Chapter 30

“I’m here. Am I the first one again this time?”

“Yeah, you’re the first one here.”

The day after receiving the staff enhancement, Daeyoung was the first to arrive again. This time, he said he had set a time, but since Daeyoung usually shows up 30 minutes early, he was here first again.

“You caught a Grand Duke-Class in China, right? How was it?”

“How was it? I just showed a bit of my power, and he dropped dead. By the end, it seemed like his mind collapsed—arrogance, ugliness, and denial of reality all came out at once. It was hilarious.”

“Really? What happened?”

“Well, I just went into Rampage and destroyed his energy control. His ability was to inject energy into his opponent’s body, so once I broke that, he couldn’t do anything.”

“Wow…”

But seriously, why are you looking for alcohol as soon as you arrive? Wait until everyone’s here to drink.

“Hey, don’t drink that. Wait until everyone’s here.”

“Aw, one drink won’t hurt~.”

“You always end up finishing the whole bottle. No way.”

Before Daeyoung could chug the entire bottle, I used magic to snatch it away. Surprisingly, there are quite a few useful Common Magic spells for daily life, like Telekinesis. It was probably originally meant for when you drop your weapon, but since weapons usually return on their own, it’s not really needed.

“Wow… using magic against a normal person is kinda lame.”

“Calling this lame…?”

I really wanna punch him… Oh, looks like the others are here.

“Hi.”

“We’re here.”

Are they bringing delivery food again this time…? Well, since everyone’s here, I guess it’s time to bring out the drinks.

“You took down a Grand Duke-Class or something, right?”

“How’d it go?”

“Just checked his abilities, then split him in half and killed him.”

Once his abilities were blocked, he was really nothing special. It’s almost a waste of the Grand Duke-Class title. Well, maybe he was worthy of it before I completely shut him down…? But since he died instantly, he couldn’t have been that strong.

“By the way, what was that at the end?”

“What was what?”

“That giant light sword strike in the few photos that were taken.”

“…That got photographed?”

“Yeah.”

“Seriously?”

“Here, look.”

“…Wow, it’s real.”

Damn… the media really has a knack for capturing stuff like this. Even though it’s far away, it’s not super high-quality, but it’s still pretty clear. Where was this even taken from?

“That’s an old form I used. Back when I fully utilized my abilities instead of just punching.”

“But why do you only punch now?”

“Ah, well… I don’t really wanna talk about it, but let’s just say it’s part of my training.”

“When does the training end?”

“Right. You have such a cool form, when are you going back to it?”

“I went back to it yesterday. I don’t think I need to do it anymore.”

“Ooh, show us.”

“Show us quickly.”

“Transform, go go.”

What am I even supposed to show…? Why are you asking me to transform in the middle of drinking? I already said no before, but I guess it went in one ear and out the other. Besides, the only thing that changed was my weapon turning into a light sword. What’s there to show?

“No. I don’t want to transform for no reason.”

“Bummer…”

“Real…”

“Even photos of you fighting are super rare…”

Seeing you guys disappointed makes me want to show you, but… no. Absolutely not.

“By the way, your fame has skyrocketed.”

“Of course. It’s the first time a Grand Duke-Class appeared. And you took it down in an instant.”

“Kyaa, truly humanity’s hope.”

“In that spirit, transform please.”

“No.”

Persistent guys… I should change the topic. Maybe turning on the TV will help.

…Huh? What’s this?

“A Hero organization? What’s that?”

“Ah, lately, besides Magical Girls, there are people who gained superpowers directly and can fight monsters.”

“Even so, there’s no news of Heroes taking down anything above a Baron-Class.”

“Probably made to control those guys.”

A Hero organization to control Superhumans who gained powers without Mascots… And those guys just appear naturally? I should probably go ask the Fairy Queen about it. The Fairy Realm might have some idea of the cause.

“For now, it seems fine, but… later, it’s gonna be hard to control.”

“Looking at the U.S., Superhumans are already causing chaos trying to take down Demons, and some have died.”

“They probably think they’re super cool Heroes like in comics or movies.”

Right now, it’s a small number, so it’s not a problem, but if it grows and becomes uncontrollable, it’s gonna get serious… Unlike Magical Girls chosen by Mascots, these guys don’t distinguish between good and evil. Especially in the West or the U.S., where there are already a lot of armed criminals and slums… Criminals gaining powers and causing havoc is inevitable.

“…For now, it’s decided that we’ll kill anyone causing problems with this.”

“You’re thinking about that before Heroes?”

“She’s sensitive about that.”

“Ah, right.”

Well, if Heroes come out and take down low-level Demons, it’s fine. It’s annoying that newbies’ growth will slow down, but it’s not like there’s a shortage of work overseas… And if it fills gaps in manpower, it’s not a problem. But not everyone will play nice, right? There will definitely be people who harass Magical Girls or use these powers for terrorism. We can’t just ignore the current situation.

“…Anyway, let’s drink for now.”

It’s a drinking party, so let’s enjoy it first and think about it later. Nothing’s happened yet, and it’s just some self-proclaimed Super Heroes in the West causing trouble and dying.

