Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: The Girls Earning Their Keep (7)
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Kang Gamchan tilted his head, wondering if he'd misheard.
"Pardon? Cleaning what?"
"Said we're cleaning the sky."
"…."
Sure enough, his ears must be playing tricks on him.
He'd been feeling a bit off lately, and now he was hearing nonsense too.
Maybe he should see an ENT specialist.
As he pondered that, Luxy delivered the finishing blow.
"You heard right. There's something I want to test out ASAP, so take us to a tall mountain."
"Uh, no, that's…."
Kang Gamchan was at a total loss, turning to the others for help.
This absurd demand—he couldn't decide if they should go along with it or not—
"What're you waiting for? Let's go."
"Yessir! Right away!"
The moment Mirni spoke, Kang Gamchan moved on pure reflex.
Watching this sudden turn of events unfold, the others perked up with interest.
"Mind if I tag along?"
"Ho, a chance to see 'that' again after all this time? Count me in."
It had been ages since the whole party mobilized together.
Even those who usually avoided group outings were lifting their heavy asses in excitement—who knew what had them so hooked?
Yuseong, arriving home late, tilted his head at the hyped-up crew.
"What the hell? What's all this commotion?"
"Oh! Luke's here! Perfect timing! We're gonna clean up the air in your country!"
"…You on drugs?"
He tried ignoring Mirni's druggie ramblings, but the sheer number of people moving was no joke.
What kind of shit were these idiots about to pull now?
That's when—
"…Staff?"
He spotted Luxy grabbing her beloved [Lightning-Struck Oak Staff].
These guys don't mean—?!
"Luxy's rolling up her sleeves to cast some magic. Good timing, Luke."
"…."
"Luke?"
"Ha…."
Sylvia flinched at his deep sigh, gauging his mood, while Yuseong stared at them with near-enlightened resignation.
"Can't we just have one damn quiet day…."
"…?"
"Haa…!"
His stress only mounted as they remained clueless to the cause of his sighs.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
A famous quote from Arthur C. Clarke, the novelist behind 2001: A Space Odyssey.
Just as he'd said, modern science and tech had advanced to absurd heights.
Things once confined to imagination were now everyday reality.
Who could've predicted computers shrinking into phones?
Who dreamed individuals would launch rockets to Mars?
Who thought we'd copy brains for immortality?
Science in this era had evolved endlessly—calling it "modern magic" wasn't hyperbole.
Different from Midgard's magic, yet plenty powerful and profound.
Magic and science each had clear pros and cons; neither reigned supreme.
If pressed: magic offered overwhelming functionality, science near-universal applicability.
And tech that versatile?
"Would spot magic on a mountain in a heartbeat."
"…Ah."
"Get caught, and it's game over—daily life, gone. Everything fucked, you idiots!"
"…."
"Think before you act, for fuck's sake!"
"…."
That's them, alright.
Only care about results, zero fucks for process.
They can set a spoon at the table but fuck-all else…!
Yuseong wrapped up his nagging with a sigh, and in the ensuing awkward silence, Luxy hesitantly spoke up.
"So… no magic?"
"…."
"…Luke?"
"…."
Normally, he'd just say no and done. But the situation was tricky.
'Clear the fine dust?'
Cars had been a pain to clean lately anyway.
Pollen was bad enough, but mixed with PM2.5? Washing them was hell….
No, screw that—!
'Those pricks across the strait have been grating lately….'
Seeing their bullshit—like blaming Korea for the pollution—made even Talula sound wise by comparison, and it pissed him off to no end…!
He wasn't some patriot, but when it came to his home country, only he got to trash it. Basic human psychology!
'Might as well shut those assholes up for once?'
Rather than blindly oppose, Yuseong leaned toward how to spin this.
Solely driven by the urge to fuck over those personality-void dickheads!
Thus—
"Fine. Let's see what you've got."
"…."
"What? Something wrong—?"
…Was this carrot after the stick, or stick followed by screwing them over?
