Surviving a Shounen Manga

Chapter 55

The End of the Voyage

The most standard way for an adventurer to raise their rank is to receive and successfully complete an adventure quest from the association, and accumulate rating points that way.

There are three main routes for getting and completing such quests:

Thats roughly it.

Its not so easy for rookies to build up their rank as part of a group. At first blush, one might think that itd be great to keep growing along with like-minded colleagues, but in fact, this is a very rare case, only possible for parties like Leos.

Simple. In most cases, such beginner groups dont even have the most basic team composition, that is, members in all three positions.

First of all, to have a viable composition, a team must have at least one member in each of the three positions, which isnt as easy as it sounds. Unless you start with an excellent guide from the beginning, and unless exceptional guys who can become your companions show up accidentally along the way, you wont be able to form a proper adventuring group however much you may want to.

Therefore, most regulars camp for a long time in Adventium, where the qualification test is held each year, and form groups just to participate in the test.

And if they manage to pass, nine times out of ten, the group scatters to the wind. Since the group formed just to pass the exam, after achieving their goal, the members simply leave without any regrets, in search of greener pastures.

And thus adventurers who have an adventurers license but dont belong to any group, are born.

For these individual adventurers, the second and the third ways of getting quests are the only options to raise their rank.

Whether its some adventurer clan or the Adventurers Association, they go to whoever wants them, keep selling their services until they have a certain reputation, and gradually accumulate rating points.

Of course, it takes a long time, and its all up to your luck if you find missions that suit you.

To summarize, adventuring was an industry where it was hard to raise your rank, and it was a fact that the readhead had gotten to S-rank from B+ in two years.

Indeed, that could only be interpreted in one way, if one used their common sense

"What, what how?"

The readheads lips trembled, as if in great bewilderment.

It was a natural reaction. The attack hed thought had enough strength behind it, had disappeared without a trace once itd reached my grasp.

The two crimson spheres hed thrown at me were a type of magic, orb-shaped spells with an inherent explosive attribute. A bigger and red-coloured form of Kirikos explosion-type bullets.

He mustve expected the spheres to explode the moment they touched me. Not to puff out and disappear like a blown-out candle.

The redhead had a lot of doubts in his gaze, but I ignored that. It wasnt my job to solve his problems.

But, of course, I didnt forget to encourage him to figure it out by himself.

"Would you like to try a few more? Im game if you are."

" You cheeky bastard!"

Three spheres, each slightly larger than the previous ones, flew in.

I reached out and touched them with my hands, one by one, just like last time.

And then,

Puff.

The spheres lost their power and winked out.

The redhead was now beyond bewildered, his eyes full of astonishment.

"No, what, what the hell how?"

"Can you figure it out just by muttering to yourself? Why not try a few more times?"

"Urgh!"

A huge sphere began to form in his hand.

From the looks of it, he was trying to concentrate all his power into one blow.

Of course, he had to have other ways of fighting instead of just single-mindedly throwing explosives. From his nature and his ability, he seemed to be the type that shined more in melee combat.

However, he didnt seem to be thinking clearly because of the shock.

Hes so mentally fragile. Did they really put him at S-rank?

I clicked my tongue.

Of course, Id been a little nervous at first. He was S-class after all. And he was an adversary on top of that, the adventurer position that boasted the highest combat strength.

But even so, I never thought of this guy as Leos and therefore (as of right now) mine opponent.

Two years to reach S-class? Please.

The Leo Adventurers had taken only six months to achieve that in the original. Including a lot of wasted time, stopping by here and there.

Karl Zayed had taken less than two.

And what about you, could you do something like that?

Before long, a huge sphere, one that could fit three people inside it, was hovering above his palms.

I just watched.

"Heh its your loss now that youve given me time to create this."

"Yeah, good job. Now throw it over."

"Even I cant predict this impact this will create. If this ship sinks and causes numerous casualties remember that its all your fault."

He wasnt getting any less crazy with time.

"It wont work, though, you know?"

"You you keep pissing me off!"

He threw the sphere, hard.

I gently raised my right hand as I watched the sphere slowly float towards me. Then, I folded four of my fingers, leaving only the index finger pointing forward.

Because that was all I needed to get rid of this.

Soon after,

Pop!

The sphere that had been condensed with such tremendous energy, burst like a balloon.

I glanced away from the nonplussed redhead for a moment. Oddly enough, at that moment, I was feeling a strange sense of discomfort.

At the thought that such an irrationality could be imposed on me as well, at any time.

Hmmm.

Obviously, if that sphere had exploded properly, not only me, but the whole of the banquet hall here, or indeed the entire ship, might have been blown away. Because the strength this guy had put into it wasnt weak in any sense.

However, the reason that the redheads ability was extinguished so easily was due to the cheat ability Id mimicked, that of Leo from a few chapters in the future.

[Lightning that Destroys Calamity].

