Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The First One (2)
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The slime that had flown so far away began to slowly regroup, squelching back together.
I grabbed Ha-sol-a by the scruff of her neck—she was still too dazed to grasp the situation. 1. Pick up Ha-sol-a. 2. And just—
"Huh? Wh-what?!"
"Stay put."
I hurled her up onto the high wall, out of the slime's reach.
"Kyaaah!"
Handle your own landing.
With the annoying baggage dealt with, it was time for the thrilling analysis. I immediately checked the monster codex.
'Even among E-ranks, the payout can vary.'
At the very least, this one was way stronger than the statue I took down last time.
But below the codex entry, there was a [▼More] button that hadn't been there before. Looked like they'd added some details in the meantime.
Last time I'd checked the codex, the latest update was from five years ago, right? This had to be a hasty edit just for me.
I tapped the button.
What an honor for these esteemed experts to grace such a humble page.
The new additions were攻略 tips handwritten by the veterans, just for me.
I offered them my heartfelt thanks in my mind.
"Grrr..."
In the meantime, the slime swelled up its body and started spewing acidic saliva in all directions.
Sizzle! Siiiizzle!
I twisted and dodged every which way, but I couldn't evade them all.
Some of the slime's spit splattered against my side and around my navel.
Good thing it didn't hurt.
Siiiizzle!
My clothes started melting away.
"Gahhh?!"
Not my Neo Prima suit!!!!!!
My once-proud suit was reduced to a crop top, exposing my pale side all the way.
Of course, transforming again would fix it, but this was my own design. Seeing it tear hurt worse than any flesh wound.
At least now I could trust the veterans' info. Not that I wanted to learn it this way.
"H-Hey, no naughty stuff!"
That's when Ha-sol-a's shrill scream came from above. She was covering her eyes with her delicate little hands.
But I saw it. The gap between her fingers. Peeking all she wants while playing innocent.
'She's fine, then.'
Just to be safe, I tried hurling mana-infused thread and needle at the slime.
Thwip thwip thwip!
But as expected.
The thread and needle just bounced off the slime's squishy body without doing any real damage.
Why did every monster I ran into have physical resistance?
At this point, I was starting to think Ulv was sending these on purpose.
As I pondered how to take it down, Bella's tip popped into my head.
'Electric magic, huh.'
Ah! I had just the thing for electricity.
Until now, I'd thought Dress Code only worked if I met the magical girl in person.
But no.
A few days ago, at a site Aurora had swept through, I'd realized something.
Just touching the mana residue left behind by the magical girl was enough to meet the transformation conditions.
Back then, I'd brushed against the mana scraps where her lightning had struck, and that alone had triggered it.
The only issue was Aurora's outfit design... well... I wouldn't be caught dead wearing it in front of anyone else.
Glance.
I looked up, and Ha-sol-a was still peeking through her fingers.
'Sigh.'
Fine, whatever. I'd already transformed right in front of her—what was there left to hide?
In a dazzling flash of light, my embarrassing Neo Prima suit vanished.
And in its place appeared a frilly maid outfit laden with lace.
Aurora, the maid-concept magical girl.
Her revealing costume embodied a bold, straightforward concept: cleaning up the city's filthy trash.
Back in her active days, she even called citizens "Master" without fail. Gotta stick to the concept.
Thinking back now, maybe that's why she went into hiding for a while—outgrowing her own gimmick as she aged.
Anyway. The version I'd redesigned prioritized mobility, slashing the original skirt length boldly up to mid-thigh.
I'd fantasized about her wearing it, but never dreamed I'd be the one slipping into it.
Is this karma or what? A reward on someone else, punishment on me.
Still, no point transforming if I didn't get my money's worth, shame be damned.
The moment I manifested mana, Aurora's mana control methods flooded my mind. But... hmm.
Aurora's original powers manipulated weather—summoning blizzards or typhoons, that sort of thing.
The problem? I'd only scavenged a lightning scrap, so all the grand stuff was locked.
Snow? Typhoons? No clue how. All I could do was ape a cartoon bolt and spew a million volts.
Still, electric attribute should be plenty to fry a slime, right?
"Druruk!"
Drurruk!
I wrapped the thread Druruk spat out around both hands like bandages.
Zzt zzt.
The wild sparks spasming from my fingertips surged fiercely along the thread.
"Keeek!"
At that moment, the slime stretched its body long like a squid tentacle and whipped it at me like a lash. Impressively fast for a blob of goo.
But with my softness buff and dynamic vision, it was dodgeable.
I kicked off the ground and leaped into the air, my skirt fluttering in the wind to bare my thighs coolly.
"H-Hey, no naughty stuff!!"
You look like the naughty one to me.
Ignoring the peanut gallery, I twisted midair to evade the slime's attack by a hair's breadth.
As I descended, I scattered the thread wound around my hands toward the slime.
Fwoosh!
Dozens of threads sliced through the air, encircling the slime's body.
Normally, the goo would make them slip free, but not this time. Electrified threads stuck like glue.
"Gotcha."
I crossed my arms, tightening the threads. They dug into the slime's surface, taut as bowstrings.
Zzzzzzt!
"Kee... kee?!"
"Piping."
I squeezed out mana like wringing a rag.
Kaboom!
The instant the current slammed into the slime, the alley lit up like broad daylight.
"Kieeeek!!!"
The slime's squishy liquids bubbled and boiled from the intense heat.
Half-ass it here, and it'd regenerate for sure. Better vaporize it completely.
I spun once in midair, yanking the threads harder with centrifugal force. They constricted mercilessly.
