Surviving a Shounen Manga

I quickly cleared my mind.

This wasn’t the time to be surprised. Understanding the situation was the higher priority.

Why was this goblin here of all places, now of all times?

“No way…”

There was only one reason I could conceive of.

The author had originally intended to have this goblin appear in this chapter, or at least before the end of the Black Shadow arc.

There was no other possible explanation.

Of course, he ended up not appearing in the arc originally. But now that I’d seen him, I was almost certain.

As for the reason why he didn’t appear, I could guess a little bit.

When the writer actually tried to make him appear, he might’ve lost confidence in how to develop the plot, or he thought he should first focus on the battle between Leo and the Black Shadow. If he just introduced this guy out of nowhere, the readers might get distracted from the narrative of the main plot. Or maybe it was just a simple change of heart.

Anyway, looking at him, I could somewhat understand why Haka had been so enthusiastic about the goblins.

Because this guy’s appearance here and now had been planned well in advance. In fact, Haka must’ve been part of the author’s preparations to introduce this guy, and by association the goblin race, into the story.

Unfortunately, however, his appearance was pushed back by some chance, and consequently Haka also lost his significance and became unfocused.

Then,

‘Goblin… a goblin.’

Bit by bit, my heart began to pound.

My intuition reared its head as if a well-honed blade.

That goblin, I couldn’t just let him go. I had to catch him and take him with me.

Not just because of his talents, either.

Basically, the deeper a relationship I could forge with the ones ‘who will get more and more important as the story progresses’, the more beneficial it would be for my future. Especially in the second half of the manga, because nothing can raise the value of a character as much as another high-‘rank’ character being conscious of him.

In other words, invest in stocks that are certain to grow their future value.

First, I had to decide my course of action.

Connect with him right now?

“… Nope.”

I shook my head. Then my excitement began to subside.

Just knowing that he was here and now, was a great harvest. A goblin squatting somewhere isn’t easy to dislodge. These guys are serious about whatever they do. They aren’t the type to just pop up and then disappear all of a sudden.

‘… I just have to keep an eye on him.’

My best bet was to come up with a proper strategy on how to forge and deepen our relationship, and then go find him.

Right now, my top priority was to listen to the information I’d requested.

I went back to the Information Guild.

The receptionist was already waiting for me there.

He spoke with an indifferent tone.

“If you hadn’t showed up in 10 more seconds, I would have destroyed the information. You’ll have to pay an extra fine of 100,000 gold for making me wait.”

“Fine, whatever.”

“First, let’s start with the truth of the rumours. Is the No. 2 of the Red Scorpion here? The answer is ‘I don’t know’. I don’t know at the moment. They say he wanders around alone without even an attendant, but that too is just another rumour. However, it’s been confirmed that he’s left Red City, his hometown.”

This was probably because he was only a setting right now. A setting that shall be incarnated in this world the moment I apply the background [No. 2 of the ‘Red Scorpion’] to myself.

“Next, his personal details. Name unknown, age unknown. It is possible to describe his appearance, but it is difficult to verify how correct that information is. And…”

The receptionist kept talking, but it was hard for me to concentrate. Without realizing it, I had turned my gaze again to where that goblin was.

He knew it too.

“… Are you listening?”

Enough to double-check.

“Uh… wait a moment.”

“If you don’t need the information, just leave. But you’ll have to pay 400,000 gold. Including the fine.”

“Oh, I understand. I’ll focus this time, so please tell me again step by step.”

“No, I can’t. Money first.”

“Okay, please explain again from the beginning instead. I’ll give you all the money in advance. How much?”

“500,000 gold.”

“What?”

“You want me to explain it again from the beginning? There’s a labour charge.”

“…”

Absurd.

“Don’t be mad. Time is running out. Not sure if you guessed, but the charge rises over time. Give it a thought.”

Who is this guy? Why are you this rude?

“Really, how old are you?”

“Expensive. Can you afford it?”

“How much?”

“I want to check if you have any money or not.”

“Ha…”

And when we’d descended into a full-blown argument –

A voice came suddenly from behind.

“He’s gone.”

When I glanced back, it was Cocoa.

“Huh? What?”

“He’s gone. That riddler guy.”

“…!”

With great care, I observed the place where the goblin had been squatting.

He really was gone. Disappeared, all of a sudden.

“Where!?”

“How would I know? He just left.”

My mind was lost in a maelstrom of confusion. How could he be gone just in this short a time?

