Surviving a Shounen Manga

The Conquest of the Peak (3)

1. An absurd self-introduction, to the extent that even a liar wouldn’t choose to tell so tall a tale.

2. A face that resembled that Mero-whatever-guy.

3. The surprised reactions from the surroundings, and the ensuing silence.

4. Such a huge number of subordinates, which I severely doubted could be gathered within a short period of time.

5. Finally, the princess’ mouth gaping wide open.

Putting all of this together,

"Eh…"

Left me completely stunned.

Rather, I myself was having a hard time keeping my mouth closed instead of gaping.

This was Khan. The current emperor of the Skull Empire.

In short, I met the person who should’ve been the most difficult to meet in this country. And on top of that, he was the one who came a-knocking.

Of course, I didn’t know anything about this emperor. And if I didn’t know anything, neither did the readers.

The appearance of a new character intrinsically stimulates the interest of readers, but it can also cause fatigue at the same time. Because although the author knows the role, background, and significance of the new character, to the reader he’s just one more member of the cast whom he must now learn about and understand. A character that appears without the slightest trace of a foreshadowing, even more so.

However, there are exceptions to this rule.

If at least one of the three factors – ‘appearance’, ‘ability’, and ‘identity’, can catch the interest of the readers from the very first appearance.

Then it’s a completely different story. No matter how tired or exhausted, interested readers will still wait wide-eyed longing to know more.

Yes, just like right now.

"The emperor of the Skull Empire… you mean you want to be treated like that? On the battlefield, no less?"

Even so, I tried as hard as I could to not show my surprise on the outside.

No matter how I felt on the inside, I had to stay in character.

"Come to the point."

Khan looked at me and grinned.

"Hey, you’re a pretty tough fellow, aren’t you? Well, I did guess so."

Then,

"Anyway, that’s good. If you’d gotten scared, it wouldn’t have been any fun. Right?"

He chuckled as he gave the tall and reedy[1] man next to him a glance.

The man simply bowed his head without answering.

‘A bodyguard?’

He was quite an eye-catching sort. Not just because of his height, but rather because of his intensely blazing eyes. They seemed to shine with a feeling like, ‘let’s have a scrap!’

Of course, I’d have to experience it for myself if I wanted to find out the actual details.

"Oh, right! We still have to talk about that."

Khan snapped his fingers as if he’d suddenly remembered something.

"Do you have a favourite sport?"

He asked me in a soft voice.

Somehow, just by looking at his face, I could tell he was going to follow whatever I said without complaint.

"Anything is fine."

"Hey, don’t regret it later."

"I never regret any of my actions. No matter what I do, I do it because I want to."

At that moment,

"Haah…"

"Ooh…"

Some of the audience let out brief exclamations.

Was it a little too much?

Still,

"How fun. Anything goes, yeah? All right, then let me decide what I want."

The effect wasn’t bad. The curve at the corners of Khan’s lips grew even deeper.

Then, the competition he suggested was –

A 5vs5 fight.

Picking five players from both camps, one by one coming out to engage in a hand-to-hand brawl.

The winner would continue to fight.

When all five players of one faction lose, the match would end immediately.

The losing side would go down the mountain without any fuss.

It wasn’t a bad offer overall.

It was tidy and reasonable. It was an event that allowed us to compete with each other in moderation, preventing loss of combat power as much as possible.

Also, it was a very attractive proposition for me.

It wasn’t particularly difficult, and it was well-structured so I could take the spotlight by myself.

It was a bit disappointing that I couldn’t show the readers a large-scale battle, but…

"The match will start tomorrow morning at sunrise. There’s a vacant area down there that’d be a decent spot."

"Yeah, let’s do it."

"The number of people seemed insufficient, so I set it to five, but… will that be fine? Maybe you could find some people to join by the end of the day if you start now? Well, it won’t be easy."

"Ah, yeah, I guess."

"…"

When I answered lightly, Khan seemed to get a little irritated.

"Like I said, you better not try to run away. Don’t make me do things the hard way."

"Oh yeah? How do you usually do it, this hard way?"

I was legitimately curious, so I asked. If it was interesting enough, I was willing to actually go ahead with it.

But,

"If you’re curious, feel free to try it yourself. Anyway, see you tomorrow. At sunrise tomorrow morning, at the empty lot down there. Don’t be late."

Unfortunately, Khan didn’t tell me.

Soon after,

"Let’s go."

"Yes."

Khan and the reedy man next to him turned away.

What was strange was that, compared to Khan who turned back right away, the guy next to him hesitated for a moment, his gaze fixed on me. His eyes contained some kind of a meaningful emotion.

