Reincarnated in a Shounen Manga

Chapter 209: Sentimentality is Dangerous

Sadly, the Kuro Clan Head didn't attempt anything foolish. Perhaps if I had waited longer, he might have slipped up. However, it would be cruel to leave these two fishermen to suffer, knowing that the outcome I hoped for had little chance of happening.

I leaped down from my boat. As soon as my feet touched the water, the liquid below my feet turned denser and harder, allowing me to walk on it. I approached the two fishermen who were waving and crying blood.

These poor guys had fallen victim to the relentless waves, despite their simple desire to make a living. They were swept away by accident, left to endure this ordeal.

I hopped onto their boat, and suddenly, memories flooded my mind. They were remnants of a long-gone life, from a time before I became an office workera nostalgic recollection of my childhood with my father.

Despite knowing that these were fabricated by the lingering power on the boat, an attempt to manipulate my thoughts, I couldn't resist delving into them. After all, childhood always seemed like a simpler and more enjoyable time. A time when everything was uncomplicated and the bo-

{Perfect Me}

The illusion and nostalgic feeling dissipated instantly. Pulling out a small knife, I discreetly pierced the backs of the two fishermen's heads, where their hair would conceal the wounds.

Their bodies slumped down, and they should have been dead by all accounts. Yet, they still wore exaggerated smiles that looked like their faces would split in half.

"You can rest now," I murmured, even though I knew they couldn't hear me. "I will ensure your bodies are returned to your families, relieving them of any worries."

While I didn't hesitate to kill exorcists or murder hobos, civilians were a different matter altogether. I felt a deep connection with people like these, unlike the exorcists who it was hard to even look at them as humans. These individuals were merely living their lives day by day, burdened by exhaustion and misery, their futures shrouded in insurmountable stress. And worst of all, they died carrying all that weight on their shoulders.

Shaking my head, I dismissed such thoughts.

Was it the power lingering in this boat that made me feel this way? I wasn't typically so sentimental. It's not as if I hadn't grown accustomed to this world's brutal ways. Perhaps the sight of my first life's childhood triggered memories of simpler times.

While there was no denying my enjoyment of a world teeming with special abilities, and the occasional thrill of battles akin to a game of chess. However, witnessing innocent people entangled in these matters and losing their lives left an indelible void in my gut.

"Hehehe, bad day!" The corpses spoke, and flowers grew and bloomed out of their empty eye sockets.

"Yeah, this is not a good day. Sometimes I think it was easier when I was weak, not worrying about anything other than surviving in a fight," I replied. The corpse rose up at my words, but I remained unreactive, knowing it still followed the island rules, despite being away from it.

The corpse walked past me and waved at the Kuro Clan Head. "Good night!"

Still, the Kuro Clan Head stared at me. By now, he realized I knew rules he did not know.

Should I explain the rules to him? Well, the rules on the island were different, so it should be fine.

"As long as you don't act deceitfully, they won't harm you. Also, you shouldn't remain silent for too long, or something bad might happen," I said. The last part was a deliberate lie, and the first part was intentionally ambiguous, leaving it open to interpretation.

A glint appeared in his eyes. Despite my dislike for him, the Kuro Clan Head was a smart man who quickly grasped the rules. He jumped onto the boat and frowned at me. "You know the rules of whatever this is and you want me dead."

"No, I don't want you dead. You still have your uses," I smiled, trying to make it difficult to determine whether I was joking or genuinely spooking him. Though if the Kuro Clan Head met his demise, I wouldn't feel too bad about it. My main concern would be Gem and how he would react to his father's death.

From what I knew, the Kuro Clan Head wasn't exactly the most affectionate father. I would wager that most of his children didn't care about him. Likewise, I doubt this man cared about them either, based on what I had seen here and in the Manga. He sacrificed one of his own children to the shadow tower to save himself.

Suddenly, the Kuro Clan Head furrowed his brow and said, "I see, my emotions are amplified here."

It was a type of power that caused emotional confusion, and that was the least terrifying aspect of the island. Fortunately, its effect only lingered on the boat; otherwise, we would be engaged in a life-or-death struggle to escape.

Avalon Island lay at the border of the barrier that separated it from the outside world, occasionally allowing some of the outside terrors to slip in.

"We will return these bodies to their families, and then we can begin preparing for the expedition to Avalon Island," I informed the Kuro Clan Head of my decision.