Zzzzt! Pop!
The slime's body burst in spots like overinflated balloons.
Goo sprayed everywhere, but the electricity cloaking me formed a barrier, blocking it all.
Finally, as the wriggling mass evaporated, the core hidden in its center was revealed.
'There you are.'
I landed and charged, kicking off the ground again.
"Overlock!"
At my shout, Druruk swelled up. The slime got sucked into its maw like a vacuum.
Druruk! Drurruk!
In a flash, Druruk stabbed electrified needles into the slime everywhere.
Along with squelching sounds, the slime's body exploded in puffs until the needle hit the core.
Crack!
The core shattered, and the powerless remnants splattered limply to the ground.
Sizzle...
Once the goo piles stopped moving entirely, I brushed back my disheveled hair and slowly stood.
"Repairs complete."
I shook off the lingering static from my fingers and turned. There was Ha-sol-a, dangling from the wall.
Her mouth agape, forgetting to breathe.
'Did I overdo the excitement?'
An eight-year-old in a maid outfit blasting lightning. Even I'd question my sanity.
As I racked my brain for damage control, a dazed voice leaked from Ha-sol-a.
"...Unnie, you're badass."
What's with kids these days?
'Sewing Machine Goddess...?!'
Trendsetter Ha-sol-a recognized the magical girl before her at a glance.
The newbie sensation going viral in the community as the Sewing Machine Goddess.
When she heard the goddess had sliced up a monster at Hanwol Elementary, Ha-sol-a had stomped in regret.
She'd been so busy trying to film a video after school that she'd missed the historic moment.
If she'd just loitered a bit longer, she could've met her in person.
But what really threw Ha-sol-a off wasn't the goddess's presence itself.
Ha-sol-a's brain was pure, but she wasn't stupid. Wait, was she? Table that for now.
Anyway, she could roughly guess who this sudden Sewing Machine Goddess was.
Of course she could. The Ha-rin who'd been holding her hand just yelled "Transform!" and poofed, replaced by the goddess.
'Magical Girl... Neph? That's... Seol Ha-rin?'
Anyone missing that would need a hospital, not just be dumb.
Of course, the Perception Inhibition Filter on civilians made Neph and Ha-rin's faces look totally different to Ha-sol-a.
Seol Ha-rin was just a cute kiddo. Neph was an untouchable beauty with a halo glow.
Visually, they were different people. But the circumstantial evidence was ironclad. Reasonable suspicion you couldn't ignore.
So here's the question: Why call her "unnie" if she knew it was Ha-rin?
Because Ha-sol-a's instincts demanded it.
'She's so cool...'
In her TikTok influencer worldview, hierarchy wasn't by age or grade.
How hip she was. How much influence. And crucially, how awesome.
What Ha-rin had just shown was the most shocking scene in Ha-sol-a's entire eight years.
Crackling lightning, fluttering maid skirt, and that cool, detached face as she burst the monster.
If that wasn't unnie material, what was?
But one scene burned even deeper into Ha-sol-a's mind.
Right after the monster's attack melted Ha-rin's clothes: that glimpse of her pale navel and side lines.
Truth be told, TikTok was banned in tons of countries worldwide.
The HQ slacked on moderation, exposing growing kids to all sorts of wild content unchecked.
Ha-sol-a herself had nearly gotten a harsh lesson from a red-light district challenge.
But South Korea was the land of the free.
Ha-sol-a naturally stumbled on all kinds of videos, skipping proper study for... advanced night lessons.
Thanks to that, she was precocious in ways beyond Seo Jun—fully grasping the profound meaning of "sexy."
And in her eyes, Seol Ha-rin—Ha-rin unnie? Neph unnie? Neph-nim? Anyway, her skin kept lingering.
She even knew lilies weren't just flowers.
Her evaporating fear fully vanished, replaced by hot, sticky possessiveness.
Jealousy suddenly reared up too. Toward who? Seo Jun.
Seo Jun? Who the hell was he to steal my unnie?
Kid hearts are more fickle than reeds—yesterday's crush becomes today's foe, yesterday's foe today's fave, in a heartbeat.
But that's that. First, she had to talk to her beloved unnie...
"Unnie! Hey, unnie...!"
But by the time Ha-sol-a reached out, Ha-rin had already vanished with the wind.
"Aah...!"
Weee-ooh weee-ooh.
True to cliché, police and fire trucks rolled in after everything was over.
"Kid! You okay? What happened?!"
The cops rushed over frantically.
Fainted thugs and monster melt-marks everywhere—small wonder.
A normal kid would've bawled the whole story, but Ha-sol-a clamped her mouth shut.
"A m-monster appeared..."
"Monster? Who took it down? A magical girl?"
Ha-sol-a hesitated.
If she blurted, "Seol Ha-rin from class 3-1 at Hanwol Elementary is a magical girl!"? Unnie would be in trouble. She'd find her annoying.
'No way...!'
Above all, she didn't want her private unnie becoming public property.
Ha-sol-a wiped her tears, mustering an innocent doe-eyed look as she shook her head.
"I-I don't know... I was so scared, I squeezed my eyes shut... Then lightning flashed... Sob..."
"Aah... Lightning means Aurora, huh. Glad you're unhurt!"
The cops nodded among themselves, satisfied.
Clueless to the sly smirk curling Ha-sol-a's lips.
That night.
In Ha-sol-a's secret diary, Seo Jun's name was scribbled out beyond recognition.
And above it, red pen pressed hard in fervent strokes:
Seol Ha-rin Unnie ♥