Chapter 56 : What You Can Do (3)

After a week of diligently organizing the surroundings, the place finally became somewhat livable.

Though, it only met the bare minimum standards and was far from being a place to stay long-term.

I tore down all the moldy wallpaper.

The old walls, whether made of cement or concrete, seemed to have some mold-like spots too, but they were far fewer than on the wallpaper.

Thanks to putting all the remnants of James’s robot into subspace, I could use the lanterns, flashlights, wired earphones, and cheap speakers I had purchased before leaving Pangpang’s house.

I even managed to make a radio to listen to the news.

As for gas, there was no choice but to use the house’s old fireplace.

It would produce smoke, but there was no alternative.

I just tried to minimize it as much as possible.

Anyway, who would care in the deep mountains?

And James said he would think of a solution.

An old fireplace, of all things.

Still, it kept the floor warm even without a boiler.

By maintaining the house somewhat warm and dry, I could at least keep the dampness at bay.

While rationing the remaining spam, I tuned into the radio James had made for me.

[The Black Magical Girl is reportedly still being tracked. Any updates?]

[No, the government has yet to locate her. Officials are considering the possibility that she escaped overseas using independent warp technology.]

Escape overseas, huh?

I thought about it too.

Hiding in some remote corner of the Korean Peninsula seemed less effective than disappearing into the

Amazon rainforest or the vast Siberian tundra.

But that would bring its own problems.

If the circuits malfunctioned and I couldn’t fix them, or if my emotions stabilized too much to utilize the circuits, I’d be stranded in some remote wilderness.

My ultimate goal is to find a normal life, not to be permanently severed from society.

If that were my aim, I’d have confessed to crimes I didn’t commit and let the police take me in from the start.

The radio continued discussing how they might capture me.

Deciding there was nothing more to gain from it, I turned it off.

There was no need to worry about battery life—everything ran on the circuit.

“I should’ve grabbed parts from the armor those monsters were wearing.”

“We can consider that next time,” James replied.

“You think there’ll be a next time?”

“I believe it’s highly possible. If they managed to produce that much once, they can surely do it again.”

I paused briefly.

“Those monsters… were they created directly by the corporation? Do you know anything about it?”

“I don’t. Noir Corporation is a massive company. The current chairman even runs a personal research lab, so if it was funded by the company, it wouldn’t be surprising.”

I said nothing, and James didn’t press the issue.

In the webtoon, the monsters were portrayed as naturally occurring.

That might not be entirely false—most likely, many of them are.

But if someone had figured out the conditions for monsterification and could artificially induce it…

The aliens who became monsters were originally ordinary people.

Maybe they were unlucky tourists who got caught up in something, or workers who had come to Earth to make a living.

Once they became monsters, there was no choice but to neutralize them.

If they got hurt in the process, it was unfortunate but inevitable.

But if there was someone creating those monsters—and if the place I worked for was behind it—then perhaps I had been far too careless when choosing my job.

“Let’s sleep.”

I put the empty canned food into a plastic bag, tied it tightly, and tossed it into a corner of the room.

Then, I crawled into my one-person tent.

The tent was cramped, just big enough for someone my size to barely squeeze in.

But its ceiling wasn’t as oppressively gloomy as the room’s, and it felt just a little cozy.

Maybe I’ll plant some seeds in the field tomorrow.

That was my last thought as I closed my eyes.

I don’t remember setting an alarm.

The noise was startlingly loud.

I groped for the source and finally managed to grab it.

Half-opening my eyes, I looked at the object.

It was a pager.

I pressed the button to silence it and got up.

My heart was pounding.

Was it Hayoon calling me?

Or was it a summons from the Magical Girl network?

Either way, it wasn’t likely good news for Hayoon.

I’d heard the circuit had been retrieved.

I stood up.

“James.”

“I’m aware,” James said, already perched on his drone.

The open drone emitted faint radio sounds.

[Do not approach the vicinity of the monster. Remain calm and follow instructions from nearby authorities…]

“Alright. Let’s go. Can the pager tell us the location?”

