Surviving a Shounen Manga

The Ramirez Scramble (8)

“Fine.”

It didn’t even take thirty seconds.

The response came much faster than I’d expected.

Recognizing that this was a crisis, reviewing the situation at hand, and making a decision… all of that in such a short time?

The source of that cool answer was none other than Siana.

For some reason, Yan was only listening silently.

“I will accept the team-up proposal with the Squatjaw Adventurers.”

“Aren’t you deciding too fast?”

“Isn’t the sooner the better?”

“… You can’t change your mind midway. You know that, right?”

“Of course.”

At Siana’s firm nod, I couldn’t help but stare.

Her eyes were shining brightly. More intensely than ever, but their lustre whispered of danger.

As I looked into those twinkling eyes, I felt my heart clench for a moment.

…

Indeed.

I was more familiar than anyone else with how shounen manga characters were, so I could understand her feelings to some extent.

Despair, frustration, fear, pain, disappointment… and helplessness.

This ‘Ramirez Scramble’ was, in fact, the most difficult arc for Siana more than anyone else.

Because here her weaknesses, her ‘uselessness’, were the most glaring.

It was an arc where she’d start to question her own worth, ponder over her own role in their adventurer team, and eventually become pessimistic…

Perhaps it was her who’d suffered the most, more than the collapsed Leo or the injured Yan.

But of course, it was also true these trials allowed characters to grow. In fact, this arc was the impetus that would let Siana find a way to raise her own power further.

Without adversity and hardship, one could never move forward. Wasn’t that the cliché that underpinned every shounen manga… Or rather, it was a universal truth that applied even beyond that.

And, maybe…

‘She might’ve already grown.’

And that sight left me a little moved.

The tenacity to face her goal without averting her eyes, despite being beset by so many difficulties.

The wisdom to seek the path forward, without succumbing to danger or despair.

Even though the leader was absent, she didn’t lose sight of her goals, and walked forward with a determined gait.

A character that shined all the more brilliantly in these moments of crisis.

“…”

I quietly suppressed the fluttering in my chest.

I wasn’t a reader, here to enjoy watching a character grow. I was also a part of the story, and I couldn’t let myself be genuinely moved by the growth of a character that might be a threat to me one day.

‘… It just feels a bit unfortunate.’

Then,

“Hmm. Great. Then it’s decided.”

I ended up concluding on my own.

But –

“But we have conditions.”

“Conditions?”

Siana said something nonsensical.

“I know it sounds a little absurd. Instead of thanking you for the team-up, I’m mentioning conditions. But I still have no choice but to do that. It’s what we need to fulfill our role.”

“… What are the conditions?”

“It’s simple. Heal Leo and Yan. Also, please bring back Mr. Kiriko who left meet you. If he’s injured, please treat him too. Because… because that’s something I can do.”

Siana shook her head for a moment.

It looked like she was trying hard not to fall into despair.

But soon,

“If you do that… us Leo Adventurers will prove our worth. Those are the conditions. Could you please?”

Her eyes burned once again with the flame of determination.

Honestly, she was a very smart woman.

“So it’s that. I thought you were going to ask something big. I was going to do all that anyway! Anything else?”

“Thank you. That’s enough.”

“No, no, thank you. We’ll be the ones in trouble if you stand on the other side. Actually, I’m the main target of those people. So I should be the one thanking you for standing together with us.”

“… Then I’m glad.”

“Alright, that’s enough talking, so let’s start.”

I immediately activated Kiriko’s unique ability.

[Six Burning Bullets].

Two silver revolvers appeared on my waist with a flash of light.

Pulling them out, one in each hand, I whirled the chambers.

Clackackackackackack!

Click!

The bullets I prepared were, of course, ‘healing’.

I pointed the barrels at Leo.

Fundamentally, Leo was still unconscious because of the author’s ‘scheme’. He’d suffered more damage in the original.

But from a Watsonian point of view, like Siana said, it was because he hadn’t received any physical treatment. Considering the timing, perhaps the author was aiming for Kiriko’s return…

Just when I was about to fire,

“N-, no!”