“Whatever happens, it feels like things are gonna get worse. This sucks.”

“…This time, I’m glad I’m not a Magical Girl.”

“Real.”

“Poor them. Today, I don’t wanna be a Magical Girl.”

“You couldn’t even become a Magical Girl in the first place, so what are you talking about?”

Ah~… By the way, those problems are probably caused by the long-term interference of the Fairy Realm and the Demon Realm. I don’t know the structure, but it’s obvious…

“By the way, Dabin. You know about this, right?”

“What?”

“There’s already been a Superhuman crime incident.”

“…What?”

“Yesterday in India, a group led by a Superhuman committed a series of rape-murders. Look at this.”

“India? Sigh~… I thought it might happen there since the higher-ups are full of rape apologists…”

This is giving me a headache… Looks like we’ll have to act faster than I thought… I’ll send my friends back on Saturday and go meet the Fairy Queen.

“I have somewhere to go tomorrow, so this drinking party ends today.”

“Where are you going?”

“To see the Fairy Queen.”

“Free pass?”

“Yeah, free pass.”

“As expected of the strongest Magical Girl…”

Sigh… With problems already popping up, I can’t even enjoy the alcohol. I’ll just sip slowly and focus on the snacks. Damn… If I could just get drunk, I’d chug it all and be tipsy…

“By the way, when did we finish all this?”

“Hmm~ Let’s finish eating and play a game like before!”

“What game do you wanna play?”

“That one. It was super fun.”

These guys only think about playing games after eating… Well, playing games together is fun, so it’s fine.

“……”

It suddenly got quiet again. I should check the news about Superhumans for a bit. I need to see what kind of trouble they’re causing.

…This is already a bigger problem than I thought. There are even theft cases using powers in Korea… If it weren’t for my friends, I would’ve only found out when it got really serious. Early response is crucial, so this is really important info.

“…Huh? Hey, are you guys asleep?”

“Ugh…”

“No… I’m just sleepy, so I’ll sleep…”

“…You two wanna play a game?”

“Without them? …Well, they’re asleep, so it’s fine.”

These guys, they must be working hard. Daeyoung seems fine, but at least it’s clear they work to the point of exhaustion. How did they stay up all night last time…? Well, it depends on the day.

“Chubby!”

“Yes!”

“Clean up. By the way, where were you?”

“The Fairy Queen contacted me, so I was in my room!”

“Really? What for?”

“It’s about the recent issues!”

Recent issues must be about those Superhumans my friends mentioned. If the Fairy Queen already knows, then by the time I get there, she’ll have already decided how to handle it… I won’t need to intervene. But my workload is still increasing.

“By the way, Daeyoung. How are you so fine?”

“Me? I slept enough before coming here. Since we’re gonna drink and party all night, I made sure to sleep beforehand.”

“Ah, I see… You’re really thorough with your preparations.”

“By the way, I found a fun co-op game. Let’s play this.”

“What is it? …Oh, looks fun.”

“Right?”

A co-op game where we work together to clear stuff? The quality looks good… Should be fun.

“Wait, I’ll grab some beer.”

“So it’s beer in the end?”

“Yeah.”

And so, leaving Jin and Jinsu who were knocked out, Daeyoung and I sat in front of the computer and started the game. Daeyoung snacked on chips, and I sipped beer while getting absorbed in the game.

“…Daeyoung.”

“What?”

“Just in case, be careful out there.”

“Eh, why are you worrying about that?”

“Now that even weirdos are gaining powers and causing trouble, how can I not worry?”

“…Well, people are the scariest.”

“So, if something feels off, just run. Got it? By the way, left, left, left. That thing, that thing.”

“Oh, that was it. I really need diapers.”

“…? What? Diapers what?”

“Miracle vision. Nowadays, everyone calls it ‘diaper vision.'”

“What’s that…?”

There are so many weird words these days… Are they just slightly altering existing words to make these strange terms trendy?

“Seeing how you can’t keep up with trends, you really seem like an old man.”

“You’re dead serious.”

Why do they keep calling me an old man? We’re the same age, what old man? Besides, I’m still in my mid-20s. Stop lowering the bar for being an old man.

“By the way, being a Magical Girl is really enviable.”

“Why all of a sudden?”

“Well, you get to eat all these delicious snacks for free.”

“That’s bought with points from achievements.”

“Really? Still, I’m jealous. You get paid separately for that and this.”

“Yeah, that’s true. I spend all day eating snacks and ice cream from the Magical Girl Store while sipping beer.”

“You’re crazy~. But thinking about the taste, I kinda want beer too. Just one can.”

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

By the way, is this drinking party gonna end with us playing games again…? Well, it’s typical of these guys. They’re just like that.

“Rampage~!”

“What?”

“The Fairy Queen wants to see you tomorrow~!”

“Really? Got it. I was planning to go tomorrow anyway.”

“Understood!”

Alright, then I should prepare for tomorrow… Hmm… I’ll just finish this game and then sleep. If I stop halfway, it’ll bother me and make me annoyed.