The Legend of Level 0 in Academy City

Oh no! What should I do?!

Thinking about it carefully, whether it's their past or present lives, neither of them seems to have any survival skills!

Inoue Hidekazu only lived for thirteen years in this life. What kind of survival skills can you expect a thirteen-year-old to have?

If they had the means, they wouldn't be working, right?

In my previous life, I lived for over 20 years, but I spent most of that time immersed in the world of anime and manga, unable to extricate myself.

Comics, anime, novels, manga books, H-books...

Ah! I could draw comic books with that! How could I be so stupid!

Having been immersed in the world of anime and manga in her past life, Inoue Hideka's original works were sometimes not enough to satisfy her beating heart. So, she took up drawing manga in her spare time and received good reviews among fellow enthusiasts.

It's unclear whether the positive reviews refer to the manga or the adult content.

However, the comics about this world that I looked at before were absolutely terrible!

The only one he could get away with was "Locked Room X Locked Room Detective" in the weekly shonen magazine (which is Misaka Mikoto's favorite manga). He couldn't even finish a single chapter of the others, let alone draw a manga!

Absolutely disdainful!

Thinking of this, Inoue Hideka rested her chin on her hand, revealing a disdainful expression.

Since that's the case! Then I, Inoue Hideka, will create a legendary manga that will make the world tremble!

A confident gleam flashed in Inoue Hideka's eyes, and the gloomy atmosphere that had been surrounding her vanished, replaced by the vitality and vigor that should be present in someone her age!

The thought that he could create a masterpiece that would captivate the world's young people just like he had in his past life finally gave Inoue Hideka a bit of motivation.

The first smile she gave after entering this world was sunny and vibrant, instantly illuminating the area around her.

This is the burning passion of anime and manga! Everything related to anime and manga is where our hearts reside!

Inoue Hideka, in an unusually childish way, thought about these embarrassing words and laughed heartily.

Although the smile is sunny and energetic, a closer look reveals the upturned corners of the mouth, giving it a sinister feel.

Hmph~~ AB, 98, WT, I will definitely carry forward your culture! As a senior anime fan, I vow to continue my missionary work to the very end!

It's just that I'm taking care of some personal life issues on the side, um! By the way!

Now that we've set a goal, let's take action immediately.

The secret to success is to take immediate action!

I don't remember which great person said this, but Hidekazu Inoue put it into practice very well.

School District 9 is a district with a concentration of American technology-related schools.

I bought a full range of professional comic book tools here, including manuscript paper, screen tone paper, rulers, screen tone scrapers, lightboxes, ruling pens, ink, markers, black ink, correction fluid, craft knives, pen knives and screen tone cutters, brushes, drawing pens, pencils, 2B pencil leads, erasers, dip pens, pen holders, round nibs, G nibs, and many other things.

Despite repeated simplifications, it still cost over 20,000 yen. Inoue Hideka's lips twitched; he felt a pang of regret.

Life is even more difficult now, with only 40,000 yen left. I have to tighten my belt. I can always make up for it later after I get through this tough period.

After a very simple lunch, Inoue Hideka took a bunch of things and went straight back to her dorm to begin her creative journey.

First of all, you still need to practice a bit. After all, unlike comic books where the characters are limited to a few popular ones, if you're drawing directly from the original work, the number of characters, scenes, and backgrounds involved will be enormous.

Inoue Hideka is preparing to draw his previous life's entry into the world of anime, "Naruto".

I remember when I was in junior high school, I bought a few DVDs out of boredom. Those DVDs only had the first four episodes of Naruto.

But these short four episodes were enough to make Inoue Hideka fall in love with this passionate yet tragic anime, and from then on, he was hooked. Once you enter the world of anime, there is no turning back!

Therefore, Inoue Hideka believed that drawing this manga would definitely make it popular in a short time, and it would become more and more popular as the plot progressed.

After just two days of practice, Inoue Hideka regained his former feeling. After all, it was his gateway work into anime and also the anime in which Inoue Hideka drew the most manga.

It was on March 27th that Inoue Hideka officially began her creative journey?

There are still two weeks until school starts on April 10th, which is plenty of time. I wonder if I'll still have as much time as I do now after school starts.

Inoue Hideka planned to finish drawing the first chapter within two days and then submit it to a weekly magazine.

Once the work starts serialization, you can get royalties and get rid of this awkward situation.

Of course, while drawing manga, Inoue Hideka did not forget another existing crisis - the delinquents who are everywhere in the streets and alleys of Academy City!

Imagine if one day you accidentally wandered into a deserted corner.

Imagine running into a group of burly, menacing men with ferocious faces, their eyes filled with lust as they stare at your pockets—the scene is simply too beautiful to describe.

Or perhaps one day something comes up and you don't make it back to the dorm before school is completely over, and you happen to encounter a group of homeless people, reeking of alcohol and feeling invincible after drinking, at a peculiar crossroads...

Inoue Hideka felt a little cold, shivering as she rubbed her arms, deciding it was best not to think about it anymore.

Therefore, he decided that before the sun fully rose, facing the dew and sweating profusely, he found a park nearby and started every day before dawn—crashing into big trees!

That's right, it was crashing into a big tree.

