Chapter 57 : What You Can Do (4)

James’s stream of curses—mostly “squeak squeak”—can be set aside for now.

Unfortunately, my attack methods weren’t a complete solution.

The creature was slow-moving, but its body was so soft and squishy that my strikes didn’t have much effect.

Moreover, everything nearby was made of metallic materials.

I considered breaking the ground to hurl rocks, but that seemed risky.

I wasn’t sure if I could control the force properly.

“Hold on.”

As I crafted my sixth iron ball, I thought.

Not only were there wires scattered around, but also a lot of half-melted lead bullets.

In terms of energy, bullets were naturally more powerful than the balls I launched.

They could even damage my magic-protected body.

For a creature with a squishy body, bullets might be the worst-case scenario.

They’re more likely to “pierce” than “strike.”

There’s a type of gel used to observe the trajectory of bullets.

It’s surprisingly soft; you can’t easily alter its shape by hitting it, but bullets either lodge into it or penetrate through.

It’s obvious.

If you press with your fingertip, it’s different from pressing with a knife tip using the same force—the latter cuts through easily.

“…Or maybe I’m wrong.”

What if it’s the opposite?

That gel has nothing inside.

Even if it’s incredibly resilient, a hole cannot recover.

But if we’re talking about a living being with such a body, the situation could be different.

I looked directly at the creature’s head.

It looked so soft it seemed as though liquid was barely maintaining a form.

There was hardly anything resembling a mouth.

While there seemed to be some kind of internal organs, the “spit” appeared to be fired directly from the head itself, not a mouth.

If it’s launching part of its own body, such an attack couldn’t be sustained indefinitely.

Like pulling pieces off a lump of clay, its head would shrink and weaken over time.

But it’s still a living being.

If becoming a monster enhanced its regeneration speed—if it could quickly recover whatever mass it lost to maintain its head—then it wouldn’t care much about “gradual losses.”

Bullets that cleanly pierce might be a better option.

Thinking about the rotational force and push of a bullet, it didn’t make much sense, but here it stands.

That’s how it is.

I swung the ball.

The creature took the hit to its head.

The ball instantly melted upon contact, dripping off.

But at least, for a brief moment, I saw its head deform from the impact.

Several projectiles shot out sideways, likely involuntarily.

It was like saliva spraying out after a boxer takes a right hook.

“I see,” I murmured, moving immediately.

“Just stall for a bit longer!”

“Squeak squeak!”

I’m certain now.

That’s swearing.

Maybe it deliberately uses words that can’t be translated, so it can curse freely without others realizing.

I turned away from the creature.

The police officers I locked eyes with recoiled in shock, only to bump into those behind them.

Not interested in you guys.

Taking out a few grunts won’t satisfy me.

That’s as pointless as fighting Noir Corporation’s combatants.

If I’m going to attack, I’ll grind down the ones at the top.

“Found it.”

I muttered and transformed my hammer.

I opened the propulsion system and leaped—

Smashing the hammer into an old cannon-like device in the center of the police formation.

Boom!

The surrounding people flinched and backed away.

In my opinion, this wasn’t gunpowder-based.

It didn’t make the same sound as an artillery shell firing.

Besides, if it fired like a real cannon, my body would have been shredded by the metal fragments.

No way they’d put that much firepower into a “non-lethal” weapon.

There was a loud noise, but I ignored it and kept pounding on the device with my hammer.

The equipment itself was taller than me.

Almost the size of a car, it had wire nets rolled up like balls beside it.

Must be expensive.

I deployed the propulsion system in all directions.

The extreme heat turned parts of the equipment red-hot.

Normally, you can’t easily melt steel, but with a generator inside and me wielding the weapon, it’s a different story.

Despair? I had plenty of that last night.

Trying to nap in a tent, only to be woken up before dawn.

Now that I think about it, I didn’t even have a proper breakfast.

What little was left of my canned food barely counted.

So that’s why I’m still functioning calmly despite this chaos.

With a sigh, I lifted my hammer.

It’s a mess.

James would probably be horrified.

Metal scraps had melted and clung haphazardly to the hammer.

I mostly used wires.

Thin enough to melt easily but heavy enough to restrain a person, they were perfect for my purposes.

Several metal balls were already coiled up nearby, and with the propulsion system activated repeatedly, they stuck to the hammer.