Luxy got every curse in the book before permission was granted.
Pushing aside the lingering feeling of being tamed by Yuseong, they headed to the rooftop instead of a mountain.
Why the rooftop?
Before the question could linger, thunder crackled from Yuseong's hand.
ZZZAP!
Like a thunder god poised to smite, he haughtily raised his hand high, slamming down a bolt as if claiming his domain!
BOOOOM!!
"Urgh!"
The building-shaking rumble—worse than any quake—wrapped the structure in thunder's mana, forcing them to the floor.
Their skills hadn't recovered enough to handle such intense, destructive mana flow.
Even Luxy, top of the kingdom in mana adaptation, couldn't stand—what more needed saying…!
For about three minutes—time to boil ramen—the "quake" raged on. Even after, they clutched their heads.
"Huh? This is…?"
Mirni noticed first, surprisingly.
Her freakish senses instinctively picked up changes inside and out the building.
"B-Barrier? …No, this ain't some weak shit!"
No flimsy mana barrier. If anything, a superior version!
"Space Severance…?"
Beelzebub had fully sealed his power by severing an entire building from the world.
That's why Valian couldn't dent it no matter how he pounded. No one knew they were fighting.
Yuseong's feat now was similar.
Non-mana users wouldn't notice a war or collapse here.
Proof?
"S-Sis? What happened?"
Kang Gamchan, arriving late on the roof, stood dumbstruck, clueless why they were down.
No quake, no shakes—he hadn't felt a thing.
"Luke just…."
"Half a day, no one'll know shit up here…."
Yuseong looked drained. Exhausted, he'd slumped into the rooftop rocker.
No wonder—this miracle took it out of him.
Not easy, drained all his mana, and demanded precise control—mental fatigue inevitable.
"Takes ten high mages for this… how the…."
"No biggie. You lot could pull it off too."
"…."
…Hard to respond to that.
They could, technically.
But the catch….
'At peak condition, with prep the day before… maybe.'
Not something you just do on a whim.
'What kinda decade did he live?'
The party grew ever more mystified by him.
"Boss? Luxy's a mage, right?"
"Why?"
"Just… wild!"
Kang Gamchan didn't know Yuseong's deal.
Yuseong wouldn't explain nicely, and the others clammed up.
No hard feelings—his choice to stay. He was thrilled for this miraculous, mystical experience up close, positive vibes all around.
But positivity aside—
"I'm a huge Harry Potter fan."
"…."
Couldn't hide the fanboyism.
Everyone dreams of being a mage once.
Especially Gen Z who've grown up with Potter—bet they've mumbled a spell or two.
"Loved Lord of the Rings too…."
Spilling TMI about adoring the white-bearded wizard, Kang Gamchan geeked out on mages. Yuseong chuckled.
"D-Don't laugh. Embarrassing at my age."
"Not mocking. Just… asked the same once."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
He'd had his innocent(?) days too.
Sure, wrong tech tree led straight to gladiator slave hell, but early on? Magic dreams, naive questions.
Stopped asking when….
'Realized every mage is a psycho?'
Mages? Utter nutjobs, inhuman.
Luxy wasn't special—all the same. Yeah, all fucking crazy.
Still remembers.
—Um, mind if I dissect you?
Said like a confession, but no question.
A straight-up declaration.
One slip about being from another world, and some mage went straight for dissection. Yuseong nearly died that day.
Learned the truth.
Mages? Ten of 'em, all start with [Brainwash Human Experiment Torture] combo—certifiable lunatics!
After, Yuseong avoided mages. Any near? Beat 'em half to death first.
Military tribunal? Pfft.
'First time I got treated like a human?'
Beat a mage, got props from nobles to royals, even a bounty.
Trial? Nah.
"…World's still bullshit, huh."
"Huh?"
"…Nothin'. You asked if she's a real mage."
"Oh, yep."
"Well… technically yes."
"Knew it…!"
"But…."
"…?"
"She is—but not really."
"…???"
…So is Gandalf real or not?!