Chapter 20

Even an A-rank ability user had no reaction to the ability he copied? Then what the hell did he copy... Could even F-rank students be immune to it?!

Qi Yue questioned his life.

The next moment, the black-haired boy's voice reached Qi Yue's ears.

"My name is Lu Zhaobei."

"Nice to meet you." Like Qi Yue, Lu Zhaobei maintained a veneer of politeness.

Qi Yue: "...?"

Wait... what did he say his name was? Lu Zhaobei?

The comic's protagonist?!

Chapter 20

The real world.

Season two of Chronicles of the Young Hunters had updated.

"I heard people at work talking today. They said this chapter was really long... Let me see just how long it is..." When her coworkers had discussed it during the day, Chu Yun had put on headphones to block them out and avoid spoilers. She had only caught the beginning.

After washing away the day's fatigue, Chu Yun hugged a life-size body pillow from the first season's merchandise and muttered to herself as she opened the latest chapter, full of anticipation—

"Wow... this chapter really is long!" Looking at the newly loaded chapter of Chronicles of the Young Hunters, which seemed to scroll on forever, Chu Yun exclaimed in delight. "I love it. More updates, please!"

"I heard people at work say the comic is even better with the barrage comments, so I'll give it a try..." Chu Yun didn't turn on barrage comments across the whole screen, only at the top while the comic was in full-screen mode. The moment she turned them on, a wave of comments flooded the top fifth of the page.

"Ah, a secret investigator from the First Hunter Academy! I knew the First Hunter Academy couldn't just sit back and do nothing. I guessed right." Pleased with herself, Chu Yun scrolled down the comic.

In the panel, Atas held his head high and looked down his nose at everyone, as haughty as a peacock displaying its feathers.

[Remember how arrogant and unruly he looks right now (doge). This will be on the exam later.]

[Here's a joke: Attas Flint never regrets anything (doge).]

[Attas Flint the clown.jpg]

[Atas·Wait, what was his name again·Clown x2·Flint.jpg]

[Honest question: is this some kind of idiot peacock that only knows how to show off? Hahaha.]

"Hahaha, he transferred into the wrong class as soon as he arrived. Just what you'd expect from a First Hunter Academy student who's used to looking down his nose at people. Made a clown of yourself, didn't you?" The comic really was better with the barrage comments. Chu Yun made the same comment as the viewers. She thought she had fallen in love with a new way of reading comics.

"Oh no, he's after my brother Qi!" Seeing Atas walk arrogantly into the F cafeteria, Chu Yun couldn't help worrying for Qi Yue.

Soon, Chu Yun gripped her phone tightly in excitement.

In the comic on Chu Yun's phone screen:

Qi Yue's long, slender fingers, their joints clearly defined, rested on the shoulder of Beixing's drab cloak. Beixing looked startled and bewildered.

With a pull of that beautiful hand, Beixing was drawn behind Qi Yue's protective figure. The panel changed, and Beixing's cute face gave way to a handsome, cold, breathtaking one.

After that pretty, cute face came another handsome face, both stern and striking.

The disdainful expression, the cold red eyes, the handsome face... everything was so perfect and flawless, so powerfully striking that the atmosphere hit her full force.

For a moment, Chu Yun's heart skipped a beat, and her breathing quickened.

"Ahhh, that's Qi Yue for you! So handsome he could shatter the heavens!" Not only had he seen through Atas's origins at the First Hunter Academy at a glance and warned him verbally, but when Atas refused to listen, he had attacked with cold ruthlessness. So arrogant and cool.

"No, I have to switch out for a breather!"

Whenever Chu Yun came across a plot point or scene that made her heart race and her limbs tingle, she habitually switched out to calm herself down.

After taking a few seconds to compose herself, Chu Yun switched back to the comic and looked at the barrage comments at the top.

[I declare him the king of BKings, Big Shot Qi!]

[Let our true king of BKings show you what real arrogance looks like (starry eyes). @Atas, get in here and learn.]

[The king of BKings, Big Shot Qi, has arrived. Everybody out of the way!]

[That's the feel, so damn satisfying~ Handsome enough to take my breath away!]

[When it switched from Beixing's face to Qi Yue's, my heart started racing like crazy. How is this any different from dancing all over my kinks? I'm dead!]

After the cold warning, his opponent still refused to give up. In return, Qi Yue delivered a swift, decisive one-hit kill, putting a complete stop to the secret investigator Atas's snooping.

The moment before he struck, when his eyes turned cold, the style and tension were off the charts.

The real-time barrage comments were so dense that Chu Yun couldn't possibly read them all.

[Even if I were lying in a coffin, I'd kick the lid off and shout to the world—BKing is forever a god!]

[That's Big Shot Qi for you. Promise me you'll be a BKing forever!]

[Hooray, it's BKing! We're saved!]

After that comment came countless identical copies.

A few teasing comments were scattered among them, such as the classic:

[Hahaha, humans are basically repeaters.]

