episode_0043

Even if aimlessly searching held no particular significance, Wisdom felt compelled to do something.

The exact emotion that brought forth this thought was unknown even to herself. Was it due to the unease of her friend, who had shared a room with her almost all her life, suddenly disappearing?

No, it was a bit different than that. It wasn’t just simple unease.

Of course, it’s not like there was no feeling of ‘unease’ at all for Wisdom.

To Wisdom, Ji-eun was her closest friend, akin to a sister. They knew quite a lot about each other’s personal matters. Ji-eun was aware of what Wisdom pondered in her own way. While they didn’t know much about each other’s friends, the same could be said for people with siblings.

Therefore, subconsciously, Wisdom believed she knew Ji-eun the best.

And that was also somewhat arrogant.

In Ji-eun’s stories, the name that came up most frequently was Ha-yoon. It wasn’t just because they were friends; in reality, Ji-eun didn’t have many friends.

Even in the orphanage, the only person she was close to enough to share a room with was Wisdom. While she did engage in conversations with the teachers, she didn’t interact with other children as intimately as one might expect.

Seeing that girl who always seemed to be in her own world, Young Wisdom felt a sense of duty. Despite living in the same room, it took quite a while for her to break the ice with Ji-eun.

But eventually, she succeeded.

Ji-eun wasn’t someone who spoke a lot, but perhaps that’s why she could discuss various worries with Wisdom.

Ji-eun never felt the need to share her concerns with others, and thus, she could confide in Ji-eun about some serious issues that might seem insignificant to others but were quite significant to her personally.

Thinking back, Ji-eun had a somewhat unique way of thinking. She was reserved and wouldn’t speak unless spoken to, yet internally, she harbored many worries and was just an ordinary child.

Wisdom didn’t listen to Ji-eun’s worries.

At some point, she simply treated her as a close and comfortable companion.

Wisdom believed she knew Ji-eun the best and speculated that Ji-eun was late because she had perhaps found a boyfriend-like figure.

She should have inquired a bit more.

Surely, Ji-eun wouldn’t have answered easily, but if she had kept asking, she might have eventually opened up.

…Or would she?

That’s why Wisdom went out again today.

Instead of returning to the orphanage right after school, she decided to look for Ji-eun. She knew she wouldn’t gain anything from it, but it felt necessary.

It might alleviate her guilt slightly.

She had visited the bookstore Ji-eun frequented several times, but to no avail.

Though the chances were slim, Wisdom chose places where she and Ji-eun had been before. Places that left a lasting impression.

It was somewhat odd for her to choose such places. Even if they were places of nostalgia, they might not hold the same significance for Ji-eun.

Yet, stubbornly moving her feet was ultimately an excuse she made for herself.

I tried too.

It’s not like I did nothing.

An excuse for doing nothing.

An empty excuse.

A few years ago, there was an impulsive outing with Ji-eun. I don’t remember why we ended up at Chungmuro Station. Perhaps it was a word that often came up in Korean movie discussions.

As it wasn’t too far by bus, we headed there without much thought on a weekend.

While there were places around that resembled tourist spots, we didn’t feel that there were many places related to ‘movies.’

We stumbled upon a gallery inside the station by chance.

I’m not sure if it was run by the city of Seoul or the district, but there was a gallery seemingly themed around ‘movies.’

There was a space where you could borrow DVDs for free and watch them on the TV inside.

We watched a movie there together.

It was a rather uninteresting comedy, but for some reason, the situation was so absurd that we burst out laughing.

“….”

It was just a one-time visit.

Naturally, Ji-eun wasn’t there.

What did I expect, really?

Did I think Ji-eun would come here alone, lost in memories of our one visit? Because we had been here together?

…

Perhaps Wisdom would have thought the same.

There were other friends, but Jieun was different from them because they grew up together.

Taking a deep breath, she started walking back up. Since the subway didn’t reach her neighborhood anyway, taking the bus would be much faster.

As it wasn’t yet the usual time for office workers to get off work, the streets were quite deserted.

Looking up at the blue sky after a long time, she thought it would be better if magical girl Jieun suddenly fell from the sky, just as she had wished when they met at the subway station earlier, an equally absurd thought.

It was just as absurd as wishing they had met at the subway station earlier, but now there was someone screaming at the bus stop.

“Ah!?”

She heard someone scream.

Looking over, she saw a person collapsed. They didn’t seem human.

Several people around asked if everything was okay, but the collapsed person just groaned and rolled on the ground, emitting strange sounds.

After seeing the situation, some people around seemed to realize that the situation was serious.

Jihye knew what was happening. She had heard about it several times at school. It was just that she had never seen it happen before.

She hesitated for a moment.

Although she had heard stories, since it was her first time witnessing it, she couldn’t rule out the possibility that the person had actually collapsed due to illness or injury.

