Surviving a Shounen Manga

The Ramirez Scramble (3)

The Disruptor God was silent for a while.

Was there a problem?

To be honest, I was feeling quite awkward now. What about this request was so unexpected?

Or maybe this request was hard to fulfil?

The sudden silence was making me a little nervous.

How long did I wait like that?

Something apparently suddenly occurred to my interlocutor.

– You’re asking me to let you use masquerade?

The Disruptor God opened his mouth.

‘Uh… yeah. Can’t you?’

– Heh. You sure you don’t want to become a goblin instead?

What? Was this a roundabout way of refusal?

‘That’s… is that even possible?’

– Who knows.

His phrasing was odd. Could he do it or not?

‘Well, a goblin is fine too. Of course, it has to be a goblin who knows how to use masquerade.’

– Heh, you want a human to turn into a goblin? Absurd.

‘…’

Rather, this conversation itself was absurd. It was getting on my nerves.

Maybe because he didn’t like the fact that I, a human, was coveting the powers of a goblin?

How completely unexpected. Was the Disruptor God a goblin supremacist?

No way.

‘Are you unhappy with my request for a goblin’s power?’

But,

– Would you like it? If you were in my position?

A really negative reaction popped up.

‘Why?’

– I just don’t like it. You’re coveting something you shouldn’t have. Human greed is still so ugly…

Huh, that was really the issue?

I was stunned.

Even though I knew that I shouldn’t believe anything the God of Sabotage said, I couldn’t help but feel a tad dizzy.

‘You were fine with letting me mimic the goblins’ unique abilities, why is masquerade such a sticking point?’

– Eh.

‘What?’

– It’s just how I feel.

‘…’

It wasn’t funny.

I was regretting it now. If I’d known in advance something this would happen, I would’ve tried something else.

In fact, I’d thought a lot about ‘what to ask for’.

Should I ask for another copy of the Ramirez?

Or should I reverse the Ramirez’s function?

Should I ask for absolute command over the goblins?

Or to let me mimic one more unique ability?

But in the end, it came down to masquerade.

Anything else would only make this arc easier, but masquerade would let me prepare for my future.

It was simple. There were still countless chapters to go through after this ‘Ramirez Scramble’, and I couldn’t cross those chapters without solving the ‘questions’ of the readers.

In other words, to make the readers define me as a goblin.

To put an end to the many doubts about me.

It was an urgent matter for me.

The ‘essence’ of the goblin race didn’t lie in their brilliance in deciphering, or how pettily malicious they were, or their five tendencies.

Masquerade. The ability to transform. That was the key.

The scenes where the goblins had the biggest impact in the original were all about them undoing their masquerade at a pivotal moment.

So, I also wanted the art of masquerade in order to be recognized as a goblin.

But that wasn’t going to happen, apparently.

I shook my head, trying to calm down.

Then what else was left?

‘… Fine. If you don’t like it, there’s nothing I can do about it. I’ll ask for something else.’

That was then.

– I hate it.

…

‘What now? Are you kidding?’

– Hey, you bastard.

Whoops.

‘Uhm, no, sorry. So you’re not going to give me anything? Even though you obviously…’

– What are you talking about? You want to use masquerade, right?

‘… Yes?’

– Let’s go with that, then.

‘…’

Was this guy the problem, or the author who’d made the setting?

Anyway,

‘… Thank you.’

It was a success. I was feeling a bit tired though.

– But there’s a deadline. Understand?

‘Of course.’

– The deadline is while the damned rules you set up are in effect.

The rules were nothing else. That the victor of this scramble will own the Ramirez.

Meaning, until the owner of the treasure was decided.

– And there’s a limit to where it can be used. It should be used for acts that break the rules and sabotage everyone’s wishes. Otherwise…

‘Got it.’

– Good.

At that moment,

– Here you go.

Light arose all around me.

Puff–.

I felt a strange power fluttering in my chest.

It was similar to using a unique ability.

It didn’t seem to require any practice. It felt like it could be used right away.

– I’m leaving.

‘Oh, yeah. Thank you.’

After that, the god’s voice could no longer be heard.

Of course, I didn’t know if he really was gone. Maybe he was still watching from somewhere.

Hmmm.

Anyway,

‘Should I start?’

This was the beginning.

When I went out of the warehouse, it was noisy, as expected.

The goblins looked excited about the equipment I’d given them.

“Hey, this is pretty good!”

“Looks exactly the same? I can’t tell the difference!”

“It’s the clone technique that only monsters can use!”

What I’d given the pranksters and liars was a kind of ‘image duplication device’, which could scan an object and project an identical image into the air.

Of course, there were limitations. The image didn’t last long because the device was just a toy, and the projection was limited to a certain radius; but nonetheless, it gave off the feeling of ‘cloning’ like the goblins said.

The next thing that I’d given to the bluffers and whimsical ones was,

“B-, big!”

“Can it be bigger?”

“No, this might already be the best?”

“You son of a bitch! Don’t point that here!”

“D-, don’t look!”

