LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 43
Even if searching like that didn’t mean much, Ji-hye felt the need to do something.
She couldn’t even pinpoint exactly what emotion was stirring that thought. Was it the anxiety of her friend, who had shared the same room for nearly her entire life, suddenly disappearing?
No, it was something a little different. It wasn’t just simple anxiety.
Of course, it wasn’t that the feeling of ‘anxiety’ was completely absent either.
For Ji-hye, Ji-eun was not just her closest friend, but like a sister.
They knew quite a lot about each other’s personal matters. They knew what the other had been worrying about. While they didn’t know much about each other’s friends, that was similar for those who had siblings as well.
So, Ji-hye found herself unconsciously thinking that she knew Ji-eun best.
And that was a bit arrogant.
As she listened to Ji-eun talk, the name that came up the most was Ha-yoon. It wasn’t just because they were close friends; in reality, Ji-eun didn’t have that many friends.
At the orphanage, the only person she was particularly close to was Ji-hye, who shared a room with her. It’s not like she didn’t talk to the teachers at all, but she rarely conversed with the other kids in a friendly manner.
Watching that girl, who always seemed to be in her own world, young Ji-hye developed a bit of stubbornness. Despite spending time in the same room, she kept trying to engage the girl who never spoke to her, and it took quite a while to break down that wall.
But in the end, she managed.
Ji-eun wasn’t the type to talk much, but that very fact allowed her to share various concerns with Ji-hye.
Ji-eun had never spoken about her worries to anyone else, so even if others might find it trivial, Ji-hye could quietly share some of her genuinely serious worries with Ji-eun.
Thinking back, Ji-eun had a slightly unique way of thinking and was silent unless spoken to, but perhaps inside she was just a typical girl full of worries.
Ji-hye hadn’t really listened to those worries of Ji-eun.
At some point, she had just regarded Ji-eun as a close friend who brought her comfort.
She thought she was the one who knew Ji-eun best, and assumed that the reason Ji-eun was coming home late was simply because she had someone like a boyfriend.
She should have asked a little more.
Ji-eun might not have answered easily, but if she had kept asking, she would have likely gotten a response someday.
…Or maybe not?
That was why Ji-hye had ventured outside again today.
Instead of returning to the orphanage right after school, she wanted to search for Ji-eun. She knew it probably wouldn’t yield any results, but it felt like something she had to do.
It seemed like doing so would ease her guilt just a little.
She had already visited the bookstore Ji-eun often went to a few times, but hadn’t found anything.
While the odds were much lower, the places Ji-hye ultimately chose were the other spots they had previously visited together. Places that left an impression.
Choosing such spots seemed a bit odd, even to her. After all, they might not have meant anything special to Ji-eun.
Still, she stubbornly moved her feet, ultimately making excuses to herself.
I tried too.
I didn’t do nothing.
An excuse for the part of herself that did nothing.
A hollow excuse.
*
A few years ago, she impulsively went out with Ji-eun. She couldn’t remember why they specifically chose Chungmuro station. Maybe it was because it was a term that came up whenever the topic of Korean movies arose.
It wasn’t a long trip by bus, so two people set off towards that place without much thought one weekend.
While there were indeed tourist spots nearby, she didn’t get a strong feeling that there were that many places related to ‘movies.’
After browsing by a shop selling old used cameras for a while, the two decided that instead of lingering there, they should just move to another location.
While entering the station, they coincidentally stumbled upon a gallery within.
It was unclear whether it was a project by the city or a district, but there seemed to be a gallery themed around ‘movies.’
One corner had a space where DVDs could be borrowed for free and watched on a TV set up inside.
They probably watched a movie there.
It was a comedy that wasn’t particularly funny, but for some reason, the situation was ridiculous and amusing, so they stifled their laughter.
“…….”
It was a place she had visited only once.
Naturally, Ji-eun was not inside.
What had she expected?
Had she thought that Ji-eun would be alone reminiscing in a place they had visited only once? Just because they had been there together?
……
Maybe Ji-hye would have thought that way.
There were other friends, but it was different from the Ji-eun she had grown up with.
Sighing deeply, she went back up. After all, the subway didn’t reach the area where she lived. Taking the bus was much faster anyway.
It wasn’t time for workers to be off yet, so the streets were quite busy.
Looking up at the blue sky after a long time, she thought it would be nice if Ji-eun, the magical girl, suddenly dropped from the sky.
It was as absurd a thought as wishing to meet her at the subway station.
While walking towards the bus stop, she heard someone scream, “Eek!?”
Turning to look, she saw a person collapsed on the ground. They didn’t seem to be from Earth.
There were a few people around asking if they were okay, but the collapsed individual was just rolling on the floor, only letting out strange screams.
Only after seeing that situation did some of the onlookers realize the severity of the situation.
Ji-hye knew too. She had heard about it several times at school. It was just the first time seeing it in person.
She hesitated for a moment.
She had heard the stories, but seeing it was different, and it occurred to her that perhaps that person was really in pain and had collapsed.
The appearance was alien enough that she couldn’t tell where they might be hurt. Their cries sounded distinctly unearthly.
