Chapter 50 – Preparation (1)
After that day, Min-hyuk’s daily life flowed without a single gap.
He spent the entire morning wide awake, powering through classes, and the moment they ended—
Scratch scratch! Scratch scratch!
He shut himself in the work studio, redrawing the manuscript based on the revised storyboard.
The revised pages had to be included in New Chance’s upcoming issue just a few days from now.
There was no room for leisure; every second counted.
But even so… he never once cut corners.
‘This cut needs maximum impact. Here, I’ll pull back on the detail a bit.’
‘To bring out the texture of the Haetae statue… tone 3 is better than tone 9.’
[TL Note: The haetae (해태), also known as haechi or haitai, is a mythical Korean guardian creature symbolizing justice, law, and protection against fires and natural disasters.]
‘I have to finish all the inking today—no excuses.’
First came the revision of the already-completed chapters 11–14.
Whenever small details or changes came up during the process—
<<Hmm… in this case, I think sticking closer to the original might be better?>>
“Ah, really?”
<<Yeah. Changing it this much might hurt readability a little.>>
He’d call Go Gwang-jin right away to ask.
“Hmm… moving the speech bubble to this side here would avoid blocking the line of sight.”
“Ah, you’re right.”
“Overall, it’s coming out incredibly well. Even better than the previous version.”
He’d go find Teacher Choi Jung-an for consultation.
And whenever new revision points arose, he’d return to the studio and dive straight back into the manuscript.
How much time passed like that?
“Huuu…”
This isn’t easy… it really isn’t.
Min-hyuk set the pen down for a moment, loosened his stiff wrist, and massaged his tired eyes.
He was already juggling classes, assignments, and everything else while greedily aiming to surpass Yang Jae-han—it was only natural that it was starting to feel overwhelming.
But still…
‘That’s just whining.’
The day he was diagnosed with Kienböck’s disease and essentially received a death sentence as a comic artist.
That day, Min-hyuk hadn’t despaired only because his wrist was ruined.
What truly crushed him was the disappointment in himself—for spending over ten years chasing other things instead of the dream of becoming a comic artist.
And the crushing realization that it was now too late to turn any of it back.
‘But now I’ve been given a chance. A chance to rewrite it all.’
Of course, he had no intention of ruining his wrist again by overdoing it like before.
But at the very least… within the limits of what he could handle…
‘I’m going to be greedy.’
In the realm of comics.
Like a gluttonous ghost who never feels full no matter how much he eats, he would burn everything without ever leaving room for regret again.
Min-hyuk made that vow.
Right now, sleep was crashing over him and every muscle ached.
Thump! Thump!
But just thinking about going head-to-head against Yang Jae-han with this very manuscript made his heart pound wildly.
‘It doesn’t feel hard.’
No—in fact, he was insanely happy.
To be completely immersed in the world of comics once again, able to pour himself into it without limit.
‘Let’s go. By the end of this week… I’m definitely finishing up to chapter 14.’
A fierce fighting spirit began to blaze across Min-hyuk’s face.
***
The next morning, just before first period.
“Hey, want some of this?”
“Oh, thanks.”
The kids seated in the classroom were chatting excitedly.
But amid all the lively energy,
Only one person was dying.
“Ughhh… I’m… exhausted.”
A student with deep, dark circles under his eyes.
Kang Min-hyuk let out a long sigh and slumped against his chair.
Dong-gyo adjusted his glasses and asked,
“Min-hyuk-kun, what’s wrong with you? You look like a diseased chicken.”
“…Yeah, diseased chicken sounds about right.”
Nothing special.
He had simply gone mad with greed, torn apart an already-finished manuscript, and worked like crazy to redo it.
He had rushed to finish the pages that needed to go into this week’s New Chance issue without a moment’s rest—so now his whole body felt like shredded rags.
But what could he do?
He had brought this disaster upon himself.
While Min-hyuk sighed heavily, Dong-gyo added one more comment.
“If there’s ever anything I can help with, just say the word. I’m the kind of man who never turns his back on a friend in need.”
“Yeah… thanks. Really, thank you.”
“Doumo!”
He genuinely wanted to ask, but there was no way he could request help with Brave King’s serialization.
Min-hyuk gave a wry smile and quietly accepted the sentiment in his heart.
Then Dong-gyo suddenly scanned the surroundings with a serious expression and spoke.
“Ahem… anyway, I’ve got some interesting news to share…”
“Interesting news? What is it?”
“Well, you see…”
Just as he was about to continue—
Ding-dong-daeng-dong!
The bell signaling the start of class rang, and—
“Alright, everyone sit downnnn!”
The English teacher burst into the room.
“Ughhh, let’s continue this later!”
“…Sure.”
And so class began.
“Okay, the founding population of our direct…”
While everyone (or at least some of them) pretended to focus on the lesson,
Min-hyuk couldn’t hear a single word the English teacher was saying.
Because…
‘I need to start chapter 15.’
If chapters 11–14 revisions were the preparation phase…
Then chapter 15 onward was the real beginning of the duel with Yang Jae-han.
The content of 11–14 was mostly about building mystery and atmosphere for the second episode.
The protagonist party struggles against a single haetae they encounter near the entrance, while other additional participants who seem similar to them appear elsewhere, steadily raising tension.
Min-hyuk had two main intentions here.
First: Introduce a powerful monster right from the start to dominate the atmosphere and make readers feel an overwhelming sense of “How the hell are they supposed to clear this episode?”
This would spike tension from the very beginning and pull readers deeper into immersion.
Second: Bring in an overwhelmingly skilled rival player team—nicknamed the “Gwangju High Team”—who casually defeat the haetae monster that the protagonist party barely managed to take down.
