Chapter 108
Chapter 108
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Shin Seha (3)
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In the darkness, Shin Seha swallowed dryly.
Her phone screen displayed the comments section of the Mage Gallery.
The comment left by the newbie.
That short sentence stirred up her mind.
[We need to meet once to register the magic.]
She had to meet.
A stranger. No, someone she knew, but had never actually seen.
“…Impossible.”
Shin Seha shook her head.
She had completely forgotten how to look someone in the eye and talk.
She didn’t want to show this pathetic side of herself to the newbie.
Even if she overcame it and met him, there was still a problem.
To use the ring, she had to cast magic.
The memory from that time flashed through her head again.
The smell of burning flesh seemed to linger at the tip of her nose.
She recalled the failure from just a few days ago.
She had only tried testing a single shield, and her house had been wrecked.
Her power was uncontrollable.
Like a bomb that could go off at any moment.
Use that power again?
“Sniff….”
Shin Seha wrapped her arms around her own body.
She couldn’t stop the trembling.
This was fine as it was.
This state where she met no one and did nothing.
There was no danger.
No one got hurt because of her.
This dark room was safe.
“…….”
But was it really?
A sudden doubt crept into Shin Seha’s mind.
Was this truly a safe life?
How long did she have to live like this?
How long did she have to tremble at the association president’s calls?
How long did she have to live vicariously through other people’s summit logs?
Until when, exactly?
[It’s an item that recovers magic again….]
The newbie’s comment swirled in her head once more.
A ring that recovered magic.
If it was real?
If it could even reclaim magic that escaped her will?
Then she wouldn’t have to harm those around her anymore.
She wouldn’t have to fear her own power anymore.
“…Could I live like before again?”
It wasn’t about wanting the spotlight and glamour.
Just ordinarily.
Breathing fresh air outside sometimes, mingling with others.
A life where she could help someone with the power she had.
Maybe she could live that life again.
All the things that had once been taken for granted.
“…Just once.”
Shin Seha murmured without realizing it.
She pictured the newbie, who always acted so boldly beyond common sense.
He wasn’t the type to cower in fear like her.
A chance offered by someone like that.
“…I want to meet him.”
She murmured again without realizing.
She wanted to meet the newbie.
She was curious what kind of person he was, how he saw the world.
She wanted to talk with him.
“Phew….”
Once she’d made up her mind, there was no reason to hesitate anymore.
With shaking hands, she pressed the keypad.
One letter, one letter, carefully.
ㄴp깟쮸: Can we meet in two days?
The moment she sent the reply, Shin Seha flung her phone onto the bed.
Regret and relief crashed over her at the same time.
“I did it.”
No turning back now.
Shin Seha began waiting for a reply in the darkness.
***
I stood in front of Shin Seha’s house.
I took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
“Feels unnecessarily tense….”
Ding-dong.
No sound came from inside.
Did she not hear?
The moment I went to press the bell again.
Click.
With a faint sound, the door cracked open slightly.
Through the gap, I saw a few strands of snow-white silver hair and eyes brimming with wariness.
Those eyes widened in shock upon seeing me.
“….”
“…….”
A brief silence passed.
Time spent confirming each other’s appearances and falling into silence.
Before coming here, I had looked up a few photos of Shin Seha online.
Photos from before she shut herself in her room.
Full of confident, vibrant smiles like an idol on stage.
But the person in front of me now was completely different.
Of course, she was still beautiful. Even more so than in the photos.
But that was it.
Her face held no spark of life.
I carefully spoke up.
“Ah, hello?”
At my voice, her shoulders twitched.
Shin Seha still hadn’t let down her guard, asking back in a very small voice.
“…No way you’re the newbie?”
“Yes, I’m that sand-eating mage.”
“H-How old are you? You look way younger than me….”
The Shin Seha saying that looked between high school and just-turned-twenty.
Younger than my original age.
I smiled and pointed to myself.
“Different from what you imagined, right? I look younger than I am.”
“No, you look like an elementary student no matter how I see it…. How old are you really?”
“My age is a bit fluid? Can’t pin it to a specific number. It changes depending on the person.”
“???”