Suddenly, Yan screamed and stopped me.

“Huh?”

“What’re you doing! I-if you want to harm Leo, start with me.”

“What’re you on about?”

Then,

“Yan, it’s not like that, calm down.”

Siana held up her hand and stopped him.

Yan had apparently been lost in his own mind till now.

“… Honestly…”

Well, he must’ve been tired. He’d been blocking the invading enemies without even summoning King.

“We all know that Mr. Squatjaw can mimic our abilities. He must’ve mimicked Mr. Kiriko’s unique ability.”

“Yeah, this is the only ability I can use for treatment right now. Even if it looks odd, the effect won’t be bad. Better than the original user, even.”

Of course, only until Kiriko awakened successfully.

Finally,

Bangbangbang!

Bangbangbang!

I sent a volley of [healing x healing] bullets with rapid fire.

All the power drained in an instant.

“Whew…”

It’d be a plausibility issue if Leo didn’t wake after this.

I caught my breath for a moment and then turned to the other side.

Next,

“Yan, just stand still.”

“Eh? Ah, y-… yeah.”

Bangbang!

Bang–!

Another volley gracefully slammed into Yan.

And then,

“O-, oh my! My strength is coming back! T-, thank you, Mr. Squatjaw.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll go take a break.”

I hurried out of the cave.

There was more urgent work left than to savour their thanks.

“Huff… let’s see.”

First, I sorted out the current situation.

Half the players were now on Gronyan’s side.

Perhaps not in terms of headcount, but many of the named characters were in his camp. So half was correct.

So now we had to lure the other half to our side…

This was a bit of a dilemma. It wasn’t a matter of the method, it was a matter of time. Where was the time to contact them one by one and convince them?

“Hmm…”

Then, after thinking about it for a while,

‘No, hold on.’

There was one thought that was ringing in my head.

Was there really going to be a massive all-out war?

This was an issue I had to consider.

Didn’t Gronyan increase his influence by winning one-on-one matches against the other bosses? Would it be any different if he invaded another area?

Also, basically, the author of Adventure King himself didn’t like large-scale all-out wars.

Once, in an interview, he’d even explained the reasons himself.

• It was difficult to direct the scenes,
• The characters’ diverse personalities didn’t get enough space to stand out, and
• It was just a lot of hassle.

Maybe this time would be the same?

Meaning the scenes would be narrowed down to a confrontation between the ‘powerhouses’.

There were only three ‘true powerhouses’ on the other side.

Gronyan, Jemus, and Gelop.

There were other mid-boss-level named, but I ignored them for the moment.

Our side was well-matched.

Leo, Kiriko and me.

Of course, assuming that preparations were complete by the time of the decisive battle.

Then there was only one contender left.

Karl Zayed.

The problem was this guy.

‘… I don’t think he’s ever going to join us.’

To be honest, I didn’t see any hope of that.

If I hadn’t bumped into him earlier while pretending to be Gelop, perhaps? But now… well.

Of course, it was still uncertain. Wasn’t he someone who’d cling to his one-man adventurer team concept even if it killed him? He might stay completely neutral.

But I had a bit of an ominous feeling.

‘I might have to deal with Gronyan and Karl Zayed at the same time…’

It was no easy task, even if I asked Cormier to cooperate.

I had no choice but to commit.

“… Damn it, who cares!”

But there was no time to worry about it right now.

“Cocoa!”

There were a lot of things I had to do.

“Cocoa! Where are you? Let’s move!”

That was then.

“Where are you going?”

It wasn’t Cocoa who appeared, but Siana.

For some reason, she was showing a somewhat wary look.

She’d never said anything out loud, but apparently she’d become quite reliant on me. Hearing I was leaving, her complexion had darkened a lot.

“Don’t you want me to bring Kiriko back?”

“Ah…”

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”

“… Okay.”

I pulled over Cocoa who was walking slowly towards me, rubbing her eyes; and threw her up on my shoulder.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

“Hold on tight. We’re running.”

And then I ran down the mountain.

Huh? This way?

Haka fell in doubt for a moment. Because the army was heading in an entirely unexpected direction.

