Chapter 74
【Hot】【Featured】【Has anyone managed to sum up Ji Qing’s character archetype yet?】
【Woohoo, he finally made it into Class S! I feel like Chang’an’s high school life is only truly beginning now. It really wasn’t easy for him. (wipes tears)】
【It feels like Ji Qing is getting a lot of attention. Is it because he’s strong and talented? Honestly, I don’t feel any envy or jealousy at all. The main reason is that our Chang’an’s role as a growth-type protagonist is just way too obvious... (covering face)】
【Hot】【Hehe, I knew I guessed the team assignment right! I just knew it would turn out like this!!!】
【I’m dying. 《Ability Hunter》 only entered the academy in Volume 2, only confirmed the promotion to Class S at the end of Volume 3, and now Volume 4 opens with the Class S gathering. I have a feeling this manga might really run for six or seven years...】
【Hot】【What exactly is the transfer student’s background? That old thief just dropped in a transfer student out of nowhere. There’s definitely some very important plot on him. (swears solemnly)】
...
The moment Ji Qing clicked into the manga forum, the first thing he saw was the featured thread that was practically about to become pinned at the top of the forum. Ji Qing found it amusing at once. “You people... are paying way too much attention to my character setup, aren’t you?”
Ji Qing himself had been rather curious too, but he had not expected the readers to be even more curious than he was.
However... Ji Qing turned back in surprise and glanced at the manga’s cover. The cover of 《Ability Hunter Academy》 had already been changed, shifting from the campus background of Volume 3 to the snowfield background of Volume 4. Xie Chang’an still occupied the center of the cover.
He was wearing a thick jacket and half-crouching on top of a speeding train, with a stern expression as though he were just about to draw his blade.
That pose was pretty cool, Ji Qing silently judged.
Up to this point, every cover Yuexia Cao had drawn for the manga had done a good job of highlighting the dynamism of the characters’ poses. Combined with his clean, sharp linework and the realistic wasteland worldbuilding, it made the series very easy for new readers to pick up. Many readers had probably been drawn in by exactly that.
Ji Qing returned to the manga directory and roughly calculated the length of the volumes already released.
Because Volume 3 involved the ability test, the individual matches, and the team match, it had nearly more than twice as many chapters as the other two volumes. Back then, Ji Qing had thought Yuexia Cao would split those segments into separate volumes, but unexpectedly, he had not.
And because he had been so busy, Ji Qing had not paid attention to that in the middle of everything.
“But looking at it now, it really does make sense to stop there...” Ji Qing murmured. The end of Volume 3 was the farewell scene between Xie Chang’an and the teachers, classmates, and dorm roommates of Class F. As a hot-blooded shonen manga focused on the protagonist’s growth, that really was one of the turning points in Xie Chang’an’s life as the manga’s main character.
“That old thief treats Xie Chang’an pretty well,” Ji Qing could not help laughing.
The most important thing in a manga was the shaping of the protagonist. If the protagonist’s characterization could not stand up on its own, then the later plot would be very hard to carry forward. Ji Qing had the subtle feeling that he and Yuexia Cao were like refugees crammed onto the same escape boat.
The two of them were wary of each other, while at the same time constantly guarding against the other one running away first.
With that thought, even the last bit of Ji Qing’s resentment toward Yuexia Cao disappeared. Even though Yuexia Cao still had no idea that the manga under his pen had already developed into a real world, he did genuinely respect the characters he had written.
【Thread Topic: Has anyone managed to sum up Ji Qing’s character archetype yet?】
【1F Original Poster: Ji Qing’s characterization is so fascinating. This is honestly the first time I’ve ever found this kind of character setup in a shonen manga. I’m eating this up, eating this up, eating this up... That old thief is so good at creating fresh character types. What people are saying about Ji Qing being an “otome game male lead” fits him so well too.
Ji Qing’s character setup can’t be summed up with simple labels like “cold and aloof” or “pretty, powerful, and tragic.”
At first I thought Ji Qing would be the traditional genius top student carrying a blood feud on his back, someone who came to the Third Ability Academy only to make revenge more convenient. But I never expected the real top student to laugh, to joke around, and to actually be a very friendly person.
After seeing his appearances in the latest few chapters, my heart has practically melted into a puddle.
