Surviving a Shounen Manga

Chapter 53

The One They Call Squatjaw

I snatched up one of the shards of broken windows.

It was just glass.

Even without exerting any strong force, it snapped and broke.

"Hmm"

According to the manager, this room had the most advanced security sensors installed in every corner, ensconced in tempered glass that wouldnt budge with mere shock.

However, the scene unfolding right before my eyes was very different from such stringent security.

Although a full thirty seconds had passed since the intrusion, the alarm didnt sound. No one came running, and even the lights in the room had gone out.

Either the intruders preparations were very thorough, or someone had disabled the rooms security systems. One of the two was the reason.

Theres no point trying to find out which one.

Of course, this was something Id expected from the moment I was invited to the VIP gathering.

I gently raised my head and turned my gaze towards the intruders in front of me.

Theyre a little different, huh?

Obviously, the atmosphere was quite different from the assassins 1, 2, and 3 whom Id met before. The bloodthirst that permeated the air was a little denser.

But the strangest part was their actions.

They didnt start attacking me right away, didnt ask for the princess location, and didnt even take out their weapons.

The ten assassins were basically not being very professional, and it didnt seem like they were simply ignoring me.

As I stood still, they were rather being wary of the ones next to them.

Whats this

Really are you guys trying to decide the order right now?

Some of them were creeping forward and some taking a step back while exchanging glances.

It was both funny and absurd.

Of course, it wasnt a bad thing for me, but strangely, I was feeling sick of all this.

After all, even if all of them jumped me together, they wouldnt have a hope in hell[1].

So, I had to let them know.

"All of you come at once, or youll end up regretting it later. You guys arent at my level."

Then,

"Heh"

"This guys bold as brass[2]."

"You suicidal or something?"

Some impatient people responded.

All of them were the ones whod been the first to come forward.

It really seemed like it was all about skill level.

Those who came forward were the weak ones. And those guys who decided to watch from the back were the weaker ones, I guess?

The funny thing was, I had no intention of going along with their tomfoolery. Regardless of whatever order they decided to attack in, I had no intention of dealing with them one by one in the first place.

I mimicked the unique ability I needed to deal with the current situation.

And immediately

[Dance with Ghost Killer].

It was Yans ability.

Ghosts with big squat jaws, who looked exactly like me, began to pop up one after another.

Pop.

Pop.

Pop.

There were nine in total.

"Oh, where is this?"

"Hey, long time no see. Do you remember me?"

"Hes the master! Youre a ghost! And Im one too, I guess!"

"Am I fourth? Am I the fourth? Call me big bro, you little kids!"

The ghosts were being a rowdy bunch, as always.

"Quiet down, everyone. Cant you see that you have work to do? Take care of these guys."

At my command, the ghosts rushed towards the assassins.

"Go down already!"

"This guys mine!"

"Ill take this ugly bastard!"

"Youre mine, then, kid!"

And,

"Wh-, what are all these things?"

"My attacks arent working!"

The assassins began to panic.

In the meantime, I stared at the last assassin who wasnt chosen by any of the ghosts.

A guy holding a weapon that looked like a chain scythe.

He also noticed my gaze and glanced at me, but his eyes had no fight in them. Perhaps because he was bewildered by the strange ghosts appearing, but his eyes were emphatically emphasizing that he didnt have any intention to fight at all.

And I was the same.

I had no intention of fighting the one remaining assassin. Forget fighting, I didnt even want to lift a finger.

This guy wasnt mine.

Because the one to deal with the assassin with the chain scythe

Bang.

Would be the captain.

I looked at the gigantic squat-jawed ghost whod appeared in front of me with excited eyes.

He was three times larger than the regular ghosts, who were my size. Even though the room was as large as it was luxurious, it was now looking a little cramped.

" Its small."

Hey, even this guys voice was profoundly deep. As expected of a boss.

This was my first time actually summoning a captain ghost.

[Dance with Ghost Killer] has a structure where a captain ghost appears every tenth time, and the setting is that the captain possesses five times the power of a regular ghost.

The current regular ghosts had the same power as the current me, meaning the captain was a truly formidable monster.

The first time Yan had summoned this tenth ghost, the captain, in the original work, was at the height of the Scramble for Ramirezs Treasure. The giant ghost suddenly appearing and wiping out all the enemies had been a very impressive sight.

And now my captain was stronger than Yans captain had been at that point.

I smiled and pointed towards the assassin with the chain scythe.

"Captain, see that guy over there? Take care of him. Dont kill or pop him, though."

"Uhm I dont have a hobby of tormenting ants"

Hearing our conversation, the chain-scythes face scrunched and distorted.

And then,

"H-, huuuughk!"

His waist was trapped between by the captains fingers as he screamed like a pig being butchered.

Well, maybe he was just that terrified. After all, if the captain twisted his fingers just a little, his spine would snap like a twig.

Still, if you start wailing like that what about the rest of the assassins?

It seemed that the rest also recognized the situation, and they were slowly trying to step backwards.

Seeing this, I shouted with vigour.

"Dont miss a single one!"

