271 – Seo Ye-rim Experiences Common Life # 2
“Abra─ca─dabra!”
Lately, I hadn’t been sleeping deeply, even when I tried to rest.
Ever since I had consumed the transformation potion and become a large squirrel beast, my senses had sharpened.
I would wake easily if I sensed anyone rustling or approaching.
“Lantern─Fire─!”
Fortunately, since I was an Awakened and had decent stamina, I felt fine even with only a few hours of sleep.
Today would be another day like that.
On a slightly chilly autumn dawn, a time just a bit earlier than scheduled patrol.
At a time when the sun hadn’t even risen, I poured mix coffee powder into a suitable cup and filled it with hot water from the purifier.
Holding the steaming cup, I stepped outside and saw a woman in a tracksuit flailing her arms in the air.
“Te-bashi─!”
She was the source of the noise that had awakened me.
I had no choice but to question this bewildering situation.
“Seo Ye-rim, what are you doing up before dawn?”
It was the time when the diligent honey ants would start to wake up, tidying their antennae and front legs.
Seo Ye-rim, perhaps not hearing me, stretched her palm forward and shouted.
“Moon─Crystal Power─!”
What kind of ritual was this?
Her expression was extremely serious, exuding an atmosphere that made it difficult to approach her.
“Honestly, what are you doing?”
I quietly watched these proceedings while sipping my sweet and bitter mix coffee.
Had I been awakened by the loud noise? A ghost spider Ahn Ahn sat on my shoulder and meowed softly.
It was probably asking if I had rested well.
Soon, honey ant Ahn Ahn and squirrel Kkungkkungi also woke up and clung to my back and shoulder.
Was it because the dawn had suddenly become chilly recently?
It felt like they had come to me in search of warmth.
“Just a little while ago, it was so hot that it was chaotic. Maybe it’s time to start turning on the heater.”
As I felt the flow of time and gazed out at the distant horizon, I noticed that dawn was breaking far away.
Autumn’s morning had arrived.
“Ugh.”
It was then that Seo Ye-rim wiped the sweat from her forehead with her tracksuit sleeve and turned her head.
“AAAH!”
Then, looking at me, she spotted a cucumber and jumped about two meters into the air, doing a backflip while screaming.
Could this also be part of some ritual or training?
No, that couldn’t be it.
“Keep it down. You’ll wake everyone in the village.”
“When did you get there…!”
“Since you said Abadakeda Bra.”
“That was almost from the beginning!”
Was that so?
I shrugged my shoulders nonchalantly.
I had many other more curious and important stories to tell.
“What have you been doing since dawn? You seemed so focused that you wouldn’t even notice if I asked what you were up to.”
“You should know just by looking. I’m practicing magic.”
Indeed.
Seo Ye-rim had lost her spark.
However, according to the Nymphs’ assumptions, Seo Ye-rim’s talent was not only limited to ‘flames’, but she was a witch capable of using various magics altogether.
Now that I think about it, when we fought the Demon King Barbatos in the Midland, Seo Ye-rim had a level 5 witch listed in her job class.
So, it seemed she was trying to use other types of magic aside from her flame abilities.
“I can’t just stay like this forever. I need to regain my powers or change my direction to deal a blow to Gumihee. I should also take revenge on the dad who made me a debtor.”
Seo Ye-rim’s expression was both serious and refreshing.
Would high school students who had trained their bodies to the limit and then drank a cool Ion Drink have expressions like Seo Ye-rim’s now?
Seeing her made me feel a bit better, like a puzzle piece finding its rightful place.
“So, do you think the practice has been going well? Will you be able to use magic?”
“No. Actually, I don’t feel it at all. When handling flames, I could just think ‘Come forth, fire-‘ and it would come. I didn’t even need to focus on moving my fingers or legs.”
I could understand that.
Ever since I learned to handle mana, I could easily expand my magical power or share it with Kkungkkungi.
It felt like a healthy person instinctively moving their body as they wished, without any difficulty.
Normal people wouldn’t understand this sensation.
“Right now, I don’t feel that at all. It’s like another arm has sprouted from somewhere in my body, and I’m searching for it without knowing where it is.”
I couldn’t comprehend it, but it was clear that Seo Ye-rim was struggling.
It brought back memories.
# # #
“So, Seo Ye-rim did memorize the Sailor Moon incantation?”
Lee Jin-A, who had been listening to the story, burst into laughter.
