Chapter 19
Chapter 19
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Ulvu Ulbia
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Seo Jun walked me all the way out of the apartment complex.
Was this manners from early education or just his innate charm? As Seol Ha-yoon, I couldn't have imagined such sweetness—my teeth felt like they were rotting.
Then he hesitantly spoke up.
"Um... Ha-rin."
"Yeah?"
"...Sorry for lying. The thing about my mom being a magical girl... I made it up because I wanted to be friends with you..."
Tears welled up in his big eyes.
Right. As expected, Jang Won-ju wasn't a magical girl. What~? Just a lady who enjoys magical girl cosplay?
'? Isn't this the real scoop?'
Anyway.
He'd gone all in believing it was true, only to end up the liar.
But I wasn't particularly upset.
I hadn't expected a magical girl to pop up so easily in the first place.
Above all, I'd gotten some eye candy from Jang Won-ju and her contact info. Let's grab a drink~
But thinking it over, this felt like an opportunity.
The class president and real power player of Class 1-3 was drowning in guilt, watching my every mood.
In professional terms, this was a highly manageable state—an optimal setup for gaslighting.
I hid my face slightly behind the penguin doll and gave a soft smile.
"It's okay, Jun-ah."
"R-really?"
"Yeah. You said you wanted to be friends with me. I didn't hate that at all..."
"......!"
Seo Jun's face flushed bright red.
"But."
"Y-yeah! Anything! Just say it!"
"Buy me something tasty from the school store tomorrow."
Hanwol Elementary had a premium store just for students. Their bread was supposed to be amazing.
"O-of course! I'll buy every kind!"
"Thanks. See you tomorrow, Jun-ah. And make sure to tell your aunt thank you for the gift."
I waved and turned around.
Behind me, I could sense Seo Jun pumping his fist with a triumphant "Yes!" Such a simple guy.
The moment I rounded the corner, my lips curved up to my ears.
'Plan successful.'
From now on, Seo Jun wouldn't be able to say no to me.
The school's top heartthrob as my personal bread shuttle? Perfect light novel title. I savored the line inwardly as I walked on, deeply satisfied.
By the time I reached the entrance to my place, I checked the gifts from Jang Won-ju again.
Was it really okay for me to accept these? Every single one screamed luxury brand.
Sniff sniff.
"Wow."
The diffuser gave off a sophisticated fragrance worlds apart from the cheap knockoff in my room.
This one passed. Setting it up should wipe out the lingering bachelor stench for good.
The compact? Fail.
I didn't even know how to use it, and honestly, my natural face was already plenty good—no makeup needed.
When I switched back to my original body, I'd just toss it to my sister. For now, it was getting sealed in the corner.
Finally, the penguin doll.
"...Cute."
Why was that? I'd never been into stuffed animals before. Figures were more my style.
But holding this one made my heart feel all fluffy and calm.
Squish.
Burying my face in it only made me feel even more at ease. Yeah. This definitely passed.
I stroked the penguin's head and hummed contentedly.
"Jackpot."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I was stepping into the hallway of my building in high spirits when it happened.
A black silhouette loomed in front of my door.
'Gasp.'
My heart plummeted.
It was a woman's silhouette. And she was pacing, like she was about to punch in the door code but hesitating.
Was it Seol Yu-na after all? Had she finally realized her oppa had ghosted her and come storming over?
I hurriedly ducked behind the doll to scout the enemy(?).
Then a voice emerged from the darkness.
"Why."
Thank goodness—it wasn't my sister's voice. Then who the hell was loitering in front of someone else's apartment?
As the voice's owner slowly turned toward me, the hallway sensor light flicked on, revealing her.
Wound-covered bronze skin. Long hair blending sky blue and white. A tight suit that left her figure blatantly exposed.
And above all, perky beast ears sprouting from her head and a fluffy tail swishing behind her hips.
"Do you think a monster reveals itself to a magical girl as her enemy?"
She was a dead ringer for a cosplayer.
'Running into a lot of cosplay enthusiasts today.'
Magical girl fan Jang Won-ju, now a furry fanatic. What a parade of weirdos. I started to move when—
A dense wave of mana erupted from her entire body, sharp enough to pierce skin.
"Uh...?"
It was a familiar sensation.
The 'killing intent' I'd felt days ago when facing the mantis monster for the first time.
But this was on another level.
The mantis's had been primal beast instinct. This one's was unmistakable intelligent malice.
And as far as I knew, only one kind of being could emit such ferocious energy.
'Monster?'
Phew, relief. Not my wicked sister—it was a monster?
If it'd been Yu-na, I'd have been hair-grabbed into doll torture. A monster, though... well...
'...Wait a sec.'
This wasn't relief. Why was a monster at my door?
"Because monsters are the enemies of magical girls."