Like that of a warrior before he entered the battlefield.

So,

‘If your body is itching like that, see you tomorrow.’

I also smiled at him.

With the promise of tomorrow’s decisive battle, the two visitors left the peak.

The next day, dawn. The sun was just rising over the clouds.

"You should go."

"Yeah."

"Win."

"Easy enough."

"And… be careful."

The princess’ face was strangely stiff.

Honestly, did she really think I could lose?

"Be careful while I’m gone. Since I’m not around, this’ll be the best time for those who’re aiming at you. They might take advantage."

"… Ah."

What the hell. She’d never even considered it. That was written plainly on her face.

I took a deep breath.

"Oh, and just in case, don’t trust that bald guy. Because he’s one strong bastard."

"… Okay."

"Come back as soon as possible."

Then it was time for me to leave.

"… W-, wait a second!"

The princess hastily stopped me for some reason.

"What, what is it?"

"Maybe that person yesterday… well, um, no."

"What?"

"No, forget it, just go. Even if I tell you, you won’t understand anyway."

"Hey. Whatever you’re thinking, just spill it."

Soon, she slowly spoke.

"There should be one very strong man in their camp. I think that tall guy yesterday might’ve been the one, but I’m not sure. He must be in disguise."

"How far away were you yesterday? Strong? Who is he?"

"He’s called Mong. The general of the Skull Empire, also called the Sword of the Empire. He’s… strong. He has a history of fighting hundreds of enemies alone, and even… well, you know."

The princess was looking at me with such serious eyes that it wasn’t even funny anymore.

If I didn’t list myself among the strongest in the world, nobody else would dare to either.

Well, that didn’t mean I should turn my nose at her concern.

Nodding my head –

"Yeah, I’ll keep it in mind."

I ran straight to the place of the decisive battle.

The vacant area was already crowded with many people.

Even though it was supposed to be an empty space, there wasn’t a lot of vacancy left. Where did this crowd come from? People from all over had come to sight-see.

Presumably, even the guys from the third peak had gathered.

Then,

"L-look, it’s Squatjaw!"

"Squatjaw is here!"

"He is alone!"

"Is he that confident!?"

There was a commotion everywhere.

It was like a celebrity fighter entering the arena during a tournament.

It wasn’t a bad atmosphere.

‘Yeah, yeah. That’s right.’

While I was heading towards the centre of the area –

A guy sprinted out of the group on Khan’s side, holding a red flag.

"Is it just you here?"

"Huh?"

"Did you really come alone?"

"Hmph. Who’re you?"

But he didn’t answer my question, abruptly taking a deep breath instead.

"Huh… this is absurd."

Then,

"Mr. Squatjaw came here alone, everyone! Does this make sense? How overconfident can this guy be!?"

He gave a loud cry.

And then,

"Boo!"

"This upstart!"

"He’s done for!"

Boos resounded from all sides.

It was frustrating.

"What is this all of a sudden? No. Who even are you?"

"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I…"

Then he started to introduce himself, starting with his name, nicknames, specialties, and going on to recount the epic saga of his own life, which I had no need to know about.

"…"

This guy had some kind of an angle.

"Then are you the first player?"

After a little hesitation, he answered.

"Uh… not really."

"What? You aren’t?"

"Yes. Those who will play today are preparing now."

"… Really? Why did you jump out and start babbling?"

He smirked at my question.

"Haha, just like what I heard, you’re quite an aggressive one. For now, please stand in the centre over there."

He tried to guide me, but I didn’t even pretend to listen, looking around instead.

it was a sad state of affairs. No matter how far I looked, there wasn’t the slightest trace of Khan and his bodyguard.

‘Something strange.’

By now, the day had fully dawned.

The appointment time had already passed.

"Once you stand in the centre, I’ll introduce you to the people."

And what was this guy doing? Why did it feel like I was running out of time?

"Okay, who else is here but you?"

"Yes? Oh, they’re waiting over there right now, so I’ll call them after the introduction…"

That was then.

Suddenly, an uneasy feeling surged inside my heart.

Khan had urged me to come out here on time as promised, saying that he had another, hard way.

That guy who’d looked at me with meaningful eyes.

Khan’s numerous subordinates who didn’t go back to their place of residence and stayed for a day in someone else’s territory.

"… No way."

In an instant, I started running back the way I’d come, full throttle, without looking back.

Of course I’d been feeling strange.

I’d heard that he was an out-and-out eccentric, unpredictable and capricious.