Since the appearance was inherently different from humans, she couldn’t tell where or how the person was hurt. The screaming voice itself was different from a human’s voice.

But the foam around the mouth made the situation look very serious.

She hesitated for a moment. She hadn’t intended to do anything in particular.

That was the problem.

“Fix it with magic somehow.”

Easier said than done.

Even if magic unfolded as I believed or thought, embodying it was a whole different issue.

Moreover, deeply rooted prejudices and stereotypes might also influence magic, so I still couldn’t fly through the sky like other magical girls.

Nevertheless, I had some tricks up my sleeve.

In this world, there is a fixed notion that “magic is convenient.” Ever since the days when extraterrestrials less developed than Earthlings flew through the sky and explored space, the concept of magic itself was shocking to Earthlings.

Thanks to that, I could somewhat mimic the ways magic was used in daily life.

For example, shock absorption.

Thud!

My two legs hit the ground heavily.

The thudding sound didn’t just come from under my feet; it also came from the opponent’s arm.

It seemed they couldn’t react sensibly to my sudden leap from a tall building. That was fortunate. If the opponent had reacted sensibly and extended their arm instead of hitting me, it wouldn’t have been good for me in many ways.

Clang!

The giant crab-like creature’s arm was unexpectedly sturdy. Or maybe it was because I had enchanted my legs. I had dampened the energy enough to prevent my legs from breaking, so the impact of the swinging weapon was also reduced by the same amount.

Still, some damage was visible on the armor.

The opponent was a giant creature resembling a huge crab.

They probably looked like seafood from the start. There are quite a few extraterrestrials on Earth who resemble a “crab in a suit.” Usually, only their heads are carved like that.

With a large claw in each hand, four thin legs, and a garment with ten half-sleeves, the outfit was honestly a bit funny. It might be normal to those people over there.

Whack!

Swinging the large claw, they deflected my hammer. Their strength was formidable, as expected of a monster.

No, it might not be expected.

If the issue was that I had made the hammer too light, then it was natural for me to deflect the relatively light iron hammer.

I corrected my thoughts as their posture faltered for a moment.

Rather than making the hammer lighter, it was better for me to become stronger. Yeah, like when I was working part-time.

Spreading my legs wide, I firmly grasped the hammer head with my right hand just below it. I widened the gap between my fingers slightly to grip the hammer firmly.

Then, like an uppercut, I swung it upwards.

The sound of the claw descending towards me hitting the hammer resonated sharply. Thud. Another cracking sound was heard, and some fluid oozed out.

I turned my gaze. Wisdom’s waist was precariously caught in the claw.

Wisdom, whom I considered family in this world, was the only one I knew.

How worried must she have been?

Judging by her expression, she didn’t seem fine at all. Perhaps the current situation was the reason, but she also looked a bit dazed.

Thinking it might be my fault, my heart felt heavy.

In this world, Wisdom was

The monster was said to be a being that had lost its sanity, and it seemed like there would be no resolution.

The police were waiting for the magical girl.

“Ugh!”

A groan escaped from Ji-hye’s lips. The clamp around her waist was tightly constricted.

Thud!

As soon as my gaze was diverted, something large and heavy struck my waist forcefully.

I flew sideways, bouncing on the ground like a water balloon.

It hurt like hell.

But then again, this was not my original body but an overflowed transformation. Perhaps because I had been channeling mana into my body, I didn’t feel suffocated or constrained as I did when similar incidents occurred before.

Stay calm.

Although the monster had lost its sanity, it didn’t mean it couldn’t make any judgments. Seeing that it had taken a hostage, holding Ji-hye in one hand, it was clear that the police couldn’t easily intervene.

My left wrist began to heat up.

My heart was racing too fast; it felt like my head was spinning.

What should I do? How can I save Ji-hye without any issues?

The hand gripping Ji-hye’s waist loosened slightly.

Had it unintentionally tightened its grip while trying to exert force while moving?

At the moment of taking a hostage, it meant that if the hostage died, he would be in danger too.

Ji-hye’s legs went limp, swaying helplessly. Though she was still alive, I feared she might be in serious danger if this continued.

In one go?

Should I smash its head within a short period, making it difficult for the monster to resist?

Kiiing—

A different sound came from the circuit rotating above my left wrist.

It was the sound emanating from the “generator” inside the hammer.

Yes, this was no ordinary hammer. There must be some mechanism inside—whether it utilized magic or simply harnessed energy.

“What’s in the hammer?”

Forgetting that James was on my shoulder, I asked, out of breath. James struggled to catch his breath before speaking.

“T-the power unit.”

“How do I use it?”

“I’ve set it up to learn from your actions. Striking or jumping at enemies. With repeated actions, it will determine what actions are needed and move accordingly.”

“…So, I can’t use it all at once.”

