree with the person above, and let me add: how could it possibly be a quality issue?! It's obviously a perfunctory lie from the transfer student. Such a casual, dismissive excuse makes him seem even more mysterious. He's definitely a genuine big shot!]

[4th reply: Agreed +1. A result that makes sense but still came as a surprise. The new character really is a big shot! Sure enough, transfer students come with their own buff. From time immemorial, there's never been a transfer student who's simple (starry eyes).]

[5th reply: That said... I still can't help but marvel: it just blew up, just like that? Transfer student Qi Yue is terrifying indeed. I declare that the gears of fate are about to start turning anew! Turn, turn, turn!]

[6th reply: Big Shot Qi smiles: this is the best arrangement.jpg.

The crystal ball presses its lips together: not giggling!]

[7th reply: Crystal: Doesn't my life matter? Is anyone speaking up for me?! No, all you have eyes for is the guy who smashed me to pieces!]

[8th reply: A world where only the detection crystal ball got hurt has been achieved √]

[9th reply: Nonono, did the person above forget that the red-haired twins were! forced! to refund the money and pay additional compensation? Hahaha, how does their wallet bleeding out not count as another kind of "hurt"?~]

[10th reply: The red-haired twins say: next time... maybe we should just forget it?]

[11th reply: What's wrong with you? Can't you understand plain words? Why bring up other characters? Speechless.]

[12th reply: They didn't say much about them, just followed the discussion a little further. No need to be so aggressive...]

[13th reply: Don't derail the thread. Take your fighting elsewhere. (Qi · expressionless · everyone stay away from me · Yue.jpg)]

[52nd reply: Liked the 1st reply. Anyway, I enjoyed it. BKing this, BKing that, it's really addictive. After all, "Qi · there's nothing to be done about it either · Yue.jpg."]

[53rd reply: Speaking of which, I'm also pretty curious about how the First Hunter Academy will react after getting an email from that old oddball of a dean +1.]

[54: Hmm... just putting this out there, but is it possible that Big Shot Qi came from the First Hunter Academy?]

[55: No way, right? Everyone knows the First Hunter Academy is the best of the seven Hunter Academies in terms of benefits, authority... and so on. Giving up the best to transfer to the Seventh Hunter Academy, the worst of the lot, isn't normal however you look at it.]

[56th reply: Why not? A big shot's thoughts are as hard to fathom as a needle in the ocean. Since Big Shot Qi transferred to the Seventh Hunter Academy, he must have his reasons. I just feel like, given the First Hunter Academy's usual style, they won't let it go easily.]

[57: That all sounds pretty reasonable. I'll wait and see, and camp here for a prophet while I'm at it. (Parking my butt here, would some kind soul please give me a kick?)]

[58th reply: Agreed with the person above +1. (My butt's sticking up, don't be shy, kick hard.)]

[59th reply: Damn it, the only thing I'm unhappy about is that the transfer student's Esper Ability field still says: unknown! Just what kind of terrifying power is it that they won't show us? I've practically been hooked like a fish!]

[60th reply: Hooked fish +1. Please don't just dangle the bait and never reel us in!]

By the time he reached page six, Qi Yue still wanted to keep reading, but the forum interface vanished, leaving just one line on the Panel:

[Your exchanged forum points have been used up. Unable to turn the page.]

Qi Yue: "..."

Six thousand manga popularity points, 60 points, and he couldn't even finish one thread?

Even a capitalist would feel inferior to the Panel and bow down in admiration.

Of course, Qi Yue had finally found the answer to the clickbait in the thread's discussion:

The thing that exploded was the crystal ball.

The ones crawling darkly were the Class F students who'd been frightened when the crystal ball exploded.

The forum thread contained no lies, in the literal sense.

Qi Yue: "..."

The world was one giant nest of riddles. Fortunately, judging from the forum discussion, the persona he'd fabricated for himself was holding steady for now. No one had discovered the truth: he'd deliberately brought up the "quality issue" because he couldn't afford to pay for it.

But no matter how he looked at it, the 100:1 exchange rate was a terrible deal. Since the forum had "forum points," that meant they could be earned. If he earned points on the forum, he wouldn't have to exchange manga popularity points for them anymore. Given the Panel's usual habits, manga popularity points would definitely have another use in the future.

To earn points on the forum, he needed a forum account. Following the logic of accumulating manga popularity points, posts made with a forum account would also earn points. Applying the formula was quick.

So, the question was:

"How can I get a Manga Forum account?" Qi Yue put the question to the Panel.

[Successfully enter Class E to receive the reward: forum account +1.]

Qi Yue: "..."

He'd only just managed to gain a shaky foothold in Class F thanks to Beixing, and the Panel was already making him look for his next, stronger target. There was no one in Class F stronger than Beixing, which meant he had to place first in this month's end-of-month assessment and gain recognition before he could move up to Class E.

The Panel was a relentless slave driver, never letting him rest for a moment.

But in the forum thread, he could have reaction images of himself. Reaction images were a spontaneous form of marketing and publicity by viewers or fans, and they spread widely. Some entertainers with no works to their name even became famous through the widespread circulation of reaction images. They were all ways to increase popularity points.

Not only that, once he had a forum account, he could even use his posts to manipulate public opinion, build hype for himself, and increase his manga popularity points. Keeping his persona in check was like maintaining a face after cosmetic surgery: he not only had to be careful, he also needed a skilled surgeon. The forum account was the scalpel for keeping his persona in check.

In short, for the long term, he was determined to get a forum account.

That meant that if he, whose Esper Ability rounded off to practically nothing, wanted to stand out in this month's end-of-month assessment and join Class E, then whether it was the physical attacks taught by Teacher Jian, the "magic" attacks taught by Teacher Bai today, or even the lessons taught by other teachers before the Monthly Assessment—

He had to crank the intensity all the way up.