“Yes, it can.”

I checked the pager.

The small screen James had added displayed the location.

It was a place I knew, though I’d only been there once.

Monsters most frequently appeared in Seoul, with the rest usually in the metropolitan area.

Despite the claims of tourism, there were limited places in this country where aliens could roam freely.

The government wasn’t too keen on the increasing number of undocumented aliens, after all.

Outside of Seoul, monster sightings were usually in major cities with large populations.

Does that story also have a connection to the company?

I closed my eyes.

When I opened them again, a strangely familiar scene was unfolding before me: a rampaging giant monster surrounded by police struggling to contain it.

The magical girl had not yet arrived.

As I appeared, all eyes turned to me.

The police raised their heads to look at me floating in midair.

Somehow, I was already holding a hammer.

I extended one arm.

Black material flowed from the circuit, covering my body.

By now, even when it engulfed my vision or covered my nose and mouth, I felt nothing.

It wasn’t exactly pleasant, but I’d already grown accustomed to it.

It reminded me of how transformation sequences in cartoons tend to get skipped over or replaced with quick flashes as the series progresses.

Perhaps this felt similar.

My vision cleared.

Fortunately, the monster didn’t seem capable of flight.

Even after seeing my transformation, it didn’t attack.

“You’re quite something. If it had thrown anything, you’d have been hit while transforming.”

This guy always has to add a comment.

If the day ever comes when he genuinely compliments me, it’ll probably mean something in the world has gone terribly wrong.

“Cut me some slack. I just woke up and got here,” I said as I descended.

“Uh… what?”

The monster didn’t immediately attack upon seeing me.

Looking at it, I thought, What an oddly designed creature.

Some aliens, like Pangpang, only have different skin colors.

Others resemble animals, and some are composed of materials that, by human standards, are almost inanimate.

If they’re the inanimate type, they often don’t even look alive, so they rarely evoke disgust.

But creatures resembling non-human animals can sometimes prompt the rude thought,

How did it end up looking like that?

This one… its face somewhat resembled a crab.

If it were just a person with a crab head, I might’ve found it amusing.

But the “body” part of the crab was soft and jelly-like, almost like a mollusk.

It seemed to imitate a crab’s form but in a clumsy way, as if it were an alien trying to mimic the species.

Its innards were also crudely arranged.

Then again, it was an alien.

As I pondered why it was considered a monster—

Spit!

A sound came from its head, and the amorphous part shuddered briefly.

I saw something coming at me—something resembling “spit,” a fusion of what Koreans might imagine when they think of spit.

I dodged to the side, feeling slight heat near my face.

Thud!

“Ahhh!”

I heard a cop scream as the spit hit them instead of me.

Turning around, I saw their shield melting—both its metal and plastic parts.

“Does acid melt plastic too?”

“It seems to be a combination of acid and high heat. That face is likely at a temperature intolerable even for its own body,” James explained.

“Well, that’s a hassle,” I muttered, glaring at the monster.

Upon closer inspection, the boiling liquid inside its transparent shell was bubbling violently.

Its “eyes” looked like they might burst any moment, swollen to the point of almost popping.

I’d seen parasitic worms in snail eyes on TV before.

Except for the lack of colorful wriggling parasites, the bulging resemblance was uncanny.

It looked like it was in pain.

Around me, wires were already melted and discarded.

There were fragments of lead-like projectiles, but most were dissolved.

This monster wasn’t the physical combat type I’d encountered before.

How should I deal with it?

Frankly, it wasn’t an ideal opponent for me.

“Will the hammer hold up?”

“As long as you don’t drive it deep into its body, it should. We accounted for this to some extent. However, some functions might break. I’d recommend against using the main propulsion system.”

Of course.

Using the propulsion would cause the hammer to partially open.

I adjusted my grip on the hammer, turning it so the back faced forward.

I could use the auxiliary propulsion without exposing the hammer’s interior.

The monster hadn’t moved much.

It didn’t seem like the overly aggressive type.

Maybe it attacked initially because I entered its territory?