“It’s designed to optimize during combat. I was going to explain it on the rooftop earlier.”

I see.

That makes sense.

I put strength into my legs.

Then I ran and leaped with all my might.

I was sure about one thing—I could definitely jump high. It was useful for escaping, and I had tried it once before when jumping off an antenna.

Like closing a door, I jumped higher each time I leaped—once, twice, thrice.

And as I brought down the hammer lightly, simultaneously resetting its weight.

Thud!

This time, the monster hastily recoiled. I thought its arms wouldn’t last long against my strikes, hence its reaction.

A large crack remained on the ground. In the center was the shape of the hammer’s face, with gold streaks on either side resembling lightning bolts.

I pulled out the hammer and looked back at the monster.

And what was thrust in front of me was Ji-hye.

I froze.

Ji-hye had opened her eyes. She still seemed in agony, body contorted, face pallid.

Was it because we made eye contact that she regained her senses, or was it just an unfortunate coincidence?

“…Ji-Jieun.”

Ji-hye murmured weakly.

If it had been the usual Ji-hye, I would have laughed at her appearance.

Grabbing her belly, rolling on the ground, or falling over while laughing hysterically. Why would she dress like that? Wasn’t she embarrassed?

But now, Ji-hye’s face wasn’t the same.

Filled with terror, unable to speak properly due to shivering.

And yet, Ji-hye murmured.

“I’m sorry.”

Why was she apologizing?

It should be me who owes an apology.

Because of me, unfamiliar people visited repeatedly, bothering her. No, it wasn’t just bothersome. They must have found it terrifying to have someone shouting with cameras and microphones right in their faces.

I couldn’t provide any explanation. All they saw was that evening.

Is the current situation also because of me?

I don’t know.

Is there something more behind the monster appearing at regular intervals?

Is it just a coincidence that Ji-hye was taken as a hostage here—

The train of thought was abruptly cut off.

A scream echoed. Not mine.

It was Ji-hye’s voice, screaming as she flew after being hit hard in the waist.

This time, she hit the wall. Perhaps vertically. The impact was different from before. From shoulder to toe, her entire body slammed

James splashed water on me.

“If I had been hit from the opposite side, I couldn’t have even screamed and would have almost died.”

Why is he hanging onto my body like this? It might be better if I watched from a little further away.

Maybe he thought hiding within the surging magic power of the magical girl’s body was the safest option.

“… This sucks.”

I muttered as I twisted my body.

In a situation where there was nothing to like, everything had turned to crap.

Whether it’s fate or coincidence, I don’t know.

I found the reason for these events happening now extremely frustrating.

I thought I had become quite numb over the past few months.

But after being pushed here, the being that didn’t say a word, probably the author, became truly detestable.

What should I do?

I want to go find him. I want to scream, curse, slap him, pound him until something breaks.

But I can’t do that, can I?

If that guy is watching me rolling around here, seeing me in pain, he’d probably just laugh at me.

“… Jeong Ji-eun?”

As I muttered to myself, James cautiously asked.

I didn’t bother replying.

My mind was racing.

The humming sound was so loud it felt like my surroundings were fading slightly.

I could feel vibrations in the hammer. Was there a generator running inside it?

Kiiing—

A nerve-wracking sound, like metal scraping. Was this also designed to wear down my sanity?

I’m not sure.

Actually, it didn’t matter.

It’s hot.

A hot energy flowed through the entire hammer, reaching even the handle.

Even the giant staring at me seemed to sense that something was amiss.

Despite extending wisdom forward, it looked foolish.

If it knew something was wrong and gave up, maybe it could have been a bit better off.

Click.

A small sound was heard.

“You forcibly opened the propulsion device!?”

James yelled in astonishment. A third-rate villain’s voice of surprise.

Surprised now, are you?

He told me to imagine anything.

Grabbing the hammer tightly, trying to move forward alone, I took a step back.

The giant crab twitched. Stepping back, I extended the bluish wisdom inward.

That’s how it’s going to come out.

“Wait, Ji-hye.”

I muttered to myself.

Due to the loud noise emanating from all over my body, it may not be audible.

Still, I felt like I had to say it.

“I’ll go save her now.”

I ran forward.

With all my strength, I tried several times to close the help, pointing the hammer downwards.

Only then did the true state of the hammer become apparent.

The hammer was in a state of disarray.

About half of it at the back had completely disintegrated, with parts scattered wildly to the rear.

But it didn’t seem ‘broken.’

The individual parts didn’t seem to function properly. It was certain that they weren’t operating as James had originally designed them to.

However, those parts were spread wide open, resembling the back part of a ‘booster.’

While the parts were separated from each other, resembling floating conductors, unseen components seemed to connect them without any visible shaking.

The generator was partially exposed behind the disintegrated section.

Behind it, blue flames were blazing brightly.