No, I could’ve come to that conclusion even without ever listening to that. Somebody who stod at the top of the nation, in an emperor’s position, playing around here while hiding his identity? Just for ‘fun’.

Did such a person propose such a fair competition?

Did he say our game would end with just that?

Why? Was that fun?

"Haah… tsk. Was the peak this far?"

I sped up even more.

Of course, this was not a logical reasoning. There was no particular reason other than the feeling of ‘strangeness’. It was just a feeling.

But,

"Ha… haha."

Sometimes feelings can be more accurate than cold rationality.

I bared my teeth in dismay at the sight that caught my eye.

Really, the ‘real’ match was happening at the peak.

Khan, that reedy bastard, and a portion of his numerous subordinates were all there. Along with the princess.

‘Did I fall for such a simple trick…’

I’d been careless. I couldn’t imagine that the emperor could tell such a brazen lie.

I bit my lip and hurriedly jumped up.

By the time I reached a position where the peak was in full view –

"What… are these people doing?"

I saw a very strange sight.

The people on the peak were not fighting. They weren’t trying to pull out the princess’ flag, nor were they attacking her. They were doing something close to a child’s play.

What they were doing was nothing more than a ‘tug of war’.

Why tug-of-war all of a sudden?

"Haah… really. How bothersome."

The reason I couldn’t contain my anger when I saw this was not, of course, because everyone aside from me was having a fun game of tug-of-war.

It was clear at a glance, just how unfair a match was being played.

On one side, counting at first glance, nearly a hundred people were holding the long rope in a line that stretched down to the hillside below, and on the other side there was a woman all by herself.

Moreover, given how desperate the expression on the woman’s face was, it seemed like a game that she couldn’t afford to lose. Perhaps something very important hinged on it. For example, the right to occupy the peak.

"…"

Still, the reason I didn’t break in right away was simple. Because the princess still looked like she could bear it.

I felt it again, but really, this woman was a monster. How could she withstand the power of hundreds of people on her lonesome?

Of course, it wasn’t that Khan or the reedy bastard next to him were lending their strength to the team. They were just leisurely watching this situation from the side.

But her amazing strength clearly shone through nonetheless.

‘Come to think of it… what should I do now?’

I started to worry.

Going up like this? What a joke. I didn’t know how things would play out if I did that, but at least it won’t work out neatly.

I didn’t know for sure, but it seemed that the rule of the match was that only the princess could participate. If not for that, that baldie wouldn’t have been cheering her on from behind.

Even if I went up, it was clear that they would try to stop me using the same rule.

Of course, I could flip the table. After all, they cheated me first. The deal was invalid.

But it wasn’t the best idea to confront the emperor of the Skull Empire head-on. For the princess, or for me.

It was a crisis.

Even as I struggled, I continued to check the situation with my own eyes.

Although she was trembling, the princess was still holding on.

‘Bayar Khan… hasn’t come forward, it looks like.’

From the expression on her face and the way she was quietly using her strength, she was still the princess.

The reason why he didn’t replace the princess – I could guess to some extent.

Perhaps he was not following my advice, ‘one can only awaken when they’re alone in a crisis situation’.

And it was the right decision. Indeed, the princess could awaken in this situation, here and now.

Of course, it was true that the situation was a bit too tense for me to merrily wish her good luck, when there was no guarantee she would succeed.

"Whoo…"

It was clearly a crisis. But it was also an opportunity.

Overcoming a crisis in an unexpected way is a sure way to fire up the readers.

It was impossible for me to go and help out. That was a bad idea all around.

Still, somehow, the princess had to win. If the princess lost there and the flag got uprooted, all my hard work so far would be in vain.

"There’s nothing else to try but that."

I remembered the conversation I’d had with Bayar Khan the other day.

"You really couldn’t lend her even half of your strength? You sure about that?"

"Ah, that’s how it is! If you just read my records written in historical materials…"

"Hey, who believes stuff like that?"

"Huh, you’re being so unfair I feel like I could die… wait, I’m already dead! Ha ha ha ha!"

"Okay then, let’s be honest. What about the strength of the princess herself? Aren’t you adding her strength on top of yours?"

"Uh, umm?"

"No, you even possessed the princess, it doesn’t make sense to say that you can’t use her strength. Right?"

Bayar Khan hesitated, and then reluctantly admitted it.

"Well, you’re right, but anyway, the strength of this body isn’t even that much, so why do you keep trying to argue about it!"

"Because it was a 2vs1, a 2vs1. You lost to me 2vs1. So please don’t keep saying you lost unfairly."

