Surviving a Shounen Manga

To Gibrante!

Had I made a tiny miscalculation?

Despite how out of breath I was feeling, I reined in my exhaustion and kept my feet moving.

Because if I stopped even for a moment, Karl Zayed's attack might hit my back and smash me flat.

Just then,

Pshng–.

"Yikes!"

Something flew by from behind and almost grazed my earlobe.

Apparently, the rest of the pursuers had also caught up with me.

I was worried. Should I use my abilities or not?

Leo's ability, which I was mimicking at the moment, consumed stamina at a formidable rate. I could pour in a burst of speed, but it wouldn’t be sustainable.

Not to mention that I had to keep some fuel in the tank in case I got dragged into an unexpected fight.

‘Let's be patient for now.'

I’d had it much easier when Leo alone was after me.

I still had enough energy then, and Leo had to carry Tanya, since he himself didn’t have a guide’s eyes.

But Karl Zayd was a different beast.

Covering myself with the goblin silver screen didn’t block his vision, and he was absolutely tireless.

Even though goblins popped up here and there pretending to be me to grab everybody’s attention –

"Where are you hiding… you ant!"

He could never be lured away from my trail.

Messing with a bastard who had all the characteristics of a guide and a decipherer at the same time, might’ve been a miscalculation.

But the silver lining in all this was that –

"There you are!"

Crackackack–!

"Some… kind of flying bug?"

"Squatjaw’s mine! Shove off unless you want to taste some lightning!"

"Go away."

"Didn’t you hear me? I. Came. First!"

"I could get rid of you first, if you insist."

– Leo promptly intervened whenever there was an emergency.

After I caught Karl Zayed's attention, Leo dropped Tanya somewhere and began following our trail, which was fortunate for me. He was really quite helpful in how he was getting in his competitor’s way and dragging things out.

But, of course,

"Good! Squatjaw, just wait a bit! The winner here will face you!"

"You can run first if you want. I’ll follow after I clean up this messy-haired bug."

"What? Bug?! You bastard! You’re the bug!"

"Alright, then the loser is the bug."

This wasn’t the scene that I wanted.

"Huff…"

This was already the third time these two were having a stand-off.

I sighed softly and looked at Karl Zayed, who’d decided to confront Leo instead of chasing after me.

And then,

"Fine; Leo, Karl, you two have fun. I’ll leave first."

I began to slowly walk away, trying my best to pretend that I didn’t care in the least.

But of course, deep down, I just wanted them to stop and chase after me.

Why couldn’t I leave the two here, you ask?

Simple. Things would inevitably get dragged out, everybody would focus on the two of them, and my plan would naturally collapse.

The readers might be very much in favour of them having a fight here. No, they definitely were. Although this wasn’t the place for some kind of ultimate showdown, a quick bout? The readers, fans of shounen battle manga as they were, would lap it right up.

Not just the readers either. All the inhabitants of this world were fighting enthusiasts. By deliberate design.

Hell, even I wanted to see them throw hands.

But that was why it was such a threat.

In a situation like mine, I really had to guard against something like that happening.

Fights were exciting. A fight breaking out somewhere could snatch away the spotlight in an eyeblink.

Even more so when it was a fight between famous named characters.

For example, what if Gronyan, the current holder of the leading point of view by the author’s grace, got involved in a fight with Karl Zayed? The spotlight would naturally shift there, and the readers would also enjoy the show without complaint. Even if the plot development smelled fishy because I’d already left with the Ramirez.

‘Well, it’ll still be fun to watch.'

And therefore, dangerous.

Of course, this was unlikely to happen right away. I didn't know how Gronyan's character was set, but I’d probably be gone by then.

Anyway, to sum it up, the current interest in me and the Ramirez was transient, and could be snuffed out any moment.

So I had to hurry up and finish this chapter before my worries could become reality.

The problem was,

"Don’t shorten my name. My name is Karl Zayed, not Karl. And it's obvious where you're going, anyway. Since I know where you’ll end up, why should I care if you get a little head start?"

These two bastards weren’t listening to me.

"Eh? Really? Where’s he going?"

"I don’t know what his plan is, but that guy’s trying to get the attention of all the strong people right now. This place is filled with blowhards, but there’re still three useful ones if you count."

"Three?"

"Me, that guy, and that giant who came in with a bunch of flunkeys recently – the one that looks like a bandit. You aren’t included, crackle-bug."

"What!? Are you looking down on me right now?!"

"You cheeky bastard. Do you think you’re strong? It's not that you don't have talent, but your vessel isn’t big enough to fit on this stage. Go and drink some more milk."

