Chapter 13
Chapter 13
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Monster Siblings
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Han Si-woo: Did you sleep well, Miss Arin?
-Arin: (waving cat emoticon)
"What? She saw it right away?"
I'd sent it figuring she'd reply later, but a response came back in less than three seconds.
Freelancers usually sleep in, but she was up at 7 a.m.
'She's diligent.'
Of course, she hadn't seemed lazy at all.
-Han Si-woo: Up at 7? You're so diligent. Do you always wake up this early?
-Arin: (majestic cat emoticon)
-Han Si-woo: Do you eat breakfast? I wake up early a lot, so I keep cereal on hand,
-Arin: (cat eating kibble emoticon)
"She really is diligent."
As I poured cereal into my bowl, marveling at her work ethic, she sent a photo this time.
-Arin: (photo of a lavish home-cooked meal)
-Han Si-woo: Oh
-Han Si-woo: Did you make it with your roommate? Or by yourself?
-Arin: (cat pointing at someone else emoticon)
-Han Si-woo: lol looks delicious
-Arin: (delicious eating! cat emoticon)
Chatting with my first friend since arriving in this world was fun.
Even if Arin only used emoticons and photos for some reason, she must just love them.
As we kept texting over breakfast, the little "1" on the message I'd sent never went away.
"Hm? Something must've come up."
She'd mentioned having to head out suddenly sometimes, so it was probably that.
I stopped chatting and opened Nytube. At the top was a live news broadcast.
Another monster had shown up.
"These damn monster bastards never end, no matter how many you catch."
I'd hunted them so diligently with time stop, but they kept multiplying like cockroaches.
I couldn't detect minor monsters that weren't properly described, so I tapped the video right away.
The reporter appeared on camera immediately.
She seemed to be filming from a helicopter at the monster's location.
-Currently in Seoul...
After the reporter announced the location, the camera panned down, revealing the scene where the monster had appeared.
Magical Comet facing off against a muscular, frog-headed monster.
The frog monster ripped a tire off a nearby car and hurled it at Comet.
Frog monster... frog monster...
Ah, right.
In a daily life episode, Comet was late to school because she'd been covered in sticky slime from fighting a frog monster and had to wash up.
Not a big deal at all.
I brushed it off and focused back on my cereal.
"Kerook! Wh-what...!"
"You are not worthy of devouring my magical girl."
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn't tolerate a hardworking high school magical girl getting swallowed up by some monster.
So I'd time-stopped and shown up right before Comet got eaten.
If I'd killed it myself, the experience would just go to me, so I only sliced off its most dangerous asset: that tongue.
"Clok...!"
Comet stared at me in shock, then glared with venomous eyes in an instant.
I waved casually.
"Glad to see you again, Comet."
"You! This time, I could've handled it on my own without your help!"
"Sure, but then you'd be covered head to toe in that frog's saliva, right?"
"...Still! I didn't need your help!"
"Haha, if you say so."
"Grrr...!"
Fuming, Comet gripped her staff and chanted a spell.
"Magical Blast!"
"Kerook!!"
Not at me—for the frog monster.
The frog monster got hit by Magical Blast and dropped dead on the spot.
"Wise choice. An attack like that wouldn't even scratch me."
"...Whatever! You just provoke me and vanish anyway!"
"You know it. Well then, I'll be—"
As I started my farewell to Comet, something unexpected happened.
-Bang! Bang!
"Hm?"
Something slammed into my back and exploded.
No damage, but no ordinary human could pull off an attack like that.
'A monster.'
Assuming it was a monster, I time-stopped and turned around.
A few cars and an alley were all I saw.
I peered into the alley with my monster-enhanced vision, but still nothing.
And...
"What the?"
I noticed a shadow behind me and looked up. Sure enough, a massive monster was plummeting straight toward me.
I casually sidestepped, then released the time stop.
-Thud!!
The monster crashed into the spot where I'd been with a brutal impact.
"Wha? It's gone."
"Over here."
"Ah! To the side!"
I kindly pointed it out, and it whipped around in surprise.
An anvil-shaped head baring more teeth than a shark.
Its four small eyes—tiny compared to its huge mouth—glowed red as they fixed on me.
Its face alone oozed personality, but its body was no joke either. Its left arm had what looked like a shield fused to it, and in place of its right hand was a massive hammer.
The armor encasing its nearly three-meter frame looked rock-solid. Still, with that red gem smack in the center of its body, that was probably the weak point.
"Why are you targeting me?"
"Catch it! Said to catch!"
"Who told you that?"
"Not saying! Sis said keep it secret!"
"Sis... Got it."
"!! How'd you know it's a sis?!"
Seemed like all its points were dumped into strength, leaving its brains for dead.
Kindergarten level, maybe.
"Anyway! Catching you for sis!"
"Any idea why your sis wants me caught?"
"Forgot! She said it, but too hard!"
"I see."
Time to half-cripple it and see if I could get a lead.
I seized the flow of time.
Then I pulled back my fist and thrust it forward.
-Boom!
"...Tougher than expected?"
Its body had some serious cracks, but it hadn't shattered.
And that was at full power.
'Two more hits should do it.'
Tough, sure—but that was it.
I didn't know if this "sis" actually cared about it, so I released the time stop here.
Time resumed, and the reaction came right away.
"Aaaah! It hurts! My awesome armor! It's broken!"
"Just a few cracks. A monster like you will heal that in no time, so no need to worry."
"Hurts! Oww! Sis! Sis, it hurts!"
It was clearly in a lot of pain, clutching its cracked shoulder armor and screaming.
I was wondering if I should hit it once more when...
"W-wait a second!"
'She's here.'
The star of the show had finally arrived.
I turned toward the voice. A female monster with massive revolver barrels on her head and both arms was pointing them right at me.
"Huh? But I checked the alley..."
"I was hiding on the building roof."
"Ah?"
A revolver that sniped like that? Whatever.
"So, you were looking for me?"
"...Yes."
"Sis!!"
As I tried talking to the Revolver Monster, the Anvil Monster let out a wail like it was about to burst into tears and charged toward her.
"!! Monster siblings?"
Comet was shocked by their sibling-like concern for each other.
Sorry, Comet, but right now, these two monsters needed my attention more than her.
"My sibling and I... Clok. We need your help."
"Hm? What's that about?"
"The reason we came today is because the situation is urgent..."
"Ah? So you sicced that living weapon on me first, and now you want my help?"
"That... I'm sorry. I thought I'd explained it well, but my little brother must've misunderstood."
"Hmm..."
I crossed my arms and eyed them both.
The Anvil Monster shivering pathetically behind her, not living up to its size. And the Revolver Monster standing protectively in front, trembling just as much.
"...For now, come with me."
"...Okay."
"Sis! That guy's scary!"
"I told you. We have no choice against him."
"Got it..."
They agreed, so I seized time again.
Then I reached out toward the two monsters.
"Heave-ho."
Had to carry them.
Say it again for emphasis: I could stop time, but no teleport.
Inside an abandoned factory, unused due to monster attacks.
"This place...?"
"An abandoned factory. Perfect spot for monsters like us to talk."
"I see..."
"Feels like ghosts gonna pop out...!"
The Revolver Monster taking it calmly, while the Anvil Monster was still fidgety as ever.
The Revolver Monster soothed her brother and pulled out her phone.
"First, let me show you why we came."
"Oh?"
I waited curiously, and after a few taps, she turned the screen toward me.
What I saw was...
What the fuck is this.