According to relevant medical assessments, hitting a large tree can not only strengthen the body and enhance immunity, making one resistant to all diseases with consistent exercise, but also enhance the body's ability to withstand impacts.

Imagine banging your head against a tree every day like self-torture; wouldn't that increase your resilience?

Inoue Hideka's strategy was to first be durable and then be able to escape.

If you encounter bad guys, can't you at least run away if you can't beat them?

I'm taking hits while running away. A couple of hits won't slow me down at all. Even if I'm surrounded, it's fine; I'll just take a couple more hits and keep running.

It's not because of any masochistic tendencies!

If you get up early and happen to pass by the park near Inoue Eika's dormitory, you'll see—

An unusually excited figure, with an equally excited expression on his face, slammed into a tree as thick as a person's embrace, one after another.

"Bang! Bang!! Bang!!!"

Each thrust became more intense than the last.

Inoue Hideka was thrilled. As expected, anime otaku have strong hearts and unparalleled mental fortitude. Even in situations that seem like death to ordinary people, they can still devise a plan to get out of trouble and embrace a wonderful life.

This is what it means to be put in a do-or-die situation and then survive!

Of course, it's best not to pass by this small park, especially at this time of day, as the scene is too inappropriate and you might accidentally blind yourself.

Having finally finished the first chapter last night, Inoue Hideka plans to take the artwork to the weekly magazine's branch office in Academy City today for submission.

Ah! A wonderful life is calling me!

Thinking this, Inoue Eika's thrusts became even more intense!

Young man! Aren't you afraid you'll damage this big tree by crashing into it?!

Chapter Four: Hedgehog Head

Inoue Hideka was still a little nervous at this moment, but her confidence in the anime "Naruto" was unwavering.

But he only had a tiny bit of confidence in how well he could recreate the work.

After all, no one can possibly remember the entire plot of an anime series with hundreds of episodes, although the first episode is indeed very memorable. But...

It all depends on what the editor says!

Sitting nervously in his seat, cold sweat on his forehead was almost freezing into beads of water, his eyes fixed on the editor Sawada sitting opposite him, who had been silent ever since he received the comic.

More than ten minutes had passed, and Editor Sawada remained motionless, holding the comic book with his eyes fixed on the last page.

So much time has passed since I finished reading the last page, why is it still not moving? Did it go into shock from my comic?

"Um..." Finally unable to hold back, Inoue Hideka spoke up, wanting to remind Editor Sawada.

"If you keep going like this, you might die."

Unable to bear it any longer, Inoue Hideka worried that the editor might go insane or die from a sudden seizure while maintaining one posture for too long.

"Ah! Oh! I'm sorry, I lost my composure!"

Editor Sawada finally came to his senses, put down the comic, and adjusted his posture slightly; his hand was indeed numb.

"But your comic is so interesting! I've never read such an interesting comic before. It's unlike any other comic I've ever read. It feels like I've entered a new dimension!"

Editor Sawada became more and more excited as he spoke, and his hands, which hadn't yet calmed down, began to gesticulate wildly.

"If guided properly, this comic could absolutely become a masterpiece, surpassing all comics to date! It's unbelievable that such an excellent work came from such a young author like you!"

Well! I can understand why Editor Sawada was so excited, after all, I've also read Inoue Hideka's manga in this world, and their levels are completely different.

But you're a working adult, an editor! Is it really okay for you to get so worked up?

"Uh? Thank you for the compliment, Editor Sawada! Well then..."

"Okay, don't worry! I'll definitely arrange to serialize such an excellent work of yours. How about serializing it in the new issue of the weekly magazine next Wednesday?"

Before Inoue Eika could finish speaking, Editor Sawada interrupted, as if afraid he would give up the serialization in the weekly magazine, even using honorifics in his address.

“Okay, no problem!” For Inoue Hideka, it would be best if it could be serialized in next week’s weekly magazine.

Because his living expenses are almost gone!

I was thinking of eating as little as possible to get through this period.

But recently I started physical training, and my body is consuming a lot of energy. I just can't stop eating!

In addition, to achieve better training results, I specifically bought myself a weight that is comfortable to wear and can provide sufficient effect.

No matter what, negative crises are always present, so the faster you can achieve your goals, the better.

So there's really not much money left for living expenses.

The funds were originally enough to last a month, but after my own reckless actions, they probably won't last even half a month, and now almost a week has passed.

"So, what pen name do you plan to use?" Hearing Inoue Hideka's straightforward answer, Editor Sawada breathed a sigh of relief. Such a good work couldn't slip away from his hands.

"Hmm... a pen name? How about 'Red Tea House'?"

For the next half day, Inoue Hideka spent half a day discussing a series of issues, including signing a contract and royalties, with Editor Sawada. Finally, he was freed up around noon.

These things are really troublesome.

Inoue Hideka's fee was set at 12000 yen per page. After all, he was a newcomer. Even though editor Sawada thought highly of Inoue Hideka, the weekly magazine wasn't entirely up to him, and the company's rules still had to be followed.

Because comics in this world are not as developed as they were in Japan in the previous life, comic artists' fees are not as high as they were in Japan in the previous life. After all, there are not many top-tier comic artists.

In this situation, even in a city with high prices like Academy City, royalties can't be high.