"?"
Before my question could even form, she started spouting nonsense.
"What does that—"
Crunch!
Before I could finish, she casually tore the hallway's iron fence and crumpled it into a single ball.
'Hmm.'
Her raw display of power left my jaw on the floor, and suddenly her nonsense felt downright philosophical.
There had to be some profound meaning behind it.
As my tiny brain spun furiously, she spoke again.
"Ulvu Ulbia."
'Her name?'
Monsters had names too? Wild.
But was that even relevant? She was a monster, and I was a magical girl—er, boy.
She already knew what I was anyway, so no point hiding. Unplanned double-header today, but hey, duty calls.
"Transform!"
⚔ MONSTER PROFILE ⚔
👤 Entity Name: Ulvu Ulbia
🧬 Type: Beastkin / Avatar
⭐ Rank: A
💰 Bounty: 1,000,000 IP
📝 Note: Monster Association Executive
'?'
I rubbed my eyes. Too many zeros?
Tap tap. I smacked the monster codex. Usually fixed glitches.
Let's see...
[Rank: A]
Schucks. I'd hoped it was a misread.
And the bounty was 1,000 times the plaster statue I'd smashed earlier that day. More than double the fat stack Shining had hooked me up with.
Monster Association executive to boot?
This meant I was screwed.
Most monsters had grotesque forms, but some resembled humans—known as humanoid monsters.
Unlike the average beast-level ones, they possessed human-level or superior intelligence. The Demon King had been one such case.
Rumors swirled that after his fall, a few A-rank and above monsters had formed an organization to systematically hunt magical girls.
Things had been quiet the last decade or so—I'd figured it was just urban legend.
So why the hell was one suddenly at my door?
"...Sniff. Sniff."
A wave of sudden misery made tears plop down.
According to government stats, the odds of an average civilian encountering a monster lifetime were lower than winning lotto fourth prize.
Even Seol Ha-yoon had only nearly died to one once in his life.
Because magical girls handled them before they became problems, usually.
But me? How many had I run into these past few days?
Mantis, plaster statue, now this wolf lady.
I already felt like the world was screwing me over.
And now an A-rank shows up—what was a total newbie supposed to do?
Glance.
Crumple crumple.
I looked up at Ulvu, and there she was, folding the crumpled fence into origami.
Snap!
Whoa! An airplane!
—No. If I put up a fight here, the next origami project might be me.
I gently set the doll aside and knelt as demurely as possible.
Then I spread my palms wide open.
Honestly, up to B-rank, I'd grit my teeth and scrap somehow.
But A-rank? No way in hell.
Spare me.
Ulvu seemed to get the gesture and spoke with a troubled look.
"Don't misunderstand. Ulvu didn't come here to harm you."
"...Yes?"
"Just couldn't hold back my curiosity to check out the new magical girl after so long."
Ulvu painstakingly unfolded the fence back to normal, then added in a solemn tone.
"The weak are those who lack strength."
"...Yees?"
"For the weak to overcome the strong, they must grow stronger."
"???"
"So... how was today's gift?"
"????"
She jerked her chin toward somewhere.
The direction of Hanwol Elementary.
She scratched her cheek, looking oddly fidgety.
"Uh... fight-worthy enough?"
Gift? Fight-worthy? Hold up.
The monster rampaging at school today flashed in my mind. No way—she sent it?
As a 'gift' to me, she'd straight-up terror-bombed an elementary school? If luck had been bad, kids could've been killed or maimed.
'You fucking...'
The curse bubbled up my throat, but I swallowed it.
Calling a dog-like monster a bitch probably wasn't much of an insult anyway.
More importantly, this was a 1-million-IP head. Facing overwhelming power that could send my life flying 5,700 times over, showing emotion wasn't easy.
One wrong word, and that dangling fence would be me getting crumpled. The image flashed in my head.
Ha-rin only says nice things to the strong.
"Ah... I see. Truly... thank you. Gained some real battle experience thanks to it."
"No need for thanks."
Ulvu crossed her arms and nodded firmly.
"A gift... is something given."
"..."
"If not given... it wouldn't be a gift."
"Um, if possible... next time, could you send it somewhere without people...?"
Gleam!
"Eek! Sorry?!"
"I'll consider it."
"...Thank you?"
With that, she slowly approached me.
Each step made saliva gulp down my throat. Terrifying.
But even if I died, I wanted to know why this loose-screw monster was here in front of me.
"B-but... what do you want from me... to give these gifts...?"
"Ulvu wants you to get strong."
"Yes...?"
"Strong enough to be a magical girl worth hunting."
She squatted down to meet my eyes.
"Ulvu craves victory snatched by a hair after an all-out fierce battle. You're the perfect prey for that."
She went on to explain her visit and intentions in detail.