“Hmm, using polite speech feels too awkward…. Mind if I talk casually?”
“Huh? Uh, sure…. Whatever’s comfortable.”
Shin Seha looked at me with a confused expression.
This wasn’t the time to dawdle.
I took a small ring from my pocket and showed it to her.
Her gaze shifted to the silver ring in my hand.
“Shall we talk inside first?”
“Y-Yeah. Come in.”
Clank.
I heard the sound of a chain being undone from inside the door.
The front door slowly opened.
‘Looks like she tidied up a bit….’
Still, the inside of the house was messy.
Unidentified debris still scattered on the floor.
The moment the door opened, Shin Seha retreated to a corner and glanced at me furtively.
A bob cut that looked roughly done at home.
A worn-out hoodie somewhere.
It showed what kind of life she was living.
To break the awkward silence, I spoke first.
“It’s weird. Seeing you like this after only knowing you by your nickname.”
I spun around once on the spot to show myself off.
“So, what do you think? Similar to what you imagined?”
At my question, Shin Seha’s face flushed slightly.
She averted her gaze and murmured.
“No, not at all….”
“Did you think I was a guy by any chance?”
“…I thought you’d be a girl.”
“Did I come off that girly?”
Even so, I thought I’d done some macho Tetogal stuff.
“When you uploaded that sand totem video last time…. I figured you were a girl from that….”
“Ah, that one.”
“If I thought you were a guy, I wouldn’t have asked to meet….”
“Hmm.”
An unnecessary pang of guilt washed over me.
Feeling awkward, I changed the subject.
“So, how’s it different from what you imagined?”
“Didn’t expect an elementary kid….”
“Disappointed?”
I pouted my lips, pretending to sulk.
Shin Seha waved her hands in a panic.
“Ah, no! Not like that… I thought you were cute…. To the point where I feel sorry for calling you here.”
Her last words were so quiet I barely caught them.
I cleared my throat awkwardly and scratched my cheek.
A brief awkward silence passed, but the mood was a bit looser than at first.
“Shall we get started?”
I placed the ring on my palm.
“I’ll hold this ring, so cast a spell on it once.”
At my words, Shin Seha’s face went pale.
She shook her head urgently.
“No. It’s dangerous.”
“I’m sand, so lightning won’t affect me much? Good matchup, you could say.”
“Still….”
Shin Seha shook her head.
The fear in her eyes was genuine.
I looked at her for a moment, then spoke softly.
“I need to be here in person for the final adjustment.”
“But….”
To reassure her, I smiled.
“If you’re that worried, I’ll put up a wall or something.”
I manipulated sand to create a small jar.
A size that could fit the ring and my hand.
“This way, nothing leaks out. No chance of me getting shocked either.”
Did my persuasion work?
Shin Seha hesitated a bit, then nodded faintly.
“…I’ll do it very weakly.”
“Yeah. Like that.”
Shin Seha took a deep breath.
A faint spark rose from her fingertips.
Crackle!
In an instant, the current escaped control and scattered everywhere.
But it was expected.
The lightning couldn’t escape the sand jar.
All the currents trying to spread in every direction were sucked into the ring.
Zzzzt!
The ring glowed blue and sparked violently.
I picked up the ring without hesitation.
“Are you okay?!”
Shin Seha cried out in shock.
“Yeah. Just a slight sting?”
I answered nonchalantly.
“They say sand doesn’t conduct electricity well? So this much is fine.”
Holding the writhing lightning ring, I began the final process.
I created a virtual hammer and chisel with mana and engraved the last pattern.
The wild sparks died down as if by magic.
“There, all done.”
I held out the completed ring.
Shin Seha hesitated as she took and held it.
The ring, which she thought would be cold, was surprisingly warm.
“….”
Shin Seha carefully slipped the ring onto her finger.
It fit perfectly, as if it had been hers from the start.
“Let’s test it right away. Cast another spell?”
“…On what?”
“Shoot it at me? It won’t work anyway.”
“A-Are you insane? No way I can do that!”
“Seriously, it’s fine.”
“Absolutely not!”
Shin Seha shook her head vehemently.
“Hmm…. Yeah, maybe not straight at a person.”
