Chapter 2-Heroes of interest

"Ring.....Ring....."

A phone on Lucien's desk rang. Lucien picked it up and checked it.

*click* "Hey, I know you've been in a bad mood lately, but you can't continue like this. Your parents' company still needs you to continue. Now that you haven't been any signs of you for a week, many cartoonists in the company are jumping ship."- A strong voice came from Lucien's phone, and Lucien smiled bitterly at the confronting words he heard from this body's uncle.

"Uncle Andy, don't worry I'll go straight to the company today. Besides even if most jump, I have a better cartoonist now anyway."-Lucien said.

"Better? Ah forget it. Just get down here before I get tired of waiting."-Lucien's uncle Andy was not in a good mood, evidence from the annoyance in his voice.

Uncle Andy directly hung up on Lucien. Lucien then walked over to door while taking a stack of white paper from his desk, and opening the search feature of his system. Removing the words 'One piece' and replacing them with three different words and following the ghost's movements.

Now, According to his bodies memory, Uncle Andy wasn't actually related to him. He was just a really close friend to his father and the current general manager of the company his parents had owned.

Even though the company sounds mighty and grand. It was actually not big at all. There were a total of four cartoonists, six assistants, and a small number of other employees, just adding up to fifteen people. That was the full complete studio lineup.

This was due to the common level of today's comic companies. The classification of comics was scarce, and the heroic theme given to the world through the 'Real'-life story of Caption America could never be tired. This however lead most cartoonists to be afraid of the innovation needed to progress further for new stories at the fear of losing money.

This situation could not have any one super power or separatist regime. So instead, it has become a situation where competitiveness is not large, and it is even more lazy to see a consortium that doesn't have any interest.

There are about five or six fellow comic companies that make similar work in New Yolk alone, and they are all owned by private companies that are wholly owned by individuals in their own circle.

However, many cartoonist are stunned by the change of the wind. Seeing that Lucien's parents have died made it seem weak and that their company's power was lost. Their future would become lost if they stay but was still uncertain if they left.

Now for Lucien, who owns a cheat/system, it can be said that strong good fortune would follow if he was to show off his talents and build his own comic empire.

And so it didn't take long for Lucien to finish his first draft of his first comic, put it into his backpack. Now starting his journey for the studio his uncle was waiting for him at.

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New York in 2008 can be said to be the center of the world. The streets were crowded with people and traffic. Lucien looked up at the dazzling sunlight, as if it was all a world away.

His parents company was located near Time Square, the most prosperous area for a business in Manhattan. It was given the nickname "The crossroads of the world." For it gathers a very large number of different businesses, theatres, and entertainment venues. It can be said that this location was a very good place to set up shop.

Though Lucien apartment was still some distance away from Times Square, is he had to take a taxi there.

Intercepting a taxi to take him, the driver was a decently attractive dark-skinned man who seemed very lively and could have probably been mistaken for a model had he not been behind the wheel of the yellow car.

The enthusiastic driver chatted along the whole trip, but Lucien didn't answer with any words to the man. Only after arriving at his company, he took out a banknote and left without waiting for any change.

Seeing this, the taxi driver sang loudly in joy, before sighing towards Lucien. For he was just another rich man.

It would be two minutes later, that Lucien arrived at his destination and stood in front of the tall building. He comic journey has began.

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Location: Company Building seventh Floor

Lucien's parents company was originally called the Tengman Company, but in fact only part of the whole place is used. When the place had planned to make use of the whole building the unexpected incident of the owners dying in plane crash happen. Now all of the employees of the company are deeply disturbed and even feel that they are in a crisis.

A man with disheveled hair walked into the office and took out a letter, giving it to Andy. The black-haired and blue-eyed manager received it before hearing the man speak.

"Andy, this is my resignation letter."

"You don't consider staying?"-Andy asked the man, but understanding and accepting the letter of resignation.

"Oh, that kid....."

Andy knew what the cartoon assistant was trying to say, but still feeling bad that the reason given seemed to be that Lucien hasn't come to the company at any point after inheriting it due to his parents passing away.

This was seen as irresponsible performance in the eyes of others.

There just wasn't a sense of security nor interest binding this company together. Coupled with the current recession within the cartoon industry, companies that would go bankrupt at any moment was not their ideal place to sacrifice for.

"Uncle Andy, how is the company going now?"-Lucien asked as he walked directly through the door and towards Andy.

"You finally came, but now the company has no cartoonists, there are only two cartoon assistants, and five other employees. The others are gone."-Andy voiced stressed this issue at Lucien.

"They left huh."-Lucien's voice was filled with indifference. This angered Andy greatly.

"Without a cartoonist, the company simply can not survive."

"Do not worry, as you can see I'm not panicking."-Lucien slowly took the sketch from his backpack and placed it on the table. The corners of his mouth rose into a smile.

"I'll do it alone."-Lucien said with disguise arrogance.

You see, In Lucien's eyes, the cartoons in the company were not good at all. And this 'loss' was not at all a set back as his own system while help rise him beyond anything that these past employees could do. The other cartoonists left are just what he wanted

"You alone?"-Andy is about to explode, staring at the boss. He has never ever heard that Lucien has the ability to paint. Isn't he a college student?

Fulled with suspicion, Andy picked up the drawing. The title page was a man with a bald cape. He only looked at the back, without the indifferent faintly revealed front that he could feel.

The painting skills were almost the same as those of the previous cartoonists, and Andy is a little relieved at this time, if nothing else the company still has hope on this point.

But after reading two pages of the comic draft his eyebrows furrowed.

It started out in the ruins of the city. A huge, and weird monster was preforming a straight slaughter feast in the a city, and ordinary people were destroyed directly under his light ball attacks.

With a turn of the page Andy saw the hero of the comic from the cover. Saitama was wearing a white cloak while watching the news report of the attack at home, before saying-"Justice is executed."

The bald and stupid people set up with high-quality pictures seems to make readers a little bit interested. This is what Andy thinks the purpose of the first pages are.

The beginning of the comic seems to be stated that this will be a heroic themed story. Though even if the market still accounts for the vast majority of themes, this feels insensible to readers.

Because the content of such themes are mostly the same; the protagonist accidentally gains Superman powers, and then after several twists and turns, he becomes a superhero and fights criminals in the city. There is nothing new. A survey that was done last week has shown that the hero theme is gradually cooling down, and new content is needed to attract readers.

With this kind of unchanging routine, Andy believes that he doesn't need to look at it to know what's going on behind it.

Sure enough, Saitama rescued the little girl under the portrayal of a gust of wind, and in front of the weirdo monster, Saitama started to babble.

Though this passage seems too Andy to be very…very weird.

For example; This monster was called the Vaccine Man, a weird person born from pollution and destruction of the earth's environment, which is somewhat similar to Radiation Upgrade*.

And this hero named Saitama is even more absurd. Saitama even said that he is a hero for fun.