Starting with the chain scythe guy, the assassins got quickly sorted out. They were already busy facing the regular ghosts, but when a great general appeared among the ghosts and killed (?) one of their compatriots with a flick of his fingers, their morale naturally went down the drain.

Of course, if theyd been more vigilant and prepared, they wouldnt have collapsed so easily. Werent they premier assassins, hired to chase after the princess?

But theres no do-over in life.

The guys whod kept their cool made a few moves to try and target me directly, but that didnt last long either.

Soon it was all over.

An easy ending.

But even after checking the status of the ten assassins lying on the floor, I didnt immediately send the ghosts back.

Because there was still some stuff to sort out, hidden in one corner.

I spoke, looking at the curtains by the window.

"You going to come out anytime soon?"

After a while,

" Youve got good eyes."

"Did you find our traces?"

The two assassins slowly emerged.

One was very fat and the other was very thin.

The contrast even more pronounced when they stood together.

Hmmm arent these guys pretty good?

Even after the ten assassins fell, they didnt jump out or run away. At least, seeing that they were trying to observe the situation until the end, it seemed right to consider them better than this rabble.

Finally,

"Im telling you beforehand, we arent on the same level as these guys lying down here."

The fat one said confidently as if hed read my thoughts.

"Well, thats something well find out right now."

I turned my gaze to the captain.

"Captain, can I ask for two more?"

"Catching ants is a little tiring"

"Ah, but one of them is a bit chubbier, right? Next time, Ill find an even bigger one for you."

" Well then."

Then, it was time for the captain ghost to sortie

" Wait a moment."

The thin one, whod been silent so far, slowly spoke.

"The terror of assassins lies in their stealth and their tenacity. Its not our style to attack openly."

"Oh, yeah?"

"We play the long game. Theres still one week left in the voyage. Dont even think about having a single restful meal or sleep from now on. Youll understand what it feels like to wither."

""

I scratched my head.

"But what if you get caught right now? Wouldnt that spoil your plan?"

Then as I slowly tried to approach the window,

"Hehe lets just step back for today."

"Wait for it. Ill make you cry, scream, and beg for help."

Both of them quickly jumped out.

"Heeh"

They were indeed idiots.

If youre going to run away in the end, why the need for all that back-and-forth?

" I dont feel good."

Thermis sighed softly as she looked at Chinuavi and Cocoa, who were sleeping peacefully as if they didnt have any care in the world.

Although shed heard that they wouldnt be get noticed because of a silver screen or something, she couldnt help but feel concerned.

The one to find her had been none other than Tamar, the representative of the war-hawk faction in the Skull Empire.

Apart from the talk about marriage, he didnt even like the people of the Mainin family, including herself. No, itd be more accurate to say that he regarded them as enemies. He was a bastard who only knew how to quarrel and fight with them at every meeting of the coalition government.

He was basically a man who thought of conquest as the spirit of the Skull Empire.

It was unknown whether Tamar had been the culprit whod sent the assassins, but he didnt seem the sort to just sit still even after seeing her face. No matter what, hed try to do something about her right away.

So, shed been slowly heading to the next room. Shed wondered if that squat-jawed guy had any new information.

But then,

"Hey, what the hell"

The sight Thermis had seen was astonishing.

Ghosts that looked like Squatjaw were fighting black-masked assassins. To be precise, it was more of a one-sided beatdown.

In particular, there had been a giant Squatjaw, thrice the size of the rest. The assassin caught in the giant ghosts hand had a pitiful look on his face thatd even made her sympathize with his situation for a moment. It was like watching an ant being crushed.

After making sure that the last assassin had been sorted out, Thermis had returned to her room.

She was thinking about the existence they called Squatjaw.

Who the hell is that guy?

Shed known from the beginning that he was unusual. To be precise, from the moment shed gotten kidnapped.

First of all, that amazing strength was hard to see as that of a human being.

For Thermis, whod never even seen somebody with strength comparable to hers in the first place, his existence had come as nothing but a shock.

And on top of that, his perseverance.

No matter even if the Adventurers Association might stand behind them, adventurers also have no choice but to lower their heads facing the authorities of each continent, country, and city. In the end, it depends on the number of troops those people can mobilize.

Among them, Minister Tamar had the biggest stick among the powers of the huge nation called the Skull Empire. No matter how famous and well-known adventurers were, they tended to bow their heads before him.

However, Squatjaw had pushed back. Even if he didnt know Tamars true identity, verbally pressing him like that in front of more than twenty VIPs couldnt have been easy. Not when everybody else had been bowing and scraping so deferentially.

But it was Tamar whod looked like he was being pressured, instead.

And finally, that ability.

Frankly, shed thought before that his power itself might be his innate ability. Because it was at a level that could only be barely accepted by thinking like that.

But the appearance of those ghosts Considering how enormous destructive power each one had, it had to have been a unique ability. In particular, that gigantic ghost alone had been equivalent to three of the cavalry corps, that were called the pride of the empire.

The more she thought of it, the more surprising it was.

Was this a real adventurer?

