"This is the new comic?" Andy flipped through the thick sketches in his hand, his tone laced with incredulity.
"A subject that has nothing to do with superheroes, and it's so bloody. Are you sure someone reads it?"
You know how many comics artists have failed with other themes. Superheroes are the most popular and profitable.
"Correct."
Xu Mo, aware of Andy's skepticism, replied, "The superhero market is saturated. Just because 'One Punch Man' was successful doesn't mean that theme is still viable."
"Well, you're the boss, so you can say whatever you want. I'm just worried that some might say you're running out of ideas."
"Not a chance. Actually, I do have a superhero theme in mind, but it's not the right time to publish it."
Xu Mo smirked and pointed to his head.
"That's good. I'll print it now and it'll be published tomorrow morning."
Andy seemed reassured and left. Xu Mo's mind was already on the recent events. Four days had passed since he had dealt with those gangsters.
"Shounen Jump" is a weekly comic magazine, and tomorrow marks the release of the new issue. Xu Mo decided to check the system.
His fan value had reached one million. Despite this, he hadn't used the lottery function yet, wary of drawing Saitama's costume.
"System, adjust specifications: five draws worth 100,000 and one worth 500,000."
Despite knowing that waiting for more draws could yield better results, Xu Mo chose to draw now. The content of the lottery would soon expand, making useful items harder to come by.
First, he drew five prizes worth 100,000 fans each.
[Congratulations, Host, you've received Saitama's white cloak.]
Just as Xu Mo suspected, the results were lackluster. The white cloak fell into his hands, and he tossed it into the trash without a second thought.
Saitama's uniform had no special attributes, and wasn't worth keeping.
[Congratulations, Host, you've received a TV.]
A TV? Really?!
[Congratulations, Host, you've received a football.]
A football? What was this, a kid's toy?
Xu Mo tossed the football onto the sofa, where Jia Li kicked it absentmindedly while her lazy eyes cleared.
So much for a child's toy.
[Congratulations, Host, you've received a vaccine man's skill: Lightwave Ball Fragment x1.]
Now this was useful. Skill fragments were practical. Xu Mo equipped the fragment, and the Lv1 on the white and blue sphere icon upgraded to Lv2.
[Congratulations, Host, you've received the Shard of the Underworld King x1.]
The Underworld King... Xu Mo recalled that the Underworld King's strength rivaled Saitama's in a dream world. In reality, it was just a ghost-level disaster.
He remembered that the system had previously explained how to use character fragments and asked, "How do I use character fragments?"
[Collect ten identical human fragments to summon the character. The Host's goodwill will be crucial for successful summoning.]
[The item can only be summoned with three fragments.]
Summoning characters was intriguing. Xu Mo was excited to see this in action, especially with the current chaos between Marvel and DC.
Next, he drew a prize for 500,000 fans, with a five-fold higher chance of rare items.
Nervous and excited, Xu Mo stared at the lottery interface, his heart racing.
[Congratulations, Host, you've received the Giant Skill Set: Tough Fragment x2, Strange Power Fragment x1, and Negative Intelligence Fragment x1.]
Wow!
Xu Mo took a deep breath. He hadn't expected to draw the entire set.
"When the system says 'negative intelligence,' what does it mean? Can it be that bad?"
[After consuming the potion, Marugoli exhibited lower IQ and ended up shooting his brother by accident. Before the incident, his IQ was normal.]
The mechanical voice paused and added: [Host can choose not to equip it.]
Of course, this item was hardly useful.
Seeing Jia Li playing with the ball, Xu Mo shook his head, relieved that she wasn't affected by the negative intelligence.
Equipped with the Tough and Strange Power fragments, Xu Mo felt a surge of energy throughout his body.
"Boom!"
Xu Mo threw a punch into the air, and a terrifying force exploded, creating a shockwave that punched a hole in the wall, with cracks spreading outwards.
Jia Li, noticing the commotion, put down the ball and went back to her snacks without a word.
"Looks like the room needs renovation," Xu Mo said, scratching his head. Money wasn't an issue.
He was pleased with the results, thinking, As expected from a Dragon-level disaster giant. Just the Lv1 Strange Power can unleash such force.
"Dududu."
"Hey, is that Xu Mo? Today's New York Carnival Parade—will you come?"
Peter's cheerful voice came through his cell phone. Having recently recovered from Uncle Ben's death, Peter needed something to lift his spirits.
"Sure."
After hanging up, Xu Mo noticed Jia Li staring at him with tears in her eyes and smiled wryly. "Alright, I'll take you."
"Hehehehe."
Jia Li quickly grabbed her small purple backpack filled with snacks and ran to the door, beckoning.
Perhaps the negative intelligence hadn't fully kicked in yet?
Xu Mo sighed, feeling that raising Jia Li was as challenging as raising a daughter.