Surviving a Shounen Manga - Chapter 30

‘Goblin Silver Screen’.

This referred to a cloth made by weaving strands of silk thread extracted from the goblin silkworm, and it was one of the items that goblins always carried.

The fabric had the amazing ability to camouflage everything it covered, not only turning it all invisible, but even to the point of cancelling all noise from leaking out. 

In other words, it could be said to have similar functionality as [Mafia’s Secret Room].

Moreover, its size was so huge that there was even a setting that the giant skein carried by the boss of the goblins could cover a whole island.

‘Covering the whole place with that was so much work, I thought I might drop dead…’

When I saw the second amusement park being revealed as the silver screen covering it lifted, I felt a little proud. I could naturally imagine how surprised the readers would be seeing this spectacle.

Another, hidden amusement park.

The idea itself was very simple.

Speed alone was not enough to beat Leo if you were running on the same road side by side. It was impossible even if you died and got back up again. The reality was that mimicking lightning wasn’t easy right now.

So here’s what I thought.

Why do we have to run on the same road? What if you could make another road, and make him wander there by mistake?

Of course, I didn’t think this was the only and best way. Instead of creating a different road, you could also add obstacles, or simply construct the track like a maze.

And really, I did think that my idea of ​​hiding an entire amusement park simply to deceive him was more than a bit exaggerated.

Even so, there was a reason for taking this approach.

To elicit the readers’ surprise.

Of course, the most important objective right now was to fulfil the author’s conditions. To win the battle with Leo’s party.

But apart from that, I’d also never forgotten that I was a ‘character’. That there were readers who noticed me, and that only by catching their eyes could I survive.

Even if you play the lead role in a chapter or two, a character who cannot mark his presence in the story is quickly forgotten. Conversely, even an extra can soar if you make the audience go nuts. It’s not what you do that matters, it matters how you’re seen.

So, after endless considerations, I finally decided on the ‘method that showed off the most’. Efficiency alone, after all, cannot elicit emotion.

‘I’ll see you in a while.’

After watching for a bit, I slowly started moving.

It won’t be very long before Leo realized he’d taken the wrong road, and come back. Because Chinuavi could only mimic my form, not any unique ability.

But that didn’t mean winning the race was a problem. Naturally, I could also use lightning. I could just start whenever I wanted if arriving first was the issue.

What was important, however, was the prerequisites established earlier.

In other words, it didn’t matter that I could cross the finish line right away. Rather I had to direct the scene where I’d be overtaken by Leo, first.

Right now, Chinuavi was trying to irritate Leo to death. Asking him to go first, or if he knew the right way. And the readers would be curious to see when Leo would notice this trick.

What I needed to do now was to move to the pre-designated overtaking point and wait for Leo to catch up. And start acting panicked, while Leo boils with excitement.

‘Acting…’

Suddenly, a laugh leaked out.

Befitting the name of the unique ability I had acquired, somehow I felt like I have become a real clown.

But it was unavoidable.

It wasn’t that easy for a guy born as an extra to secure his role and heighten his significance. There was nothing I couldn’t do to survive.

I hurried my steps with a firm determination.

“Shit! I’ll be late!”

Leo put more and more strength into his feet.

He had already raised his power to the extreme.

The air lit up with sparks every time a lightning-clad footstep hit the ground.

Crackkkkkle –.

“You bastard… you cheated!”

He’d felt a slight incongruity from the beginning.

He’d relaxed for some reason or other, and now even if he ran his fastest, it might not be enough. He hadn’t taken the lead at first because of a stupid trick.

If he hadn’t gotten nervous suddenly, he would have started sooner. He got delayed because he’d fallen for the guy’s provocation.

‘By the way, who was that guy?’

He’d quickly discovered that the fake Squatjaw couldn’t use lightning. First of all, there was no electric residue emanating from him, and on top of that, he even seemed to know nothing about the working principles of lightning.

But, strangely enough, he could use something else.

Earth and fire, wood and water.

The reason he’d been delayed so much by the obstacles the fake had made was not because they were difficult to overcome, but because they were just that strange.

And at the same time, he had a question.

‘Is he the guy who blocked my fist by any chance…?’

He suddenly remembered the time when the mafia boss had suddenly come out. Obviously, the feeling he got from that guy at the time was pretty similar to the feeling that this fake Squatjaw gave off.

Wait, who was this guy really?

“…”

Whatever it was, as long as he won this battle, he’d be able to uncover the identities of these guys (?).

Leo once again emanated his power.

Squatjaw had looked like he’d mimicked his lightning for a moment, but it was definitely not proper. The output had been weak, and the duration short. If he did his best, he could definitely catch up.

And after running for a while with full power,

“I found you, you bastard!”

He was able to find another Squatjaw running in front of him.

“Hey! Already?”

“This bastard! I almost ran myself to death!”

However, even though he had almost caught up, Leo remained vigilant. Because unlike the previous Squatjaw, this one he felt could use lightning.

And therefore,

“But maybe you’ve lost some of your strength?”

The boy smirked and emitted lightning.

At that instant,

“… Hmf!”

Even though he’d already known, he couldn’t help but be surprised again.

What Squatjaw spewed out was obviously another lightning bolt, identical to his own.

“How did you do that!”

“If you want to know… then beat me!”

Squatjaw started running. It was surprisingly fast.

Leo also lost his patience and chased after him.