Would that be considered discrimination?

It’s still an alien, even if it’s lost its rationality.

Either way, it didn’t matter.

I wasn’t here for justice.

I was here not to defeat the monster but to get back at the people who screwed me over.

The magical girls were nowhere in sight. I

t would take time for them to retrieve their circuits and return.

Meanwhile, I could destroy some equipment and, if I got lucky, learn the whereabouts of Noir’s chairman.

I needed to be competent—elusive, powerful.

I had to make them deeply regret the way they treated me.

“Alright,” I said to myself and leaped forward.

Circling the monster clockwise, I kept my distance.

The monster spat again, but it couldn’t hit me.

My physical abilities, enhanced by the circuit, were enough to go toe-to-toe with any magical girl.

A non-combatant monster like this couldn’t keep up with me.

Turning took time, after all.

I sprinted hard, leaping diagonally.

Its eyes tracked me, but they were a beat too slow.

I shouldn’t strike the head directly.

Then I’ll go for a quick hit—on the shoulder or arm.

Once the creature’s limbs are broken, it should be neutralized.

Spit.

But I soon had to revise that plan.

“What the—!?”

I twisted my body in panic as a spray of spit shot at me like from a mist sprayer.

Losing balance midair, I tumbled and barely landed on my feet.

Though I managed not to fall, another precise spit attack came flying at me.

Instinctively, I swung my hammer to deflect it.

Hiss!

The surface of the hammer sizzled, leaving signs of corrosion.

So, it seems magic alone can’t completely block this.

I leaped backward to create some distance.

What should I do?

Though I came running in with confidence, facing this kind of opponent was proving more challenging than I had anticipated.

If it were the magical girls, they might’ve handled this more easily—after all, it’s a ranged attacker, and ranged combat is often best countered with ranged attacks.

“Wait a minute.”

I glanced at the nimble-looking drone hovering nearby.

“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”

Perhaps sensing my dubious intent, James spoke with a hint of alarm.

Oh, it’s nothing serious.

I just smiled at him.

After all, if I win, you survive too.

Cooperation is key.

The drone shuddered.

“What do you mean by that?” James stammered.

Ignoring his protests, I grabbed the drone and threw it hard in the monster’s direction.

Naturally, the creature’s focus shifted to the drone.

Spit, spit.

It fired rapid shots of its spit at the drone, but James, clearly not eager to die, maneuvered expertly to evade the attacks.

While dodging, the drone fired back with its built-in laser, prompting the monster to grow agitated and move toward it.

“Good, James! Keep moving and stay in the firing line!”

“I’ll kill you after this battle!”

James must have forgotten that the drone runs on my energy.

If he wants a fight, I’ve got a generator ready.

Despite his rough words, James knew how to prioritize tasks.

The monster remained focused on the drone, its attention fully captured as it tried to strike James.

Perfect.

I bent down and picked up a piece of melted wire from the ground.

With my grip strength, I crushed it into a rough metal ball.

Tossing it lightly into the air—

Bang!

Using the short end of my hammer like a baseball bat, I struck the metal ball.

Whiz!

The sound of a bullet passing by your ear might sound like this.

The makeshift ball shot like a cannonball, grazing the side of the drone and slamming into the ground near the monster’s feet.

Boom!

Though there was no explosive material inside the ball, it detonated on impact.

Perhaps the propulsion flame from my hammer superheated it, or maybe I’d broken the laws of physics and stumbled into something fantastical yet again.

Either way, it worked.

The monster flinched, lifting one of its legs and staring at me in surprise.

Even James, who had nearly been hit by the flying projectile, turned to glare at me.

From the way the drone vibrated, I could feel him swearing under his breath.

Interesting.

I bent down and picked up another piece of wire.

“Alright, let’s move on to the next round.”

I smirked at the monster, who was now scrambling in agitation.

As I watched it move frantically, I thought,

See? Once the fight begins, standing still isn’t really an option, is it?

If I’m running circles around you, you should at least make an effort to keep up.

Don’t make me angry.