Surviving a Shounen Manga - Chapter 4

Character Shop

【Character Shop】

• Character points can be used to purchase desired products.

• Currently held points: 103p

‘I think 100p was given as a baseline.’

It didn’t feel like much, but it was still quite satisfying. Of course, because I thought it would be a zero baseline.

The shop menu was displayed at the bottom of the hologram window as soon as the chapter ended. Presumably, it was impossible to use the shop while I was appearing in the chapter. It seemed that this would need to be checked one more time later.

I glanced slowly at the catalogue displayed in the hologram window.

The product categories were divided into three main categories.

◆ Character Setting

◆ Chapter

◆ Special Product

I decided to look at the products in ‘Character Setting’ first.

When I touched the menu, a list of detailed categories appeared.

◈ Background

◈ Ability

◈ Appearance

◈ Troops

◈ Others

There were some things I had guessed, and some things I didn’t expect at all.

‘What’s a background? Are you talking about the character’s backstory?’

I first checked the product list of ‘Background’.

Category / [Character Settings] – [Background]

※ You can check the details by touching

1. Bounty 30,000 Gold Wandering Bandit – 25p

2. Narrow City Bounty Hunter – 40p

3. Conch Village Adventurer – 70p

4. Roger Town Police Officer – 130p

⁝

After a quick glance, I understood.

If I buy this, it seems to me that this character’s background story is covered by the setting.

I scrolled down.

⁝

13. Former member of the assassination organization ‘Black Shadow’ – 1500p

• This product is currently unavailable for purchase. To purchase, [Special Ability – Black Walk] is required.

“Oh, there’s something like this?”

It was interesting. The background itself, as well as the purchase conditions.

I immediately checked the details by touching the product.

 [Ex-member of the assassination organization ‘Black Shadow’] detail page.

• Explanation
  • It’s been 5 years since I ran away from the organization’s pursuers. Now everyone who knows me is dead. The only thing that proves my origin is the Black Walk, which only members of the organization can learn. If I don’t use the technique, nobody can track me. I’m finally free.
• Purchase benefits
  • Acquire special ability ‘Assassin’s Eye (: 15% chance to identify enemy’s weakness)’.
  • 5% discount on all information guild fees.
  • Randomly acquire a hiding place in Westland.
• Uniqueness
  • When using Black Walk in a large city, you may be attacked by ‘Black Shadow’.

The ‘Black Shadow’ assassin group was an organization I knew well. Because these guys are the first obstacle that Leo encounters.

As I followed the manga almost to the end, I could never evaluate their level as high. Due to the nature of shounen manga, as the story progresses, stronger and stronger beings will appear.

However, limited to the early episodes, the appearance frequency was quite high. If you buy this, you will have a few chances to get involved with the main character anyway.

Of course, I didn’t have any points or thoughts to buy right now.

‘It’s amazing.’

Intrigued, I scrolled all the way to the bottom.

What do I want?

Following,

38. Guardian of the Black Dragon from the Cork Mountains – ???p

• This product is currently unavailable for purchase.
•  The detail page is currently locked.

I was astonished.

‘No, does it make sense to be able to buy this?’

Neither the points that can be purchased immediately nor the conditions required for purchase were listed. The detail page was also locked.

But I was well aware of what this background meant.

Guardian of the Black Dragon, Isshin.

He was one of the most powerful characters in name and reality, who only appeared around the 40th volume.

Acquiring this background meant, in other words, that I might have the power of Isshin. The power of one of the”Seven Kings” who can destroy the world alone.

It was still in the early stages, so only the setting existed and the character itself was not created.

‘It’s amazing.’

Suddenly, my heart started pounding. If I could have a background like that, it wouldn’t be a problem to survive to the end.

Next, it was time to check the products in the [Ability] category.

Actually, the item I was most interested in was this ‘ability’.

In the original world of the Adventure King, abilities are divided into two main categories.

First, [Unique Ability].

The ability of the setting that only those with outstanding adventurer qualities are born with it.

Since it’s a manga, of course there is no limit to the abilities that can be expressed.

It is basic to become strong or to fly, and there are characters who transform into animals or use clones. You can even summon meteors or teleport.

Ability development and evolutions are possible, often resulting in mutations.

It is introduced as not everybody has them, but as the story progresses, it is difficult to find someone who does not have a unique ability.

Second, [Special Ability].

These are developed by ‘Dr. Crute’ for those who do not have unique abilities, and can be obtained by ingesting special drugs.

Like unique abilities, there is no limit to the abilities that can be expressed, but compared to a unique ability, the limit of power is clear and there are side effects. Side effects vary depending on the type of drug, but basically, the body weakens and heart disease occurs in many cases.

I opened the [Ability] tab with a pounding heart.

A detailed list of categories followed.

◇ Unique Ability

◇ Special Abilities

It was what I was guessing.

