I was just fishing, how did I become a Great Old One?

The atmosphere at the crossroads of Line Walled City was frozen solid.

On one side is Jiang Li's team, whose exquisite style is out of place and who have just made a fortune selling pancakes; on the other side is the underground emperor of this slum, the "Triangle Gang" composed of dozens of sharp-edged members.

In the two-dimensional world, the shape of a figure determines its fate, while the angle determines its destructive power. For the paper-like inhabitants living here, those acute triangles are natural weapons. Their apex angles are sharpened to the point of being as sharp as razors, terrifying entities capable of easily piercing any plane and slicing through any line.

"Go! Cut it into pieces!"

With a command from gang leader Spikes Bruce, a dozen triangular thugs shot towards Jiang Li from all directions like arrows released from a bow, their sharp edges whistling through the air. As they moved, they turned sideways, pointing their sharpest edges forward, making them look like a row of rapidly approaching silver blades from a distance.

The irregularly shaped polygonal civilians watching emitted a shockwave of terror and scattered, fearing they would be caught in this violent storm of geometry.

However, Jiang Li, who was at the center of the storm, showed no sign of panic. The [Genesis Pen] in his hand spun gently in the air, and the black ink seeping from the nib drew an elegant arc in the air.

In the three-dimensional world, combat may be a clash of strength and speed; but in the two-dimensional world, the essence of combat is actually—composition and modification.

"Since it's a world created through drawing, let's solve it through drawing." Jiang Li muttered to himself, then his eyes sharpened. "System, maximize ink flow, activate correction mode."

The first thing to rush towards Jiang Li was an extremely sharp triangle with a base angle of only 15 degrees. Its sharp apex was less than a centimeter away from Jiang Li's chest, as if it could pierce through this colorful outsider in the next second.

At this critical moment, Jiang Li made a move.

He neither dodged nor blocked, but instead swung his paintbrush. With astonishing speed, the tip of the brush lightly touched the apex of the triangle, and then with a flick of his wrist, drew a semi-circular arc.

"Geometric correction and rounding process!"

Shila-

A sickening scraping sound rang out. The once imposing acute triangle suddenly felt a weight on its front. To its horror, it discovered that its proud, invincible point was completely enveloped by a thick blob of ink.

Even more terrifying, the ink quickly solidified, assimilating its lines and transforming the originally sharp angles into a... rounded, solid, and non-aggressive obtuse curve.

And so, what was originally a sharp knife instantly turned into a... rice ball.

"Bang!"

The blunted triangle struck Jiang Li (actually, it struck a transparent film that Jiang Li had drawn), making a muffled sound, and then bounced away like a ball.

"What's going on?!" The thugs behind him were shocked. They watched helplessly as their companion, once a deadly killer, was transformed into a comical, semi-circular bun.

"Don't stop! Keep going!" Jiang Li's paintbrush danced like lightning, as if he were a master calligrapher creating a wild cursive script.

His figure moved among those deadly lines, each stroke taking away a bit of sharpness and leaving a bit of roundness.

As the second triangle rushed over, Jiang Li added two strokes to its two base corners, turning it into an ellipse.

The third triangle attempted a lateral cut, but Jiang Li simply drew a circle around its waist, turning it into a gourd.

In just a few seconds, the once menacing Triangle Gang thugs were reduced to a pile of... potatoes, eggplants, rice balls, and pebbles. They rolled around on the ground, trying to launch an attack, but their round bodies only caused them to collide with each other, making comical "pop" sounds.

"This...this is sorcery!" Bruce was dumbfounded. His minions not only lost their fighting ability, but they couldn't even stand up and could only roll on the ground.

"No, this is art," Jiang Li blew on the tip of his pen, smiling as he corrected her, "It's also a kind of... pre-cooking preparation. After all, who likes to eat food with thorns?"

Meanwhile, Jiang Li's teammates were not idle either.

Odin, wielding a shard he had cut from the eraser monster (which had now become his weapon), charged into the enemy ranks like a mad old man.

"Scrub, scrub, scrub! I'll scrub you to death!"

Although Odin's drawing style is simple (stick figure), his movements are extremely agile. He specifically targets the weapons held by the triangles (some triangles have extra lines to represent swords). As soon as he rushes over and erases them with an eraser, those weapons will disappear into thin air, leaving only a blank space.

"Where's my knife?!" one of the thugs exclaimed in horror as he looked at his empty hand (the line).

"It's gone! Go home and redraw it!" Odin kicked it away.

The style of Abel's side is even more bizarre.

As the former top assassin, Abel, after being transformed into a black-and-white silhouette, surprisingly awakened a strange and perverse sense of humor. He also held a fine pen borrowed from Jiang Li in his hand.

He didn't attack the enemy's body, but focused on...graffiti.

Just as a triangle was about to launch a sneak attack, Abel quickly drew a huge pink bow on it.

