Surviving a Shounen Manga

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Serialization Starts (2)

Apart from being in a hostile position right now, I couldn’t help but be quite moved by the current situation.

A distinctive, cheerful and innocent face. His mouth twitched as if he was about to burst into laughter.

It was a little different from what I saw in the manga, but Leo was Leo nonetheless. To see the guy you only met in your dreams in real life.

I felt a strong impulse to run to him and say hello. I’ve been a fan of yours for a very long time.

But,

“Heh, little boy. I’ve been waiting!”

“Are you leaving today?”

“You have to ask us first! If you want to go, you will have to give up one leg!”

I couldn’t help but close my heart at the sudden burst of voices.

I turned around and saw these sloppy villains clamouring to die. They didn’t even take a single step forward, just stood there yelling and screaming, to the point of making me want to laugh.

And, of course, this did not create a single ripple on Leo’s carefree face.

‘Yeah, that’s better.’

As long as you overcome this obstacle, there will be plenty of opportunities to build friendships with Leo. And that would be the only way for me to survive here.

I made up my mind.

First, I had to focus on overcoming the current situation.

Just then, Leo’s mouth opened for the first time.

“What is it, you guys again?”

Surprisingly, it was a familiar voice. Somehow, it was quite similar to the voice actor in the animation.

It was a weird coincidence.

Following that,

“Heh, kid. Today will be different. I even called my younger brother who was active in the big city. He’s a very vicious guy.”

The boss patted my shoulder and spoke.

I was very well aware of the actions ‘Original Villain 3’ would have taken at this time.

Taking one step forward, bending the joints of the fingers. ‘Heh heh…’ he would chuckle, with a stupid smile on his face.

It was very fortunate for me to be familiar with such a ‘role’. There was no guideline more important for survival.

These villains, including me, are characters that never appear again after the first episode. It can be said that all the ‘role’ given to them is to get hit by the main character and fly away.

In other words, it meant that if I followed it, I would also be deleted at once.

I had to act differently.

Instead of going forward, I pretended not to hear anything and just stood there. First, I needed time to think.

Perhaps embarrassed by my sudden action, the boss secretly pushed me once more.

“Hey, the kid I was talking about is that guy. Go and show him.”

“Yeah, show him!”

“Hurry!”

The push was harder than expected. Not only the boss, but everyone around me was pushing me.

Even Leo seemed to be conscious of this, and began to stare at me with his twinkling eyes.

‘What is this…’

Contrary to his conceited appearance, Leo is a monster that can never be matched. There’s no point in getting into a fight.

After all, there were only two options I had to choose from.

To appeal that you don’t want to fight, or to run away as it is.

But running away is also meaningless. There will be no next time for extras who are not connected with the main character.

The former is correct. I don’t know if I’ll be able to join as a colleague if I do well.

So, it was time to go straight to Leo and suggest a conversation.

“Hey, I have something to tell you.”

Ppiii –

Suddenly, the hologram was dyed red, and a warning message resounded in my mind.

[Warning!]

[Intention to violate probability has been detected]

[Acts are prohibited by preceding plot]

[Silence is enforced for 10 seconds as a penalty]

‘Hey, what is this?’

I was very perplexed.

It was as written in the warning message. No words came out. I couldn’t even open my mouth. It was as if my body was bound by a mysterious force.

But the real problem was not the unprecedented pressure on the body.

‘Preceding Plot? Do you have to act according to the plot?’

I was speechless.

So, do you mean to act the same as the original, and just be deleted?

It was like a death sentence.

The force that had been pressing on my body was quickly gone.

But the uncomfortable situation continued unchangingly.

“Why all of a sudden?”

“What’s going on?”

Everyone looked at me with puzzled eyes.

‘Shall I just run away?’

Nope. I immediately shook my head.

If so, the same thing will probably happen. A series of warnings may result in a more severe penalty.

I needed time to think.

To escape the immediate situation, I called the guy next to me. Of all the extras here, he was the most extra-looking guy.

“You first.”

“Ah?”

“Yeah, don’t just stand there.”

Then I had to make an impression as best I could. The number ‘3’ after the villain would indicate the rank here. Maybe it will work.

Soon after, the perplexed guy stepped forward as if there was nothing he could do. He was holding a wooden stick in both hands.

I waited nervously for a while, but no warning message came. It was a little different from the original, but fortunately this seemed to be good enough.

Then the boss came and asked me.

“Why are you like this?”