‘Haah…'

I felt like sighing at the sight.

The one being lectured… the ‘crackle-bug’, was the world's strongest talent as officially recognized by the author himself.

This would one day become a piece of black history. The villain would acknowledge the protagonist and become a fan favourite.

Not only that,

"Yeah? That’s all you have to say!?"

Provocation like that made a real fight a certainty.

So I rushed in before the pissed off Leo could attack Karl Zayed.

"Hey, hey! Stop that! From my point of view, you two aren’t much different, you know? What I mean is, don't fight over such little things."

"What?"

"What?"

"And you, you were on the money. That's right, I'm thinking of meeting up with that big bloke in black. You guys can play around here if you want, but me? I'm going to go fight him and decide who owns this treasure. So, goodbye!"

I immediately turned back and started running.

Were they going to take the bait or not?

This was the best lure I could throw right now. To tell them that I was going to fight.

‘Please take the bait, take the bait…'

And then,

"… You’re in luck, crackle-bug. I don't have the time to play with you right now."

"Tch, that's my line! Shove off, don’t block my way!"

Fortunately, the two idiots, lured in by the thought of me fighting somebody strong, again started chasing me.

"Whoo…"

I let out a sigh, but the future was looking grim.

Like Karl Zayed had said, I was now in a situation where I had to find Gronyan right away. Only then could I get out of this Clone City and bring this chapter to a close.

The problem was that he was living on the top of the mountain just opposite the northern entrance. After arriving here, surprisingly, he’d ignored all the lavish lodgings and gone straight into the mountains.

Of course, I didn’t fear getting lost along the way since I was very familiar with the mountain itself – the goblins had also stayed there – but the distance and the direction were troubling.

He was called the Assassin King, so how fast did that make him, exactly?

‘Ah… it’ll work out somehow.'

And, well, I wasn't completely out of options either.

While I was forcing my feet to move, lost in thought –

Suddenly,

Tiling–.

– The leading point of view of the chapter has changed.

– The main character of the chapter is now ‘Gronyan'.

A message arrived notifying the change of main character.

"Huh?"

It was now Gronyan who held the leading point of now.

At that moment,

… Huh? Wait a minute.

I froze in my tracks.

Several thoughts ran through my head at the same time.

"Wait, wait a minute…"

I quickly shook my head.

The author finally gave the leading point of view to Gronyan? Now of all times?

The reason was somewhat conceivable.

Ever since the fight between Leo and Karl Zayed had gotten cancelled, he’d probably been trying to get the storyline ‘back on track’ – how he visualized it.

And he was probably aiming to make me fight.

My purpose and direction had been revealed by Karl Zayed, and me bumping into Gronyan also adequately foreshadowed. Moreover, the readers must’ve already been feeling a little excited after seeing Leo and Karl Zayed quarrel, so it’d make for good transition.

What would Gronyan do once he received the leading point of view was obvious. ‘It’s time…' He’d babble something like that if I had to guess, and then move out of his mountain dwelling to come meet me.

"Good!”

And this was a really lucky turn for me.

The author had just made a huge mistake.

If the leading point view had been given to me instead of Gronyan, I would’ve had no choice but to head towards his place. To the top of the mountain, the exact opposite of my ultimate destination.

But now there was no need for that.

Because he was coming for me anyway.

Of course, I could understand why the author had done this. It might’ve been the obvious thing to do, making the readers empathize with Gronyan.

‘But he should’ve thought it through a little more.'

As soon as I came to a decision, I turned straight around.

And then,

"Huh? Squatjaw?"

"What, have you changed your mind? Alright, let’s finish this right away… Hmm?"

I ran past the two people who were now standing idly by, back towards the opposite direction.

Towards my original destination, the exit of Clone City.

"Raise your head."

At that soft yet resounding command, Yan slowly looked up at the majestic man in front of him.

Even though they hadn’t seen each other in a long time, he was feeling troubled instead of joyful.

"How are you?"

"What does it look like? Do I look like I’m doing well?"

"… Yes."

The man clicked his tongue.

"You’re still the same. The way you give a snap answer without much thought. I want to hear your actual opinions, not some parroted answers."

"It really looks like that to me though, that’s why I said it…"

"And your habit of talking back hasn’t changed either."

"…"

"Has adventuring been worth it?"

"… Yes."

"Hmm. Are the guys with you useful?"

Yan could answer this with confidence.