Waaah, thank you, Xie Chang’an, for getting promoted to Class S and letting me see the real Ji Qing, waaah. (deeply moved)】
【2F: The top student’s characterization really is something.】
【3F: I also thought he’d be the type with a deep blood feud, though honestly, that still isn’t impossible... (glances at the old thief’s earlier short manga)】
【4F: That old thief really likes contrast. He has a wasteland short manga where the protagonist also had a smiling, carefree personality, and then in the end literally everyone got wiped out. Though I feel like the transfer student’s personality is actually closer to that protagonist’s...】
【5F: Now I get goosebumps every time I look at the transfer student.】
【6F: Same here.】
【7F Original Poster: I guess that counts as a cautionary tale. But Ji Qing’s character setup is super rare. I feel like this is the only characterization of its kind in any manga the old thief has drawn so far. It’s really hard to categorize him.】
【8F: If I had to categorize him, I feel like I’d need to separate his outward and inward personas. (deep in thought)】
【9F: Ji Qing is pretty cold and aloof toward outsiders. His cold expression during the ability test was seriously sharp and eye-catching. That effortless sense of pressure was incredibly attractive. I instantly liked him then. But toward his own people, he really is...
super approachable, and he likes pulling pranks.】
【10F: Pulling pranks?】
【11F: Was that actually in the manga?】
【12F (replying to 11F): Didn’t Ji Qing team up with You Xingluo and poach Liu Mu before the team match? That should count as a kind of prank too, right?】
【13F (replying to 12F): Oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot about that.】
【14F: But it feels like the mastermind behind the scenes should’ve been You Xingluo. He’s closer to Shao Huayu, and they’re childhood friends too.】
【15F: Not necessarily, though?
I think Ji Qing’s relationship with Shao Huayu is also pretty good. It’s just unclear when exactly they got close.】
【16F Original Poster: I still really want the old thief to give us some daily-life scenes from Class S, wuwuwu.】
【17F: Dream on.】
【18F: This is the one and only famous Yuexia Cao, who never draws extras. (flat tone)】
【19F: I still feel like Ji Qing belongs to the cool and distant type. Mainly because the gentle attitude is reserved for people he already knows. The instant he meets strangers or gets put in a public setting, his face goes cold immediately. I feel like Class S is already used to that.
This type of character gives you a huge sense of achievement once you finally get through to him, because he treats his own people really well.】
【20F: He really does feel just like an “otome game male lead.”】
【21F: The more I look at him now, the more that feels true. I don’t even dare imagine how well the people in Class S have it. (tears falling)】
【22F: Isn’t this basically the perfect unattainable-crush template? The earlier top student was too cold, while the current top student is too approachable. I’m starting to worry Ji Qing is going to get hit with tragedy...】
【23F: Wuwuwu, my little matcha cupcake.】
【24F (replying to 23F): ? Matcha cupcake???】
【25F: Wait, are you talking about Ji Qing?
No, seriously—you people turned him into cake this fast? But why a matcha cupcake???】
【26F Original Poster (replying to 23F): Wow, that sounds delicious.】
【27F Original Poster: Cool and distant toward outsiders, warmth and approachability maxed out on the inside. The students of Class S have it way too good, and Ji Qing himself has it way too good too, wuwuwu. For a moment I don’t even know who I’m supposed to envy anymore, wuwuwu...】
...
“Woohoo~” Ji Qing could not help whistling.
At that moment, he nearly wanted to screenshot the whole thread, save it, bookmark it, and forward it to all his acquaintances. Ji Qing lifted the corner of his lips with confidence: See? He had said it himself—his personality was great. How could he possibly be the “repressed tsukkomi guy” his friends kept calling him?
Ji Qing held a deep grudge over that phrase from the bottom of his heart.
“Sigh...” Ji Qing read through the whole thing again with lingering satisfaction, then said regretfully, “What a pity. My world doesn’t have KuMan. Once I leave here, I probably won’t be able to see 《Ability Hunter Academy》 or the forum anymore...”
Although Ji Qing still was not even sure whether he could get back at all, the manga forum really had brought him a great deal of joy.
【Thread Topic: Ji Qing seems to be getting so much attention. Is it because he’s strong and talented? Honestly, I don’t feel any envy or jealousy at all. The main reason is that our Chang’an’s role as a growth-type protagonist is just way too obvious...】
【1F Original Poster: When I first saw the cafeteria conflict, I was so frustrated with Chang’an for not living up to expectations. But now I actually feel a little sorry for him. Two little pitiful babies. One is afraid his friend will leave, and the other is afraid of getting hurt. The moment the information about mutation came out, I instantly understood Song Xiaoran’s attitude back then.