“Wait a bit.”

I then raised my hand and stopped him. It was a bonus to pretend to be serious for nothing.

I had to think quickly.

To what extent is this ‘probability’ allowed?

The act of having a conversation in order to stop fighting was prohibited. However, it was permitted to postpone the immediate turn.

The key is to not go against the author’s intentions.

‘His intentions…’

The author’s intention in the first part of any story is clear. The characters have to make the reader curious.

And I was well aware of what devices were prepared in ‘Adventure King’ for this purpose.

That’s Leo’s unstoppable power.

The villains in the village, including me, are just a means to express this. The fact that my size is so large was actually a device to highlight his power.

You can’t avoid fighting. In order to show Leo’s strength, he needs a scapegoat. No matter how much you delay your turn, the end result will be the same.

‘What should I do, how…’

Then,

“Ahh!”

The one who came out first flew away.

Scenes that used to be exciting in mangas no longer felt that cool. I broke out in a cold sweat.

“How did you like that? Who’s next?”

Leo smiled and waved his arms round and round, and everyone froze and took a step back.

Then, his eyes turned to me again.

The boss also coughed in vain as if trying to hide his embarrassment.

“Hmm, so now have you seen that guy? Even though he’s a kid, he’s someone you can take care of yourself. So, hurry up…”

But I pretended not to hear and pointed at another guy.

The face of the guy who was pointed out by me turned blue, but I tried to ignore it.

“Yeah, yeah! I want you to educate that cheeky little boy first!”

Although the boss has empowered my actions, this won’t last long. Now he also looked at me suspiciously.

There was no time.

First of all, the important thing is that my character needs to be clearly distinguishable from other extras.

‘Should I try to be as funny as possible? Or screaming strange sounds.’

But,

“Hey, hey!”

When I saw the second guy who just got hit and flew away, one thought entered my mind. He was rolling like a windmill, and just looking at it, I knew I couldn’t win.

And in fact, no matter how the extras stretched out the time, as a reader in the first place, I had no memory of being conscious of it. After all, the focus was on Leo’s power. All evaluations of the hit-and-down reaction will be there.

A completely different approach was required.

At that time,

“Are you sure… you’re fine?”

The boss came closer and asked.

He didn’t seem to be able to say ‘are you scared at all’?

Instead of answering him, I roughly pointed to another guy.

His face became contemplative, but there was no time to worry about it.

‘It’s an approach from the other direction.’

Is there any other way to show Leo’s strength than to be beaten?

I know he’s not just strong. Power is just one of Leo’s many abilities. Leo’s other abilities would be enough to prove his worth even if he didn’t make me a scapegoat.

The only problem was that the act of trying to bring out Leo’s other abilities now doesn’t fit my role at all.

I am an extra in the first episode at best. It’s not a good match for revealing the main character’s hidden abilities. Perhaps this will also be restrained by ‘probability’.

Slowly, impatience began to creep in.

What to do? A way to reveal the strength of the guy and at the same time highlight my own character.

‘Are there any hints…’

That was then –

Wait, hints?

“…!”

In an instant, inspiration struck like lightning.

Then I got a hint.

Right from the author’s perspective.

“Oh my gosh….”

When I thought about it, it was so simple.

I tried to talk, but I was rejected. However, delaying the turn was permitted. In other words, it did not go against the author’s intentions.

The fact that I, who has a stronger appearance than anyone else, and who is receiving everyone’s expectations, am secretly delaying my turn. This was also a way to reveal the strength of the main character.

In other words, I was already realizing the artist’s intentions in my own way.

‘What if this is a good way…?’

Of course, simply doing something that differentiates you from others does not mean that you can survive unconditionally. Something more fundamental is needed.

For example, something like the unique charm of a character.

In a timely manner,

“Ke-e-eek!”

Even the third guy went out and fell.

“Why don’t you guys just attack all at once? I’ll blow you all away together!”

Leo had a bright smile on his face, as if it was fun to hit people.

It’s like a bad boy.

The boss also pushed me as if he couldn’t stand it any longer.

“What are you doing! If we keep going like this, I’m going to get killed by that guy!”

Suddenly, a look of restlessness filled his face.

But I was very confident. There was one strategy that suddenly came to mind.

There is usually only one case in which one-time extras are later brought back into the spotlight and reappear. If the character caused the readers to laugh.

In other words, I had to become a ‘gag character’ that they want to see again.

‘I’m a little weak at humour.’