"Huh… that’s ridiculous. If I were really going to do a 2vs1, I wouldn’t have possessed her, I would’ve just given this kid my powers instead. Because it’s more efficient. Of course, I have no intention of doing that!"

"Oh, is that so? You can just give her strength?"

"Well, it’s more that I add to her soul, but it can be said that I just hand over a certain amount of power. However, it’s clumsy in practice and there are clear limitations…"

Surprisingly, the old man said that it was possible to empower people without having to change their personalities.

"If there’s a limit… is it something like, you can only give as much power as the princess’ body can tolerate?"

"No, it’s kind of the other way around."

"Is it you who has the problem?"

"Right, it’s my problem. There’s not much power I can give her. No, I gave it all, but should I say that I only have that much strength?"

"What do you mean?"

"When I possess this kid’s body like I’m doing now, it’s literally a concept that my soul overtakes her body. It’s a way of reproducing my body when I was alive, even if it’s not complete. But that other way… it’s just a concept that strengthens this kid herself by adding the power of my soul. It’s not just handing over the strength I’d had in life. It’s hard to express everything this kid has. I don’t really know. It’s something I’ve never done before."

"Hey…"

I was quite surprised. As I understood it, this was a concept similar to raising the character’s ‘class’ itself.

Presumably, the act of adding to the soul seemed to strengthen not only the physical ability, but also the unique ability and various hidden characteristics. Just like Karl Zayed, the scope of growth covered the whole spectrum of abilities.

It was truly a great ability. Even though the parties themselves seemed to be unaware.

Besides, it was easy to guess why he said it was clumsy.

Simple. Contrary to the fact that Bayar Khan had an extremely powerful body during his lifetime, in fact, the ‘class’ of his soul state was not so high. Because that was also the way the manga’s power balance was adjusted.

Predictably, Bayar Khan was currently powering the princess through this ‘soul-adding method’.

The problem was that I didn’t know how long it would last. Even though Khan and his bodyguard had not participated yet, the only thing the princess could do was not let go of the rope.

"I don’t have time."

I immediately stopped thinking. Now was not the time to hatch some cunning scheme. It was the time to actively put into practice whatever came to mind.

Then,

"Well, guess I’ll just have to try."

I hastily moved.

However, my direction was not towards the peak.

Rather, I went the opposite way.

To a gloomy shaded area where no one would notice me.

"By the way, can I ask one more question?"

"You, you have too many questions!"

"It’s just… because I’m kind of interested in this kind of thing."

"Huh, what is it?"

"Did you ever use that unique ability… even while you were alive?"

This was a question I was really curious about.

It was a skill that could only be used after death? Wasn’t that strange?

Bayar Khan’s answer was indeed simple.

"Isn’t that natural? Why would I save such a good thing? I had a lot of fun with this. Haha."

I knew it.

"Oh, I thought it was only activated after you died?"

"Nah, I just never dreamed that it could be activated even after my death. At that time, I almost died from shock. Although I was already dead! Ha ha ha ha!"

Immortality.

I thought Bayar Khan’s ability was actually close to this.

But it wasn’t that surprising. There were quite a few beings with similar abilities in this world.

"Oh, one last thing."

"What else is it this time!"

"How do you use that unique ability? Like, is there a special way to activate it?"

"How I use it? Seriously, why are you asking?"

"I’m just curious…"

"Hmph, if I teach you that, what, can you use it? My unique ability?"

I smiled at his question.

"Well… well, wouldn’t it be possible to copy it if I’m lucky?"

"… God damn it."

Her hands holding the rope were already numb.

There was no tingling sensation or pain where the skin had gotten peeled off.

It wasn’t just her hands either. Her mind had gone blank, too, and she felt like she could pass out at any moment.

She wanted to rest.

– Stop, let me come out and deal with this for you.

‘What would change if I did that?’

Thermis shook her head.

She was already exhausted. Even if Bayar Khan took over now, he wouldn’t last long anyway.

"… Haah."

She’d come a long way, so there’d been moments when she’d fantasized about success, but this was how it’d all come to an end.

Now, whether she was forced to marry, was executed, or had to go back to the exhausting life of a fugitive… her freedom would be gone.

Thermis sensed the end.

This was it.

That was then.

– Hey.

‘Huh?’

– Can you hear me?

A muffled voice could be heard from somewhere.

– What is it, you bastard! Hey, what is this?

– You did a great job. And, uh… Princess.

And then,

– You held up well.

A powerful force, one she’d never before felt the like, began to well up from within her body.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 멀대 (muldae) means tall, but in more of a derogatory sense.