New Vacation (4)
I muttered to myself as I gazed at the Ether inside the transparent case, faintly glowing with pure white light.
'It's so iridescent...'
Half of it was a joke, but the other half was sincere.
The light emanating from within wasn't a harsh glow that illuminated the surroundings—it was more like a soft, cozy embrace that enveloped everything gently.
Yet that very coziness held an irresistible allure in the Ether, drawing in even someone like me who had no idea of its true value.
[What will you do?]
'Let's take it.'
[I'm sorry. Impossible.]
'Aigoo... figures.'
I'd held out a sliver of hope when I asked, but I nodded at Armonia's response.
Even the dungeon gimmick orb I'd stolen before couldn't be carried onto the ship while in my possession.
No way something that had transformed an entire world would be any different.
'Can I at least check the item info?'
[It's possible, but it'll consume an enormous amount of Enel. I'll notify you the moment it's ready.]
A thing that guzzles massive Enel just to view basic info.
I figured I'd at least learn what it was before trying to trade it with Zodiac.
'Alright, time to wrap things up before we bail.'
I glanced at the kid fast asleep and began unleashing a barrage of lightning-attribute magic.
Of course, the target wasn't the kid.
It was the objects around him...
Pzzt! Crackle! Zzzap...
Everything the kid had been using was mechanical.
Which meant they were vulnerable to electricity—and no matter how high-end, a good zap would reduce them to scrap metal.
I didn't hold back with weak static; I poured intense magical power into frying every electronic device beyond repair.
'That should do it. I'd love to torch them too, but that feels too risky.'
[Well done. They won't suspect magic at that level of damage.]
'Let's get outta here!'
Once I left the warehouse, my business here was done.
But life never makes it that easy.
Boom!
'Damn it!'
A massive train rail stacked crookedly beside me toppled after something collided with it, leaning right toward me.
Screeech! Crash!
'That was close.'
Luckily, I avoided being crushed, but dodging one disaster didn't guarantee the next.
'Can't just fly out openly or I'll get spotted...'
I was about to head another way when—
"Nngh... haa..."
"Hm?"
My gaze naturally turned toward the groan.
It came from the rail pile where I'd seen someone collapse earlier, and there...
"Nngh... haa..."
A girl in blue clothing lay sprawled out.
Just in case, I approached cautiously and checked her condition.
She wore a dress with a skirt blending blue and white, adorned with cute ribbon knots everywhere.
Her long blue hair emphasized a rare, pure innocence.
I looked down at the unconscious girl and thought.
[Ether LV 1], [Dependent], [Easily Swayed], [Diligent], [Kind], [Gentle]...
'Probably customized it to her taste.'
[Ether likely shifts form to match the user.]
'Man, I want one too.'
No more worrying about outfits.
I hadn't seen the fight up close, but surviving a head-on crash into this hunk of metal with just a knockout proved how extraordinary the stuff was.
But what good was it if...
"You damn thing—why do you only stick to girls?"
I grumbled irritably at the Ether in the glass case. It spun half a turn as if to say what do you expect?, facing away.
Even as I bantered leisurely, the surroundings grew more chaotic by the second.
What was it... like kids brawling? Was that just my imagination?
The warehouse echoed with the fight, so I slowly lowered my head to look at the blue-haired girl.
'Hmm...'
[What's wrong?]
'Kinda hard to just leave her.'
The boy was safely snoring somewhere secure, but this girl was different.
Abandoning her felt too risky.
'Armonia, got a case that blocks detection and protects perfectly from the outside?'
[Something similar can be made.]
It cost 10,000 Enel.
Without knowing how secure my current glass case was, I needed backup.
[Not perfect like a dimensional pouch or meteor-proof, but effective here.]
'Yeah, make one. I'll watch her till it's ready.'
[Understood.]
I carefully hid the transparent Ether case in a corner and approached the girl.
'First, get her out from under that rail.'
[Do you have a reason for that?]
Truth be told, no big reason.
Just...
'She was friendly enough. This much is fine.'
Besides, this world hadn't contracted with Zodiac yet.
No need to weigh every action for profit.
'Too lazy to get close—maybe pull her out with wind magic.'
I carefully tried using wind magic to extract her from between the rails.
Or at least, I tried.
'What the—?'
The rails burying her shifted with friction under the magic, but the moment my wind magic neared Shin Ji-su, the mana dispersed and vanished.
After several failures, one thing became clear.
'Magic nullification too... impressive.'
Probably because my mana was low, but for Ether LV 1, this was ridiculously overpowered.
