episode_0068

… … … … …

“Friend, I’m sure the rice cake guys have thoughts too.

They wouldn’t rob again in the same place where their members suffered horribly, would they…? ”

I muttered to the magical teddy bear in my bag as a companion. It was actually just a monologue to myself.

Yes, no matter how I think about it, this is right. The rice thieves are people too, and they will not commit robbery again in this alley where such a terrible thing happened.

With that thought in mind, I mustered up my courage and walked down the dark night road.

The streets were still quiet, and only the occasional sound of the wind added rhythm to my footsteps. Under the streetlights, my shadow stretched and shortened repeatedly.

“It’s quiet… … .

As expected, there are no rice cakes.”

That moment when I was hurriedly walking with a sense of relief inside.

“Gyaaah――!”

Suddenly, a scream came from the back alley. The moment I heard that sound, my body froze like a stone. Could it be that the Human Protection Society and the rice-sucking guys were robbing the alley again?

“Ma, that’s ridiculous. Really… … ?”

The memory of that day came back vividly. The sight of the human defense group rice worms wearing vicious chimpanzee masks, their threatening voices, their threats to harm my family, and the intense fear.

It was a nightmare I would never forget. As soon as I thought that the events of that day could happen again, my body started shaking instinctively.

“Ugh, ugh, ugh… … .”

My heart was beating fast. I could hear the sound of blood flowing in my ears or the sound of a fist hitting flesh. My legs were shaking and my palms were covered in cold sweat.

“Do, run away… … !”

My first thought was to run away with all my might. But at the same time, I also remembered the incredible courage I had shown that day.

At that time, I was drawn like a moth to the screams I heard in the alley, and instead of saving the woman who was being robbed, I chose to sacrifice myself.

Looking back now, it was a really stupid choice, but thanks to it, I was able to help someone in need. What on earth gave me the courage to do that?

“… … I can’t run away like this.”

I opened the bag with trembling hands. I failed several times to open the zipper because my hands kept shaking. But I somehow managed to open the bag, and inside was the magical equipment that the sun had given me, a teddy bear.

“Yeah. Now I have you, my friend.”

I pulled out my teddy bear and steeled myself. Although I was still scared, I felt like I could finally chase those rice-sack guys away.

As I hugged the doll tightly as the sun had taught me, I felt a slight vibration.

“Okay, let’s go!”

I took a step towards the back alley where the screams came from, plucking up my courage. My heart beat faster with each step I took.

But now I wasn’t as alone as I was then. The warm aura of the teddy bear enveloped me.

As I entered the alley, the darkness grew thicker. I could faintly hear people’s voices from a little distance away.

I took a deep breath, exhaled, and hugged the teddy bear tighter to steady myself.

I encouraged myself and cautiously approached the sound. The voices became clearer in the darkness, and finally the view inside the alley came into view.

As expected, there were members of the Human Defense Society in the middle of a robbery. They were wearing chimpanzee masks that looked vicious at first glance, and they were holding a knife to a woman. The face of the woman who was being held with the knife was filled with fear.

The moment I saw the murderous machete, I felt the urge to run away. But I forced myself to gather my courage.

“Stop! Stop it now!”

My voice echoed through the alley. All eyes were focused on me. Five chimpanzee masks turned toward me, and I saw the surprised expression on the victim’s face. Her eyes were filled with hope and fear at the same time.

“If you stop right now… …I won’t hurt you!”

I tried my best to be as intimidating as possible, but my voice and even the hands holding the teddy bear were already shaking. Anyone could tell that I was scared.

Cold sweat ran down my face, and my mouth was dry. Nevertheless, I tried not to take a single step back. I hugged the doll as the sun had taught me, and prepared to use my magic.

“Uh, Uh… … Please stop. We can all work it out peacefully.”

But before I could finish speaking, one of the Humanity Guardians’ Rice-heads slowly approached. In his hand was a sharp machete. The blade gleamed in the dim streetlight.

“Ha, who hurt whom? Are you kidding me?”

