Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter 32. Don’t Rest for More Than 5 Minutes (2)

After spending a joyful time with Linshua, we headed to the workshop together.

“Wasn’t the food delicious, Dad?”

“It was delicious.”

It wasn’t just good; the meat was plentiful, and the oily texture was adequately handled. The unique aftertaste of Borsi was also quite refreshing.

Moreover, did I realize why I also ordered beer? The saltiness was stronger than usual Borsi and went well with alcohol.

Clank.

As we conversed, the moment I opened the door, a murderous intent shot toward us.

Could it be a reaction to my actions?

“Dad?”

Linshua’s voice was laced with excitement.

“Stay hidden.”

Is it the Association’s Assassination Unit? Or an attack from another hostile organization? Such an intense aura could not be explained otherwise.

It felt like we had made a mortal enemy against us—terrifyingly vast killing intent surged all around.

Thud.

An attack came flying in. A heavy shock slammed from above.

I deflected it with my hammer, but the ambusher’s assault was far from over.

Click.

A red flash zipped past my eyes as a wrench got entangled with my hammer.

A red wrench.

It seemed determined to wrest the hammer away with sheer strength.

“Look at this guy? You wanna have a strength contest with me?”

A smirk crept onto my face at such audacity.

My heart felt lighter already. I had already figured out who the ambusher was.

There was only one thought left in my mind.

There was probably no one in this world who knew me better than this existence. The fact that this existence dared to challenge me to a strength contest was incredibly amusing.

“Let’s see what you’ve got.”

There was a voice that sounded surprised, as if it didn’t expect me to genuinely let go.

The hammer I had released flew up into the air along with the wrench, and the ambusher fumbled to grab the hammer in confusion.

I watched the scene without doing anything.

The ambusher held the hammer like a dirt-covered hand.

Seemingly aware that it was a powerful weapon, the ambusher smiled and attacked.

“Die!”

A wild swing of the hammer hurtled toward my head from the right, but I didn’t dodge; instead, I analyzed my opponent.

The movements were decent.

Unlike Baek Sihyeon, who spun it around, this hammer was flying high and fast.

The murderous intent assured that it intended to kill me without question.

To prepare for a counter, I saved the strength in my wrist to alter its path if necessary.

Compared to Baek Sihyeon, this guy was years ahead, as the transfer of experience and knowledge explained this skill gap.

Still, it was clumsy.

Clang.

Gloves materialized around my hands.

“Did you really think that having just that hammer would fill the gap in strength?”

I’d like to believe that my clone wouldn’t be that naïve.

Clang.

The hammer clashed against the gauntlet.

As the hammer scraped upward toward my head, right now, I raised my arm.

With excessive force applied, the hammer was momentarily shocked upward as it sailed over my head.

I could see the ambusher’s front was wide open.

Overall, it didn’t seem like the ambusher made a huge mistake.

Naturally, he was wary, considering I had so easily given up my hammer.

However, the opponent was none other than me, who stood atop the peak of heroes.

“Concerned about the counter? That kind of leisure is only something you do when you fight someone on your level.”

Even if you deliver your best blow, if it’s against an opponent you can’t beat, it becomes just a gap to dig into.

I swung my right hand toward the monster’s empty stomach.

The ambusher, with his arms and the hammer still raised, had no way to block my punch.

Crash.

The hardened earth enveloping the monster shattered.

As the surface layer of dirt broke away, the full form of the monster came into view.

Black hair, black eyes, black dress.

The same appearance as me, wielding a wrench.

My clone howled in pain, and I immediately seized its neck.

The surreal sensation of hitting my own self…

A scene where an identical-looking monster was spitting blood and pleading for mercy from my fist.

It was a bizarre experience.

Not enjoying the sight, I slammed the monster to the ground.

Thud.

The monster, sprawled on the ground and bleeding, muttered a small sound of remorse.

“What now? Speak up.”

“Die.”

“How can a creature not even a day old say such things?”

Did I make a mistake?

“Don’t fight! Dad! We should get along! You should too!”

Even though it was a deadly battle of death and survival, my daughter’s candor was nothing short of pure.

“See? Linshua is saying the same thing. We should behave better, right?”

“Kill.”

Since it’s a monster, it wouldn’t matter if I killed it, but then Linshua would be upset.

This will mess up my plans as well.

Shall I listen to why it feels that way?

“Why do you want to be killed? What about me bothers you so much?”

Its eyes turned to me, filled with hatred and despair.

“Why did you create me? Why did you make me born? Why do you torture me?”

Is this thing spewing its despair over its very existence?

“Linshua, have you ever met anyone who regretted being born?”

Linshua shook her head vigorously in response.

“They all said thank you! Nobody said that!”

Then what makes this one different?

“Tell me. What is so painful for someone who has just been born? I will listen to your story.”

When it first referred to me as “Dad.”

When I held its blood-soaked fingers.

It should know how I felt.

“You’re just self-satisfying with that.”

An annoying little thing, this newborn.

