Surviving a Shounen Manga

The Princess Awakens

A huge black horse whose gait split the heavens in two, descending to earth.

And the one who rode it dyeing the entire earth with his own colour, like the sun itself.

Such was the scene in the painting called the [Birth of the Conqueror], that hung alongside another portrait named [Umir Khan] in the hallway of the imperial mansion.

And it was also the scene dreamt by a neighbouring country’s queen, two months after she found out she was pregnant.

Thermis saw the light of the world for the first time exactly eight months after her mother had ‘a bit of an ominous dream about an enemy nation’.

Thermis showed off her ‘unusual strength’ right from her birth, but it was only when she was two years old that it became known to the others in the court.

The reason was simple, because everyone around her did their best to hide her power.

The queen thought that Thermis’ power was somewhat ominous, just like that nightmare she’s had, and she didn’t think a princess of a country needed something like that.

However, after the two-year-old Thermis ‘accidentally’ broke her nanny’s wrist, her strength was revealed to the world, as the nanny confessed in tears that she couldn’t deal with that girl anymore.

Thermis was completely aware that to break or destroy somebody other than herself was an immoral act, however she was still barred from any contact with other children her age until she was able to control her own strength to some extent.

Because her existence itself would be too dangerous for them.

Thermis had initially chafed under the restriction, but when she first met her peers at the age of six, she soon realized it wasn’t a bad thing. Rather, it wasn’t much fun for her to be with her peers.

Because those cowardly and feeble bastards only saw her as a dangerous monster.

And it was actually true.

To them, she was always going to be a dangerous being. It was inevitable.

So, exactly one year after that, Thermis went to the palace stables on her own two feet.

For Thermis, spending time with the horses was very enjoyable.

That place always made her feel at ease, even when she had to spend the whole day in those messy and stinky stalls. It felt like she was finally making friends.

She wondered why she felt more comfortable talking to horses rather than humans, and one day she suddenly heard the answer from an old ghost called ‘Bayar Khan’ who resided in her.

– It’s simple. Because the horses aren’t afraid of you.

That was indeed why.

Most humans feared such strength that was beyond rationality and reason, and few could stand against it, therefore they resorted to pushing it away and denying its existence.

And each time she saw such a flinch or a grimace, Thermis felt a deep-seated rage threatening to burst out. If you keep treating somebody like a monster without cause, even a perfectly nice person may end up becoming twisted.

It was around that time that she became interested in the ‘Warrior’s Path’ of the Skull Empire, and the position of a general.

They sounded glamourous, sure, but her anger against the world also played a part.

How could she not be tempted by the lure that her power might become a beacon for others to follow, instead of being shunned?

At least, she didn’t want to be treated like a monster anymore.

Also, since childhood, she’d heard many times that she should’ve been born in the imperial family of the Skull Empire, and even that ghost named Bayar Khan used to be a fairly famous emperor from there. Naturally, she was interested.

During the qualifying round of the Warrior’s Path, watching the spectators cheer as she lifted a boulder over her head, Thermis had felt a strange sense of ‘security’.

Kind of like… like when she’d been seven years old, when she’d trotted out to the palace stable as if she’d been possessed. Like she’d finally found her place in the world. Like pieces of a puzzle clicking into place.

But the odd part was that, she hadn’t struggled very hard to arrive here.

What would it be like to become a general of the Skull Empire? She’d indeed had such an idea, but it hadn’t been compelling enough to make her apply right away.

Besides, wasn’t it all just a coincidence, that she’d come to this place? If the first prince of the Skull Empire hadn’t proposed to her, and if she hadn’t run away, she wouldn’t have found this place so quickly.

The ‘Warrior’s Path’ hadn’t even featured in her thoughts, at first. That was why she’d ran away to Westland. And if she hadn’t met Squatjaw afterwards, even if she remembered it, she wouldn’t have dared to come.

Was it from that moment? She was vaguely starting to feel it.

That maybe… maybe all of this had been decided from the beginning.

Maybe everything since her birth, everything she’d been through growing up, everything about her life – had actually been predestined in the wheel of ‘fate’.

"H-, a horse!"

"The sky split!"

"That black horse is coming down!"