Thanks to this, her perception of adventurers had completely changed. Shed seen a lot of braggarts who called themselves adventurers, but this was her first time seeing a real one like Squatjaw. He didnt get first place in the qualification test for nothing.

And, if there was one last question

But really, whats his goal?

A different question, not related to his abilities, had arisen.

Why the hell is he doing all this for me?

Clearly, he was a person whod received orders, and was moving for a certain purpose. Hed said so himself.

But Thermis thought that somehow his purpose might not be very rational. It just felt that way. It seemed that his purpose kept changing according to his feelings. And she didnt know why but it even felt as if his purpose was Thermis herself.

Why

That was then

Dont worry about it anymore. That guy is mine.

"Ah!"

For a moment, Thermis gave a shriek of surprise.

Itd been a long time since he reappeared so quickly after disappearing.

It was Bayar Khan.

Thermis strongly objected.

"Ahh, not now! Get out, old man!"

Is that how you talk to me? You cheeky bitch.

Then he said something very surprising.

Your body, I have no intention of taking it.

" What? Really?"

Because I cant even use it for long. Its been four years, but youre still so weak. It wasnt for long, but I had to leave so quickly. You still cant properly endure my presence. Understand?

"Yeah, well I havent eaten well for a few days."

Whatever the reason, its not good. You cant stay like this.

"What?"

Didnt you say that youd walk the Warriors Path as soon as you get off this ship? To do that, you have to become much stronger. Even more than how you originally were.

It seemed that he already knew.

" Did you hear me talking? Youve got sharp ears. Even though you were pretending to be uninterested in my business."

The Path was created by me. Even if I dont want to hear, my ears would naturally perk up when somebody mentions it. Anyway, it wont be easy to get through that with your body as it is now. Also, a woman walking the Path? People will be lining up everywhere to sabotage you. The empires gotten filled with small-minded pricks these days. Ugly bastards.

" So, whatre you saying?"

Unique ability. You have to unlock it. You might really die this time otherwise.

Thermis felt irritated by same talk that shes heard time after time.

This old man always kept talking about it. Unique ability. How she had to make it happen.

But shed failed every time so far. What could she do, when she couldnt even be sure if she actually had one?

In fact, because of that, the old mans visits were starting to become less frequent. Because he was disappointed with her.

"Its not that I dont want to But how easy do you think it is?"

When a unique ability manifests is different for each, but there are generally several categories. First, those guys whore just born with it. The blessed ones. And second, where theres an emotional trigger. Intense emotional changes such as anger, despair, euphoria, etc. But this isnt applicable in your case. In all my life, Ive never seen a girl as angry as you. The fact that it didnt show up despite you running around like that all day means you cant take that route.

"I know"

And the last type. Its to get help from someone who can bring it out.

Bayar Khans voice, for some reason, had a faint tremble in it.

This was the first time something like that had happened.

"Can anyone bring it out?"

A strong force attracts another. I think that Squatjaw might be the key. Try sticking right next to him.

" Squatjaw?"

You have talent. Your hard and strong body is just a receptacle for accepting your ability. Of course, you may never be able to access it. But if you can make it manifest your dream might no longer be a faraway fantasy.

" My dream."

Thermis reflexively recalled her lifelong dream at Bayar Khans words.

To become a general of the empire.

Thermis, engulfed in that dreamlike illusion, didnt hear Bayar Khans last murmur.

Or maybe you can fly even higher than that. Just like I had.

The morning of the eighth day of the voyage.

"Hmm."

I stared intently at the words displayed on the hologram.

[Adventure King serialization resumed]

[Chapter 20 The Huntington Bandits (1)]

It was probably going to start slowly. The advent of my weakening.

If the previous 18 and 19 were interlude chapters, this was one was where a new arc would begin in earnest.

Its fun, its not fun, those reviews would come in, the longing for past characters would disappear for a while, and the readers attention would begin to focus on Leos actions. The time had come for me to be slowly forgotten.

Of course, there was still no sign of weakness. But maybe itd start soon?

I cant be impatient.

I turned and gazed at the scenery of Eastland through the window.

Even though the continental mainland had gotten close enough to see, the ship was quiet. The fat and thin duo hadnt been seen since that day, and the VIP side was also calm.

After the assault of the assassins, every day had been quiet without any major incidents.

But, of course, there was no way that the voyage would just end like this. Because the secret boss in that VIP arena wont stand still.

The news would probably come soon. And this brief silent interlude would soon be over.

A storm was coming.

While I was sorting out my thoughts

Suddenly,

Thump.

Someone knocked on the door.

It was the manager.

"To commemorate our arrival at Eastland, a special banquet for the VIPs will be held this evening. Would you like to attend? The organizers are requesting your presence."

As for who the organizer was, I could roughly guess. It had to be that black-haired guy.

I replied with a smile.

"Yeah, Ive been waiting for this. Tell them Ill be there."

Editors Notes:

[1] (lit. sell hats), be very unlikely to achieve something.

[2] (lit. guts coming out his stomach), be brave to the point of fearlessness.