David went back home, and the first thing he did was switch his Mac on and log in to Jump to see if the editor was behind this crazy increase in his collections.
He instantly opened the editor chat box and was left even more confused. Upon seeing no new message and finding no direct link, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
He messaged the editor, asking if he had received a recommendation or something, as his collection had been soring nonstop.
It was so terrible that it had once again risen by two hundred ninety-five in the short gap between him having lunch with his girlfriend and returning home.
As expected, the editor replied soon, and the answer was a resounding no and that the growth was completely natural.
This wasn't even the bad news. That was what the editor messaged next.
Editor - I also have good news to share with you. I won you a recommended spot next week with these growth figures as a backboard.
Eternal Darkness - Thank you for your efforts. I am very grateful and can't wait to thank you in person one day.
Editor - If you keep it up, the day you sign a formal online publishing contract won't be so far away.
Eternal Darkness - I can't wait.
David might have typed these words on the keyboard. In reality, he was fuming as he had received bad news one after another.
David said while sitting on his chair, "God, what is going on? Why do I feel like the whole world is against me."
David then let out a small scream of frustration.
David barely restrained his anger and told himself, "Calm down, David. Things happen. I can't control anything."
"Anyways, this is good. I was going to attack that challenge mission either way. Now it just a bit sooner is all."
"Plus, I will have my revenge one day, reader. Beware, I will make you regret ever picking this manga up."
"Just let me build up characters once and then..."
David waved his hand at his neck, indicating something sinister. Then he started laughing like a madman.
Hence marked the official start of one of the most legendary mangaka ever to live and his descent into madness.
Another week passed, and the third chapter scheduled for release on Wednesday midnight for Shadow Realm was published.
Marvin was reading a manga called High Tech Life on his mobile when he saw a notification stating that Shadow Realm had released a new chapter.
Marvin immediately recalled Shadow Realm, a gem he had found recently, and clicked on the notification.
It brought him directly onto the cover page, which was a giant alarm clock drawn in not black but red with these weird markings as symbols for the different times.
Marvin - "Ooh, cool, what is this? Is this the language of those shadow realm monsters? Damn, this mangaka sure knows how to make a good cover page."
If David had heard this, his mouth would have been left open, as the reason he did these weird cover pages wasn't to showcase a mystery or make people intrigued but to make people weirded out.
Marvin - "The chapter is called Tik Tok. Now that's a fitting name for the cover page, huh? The mangaka really cares about his readers taking care of every detail."
David, who had typed the title based on the clock due to laziness, would be even more flabbergasted by Marvin's comments, but unfortunately, he wasn't here but sleeping in his bed.
Chapter Description -
The 1st page started right where we had left off, with Andrew sitting in one corner alone, drinking what looked like a jug of beer inside an empty bar while a bartender spoke to Andrew.
Bartender - "Isn't it a bit early to start your day with beer like this?"
The next panel shows Andrew staring angrily at the bartender, getting up, and getting close to the bartender.
The bartender panics and quickly replies, "No, don't mind me, sir, you do you. I don't want any trouble."
The following panel shows Andrew tossing what looks like a silver coin toward the bartender and turning to leave while saying, "Here, keep the change."
Marvin, who read this, was left dumbfounded, "I thought Andrew was eaten and replaced. What is going on? Why can he speak? Can the monster speak now? So many questions."
The next panel cuts off and shows John, a fragile teenager with black hair and blue eyes wearing an orange prison uniform.
Sitting alone in his cell with his eyes closed and legs folded on his bed, giving the vibes of a Buddhist monk meditating.
Marvin - "Of course, it cuts off there well. I guess it makes sense that by chapter 3, I have more questions than answers."
The subsequent panel shows John opening his eyes in worry and saying, "No, something is not right. The abnormal pressure is still there. This isn't normal. I need to investigate this."
The next panel shows a close-up of John's pupils suddenly changing and becoming the symbol indicating the number one from the clock on the cover page.
The subsequent panel shows that everything suddenly goes pitch dark, and only John is seen sitting with his eyes open, but his eyes in this panel are back to normal.
In the next panel, John gets up, and his moment seems to cause a ripple in this space as if everything around him is water. Suddenly tiny waves are shown to start.
The next panel follows these tiny ripples as they disobey the laws of physics and seem to get bigger and bigger until they head off into the distant darkness.
The next panel shows the red smile from the first chapter appearing again, but this time from the depths of the darkness, and then it releases a ripple back at John.
This ripple turns into a massive wave of water that completely drowns John in this colossal tsunami.
The next panel shows John suffocating as he tries to breathe and find air while drowning inside what looks like a sea. John barely manages to yell out, "Help."
The next panel shows that John is bought back to reality as he is shown getting brutally electrocuted by these metallic spears wielded by two men in guard uniforms.