And that vague guess,

"Aah…"

Now, as he saw a huge black horse cutting open the sky and running towards her, she became convinced.

She – had been born, to meet him, today, at this moment.

And she was here to call him by his name.

Thermis spread her arms towards the black horse that was descending as if to swallow the earth.

Then, dredged up from some corner of her soul, as if she knew it from a half-forgotten dream, she quietly muttered a name.

… Umir!

"… Wow."

I watched the princess ‘transform’.

In the total sixty volumes of Adventure King, the scene where a character awakened their unique ability for the first time was actually quire uncommon. Mostly they appeared with their abilities fully unlocked.

In other words, the phenomenon unfolding right before my eyes was a rare sight that I’d never even seen before.

The black horse fell from the sky and swallowed the princess.

No, to be more precise, the princess’ body absorbed the black horse.

Then the light from her body covered the entire battlefield, and it was so bright that no matter how much I tried to open my eyes, I couldn’t see anything.

And then,

"Oh. Ooooh."

"… Haaah."

"Oh, it’s beautiful…"

The princess was revealed with a completely new appearance.

She wore dazzlingly shining armour – very similar to that of the Imperial Army, but with a touch of a more modern style. At her back she carried a great black blade, as tall as herself.

One peculiar part was that even her horse was covered in armour.

Presumably, the range of her ability also included her mount.

At first glance, the unique ability of the princess was some kind of ‘instant outfit change’.

This wasn’t an official name or anything, only a term used within the fan community. Literally, it meant a new costume was created when an ability was activated. Like many popular henshin superheroes, for example the ‘Power Rangers’.

"Outfit change…"

In fact, I thought it was a bit strange, because her unique ability was a completely different type from what I’d imagined.

Until that light had faded, I’d believed that the princess had awakened to an ability related to the great black horse that’d come down from the sky – like summoning it as a helper, or even transforming into it (ah, no, that might be a little out of bounds), or something.

But somehow, it turned to be as a completely different type of ability.

An ‘instant outfit change’ type ability can have various characteristics, but the base is raising the user’s attack power and defence. Then you sprinkle in some unique effects, and so on.

Frankly, I couldn’t understand the link between the descent of the black horse and the princess’ changing into armour. What was the point of such a ‘transformation sequence’?

‘So the black horse… was transformed into armour?’

Although the effect itself was gorgeous –

"It’s odd…"

That was then.

– What’s odd?

A voice came out of nowhere.

"Huh?"

– Didn’t you just say it’s odd?

"No, who… Bayar Khan?"

Not sure when the hell he did it, but he’d sneaked in and attached himself to me.

– See, everybody’s stunned.

"Oh, it looks impressive, that’s for sure. Real flashy."

I was being sincere, here. The princess wearing the shining armour looked pretty cool.

– Flashy, is it… You really don’t understand anything.

"Eh? What do you mean?"

– Unlike you who takes everything lightly, the warriors of the Skull Empire never lose focus on the battlefield.

"… Eh?"

From that perspective, nobody on the battlefield was still fighting. They all looked lost, staring at the princess.

"It doesn’t look like that though?"

– That’s how shocking the sight is.

Shocking? It sounded different from simply eliciting surprise.

– Do you know?

"Huh?"

– Umir Khan’s statue in Barantor, the imperial capital, was made by himself. Hammer in his hand, he made it completely from head to toe.

"Why bring that up here?"

– Have you ever seen it?

It was a rather absurd question.

"I’m not blind, am I? How could I miss something that big?"

– Idiot. I mean, have you ever seen it up close?

Never.

As I shook my head, Bayar Khan added with a chuckle in a knowing tone.

– I have. I’ve even checked the insides of its pants. But nothing was hanging from there.

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

– Nothing dangling. You get me?

"…?"

– Idiot. It means Umir Khan might’ve been a woman.

Crazy. What nonsense was this old man spouting now?

"Really?"

– The records about Umir Khan are all from after the founding of the Skull Empire. Before that, at best, there were only stories that’d been passed down orally. And one of them is about the horse that came down from the sky.

"A horse that came down from the sky?"

– You still don’t understand?

In that instant,

"Ah…!"

I exclaimed unconsciously.