Can I do it? There’s no other choice.

Fortunately, as a manga fanatic, I was quite familiar with such ‘gag clichés’.

I stared at the boss.

“What is this! How long are you going to stand there like that…”

“Tell them to attack together.”

“What?”

“Hurry!”

Perhaps the boss was confused, since he followed the order without thinking it through.

“Then… then, damn it, everybody attack all at once!”

Of course, I didn’t move.

Then the boss looked at me with puzzled eyes, as if asking – why are you standing still?

I said quietly with my arms crossed.

“It’s different from what you told me.”

“What? Oh, that’s…”

“He’s strong, that guy.”

The boss was visibly embarrassed by my words.

“Ah, no… If you say that now…”

“But he’s still not my opponent. It’s small, but I have an advantage.”

Of course, it was bullshit.

However, perhaps because of my calm expression and serious tone, the complexion of the boss was brightened again.

“Yeah, that’s it! This must have been a strategy of tiring him out to win!”

I nodded my head.

“More than that… I actually have one minor problem.”

“Problem? What?”

“My stomach hurts.”

Silence fell for a moment.

“After all, I must have had a stomachache earlier.”

“… Well, then?”

“I can’t do it?”

Then he slowly stepped back.

“…”

When I looked ahead again, there was already no one standing there.

At that moment, Leo smiled and spoke to us.

“Are you alone now?”

Then he approached me with his arms turned round and round, and the feeling of intimidation was immense. To be honest, I can’t help but cringe.

Although it is in a manga, it is so vivid that there will be pain. If I get hit by that guy’s fist, I’m sure it’ll hurt terribly.

“Hey, hey!”

The terrified boss stepped back.

But I struggled to stay. If you retreat from here, you’ll end up being just an extra. I had to keep the concept.

I squeezed my neck and shouted.

“You’re lucky, you little bastard. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take care of you because my stomach hurts.”

“You have a stomach problem? Do you think I’ll believe you?”

“Yeah, it hurts. In fact, I’m barely holding myself back from wanting to sit down. Can’t you see my legs are shaking right now? If you have a stomach ache, the strength of your legs will be relieved first.”

“Uh, is that so?”

Actually, it wasn’t just talk. By this time, I was even more nervous.

Of course, it wasn’t because Leo’s fist was scary. After all, that guy doesn’t use his fists on opponents who don’t attack first.

What I was concerned about. It was about how ‘probability’ judges my behavior.

After a while,

“Then you’re not fighting?”

Leo smiled and turned his back.

“Thank you. I’m just going to let you go.”

“Yeah, then. Go.”

Then Leo began to trudge away.

I just counted the numbers.

One, two, three······.

Fortunately, there was no restraint of ‘probability’.

‘Done!’

I let out a shout of joy inside.

And then, I didn’t forget to put an end to this ‘gag cliché’.

“Little boy, we’ll meet again! I won’t let you go next time!”

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How long has it been since Leo left?

A new message has been sent to the hologram window.

I read it nervously.

[Chapter 1 – ‘The Beginning of the Adventure’ has ended]

[The character evaluation of Villain 3 has been updated]

[‘Bluffing’ has been added to the characteristics]

[Received support from a small number of readers]

[Recognition has increased by 1]

[State]

Name: Villain 3Characteristics: A little strong, Bluffing.Awareness: 1Writer’s favourability: 0Re-appearance probability: 0%

‘Uh? Wait a minute…’

It was a disaster. The results were disappointing.

Although popularity increased by 1, the most important part, the chance of a re-appearance, did not rise at all.

‘Wait, will it end like this?’

That was then.

Tiling –

Another message arrived.

[The final evaluation of the character has been calculated by the author]

[Villain 3 is subject to ‘deletion deferral’]

[The given grace period is ‘Chapter 2’]

[Character points are paid 3p according to the rise in awareness]

The content ended there.

Character points? There were some things that were confusing, but at least I understood the basics.

‘If deletion is deferred, did I survive this time?’

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Did it.

Of course, it wasn’t all that reassuring. I had to prove the character’s worth once more before the end of the second chapter. Obviously, repeating clumsy gags will not be enough to survive. Whether it’s getting entangled in the story or learning new abilities…

Then I looked around and swallowed my saliva.

The characters lying on the ground were slowly fading.

The boss and the other villains were all being deleted.

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“… This is cruel.”

When Leo left –

The only surviving character was me.

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Editor’s Notes:

None for this chapter.