I first checked the unique abilities.

※ You can check the details by touching

1. Growing Power – 1,000p

2. Drifter of the Sky – 3,000p

3. Sturdy Giant Rock – 6,000p

⁝

“Huh!”

In the very beginning, there was a remarkable ability. Sturdy Giant Rock.

The ability to petrify your entire body, in fact, it was a more memorable case because of the character who used it rather than the ability itself.

Agate. The guy who smashed a diamond on a stone.

I got curious and checked it once.

 [Sturdy Giant Rock] detail page

• Description: You can transform your body into a rock.
• Basic Features
  • No limit on strength.
  • Resistant to heat.

※ This product cannot be applied due to the low level of the current character.

There was no explanation, but there was a strange phrase instead.

‘Character level?’

At first I didn’t understand what it meant, but after thinking about it, it seemed like I knew it.

Basically, [Unique Ability] is a setting that can bloom only in some chosen people. In other words, an extra like me having it goes against the probability of the story.

But thinking further, if you raise your character’s awareness or equip an expensive background story, wouldn’t it be possible to learn it?

I continued to glance down.

⁝

10. Descendant of Giants – 70,000p

11. God of the Run – 100,000p

“Is this all?”

There were not a few great ones. Besides, the prices were outrageous. Again, it felt faithful to the setting of ‘not everybody can get it’.

But it didn’t feel too bad. Because I didn’t think the ‘current unique abilities’ would be that great in the first place.

Adventure King was a work that received favourable reviews for its elaborate setting, but like most battle manga, there was a problem that the power balance became more and more messy.

In other words, better and stronger abilities will come out as you go on. At a cheap price too.

Perhaps this store will also be continuously updated. There will also be abilities that disappear as new characters appear.

Rather, what caught my attention even more than the products in this tab was the text at the bottom.

※ Acquisition is limited to one unique ability.

In a way, it was quite natural. Except in very rare cases, all characters have only one unique ability. Even the main character, Leo. That’s the setting in the manga.

But the reason this sentence caught my attention was simple. Because I thought it might be different in my case.

In my opinion, I was quite special in this world as well. Am I not character to whom the ‘hologram system’ including this character shop is applied?

I don’t know if there is another case like me, but at least in Chapter 1, it was clear that this was not the case for the villains who ended their lives. If they had known that their lives were in jeopardy, they wouldn’t have behaved so typically.

To be honest, when I first saw the list of products on sale, I just had a feeling. If I had this ‘system’, I would not just survive, but maybe I could become the strongest character. It’s a place where even that ‘Guardian of the Black Dragon’ is listed as a commodity.

But as soon as I saw that sentence, I had no choice but to change my mind.

Even in the store, the purchase of unique abilities is limited to one. This meant that this ‘system’ also could not go beyond the setting in the manga.

It is possible to equip a background or ability without actually experiencing it, but that cannot exceed the ‘probability’ of the work. In other words, the ‘system’ was also just an auxiliary means, and it meant that it was impossible to acquire the power that would go against the setting in the end.

‘Well, what next?’

It was time to move on to the next category.

But in that instant, an ability I was unaware of suddenly caught my eye.

7. Mimic Acrobat – 30,000p

“… Huh?”

Wait, what was this?

It was an ordinary and forgettable name. But, oddly enough, there was one scene that flashed in my mind.

‘No way.’

I quickly checked the details.

 [Mimic Acrobat] detail page

• Description: When certain conditions are met, you can imitate the abilities of others.
• Basic Features
  • There is no limit to the total number of abilities that can be imitated.
  • Cannot exceed the ability of the imitation target.
  • Impossible to mimic two abilities at once.
  • After the mimicry ends, it is impossible to imitate the same ability within 24 hours.
  • After the imitation ends, the ability cannot be activated again within 1 hour.
• Mimic Conditions
  • Private

※ This product cannot be applied due to the low level of the current character.

“… Crazy.”

It was the first time I had heard the name and it was the first time I had seen the detailed features. But I was definitely aware of this ability.

It was an ability that came out for a brief moment in the initial episodes.

An episode in which a guy like an acrobat showed off his various abilities and surprised the party.

At that time, there were very few abilities that could be imitated, and he was easily forgotten because he was a character of no importance, but it was an ability that later became a topic of discussion again in the community. Isn’t this really a deceptive ability? The restrictions are quite strict, but if you satisfy them well, you can use almost any kind of ability.

There were even rumours circulating that the author made it for fun, but immediately removed it because he was worried about the future.

The mimicry conditions were described as private, but I already knew them.

1. You must know the face and real name of the person using the ability.

2. You must directly witness the manifestation of the ability.

3. Be aware of the mechanism of action of the capability.

4. You must have a body that meets the level of the ability.

Of course, it was not so easy to satisfy these conditions.

The original acrobat tried to imitate the main character’s abilities, but he couldn’t even meet the second condition and collapsed blandly.