The word calamity here was not symbolic, and neither was the word destroy a metaphor.

Calamity referred to the opponent Leo opposes as well as his ability, and Leos lightning can conditionally destroy such existences. In particular, if the class of the ability designated as a calamity is inferior, even contact is not allowed regardless of the total amount of energy contained in it.

The ability to look down on the weak.

That is the essence of Leos [Lightning that Destroys Calamity].

Its true that lightning by itself is a very useful ability, especially for adversaries but Leos ability surpasses even that, and is almost a scam when youre dealing with multiple enemies at once. Since the ability makes a clear distinction between the superior and the inferior, unless theres somebody among the opponents whos at your level, theres no way for you to lose.

Of course, this same level setting was a big part of how the author had managed his breakneck plot development in the original.

If the opponent played some kind of important role, hed be a valid opponent no matter how weak his abilities were, and if the enemy character was of no importance, no matter how good his abilities seemed, hed just be brushed off and fall by the wayside.

In the end, this setting actually appeared less and less in the second half as the story went on. It was impossible for any of the characters that appeared by then to be called inferior.

But at the very least, this redheads ability, which had never even appeared in the original, definitely couldnt stand up to Leos lightning.

Soon after,

Step.

I slowly approached the redhead.

His fighting spirit had already been broken, but I still needed to finish things properly.

He looked at me, but didnt move. Maybe he couldnt.

I pushed a little electric current into my index finger, the same one thatd popped the sphere.

And I poked the guy who stood there, frozen, in the forehead.

Crackle.

His body trembled a couple of times, and then collapsed.

That was the end of it.

The hall was quiet.

I couldnt hear any cheers.

This most likely wasnt because theyd been overwhelmingly supporting the redhead. They just needed some time to accept the current situation.

And very soon,

"Oooh!"

"Wow!"

"Awesome! Awesome!"

A raucous roar erupted from the deck below like a tidal wave.

I smiled once, and then walked down from the arena. There was no need to wait for the referee to call the match.

Cocoa and Chinuavi were there to welcome me as I walked towards where the VIPs had gathered.

"Great job."

"As expected of you, Big Bro."

However, everyone else, including the princess, just looked at me silently, with a puzzled expression.

Maybe because the long-awaited main event fizzed out so quickly and abruptly?

Especially

"B-, but, dont you summon ghosts?"

Nerguis expression was the most eye-catching.

It was a mix of surprise, anger and bewilderment. He didnt even seem to be trying to hide. No, maybe he wasnt even aware that his mask of affability had cracked.

"Oh? How did you know I can summon ghosts?"

" Well, that, theres a rumour"

"Are you still trying to make stuff up?"

""

I stared at the guy.

That face, glowing red, really didnt suit a hidden boss. Id believe if he was the little prince instead.

"I dont know why you did all this, but stop horsing around. Next time, you wont be able to just laugh it off."

""

I didnt dare to engrave [Scribes Shackles] on this guy.

It wasnt because the method wasnt good, but because it was too much of a cheat. If the author saw and immediately pushed out a balancing patch, I wouldnt have anybody to cry to.

If this guy really was the secret mastermind, the princess would no longer face the threat of assassination as long as I made him my subordinate. And shed be able to pass the Warriors Path without any crisis.

And this meant that there wouldnt be any other incidents in the future.

Such a method might be convenient and good for the short term, but in the long term, itd only be detrimental since it would undermine my role and significance.

And the most important point was

Making secret bosses like him into my subordinates and manipulating all events to my advantage was an act thatd seriously harm the plot development and power balance envisioned by the author, even if it didnt violate plausibility.

In other words, it meant that the authors favourability would sink to the absolute bottom.

Even now, the author could actually get rid of me at any time.

It wasnt just about his right of absolute deletion. That had to be the very last resort from the authors point of view. He probably would never use it unless I somehow brought the manga to the verge of discontinuation.

Even without taking such drastic action, the author could easily handle me within the bounds of plausibility.

Wasnt it simple? All he needed to do was to make one of the Seven Kings appear early, and somehow come face to face with me. Then things would just end for me. Because the current me couldnt defeat any of them even if I died and was reborn.

Of course, the readers would definitely protest, but for how long? Were the Seven Kings normal characters? They were the symbols of power that could rule this world. Their presence could easily devour everything Id built up so far. In the grand scheme of things, I was still just a rookie.

Therefore, I had no choice but to restrain the scope of my actions so that it wouldnt smash the plot framework the author had woven.

I couldnt do everything by myself, and I couldnt stall my growth. And I also needed to continuously prove that my presence was helpful to the story.

I had to bow to the authors whims for now. Until the day I grew to the point where the author wouldnt dare ignore all my history and bring forward somebody else to replace me.

So,

"Weve let you mess with us so far without doing anything in return. Me, and the princess too. Im being straight with you here. This wasnt because I was afraid of you, or of the empire. I just didnt want to go to all that trouble."