Xue, Chang’an, and Xiaoran are all tragic. Right now I’m starting to suspect the backgrounds of the others in Class S are tragic too.】
【2F: Ji Qing and the transfer student too. I think so as well.】
【3F: Not necessarily.】
【4F: The fanworks used to portray the top student as the type carrying a blood feud, but the actual version completely exceeded everyone’s expectations. But that old thief loves reversals, especially in this manga. I just don’t know how many times he plans to keep overturning things.】
【5F: I feel like the investigators’ level of interest is really high.】
【6F: That’s rare, isn’t it? After all, he’s a genius capable of suppressing the Shao family’s young master.
If the investigators hadn’t shamelessly gone up and questioned Ji Qing directly, I’d already be saying they were being polite. If it were me, I seriously wouldn’t be able to stop myself from asking him in person. He’s basically the same kind of existence as Sun Wukong bursting out of a rock.】
【7F: Me, me, me!!! (raises hand) That’s exactly why I think Ji Qing’s origins are not simple.】
【8F: That old thief definitely gave Ji Qing a hidden identity. We just don’t know what it is yet, that’s all.】
【9F: A mutant species?】
【10F: Chang’an feels that Ji Qing’s aura is a little similar to Li Yuan’s, so maybe that’s foreshadowing too.
Li Yuan is a dangerous figure moving through the Federation’s dark underside, and later Ji Qing’s behavior makes him think of Li Yuan again. Maybe it’s hinting that Ji Qing is also someone who lives in the Federation’s dark side.】
【11F: Huh? Shouldn’t that just mean their personalities are similar?】
【12F Original Poster: I feel like even saying their personalities are similar comes off a little strange. Don’t tell me the two of them are actually the same person? That shouldn’t be possible, right?】
...
“Looks like it really is necessary to deliberately tie them together,” Ji Qing murmured softly.
He did not keep reading further, because the readers’ guesses were leaning in exactly the direction he had originally anticipated. Even though that kind of speculation was not mainstream yet, it was still necessary to take precautions first.
As for carrying out the smokescreen plan, the only thing that could be said was: the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.
【Thread Topic: What exactly is the transfer student’s background? That old thief just dropped in a transfer student out of nowhere. There’s definitely some very important plot on him. (swears solemnly)】
【1F Original Poster: I went and read that wasteland short manga everyone mentioned. The protagonist in that one really does make you think of the transfer student. Though behind the scenes, he’s a revenge-driven ghost who kills without blinking and ends up getting the whole cast wiped out in the finale. (quiet muttering)
Do you all think the old thief is repeating that characterization, or deliberately distinguishing this one from it?】
【2F: The old thief probably wouldn’t draw characters with repeated roles, right?】
【3F: But the transfer student is a supporting character.】
【4F: Ah, well...】
【5F: It mainly depends on whether the old thief is going to seriously flesh the character out later, right? The transfer student’s personal storyline is definitely connected to that short manga, but whether it follows the same direction as that short manga or deliberately changes it is hard to say.】
【6F Original Poster: I agree with you. But if the transfer student is carrying a blood feud, then maybe Ji Qing isn’t?】
【7F Original Poster: Right now, every member of Class S has a different character setup. Is the old thief really going to make two people carry blood feuds at the same time?】
【8F: Class S already has four children of noble families in it.】
【9F (replying to 7F): That kind of differentiation is easy, though. One of them could have let it go, while the other hasn’t. Though right now Ji Qing doesn’t seem like someone carrying any blood feud.】
...
“Hm...” Ji Qing fell silent at that.
He had already seen discussion of the short manga in the hot thread just now, but he had not expected Yuexia Cao to choose an approach that aligned this closely with the short manga’s characterization. Still, it was normal enough... Ji Qing lightly tapped his fingertips against the table. “That really would maximize how readily readers accept Jiang Cuo.”
Compared with the other students, Jiang Cuo had appeared far too late.
Yuexia Cao had chosen to align the transfer student’s characterization with the protagonist of one of his short mangas. On one hand, it could stimulate reader discussion; on the other hand, it could help boost the transfer student’s popularity.
“So it really is just as I guessed,” Ji Qing murmured.
By now, Yuexia Cao had already used two smokescreens: the orphanage and the kidnapping organization, the transfer student and the protagonist of the short manga. If Ji Qing had still felt uneasy before about “forcibly tying himself to Li Yuan,” then that uncertainty had now basically been swept away.
“There are already two of them,” Ji Qing said to himself with a smile. “Adding me as one more wouldn’t really matter, would it?”
