Chapter 71: Thunder God (1)
Chapter 71: Thunder God (1)
Buildings stood abruptly in the middle of the wasteland.
Perhaps because they were built by the kids from The Society, the small village—with stairs leading underground sprouting here and there—exuded a playful atmosphere.
Passing by flags and promotional materials with such whimsical slogans, I saw a woman walking slowly among the colorful buildings.
Even though a long time had passed, I recognized her at a single glance.
Had she finally started to age?
More than ten years had gone by, and she now radiated a vibrant, mature aura.
She was still short, but she exuded a thoroughly feminine air as she wiped away the sweat trickling down while moving boxes of supplies.
Her lightly dampened blonde hair blended with the sweat, seemingly melting into it.
Then, the sweat took on a faint golden hue, staining her skin with light as it flowed down her body.
Had her hair turned into electricity as well?
It shone even more brilliantly than before.
Intoxicated by her scent, I took a step forward.
Step.
As if sensing me, she turned her face in my direction.
She’d always been quick on the uptake.
She used to claim she could read the unique bio-currents of living organisms.
In her prime, she might have noticed the moment I arrived in Hokkaido.
Even if she had regained her strength, it seemed she wasn't quite at that level yet.
She set down the luggage in her hands and ran toward me. I also raised my hand, preparing to greet her.
"Ah, Thunder God, it’s been a lon—"
Lightning struck.
CRASH!
A moment later, the sound of thunder roared.
An electric shock comparable to that of a Mid-tier Hero hammered into my body.
It was only for a brief moment, but it was enough to paralyze me temporarily.
I saw her smiling brightly.
Her entire body was dyed yellow, and her mouth was stretched into a wide grin.
A fist made of pure electricity flew toward my face.
"Long time no see, my ass! Jin Hong-cheol-chu Lee Ha-raaaaam!"
After the pain registered, I heard her voice along with the sound of a fierce charge. It was a voice that laughed brightly, yet held a tiny hint of resentment.
Enduring the pain, I straightened my body and let out a laugh of my own.
"You told me not to come for ten years, so I came just now! What are you gonna do about it!"
"Who actually listens to that and doesn't show up for real?!"
Fists came flying.
A speed so great that even I could barely perceive it.
A barrage of blows that would feel light if one were to call them light.
And yet, they possessed enough power to be worthy of a Hero.
I see. I was confused when I heard she’d regained her power, but so this is how it is.
Compared to when she was a Hero, each individual blow is weaker, but the properties of electricity itself have been further enhanced.
Both the speed and the stinging sensation.
She had become capable of maintaining her entire body as electricity while swinging her fists. In the past, she only transformed parts of herself.
What had weakened was the physical force she could exert in that state.
Enduring the barrage, I swung a wide punch.
To force her away from me.
"You! You're the one who said it!"
It was fun.
This bickering with her.
"That's why you're still a brat!"
"Brat, my foot. Do you know how old I am—"
THUD.
In the middle of our fight, something suddenly slammed into the back of my head.
Something blunt and heavy.
"Ah. I think I get the gist of it. Hmmm. So that's how it turned out."
Prohibition appeared beside me and whispered.
She was holding a massive shotgun.
"Hammer Kid. Cool your head and reflect. Deeply."
BOOM!
A massive sphere was fired right before my eyes.
It wasn't an actual bullet; something black in the shape of a cross flew out.
A non-lethal rubber slug. However, it was a terrifying object that became 'lethal' simply because the person hit by it tended to die.
Infused with Prohibition's power, it hammered into my body and sent me flying into the distance.
"Has it been about eleven years, Thunder God?"
"Sister Prohibition. It’s been a long time!"
"Long time no see. I wondered why The Hammer Kid came here in such a hurry. So this was it. How interesting."
From within my upside-down field of vision, I saw the two of them sharing a conversation.
Unlike how they treated me, the two women were smiling brightly and holding hands.
Why was this Thunder God girl only so prickly toward me?
I corrected my vision, brushed the dirt off my clothes, and continued to watch their reunion.
"Who are those two Magical Girls?"
"Hammer’s disciples."
"Ha-ram’s disciples?"
"Hello! I'm Baek Si-hyun! It's a pleasure to meet you!"
"I'm... Han A-bin. Nice to meet you."
The two disciples bowed and greeted Thunder God.
"So you're Lee Ha-ram’s disciples, huh?"
Thunder God barely acknowledged their greeting, narrowing her eyes as she looked at them.
For some reason, the way her gaze sharpened made me uneasy. Wanting to mediate before she did something, I moved quickly and stepped between the two parties.