Mr. Squatjaw was based in the north.

And the Leo Adventurers, of which the guildmaster’s son was a member, were in the east.

But somehow, the army was going in a different direction.

South.

Haka could easily recall the face of the boss of that area.

A man who gave off a fierce impression, with grey hair like a lion’s mane.

“… Karl Zayed.”

Haka let out a soft sigh.

To think Gronyan would go for Karl Zayed first…

This was completely unexpected.

‘This… might be easier than I thought?’

The only one-man adventurer team in Westland.

Nevertheless, the top adventurer team – the Grey Lion.

In fact, he’d been the one Haka had kept a close watch on while his boss had been off gallivanting in Eastland.

Not for any complicated reason. Purely because he’d stood out the most.

To be honest, he’d wondered why Mr. Squatjaw had asked him to watch the Leo Adventurers instead.

Kark Zayed had been a much more interesting specimen.

A man so strong, and so alone.

No matter how strong Black Shadow might be, he was finding it difficult to imagine that they might defeat Karl Zayed easily.

‘Are they really going to have a final showdown?’

Haka pondered for a moment whether he should contact Mr. Squatjaw.

But soon,

‘No, I need to be sure first.’

Haka put back the transceiver he’d taken up.

And an hour after that –

Contrary to expectations, instead of starting with long-distance scouting and harassment, Gronyan directly walked up to Karl Zayed.

And Karl Zayed didn’t show any sign of avoiding him either.

He simply waited where he sat, leisurely sipping tea.

Haka lurked in the shadow of an executive nearby, watching them converse.

“Long time no see. This is the first time we’ve met since Clone City.”

“… What’s the matter?”

“Is it because you’re always alone? You’re lagging in intel.”

Karl Zayed smirked and looked around.

“You on the other hand, are swimming in friends.”

“It just turned out this way, somehow or other.”

“Are you going to attack me?”

“Depends on the circumstances, I suppose.”

“Hmph… Even if a bunch of sheep form a gang, they’re still sheep. They can’t threaten a lion.”

Then,

“Your eyesight needs fixing. Are you really comparing the one in front of you to a sheep?”

Gronyan was the first to be lose his temper.

At that moment,

Thoooommm–.

The air trembled.

Under the touch of an enormous force.

“… I suppose that’s around the level of a wild dog.”

Now, what would happen?

Haka observed with keen interest.

So far, Gronyan has knocked everyone to their knees in a one-on-one match.

Only one battle with the cyborg had ended without a clear winner, but there too, the opponent had already been half beaten. Otherwise, he wouldn’t follow Gronyan afterwards like this.

Perhaps he’d make a similar offer to Karl Zayed. To have a one-on-one match, and the loser follows the victor.

But,

“I have a suggestion.”

“Oh?”

What came out of Gronyan’s mouth was completely different.

“I was wondering if it’d be better to form an alliance. I think we have a common enemy that we need to deal with first.”

… Huh?

How mystifying.

Surprisingly, Gronyan bowed his head first?

But what was even more surprising was –

“… Who do you mean?”

– That Karl Zayed didn’t categorically refuse, but instead asked the details.

“You know him. The guy with the jutted chin. I heard he’s annoyed you too?”

“Hmm… as I guessed.”

…

Something was wrong.

The conversation between the two continued, but Haka didn’t wait to hear more.

Because this wasn’t the time to listen and wait.

He had to pass on the news right away.

That Gronyan and Karl Zayed had joined hands.

“Where? This way?”

“Yup.”

“Really? I don’t see any traces though?”

“You didn’t see anything on the way either.”

“…”

I had no rebuttal. In fact, after the power balance adjustment, my eyesight had truly worsened compared to before.

In other words, in Cocoa’s eyes, I might now be a fool who was regressing in skill.

That was then.

Bang–!

Bang-bang-bang!

We heard familiar gunshots from nearby.

“Okay, hold tight.”

“Huh? Wait a second!”

I put the complaining Cocoa on my shoulder and ran straight towards the source of the sound.