My mana was over LV 10, and wind attribute LV 5.
Yet her Ether trait outmatched my magic.
'No good. Guess I'll do it manually...'
I slowly approached the kid and reached to lift her in my arms.
That was the moment.
Shhhk!
"Ah... this is a problem."
A blue-tinted liquid burst from her beautiful clothes, threatening me.
It was silently warning: Don't touch my owner.
I spoke quietly to the Ether.
"I'm not threatening your owner. Just trying to get her somewhere safe. Can you heal her?"
Shhh... shhk...
The Ether eyed me warily for a moment before seeping back into her clothes.
'Whoa... understands speech?'
It was a long shot, but it actually comprehended and stood down.
I immediately scooped Shin Ji-su into both arms and started moving slowly.
Once I reached flat ground, as I laid her down—
Poof!
A plain-looking box case appeared solidly.
[Only the initial owner can open it. Note that meteor-level impact will spill contents.]
'...A meteor here would be a sight.'
At that point, it'd be warp-or-bust...
I placed the hidden Ether case inside the box securely, then closely observed the blue-haired girl.
'Seriously... looks just like a magical girl.'
The skirt showed a hint of knee, with cute blue-and-white lines and panels.
But amid the cuteness, something pitiful caught my eye.
'She's hurt bad. Needs healing.'
Shin Ji-su had massive gashes on her calf and forearm, bleeding heavily.
She wouldn't die without immediate care, but scars could leave trauma as a girl.
'...Would hate for her to end up like Cho Seo-hyun.'
I recalled my pity for Cho Seo-hyun and reached to cast recovery—
"Nngh..."
"Hm? You're awa—"
"Kyaa! W-who are you?!"
The kid looked up from lying down, then shrieked and bolted upright, scrambling backward.
Can't blame her—I was cloaked in perception-impairing camouflage.
Waking to a faceless stranger looming would freak anyone out.
But her panic only worsened things.
"W-who are you... haa! Kyaa!"
"Careful!"
Ignoring her injured leg, she yanked back, then pain hit and she toppled.
This wasn't a safe warehouse—it was littered with hazardous scrap.
As Shin Ji-su fell toward the metal junk—
Crash!
"Kyaaang!"
"Ngh..."
I caught her, burying us both in the scrap, and asked.
"You okay?"
"Y-yeah... I think..."
Thanks to my save, she nodded meekly up at me.
I carefully lifted her from the junk while holding her, then laid her back down.
"You're hurt pretty bad. I'll heal you. Hold still."
"Huh? H-how do you heal... huh?"
Shin Ji-su stared in shock at her leg the moment I used recovery.
The bloody, dirt-caked wound knit closed, skin returning to pristine smoothness.
Unaware it was magic, she marveled at my healing and murmured.
"W-what did you just...?"
"Give me your other arm too. That's hurt."
"Ah, yes!"
She politely extended it. I healed the arm quickly, checked it, and released.
"All good now. Any other pain?"
"N-no... seems fine."
She stood, bowed deeply in thanks.
"Th-thank you!"
"No problem. Glad it was quick."
Still cloaked, I turned to plan my exit.
But just as things improved, trouble brewed again.
Hostile voices closed in.
I clamped her mouth and pulled her into a narrow gap.
"Mmph!"
"Shh! Quiet..."
"....."
I scratched my head awkwardly and messaged.
'Escape's off the table now.'
[Use warp?]
'Nah, might as well jack up the intel value.'
[...Be careful not to get spotted. No exposure means good trade; caught means hostile with Zodiac.]
'Got it~'
I replied boldly, then messaged.
'Armonia, whip up 10 Snap Beans.'
[Understood.]
Armonia paused briefly before confirming and getting to work.
Cheap at 200 Enel each anyway. Stocked for emergencies.
Waiting for the beans, I asked Shin Ji-su.
"Who are you guys? Why fight in a place like this?"
"W-well... it's hard to say... but who are you?"
"Me?"
I pondered her question before answering.
"Eh... just think of me as Passerby 5."
"P-passerby?"
"Next question. Are you the bad guys? Or the good guys?"
"..."
She stared intently at my invisible face, then declared confidently.
"We're... the good guys. At least, that's what I think."
"Got it."
I confirmed the ammo in my pocket and stood quietly.
"Good thing I saved you then. Let's go."
"Huh? G-go where...?"
"Where else."
I slipped a Snap Bean onto my finger, aimed at the guys hunting her, and said.
"Gotta save your friends."