I also didn’t think it would be easy to imitate the abilities of everybody I saw. In fact, even if the other person only hides their real name, there is not much to do.

But,

‘Because somebody whose ability I haven’t seen… is there such a character?’

I was the exception.

I already knew the faces, names, and abilities of almost all talented people throughout the manga. What if that condition is satisfied?

In an instant, a sense of urgency rose.

‘This is it. You have to buy this!’

This was a skill that only I could use 100% of the time.

Moreover, there was nothing like this in terms of appealing to readers, not to mention the growth and usefulness of the character. I couldn’t wait.

In this manga, unique abilities are like proof of character’s value. Is there a character who can use a lot of abilities by himself? It’d be odder if readers didn’t pay any attention.

The problem is,

‘The acrobat appeared in a few episodes…’

You never know when this ability might disappear from the purchase window.

Chapter 15? 17? Anyway, it was definitely within episode 20.

Somehow, I had to buy it before that.

‘Okay, the first goal is to get this.’

Then I left the tab without checking [Special Ability]. It’s because I can’t afford right now, and I have a rough idea of ​​what things will be like anyway.

The product list of [Troops], [Appearance], and [Other] will also be checked later. For now, it was just some trivial stuff.

Instead, I went straight into the ‘Chapter’ category.

And the moment I checked the product, I knew my intuition was right. It was, after all, what was needed to survive right now.

※ You can check the details by touching.

※ Special price is currently in progress.

1. Explore the next chapter information – 150p → 50p

2. Go straight to the chapter progress area once – 200p → 100p

3. Browse the main characters revealed up to the current chapter – 500p → 300p

4. Read last chapter reader comments – 2,000p → 1,000p

5. Check the chapter’s main character – 3,000p → 1,500p

Except for the 3rd product, all of them were useful products.

Especially items 4 and 5.

The 4^th item was great. Characters that readers love are inevitably important to writers as well. If you set the character’s direction according to their comments, it will definitely help you survive.

Number 5 was even more important.

For now, the story will continue from the point of view of the main character, Leo, but as the number of characters increases, the story has no choice but to expand into several branches. The main character of the whole story is Leo, but the main character for each chapter can change every time. Just being by Leo’s side doesn’t mean it’s good for survival.

“Okay, okay.”

I now had a rough estimate. What to buy when, and what I needed right now.

Next, I moved on to the ‘Special Products’ category.

Currently, there was only one product on sale in this tab.

[Deletion Grace Right – 5,000p]

※ Caution) You cannot disobey the author’s ‘absolute deletion’ order.

Seeing this gave me a sense of satisfaction.

I seem to have been recognized as a character worth at least 5,000p. By that writer who thinks of characters as one-time consumables.

‘Of course, I don’t intend to be satisfied with just this.’

And after a last rough scan of the shop, I was lost in thought.

What should I do now?

Actually, I had nothing to think about.

Proving the character’s worth by moving on to where the next chapter begins.

The question was where to go.

I have two options given to me. Chapter 2 and Chapter 3.

As I remember, the place where Chapter 2 took place seems to have been an unknown forest.

The main content was that Leo met a group of bandits while passing by, gave them a beating, and asked where he should go to meet the ‘strongest guy’ in the area.

‘Is there any room for me to intervene?’

It was basically a chapter that wasn’t very vivid. It was originally a chapter prepared for the purpose of building up for the next content.

I wasn’t very motivated to go for that. It didn’t seem like it would be easy to prove the value of my character.

‘It’s decided.’

I hardened my heart.

The next match would be in Chapter 3.

I immediately opened the store again and went into the ‘Chapter’ category.

– Do you want to purchase [Go straight to the chapter progress area] x 1?

“Purchase.”

It was a lot of points, but there was nothing I could do about it. The time was far too scarce to spend it wandering on the road.

Even if I knew the contents of the manga, I didn’t know the geography of the world. What’s more, these were the early cities that had never been drawn on an official map.

Not knowing when the next chapter will start or end was also a factor in making a quick purchase.

What if I make a mistake and be late? I might be excluded from the characters appearing in the chapter.

I immediately touched the ticket I bought.

– Please tell us where you are going. Currently, there are a total of five chapters that are open for movement.

No options appeared. This is probably because this information is also a separately priced product.

But, of course, as a big fan of Adventure King, it was information that I was familiar with.

Chapter 3. A place where Leo welcomes his first mate.

It’s an episode where ‘That Guy’, a super popular character who has never been out of the top 3 in readers’ popularity polls, appears.

This was information that could be easily understood by recalling his nickname at the time of his first appearance.

The Mad Gunslinger of Virgin City.

I cried out with a pounding heart.

“To Virgin City!”

Soon, a pure white light came out of the hologram and embraced me.

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Editor’s Notes:

None for this chapter.