“Do you remember what contract I made with you?”

“Was it twelve? It was filthy complex.”

“That is the reason I am alive. Think it over.”

I ignored what it said and shifted my legs toward the workshop’s exit.

As I passed by Linshua standing by the door, I softly whispered to her.

“Linshua, try pampering it a bit. It seems confused right after waking up.”

“Alright!”

Linshua ran to the monster, and as I closed the door, I left the workshop.

Beyond the glass, the moonlight and city lights shimmered. With that light, I took out a white rod from my arms.

Clang.

The monster’s scream echoed in my mind.

Why am I alive?

Her outburst was essentially a question aimed at me.

Why suffer for living?

At first, it was a sense of justice.

Then it was for humanity.

Then it was for the Awakeners.

Next, it was out of a sense of duty.

Lastly, it was for Linshua.

Now there was nothing left.

Just a shell that lived according to the rules it had set.

The flames rekindling in my heart were merely embers of rage stemming from someone’s death.

“How can I explain to you what even I do not know? Foolish thing.”

Wanting an answer I had searched for thirty years to grasp in a day.

Leaning against the glass, the cold night air trickled down my back.

“Dad! You’ll come back soon, right?”

“Of course.”

After petting Linshua’s head a few hours ago, we left New York.

Now, I was speeding through the deserts of the Central United States.

“Can’t we take a detour?”

“I want to return to Korea before Monday. You can come at your own pace.”

The black monster was kicking up sand as it chased after me diligently.

“What if I use magic?”

“That’s expensive. It’s no good for casual usage.”

As if considering something, the creature let out a long sound.

“Can’t I just rummage through your memories to find an answer? How expensive could it be?”

“I’d rather not step on a landmine while sifting through memories.”

So my memories are treated like a minefield. Wouldn’t that be expected?

Still, there was one question I had been curious about since our first encounter.

“Isn’t your tone a bit androgynous?”

“I’m a woman.”

“Excuse me?”

Why am I a woman?

“I was created as a female, and since I received an ego, I’m a woman.”

“Ah… well, I guess it doesn’t matter.”

The more different the Black Marauder was from me, the better.

Whether that meant feminine or whatever, what do I care?

When it’s the Black Marauder, it doesn’t matter, but when it’s moving in my place, I want it to mimic my way of speaking so I won’t be caught.

I received no response, perhaps they didn’t like it.

They’ll figure it out on their own.

Time passed, and as we crossed the Rocky Mountains, I continued to ask questions.

Questions to learn about each other.

These started as inquiries about tone but soon drifted toward thought processes and various behavioral guidelines.

Most had similar thought patterns, but some significant questions revealed major differences.

Thoughts related to the Association, views on humanity, discomfort with the Otherworld, and thoughts about Linshua.

As these gaps widened, I finally asked the last question.

“Do you have a name?”

The final nail to separate me from her.

A question to fully establish her autonomy from me.

“Lee Haram.”

“That’s my name, but as a monster, what name do you have?”

“I don’t have one.”

Since Linshua was supposed to give it a name, it seemed she planned entirely to leave this one to me.

Thinking that’s probably the case, I called out the name I had pondered on while running.

“Yumil.”

“Your name is Yumil. I will call you that from now on, so remember it.”

At my words, Yumil seemed startled, letting out a deep breath and slowing down.

“Yumil… Yumil…”

She whispered softly, as if trying to remember her title.

To avoid her realizing how flustered she was, I took a slight step slower for her sake.

“Alright, my name is Yumil.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

For the first time, a smile bloomed on her face. That happy expression sculpted by Linshua.

Her original temperament that she was supposed to possess.

And the mentality I broke.

I turned my face away from her.

“How do you cross the sea?”

What awaited us after charging across the American continent was a sandy beach adjacent to the Pacific Ocean.

“Just run.”

“I’ve been told by Linshua that makes no sense.”

“If you find it unfair, then rummage through your memories.”

I ignored her and concentrated mana into my legs to kickstart.

Creating a mana bridge beneath my legs or riding a staff across or riding the flow of water would be something weaklings would do.

The martial community treats it like advanced technology, but it’s just a matter of resolving things with sheer strength.

Channeling strength into my leg muscles, I crushed the ground below.

Speeding through the sand, my feet landed upon the water.

No need to step down before lifting another one. All that was necessary was the impact strong enough to lift my body.

With a refreshing set of steps like beating drums, I ran over the ocean.

“If you don’t like it, then figure it out and take a boat.”

I tossed a taunt toward Yumil, who was still behind me.

If she has a similar personality to mine, she would…

Boom. Boom. Crash.

Just as I thought, she followed.

Yumil raised a massive column of water as she briefly overtook me.

See? It works.

Perhaps losing her balance, Yumil, who had been running ahead of me, sank down, but it was merely a matter of lacking balance, so if I left her, she would catch up.

“I’ll go ahead.”

“Wait a minute…”

Ignoring the sinking Yumil, I charged ahead.

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