Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Mart Robbery Chaos
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◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I've always thought this, but I'm really unlucky. I could swear I sold off one or two countries in my previous life without batting an eye.
Hunched under the counter, I mulled it over. If they were going to barge in, why not before I checked out? Of all times, why after I'd finished paying?
My gaze, now weaponless, drifted to the pitiful chocolate bread squashed under one of the robbers' feet. It was the one I'd bought for lunch today.
Just thirty minutes ago, my mind had been perfectly at peace.
Since an empty stomach isn't good for a patient, I'd fed Han Se-young some jelly, planning to grab a quick bite of bread myself before heading to work.
My plan had been flawless.
But in the mere three minutes it took me to check out and step outside, those three robbers had stormed in.
"Stuff all the money you've got into this bag right now!!"
Why make such a scene in a mart, of all places?
Caught up in the crowd, I'd somehow managed to hide my body first. But when I finally caught my breath, I saw that the items I'd bought were scattered across the floor from my frantic escape.
All that remained was the jelly for Han Se-young. On top of that, if things kept going like this, I'd be late for my part-time job.
I tried calling the police station on my phone, but there was no signal.
'Text might get through eventually...'
For now, I drafted a message.
Normally, Han Se-young would've been the quickest to report since she was on Center duty, but she was sick and out of it right now, so no.
Yang Hyun-woo and Ju Yeon-woo were Espers, at least, so they'd grasp the situation fast. I sent alerts to both of them.
My social circle was tiny to begin with, so there was no one else to text.
I roughly described the location and what was happening, asking them to contact the police or the Center. Whether it'd actually send was anyone's guess.
Bang! Crash!
Like they were trying to scare everyone into not moving rashly, the Esper robbers unleashed their abilities.
The entrance shutter was already down, as if manipulated on purpose.
Whenever anyone even edged toward it, they noticed like ghosts and attacked, so they must have some way of monitoring the door.
A metal rod detached from a shelf amid the chaos rolled toward me. I discreetly hooked it over with my foot.
'...Are they weak Espers, maybe?'
Maybe it was because of recent events, but they didn't seem that threatening.
From the looks of it, they weren't the sharpest tools in the shed either. Their threats were loud, but their individual abilities didn't seem strong.
Of course, as Awakeners, they'd be tougher than civilians, but I'd heard low-rank Espers weren't much different from regular people in terms of physical prowess.
Above all, Espers were human too.
They felt pain if hit, and a bad hit could kill anyone the same way.
From my previous experiment, even Ju Yeon-woo, a low-rank Esper, had survived my full-force blow without issue. These guys wouldn't die easily either.
That's when I dropped the jelly jar to the floor and gripped the metal rod. A child's cry rang out.
"Waaah, Mommy...!"
"Shut that bratty mouth, kid, or Uncle here's gonna smack you."
One of the robbers hoisted up a kid who looked about seven years old.
A woman who seemed to be the mother desperately called the child's name, and the robber aimed his gun at the kid's head like he meant to use him as a hostage.
Up close, the gun looked crude—a toy model gun. If it were real, he would've fired a blank for the initial threat.
That was the fastest way to instill fear short-term.
Still, I couldn't be too sure, and with a hostage involved, I couldn't act recklessly. I was just biding my time when a nearby man spoke to me.
"You aren't thinking of charging them, are you? Against Espers?"
"...?"
Who was this guy, talking down to a stranger like that?
He was a striking man with vivid red hair and a heavy vibe. Piercings glinted from his eyebrows and ears.
Tall with a sturdy build—maybe that's where his confidence came from. Even in this mess, he eyed me with curious interest.
Crouched with his arms over his knees, he looked less like a hostage and more like a thug here to watch the fight.
"They're bottom-tier Espers, and those guns are just BB guns, but still—a civilian charging in? That's suicide."
Oh, so they were the lowest rank, and the guns were toys. Nice intel.
"Who are you?"
"Me? An Esper."
"Then help with the hostage."
The redhead shrugged.
"Sadly, I can't use mine right here. One wrong move, and the hostage is toast."
Hmm, useless then. Was he weak too?
"Ah, crap... My power's for mass destruction because of the oil. Can't use it."
My skepticism must've shown on my face; he raised an eyebrow, irritation clear. I shifted into a ready stance and asked,
"You sure about what you said earlier? That the guns are fake."
"You think I wouldn't know that? I'm a hotshot active-duty Esper. Dead certain."
"Good enough. I just needed confirmation from someone besides me."
Honestly, I hadn't planned to step up at first.
Amelia might've handled it, but Kim Yu-jeong was just a civilian with no attack powers, and even back then, she rarely fought.
When would a precious Healer ever get dragged into combat?
But now they'd taken a kid hostage, and these lunatics seemed ready to target hostages one by one.
The woman who'd been wailing the kid's name was already knocked out by Robber 2, and a brave citizen who'd lunged at Robber 3 with his phone had been knocked unconscious too.
In the scuffle, Robber 3 dropped the phone, startled, and Robber 2 yelled at him to handle it carefully like it was precious cargo.
'...Does Robber 3 have signal-jamming powers?'
It fit—no calls getting through, and monitoring the exit via the mart's cameras.
Either Robber 2's control was sloppy, or the yelling shook the shelves; nearby people took extra hits from falling goods.
On top of that, police sirens wailed outside, making the robbers visibly antsy as they smashed random stuff around.
At least the alert got through somehow, but I worried if we'd last until the cops arrived.
The station was close; getting caught was just a matter of time. If we were doomed to take hits anyway, better to strike while they were off-guard.
Boom.
Another explosion-like burst in the air shattered a shelf, pinning one nearby citizen.
"Esper, right? Offensive type?"
"Yeah?"
"Help me out then—not the hostage. Just knock some stuff off the oil aisle racks?"
"...What?"
"I'll owe you one later, even if it's small. Draw their attention. Robber 3 if possible. Hurt 'em if you can."
An offensive Esper was better than nothing. If my hunch was right, I'd just need to watch out for direct attacks from Robber 1 and 2.
Perfect timing—Robber 1, holding the kid hostage, turned away.
Robber 2 was threatening a mart employee after toppling shelves with his invisible power, and Robber 3 was watching a student stuffing cash and the phone into a bag.
I kicked off the moment Robber 1 turned, charging out. Before he could whirl around, I smashed the metal rod into his head.
Crack!
Robber 1 staggered and collapsed; the freed kid rolled across the floor. For good measure, I hit him again—then a furious curse erupted behind me.
"What the hell is this crazy bitch?!!"
Robber 2 and 3 rushed toward me from the shelves, but their clothes burst into flames.
Their enraged shouts twisted into agonized screams, and my eyes naturally flicked to the redhead.
A bit away, he stared at me with wide, shocked eyes.
"That woman! She's an Esper!!"
Apparently, one of the "civilians" was in on it.
Robber 4, who'd been closing in on the screaming Robber 2 and 3, spun and attacked me instead.
He held a small rock, but it sharpened into a blade mid-air, grazing my cheek.
Lucky he yelled first, or I'd have lost an eye.
This sucks. He's the Esper, not me. I'd been wrongly labeled one.
As I grimaced, cheek burning, I spotted the redhead extending his hand from across the way.
Then, a deafening roar shook the world, like it was crumbling.
Boom!!
"...Huh?"
Crack.
A chilling sound, like a massive monster yawning open its maw, froze everyone in place.
Me, clutching my stinging cheek.
The confused hostages.
Robber 4, grabbing another rock.
The robbers shedding their blazing clothes.
Even the redhead himself, the culprit.
All eyes turned upward, toward the source of the noise—the ceiling.