Yet the sight of them foaming at the mouth made the situation look very serious.
She hesitated just for a brief moment. It wasn’t that she considered doing anything.
That was the problem.
*
“Do something with magic.”
Easier said than done.
It’s one thing to say that magic unfolds as I believe or think, but it’s a whole other matter to realize that.
Moreover, with ingrained prejudices and stereotypes seemingly manifesting in magic, I wasn’t able to fly through the skies as easily as other magical girls.
But there were some workarounds.
In this world, there’s a ‘fixed idea’ that “magic is convenient.” To be fair, aliens who had been flying and exploring space since times when humans were far less developed made the concept of magic quite shocking to Earthlings.
Thanks to that, I could manage to mimic some uses of magic that I observed in everyday life.
Like for shock absorption.
Boom!
The ground cracked loudly where both my legs landed.
The sound wasn’t just under my feet. It echoed from the other person’s arm too.
It seemed they couldn’t respond rationally to the speed of me jumping down from a tall building. That was really fortunate. If they had reacted ‘rationally’, they might have reached out for Ji-hye instead of their own arm, which wouldn’t have ended well for me.
Crack.
The alien’s arm was surprisingly sturdy. Or maybe it was because I had cast magic on my legs. I managed to absorb enough energy so that my legs didn’t break; thus, the force of their weapon might have been dampened as well.
Still, I could see cracks appearing on that shell.
The opponent was a giant crayfish-like monster.
They must have originally looked like a seafood creature. There are quite a few aliens that look like “a suited king crab” even on Earth. Usually just the head looks like that.
Their darkened arms, transformed into a bumpy rocky shell, had tattered clothing awkwardly draped over them.
They wielded a pair of massive pincers and thin legs, with a peculiar outfit that had ten sleeves that were somewhat comical. That might be the norm for them, but it looked a bit silly to me.
Clang!
Wielding one of their large pincers, they swung it at me, bouncing my hammer away. Of course, they were strong. Being an alien was to be expected.
No, it might not be so obvious after all.
If the problem was me making the hammer light, then it should be normal for me to deflect something lighter like the hammer.
I took the opportunity after my stance wavered.
Instead of making the hammer light, it would be better to make me stronger, just like when I was working part-time.
I stood with my legs wide apart and took my right hand directly beneath the head of the hammer, gripping it firmly. I widened my grip a bit to hold the hammer tightly.
Then, I swung it upwards like an uppercut.
The pincer that was descending towards me hit the hammer again, creating a resounding bang. Another cracking noise echoed, and a viscous liquid splattered through the gap that formed.
I turned my gaze. The pincer had narrowly caught Ji-hye around her waist.
It was the ‘Ji-hye’ I knew. One of the kids I had wondered how she was doing since she disappeared.
How worried must she have been?
From her expression, she seemed far from okay. Though the situation might account for that, she looked a bit pale too.
The thought that it might be my fault tightened my heart.
In this world, if there was someone I could consider family, it was only Ji-hye.
Gritting my teeth, I looked back at the monster.
“What are you…!”
The monster shouted.
“Magical girl…!”
It couldn’t finish its sentence.
They had said monsters lose their sanity and rampage; it seemed talking wouldn’t resolve this.
The police waited for the magical girl.
“Ugh!”
A groan slipped from Ji-hye’s lips. The pincer around her waist was tightening.
Smash!
As soon as I shifted my gaze, something large and heavy struck my waist, sending me flying aside, bouncing on the ground a few times like a skipping stone.
That hurt like hell.
But still, I wasn’t just an ordinary person ready to transform from overflow. Since I had been channeling magic into my body since previously, I wasn’t as breathless as when I had experienced something similar before.
Stay calm.
Though the alien had lost its rationality, it didn’t mean it couldn’t make a judgment. After all, it was holding a hostage. Knowing that it had Ji-hye in one hand, the police wouldn’t respond easily.
My left wrist grew hot.
My heart raced as well. The blood pumped too fast, making my head spin.
What do I do? How can I rescue Ji-hye without a hitch?
The hand holding Ji-hye’s waist loosened slightly.
Could it be that in moving and exerting strength, it unconsciously tightened its grip on Ji-hye’s waist?
From the point of ‘capturing a hostage’, it suggested that if that hostage died, it would be in danger as well.
Ji-hye’s legs dangled limply, swaying vacantly. She was still alive but was in serious risk if things continued this way.
One hit?
I wondered if I could crush its head within a short time, making it too difficult to hold with both hands.
Kiiing—
I heard a different sound from the circuit wiring on my left wrist.
It came from the generator inside the hammer.
Right, this wasn’t just a simple iron hammer. There must be some sort of device inside it. Whether it was powered by magic or simply utilized energy.
“What’s in the hammer?”
While I was rampaging and forgot all about James on my shoulder, James finally caught his breath enough to respond.
“A, output device.”
“How do I use it?”
“I trained it to learn from your actions. It will hit the enemy, jump, or in repeated actions, it will determine the ‘necessary actions’ on its own and move accordingly.”
“……So I can’t use it all at once?”
“It was designed to optimize during the course of fighting. I was about to explain it on the roof earlier.”
