Chapter 105
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Magical Punch-Out
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Magical Punch-Out.
"Since there's someone who doesn't know, let me explain it simply."
True to its crude name, the rules of Magical Punch-Out were incredibly straightforward.
"It's nothing fancy. You just take turns hitting each other once. No dodging—just straight-up tank the hits."
Using only their bodies, they exchanged one blow each.
Of course, it wasn't mindless flailing. Hits were limited to anywhere except vital points.
"You can wrap your hands or wear gear if you want, but no transforming your magic wand. If you need something right now, go grab it quick."
Gloves or shoes were fine, but equipment made from transformed magic wands was obviously banned.
"Time limit is ten seconds per person."
Another Magical rule: each attack had to land within ten seconds.
"If you don't attack within ten seconds, the turn passes back, so watch out."
What if you didn't attack within those ten seconds?
Then the opponent got another shot.
In other words, if you could land a hit hard enough to stun them senseless, you could pummel them one-sidedly.
"The match ends when one of you says you're done—anyone can call it."
Until the opponent declared surrender.
"But today, we're doing it a little differently."
However, Jin Soa had just changed one of the Magical rules.
"This Magical Punch-Out goes until one side is completely out cold. No stopping for anything. Got it?"
Not surrender, but unconsciousness.
Meaning, as long as the opponent was still conscious, you could whale on them as much as you wanted.
'Nice.'
Seiki flashed a sly grin.
Magical Punch-Out was a matchup Seiki welcomed with open arms. She was genuinely grateful to Kim Siyul for accepting such a proposal.
Who was Seiki, after all?
Magical Girl Mint Turtle.
A being whose Magical toughness was unmatched.
She was a Magical Girl who had arguably transcended the physical limits of others in her kind when it came to raw body alone.
In a straight-up Magical Punch-Out of blow-for-blow, no one had the edge over her.
Since dodging or blocking was forbidden from the start, the one who could tank hits came out on top. That was why Seiki held the advantage.
Her opponent, Kim Siyul, on the other hand?
A guy. A regular human.
The epitome of fragility.
Sure, she acknowledged his versatile magic use and multifaceted mana control. He'd forced a perfect defeat even under her Magical Ambush, after all.
But.
Kim Siyul's body itself was nothing special.
At best, a slightly tougher-than-average civilian.
Body enhancement with mana? From the hit earlier, it stung decently, but not enough to drop her.
Besides, from Seiki's experience, Kim Siyul's Magical body enhancement focused solely on offense.
In short, even with Magical body enhancement, he couldn't boost his Magical toughness. Even if he tried desperately, it'd only be marginal.
'His finger got cut off, after all.'
And even if he enhanced his body, would it change anything?
Compared to a Magical Girl's physique, it was still a pathetic, fragile shell. There had to be Magical limits to how much he could reinforce it.
And yet.
With that pathetic body, he wanted to try a Magical Punch-Out?
Against her, of all people?
With one arm missing fingers, bleeding decently, staggering on his feet?
Not even a Magical amateur would attempt this. It was like declaring a Magical Negitoro feast.
Essentially, Magical Seppuku.
One or two hits, and Kim Siyul would be flashing his Magical Lantern Recall in no time.
'I won't end it that quick, though.'
Of course, she had no intention of letting it wrap up so neatly.
Seiki was confident like no other in delivering pain without knocking someone out.
She planned to torment him for as long as possible.
Until he dropped to his knees and begged her to stop.
"Coin flip came up heads. First strike goes to Magical Girl Mint Turtle."
Perfect timing—Seiki had first attack.
'Flawless.'
Though "flawless" was far from her actual state. She was teetering on the edge. Itemizing her injuries put her in worse shape than Kim Siyul.
One eye.
Parts of her organs and lungs.
Most of her spine and back muscles.
Body parts suffering Magical defects from Kim Siyul's magic.
If she were an ordinary Magical Girl, she'd have died ages ago.
Devoured completely by the Black Moon.
But.
Even in this state, she deemed it sufficient.
To settle the score from that Magical grudge match moments ago.
"Begin."
The moment Jin Soa's words fell, Seiki swung her fist.
'Start light.'
Aiming for Kim Siyul's ribs.
Her distance sense was shot, balance off, power leaking more than expected.
But.
- Boom!
Even that feeble swing made Kim Siyul's body jolt hard. He coughed up pain-mixed spasms in recoil.
See? Even if he knew magic and could enhance his body, he was still just a civilian at heart.
Writhing like that from a light jab by Seiki, nowhere near full Magical strength.
Seiki twisted her lips.
"Better counter quick."
Kim Siyul said nothing, just assumed his stance in answer to her taunt.
Then.
Kim Siyul drove his fist toward Seiki's jaw.
Weight shift, distance control, angle.
All perfect.
- Thud.
Except for the power, that is.
"Ha."
Laughter escaped her.
He'd swung with all he had, apparently, but to Seiki, it felt pathetically weak.
His head barely turned. And even that was more from the push than impact.
If anything, the sticky cling of his fist was annoying. Like something squelching against her skin—disgusting, for a split second.
'Whatever. That's all he's got.'
Kim Siyul was definitely worn out. No denying that.
To think he'd hit that weakly.