"Yeah, all of them are great. Everyone is stronger than me, and their abilities are amazing…"

"Tsk, can somebody be called ‘amazing’ just because they’re stronger than you? Is that all?"

"…"

It was difficult to hold a conversation, just like always.

Every time he opened his mouth, he’d be rebuked or cut off midway.

But,

"Still, it looks like you’re having fun. Your face is so lively."

"… Eh?"

"Although you’re probably just fooling around every day."

Surprisingly, his father appeared to be somewhat satisfied.

"By the way, why did you come back to the field?"

"Are you asking me for an explanation?"

"Ah, no, I was just curious why… Aren't you retired?"

Then,

"Do you know why I retired?"

This time, there was a strange gleam of interest in Yan’s father’s eyes.

"I don’t know."

"It’s nothing special. At some point, I stopped having fun. One day I was going to go fishing, then a request came in. It was about killing some king somewhere, I think. But you know what's funny? I said no, because I didn't want to put away the fishing rod that day. It was terribly annoying."

"…"

"So I retired. Because I suddenly realized that I no longer had any interest in my work."

It really wasn't a big deal.

"But now… are you saying you’ve again gotten interested?"

"Well, I wasn’t really, not at first – but there were rumours that the target this time is related to the goblins. I’ve been interested in that race for a long time. And fishing was getting boring, anyway."

But even though Yan’s father said that he was simply interested, the colour of his clothes was unusual. The black uniform he now wore stood for ‘sure kill’ (必殺). And the assassins who’d followed him here weren’t riffraff, either.

While Yan was about to inquire further –

"… Guildmaster, may I interrupt?"

Someone's voice came from outside the tent.

"Out with it."

"It looks like Squatjaw and Karl Zayed are going to clash. Along with them is a boy who uses electricity, he’s also uncommonly strong."

It was Leo.

Yan felt his ears perk up unconsciously.

"Hmmm… is that so?"

The man murmured –

"Looks like it's time for me to move."

– And got up from his seat.

As his tall frame stood straight, the large tent suddenly felt full.

Yan had always been curious. Why was there such a difference in their sizes?

"Aren’t you coming?"

"… Eh? Oh, um, coming, I'm coming!"

Then, suddenly, a question popped into Yan's head.

Did his father come out of retirement just to hunt down Squatjaw?

"Do you have any other goals after catching Squatjaw…?"

Then,

"Now’s too early to talk about that."

His father simply smiled and replied indifferently.

And this really surprised Yan.

Was he actually considering the possibility of failure?

"Whoo…"

The city exit was already crowded by the time I arrived.

Probably due to the rumors that a lot of Squatjaws were trying to escape the city.

And there were actually quite a few of my lookalikes in one corner.

"Oh, there’s a lot of them, huh?"

Chinuavi and Cocoavi – or rather, Cocoa, had apparently conveyed my orders very well.

Alternatively, a lot of goblins had been feeling a little disappointed due to not being able to play around to their hearts’ content.

Anyway, this was a very positive sign for me.

Soon after,

"What, are you finally done running? You want to team up with these goblins or something?"

Karl Zayed also arrived.

"Huh? What happened to Leo?"

"That crackle-bug? Sleeping in the woods somewhere…"

At that exact moment,

"Found you! You can’t escape that easily!"

Leo's shout could be heard from afar.

They’d apparently had a go at each other without me knowing.

Of course, the leading point of view had already changed, so it wasn’t something to be worried about, but it did underscore how pressing the situation was. A sense of urgency was slowly building up in my heart.

‘When are you coming? Hurry it up…'

I’d tried to give the guest enough time to arrive, but I’d apparently overestimated him.

‘Hmm.'

This was a bit of a problem.

Since my destination was already in reach, I couldn’t leave, and I couldn’t drag the time anymore either.

There was no point in declaring that I’d be leaving the city right away. Without the leading point of view present, the readers would be left in the dark, so I couldn’t execute my ‘chapter ending operation'.

Besides, there were two monsters right here who were quite incensed due to the long chase.

"Are you thinking of leaving this city? Do you really think it’s up to you to decide that?"

"Squatjaw! Let's stop here and have a fair match! Give me the treasure!"

Of course, I didn't respond to them.

Instead, I looked around eagerly. Although I did say there was nothing I could think of to waste any more time –

But, well, there was one thing.

The goblins.

‘How about… I try hiding among them?'

The problem was that this might leave behind a pitiful victim or two.

I’d originally decided to keep the goblins out of harm’s way.

‘No, that's not it. Some other way, some other way…'

At that moment, while I was floundering without any ideas –

… Thoom.