The hammerhead was now twice its normal size.

As I raised it, the police officers nearby all stepped back.

Even though they knew I wouldn’t harm them, it showed how much image matters.

Too late to worry about that now.

I turned my body.

The hammer was heavy.

The propulsion system was off, but its surface still glowed red-hot.

The propulsion system is unusable—but that’s fine.

That thing is slow anyway.

As the police cleared out, the creature and I faced each other directly.

The creature, harassed by James flying around like a mosquito shooting lasers, turned toward me and saw the hammer in my hands.

For a brief moment, its bulging eyes seemed to waver.

I charged forward.

The creature spewed its spray-like attack at me again.

I raised the enlarged hammerhead to block the spray.

The tiny particles couldn’t immediately melt through the massive hunk of metal.

Thud!

I bulldozed the creature with the hammer, pushing its body forward.

The creature floated briefly before rolling on the ground.

It seems its body isn’t entirely liquid?

If poking it with needles doesn’t work, the next step is to use a meat tenderizer.

Sizzle.

The hammer’s surface began to melt slightly, but it would take a long time to eat through to the core.

The hammered-on steel balls haphazardly stuck to its surface acted as additional layers.

The creature staggered back to its feet, looking up at me.

If my guess is correct—

That expression on the creature’s face is “despair.”

“You seem to be in a hurry now,” Rose said mockingly, as the government worker paled.

“Ah, yes, well, it seems like the situation has shifted a bit…”

“Funny, you didn’t seem so rushed when we asked for help earlier.”

“That’s because… it’s just my job…”

“So it was just a job earlier, but now what?”

“What happens if I refuse to cooperate for personal reasons?”

“Then… the system might…”

“You’re saying the system could take everything away? You seem confident about that, sitting where you are.”

“…Sister Seohee,” Hayoon gently tugged on Rose’s arm, prompting her to take a deep breath.

Rose retrieved her circuit from the box offered by the government worker and strapped it to her wrist.

“What exactly is going on?” Hayoon asked with a slightly apologetic tone, making the worker sigh in relief.

“Well… there’s not much to explain,” Jo-ah, also known as Iris, interjected indifferently while attaching her circuit.

“Whoever’s fighting out there is doing better than expected. We’re supposed to handle the creature and assert our authority, but if that person takes it down alone, that authority crumbles.”

“…People already believe in that person. If they think he can replace magical girls…” Delphinium added to

Iris’s explanation, darkening Dahlia’s expression.

But Hayoon’s face brightened instead.

Click.

She attached her circuit and confirmed it was operational.

The energy coursing through it was powerful.

“Hayoon…” Cherry reacted, somewhat taken aback, but Hayoon simply smiled at her.

Iris glanced at Hayoon’s circuit, then at her with a complex expression.

“Ju-a, can you warp us?” Hayoon asked.

“…Yeah. With this much power. Even if we can’t warp back right away, it should be fine.”

“Then, let’s do it,” Hayoon replied, smiling brightly.

Iris hesitated briefly before nodding.

She closed her eyes, followed by the other magical girls.

The flow of energy was palpable.

Hayoon’s circuit alone radiated enough energy to resonate with the others.

The girls formed a circle, with Iris in the center.

“Let’s go.”

Iris’s voice was calm.

A moment later, even ordinary people with low magical sensitivity could feel the intense storm of energy.

When Hayoon opened her eyes, the scene was chaos.

Dust swirled, shattered fragments littered the ground, and melted equipment showed just how dire the situation was.

Thud.

Someone landed near Hayoon.

The ground cracked beneath their feet, and their legs sank slightly into the debris.

In their hand was something massive—much larger than usual.

Its surface was haphazardly adorned with half-melted metal balls, suggesting a makeshift modification.

The person slowly lifted their head, meeting Hayoon’s gaze.

The faint smile that had lingered moments ago disappeared.

“Oh, you’re here,” they said.

Caught off guard, Hayoon struggled to find words.

“Y-yeah,” she replied vaguely.

“Are you here to help? Then standing there won’t do much good.”

Before Hayoon could answer—

Zing.

A sharp sound cut through the air, prompting the magical girls to scatter quickly.

“At least you’re quick when it matters,” someone quipped.

“Only because we’ve worked together for so long.”

“You sure took your time getting here, though.”