With body enhancement, it might've been effective, but he didn't seem to have the reserves for it now.
'In that case.'
Time to dismantle him bit by bit. Seiki smiled as she eyed Kim Siyul.
But.
"……."
The instant their eyes met, Seiki's smile froze solid.
Just a blank stare, no magic this time like before, nothing but a thoroughly exhausted civilian...
Yet an inexplicable pressure bore down.
Just eye contact, but suddenly breathing felt harder than before.
Like Magical allergy flaring from peanut butter—
"Wha...?!"
—no, it wasn't a feeling.
Her Magical allergy was actually kicking in.
No, what the fuck why?!
"Wh-what the heeelll...!!!"
Her airway suddenly clogged, mangling the end of her words.
Something was wrong.
Why was her Magical allergy acting up out of nowhere?
Mid-Magical Punch-Out or not, she needed to pause this. She required a Magical Doctor Stop ASAP.
Seiki desperately looked to Jin Soa.
But.
"……! ……!!!"
No words came out.
Her airway sealed by the Magical allergy, she could barely exhale.
"What's wrong?"
Seiki flailed with frantic Magical gestures, desperately signaling her plight to the tilting-head Jin Soa.
"I said this only ends when one side's unconscious. You agreed, right?"
Of course, that didn't fly.
"No way you're dying from this. I went easy—what's with the drama?"
Jin Soa just assumed it was a surrender ploy.
"I don't know what's up, but keep going."
Seiki felt like she was losing her mind.
'What the hell!!!'
She didn't even know why her Magical allergy had triggered, and she couldn't escape the situation.
'What the fuck is happening!!!'
But.
"Hey."
Seiki couldn't dwell on her questions.
"Ten seconds up?"
"…! …! ……!!!"
Kim Siyul had already started pounding her face again.
- Thud.
A light fist.
But the result was anything but.
Seiki's Magical allergy symptoms worsened. Her one good eye swelled huge, halving her vision.
It made no sense.
'Why the hell...?!'
What could be causing her Magical allergy? She hadn't eaten peanut butter today, hadn't even—
"Ah?!"
—touched it.
Through her blurry vision, Seiki desperately spotted the peanut butter.
Right on Kim Siyul's fist.
'That, that, that motherfucker!!!!!!'
Right.
Kim Siyul had smeared peanut butter on his hand and slugged her.
That's what triggered her current Magical allergy.
Magical Anaphylactic Shock Punch.
'You crazy bastard for real!!!!!!!'
The sticky feel and clinging fist had a reason. Of course it'd feel that way with peanut butter slathered thick.
But knowing didn't change shit.
She was too busy gasping for air to speak, let alone counter. Her body wouldn't even move properly now.
"Another ten seconds gone?"
So the same thing repeated.
She ate another clean hit from Kim Siyul, and her Magical allergy ramped up worse than before.
Seiki let out a silent howl, hating Kim Siyul with every fiber and despising her own helplessness.
"……!!! ……!!! ……!!!"
Nothing changed.
"Hey, taking another one? Thanks."
Just another hit.
It hurt like death, but not enough to black her out. Her body was tougher than other Magical Girls'.
Plus, the wounds from Kim Siyul's magic kept her conscious with just the right agony, snapping her mind awake.
'Stoooop!!!!!!'
She wanted to die. Truly. Bite her tongue and end it. She was trying right now.
'Make it stooop!!!!!!'
But her swollen mouth and tougher-than-average tongue thwarted the attempt.
'Fuuuuck!!!!!!'
To Seiki, her body held special Magical significance.
Tanking Monster attacks effortlessly, superior Magical endurance to other Magical Girls—she'd trusted it implicitly, her Magical pride.
Thus, her body was her bulwark.
Blocking anything the world threw.
But.
Today, it was no longer a bulwark.
A place denying even death amid worse-than-death torment. A space perfectly blocking any Magical escape to the afterlife.
Yes.
A prison.
'Someone kill me!!!!!'
A swollen, bloated prison caging her life.
'Pleeease!!!!!!!!!'
Seiki cursed her own body.
Ray couldn't believe it.
Kim Siyul had been utterly exhausted.
Total Magical fatigue.
But now?
He was toying with Seiki—an absolute powerhouse in Magical Punch-Out—like it was nothing. "Toying" felt too generous; it was pure Magical mockery.
Seiki's whole body was massively swollen. Even breathing was a struggle.
Yes.
Magical Anaphylactic Shock.
'How...?'
What the hell had happened?
Then Ray's gaze landed on Kim Siyul's hand. Specifically, the one swinging toward Seiki's face again.
It was coated in peanut butter.
"Ah."
That's when Ray got it.
Kim Siyul was straight-up peanut-buttering Seiki's face with every punch.
No, correction.
Not just buttered.
Ray's intuition screamed it was something more.
Unsure, she sought confirmation and called out to Kim Siyul.
"Um, hey!"
"What?"
Kim Siyul tilted his head.
Ray slowly voiced her Magical hypothesis.
"You can... wrap peanut butter around it too...?!"
"Yuro ro ro ro ro...!!"
Kim Siyul answered Ray's question with a crude laugh.
"For most immune types, anyway!!!!!"
As he slammed his peanut butter-wrapped fist forward with all his might.