The very air around me began to shake.

From a deep, heavy sound.

In an instant, everyone's heads turned to the epicenter of that ripple of noise.

There stood a man of great stature, dressed completely in black.

Gronyan.

Finally, the long-awaited guest of honour had arrived.

He began to trudge forward, meeting the gazes centred on him one by one.

His aura was so intimidating that even Karl Zayed and Leo were watching him with their mouths shut.

Gronyan walked up to me and slowly spoke.

"I heard you want to fight me to decide the owner of the treasure."

"Oh, you heard?"

"… You should learn some manners, you insolent bastard."

"Oh? Are you the type who thinks the social order depends on looks and manners?"

"… What?"

Anyway, good job coming here.

I glanced around.

The scene was exactly what I’d hoped for.

A huge crowd, a buzz of excitement, and the eyes already full of anticipation.

"Wait, excuse me. I have something to say."

I walked right up to the front of the exit and turned back to face the onlookers.

Then, I shouted loudly to the audience.

"I’m Squatjaw Hiro, and I have the treasure, Ramirez! Perhaps everybody here has already heard two pieces of news. That I’m leaving this city, and that I’m fighting to decide the ownership of the treasure."

Fortunately, no one stopped me.

I’d wondered what would happen if that Gronyan had attacked me mid-announcement.

So I peacefully continued my speech.

"I’m sorry, but one of the two is a lie. You all know by now that goblins are habitual liars, don’t you?"

Suddenly, murmurs began to fill the surroundings.

Maybe it was a reaction like, ‘Hey, what’s he talking about?'

I continued without hesitation.

"What could be the lie? Do you think maybe I'll pass this on to someone else?"

I took the Ramirez out of my sleeve and shook it once.

The murmurs began to turn louder and louder.

But still, nobody rushed over or attacked me.

To be honest, I’d thought someone might lose patience at this juncture, but luckily they were all pretty calm. Maybe they thought I wouldn’t be able to escape no matter what tricks I pulled.

"I’ll be going, so follow me. I’m going north."

I took a step back, behind the dividing line that separated the city from the outside, and slowly covered myself top to bottom with the goblin silver screen I’d prepared in advance.

Rustle–.

This… was the end.

All according to plan.

Of course, Karl Zayed or Gronyan wouldn’t find it funny, since they could still sense me just fine. I wondered what their reactions would be.

But I was here, directing the last scene of the chapter, to inflame the readers’ curiosity. To simplify the author’s choices.

Of course, I didn't know if he’d agree or not.

‘But if you don't finish the chapter even after all this, you should be disqualified as an author.'

I counted the seconds while shivering a little.

One, two, three, four…

‘Please! Please!'

And finally,

Tiling–.

[Chapter 28 The Battle for Ramirez’s Treasure (1) has ended]

[Hiro's character evaluation has been updated]

[‘Liar' has been added to the characteristics]

[The support of many readers followed]

⦙

The chapter ended.

"Huff! Yeah! Yeah, as it should!"

I could finally relax my breathing.

Finished. It was a success.

That was then.

"Are you done joking?"

Gronyan was slowly approaching. And Karl Zayed and Leo were followed behind.

"If you say you're running away… why are you standing still?"

Of course, just because the chapter was over didn’t mean everything was over.

The chapter was over, but the gathered characters didn’t simply vanish.

But,

"Well, did you know? The store opens only after the chapter ends."

They weren't a threat to me anymore.

"… What?"

I opened the character shop window.

‘It's been a while since I used this.'

And then,

– Do you want to purchase [Go straight to the chapter progress area] x 1?

I bought one of my favourite starter products.

I’d already told Chinuavi, Cocoa, and Haka to come and find me later.

‘Well, they should be fine.'

– Please tell us where you are going. Currently, there are a total of five chapters that are open for movement.

Perhaps the author’s newly minted preceding plot had gotten twisted, but that didn’t mean all the later chapters had been affected.

In other words, even if I wasn’t sure what would happen in ‘Buckingham', I could still go to ‘Gibrante'.

I took a look at the ‘monsters' standing in front of me.

Gronyan, Karl Zayed, Leo – and countless others behind them.

I was a little curious as to how these guys would end this situation and follow up.

But of course,

‘I can hear all about it later.'

I didn’t have any idea about watching it firsthand.

I gently took off the silver screen and greeted them with a smile.

"Then I’ll leave first. To Gibrante!"

A pure white light came out of the hologram and embraced me.

Editor's Notes:

None for this chapter.

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