Another triangle came rushing in, and Abel drew a lace skirt below it.

There was another one who looked rather fierce, and Abel painted two rosy cheeks and sausage-like lips on him.

"Ah!!! I'm not clean anymore!"

"What's this? A skirt? I'm a tough guy!"

"Don't look at me! Don't look at my face!"

This was nothing short of a psychological blow. These normally ruthless gang members were now filled with shame and rage, wishing they could disappear into the ground. In a two-dimensional world that highly values ​​the seriousness of lines, being adorned with such ridiculous decorations was worse than death.

"Enough!!!!"

A deafening roar rang out, interrupting this one-sided stomp.

Spikes Bruce, the gang leader who had been holding back until now, finally went berserk.

Its enormous isosceles triangular body began to tremble violently, and its originally jet-black lines turned into an angry blood red.

"You bunch of outsiders... how dare you turn my men into rice balls and sissies?!"

Bruce made a screeching sound.

"I'm going to... utterly shred you all!"

hum-

Bruce started spinning in place.

It accelerated until its body outline completely disappeared, turning into a high-speed spinning red disc with terrifying jagged edges.

Or to put it another way—[Flesh and Blood Chainsaw].

The surrounding air was churned up, emitting a sharp whistling sound. The lines on the ground were caught in it and instantly pulverized.

This is the Triangle Gang leader's signature move – the "Death Whirlwind." Utilizing the centrifugal force generated by high-speed rotation, the cutting force of the three sharp angles is amplified to the extreme, capable of slicing even the hardest rock lines as easily as cutting tofu.

"Die!"

Bruce, transformed into a chainsaw, charged towards Jiang Li with a destructive aura.

"Holy crap, it's transformed?" Wang Ergou was so startled that he quickly shrank behind Jiang Li. "Boss, this thing looks pretty fierce! It'll shred any paintbrush that touches it!"

Indeed, ordinary image editing techniques are unlikely to be effective against such a high-speed rotating cutting object. The pen tip might be cut off before it even touches it.

Jiang Li took a half step back, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"A head-on confrontation is definitely not going to work."

"The best way to deal with something that's spinning wildly isn't to stop it, but... to add something to it."

Countless solutions flashed through Jiang Li's mind in an instant.

Draw a shield? It'll get sliced ​​to pieces.

Draw a hole? It will fly over.

Then the only option is... [to overcome strength with gentleness].

"System, retrieve the special ink formula."

"Formula Name: [Abyss Swamp - Highly Viscous Ink]".

The pen in Jiang Li's hand suddenly changed color, its originally black barrel turning dark green. He flicked it sharply, but instead of drawing any lines, he flung out a large glob of thick, snot-like dark green liquid.

"Let's see how you spin that!"

"Splat!"

The massive blob of slime struck Bruce with pinpoint accuracy as he spun at high speed.

This ink is not ordinary pigment; it combines the bodily fluids of an abyssal slime with the concept of "super glue" from the two-dimensional world. Once exposed to air, its viscosity increases exponentially.

"Sizzle—creak—"

The chainsaw, which had been spinning rapidly, suddenly seemed to be stuck with countless rubber bands.

Bruce felt his body become incredibly heavy, the viscous liquid clinging tightly to every edge and corner, quickly stretching and solidifying.

The rotation speed is 1,000 revolutions per second... 500 revolutions per second... 100 revolutions per second...

Until the very end.

"Click".

Stopped.

Bruce remained in its triangular position, but now it was encased in a large lump of translucent green amber, unable to move. It struggled desperately, but the slime was like countless hands, holding it down firmly.

"Let...let me go..."

Bruce's speech bubble became fragmented and filled with terror.

It never imagined that after so many years of dominating Line Walled City, it would be defeated by a lump of glue.

Jiang Li strolled over slowly and tapped the lump of amber with the pen handle.

"It's spinning? Why did it stop?"

"Weren't you quite capable just now?"

"You... what do you want?" Bruce asked, his voice trembling with fear. "I'm the boss of the Triangle Gang! If you dare kill me, my brothers won't let you get away with it!"

"Kill you?"

Jiang Li shook his head.

"I'm a cook, not an executioner."

"Besides, it would be such a waste to cut it badly with that shape."

Jiang Li circled the fixed Bruce twice, as if examining an unfinished work of art.

"I was just saying I was going to make you into a sandwich, but I suddenly changed my mind."

"In this slum, doesn't everyone worship the 'circle'?"

"A circle represents nobility, perfection, and... the absence of sharp edges."

A devilish smile appeared on Jiang Li's face.

"Since you're the gang leader, you must take the lead in improving the civility of our stronghold."

Today, I'll help you... [smooth out the rough edges].

"To make you a noble, pure being, free from base desires—[circle]."

"No!!!"

Bruce let out a desperate scream.

For a gang leader who prides himself on being "sharp," becoming "round" means utter collapse, means losing all his intimidation power, and becoming a ball that can be kicked around at will! That's worse than killing him!

