'The only difference between the two videos is that the Charge Blade became metal, and the meticulousness of the upgraded Steel Charge Blade was better than the wooden one.'
'Could it be that the Steel Charge Blade video hit the viewers' G spot? Could it be that they like either the new video or this Charge Blade more than the one before it?'
Lin Yu began coming up with his own theories based on the online comments he had come across.
The LV1 Steel Charge Blade was not too far from actual science and technology; it was possible to make it in real life as well. The commenters were excited to see something in their fantasy being replicated in real life. Together with elements of cold weapons, actual combat, and transformation, the video hit the G spot of B site's users.
The Charge Blade was pretty close to what was found in other anime games as well. This was perfect for B site's main audience. Not only did the video bring in views, it also piqued the viewers' interest and love for the weapon, sparking the cognitive concept of what was 'real and achievable' to them.
'Could it be that my upgrading ability is based on divine power, determination, and belief?'
Lin Yu thought to himself.
If it really was like how he imagined it to be, he had to change his plan.
He had planned to make a Hextech Gauntlet model with cardboard within the next few days, but as he thought about it, he changed his mind on using cardboard material for the model. If he used better material and included a mechanical structure in the model, he might be able to upgrade it faster.
'Am I going back to being hardworking again? It seems like I wasn't even this hardworking back in high school.'
Lin Yu sighed and went out for lunch before getting back to work.
…
A week went by in the blink of an eye.
It seemed as if the spiritual energy rejuvenation was just an illusion, or Lin Yu's otaku-ness could have also been at its peak. His life was calm and quiet throughout the week.
While there were multiple news reports about incidents everywhere throughout the week, they did not affect Lin Yu's life in his ivory tower and he still went about with his daily life.
His days were extra 'fulfilling' as well.
He stayed up throughout the nights to draw his design and only woke up at 12pm everyday. He would have lunch before continuing to draw again. It was so 'fulfilling' that his roommates praised him for his newfound determination.
'Finally… I'm nearly done with the hell of drawing designs.'
The moment Lin Yu was done with the designs for the Hextech Gauntlets' parts, he felt like crying. He had basically spent the whole week in isolation.
He was not a genius in engineering, so it was impossible for him to create movable Hextech Gauntlets. He could only spend his time on its appearance—something that he was better at.
Even so, designing the structure took half his soul out of him. There were the minute details of the gauntlet, which included its finger joints, that he had to consider in the design. He also had to replicate it based on how it looked in LoL itself; it was much more complicated than the Charge Blade.
Nonetheless, the worst days were over. Now he only had to focus on production and assembly.
Lin Yu wanted to thank Jack Ma as well, genuinely appreciating him.
This time, he planned to use 3D-printed resin parts together with a cortex-lined inner layer for his Hextech Gauntlets. There was just one problem… It was impossible for poor students to own a 3D printer.
However, thanks to Jack Ma, Taobao offered affordable 3D printing services on top of the previous board cutting services.
There was another problem though; he had wiped out his savings as a financially-dependent student for the Charge Blade.
On top of that, B site only allowed cashout applications between the sixth to the tenth of every month so he had no choice but to wait for next month's window.
This time, he had to thank Jack Ma and the virtual credit card Huabei once again for solving his financial issue.
The seller quoted Lin Yu 2,000 yuan for the service and promised that it would be completed within the same day. As Lin Yu thought of it as spending credit courtesy of Jack Ma, he 'paid' the sum right away without hesitation.
The model was going to be used for a video anyway, and the money was going to come back to Lin Yu eventually. On top of that, getting a piece of super equipment from spending his credit was a plus.
Both videos of the Charge Blade garnered another 110,000 views over the past week. The wooden Charge Blade video had 40,000 new views, while the Steel Charge Blade had another 70,000 views. That came up to over 300 yuan of income for Lin Yu.
Although the growth of views was not as quick as the first day the videos were uploaded, they were still decent numbers. Many videos on B site peaked in views around the time they were uploaded, and it was rare for videos to have a substantial increase in views after that unless they were leading in site ranking or the number of B coins collected.
Without proper exposure and an abundance of content online, many uploaders could not guarantee that all their content would be liked by their viewers. It was normal to have one video with nearly a million views but only tens of thousands of views for the next video. Now that Lin Yu had two videos with steady growth in views, it proved that he was doing something right.
On top of that, the 110,000 views gave him a total of 534 EXP, and the Steel Charge Blade was now upgraded to a new rank.
___
[Steel Charge Blade]
Rank (LV2): 331/5000
Description: A Charge Blade made of high-strength alloy. An ejection structure of the blade has been added to the weapon, and it is now more tough and sharp…
Evaluation: A perfect combination of modern craftsmanship and the art of cold weapons.
___
Truth be told, the LV2 Charge Blade was a let down for Lin Yu.
It was strengthened, and the shield's surface could be spread out on both sides to make the weapon bigger; it basically looked like the Charge Blade in Monster Hunter. However, there was not much growth in terms of combat capabilities.
Apart from the ejection structure, the alloy Charge Blade was really just the Steel Charge Blade transformed into an alloy that he could not recognize. He had no way to test out the toughness of it, and the weapon had also become heavier. He could lift it a little before this upgrade, but now, he could not even move it.
As there was not much change to its appearance and structure, Lin Yu did not bother shooting a video for it. It had been left in his closet while he was focused on designing the Hextech Gauntlets.
'After upgrading thrice with a tenfold increase in the required EXP, shouldn't there be a little more change to the Charge Blade than this with the 5,000 required EXP?'
As Lin Yu glanced at the closet where the Charge Blade was in, he could not help but feel that it was a pity the Charge Blade was not what he had expected it to be. He also began doubting the prospect of his new superpower.
The Charge Blade was still a normal item after moving up two ranks. The true strength of his superpower was a little worrying.
He could only hope that there was a substantive change when the Charge Blade got upgraded to Level 3, or that he was the only one with this superpower. Otherwise, what was the point of it all if his upgraded equipment could just be custom-made with money? If someone else had fire or water-based skills, they could finish him in one round.