Then, while I was busy being perplexed,

“Hey, if you don’t have the money, just pay for what you’ve bought so far.”

The voice of the receptionist sounded in my ears.

“… Haa.”

Even in this bewildering situation, that rude voice was still chattering away.

Annoying.

But,

“You just wait there.”

I didn’t have the time to care about this guy right now.

I hurriedly racked my brains for an idea or two.

Normally, there’s no way to ferret out or track a goblin, since they are veritable masters of hide and seek. Unless you’re an adventurer with the abilities of a guide.  

No choice. I had to trust the kid this once.

“Cocoa!”

“Huh?”

“Can you find him?”

“Why? Maybe?”

“Track him. Follow him and… uh… get close to him.”

“What?”

“Be friendly. Or something… uh, try flirting.”

I knew. That I was talking to a nine-year-old kid. I was just wasting my words.

Still,

“Hmm, that’s not really my style.”

My interlocutor didn’t find my words particularly strange.

“It’ll be quite fun if you talk with him. Because he’s one quirky guy.”

“Why though? Is he somebody you used to know?”

“I will tell you later. Just follow him.”

Cocoa then nodded without questioning further.

“Okay.”

“Try to keep him inside this city, and if possible… take him to your place.”

“You want me to take him to the hotel?”

Ugh. What was I even telling her to do?

“It sounds weird, but roughly, that’s right.”

“Okay.”

Cocoa then walked away. As if she already knew the direction, there was not the slightest hesitation in her gait.

Could I really trust that kid?

Of course, there was no choice other than to trust her.

“Anyway…”

I walked up to the receptionist again.

Then, as if he’d been waiting for me, he spoke again in that rude voice.

“You know? It’s timed out. If you want to get the information, give me 800,000 gold right now…”

“Shut up.”

I took a bundle of cash out of my pocket.

“This is your information fee. No change needed.”

“… Huh?”

“From the beginning, step by step. Okay?”

The receptionist sounded very confused. That’s right, it was about 2 million gold.

“Uh… there’s too much…”

I immediately took out another bundle of cash and threw it at him.

“How can you talk like that even after that kind of a tip? Fix it.”

“Uh… uh, how?”

“Now you ask? Be respectful.”

“Uh… yes.”

“Now tell me. With full sincerity.”

And then,

“Yes. Let’s begin. The No. 2 of the Red Scorpion is…”

I was satisfied with the new softened tone, and I pored over everything I had to remember.

I stared blankly at the oddly shaped building to my opposite.

As if inspired by Casa Batlló, the famous tourist destination in Barcelona[1], ​​it was a building that resembled a skull’s face.

Skeleton House.

The headquarters of the largest mafia organization in Destomb.

‘Shall we start soon?’

Now it was time to apply the backgrounds.

I’d already decided the order. First, apply the others in the order of purchase, and then finally, apply the ‘No. 2 of the Red Scorpion’.

It was a bit annoying to keep the author’s gift for last, but I really couldn’t use it first. Because if I applied it first, and there was an unexpected restriction, it’d be a major flop.

I opened the list of backgrounds that I had purchased with a bit of excitement.

[Wandering Guide]

[The Boy Cursed by the Witch]

[Unknown Itinerant]

[A Man Who Once Visited the Bezyt Gorge]

[Southland National Park Zookeeper]

[Expelled Corrupt Adventurers’ Association Member]

I purchased a total of 6 backgrounds.

Only 11,500p points remained.

Of course, except for [The Boy Cursed by the Witch], none of them were really that great.

“Hu…”

After taking a couple of deep breaths, I tapped [Wandering Guide] on the window.

– Do you want to apply this background?

“Yeah, let’s go.”

And then,

Pa –.

In an instant, a pure white light filled my vision.

“Eek.”

I closed my eyes without thinking, and by the time I opened them again, I had become a ‘wandering guide’.

‘Is this fine?’

There was no noticeable change. It just felt like my eyesight was a little bit broader?

I’d thought that the knowledge related to the background would naturally flow into my head, but no luck.

And,

[Character’s rank has increased slightly]

One holographic message.

‘Oh, I guess the stats are there under the hood.’

In fact, it had been a long shot. Although I’d been given a ‘rank’ or ‘class’, there was no window to check it.

Not sure why, but the system seemed to be hidden, or perhaps conditionally accessible.

Anyway,

“I was really nervous.”