“Moon Crystal Power-. That’s the Sailor Moon incantation. I know it well because I used to watch it on the internet sometimes when my sister did.”
Is that so?
So it was a Sailor Moon incantation.
I think I had heard it before when my younger sister Haira watched cartoons on Mytube.
“Surprising that Seo Ye-rim has watched a magical girl anime.”
“Every girl probably watched at least once. Didn’t you have something like a magic wand toy at your place since you have Haira?”
Magic wand… did we have one?
I remembered Haira swinging wildly and breaking things.
It was more like a mace than a magic wand.
“Lee Jin-A, did you play with a magic wand when you were younger?”
“Of course. It was like a princess wand. My sister and I even fought over who would get to use it.”
That was unexpected.
Lee Jin-A had such girlish aspects too.
Come to think of it, Lee Jin-A was the same age as my younger sister Haira.
She seemed a year or two older, though.
Could it be that Lee Jin-A was more mature than she appeared…!?
“Hey, Haildo! They’re coming this way! Stop chatting and subdue them! Even if you’ve landed a couple of shots on its legs, if you let your guard down, you’ll end up bedridden for days!”
Someone shouted noisily.
It was A Rank Sniper Goblin Do Joon-hwan.
Turning my head, I saw an enormous rhinoceros charging at me, shaking the ground.
Boom, boom, boom!
“Graawwwww…!!!”
It was a Demon called the “Lava Twin Horn Rhino.”
Its body resembled molten rock with two horns, a terrifying monster that crushed people like a tractor.
Its danger level was A Rank.
The lava rocks that made up its body harbored high energy, making them expensive to sell.
“Kkungkkungi─, no, should I take it down by myself this time without Kkungkkungi’s help?”
Usually, I would quickly subdue the demons with Kkungkkungi’s assistance, but today I felt like trying to fight a demon on my own.
Perhaps it was because I had watched Seo Ye-rim working hard to learn new magic since dawn?
Swish-.
Just then, Lee Jin-A stepped forward in front of me.
“What are you planning?”
“I haven’t just been playing around these days, you know. Want to see my new technique? Rifle Wink-.”
Lee Jin-A winked with one eye.
Immediately, the lava giant rhinoceros stumbled as if it had lost its balance and collapsed.
What did she just do?
Lee Jin-A explained.
“If you get hit by my wink, this is what happens. The range is similar to a rifle. It’s capable of rapid fire too. That’s why it’s called Rifle Wink. Isn’t it impressive?”
It was an incredible technique.
Lee Jin-A had grown excellently, living up to her reputation as A rank 5.
In that case, I also had to show something.
Kraaack-!
I clenched my fist tightly.
Then I struck the lava rhinoceros hard in the forehead.
“Squirrel Punch!”
“Squirrel Punch.”
It was a punch infused with the power of a squirrel, hitting quickly and strongly.
It might look like a simple punch, but this technique was actually a high-grade skill that combined three other techniques.
In my opinion, I could say that in terms of this technique alone, it matched even an S rank.
Rumble-.
As I anticipated, the lava twin horn rhino couldn’t maintain its form and collapsed.
The high-energy lava rocks had gathered in the shape of a rhinoceros, and that had been the demon we faced today. After collecting our share of the lava rocks, Do Joon-hwan, Lee Jin-A, and I exited the rift.
The weather was quite chilly.
Everyone wandering around wore long clothes.
Hah-.
A sigh released without thought turned into white breath that scattered in the air.
“Summer was so hot, but winter has come really fast. It’s only mid-October, and already there’s breath in the cold air. I really don’t know what’s happening to the world.”
When I get home, I need to check if the heater is working well.
While thinking that, Lee Jin-A took out a pink helmet and said.
“Haildo, if you’re going home, do you want a ride? I have to pick up Coris anyway, so I’ll have to stop by your place. I heard Inoi bought some land. Coris wanted to see it.”
I see.
Coris must be at our house making a fuss right now.
But my destination wasn’t the well house.
“Lee Jin-A, do you remember that time we went to the Awakened goods department store?”
“I do. I got pretty scammed when I mentioned I liked cola.”
“Let’s go there.”
It seemed that Lee Jin-A had come on her bike instead of a truck today.
After putting on the helmet she handed me, I tightly grasped her side and we headed towards the department store.
When I mentioned “magic wand,” something came to mind.
If Seo Ye-rim also gets a magic wand, she might really be able to use magic.