"These two are my disciples, and Baek Si-hyun over there has lightning-type magic. I came to find you, Thunder God, to help her train—"
Zap. Crackle.
Suddenly, sparks began to fly around Thunder God.
Had her mood soured? She gradually began to harbor electricity, her form becoming translucent and unstable.
Why did she suddenly get in a bad mood?
And what's with that electricity? Is she really retired? How did she end up like that?
"Ha-ram?"
"What."
"How many years did I say we shouldn't meet?"
I caught sight of her expression.
It was a look I’d seen often when we were younger.
The expression Thunder God made when she was angry—smiling while baring her fangs.
"Ten years."
"Then what year is this?"
"The eleventh... right?"
Was it?
It might be the twelfth.
Thunder God had retired quite early, after all.
"Then even if you couldn't come early, you should've come to see me exactly at the ten-year mark, you idiot! But you come because of your disciples? Die!"
Whack.
Perhaps because I’d let my guard down, a fist slammed into my head again.
Whack.
Taking the punch head-on, my head was snapped back.
Another punch flew toward my completely exposed jaw.
What is this?
Why is she so angry?
"No, I had various circumstances—"
Just as I was barely enduring the punches and trying to spit out whatever excuse my brain could conjure.
Bang.
The sound of a gunshot rang out again, and this time, something yellow flew toward my face.
...A grenade?
BOOM!
As the grenade exploded, the magic inscribed upon it was released.
Impact amplification.
In addition to the stinging heat-wave, a shockwave hammered directly into my body.
Thanks to that, I ended up rolling pathetically on the ground again.
Through my once-again-inverted vision, I saw the four women walking toward a building, chatting amiably.
"Ah... so you told him to come see you after ten years, is that it?"
"Yeah. But that fool..."
"I think I know why you're so angry."
"Even the disciple knows, so why doesn't The Hammer Kid? That's why he's a kid."
"I don't get it either!"
"Si-hyun. You just stay quiet."
SLAM.
Leaving that conversation behind, the four women disappeared down the stairs.
Closing the iron door loudly as if to express her anger.
What? What did I do wrong?
Someone tell me before you go.
* * *
Thunder God’s quarters underground were a fairly decent place.
Was it because it was a structure built by The Society, who had dug into the earth countless times?
Despite being a building buried in the ground, the room had proper wallpaper instead of bare concrete or metal walls.
It even had an attached bathroom and shower, and seeing a small refrigerator and television, it was clear they had put a lot of thought into it.
It’s a nice room.
That was my first impression upon seeing the room, but the atmosphere inside didn't match the nice room at all.
Thunder God sat on the bed, glaring angrily at me as I knelt on the floor.
Originally, I’d been kicked out before I could even enter the room. But after slamming my head against the ground in apology, I was allowed inside.
However, it seemed Thunder God’s anger hadn't fully subsided, given the current situation where I was kneeling and apologizing.
To be honest, I still didn't know what I’d done wrong.
But since the atmosphere felt like Prohibition, Thunder God, and Han A-bin—who had tagged along—would kill me if I didn't apologize, I maintained my posture.
How much time had passed?
In that explosive atmosphere, Thunder God finally spoke.
"So. You want me to teach this disciple how to handle electricity?"
"Y-Yeah."
Thunder God stared at me intently with her unfocused yellow eyes, then grabbed Baek Si-hyun’s face with her right hand.
"So this girl is the disciple?"
"I-I'm Baek Si-hyun."
Under Thunder God’s gaze, Baek Si-hyun seemed nervous, stuttering as she broke into a cold sweat.
"Honestly, if it's Ha-ram’s request, I'd like to grant it, but..."
"Yeah. She's going to fight an O-Rank Monster, so she needs to improve her skills—"
"Ha-ram, shut up."
"Yes."
My heart shrank at the sound of Thunder God’s voice.
A strange sense of helplessness, as if I would surely lose if we fought. I was certain I would win if I fought with my hammer, but strangely, I couldn't imagine a scene where I emerged victorious.
When I looked up at Si-hyun, her face was being squished by Thunder God’s grip.
I'm sorry I can't save you, Si-hyun.
"Why should I teach a girl who's attached herself to Ha-ram?"
Was her personality always like this?
For some reason, Thunder God, who now carried an aura similar to Prohibition's, quietly began to make her hand glow.
Sparks began to extend from her right hand, encroaching upon Si-hyun’s face.
I turned my head to ask Prohibition for help, but she only nodded with a bright smile at the sight of Thunder God.