Then a good idea struck me.
I snapped off a fingertip.
The soft finger hit the floor and wriggled, turning into a small sand figure.
“Cute….”
Shin Seha murmured without thinking.
I beckoned to the sand clone.
“Try it on him.”
At that, Shin Seha’s face hardened again.
“No! How could I attack something so tiny…?”
“I told you it’s fine.”
To prove it, I turned the sand clone back into a finger, then remade it into a clone several times.
Shock filled Shin Seha’s eyes.
“You turned a living thing back into a finger? Something so cute…?”
Shin Seha glared at me with eyes that said she couldn’t comprehend.
Like she was looking at a heinous criminal.
I hurriedly explained.
“No, this is just a skill creation. Turning back to my finger doesn’t kill it, okay? The one you’re thinking of is called Superfinger, it’s separate?”
“Superfinger. Even the name’s so pitiful….”
“…….”
I had nothing to say to that.
Anyway, I had to persistently explain the difference between Superfinger and a simple sand clone.
I’m not a psychopath, you know.
I should’ve brought Superfinger if I knew this would happen.
“…I’ll try.”
Finally convinced, Shin Seha mustered her courage.
She reached her hand toward the sand clone.
Zap!
The lightning hit dead-on.
Of course, the sand-made guy was fine.
The clone crossed its arms without batting an eye.
I saw the lightning trying to scatter out of control.
But no disaster like before.
It paused in midair, then curved smoothly back to the ring on her finger.
The power absorbed into the ring flowed straight back into Shin Seha’s body.
A perfect cycle with almost no mana loss.
“Mmm, perfect.”
I nodded in satisfaction.
It worked exactly as I envisioned.
“…It really worked.”
Shin Seha looked down at her hand.
The very hand that had just spewed blue lightning.
Nothing happened.
It had been years.
The moment she perfectly controlled her power.
Her surroundings were intact.
The spell had simply touched the target and returned wholly to her.
Realizing that, something hot surged up her throat.
Drip. Drip.
Transparent tears fell from her eyes.
“Sniff… Hic….”
Once the tears burst, they poured down like a dam breaking.
She couldn’t hold them back even if she tried.
“W-Why, why are you crying?”
I panicked.
I hadn’t anticipated this at all.
I awkwardly moved to her side, fidgeting as I raised and lowered my hand repeatedly.
‘Should I pat her back like in dramas?’
But was that okay?
While I hesitated, her sobs grew more heartrending.
In the end, I couldn’t say anything and just stood quietly beside Shin Seha, waiting for her tears to stop.
Shin Seha kept her head bowed, her small shoulders shaking continuously.
A long time passed, and her sobs gradually subsided.
Judging she had calmed somewhat, I quietly stood up.
It felt like my presence was making her uncomfortable now.
My business here was done.
I silently turned and headed to the front door.
That’s when it happened.
“Wait…!”
I felt a faint tug on my clothes.
Turning back, Shin Seha had somehow come up behind me and was clutching the hem of my outfit desperately.
She seemed to have finally stopped crying.
Her tear-streaked face looked up at me with reddened eyes.
But those eyes were clearer than ever before.
Her throat caught, and she moved her lips without speaking for a moment.
Finally, a trembling voice leaked out.
“…Thank you.”
“…….”
“Really… really, thank you.”
I scratched the back of my head, feeling embarrassed.
“If you’re grateful, support my insightful posts with some firepower later.”
Hiding my shyness with a playful response, I hurriedly left the house.
Click.
The front door closed, and silence filled the house again.
Left alone, Shin Seha quietly gazed down at the silver ring on her finger.
The cold metal felt warm.
She slowly made her way to the window, one step at a time.
Without hesitation, she reached out.
For the first time in years.
With her own hands, she grasped the thick blackout curtains blocking the light.
Swish.
As the curtains parted, blinding sunlight poured in.
The room, steeped in darkness for so long, filled with light in an instant.
Shin Seha narrowed her eyes.
The light stung after so long, but she didn’t turn away.
The warmth she hadn’t felt in years.
Shin Seha closed her eyes and took it all in with her whole body.
It felt like waking from a long sleep.