Chapter 23

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 23

Chapter Title: Super Genius Menhera High School Dropout Middle Schooler (2)

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They must have been rushing to the next spot, because the call wouldn't connect. With no other choice, I left a text message and barricaded myself back in the bathtub.

A good while later, I finally got a reply and stepped out to grab the food. But the sight of the Rosé mala tang, now cold and bloated to hell, killed off whatever appetite I'd had left.

“......”

Am I just extra pathetic today?

But come on—who wouldn't feel the same staring down delivery gone wrong, left to rot for a full hour?

I forced down a couple of bites with my chopsticks, let out a sigh, shoved the rest in the fridge, climbed back into the tub, and started blankly staring at the ceiling.

‘...This ain't good.’

The rain clouds kept flickering in and out, showing zero signs of settling down.

If I had to keep taking these hits, my skin would end up just as puffy and gross as the dangmyeon floating in that mala tang.

In the end, I let go of my focus and readjusted the range of my power. Bucheon City's clear skies gradually started to take on a darker hue.

‘Eh, this level should be fine......’

As long as I kept my shit together, there was no way it'd turn into the freak deluge from when I first awakened.

I climbed out of the tub, dried off, threw on some clothes, and was about to head straight to my room when I changed my mind. Instead, I peered out the window at the street below.

“......”

Drip.

Plop.

A little time passed, and before I knew it, raindrops were starting to fall.

People picked up the pace toward their destinations or ducked into nearby convenience stores to snag umbrellas and shield themselves.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

There was a hint of annoyance on their faces, sure—but it all felt like just another slice of everyday life.

Shhh...

Shhhh...

Like that, thirty minutes turned into an hour, then two.

I gazed out at the street like someone entranced by a fireplace, and somehow, the nagging discomfort in my chest started to fade.

“Ah.”

Could that be it?

I wasn't totally sure, but I had a pretty good hunch about the root of this sudden funk and dip in condition.

‘...Did I hold back too hard?’

Ever since figuring out how to control the rain clouds, I'd been consciously clamping down every time my power tried to leak out.

But what if that had built up some invisible stress along the way?

Think of it like overload—repeat that enough times, and boom, this is what you get. Yeah, it lines up.

‘Hmm.’

From everything I'd experienced so far, my mana recovered at an insanely fast clip on its own.

And like all those greats always say, bottling shit up is never good.

If over-controlling my power really triggered this menhera bullshit every time, then from here on out, I'd probably need moments like this—letting the reins loosen just a bit.

‘In that case, why not go all out for real this time......?’

I grabbed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my smartphone, hopped onto a search portal, and started cherry-picking regions suffering from drought headaches.

Most places weren't in dire straits, but Gangneung in Gangwon Province? That was a different story.

‘Hmm.’

Reservoir levels barely scraping over 10%—the citizens of Gangneung were in the grip of a brutal drought.

If I was gonna make it rain anyway, might as well hit where it was needed most.

As a super-genius weathermancer rivaling Hwanung himself, I decided to bestow the mercy of the heavenly grandson upon them.

Whoooosh.

I casually lifted my palm, and light flashed from it. In an instant, my senses expanded, stretching far beyond Bucheon into a vast expanse.

Sure, I'd whipped up clouds for that full-time farmer over a limited area once—but what I had in mind now was on a whole other scale.

It'd take massive mana, plus way more precise attunement to the sky's flows, to shape exactly what I wanted.

‘...Not that tough.’

I'd never been one for studying in the first place—a dropout through and through—so I'd always relied purely on instinct to wield my powers.

Going by feel... honestly, it was easier than I'd expected. Totally manageable.

Mana was draining at a scary rate, yeah, but even if I poured rain all day? Felt like I'd be fine.

“Ah.”

Hold up—Gangneung might have awakeners like that farmer, growing special crops.

One slip with mana-heavy rain, and we'd get another overgrowth fiasco like last time.

Time for a different approach, then.

‘Shape the flow, seed the direction, then let it ride......’

Do that, and I wouldn't have to force clouds or rain from nothing—nature would handle the precipitation over time.

Reservation-style weather magic.

A whole new application of my power, straight from concept to reality.

“Hmm.”

Too much rain too fast would suck, so I simulated the perfect intensity and volume—gentle enough—and tuned the flows accordingly.

A tad fiddly, but it felt kinda like playing a tycoon game. More fun than I'd thought.

Whoooosh!

No instant feedback, but soon enough, rain clouds would blanket all of Gangneung, soaking the parched earth and breathing life into nature's creatures.

With everything squared away, I crashed for a bit. Seven hours later, I woke up and started scouring news articles and locals' reactions.

The situation must've been pretty grim—news articles had been piling up for hours, and the locals were collectively breathing sighs of relief.

“......”

A few more times? Piece of cake.

They didn't know I existed or sing my praises, but if you really thought about it, every bit of it was glory headed my way.

A head-spinning high, totally distinct from the worship on Clam or channels.

“Heh.”

Was this how ancient beast mountain spirits felt? Or the god-kings of primitive civilizations?

Gangneung's pleas had no named target, but they all pointed straight to me in the end.

I could straight-up call myself a 21st-century pharaoh. Modern-day Tutankhamun.

The gloom that had been swirling in my chest was completely gone now, replaced by a fresh, exhilarating rush starting from the tip of my heart.

Super-genius weathermancer: fully revived.

Whether from unleashing my power so cleanly or rebounding from rock bottom, my condition felt even better than usual.

‘Time to eat again.’

Appetite roaring back, I headed for the fridge to grab ingredients—only to freeze mid-step as something skittered across the edge of my vision.

“Eek.”

Rustle.

Rustle rustle rustle.

Black. Grotesque. Oozing.

The second I clocked it, I recoiled in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠horror a few steps—but tolerance must've kicked in, because the soul-crushing terror wasn't quite as bad as before.

‘...Looks kinda... doable?’

I was a being rivaling the great pharaohs. Modern Tutankhamun. Provisional savior of Gangneung City.

No lowly bug could touch me. No reason to fear it.

“......”

I quietly slipped back to my room, grabbed the new flyswatter, and stealthily tailed the thing, biding my time for the perfect strike.

It crept past the sink, right up to the gas stove, heading for a crack... and that's when I finally saw it.

A writhing mass of black calamity.

“Gah......”

Right where I'd dropped that pancake batter last time—must've leaked into the cracks and baited the horde.

No time for second thoughts. Decision was instant.

I backtracked, snatched the bare minimum of stuff, abandoned my precious sanctuary, and bolted outside.

Then I fired up the Archive and spam-messaged Cha Se-ra like a maniac.

The bug-repelling artifact Cha Se-ra had promised me as thanks for last time.

I pinned all my hopes on that one lifeline, but sadly, it wasn't coming anytime soon.

‘Fuck......’

This wasn't just one or two anymore.

They were popping up more and more, and there was no way I could crash normally with their nest right there.

In that pit of despair, an unexpected rope came dangling down.