Perfectly satisfied, Chu Yun sent an identical comment and joined the crowd celebrating in the barrage: [Hooray, it's BKing! We're saved!]

Humans really were repeaters by nature. She raised both hands and both feet in agreement.

"I'm dying laughing. Atas, who never regrets anything, has now become Atas, whose conscience isn't completely dead. He's a bit of a show-off, but he's actually not a bad person. He didn't even give our Qi Yue away... favorability +1."

"Poor Beixing, there, there. But Brother Qi is training Beixing so intensely. Is he... about to leave Class F?" Chu Yun wondered.

"Wow, Zhaobei! Old Man Li is actually going to introduce Brother Qi to Zhaobei!" Although Zong Qizheng often called Li Qin "Old Man Li" to show his disdain, it was an affectionate nickname for Li Qin among the comic's fans.

The comic's protagonist, Lu Zhaobei, had finally met Qi Yue, the new character who had shown signs of becoming a huge hit from the start of season two of Chronicles of the Young Hunters. The dense barrage comments were full of speculation.

[Qi Yue has finally met the protagonist! Will they become friends?! Will he join the protagonist's party?! Ahhh, I can't wait!]

[Joining the protagonist's party seems unlikely. Judging by how Big Shot Qi treats Beixing and the other Class F students, he only gives his sincerity to people he approves of. Big Shot Qi made a point of mentioning Beixing in front of Old Man Li and Lu Zhaobei, so clearly Beixing is more important to him than the protagonist right now. Their greetings after Old Man Li left were so superficial. You could tell at a glance they were just keeping up a facade of politeness.]

[The new character's scenes really are satisfying to read, but isn't he being a little too rude to our Zhaobei? Our Zhaobei is the protagonist. What's with that attitude?]

[Exactly. Acting all aloof and arrogant, like he can't be bothered with him. Seriously. It's only because our Zhaobei has a good temper. Anyone else would have left already. Is he deliberately picking on our Zhaobei?]

[What the hell? Is it a crime not to want to be friends? Everyone has the right to choose their own friends, don't they? I'm not happy that Old Man Li brought someone over to befriend my Brother Qi behind Beixing's back, either.]

[Just read the comic. Why are you arguing? Take it to the forum if you want to fight. Speaking of which... how are you so sure my Brother Qi is on the "just" side? So far, none of Brother Qi's motives have been revealed, have they?]

[Qi Yue is clearly exceptionally talented and powerful, yet he chose the lowest-ranked Class F. He's such a baffling mystery. Chaotic evil or neutral isn't impossible either~ I don't care what he turns out to be anyway. Multishippers rejoice!]

[Why does he have to be friends with the protagonist's party? Can't they be archenemies? Classmates from the same academy who later become mortal enemies are delicious too (shouts in protest).]

[Archenemies +1! Archenemies are archenemies. They can never become wiv... no, I mean friends (ahem).]

[Did something strange just slip in here?]

Even the longest comic had to end eventually, and this was only an extended chapter. Unable to scroll any further no matter how hard she tried, Chu Yun finally gave up and voiced her complaint.

"Are they going to become friends or not? Damn it, another cliffhanger. I wish I could fast-forward straight to next Friday!"

As for the barrage comments that had started arguing, Chu Yun, a lover of peace, simply blocked them. She read comics during her breaks to relax and enjoy herself, not to get involved in arguments.

Manga World.

Qi Yue, after hearing Lu Zhaobei introduce himself: "..."

What had he said just a little while ago?

Oh, right. It was: "Nice to meet you."

"..."

No, he wasn't very happy now.

Qi Yue couldn't understand how the protagonist, Lu Zhaobei, who had nothing to do with him, could possibly have appeared before him. He recalled how "cold" he had been toward the comic's protagonist, Lu Zhaobei, just a short while ago.

Qi Yue: "..."

He shut down.

Wait, bro... if you're Lu Zhaobei, you should've said so sooner! Damn that common black hair, and damn that mosaic face. "Face blindness" is an illness, and it really does need treatment.

The only thing that comforted Qi Yue was that the panel hadn't displayed a warning like [Protagonist's party hostility +]. As expected of the protagonist, he had always been remarkably broad-minded.

But the protagonist himself not being angry at his behavior didn't mean the protagonist's fans wouldn't be. Qi Yue had never imagined that one day he would be glad his comic popularity hadn't risen high enough for him to browse forum posts at will. Otherwise, he would probably have seen forum posts launching a crusade against him for his "cold and ruthless" behavior toward the protagonist just now.

If he couldn't see it now, it was as good as not existing. That was how Qi Yue comforted himself.

In a few short seconds, Qi Yue quickly sorted out the confused thoughts brought on by the realization that this was the protagonist. The smile on his face remained unchanged. "So..."

"Would you be interested in coming in and sitting for a while?" Qi Yue stepped aside, revealing his dorm room door.

He hoped it wasn't too late to salvage his "precarious" relationship with the comic's protagonist. Even superficial friendliness would do. In any case, he didn't dare casually draw the hostility of the protagonist's party, much less the protagonist's.