But Jiang Li ignored its protest.

He waved his hand and drew a huge, rough... [sandpaper].

The sandpaper surface gleamed with a diamond-like luster.

"Odin! Abel! Hold it down!"

"Ergou! Prepare the polishing wax!"

"Construction begins!"

"Sizzle—sizzle—sizzle—"

The sickening grinding sound echoed throughout the entire block.

Amidst the shocked gazes of countless onlookers, the once arrogant leader of the Triangle Gang was brutally beaten to the ground.

Its sharp apex was ground down.

Its straight waistline has been worn down.

Its bottom corners have become rounded.

Ten minutes later.

Jiang Li put away the sandpaper and blew away the debris.

"Perfect."

The originally sharp isosceles triangle has now become a... smooth, perfectly standard... [circle].

Moreover, because it has been polished, it shimmers with a strange luster.

Bruce lay sprawled on the ground, staring at his round body, his eyes vacant, as if he had lost his soul.

"I...I won't be sharp anymore..."

"I've turned into a ball..."

"I've become dirty (meaning I no longer look like a gangster)..."

however.

Just then, a gasp suddenly erupted from the crowd.

"Oh my god! It's round!"

"A perfect circle!"

"That's a shape only the royal family lords in the inner circle have!"

"Could this leader... actually be a nobleman traveling incognito?"

The civilians who were trembling with fear now looked at Bruce with awe.

Even the underlings who had been beaten into a pulp looked at their boss with admiration.

"Boss... so you've been hiding your true strength all along?"

"You've actually cultivated to the perfect state of 'Returning to Simplicity'?"

Bruce was stunned.

It moved its round body.

Although they've lost their offensive capabilities, it seems... their status has risen?

In this distorted social value system, it actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise?

Jiang Li clapped his hands, breaking the awkward silence.

"Alright, everyone."

He walked up to Bruce (the spherical version) and looked down at it.

"Now, I have two choices for you."

"First, I'll keep grinding you until you're powdered."

"Second, bring your men and submit to me."

Bruce shuddered, his round body bouncing twice.

"I...I surrender!"

It can no longer fight; it has no choice but to cling to powerful figures.

"Boss! From now on, you're our supreme ruler!"

"very good."

Jiang Li nodded in satisfaction.

"From today onwards, the Triangle Gang is disbanded."

"You shall change your name to—the Knights of the Round Table."

"Your mission isn't to collect protection money, but rather..."

Jiang Li pointed to the pancake stall that was still emitting a fragrant aroma.

"Delivering takeout."

"I want my pancakes to cover the entire Line Walled City in a single day!"

"You bunch of round, chubby guys, you must be pretty fast when you roll, right?"

"Yes, sir! Mission accomplished!"

Bruce (and his little minions who turned into rice balls) accepted this glorious mission with tears in his eyes.

From then on, Line Walled City had a new and striking sight: a group of gangsters who looked like rice balls and balls, carrying rainbow-colored pancakes, frantically rolled around the streets delivering food.

……

After dealing with the gang's affairs, Jiang Li called Bruce aside and took him to a corner.

"Let's get down to business."

"Since you're a local strongman, you should know about the inner palace, right?"

How exactly do I get those Möbius noodles?

Although Bruce has turned into a ball, the intelligence network remains.

It carefully popped a bubble:

"Boss, you've come at just the right time."

"The royal palace is currently preparing for a grand celebration—the [Mobius Eating Contest]."

"That was to celebrate the upcoming completion of the 'Layer Cake Project' by [Folding Tyrant]."

"The prize for the competition is that legendary bowl of noodles that you can never finish!"

"A competitive eating contest?"

Jiang Li and Tang Yuan behind her exchanged a glance, their eyes simultaneously turning into searchlights.

Isn't this a perfect match for my major?

When it comes to eating, who are we afraid of?

"But..." Bruce changed the subject.

"This competition has a high barrier to entry."

"Only nobles of high status who are either regular polygons (or larger) or circles are eligible to register for the competition."

"The chaotic lines of our slum make it impossible to even enter through the inner gate."

It glanced at Jiang Li and the others.

"While your style is quite unique, these guys..."

It pointed to the stick figure Odin and the silhouette of Abel.

"They're obviously migrant workers from out of town; they'll definitely be stopped by the guards."

"Identity restrictions?"

Jiang Li touched his chin.

"So, all you need is a 'noble household registration,' right?"

He picked up the Genesis fountain pen and twirled it twice in his hand.

A sly smile appeared on his face.

"In this painted world..."

"Isn't so-called identity just a facade?"

"Since they only recognize images and not people..."

"Then let's give them a complete makeover!"

"Odin! Abel! Come here!"

"We're getting a new skin!"

"I will draw you as—the noblest, most magnificent... [regular dodecagon] in the entire flat country!"