She'd spotted me by chance when I went to submit my leave of absence, checked my specs, and sent a B-rank monster first.
Seeing me freak out, she'd followed up with a suitable E-rank one.
A hollow laugh escaped me. No way the mantis had been her doing too.
She was answering questions surprisingly well, so I figured I'd ask everything on my mind.
"How'd you know where I live...?"
"Smell."
"D-do other monsters know too?"
"Didn't tell them. You're Ulvu's prey."
Mm. Got it.
But just sitting there listening made my brow furrow and head tilt involuntarily. What was she, my life coach?
Monsters I knew were mindless brutes slaughtering humans and slurping imagination.
How was I supposed to take one popping up out of nowhere to lecture me on getting stronger?
Setting that aside...
"Aren't there other senior magical girls...?"
Why me, of all people? Bella, Frost—plenty to mess with.
Out of all the magical girls, I was the weakest. Why zero in on me and come to my home?
Ulvu's face turned deadly serious at my question.
"Ulvu wants victory."
"...?"
"Other magical girls are too strong."
Her expression was utterly grave, but somehow the reasoning sounded pathetic. Was it just me?
So she'd steered clear of others because they were too tough, but now that I showed up—doable game—she'd pounced?
This was just...
Wanting an easy mark...
Crazy bitch...
Right then, Ulvu's hand rose toward my head.
Was my skull about to burst like a watermelon? I squeezed my eyes shut on instinct.
Tap. Tap.
"Get just strong enough. Then fight Ulvu."
But against expectations, her hand just patted my head lightly.
Tap. Tap.
Quit it.
I brushed back my hair, and Ulvu withdrew her hand, adding:
"You have talent."
"...Talent as a magical girl?"
"Nod."
Well, yeah—already one.
"Ulvu will keep sending gifts. Because I want you strong."
"...Eh."
"And when you can easily take down B-rank beasts, I'll come find you again. Because..."
Ulvu stood up.
"Ulvu is A-rank."
Ah, yep.
"We'll stop here for today. Because if we go further... 'here' becomes the end."
With that cryptic line, she leaped toward the hallway window without a backward glance.
BOOM!
The window was even open, but she smashed the perfectly fine frame anyway. Then why bother fixing the fence?
Thud!
A heavy landing echoed from the flower bed, and her presence vanished in an instant.
I couldn't tear my eyes from the wrecked window frame for a while. Who was paying for repairs?
Only after the mana waves fully dissipated from the area.
"...Haaaa?"
The breath I'd been holding burst out.
My back was soaked with cold sweat.
'I almost died back there, right?'
A life where A-rank monsters show up at your door. This was being a magical girl? Extreme occupation.
I picked up the penguin doll from the floor and dusted it off.
"You had a rough day too..."
Poor penguin—nearly turned into ground meat thanks to its owner's bad luck.
Maybe from the monster vanishing and tension releasing, but a fever started creeping in.
"...So you've been sending monsters at me on purpose this whole time?"
Meaning the kids at school getting endangered was all because of me.
This was unforgivable. Let it slide, and I'd have zero privacy left.
Judging by her chatter, she'd keep dropping 'gifts' whenever bored.
One monster finding my place meant others could swarm too.
Lucky this one was a nutjob— if it'd been one with straight-up kill intent, Seol/Ha-rin might already be done for.
I had to take some kind of action!
With a resolute expression, I opened the group chat.
💬 Sanctuary of Love and Justice
— [Ignis]
lolololol check this (link) you see it? lmao
— [Aqua]
Saw it lol real-time viewing lol
— [Terra]
Newbie's form better than expected? First real fight no?
— [Ignis]
Not power lol watch the finisher pose and lines lolol
— [Shining]
"Repair's done." (dead serious)
— [Shining]
"This one's a bit bigger in size." (killer)
— [Ignis]
AHHH FUCK LOLOLOLOL my limbs lolololol
— [Terra]
Why keep teasing lol kid's allowed some slip-ups
⭐ Top Comment
— [Pluto]
love love love love love love love love love love love marry love love
— [Cream]
Sewing machine as weapon is pretty fresh take. Solid concept at least yeah
— [Sword]
(winky emote)
— [Shining]
Btw that coat @Frost design matches your cosplay? Did you make it?
— [Frost]
Hehe
— [Aqua]
You guys know? MagGal owner switched to newbie lol (link)
— [Aqua]
Nickname's Sewing Machine Lord lolol
— [Noir]
Congrats on first real battle.
— [Cygnus]
Congrats~~~~
— [Rafa]
Should send a debut gift? What was the ID again?
⭐ Top Comment
— [Neph]
Seniorsㅠㅠㅠㅠ I'm so scaredㅠㅠㅠㅠ
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I flopped down like a dead dog.
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