It was similar to the drone attached to the Ramirez, a kind of ‘image magnifying device’. Of course, this was also at the level of a toy, so the scale couldn’t be adjusted and the output looked blurry.

Still, this… was something bluffers couldn’t help but love, huh? Who knew what the whimsical ones were thinking, though.

“But why divide them according to temperament? I like those ones too.”

“There’s a good way to exchange. Want to make a bet? I’ll bet mine, you, bet yours.”

“Heh, okay. Don’t cry after you lose.”

In any case, most of the initial complaints had subsided.

Except for a single bunch,

“Hey! You squat-jawed bastard!”

“Change ours to something good too!”

“Damn it! Give that one to me!”

“I’ll mess you up!”

Only the disruptors were still clamouring.

Well, it was only natural. What I’d given them was just a light stick, that lit up when a button was pressed.

The reason was nothing complex. I knew what’d happen if I gave the something good. And I just plain didn’t like the idea of giving something good to the saboteurs, my own kind –

At that moment,

‘Huh? Wait, my own kind…?’

It was a sudden surprise.

Apparently, I’d started identifying myself with the saboteur goblins at some point. Was it right after I met the Disruptor God?

Looked like I had to keep my guard up a little. The thought of my mindset getting affected by the God of Sabotage was no joke.

Then,

“Come on, folks, that’s it! Everyone gather together.”

I summoned the goblins.

About seventy of them gathered in front of me.

“We’ll split into four groups. Of course, we won’t group people with the same tendency together; instead, it’ll be an even mix. But leaving out the disruptors.”

Then,

“Wait, you bastard!”

“Why are we getting left alone?”

“Do you really want to die?”

Muffled voices saying such words could be heard.

Of course, I let them flow through one ear and out the other.

“I’m not forcing you guys to do anything. Even if I force you, you won’t listen, right? Anyway, each of the four groups will scatter to one direction – east, west, south and north.”

And then,

“What’re we going to do, then?”

The question came right away.

I shrugged my shoulders once, then answered briefly.

“I’ve got no idea. But as long as you go there, you should see a lot of interesting things happening. Then you can just do as you like.”

“… That’s it?”

“Yeah, that’s all.”

It was true. That really was all.

I had no idea what to do with the goblins.

All I wanted was for the other characters to be on the alert, saying, ‘Those damned goblins have come back!’.

There was no complex reason. The consciousness of the characters was directly connected to the consciousness of the readers. In other words, the more conscious the other characters became of the goblins, the stronger would the readers’ awareness of their existence be.

At that time, what if they saw my masquerade? It’s be a natural segue to my connection with the goblins.

And another reason –

In my opinion, their existence alone could serve as the best seasoning to bring out the taste of this scramble.

With their particular set of skills in subtly scaring, teasing, tricking, luring and goading… there wouldn’t be any shortage of fights breaking out among the adventurers.

The only issue was that if I just left them to their own devices without any structure, they’d only create more and more chaos.

I had to at least give them a skeleton of a plan.

Then, with excited faces,

“How many guys have gone east?”

“I saw a guy who’d been acting cheeky with me go south.”

“I wonder, if I float my clone over the edge of a cliff, can I lure people into jumping after it?”

“Those going to the west, c’mere! I’m leaving right away!”

They were going to make a hot mess. Just as planned.

Honestly, even the gear I’d distributed was not for some grand plan, it was so that they’d get interested in the coming action.

“The deadline is two days. After that, the humans won’t fight anymore. So let’s have some fun before that.”

Before long, most of the goblins who’d formed groups in an instant, left.

Then,

“Hey, Squatjaw. Can we talk for a bit?”

Eight goblins, faces filled with dissatisfaction, approached me.

They were the ones blessed by the God of Sabotage.

“Don’t you have anything to say to us, you son of a bitch?”

One of them growled.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

Then,

“Why?”

Their eyes widened into glares the same time.

“Hey, hey. This bastard…”

“What did we do to deserve this treatment!”

“Saboteurs are goblins too!”

Hilarious.

“Huh? Just do what you want to do. Why did you come to me for directions? You guys don’t really want to split neatly into groups and follow orders, do you?”

“This bastard!”

“Don’t try to spin nonsense!”

At the radical reaction, I laughed out loud.

In fact, this was one of the biggest drawbacks of the goblins with disruptive temperament.

Not being able to take the lead in doing something.

They were the ones who always interfered with what someone else was doing, so there was no way they could do any independent planning.

I looked them over one by one with a smile.

In fact, there were jobs that only these guys could do. But if I just told them so, they’d never listen, so I had to needle them a bit first.

“Actually… there’re some other interesting things. Would you like to know?”

At that moment,

“Bastard! Say that sooner!”

“What is it?”

“Talk quickly!”

They pricked up their ears and urged me to continue.

“There’s a guy using two pistols among the ones who followed me here. You know? The redhead. He’s going to get into some tough fights soon. Follow him and mess with him bit by bit. Then some pretty funny stuff will happen. Oh, of course I’m not forcing you to. Do it if you’re bored with nothing else to do.”

Then,

“Redhead?”