Soon after,

“You lot are a nuisance. Just stop looking for me…”

A red-haired man suddenly caught my eye. He was stepping on a gigantic guy.

His whole body was wrapped in bloodstained bandages as if he’d taken considerable damage, and blood was dripping from his eyes.

And behind him, there was a bunch of guys on the ground piled up like a mountain. Apparently they’d succeeded in their search for him and had rushed at him thoughtlessly.

‘Whew… what a bloody scene.’

The thought of having to talk to that (?) was already making me feel tired.

Of course, one could say I was reaping what I’d sown.

Whistle–!

I blew a whistle towards the redhead who was still kicking away at the victim at his feer.

Then,

“Hey, you seem full of energy. How’re you feeling? You look good, lemme tell you.”

I greeted him with a cheery grin.

And,

“… Squatjaw?”

The redhead finally stopped what he was doing and looked back at me.

And then,

” Squatjaw… Squatjaw… Squatjaw you bastard!”

He started to walk towards me, grinding his teeth.

His aura was brimming with anger.

“Haha… you must be a tad angry.”

I watched him with a slightly complicated feeling.

Now what should I do?

In fact, I’d been thinking it over along the way.

About the state in which I had to take him back.

1. Just take him back as he was.
2. Take him back after he awakened.

I’d naturally been assuming that Kiriko hadn’t awakened yet. Because I hadn’t met up with him yet.

Just dealing with riffraff wouldn’t let you awaken. The law of shounen manga was that such ‘growth’ had its own ‘requirement’ – one had to pass through various difficulties and then break through a final hurdle.

Just as Capone had been the final hurdle to Kiriko’s awakening in the original, her I should play that role here.

But I hadn’t gotten around to that yet.

There were pros and cons to both approaches.

If Kiriko joined the team after awakening, the future battles would be much easier. Our chances of winning would increase, our morale would also rise. There’d be some extra spice to enjoy.

And it’d follow the original storyline.

But the problem was that awakening him carried a big risk factor in itself.

Fighting with that guy who’d gotten crazy from anger, what if somebody got seriously injured? The team’s overall power would inevitably fall.

And there was one big unsettling factor above everything else.

What if the leading point of view didn’t come to us during the fight?

Then? That’d be the worst case scenario.

Even after having an all-out fight with me, possibly even taking Injuries, Kiriko might not be able to awaken.

The awakening, or evolution of the protagonist could never happen unless the readers could see it it. This was an unwritten rule that was almost a constant.

So,

‘… I can’t take such a risk.’

I decided to choose option 1.

Just to bring him back as he was. So he could jump into battle right away.

Anyway, there were a lot of people in Gronyan’s camp who’d be able to make him awaken.

Of course, this was also not without risk. Depending on who Kiriko fought, he might lose too quickly, forget about awakening in protracted battle.

‘… Still, I won’t have to worry that the readers won’t see him.’

Alright.

Just as I made that decision –

At that moment –

“Squatjaw!!”

Kiriko stood in front of me.

With blood all over his body, and his eyes blazing with anger[1]… he didn’t look ready to cooperate.

“Uh… hello?”

First of all, I gave him a nice smile.

In any case, we weren’t going to be long-term collaborators or anything.

In fact, I was even considering giving him a few free hits.

But,

‘I think I might actually die if I do that…’

Kiriko wouldn’t use his bare hands, but his guns.

And judging by the amount of power he’d gathered, even if he hadn’t reached awakening, apparently there’d been a few breakthroughs.

A cold sweat broke out on the back of my neck.

“No need to talk. Thanks to you… I’ve had a great time.”

“…”

It didn’t look like I could duck out of the fight.

I put aside the possibility of a conversation and pulled out my revolvers.

I couldn’t just stand there and tank a killshot with my face, now could I?

I had to take the initiative and suppress him first.

“Then… shall we see how much you’ve improved?”

Editor’s Notes:

[1] 쌍심지를 (lit. double wick), double wick growing in one’s eyes, meaning eyes ablaze with anger.

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I haven’t had much chance to translate for the past couple of months, so I’m not going to promise to make up for the missing weeks for now. We’ll see what happens.