Ah, was that it?

"So… are you saying that everyone is stunned because they think the princess is the reincarnation of Umir Khan?"

– Exactly. I thought that’s why you were like that too, at first.

It was an amazing story.

‘I was wondering why a black horse suddenly came down from the sky.’

It was only now that I was able to clearly understand the cause and effect of it all.

The reason why the princess awakened here, why the black horse appeared during her awakening, and no, why the princess wanted to walk the Warrior’s Path in the first place.

There were no coincidences in this world. The reason everything fit so snugly, was because the author had set it that way.

To be honest, I’d never quite understood how the princess of a neighbouring country could even become the ruler of the empire, but from the looks of it the setting for this had been arranged well in advance.

From Bayar Khan, to Umir Khan.

The emergence of a new hero, carrying the legacy of the two previous emperors who had been symbols of the empire.

"Great… it’s a great scene."

– Of course, she’s not exactly the same as Umir Khan. The shape of the armour is slightly different, and her weapon, too. Perhaps those people would come to their senses once they notice that.

It was prophetic.

All over the place, voices were beginning to ring out.

"I guess the [costume]’s a bit lacking[1]."

– Huh? [Cos]… what?

"Umir Khan also had a mascot, don’t they say?"

To be honest, I’d prepared for this performance, but I never knew such an optimal timing would be arranged for me.

I cleared my throat and called out.

"Coocoo!"

Soon,

A beautiful white hawk flew from afar at the speed of lightning.

"Hey, look over there! That! That’s a white hawk!"

"Wait, a black horse and a white eagle!"

"The symbols of Umir Khan!"

"Well, then, that woman!"

Maybe Coocoo had been originally set to accompany the princess, too. Even if I hadn’t been there, the princess would’ve gotten off at Nanma Port, and she would’ve had to ride a horse to get to the capital, so she would’ve stopped by the horse market… even if she didn’t recognize him as a divine beast, Coocoo was white and cute, so she might’ve taken him with her.

I scratched my head.

‘Is it okay to hand Coocoo over…?’

Hmmm.

I immediately shook my head.

‘Well, that’s not something I need to worry about right now.’

Soon after,

Whiiiiish–.

Coocoo was perched atop the princess’ arm in a very elegant posture.

It was a beautiful sight, as if I was looking at a painting.

"Coocoo… is that your original form?"

The princess greeted him with a smile.

And that bastard –

"Hey there, pretty woman. Did anybody tell you, you’ve gotten even hotter?"

I groaned and shook my head.

Ugh, I could’ve done without seeing that.

"Somehow, it feels like he’s found his true self."

Then, princess’ eyes that were shining like the sunlight, looked around.

Majestic and magnificent.

Then,

"Wh-, what are you all doing!"

"Calm down!"

"It’s just an enemy! It’s just an opponent you have to defeat!"

Mong’s subordinates came to their senses and began to get back into formation.

Although the princess had awakened her unique ability, the overall situation hadn’t changed much.

The low-ranked fighters under the princess, only less than half of whom were left, were confronting Mong’s elites who were ten times their number.

Furthermore,

"I-, it’s Sir Mong!"

"Sir Mong has arrived!"

A giant had arrived at the battlefield.

As soon as he came, he searched for me, but the sight of the transformed princess caught his gaze in the next moment.

I quietly took a step back, and my eyes lit up.

How much power would the newly awakened princess have?

That was then.

Neigh–.

The horse the princess was riding, began to slowly walk forward.

It looked so dignified that the warriors in front unconsciously retreated and gave way.

Soon, the princess stopped in front of the enemy soldiers.

Mong’s soldiers flinched, but didn’t back down. Instead, they held their swords high. Having Mong behind them seemed to have instilled some confidence.

"The enemy peak master is right in front of you!"

"You just need to take that woman down!"

"Do not panic!"

Then, the princess who was indifferently looking down at it all, murmured.

"Go away."

And at that moment,

Thoom–.

The air shook, rippling into a wide wave.

The wave that erupted from the princess swept through the entire battlefield.

…

The enemy soldiers who were blocking the princess’ front, disappeared.

One blow, and hundreds of soldiers literally flew away.

I couldn’t help but be amazed.

