Just as that wistful thought crossed Lin Yu's mind, two distinct sounds reached his ears simultaneously. One was Nobita's voice from nearby: "Shizuka! Let's eat lunch together! I heard it's curry today~"
The other was a crisp, mechanical voice that seemed to echo directly inside his skull:
[Manga System activating... Please wait...]
Lin Yu froze, his expression stunned. He thought he'd just heard something... highly unusual... mixed in with Nobita's chatter.
"What did you just say?" Lin Yu asked sharply, frowning as he turned towards the figure standing in the aisle talking to Shizuka – Nobita.
"Me?" Nobita blinked, confused by Lin Yu's sudden, intense question, and pointed at himself. But seeing the frown and the slightly unnerving look on Lin Yu's face, Nobita instinctively took a step back. Mustering his courage, he stammered quietly, "I... I just asked Shizuka if she wanted to eat lunch together..."
(Though Lin Yu was now in a child's body, his past life as an adult still gave him a different aura. Nobita felt strangely intimidated looking at Lin Yu, almost as if facing a stern grown-up.)
Shizuka, naturally perceptive, sensed the odd tension. While Lin Yu's reaction seemed strange, she felt partly responsible since Nobita had been talking to her. She quickly tried to smooth things over. "Lin Yu, why don't you join us for lunch too? You usually eat by yourself..."
But while Shizuka kindly tried to mediate, Lin Yu barely registered her words. His entire focus was riveted on the voice that had just sounded again, clear as day, inside his own head:
[Manga System activated. Claim Newbie Gift Pack? (Y/N)]
This time, he heard it perfectly. It wasn't anyone else speaking; it originated directly within his mind. Faced with this bizarre development, Lin Yu wasn't creeped out. Instead, an overwhelming wave of pure joy washed over him, completely erasing the frustration and melancholy he'd felt for the past two months.
Everything else suddenly seemed insignificant. Just those two words – System Activated – were enough. As a proud transmigrator, how could he not have a System?! It had just... arrived a little late, that was all! With a System by his side, his initially depressing situation suddenly looked incredibly bright and full of potential.
"No thanks, you guys go ahead," Lin Yu said quickly, politely refusing Shizuka's invitation without really hearing it. "I just remembered something I need to do." He abruptly stood up and hurried out of the classroom. Eating lunch with elementary schoolers? That seemed utterly trivial compared to investigating his brand-new System, especially with a Newbie Gift Pack waiting!
"Geez, what's his problem? Just because he's a transfer student, acting all high and mighty..." Nobita muttered under his breath as he watched Lin Yu disappear, feeling slightly embarrassed by how intimidated he'd been.
"Nobita, you shouldn't say things like that," Shizuka gently chided. "He only transferred here from abroad recently; it's normal for him to still be adjusting." (As Lin Yu's deskmate, she felt a sense of responsibility.) Besides, Lin Yu's sudden odd reaction just now had piqued her curiosity. 'I've rarely seen Lin Yu show such strong emotion,' Shizuka mused, her mind drifting into speculation. 'Did something happen?'
"Come on, Shizuka, forget about that spoilsport! Let's go get lunch..." Nobita urged, pulling her back to the present.
Meanwhile, Lin Yu, having left the classroom, found a secluded spot on the school grounds. His eyes gleamed with anticipation as he prepared to finally examine this "Manga System" and see what capabilities it possessed.
'System,' he thought. Instantly, an interface panel materialized in his mind's eye:
[Manga System]
[Host]: Lin Yu
[Age]: 10
[Abilities]: None
[Items]: Newbie Gift Pack
[Work]: None
[Reputation]: 0
[Shop]
The interface was incredibly simple, almost bare-bones. But Lin Yu wasn't disappointed. Every journey starts somewhere. The important thing was figuring out how this System could help him reach the pinnacle of life.
After carefully examining the System's introductory information, Lin Yu grasped its core mechanic. The Manga System, as the name implied, was designed to help the host achieve greatness through creating manga. The wider his manga spread, the more recognized and beloved it became, the more Reputation Points he would earn. These points could then be used in various ways – for example, in lottery draws to obtain abilities, items, or other elements directly from the manga works he possessed or created.
Understanding the System's function filled Lin Yu with bubbling excitement. Nobita had Doraemon, capable of pulling out all sorts of helpful gadgets. But Lin Yu's System, in a way, had the potential to be even more powerful! Think of all the countless manga series from his previous life! Any one of them contained innumerable powers and incredible items. With enough Reputation Points, he could potentially draw any of those things!
Driven by this thrilling prospect, Lin Yu focused his mental command on the 'Newbie Gift Pack'. 'Open Newbie Gift Pack.' He repeated the command silently, his heart pounding with anticipation.
[Ding! Congratulations Host! Obtained: Manga Skill Lv.1, Manga Work Draw Chance x1.]
The gift pack didn't contain many items, but what it did contain was exactly what Lin Yu needed most right now. A Manga System was useless if the host couldn't actually draw manga. Learning from scratch would require huge amounts of time and money. The [Manga Skill Lv.1] instantly saved him countless hours of effort. And this wasn't just basic drawing; the description indicated the Lv.1 skill comprehensively covered nearly all the fundamental techniques required for manga creation. While only the most basic level, it was more than enough to get Lin Yu started.