But he seemed oblivious to my intentions and responded, "No, we must first investigate the corpses and send them to a lab. I know an organization that specializes in fusions between humans and demons-"

"I was just informing you of my decision," I interrupted him, "not asking for your opinion."

Even in this heightened emotional state, he showed no outward changes. Whatever he wanted to say, he knew the dangerous position he was in. With the sea surrounding us, he wouldn't last more than half a minute against me, and that's me being generous.

Whatever kind of magical item the raft was, it wouldn't save him here. Even if it was a teleportation artifact to aid his escape, I had my own countermeasures against that.

...

In the end, we anchored the boat and headed to a nearby shore. While the Kuro Clan Head was more interested in the ordinary fishing boat and its strange powers, I was preoccupied with the corpses. I used pincers to extract the flowers from their eye sockets.

With a ripping sound, pieces of their brains came out along with the flower roots, dripping with blood. After plucking the flowers, I burned them, keeping only one in a jar in case anyone decided to study it.

I knew we should stay away from things like these. However, humanity as a whole, whether in this world or my previous one, never could resist the temptation of power, even if there was something dangerous or world-ending attached to it. In the original story, these fishermen's bodies would have been chopped up and discarded. This was the treatment I would expect from the exorcists when dealing with ordinary people.

However, I immediately called for assistance, and a talisman was used to collect the fishermen's fingerprints. Some Expert and Elite Exorcists gathered around the boat and corpses. Before long, the nearest Special Exorcist arrived as back up. It was the Star Exorcist.

I stood on the sidelines and didn't need to say much. They already knew what I wanted, and none of them challenged my decision. Even the Kuro Clan Head, who would normally stand a chance against me, was at a disadvantage due to our proximity to the shore.

Despite everything that had happened, I remained calm while others panicked. Some were scared, while others were excited about what these revelations could mean. But for some reason I felt calmer than ever.

Was this what they meant by being in my element?

"There will be another war. Tch, I only had to come here because I was close by, but now I have to work again. This has been a tiresome year," the Star Exorcist approached me. She smiled and looked around to ensure no one was listening, then whispered, "Even if you've aged yourself up, you still look as average as ever. Common bastard."

I looked at her, realizing that this was probably her true thoughts after being influenced by the boat's residue aura.

Without a chance to utter another word, a blood spike erupted from the center of her chest. This caused her eyes to widen and blood to gush out as she coughed. Slumping to the ground, she looked at me in a state of shock. Although it could have been a trick of my eyes, I could have sworn there was a hint of fear behind her gaze.

"Careful there, don't stumble on your own words or someone could get hurt," I yawned.

Should I just kill her? No... keeping her alive would prove more useful, as she could save lives. Unlike most exorcists out there, she wouldn't intentionally kill people and could even boost her own reputation. Though driven by self-interest, she still helped.

Moreover, I suspected that my decision might be influenced by the lingering effects of being on the boat. I resolved to wait until my mind was clear to make a more informed choice. However, it was essential to remember that the boat merely amplified certain emotions; it didn't conjure them out of thin air.

Well, it was time to assemble a team of exorcists and prevent a ticking time bomb on Avalon Island. The only question was, who should I recruit?

At that moment, I noticed some of the exorcists at the scene stealing glances at me. Once our eyes met, they quickly returned to their work, avoiding eye contact.

I activated Ord, focusing my hearing to catch any whispered conversations among them.

"Holy shit, did you see that?! He effortlessly took down a Special Exorcist!"

"Fuck, I thought the rumors about him were exaggerated!"

While there were other discussions along similar lines, I paid no mind to them. Instead, I concentrated on ensuring that no exorcist here did anything foolish, applying sealing talismans to every inch of the fishing boat.

...

Several hours passed, and a thorough investigation was conducted. I waited for the results by the side of the beach and kept an eye on the corpses. Unlike most of them here, I knew there wasn't much to learn from the corpses or the boat.

One of the investigators approached me, looking disturbed as he spoke. "Sir, the men whose corpses we found are still alive."

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"Take a look at this." He closed his eyes and conjured a TV screen, revealing two men laughing and drinking together, standing close to a remarkably familiar boat. "These men are still alive, and their boat is in perfect condition! When we have their corpses and the moldy boat right here! This is happening right now, while we simultaneously have their lifeless bodies and their boat's wreckage! How is this possible?"