""

I was giving a naked warning to the fourth prince right now.

Of course, I didnt know if he could truly accept it.

Two days later, Nanma Port.

The fat guy was talking to the thin one, whod been silently watching people disembark from the ship.

"What next?"

""

Only silence answered him.

"I got the rest of the money. The guy who commissioned us was here just now. He said he understood our plight. If we tried to continue even after seeing that scene the other day, wed have to be utter lunatics, he said. An S-class adventurer finished off with just one finger? They didnt even buy a map, just disappeared without a trace they have to be incredibly strong I think, unless the former King of Assassins comes personally"

That was then.

"Give it back."

The thin man suddenly spoke. And said something crazy.

"Huh?"

"Spit out everything you got. Except for the down payment."

" Hey"

"The payoff comes after success. Thats one of our principles."

"But"

"And theres no giving up till the mission is finished. That, too, is one of our principles."

The fat mans face stiffened instantly.

Upon arriving at the port, we found the Adventurers Associations Nanma branch office right at the heart of the city.

"Everyones here? Good, Ill go."

Telling the princess, Cocoa, and Chinuavi to wait a while, I entered the branch office by myself.

It was to prepare for unexpected situations, such as if I were asked to surrender the princess to them.

But,

"Is that so? All right."

The associations reaction was absurdly rough.

Even when I said the princess was being kept somewhere else because there was a threat of assassination, the receptionist just stamped the mission confirmation certificate without any other verification procedures.

Bang!

"Your first quest was successful, congratulations. And theres a linked quest following it. Will you accept it?"

"What if I dont accept it?"

Of course I was going to accept it, but I deliberately asked. Because Id never seen Leo reject it in the original.

I was just curious about her reaction, and the penalty.

"The previous quest would also be considered a failure."

Well, there was nothing special about it.

"Ill accept."

"The linked request is simple. All you have to do is take the princess to the capital of the Skull Empire."

The conversation ended with that.

As I left the branch office, I felt convinced once again.

Again, this was a story that the author had devised. If the development had required the princess to get married, there wouldve been a request to protect her until the wedding.

I returned to the party, my steps slightly lighter.

"Are we leaving right now?"

"We should, yeah."

"Theres only about a week left before the Warriors Path begins. If we hurry, well probably arrive just in time."

Again, there was plenty of time left. Seriously, the author mustve put it all together.

"The problem is finding the way I dont know anything about the local geography."

"Dont worry, theres someone you know who can help."

I patted Cocoas back as she shrugged.

"Then, shall we go?"

It was time to ask Chinuavi to summon an earth dragon.

"Wait, what about our rides?"

"Ride? There is one. Just wait."

"Wait? Where are the horses?"

"Dont be surprised when you see it."

Boooooom.

Chinuavis earth dragon soon rose up from the ground.

But,

"Im sorry, I dont need this. Ill ride a horse."

The princess reaction wasnt very stellar.

"No, the ride isnt that bad, you know? Its fast, too! Really fast."

"Its got nothing to do with that. I have to ride a horse."

She had an oddly stubborn look.

The princess insisted that shed ride a horse even if she had to separate from us.

"And for the Warriors Path, horsemanship is very important. I need to practice."

"Eh"

That was then.

"Lets go buy a few. Theres a horse market over there."

Cocoas eyes shone unusually, as she supported the princess.

"No, why do we have to visit the market? We can just buy those ones put up for sale by the street"

"Lets go. It wouldnt be bad to visit once, right? Its just a feeling, but maybe youll stumble upon a treasure?"

"Treasure? What treasure could you find at a horse market?"

At that moment,

Ah!

Something suddenly came to mind.

There were many rare treasures in this world of Adventure King, but among them, divine beasts were among the best.

These were no simple animals, but beings blessed by God (with innate talents), and had abilities and intelligence comparable to humans, and some could even talk.

Besides, they looked cute.

Of course, they were often introduced as friends or colleagues rather than treasures, but they did belong to that category.

They always received enthusiastic support from the readers no matter which adventuring group they belonged to, and there were even arcs completely centered around them. The new beast companion of the Leo Adventurers had even been given the leading point of view.

Of course, Id always been aware of how important they were. Because the existence of beautiful and strong animals is an essential element of most shounen manga. In fact, one of the backgrounds Id bought early on had been for this.

However, there was still a long time before the Leo Adventurers would accept a divine beast as their comrade, so Id simply put that matter aside for a while.

Is this already the time to use it?

I stared intently at the background that was occupying a position in my list.

[Southland National Park Zookeeper].

Of course, it was still just conjecture.

Id never heard of any divine beasts being sold at a horse market or a peddlers street.

There was only one reason why I was looking forward to it.

Because this was the path our guide was leading us along.

"Alright, lets first go check it out."

We headed towards the horse market, and I was feeling a little abuzz with excitement.

Editors Notes:

None for this chapter.