‘… What, what is that?’

It was a shocking sight. The air wave that pressed down on my skin was strong beyond imagination.

Unconsciously, I gaped in amazement. The princess’ power was far beyond my expectations.

She was this strong? Just how?

I was dumbfounded.

This… was a level where even I couldn’t guarantee my victory.

Then,

‘Wait, maybe…’

There was one thought flashing through my mind.

Could she be… a new character?

"Ah ha!"

I tapped my forehead.

I’d been completely mistaken, considering the princess an existing character created early on.

Wrong. In Adventure King, the essence of a character is its unique ability.

In other words, now was the moment when the princess’ character was born anew, after awakening her unique ability. The character who would later be called Arte Khan.

In other words, this woman was the newest character in the world right now.

At that moment, I understood how her power made sense. Most new characters appearing in Adventure King start off at the top of the food chain, then the power balance is adjusted after a certain period of time.

My mouth was hanging wide open.

"… This is crazy."

Meanwhile, the princess continued to move forward with an indifferent expression.

In front of her was the giant, Mong.

Mong was no longer searching for me.

He also seemed to have figured it out. That he might be facing a tough opponent this time.

Unlike when he’d been dealing with me, Mong didn’t wait around.

He started to roar.

"Aaaaahhhhhhh!"

Then, as his body glowed, blood began to flow from his eyes.

It seemed that he was about to transform into the ‘Bloody Giant’.

And then,

"Grrrrrrr…"

The giant, white eyes flashing, began glaring at the princess.

The sense of oppression that emanated from him was truly terrifying. If I had to pick out people could stand up to him right now, I’d have trouble coming up with a list.

But,

"O old Sword of the Empire who hath not been freed from the shackles of blood… I shall give thee rest."

The princess who calmly raised her sword, felt even more brutal.

The giant and the princess, who had stared at each other for a while, clashed for an imstant.

Bang!

As a strong shockwave spread, everything around them was caught up in that explosion.

Rocks shattered, warriors flew away, and the earth was overturned.

And then,

"Look over there!"

As the dust that covered the battlefield slowly subsided, the result of the clash was slowly revealed.

The fight was already over.

The Bloody Giant couldn’t withstand the princess’ blow.

"… Amazing."

Of course, it was as expected.

Mong was a character who’d never even appeared in the original. No matter how strong he might’ve been set as, there was no way he could trade blows with the princess whose character had just been born. A character set with such significance that she’d even appeared in the original, at that.

Soon after,

"Is there only one left?"

The princess slowly turned her head towards me.

‘… Something’s wrong.’

The aura emanating from her body made me want to tremble.

"I’m going to have to deal with you too, right?"

"…"

Originally, I’d had no intention of defeating the princess, but that didn’t mean I wanted to lose in this situation.

Avoid confrontation with the princess who’d just showed such a flashy performance? I could imagine the number of ‘I’m out’ comments by the readers. Not to mention the image I’d painstakingly built up so far would go up in smoke.

I had no other option.

I had to fight this OP munchkin character[2] who’d just awakened and was in her strongest state. The character who was destined to stand as the final victor of this battlefield.

And I had to pull off a win, somehow.

"Hmm."

I was definitely feeling tense.

To put it in perspective… it reminded me of the time when I’d had to face off against Karl Zayed.

But,

"You’re making a big deal out of knocking down a mindless brute who only had his size going for him. Did you miss how I was toying around with him earlier?"

I’d never lost to any munchkin, not yet.

In the riddle game with Chinuavi, in the unique ability contest with Leo and the rest, and in the battle against Karl Zayed… I’d prevailed against them all.

The destined victor of this battlefield?

Sorry, but quashing such things could be called my specialty in this world.

"… Come on then, little princess. Let’s see what you’ve got."

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 코스튬 (koseutyum), a transliteration of ‘costume’ in Korean. When used in monologues there’s no problem, but when Squatjaw uses it verbally Bayar Khan’s naturally confused by the word.

[2] 먼치킨 (lit. munchkin), a Korean term for overpowered characters. Please note English RPGs use this term with a different connotation (minmaxing), unlike Koreans who simply mean somebody OP (plz nerf, etc).