I see.
So that’s how it is.
I focused my strength into my legs.
And then, I ran and jumped with all my strength.
I definitely knew how to jump high. It was useful for fleeing, and I had done it once when jumping off the antenna.
With a couple of running starts—once, twice, three times—I jumped higher each time.
Then, while bringing the hammer down lightly, I returned it to its original weight at the same time.
Boom!
This time, the alien hurriedly drew back. I guess they thought they couldn’t withstand mere arm movements.
A huge crack was left in the ground. In the center was the imprint of the hammer, and to the sides were cracks reminiscent of lightning.
I yanked the hammer back and looked at the alien again.
And in front of me was Ji-hye.
My body froze in surprise.
Ji-hye was awake. She still looked distressed, her body drooping and face turning pale.
As our eyes met, I wasn’t sure if she regained her senses, or if it was purely coincidence that our eyes met at that moment.
“……Ji, Ji-eun.”
Ji-hye murmured.
If she had been the Ji-hye I knew, she would have laughed seeing my attire.
She would have doubled over, rolling on the ground, and laughed uproariously asking why I was dressed like that. Didn’t I feel embarrassed?
But Ji-hye’s face was not one of those.
It was a face filled with fear, too overwhelmed to speak properly.
That Ji-hye murmured,
“Sorry.”
Why was she apologizing?
It was me who should be apologizing.
Because of me, several people who had never seen humans before had come over and made a fuss. No, it wasn’t just a nuisance. If they were reporters, even while using honorifics, it must have been scary to have someone thrust a camera and microphone in their face while shouting.
I couldn’t explain anything. That evening, all I had was a fleeting glimpse.
Is this situation my fault too?
I couldn’t be sure.
Was it truly a coincidence that the alien appeared at certain intervals?
Was it just chance that Ji-hye was taken hostage here—
Those thoughts were abruptly cut off.
There was a scream. It wasn’t mine.
It was Ji-hye’s voice screaming as she watched me get struck hard at my waist.
Once again, I crashed into a wall. Maybe because I had hit it vertically, the impact was different from before. I slammed into the wall from my shoulder all the way down to my toes, leaving an imprint of my body in the surface.
Thud.
But still, I didn’t fall down.
It was only natural since I had just slammed into the wall.
I also didn’t drop the hammer.
“Are you okay?”
I asked James.
“If I had slammed into the other side, I might not have been able to scream and would have almost died.”
Why is he clinging so tightly to my body? Wouldn’t it have been better if he watched from a little distance?
He might have deemed it safest to hide among the mighty magic energy swirling within my magical girl body.
“……This sucks.”
I muttered unsteadily.
The situation was already bad, and everything else seemed to suck as well.
I didn’t know if it was fate or coincidence.
I just hated that something like this could happen.
I thought I had become quite numb over the years.
I hated the being that had pushed me into this and said nothing, probably the one who was the writer.
What should I do?
I wanted to go confront them. I wanted to scream curses, slap them, and beat them until some part of them broke.
But I surely couldn’t do that.
If such a being existed, they would be watching me roll around here and laughing at the pain I was in.
“……Ji-eun?”
As I mumbled to myself, James cautiously asked.
I didn’t bother to answer.
The circuit began its operation.
The humming noise was quite bothersome to my ears.
I felt like the colors around me faded a little.
I could feel vibrations coming from the hammer. Was the generator whirring up inside?
Kiiing—
A sound that resembled metal scraping against metal filled my nerves, scratching at my consciousness. Was this also specially designed to grind my sanity into dust?
I didn’t know.
Actually, I didn’t care much either.
It was hot.
An intense heat radiated from the whole hammer, transferring to the handle.
Even the alien seemed to notice something was off.
While it looked foolish to still be pushing Ji-hye forward despite knowing something was wrong.
If they recognized there was something amiss, they could have given up, possibly allowing them to save a bit more dignity.
Click.
A small sound resonated.
“Did you forcibly open the propulsion device!?”
James shouted in horror. It was the very voice of a third-rate villain.
Now he was surprised.
After telling me to imagine whatever I wanted.
Stubbornly gripping the hammer that was trying to move forward on its own, I took a step.
The giant crayfish flinched. Taking one step back, they pushed Ji-hye towards me.
So that’s how it is.
“Wait, Ji-hye.”
I mumbled to myself.
I was making enough noise around my body that it probably wouldn’t be audible.
But somehow, I felt like I had to say it.
“I’m coming to save you.”
I dashed forward.
With all my might, I took a few quick steps before directing the hammer downward.
Only then could I see the condition of the hammer.
The hammer was disassembled.
About half of the back was completely taken apart, and its parts were chaotically strewn behind.
But it didn’t seem to be ‘broken.’
The individual parts appeared to function properly. At least it was clear that they weren’t operating the way James had originally designed.
Yet those parts were wide open like the back of a ‘booster.’
The individual parts looked as if they were floating like a superconductor but simultaneously, another unseen part seemed to be connecting them without shaking at all.
The generator was half-exposed through the wrecked back.
Beyond it, vivid blue flames burned fiercely.