Rose had no retort and kept silent.

“Are you here to cooperate or to steal the credit?”

“To help,” Hayoon replied timidly, though her actual mission was closer to the latter.

When the creature was on its last legs, she was supposed to subdue the person and seize the glory for the Federation.

Of course, she had no intention of doing that.

Jieun stared at her intently before glancing at the squeaking drone shouting, “Hey! Quit standing around! Help me out!”

Jieun sighed and dashed toward the commotion.

As she leapt into action, Hayoon thought: nothing ever comes easy in this world.

The creature morphed rapidly in response to the attacks.

While that seemed daunting, it also meant the current strategy was effective.

The creature swelled, growing massive in an instant.

Its clothes tore away, revealing a translucent body beneath, partially covered in fractured exoskeletons.

Between the cracks, translucent flesh oozed, along with a liquid that resembled blood.

Sizzle, sizzle.

Each time it dripped to the ground, the grotesque liquid boiled with that sound.

While the hammer didn’t melt easily, unfortunately, my body was far less resistant. Even with magical protection, there were limits.

If that massive body engulfed me entirely, I’d be finished.

Startled, I leapt back.

James flew upward, so I grabbed the drone roughly from below.

The propulsion magic, hot enough to melt steel, didn’t harm my body since it was protected by the same magic.

Ignoring James’s protests, I set the drone down and returned to the ground.

There, I locked eyes with the arriving magical girls.

“Well, at least you’re on time,” I muttered.

Honestly, I wasn’t sure what to do now that the creature had transformed this much.

Its body, seemingly liquid-like, could expand to increase its size.

The thought of a thin layer of corrosive acid coating such a massive form was horrifying.

And annoying.

The timing of their arrival was fine, but something about it irritated me.

It felt like they had calculated just the right moment to intervene—right when I was about to figure out a solution.

Grumbling internally, I leapt forward again, muttering complaints under my breath.

Suddenly, a streak of pink light zipped past me—it was Hayoon, clutching a brightly glowing magic staff.

“The creature’s body is corrosive acid!” I shouted.

“Got it!” she replied cheerfully.

Her upbeat tone felt odd, but I brushed it off as a trick of the moment.

Maybe answering while running made her sound more excited than she was.

The creature swung its hand toward Hayoon.

Its thin, translucent hand resembled a lollipop in shape, albeit a gelatinous and acidic one.

Even with magical protection, that would still be dangerous.

Before I could intercept with my hammer, Hayoon moved first.

Despite its jelly-like form, the creature’s hand was clear enough for her silhouette to show through, distorted like an image through a lens.

Slash!

A vibrant pink blade cut through the center of the hand.

Though the hand looked like jelly, it wasn’t entirely liquid.

But the moment it was sliced, it dissolved into liquid and splattered everywhere.

Hayoon didn’t dodge; instead, she swung her staff faster.

With her magically enhanced senses, she gracefully deflected every droplet that came her way.

Each movement seemed less like fighting and more like painting a delicate picture in the air.

The acidic liquid vaporized upon contact with her staff, creating white steam that swirled upward.

The sight of her slicing through the air was mesmerizing.

It was entirely different from my crude hammer swings and heavy throws.

That’s why Hayoon was terrifying—she resolved everything so fluidly and elegantly, to the point where even I, standing in opposition, admired her.

But admiration aside, I still brought my hammer crashing down.

Stopping mid-swing wasn’t an option, so I slammed it into one of the creature’s arms.

Though some liquid splashed out, I buried the hammer halfway into the ground and swung it wildly, scattering dust and acid.

The dry dust absorbed the acid before it could harm me.

That was my solution: counteract the acid with other materials.

Jieun glanced at me and smiled.

Did she think we were cooperating?

It wasn’t coordination; it was a coincidence.

We didn’t plan to take out one arm each—we just happened to destroy the same arm inefficiently together.

If anything, I’d call it better cooperation with Iris, who kept the creature in check with her ranged attacks.

Turning my gaze elsewhere, I circled around the creature, opposite Hayoon.

Hayoon moved in the other direction, leaving the creature unsure of which of us to attack first. Its head jerked back and forth in confusion.

This wasn’t teamwork.

It wasn’t.

Just a coincidence, that’s all.

Still, as Hayoon swung her staff, I followed up with my hammer, striking in tandem.