A small red dot appeared on Baek Si-hyun’s squished jaw.
The microvessels through which the electricity passed had begun to burst.
If left like this, it would leave a significant scar.
"Thunder God. That's enough—"
Just as I stood up, unable to bear it any longer.
"Because I want to be like my Master."
Baek Si-hyun spoke before I could act.
Her voice was calm. Clear and distinct.
She carried an aura unlike her usual self.
"...'I want to be like Ha-ram,' you say. In what way?"
The sparks vanished from Thunder God’s hand, and her eyes narrowed.
"In a place where everyone has given up. I want to be a Hero who can walk in with a single hammer, swaggering just like always."
Where had she seen me like that?
It was a clear dream, as if she had witnessed that side of me with her own eyes.
A voice filled with will.
Hearing those words, Thunder God took her hand off Si-hyun’s jaw and began to slowly scan her.
From top to bottom, from head to toe, she examined Baek Si-hyun before reaching out her right hand to grab Si-hyun’s left hand.
Was she going to send electricity through her again?
"Thunder God. Stop—"
"You idiot who doesn't even know how to use electricity, just sit still."
"Yes."
Dammit.
"Baek Si-hyun... was it? What's your experience with Lightning Magic?"
"Ugh... I've used it before, but it usually hurts me instead, so not very often..."
Baek Si-hyun’s left hand, which had turned a flushed pink, began to twitch.
"Are you a Transformation type? Or an Emission type? If you're an Emission type, where is the point of discharge?"
"I'm... an Emission type. From my fingertips."
"Then your fingernails must have flown off or something?"
"...Yes."
Satisfied with the answer, Thunder God let go of Baek Si-hyun’s hand. As soon as her hand was released, Baek Si-hyun began to emit her own mana to heal her left hand.
"I've got the gist of it. I'll teach you."
Thunder God watched her with a deep smile.
"I went a bit overboard, didn't I? Sorry. I have this thing called jealousy."
If she's calling it jealousy, then is it my fault?
Apparently, she didn't like the fact that I’d taken on a female disciple.
What could I do? It just happened that way. It's not like I chose it.
But then why isn't she bullying Han A-bin?
"I did it just enough so it won't scar, so it'll heal quickly."
Thunder God said that, then shifted her weight on the bed to look at me.
"So, that disciple is settled. Ha-ram, how long do you plan on staying?"
"A month or two at the longest."
"That should be enough. What about lodging?"
"I was thinking of renting a room here, but if that doesn't work, I can rent a room at the Management Bureau’s quarters."
"Stay here. I'll tell them to make a room available."
"Don't you need to ask the person in charge if there's space?"
"There are no volunteers anyway, so most of the rooms are empty."
She began to laugh brightly as she said that.
"Besides, Ha-ram is here. It'd be hard to talk if you were far away, wouldn't it?"
Her hand touched me.
Her hand, which still didn't wear gloves, crackled with electricity.
Every time she slowly stroked my jaw and cheek, a stinging pain arose. A tingling but pleasant pain.
Was it because it was a pain I’d felt countless times while being with her?
Just having this skin contact with her calmed my heart.
What happened to your phobia?
How did your power grow this much?
Why are you being so harsh to the disciples?
Why were you so angry?
There were so many things I wanted to say, so many things I wanted to ask.
But I buried them all in my heart and simply felt her touch.
"You're exactly the same as you were ten years ago, Ha-ram."
"You haven't changed much either. You've grown well. Haru—"
Her finger overlapped with my lips. As if telling me not to utter her name.
Why does this girl always insist on being called by her Hero name?
"Thunder God."
"Right, Thunder God. I guess I can't call you a kid anymore."
The pain I’d been feeling suddenly stopped. She pulled her hand away and stepped back from me.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing."
Looking at her flushed face, it was hard to believe it was nothing.
Did she use too much electricity and cause a backflow?
With a face glowing red, she stood up from the bed and shouted.
"Then everyone, go and rest. It was a long trip, wasn't it? The keys are in the doors, so just head in. I'll let the caretaker know."
Thunder God said that and then dashed out of the room.
"Wait. I still have things to talk about—"
The moment I tried to catch her as she ran out.
"Hammer Kid. It's not good to push like that."
Prohibition grabbed my hand and said.
"Even so, we haven't seen each other in a long time, so we should talk—"
"It's a message from Thunder God."
A message? When?
Prohibition slowly leaned down and brought her lips to my ear.
"She said she'll come to your room tonight, so wait for her."
Prohibition's voice echoed in my ear.
Tickling my ear with her blonde hair.