I was relieved. I’d wondered if the concept built into the role might be forced on me.

Next, I applied the rest of the backgrounds one by one, followed by No. 2 of the Red Scorpion.

Pa –.

[Character’s rank has increased]

Pa –.

[Character’s rank has increased slightly]

Pa – Pa – Pa – Pa –.

[Character’s rank has increased slightly]

[Character’s rank has increased slightly]

⁞

The last four I just applied at the same time.

“Well.”

My body felt cool. There didn’t seem to be any side effects.

However, there was only one difference compared to before. An unknown power welling up in my chest.

This, presumably, was the special ability built into the background of ‘No. 2 of the Red Scorpion’. In case special abilities collided with each other, only the hidden characteristics would be chosen.

“Okay, it’s all done.”

After turning over the information obtained from the Information Guild once more in my mind, I moved towards the skull-shaped building.

As I got closer, the two giants guarding the entrance stopped me.

However, their attitudes were quite different from the guys I had met in Virgin City.

“… Who are you?”

Quite polite.

They looked rough, and the type who’d tell people to fuck off, but they were being really polite to me.

Of course, this wasn’t because they were stronger than I thought, for example, strong like the gangsters who’d guarded the entrance to the “Cafeteria before a Bizarre Adventure.”

It’s just that these guys had fallen under my momentum. It was a simple difference in ‘class’. 

And this was about what I’d expected.

Although not absolute, a character’s ‘class’ is usually directly proportional to their ‘strength’ in this type of world.

It’s simple if you think about it. The stronger a character is in a fight, the more space it’d take up in the story.

Of course, physical strength is not the sole measure of a character’s ‘strength’. Siana is also a character with high ‘class’ as a key supporting cast, but she is hardly a strong physical type.

However, it was a general rule. And I was included in that general rule.

At my glance, the big-sized guys quickly lowered their eyes.

“Hey, go tell the boss. His brother’s come visiting from Red City.”

“B, brother, sir?”

“Yeah.”

“Ah, would you mind waiting for a moment, please?”

“I hate waiting.”

“I’ll be right back! “

Looked like raising my voice worked.

Not long after, I saw a fat middle-aged man in the distance, coming with his men in tow.

‘… It’s him, right?’

It wasn’t a face I remembered. No matter how big a fan I had been of Adventure King, there was no way I could remember the face of an extra who I wasn’t even sure had appeared in any scenes or not.

‘For the boss of Skeleton, he’s sure got some girth, hasn’t he?’

Still, I thought it would be him, because there were a number of subordinates with him.

Soon after, he waved his hand towards me, as if he had seen me too.

By this time, I was a little nervous, because I didn’t know how he would react to my looks. Obviously, there must have been some basic appearance for this backstory. But even if it was simple and basic, there was a high possibility it was very different from my appearance here and now.

But,

“Oh, you’re here, my brother!”

There was no sign of him being conscious of that at all.

As if I’d been worried for nothing, he just greeted me with a wide smile.

I was a little relieved.

“How have you been?”

“Fine, fine. Same as always. Rather than me, you… But looking at your face, the situation doesn’t seem so bad. Let’s go in right away.”

“Alright.”

I followed behind as he waddled into the Skeleton House.

I kept my words blunt.

“I want to swallow the Red Scorpion whole.”

“I heard the news. I knew you were going to say that. But… would that be as easy as it sounds?”

“Yeah. There’s a way.”

“A way… like asking me to call the Scorpion boss here alone?”

There was a look of disdain on his fat face.

“No one knows that you are here, or that you are friends with me. Like I told you, I have no intention of calling him here personally. Won’t that just mean encouraging fights between Coalition members for no reason? Although we used to be sworn brothers, the Coalition members are also like my family. Anyways, I can’t do it. And even if I call him, he’ll never come here alone.”

Looked like he’d already considered what I could talk about and what I might ask for. Even the excuses had been rehearsed in advance. 

He made me come in here pretending to be friendly. Really, people from the underworld couldn’t be trusted.

But, of course,

“Aha, but so what?”

“Huh?”

“That’s how it is.”

I wasn’t someone who could be trusted either.

“… Eh?”

“You really should’ve called him.”

“What? What did you do…?”

“It’s time for some pleasant conversation.”

“…?” I smiled at him, who was looking at me with puzzled eyes.

Editor’s Notes:

[1] Casa Batlló is a skull-shaped building at the centre of Barcelona. See the Wikipedia entry.