When Lin Yu awoke from a hazy daze, his eyes scanned the unfamiliar surroundings, his expression dazed and confused.
The last thing he could remember was working overtime—living the brutal 996 corporate grind like any other overworked office drone.
But now? Everything around him looked completely foreign.
The cramped, rundown room was filled to the brim with clutter and junk. In the center of the tiny space was a small, low table—the very spot he'd apparently passed out on.
Beside the table was a thin, rumpled futon, and the floor was littered with crumpled paper balls. On the back wall hung a single suit. The dress shirt had yellowed with age, and it screamed "this guy's not doing so great."
Lin Yu's brain momentarily blue-screened, completely unprepared to process this unfamiliar setting.
It took a long moment of silence before scattered fragments of information slowly surfaced in his mind, helping him piece things together.
He had transmigrated.
Not just anywhere, either—he'd landed in Japan. Not modern-day Japan, though. This was 1999 Japan, right at the tail end of its infamous economic bubble.
As Lin Yu sifted through the inherited memories in his head, the reality of his situation became clear.
He hadn't just arrived in a new world—he had directly taken over the identity of another "Lin Yu" in this parallel universe. Same name. Same face. Clean-cut, even a little handsome.
The original Lin Yu had been born in China and moved to Japan as a child with his parents. But after a tragic accident claimed their lives, he was left with only a meager inheritance. Forced to drop out of college, he scraped by in this dirt-cheap, partitioned apartment, barely surviving day to day.
And now here he was.
Japan's economy was slowly recovering, but for someone with no degree, no skills, and no connections, landing a stable job was nearly impossible.
The original Lin Yu had majored in manga. He'd dreamed of becoming a manga artist. But after countless all-nighters drawing flop after flop, he collapsed and died alone in this tiny apartment. No fanfare. No one even noticed.
Lin Yu glanced at the corner of the room where a small cooking pot and several tubs of instant noodles sat. His feelings were… complicated.
He picked up a crumpled paper from the floor—it was a draft sketch, apparently drawn by the original Lin Yu. Even with his untrained eye, Lin Yu could tell the art was mediocre at best. The story was worse. It oozed negativity and despair. Definitely not the kind of thing that'd sell.
And based on the memories in his head, this world's manga and anime industry was still in its infancy.
None of the famous series Lin Yu knew from his previous life existed here. No Naruto, no One Piece, no Bleach, no light novels, no anime boom.
In short—this world was a blank canvas.
Once he grasped the full picture, Lin Yu quickly came to terms with his situation. Sure, his starting point was way worse than most transmigrator protagonists, but hey—at least he wasn't dead anymore.
Silently, he got up and tidied the room. It was a small gesture, but it made him feel a little more grounded.
Then he opened the window.
It was pitch dark outside, with light rain drizzling from the sky. The air was thick with dampness. After taking a few deep breaths of fresh, rainy air, he returned to the small table, picked up a pen and paper, and began to write.
Whether it was life or work, Lin Yu liked to be organized.
Step one: Analyze the current situation.
Step two: Make a plan.
Step three: Survive.
Given what he knew now, the classic webnovel route of "plagiarize masterpieces from your past life" seemed like a solid strategy. He probably wouldn't become a billionaire overnight—but he could definitely earn enough for food, rent, and maybe even a new shirt.
As for the original owner's assets?
Honestly, those tubs of instant noodles were probably the most valuable thing he inherited.
Money?
Yeah… zero. Completely broke.
Just as Lin Yu was about to put pen to paper and start laying out his plan, a sudden "DING" echoed in his mind, abruptly halting his thoughts.
Ding! Initiating the [Ultimate Manga System]… Please wait.
Ding! System startup complete. Binding in progress…
Lin Yu blinked.
He froze for a second—but then a flicker of anticipation stirred in his otherwise calm heart.
As someone who had slacked off at work reading countless webnovels, Lin Yu was no stranger to the idea of "cheat systems."
In fact, he expected it.
After all, what's a proper transmigrator without a golden finger?
The moment the notification finished, a translucent panel appeared before his eyes:
Ultimate Manga System
Host: Lin Yu
Age: 21
Physical Fitness: 8 (Adult average = 10)
Published Works: None
Reputation Points: 0
[Shop]
The panel was simple—borderline crude—but surprisingly complete.
After a bit of exploring, Lin Yu understood the system's core functions:
The Ultimate Manga System could pull classic manga series from his past life.
To do so, he needed Reputation Points—the system's currency.
And how did you earn those?
By becoming famous.
The more well-known he became, the more points he'd rack up.
The Shop allowed him to spend those points in a gacha-style draw. He could win anything from items to skills based on the manga he'd already published.
In other words, if he got lucky enough and earned enough points, he might one day gain superpowers. Literally.
Ding! System activation complete. You've received a Newbie Starter Pack.
The notifications kept coming.
Lin Yu's eyes lit up. He quickly opened the starter pack.
Inside was everything he needed to get started:
Level 1 drawing skills.
Level 1 storyboarding and plot control.
Just enough for a total beginner to start making manga.
These skills could also be upgraded later, up to level 10, using Reputation Points.
But the real prize—the thing that made Lin Yu sit up straight—was the free manga included with the pack:
Inuyasha.
Although it had been a long time since he'd seen it in his past life, that didn't diminish the impact the series had left on him.
Back in the day, it had been nothing short of a phenomenon.