Simultaneously, the first chapter of Tsuruki Junsei's new series, The Divine Race, made its quiet debut inside the pages of Manga World.
The chapter opened with a dream sequence,a strange, ancient dialogue between two brothers.
"Brother... when we raise our battle standards and devour the world, will you eat me too?"
In the opening panel of the comic, a small, delicate-looking young boy addresses his older brother.
"I will. That way, you'll be with me when we rule over the world!" the man replies softly.
The following panels reveal that this was merely a dream.
The scene then shifts to a senior high school student named Kaito.
Kaito appeared to be the protagonist of The Divine Race.
But calling him a protagonist felt like an overstatement; he was incredibly ordinary.
The narrative showed he carried average grades and a tragic household index.
While his parents were alive, they were stationed overseas permanently, leaving Kaito to live with his aunt and uncle for over a decade.
He fit the exact profile of a depressed teenager with zero confidence.
Getting into a top-tier university seemed entirely out of his reach.
His strongest talent was playing a strategy game called StarCraft.
Beyond that, he was a chronic mutterer who fell into fits of murmuring complaints, dealing with a string of bad luck daily.
Kaito harbored a secret crush on the class goddess.
She was gorgeous, carried academic stability, and treated him with warmth and kindness.
Naturally, Kaito was deeply infatuated with her.
However, readers quickly noticed something about this "goddess."
She felt somewhat manipulative, using Kaito primarily for running errands and feeding her own vanity.
It was painful to watch.
But a protagonist is a protagonist.
Suddenly, an invitation arrived from a prestigious nobleman's academy based in America,Kassell College.
They were recruiting within Kaito's high school.
Bypassing students holding academic excellence, wealth, or athletic prowess, the academy fixed its crosshairs firmly on Kaito.
Furthermore, a gorgeous senior student named Nono arrived, placing intense focus on Kaito's placement.
This specific scenario granted readers living vicariously through the underdog a nice surge of relief.
During the chapter climax, before the entire class, Kaito's crush accepted a confession from a rich classmate.
But right on cue, the gorgeous Nono entered the room, granting Kaito maximum face before driving him away in a luxury sports car.
Kaito had officially taken off!
While readers could track the satisfaction angle of the scene, reading the Rest of Chapter One left many feeling confused.
The setting was withheld almost entirely.
It felt like a standard romance comic with the standard gender dynamics reversed.
But since this was a serialization inside Manga World, readers knew it couldn't remain a peaceful sliced-of-life romance.
Presumably, the layout was truncated due to board limitations.
The strange intro, the mysterious Kassell College, and Nono's actions all pointed toward a massive backlog of lore waiting beneath the ice.
Regardless of future payouts, the first chapter felt slow and disjointed. That was the consensus among the readership.
---
However, there was one reader who viewed the display with completely different eyes.
Aoyama blinked repeatedly, absorbing the panels unfolding across the desk.
'Isn't this... that legendary supreme youth fantasy epic from my previous life?'
While the name was different, being framed as The Divine Race, the setup, the protagonist, and the pacing matched completely.
Even if they changed the name into "Demon Race," Aoyama would recognize it in a heartbeat!
"Well, inside a parallel structure, things like this are natural," Aoyama murmured, looking down at the magazine.
'I just hope the ending for The Divine Race inside this universe is a happy one...'
Having been a fan in his previous life, Aoyama felt a attachment to the story and hoped for the characters to avoid heartbreaking downfalls.
Unfortunately, beyond hoping, he couldn't change full outcome files. He could only watch and see.
---
Very quickly, the popularity rankings for that week were tabulated and released.
Chainsaw Man's numbers surged like wild fire. The comical groin-striking fight between Denji and Aki had readers rolling with laughter.
The digital boards and threads flooded with comments:
{ Hands down, executing low blows as a strategy? My own index is feeling phantom pain just looking at that page! }
{ Sensei's mental status remains absolutely bulletproof. This chapter was hilarious. }
{ I didn't expect the rival to emerge this quickly, let alone having them brawl in an alley on day one! }
{ Denji isn't wrong! When you are fighting men, aiming purely for the critical points maximizes efficiency! }
{ I understand it now. David should have just aimed his punches directly into Adam Smasher's groin cavity; he would have cleared the game easily! (?) }
{ David lands a punch,CLANG,only to discover Adam Smasher's lower chassis contains full cybernetic plating. }
{ What are you guys talking about? Adam Smasher is basically a brain in a jar at this point; he doesn't have those critical points anymore. }
{ This is a beautiful strategy, though it makes my seating posture highly uncomfortable. }
Due to the viral traction of the alley fight, Chainsaw Man's rating board hit an impressive number five position.
Meanwhile, in a corner where zero attention gathered...
"Tsuruki-sensei, the performance ranking for The Divine Race sits at number twenty-one," the new assigning editor, Guderian, reported over the phone line.
Following the conclusion of his previous book, Tsuruki had swapped editors, pairing up with a highly experienced veteran.
Guderian had even offered substantial input concerning the framing of The Divine Race's upcoming layouts.
This edition listed twenty-one serializations in total.
Meaning, The Divine Race entered the charts dead-last.
The chapter hadn't disclosed any high-tempo setup details, and with Tsuruki's baseline following still forming, there were zero fan-bases driving a sympathy buffer.
A rank twenty-one finish was inevitable.
"Dead last?"
Tsuruki's eyes dulled slightly, a heavy rush of self-doubt settling into his chest.
"Tsuruki-sensei, this ranking isn't abnormal for a debut," Guderian comforted him warmly. "Yours was the only new serialization entering the boards this week."
"I believe in you, and I believe in The Divine Race. The upcoming reveals and plots will dazzle the boards!"
"Do not lose heart; trust in yourself. You are holding something incredible!"
Absorbing Guderian's warm support, Tsuruki let out a heavy, stabilizing breath.
He had to trust himself. He was going to succeed!
One day, he would make everyone look at him with unmasked admiration!
"Understood. I will try my best going forward!" Tsuruki replied, his drive re-igniting fully.
[Translated and Rewritten by Shika_Kagura]
T/N: this chapter reeks... you know what