‘This is a technique that worked really well in GETZ too.’
It was Min-hyuk’s personal reinterpretation of the famously entertaining “Osaka episode” from GETZ.
The newly introduced players partially unravel some of the mystery surrounding the in-story game KKG (Kill the King Game), building anticipation…
‘Then, in chapter 15, that overwhelmingly powerful Gwangju High Team gets utterly crushed by the boss “Reverse Heaven’s Monarch,” maximizing the boss’s force and presence.’
The stronger the Gwangju High Team is portrayed, the more naturally the boss’s power escalates.
When expectation reaches its absolute peak, the story immediately plummets the reader vertically downward—delivering maximum genre satisfaction.
That was Min-hyuk’s plan.
‘Like a rollercoaster.’
This was the one-shot kill strategy he had prepared to defeat the giant named Yang Jae-han, and the episode that would once again clearly define the identity of Brave King.
Right now, the storyboard and dialogue for chapter 15 had already been polished to perfection.
If there was anything left to focus on from here…
‘The key is bringing this to life perfectly with my own art.’
Even though he loved the storyboard, the real worry was whether he could actually execute it properly.
Reverse Heaven’s Monarch.
How well he could visually capture the charisma of this boss monster would determine the explosive power of chapter 15.
To pull it off perfectly… he had to consider every element carefully.
‘Inking ratios, pen touch, how and where to use speed lines… I have to decide the exact level for everything.’
He had already mentally simulated roughly how the work would go.
Things might change slightly once actual drawing began, but still…
He had a good sense of how the manuscript would ultimately turn out.
And through this process, he instinctively realized:
‘The real key is going to be screen tone usage.’
Even a temple dog picks up poetry after three years…
Having used screen tones throughout the manuscript process, Min-hyuk had developed a solid feel for them.
Reverse Heaven’s Monarch.
The texture he gave to the armor covering its entire body using screen tone would completely change the aura the monster gave off.
If he failed here, no matter how well he did everything else, chapter 15 would fall apart.
That’s why extremely meticulous planning was required for screen tone application.
But the problem was…
‘I don’t have much left.’
The revisions to chapters 11–14 had consumed a huge amount of screen tone.
Right now, almost nothing remained in stock…
And most of what was left were basic, plain varieties—completely insufficient for creating the unique textures he needed.
With only this much left, it would be difficult to properly convey the overwhelming, unique presence that belonged solely to Reverse Heaven’s Monarch.
While Min-hyuk scratched his forehead with a troubled expression, one thought suddenly flashed through his mind.
—Hey, Artist Pil-ho, where did you buy all these screen tones…?—
—Ah, there’s a street of art supply stores in Namdaemun Market. Go there and you can buy them cheap. I’ll give you the name of one shop—just say you’re an assistant from my studio and they’ll give you a discount.—
The art supply store that Artist Shin Pil-ho had recommended.
He’d heard it handled the widest variety of screen tones in the country… and above all, the prices were the lowest.
‘I should head there this weekend.’
With his to-do list finally starting to take shape—
Ding-dong-daeng-dong!
“Okay, bow to the teacher.”
“Thank you!”
The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and the English teacher left the room.
“Anyone going to the school store?!”
“Me me me!”
In an instant, the classroom buzzed with chatter.
“Huuu…”
I didn’t hear a single word of class…
This really wasn’t good.
Min-hyuk let out a deep sigh and slumped in his chair.
While he stared blankly at the ceiling for a moment—
Tap tap!
“Min-hyuk-kun.”
“Hm?”
Oh Dong-gyo tapped his shoulder again, staring straight at him.
“Shall I finish what I was going to say earlier?”
“Ah… yeah, go ahead.”
He seemed eager to continue where he left off.
What exactly was he planning to say?
“Omae, did you see this week’s New Chance?”
“This week’s issue? Of course not. I’ve been stuck at school the whole time—couldn’t even go buy it.”
“Heh heh heh… your passion is lacking.”
Thud!
Dong-gyo pulled out a thick magazine and lifted the corner of his mouth.
On the cover of the New Chance issue, Shin Pil-ho’s <Comics Are First Love> dominated the representative image.
‘Wow… Artist Shin Pil-ho’s new work must be doing really well.’
Getting the cover spot meant it also got the lead color pages.
The editorial department was clearly pushing it hard.
As Min-hyuk smiled contentedly, Dong-gyo spoke.
“This body rushed out yesterday evening and bought it at the neighborhood bookstore. This… is my sincerity toward comics. My TRUE LOVE.”
“…Impressive.”
“Anyway! That’s not the important part.”
“Then what is?”
Min-hyuk snorted lightly with a smirk.
Swish!
Dong-gyo quickly flipped past the cover and tapped the next page emphatically with his finger.
“Look at this! This is huge news, isn’t it?!”
In an instant, Min-hyuk’s eyes widened dramatically.
The very first pages of New Chance were usually filled with corporate ads, promotions for affiliated works, or other magazine plugs.
After that came 2–3 pages of reader surveys or editorial messages, followed by the lead color feature—that was the standard structure.
But… what was on the very first page now was completely unexpected.
The page was split into two large halves.
On the left: characters from Brave King.
It looked like they had used a highlight cut from the first episode, “The Goblin King
of Namsan.”
And on the right…
‘That’s… Yang Jae-han’s art style, isn’t it?’
A single character drawn unmistakably in Yang Jae-han’s distinctive style, accompanied by the following text below:
[Wednesday of the second week of May – The greatest showdown in history begins!]
[Yang Jae-han’s return! New Chance’s ‘David vs. Goliath.’ The clash of titans is here!]
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