Wang He was over thirty. Ever since making his debut at nineteen, he had been a signed manga artist with Ink Fish. Step by step, he had gone from publishing short comics in Ink Fish's second- and third-tier magazines to securing second place in the Popularity Poll for two whole years with his series Tian Shu in Man Ying, Ink Fish's top magazine.
For a manga artist, his years of perseverance had certainly paid off. He had achieved success and fame, and the income from his comics had let him live the comfortable life he wanted. Though Magic Realm's first-place position in Man Ying was unshakable, he was already satisfied.
But that all changed three weeks ago, when two new series began running.
He had been shocked when Dong Yun's new series, Secret Girl, pushed him down to third place with just its first chapter. But he knew where he stood, all things considered.
It was true that, among Luo Province's manga artists, he was somewhat inferior to Dong Yun. According to last year's media rankings of popular manga artists in Luo Province, he had only just made the top ten, coming in ninth.
Dong Yun, meanwhile, had held steady in the top three for two years.
Though Secret Girl's explosive start had surprised him, he had more or less expected to be overtaken in the rankings by Dong Yun's new series.
But he had never imagined that, after Secret Girl had knocked him down to third place two weeks ago, Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal—the other new series that had started alongside it—would also come after him with such force.
There was no way he could stomach that. Whatever else might be said, he was one of Ink Fish's veteran artists. He could just about accept being overtaken by Dong Yun, who had switched over from another company, but if a newcomer's work passed him, those guys would definitely mock him about it the next time he attended a gathering of Luo Province's manga artists.
At home, he and his three assistants were working intently on the latest chapter of Tian Shu. Spurred on by Secret Girl and Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, Wang He had picked up the pace of the story in this new chapter and redesigned the protagonists' battle movements. The new compositions looked much cooler than the original ones, though scenes like these were also far harder to draw.
He always handled crucial panels like this by himself. His brush moved steadily across the page, his gaze utterly focused, just as it had been eleven years ago when he first entered the industry.
He didn't resent Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal for threatening his position. That was just how the manga industry worked: each wave pushed the one before it onward. But whatever happened, he was one of Luo Province's top manga artists. Faced with a challenge from a new series, he wasn't about to give up so easily.
The shockwaves Secret Girl had sent through Ink Fish Manga Company by ranking second in popularity for three chapters running were nothing compared to the impact of newcomer Shui Xin's new series, which seemed poised to overtake Wang He's Tian Shu.
Nothing like this had ever happened in the history of Luo Province's manga industry.
And quite a few people were looking beyond the present. If... Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal surpassed Tian Shu in popularity, who would it face next?
There were only two series above it!
Secret Girl, currently in second place, whose vote count was steadily closing in on the top spot.
And Magic Realm, which had held first place in Man Ying for three whole years—the flagship series of Ink Fish Manga.
Could Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal really work a miracle?
Before long, the fourth chapter of Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal was released.
That evening, the vote totals for first through fourth place were announced.
First place was still Magic Realm, with over thirty-seven thousand votes.
Second place, Secret Girl, with over thirty-five thousand votes.
Third place, Tian Shu, with twenty-eight thousand votes.
Fourth place, Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal, with twenty-five thousand votes.
When the editors at Ink Fish Manga Company learned the results, they all fell silent.
On the surface, the rankings seemed unchanged from the previous week.
But in reality, things were very different.
First, the vote counts for the top two series, Magic Realm and Secret Girl, had both risen. That showed that their battle for first place in Man Ying had spread to their respective fan bases.
Some longtime die-hard fans of the two series usually didn't bother voting online after buying the magazine. Now, though, they could no longer sit still, and one after another they cast their votes for the series they loved.
As for Tian Shu, it had fallen below the thirty-thousand-vote mark, while Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal had once again surged in popularity.
The first chapter had received over four thousand votes, the second over fourteen thousand, and the third over nineteen thousand.
Now, with the fourth chapter, it had crossed the twenty-thousand-vote mark, reaching over twenty-five thousand.
At present, the four most popular series in Man Ying were locked in a strange contest.
Secret Girl was eyeing Magic Realm's top spot, while, judging by its momentum, Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal would likely knock Tian Shu out of third place if it rose by as much again next week.
It wasn't just Ink Fish Manga Company. The entire manga industry in Luo Province was stunned by the competition among these four series in Man Ying.
As these four works competed against one another, Man Ying's sales had surged, thanks to the addition of Secret Girl and Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal.
Its weekly circulation had grown from around three hundred and fifty thousand copies to a million.
It had become the highest-selling magazine among all the manga periodicals published in Luo Province.
At a tavern, the author of Tian Shu, Wang He, sat drinking with another man.
"I'm done for, brother. I don't think I can hold on! Next week, that newcomer's series will probably overtake me." Wang He's slightly chubby face was flushed, and his voice was full of helplessness.
"Shen Xin, you have to hold your ground. How can a manga artist who came up here at Ink Fish let someone like Dong Yun, who switched over from another company, take the top spot so easily? That would be... that would be so humiliating..."
Shen Xin was the author of the hugely popular Man Ying series Magic Realm. He looked a little younger than Wang He, and more refined, too.
"I feel like I'm about to lose my place as well. I'll probably be knocked out of first within a few weeks." Wang He gave a self-deprecating laugh.
They both understood what it meant for a new series to become this popular so early in its run.
The only reason Shen Xin's Magic Realm was still in first place was that it had been running for a long time and had built up a large readership. But as Secret Girl gained more chapters, it was only a matter of time before Magic Realm was overtaken.
"Ugh!" Wang He sighed.
"All the veteran artists at Ink Shadow are watching the two of us!"
"After all, Dong Yun and we used to be rivals. She used to be Feng Yu's number one. If she came over here and became number one at Ink Fish, wouldn't that prove our manga artists aren't any good...?"
"Number one?" Shen Xin shook his head.
"I'm not so sure."
"I think it'll take at least a few weeks for Secret Girl to push me out of first place. By then, who knows what things will look like!"
"You mean...?" Wang He realized what Shen Xin was getting at.
"Rurouni Kenshin: Trust and Betrayal..."