Rupert thought of ways to gather more submissions for the magazine.

‘It would be great to collaborate with the Yuren Trading Company and host a competition.’

In modern-day comic magazines, various methods were used to discover new talents.

Sometimes, new artists would directly submit their works to companies, while other times, competitions were held to select promising artists.

Especially in competitions with prize money or opportunities for serialization, not only newcomers but also established artists would participate, making it a popular method. Rupert thought this would be the most suitable approach.

"Alright, you've worked hard today, so let's call it a day. Sena, you should go home and get some rest too."

Rupert forcibly sent the two who still wanted to draw home.

He was a prime example of someone who had collapsed from overworking, always telling himself, "just a bit more," until he passed out. Now, he was an advocate of taking proper rest.

Oddly enough, it was as if the craftsmen turned into rebellious children—they wanted to work late whenever Rupert told them not to.

However, Rupert paid them no mind.

‘There’s a set time when things get busy anyway.’

About a week before a book's publication, things became hectic, with everyone rushing to produce enough copies.

Even after the release, overtime was needed until the second printing was issued.

Outside of that, they only had to focus on creating the set number of copies and on research and development, so there was no need to overwork the craftsmen.

Also, now that the team had grown considerably, they could rotate shifts and ensure proper rest for everyone.

The same applied to the drawing work.

Saint and Sena didn't need to overwork themselves unless Rupert finished the storyboards.

However, Rupert himself had to work continuously without much break.

Since the timing of the book's release depended solely on the progress of his work, he still often found himself working overtime.

His work speed had improved significantly, though, thanks to regular exercise, meals, and the use of vitality potions.

Sitting alone in his studio after sending Saint and Sena home, Rupert continued drawing the storyboard.

The section he was working on now was for volumes 9 and 10 of The Iron-Blooded Alchemist.

As he realized that the first manga he had drawn in this world was nearing its conclusion, Rupert felt a strange emotion.

It seemed like just yesterday when he first adapted the story to suit this world, worrying whether people would even like it.

But now, the time had come to wrap it up.

‘The scene where Eldric and his father join forces.’

And the reason for the birth of the state-certified alchemists, as well as the ultimate goal of the final boss, the Fairy in the Flask.

‘People might feel despair after reading volume 9.’

Volume 9 was where the final battle began, and the final boss was so overwhelmingly powerful that the situation needed to feel hopeless.

On top of that, the secret of alchemy revealed in this volume would undoubtedly leave readers in shock.

If volume 10, the conclusion, wasn’t released at the same time, there might have been a riot.

Since volume 10 was crucial for a beautiful ending, Rupert had to carefully plan the storyboards for volume 9 so that they naturally flowed into volume 10.

‘Once this project is done, I’ll officially start the magazine business through a competition.’

Rupert was suddenly reminded of the "webtoon wars" that took place back in Korea.

Next, the internet platform known as the originator of webtoons, had fewer works but was known for their high quality.

Meanwhile, Never, a newcomer, focused on quantity over quality.

In the webtoon war between these two giants, people had expected Next, known for its quality, to maintain its top position.

However, the outcome was the complete opposite.

Although there was a difference in quality, Never, with its abundance of works across various genres, took an overwhelming lead and became the ultimate winner.

‘Quality is important, but even the best work can’t satisfy everyone on its own.’

Perhaps if it were a time before comic books existed, this might be different, but Rupert had already spread manga in this world.

It was only a matter of time before countless mangas flooded the market.

Rupert foresaw this and knew he had to meet that demand by providing a variety of manga to satisfy readers.

Even those with overwhelming advantages could fall. After all, most people no longer remembered that before the dominance of A** and S**** in mobile phones, there was once a global leader called No***a.

Considering that, Rupert couldn't afford to be complacent.

But of course, none of this would be possible without first successfully wrapping up The Iron-Blooded Alchemist. For now, Rupert focused on completing the remaining storyboards.

Since he had lost a lot of time at the Academy, he had to make the most of the time left.

“Edric Bell wins!”

Two students stood in the Academy's military department training hall.

One stood tall, holding a wooden sword, while the other had dropped his sword and collapsed on the ground.

“As expected, you’re as skilled as the Sword Saint’s top disciple.”

“It’s hard to believe. Kyle is said to be a genius with no equal in the North.”