At his threatening voice, I gulped. My body was frozen in fear, but all I could think about was how to resolve the situation.

“I… …I just want you to stop robbing and back off so no one gets hurt. Before I attack you, please put that knife down and go back.”

Then the rice-squirrel who had been threatening me burst out laughing. The other members started laughing too. Their laughter echoed through the dark alley.

“Then do you want to be this bitch’s replacement? If you want to stop it, then try to stop it.”

As I watched the members of the Human Defense Council approaching, I hugged my teddy bear tighter.

… … … … …

‘Remember, kid. You’re drawing energy from the teddy bear you’re hugging.’

It seemed like the sun’s voice was ringing in my head.

‘Please, give me strength now, my friend… … !’

But unlike when I practiced with the Sun, the teddy bear didn’t respond to my will. Meanwhile, the rice cakes slowly approached me, as if they were enjoying my fear.

His machete gleamed more menacingly in the moonlight. With each step the distance between us narrowed, my heart pounded faster.

I was exhausted from working at the logistics center all day, so I knew that if I ran away as fast as I could, they would catch up with me. With a desperate mind, I closed my eyes and focused all my energy on the teddy bear.

For the first few seconds, I felt nothing. But gradually… … a slight vibration… … and a warm feeling――

“What the heck? You’re giving up already after putting me out there like that?”

The moment when the mocking of the rice cake that had come close to me could be heard.

Before my eyes, a fist-sized rock appeared in the air.

It was definitely there. It was a rock, created by my will and the magic of the teddy bear, as if it had suddenly condensed out of thin air.

“What――?”

Rice-sungi also seemed quite surprised. He stopped walking with his head turned toward the stone.

In fact, I was surprised as well, but since the rock was something I had created, I was able to assess the situation a little faster. I hid my surprise and quickly threw the rock in the air at the rice cake.

As Sun-nim had previously told me, the stone flew at incredible speed. Faster than the fastball of a baseball player I had seen on TV, it struck the chest of the member of the Human Defense Society at the very front.

“Eww!”

The Human Defenders member screamed and flew backwards. His body hit the ground with a dull thud.

He writhed in pain and groaned, unable to get up, as the blow from the rock was so severe.

The power of the magic I was using for the first time was quite surprising. What the Sun said was true. The power of this teddy bear and the rock-throwing magic was truly amazing.

But the momentary joy faded away, as the situation quickly worsened.

“What the heck is that kid, is he an Awakened one?!”

The other rice-stalkers were greatly shaken by the sight of their comrade’s fall. Their eyes were gleaming with alarm and anger at the unknown enemy. The initial composure was gone, and now their expressions were filled with murder.

“Subdue them quickly!”

“Everyone, come running!”

In an instant, they started running towards me. One with a machete, one with a club, one with knuckles… … They all rushed towards me. Their footsteps and shouts echoed through the darkness.

“Ah, no… … !”

I was terrified at the sight of that hideous sight. I tried to focus on the teddy bear again, but I felt extremely tired, perhaps because of the magic I had just used. Furthermore, the situation was so urgent that I couldn’t even focus properly.

Cold sweat broke out on my palms, and my legs trembled. The distance between me and the rice thieves gradually narrowed. I backed away, but my already tired legs did not move properly.

“Ugh… … !”

If this continues, I will be overpowered by those guys. Just thinking about how they will retaliate for taking down one of them earlier was terrifying.

“Who, who is there? Please save me… … !”

In the midst of a life-or-death crisis, I screamed.

But in this dark alley, who can hear my voice?

The surrounding buildings had all their lights turned off, and there was not a single person passing by. Above all, even if there were any pedestrians, it was obvious that they would just ignore them and pass by.

Eventually, the distance between me and the rice worms narrowed in an instant, and their hands reached out towards me. I hugged the teddy bear tightly and closed my eyes tightly.

Should I just die like this? Or should I be dragged to their hideout and tortured?

Either way, the outcome would be dire. The faces of my acquaintances came to mind one by one in despair.