At his current status, there are too many women willing to throw themselves at him, so many that he finds it meaningless.
Now, he only wants to delve into his craft, so that his works can break all existing records.
There are many genius manga artists in the Island Country too, like the author of "Gambling Apocalypse." The novelists in the neighboring Longxia can easily plagiarize his work and turn it into a blockbuster phenomenon.
But his manga sales are not the top.
It’s because he cannot make money from the lower-tier markets. Koki always thinks that the depth of manga determines its threshold. When the threshold is high, the audience is few, but when the threshold is low... it gets criticized as shallow and cliched.
He’s always thinking about how to maximize profits, striking a balance in between. For example, Longxia’s recently hit movie "The Great Sea God 2" achieved this balance well, enduring deep interpretation while also serving as a popcorn movie for simple enjoyment.
Koki is a genius, a genius who loves to think. So he hopes to create a masterpiece.
As for those past women, such as Haruko, Yumi, and even the beautiful newly-graduated Hashimoto Risa... he could have them all easily.
He eventually realized that in life, the only battlefield left is to think about how to surpass and transcend himself.
His penchant for thinking also made him constantly skeptical of the world.
Now, he is thirty-three years old.
Under the hint of a certain dream, he firmly believes he is a genius, although... that dream once also told him he is not a genius but mentally retarded.
But considering his current success and his storytelling level, he truly believes he is much smarter than most people, a lot smarter.
"My life has always been smooth. When I was a child, I wanted to get good grades... so I got good grades, I wanted attention, so everyone loved me."
"In high school, I wanted to break into the manga industry, so I easily got in. Though criticized for lacking basic skills, I naturally overcame the hardest parts for a manga artist."
"My grandfather remained healthy even when I was in my thirties. I have no shortage of women, not even love... those I love are always easy to chase."
"What an effortlessly smooth life."
"I used to constantly self-suggest in dreams that I am a genius... over the years, my analytical ability and reaction speed have been constantly improving."
"It feels like I am anti-aging. Technically, after turning thirty, my memory and IQ should gradually decrease, with experience compensating for this decrease..."
"But strangely enough, all my cognitive metrics that benefit me are increasing. Because I suggest to myself that I am a genius... I become more and more genius."
"Where are my limits? As long as I crave it and believe it will bring me happiness, it seems I can achieve it..."
Lisa suddenly froze.
She didn’t expect the boss to suddenly talk to himself at length.
Is he reflecting on himself?
Lisa thought it was more important to figure out how to get in bed with the boss first, so she couldn’t let the other mistresses outshine her.
She prepared to lift her long legs onto the table, performing a thigh-high stocking striptease.
But at this moment, Koki suddenly showed a look of disgust:
"Lisa, stop your coquettish antics. I like smart women, you know? I like women who can have stimulating conversations with me and help me grow."
Koki was actually doing a test.
Just as he was fostering this desire, he suddenly received a phone call.
"Hel... Hello, is this Mr. Yoshida?"
"Yes, it’s me. Who’s speaking?"
Although he asked, Koki’s heart was as calm as still water.
"I am... your reader. I think there are some issues with certain settings in your manga. Sorry, I obtained your phone number through some unconventional means, which was due to your carelessness."
Koki replied:
"Sorry, I’m not into high-intelligence types who could help me grow right now."
He hung up the phone.
So smooth.
Just after fostering a desire, that desire was quickly fulfilled.
If it were an ordinary person, they’d probably have started conquering the world by now, right? But fortunately, there’s no end to learning. His desire hasn’t swelled because he hasn’t reached the deepest realms of manga.
But if he wanted to become vulgar, it seems he could.
"I seem to understand everything now, I seem to remember everything. Lisa, you want to have sex with me, and then after showing your amazing skills, ask me... Am I very happy?"
Lisa was stunned.
At this moment, not only Lisa, but even Doubt, who was preparing to reap the third node from afar, was stunned.
...
...
At the top of Hujiang Golden Mansion...
Doubt suddenly felt a very strange atmosphere.
"My body is disappearing... Why? Why is this happening?"
Doubt has always existed, from the childhood of node 01, to the youth of node 02, and the prime of node 03...
Doubt has always existed.
She always monitored this world, preventing anyone from bringing misfortune to the host.
But now, she started to disappear bit by bit.
Doubt looked at the position of the host.
She suddenly realized that the host’s eyes were also looking at her.
At this moment, as Doubt, she suddenly understood.
So that’s it...
So this is his maneuver.
So the intruder had already figured out the rules long ago?
"So... Node 01, Node 02... They were all just part of the setup."
Doubt’s figure became fainter and fainter.
Because the host no longer doubted, doubt only appears when the truth remains elusive.
With the truth revealed, doubt vanishes as well.
Yoshida Koki looked at the woman in the distance and softly said:
"Because the real me actually has intellectual disabilities, you thought my growing intelligence was a form of happiness. So you allowed my other personas to keep suggesting in dreams that I am smart, suggesting I am a genius. You thought that was their compromise."
"But you made a fatal mistake."
"The happiest people in this world are often just the right amount of smart. Any smarter... and they become unhappy."
Yoshida Koki waved out the window, as if bidding farewell to Doubt:
"Sorry, but I have remembered."
"I am not Yoshida Koki, I am—Wen Xishu."