“I know him! A cheeky bastard!”

“I know too! That stinky bastard!”

“Let’s fuck him up!”

The saboteurs started running away.

They were moving surprisingly quickly.

“I was thinking of giving you guys something extra.”

Did all the cunning goblins who received the blessing of the God of Sabotage, become that stupid?

Again, I confirmed to myself that caution was needed.

After sending all those goblins out, I called the two who’d remained in the hall.

“Chinuavi, Cocoa!”

“Yeah.”

“I thought you might’ve forgotten. Squatjaw, do you remember my name?”

“Cocoa?”

“Wrong. Cocoavi. Cocoa-vi.”

“Can you find Tanya?”

“Huh?”

“Can you find Tanya?”

“What if… what if I could?”

“If you can, then go follow her. Take Chinuavi along. But don’t catch up with her. Understand? And if you feel like she’s trying something, tell me. Take this.”

I handed over an old-fashioned transceiver I’d found rolling around in Jean’s warehouse.

The Northland background setting was very convenient at times. It made even remote communication possible.

“But why that woman?”

“Follow her and you’ll come to know.”

I sent the two of them away with a grin.

Now, all the preparatory work had been completed. I’d also sent Haka to Gronyan, so I’d get informed right away if anything unusual happened.

All that was left was for me to move directly.

I opened the Inventory tab in the hologram window.

Then I clicked [Check the main character of the chapter].

Then,

– The main character of the chapter is now ‘Jimus’.

A slightly stunning answer arrived.

‘Wait, already?’

It wasn’t the name I’d expected. Leo should still be the main point of view according to the original.

If it’d passed on to Jimus, it meant that the scramble might’ve already begun.

I’d thought I still had some time left.

I got ready in a hurry.

“It shouldn’t be too late…”

Then I started running, wrapping the goblin silver screen over myself.

‘These guys… are strong.’

Yan looked at the opponents in front of him with wary eyes.

They held wands.

At first he’d thought they weren’t any trouble.

Because he didn’t feel any power or any sense of threat from them, except for that guy called Jimus fighting against Leo.

Besides, hadn’t their weakness already been exposed to the whole world?

So, he was going to treat them a bit lightly, but…

This was embarrassing.

“Fire Explosion!”

“Thunder Storm!”

“Ice Blast!”

Pop!

Zap!

Puff-!

“Damn it!”

A blade of ice brushed past his ear, a mass of lightning tried to turn him to charcoal, and a large, deep pit of fire was carved into the earth where he’d just been standing.

The ‘magic’ they used was surprisingly threatening.

And also,

“Y-, Yan!”

“Dodge!”

He was exhausted trying to fight while protecting Siana.

Yan forced a ghost to move in front of Siana.

Pop!

Fortunately, he was able to protect Siana, but the ghost took all the damage.

In the end, he dispersed, leaving only a faint smile behind.

“D-, damn it….”

Things were not going well.

To think he’d have to fight these guys while Mister Kiriko wasn’t there…

Yan deeply regretted neglecting his own training recently. Leo and Mister Kiriko had taken the lead to defeat most of the enemies their adventurer team had faced so far, so his combat skills had gotten comparatively rusty.

‘In this battlefield, where even Father joined…’

Yan bit his lip.

He had to get through this somehow. So he could give Leo some strength…

At that moment,

“Ugh!”

A scream came from behind.

Looking back,

“Wh-, what?”

Something was closing in from a distance with great speed.

Yan opened his eyes wide and confirmed its identity.

Messy hair, and blue electric sparks covering his form –

“Oh my god.”

It was Leo.

Yan hurriedly moved to catch him.

“Leo…?”

His body was incredibly hot.

Also, as if he was in shock, Leo’s eyes had rolled back up to his head.

Judging from his charred chest, he’d been hit with fire attribute magic. A spell with tremendous destructive power.

‘He l-, lost? Leo?’

Nonsense.

Yan couldn’t believe that Leo was defeated so helplessly.

Just then,

“Whew… dealing with this kid’s pretty tiring.”

From afar, ‘that man’ was slowly approaching, flying in the air.

Magic Weapon Jimus.

Yan felt his hair could turn white ay moment, in this unbelievable crisis.

‘Uh, what should I do…’

That was then.

– Oho, this is a bit of a crisis, huh?

A voice suddenly rang in his ear.

“Wh-, what?”

– Don’t look back, they’ll notice. I’m using a whisper potion.

It was a strange, whispery voice; but it was apparently being transmitted directly into his head.

And what was even more strange was that the voice sounded familiar.

“No, what….”

– Shh! Quiet. It’ll be fine soon, just wait.

Yan couldn’t quite make head or tail of the situation.

But he finally remembered who the owner of this voice was.

Squatjaw. It was his voice.

But the surprise didn’t stop there.

The moment Yan was about to ask where he was,

– Oh, and…

Yan was frightened.

“Keep quiet.”

“U-, uhm…”

The air was peeled away by his side.

And there, another Leo stood, looking at him with a grin.

Editor’s Notes:

None for this chapter.

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