‘That guy… is fast. However…’

He was a still little faster.

Leo freely released all his strength.

So finally,

“Hey, eek!”

“I got you!”

Leo could pass him by.

“I’m going first, Squatjaw!”

“This bastard!”

“Prepare to introduce yourself! You slug bastard!”

Just then, the finish line could be seen in the distance.

Leo felt intoxicated with a overwhelming sense of victory.

Now it was just a few more steps. Just a little bit more, and it’d be over…

That was then.

“… Huh?”

Despite the goal being in front of him, his feet suddenly stopped.

He was obviously pouring in his strength, but for some reason they wouldn’t move.

It felt as if something on the ground was pulling at his heels.

Leo’s eyes widened in surprise.

‘… A, a shadow?’

A shadow on the ground was holding his ankles with two black hands.

“What, what!? What have you done!”

Soon after,

“Heh heh, did you get tired? Heh heh… that’s a pity. Victory… heh, it was right in front of you.”

Squatjaw, who came at a speed that could almost be called crawling, slowly passed him by.

He didn’t even run. Maybe he couldn’t run anymore.

In front of Leo, who stood transfixed like that, Squatjaw slowly passed through the finish line.

– Yes! The match is now over! There was some suspense, but it still worked out in the end! The winner is Lamborghini Squatjaw!

Then he looked back.

There was a smirk on his lips.

“It really was dangerous this time. But it’s still my victory, you tuft-haired kid. Is it 2-0 now?”

“This guy…”

He was angry, but he couldn’t help it.

Leo clenched his fists and shouted.

“Damn it! I lost again!”

“H-how dastardly! S-, shouldn’t we say anything…”

To Yan’s words, Kiriko responded indifferently.

“Well, we knew he was going to do something like this.”

“Yeah, it’s my fault for being careless. Actually, I’d almost thought that I already won.”

Leo also agreed with Kiriko.

If he hadn’t dropped his guard, he wouldn’t have gotten caught by the ‘shadow’ on the ground.

“So who’s next?”

“Well, um… I heard it was a game… Um, actually, I’m not very confident…”

“It’s my turn. There’s nothing to worry about, Yan.”

Siana confidently stepped forward.

“Is it gambling this time?”

“Well, it’s similar. We’re playing poker. The same game you lost against me.”

“Tch… well, I admit it. At that time, I knew for sure, that I couldn’t win against Siana no matter what.”

“That’s nothing to be disappointed about. Because it’s the same for everyone. Of course, that includes the Squatjaw kid too.”

“Come on, wait a minute…”

Yan wondered why Siana was able to step forward with such confidence. Even after hearing those absurd rules.

“There’ll be five of them, you know!”

“Huh?”

“Five?”

“He said that one-on-one card games are no fun. We’ll be one, but they will be five.”

But,

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll still win anyway. Even if it’s 1vs5 poker.”

Despite Yan’s worries, Siana’s confident expression did not change.

Surprisingly, Kiriko and Leo’s expressions were no different from hers.

“Hah, but…”

Yan hesitated and spoke again.

“In the beginning, Mr. Kiriko, who was confident in shooting, lost in a gunfight… A-and Leo, who was confident in his speed, also lost in a race…”

“Oh, it’ll be fine! Don’t you believe in me, Yan? I’m the woman from Goldam Casino, and I wasn’t called the Queen there for nothing.”

“It’ll be fine. Because Siana is that strong. Oh, you still have to be careful. Squatjaw cheated to help me out that time. That’s how I barely managed to win.”

“I remember. In the 1vs5 poker match, right? I was also watching the situation from the sidelines at the time. But no problem. Those frivolous tricks only work against people like the stupid Mr. Kiriko here, they won’t do any good against me.”

“Girl, you want a match with me first!?”

“If you wish. I don’t know if you alone would cut it. Oh, why don’t Mr. Kiriko and Mr. Leo team up against me? It might be enough for my warm-up.”

Seeing the group’s confident appearance, Yan, oddly enough, couldn’t hide his anxiety.

He didn’t know if he could describe it as seeing the path ahead, but somehow it felt like they were gradually stepping into a boggy swamp.

‘Not good…’

“I want to challenge you.”

Seeing Siana’s confident appearance, I smiled with satisfaction.

In fact, there being five players was just a bluff.

You couldn’t beat Siana with numbers. You needed ability.

I had no intention of honestly playing 1vs5 poker. If you play a game like that, even if you win, the results won’t be any good. Not only would it be difficult to direct an effervescent scene, but it’d also make me a total villain.

The number of players was just a camouflage to hide what was truly important.

“Hey, I’m looking forward to it. A gambler who’s never lost. Frogs in a well really think that it’s the whole world.”

“You sure you can do it, Chinuavi?”

“Senior doesn’t know. Goblins are a race that boasts the highest win rate in any competition. And I’m the best player among them.”

“Boasting about that kind of title is really setting up a flag for losing later, but… alright, yeah. I look forward to it.”

This was what I’d intended from the beginning. To have only one person sitting next to me, and to hide his importance, adding four more players in the mix.

I looked into Siana’s eyes.

They were good eyes. Eyes that had never known defeat.

But soon it’d be broken. The promised victory residing in those pupils.

It was time to teach the frog in the well the bitter taste of defeat.

…

Hmmmm. Well, by fighting 2vs1.

Editor’s Notes:

None for this chapter.