“It’s only because his opponent was the Third Prince. If it were anyone else, the situation would’ve been reversed.”

Rumors were already circulating that one of these two would take the top spot in this year’s military department.

Everyone's attention was on their duel since it had been going on since the first day of classes.

The training hall was so packed with onlookers that even students from other departments had skipped class to watch.

“As expected, your reputation wasn’t just for show, Your Highness.”

“You’ve also shown me why the sword of the North is held in such high regard.”

Edric extended a hand to the fallen Kyle.

Despite the result, both acknowledged each other's swordsmanship, creating a warm atmosphere.

With their duel over, the swordsmanship class ended, and the two headed to their dorms together to wash off the sweat and dust.

Given that one was a prince of the royal family and the other the heir to the Northern Marquis, if they were seen together outside the Academy, rumors would have spread.

Rumors like the Third Prince joining forces with the North, dripping with the scent of political intrigue.

But their conversation had nothing to do with such rumors.

Instead, they talked about the quality of a sword made by a certain craftsman, how sharp the swing was, or what could have been improved.

As they chatted, Kyle suddenly asked Edric a question that had been on his mind.

“Now that I think about it, didn’t Your Highness choose ‘Understanding Art’ as an elective?”

“I recall you took the same class.”

“Yes, at first, I wasn’t interested. But when I heard that both Your Highness and Lady Bluewell were taking it, I signed up out of curiosity.”

Kyle wasn’t the only one; most students who took the art history elective had similar reasons.

“People learn to fill in the gaps in their knowledge.”

Edric gazed at the sky with a wistful expression, responding to Kyle’s question.

“What?”

Kyle was confused by Edric’s sudden, cryptic answer, but Edric continued to stare at the sky in silence before finally responding.

“Professor Rupert has what I need. I signed up for his class simply to learn from him.”

• Kyle, you won’t be able to walk this path with such shallow thoughts. It’s a difficult road, even if you’re determined.

Edric gave Kyle’s shoulder a light pat before entering his dorm.

Left alone, Kyle pondered the prince’s words, but no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t easily understand what they meant.

Iolin Bell, the only princess of the Empire.

Known as the flower of the Empire, rumors often circulated among the nobility that she should replace the Crown Prince and become the Empress.

Despite how treasonous the idea was, there were various reasons for these rumors.

Her benevolent personality was one factor, but there were others.

“Is this how you do it?”

Iolin drew a line across the canvas.

Having never drawn before, this was the first time she properly held a brush.

But the smooth, precise line she produced stretched out as if it had been drawn by a seasoned artist.

‘A genius.’

This was another title bestowed upon Iolin.

Some wondered if people were merely flattering her because she was royalty, but the scholars who taught her or met her in person all agreed that the word ‘genius’ was created to describe her.

As a child, she had only glanced at her brothers and younger siblings learning swordsmanship but decided she could do it too, picking up a wooden sword.

That day, the three royal princes had rolled around on the training ground, scrambling to avoid her strikes, as if their lives depended on it.

She had wielded the sword for a while, but soon lost interest and stopped, marking the moment the future Swordmaster disappeared.

Her tutors, who taught her academics, often felt disheartened or even fearful, as she would grasp ten concepts after being taught just one.

“I'm not interested.”

Perhaps because of her talent, Iolin quickly became bored with anything she showed even the slightest interest in.

Nothing in the world could fill the void inside her.

When she first held a sword, she realized that with a bit of effort, no one would be able to beat her with it.

It was the same with magic.

She once received brief instruction from Eustaf, the Empire’s Grand Wizard, but even that seemed to her like a simple series of calculations.

It appeared complex, but was riddled with inefficient techniques.

If she wanted, she could master it in less than five years with far greater efficiency, but that realization made her lose interest.

Everything in the world came easily to her, but recently, she had discovered something that piqued her interest.

‘This is quite fun.’

As she transferred her thoughts onto paper, she realized this required much more practice than she had anticipated.

Although the drawing on the paper was already quite impressive, she was still unsatisfied.

‘His drawings had more life to them...’

Though she didn’t realize it, creating lively and detailed artwork required a great deal of skill and practice.

Her raw talent allowed her to instinctively mimic and produce incredible results, but she still felt dissatisfied.

That’s because the image in her mind was Rupert’s drawing.