Even in the Sunlight, There Are Shadows (4)
As I scrolled down, it only got worse. Mockery. Ridicule. Scorn. Some even seriously countered me with medical arguments.
Corrupted mana stuck to the mana circuit isn't a physical entity—it's like saying cancer cells are excreted through sweat or some bullshit.
"Ha…."
I slumped back into my chair.
More than anger, it was sheer disbelief. And at the same time, a chill ran down my spine.
'No cure at all? Are they all serious about this?'
The reactions in the comments were too consistent to be jokes.
They were denying the very word 'complete cure'. Magical girl syndrome was just a chronic condition like diabetes or hypertension—something to manage for life, not eradicate.
'And what's this about incineration?'
I always extracted the corrupted mana, absorbed it, and digested it. To me, the idea of burning that dangerous poison qi inside the body sounded way more insane. Burn it outside, sure—but inside? Who knows what that would do?
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I kept meticulously reading through the still-accessible posts.
Failure, failure, symptom relief, death, witchification….
Then I spotted a common thread.
No matter the progression of magical girl syndrome, they all ended with injecting a specific drug as the last resort.
Purification Ampoule
Mana Burner
Inhibitor Type-ABCD…
The names varied. Drugs developed by pharmaceutical companies in different countries, used in their own ways. But the principle was the same.
A brute-force method no different from chemical castration or radiation therapy.
Forcibly incinerating the corrupted mana inside the body—
A structure that couldn't avoid side effects.
Digging deeper into the comments, victim cases overflowed.
They knew it too.
Incinerating corrupted mana inside the body was an extremely aggressive treatment.
It could lower pollution levels, sure—but side effects followed: memory loss, mana circuit destruction, physical defects, weakened mental barriers, and more.
Yeah. It wasn't ignorance. They chose the lesser evil, knowing full well, because 'there was no other way'.
The industry consensus boiled down to this:
'Extraction of corrupted mana is impossible. Complete cures for magical girls are impossible. We can only alleviate or suppress symptoms.'
Once corrupted mana entered, you could only burn it, suppress it, or turn into a witch.
"……."
I rested my chin on my hand, staring at the screen.
It might not be all doom and gloom.
There were success stories too.
Statistics showed about 60-70%.
Most magical girls successfully burned the poison qi, carrying minor aftereffects but staying active. Not all side effects turned them into total wrecks.
'But my ability is different.'
I didn't burn it. I extracted it. After treatment, patients felt clear-headed and light-bodied. No worries about circuits burning or memories vanishing.
A true complete cure was possible.
"This… turns out to be way more valuable than I thought."
I looked down at my palm. I'd figured I was just a bit unusually constituted.
'And they suspended me for three days without even knowing.'
Leveling up on this site would take time….
At minimum, I'd need solid proof to break through that 'academic consensus' wall.
Whether it was worth it… we'd see.
Click.
Refresh.
Click.
Refresh.
> [Loading data...]
Lee Se-yeon sat alone in the empty office.
All lights off. The only illumination: the cold blue glow from two monitors on her desk.
Tap, tap…. Her fingers habitually hammered the F5 key.
The screen showed the black site with its geometric logo: The Counseling's main page.
Bottom right: the time, small.
> AM 03:42
"Hoo…."
She sank deep into her chair, sighing. Dry-washed her face.
'Not posting?'
Five hours already. She'd confirmed his login log. The code had activated.
'He must've seen it.'
All those cases inside. The raw, disgusting, yet perfectly stimulating videos.
Jeong Ji-un.
That man's gaze was unmistakable.
Playing the proper counselor, flashing a nice-guy smile—but that casual vibe when sorting patients? Not normal.
'One of us.'
Lee Se-yeon was certain. He was her kind: a pervert who got thrills from peering into others' depths, breaking them, dominating them.
Otherwise, it didn't explain.
Why that haughty B-grade magical girl, Min Seo-yu, turned into such a meek lamb in just a week.
They even went to a motel. He must've pulled some trick. She didn't know the exact method, but something special for sure.
The reason she was so sure?
She had a special ability as a magical girl too.
Like 'x-ray vision'. She could gauge the color of accumulated corrupted mana in others. Piercing bodies, reading the hue of flowing mana.
Since childhood, she'd seen too much. People lied, but mana didn't.
The more polluted the mana, the darker the color—the more the girl had strayed. Not a measure of good or evil.
But dark-colored women always, inevitably, met grim ends of self-destruction.
She loved watching those color shifts. Pure hues clouding, rotting, turning black and collapsing. Observing that secret breakdown was her sole pleasure, her hobby.
'But that man… was different.'
Jeong Ji-un.
D-grade mana sensor, temp counselor at the temp health center.
Seemed like an ordinary guy who'd lucked into a certification. That was her first impression.
'Fuzzy gray.'
Mana circuit present but weak, clean, unpolluted—normal person.
That was all.
But.
'Wrong.'
Lee Se-yeon twisted her lips, rolling the mouse wheel.
When he got involved with Min Seo-yu. When that haughty B-grade came blushing to see him, curiosity made her scrutinize Jeong Ji-un closely again.
And she saw it.
Beneath the gray shell, deep inside: the coiled essence.
'Black.'
Pitch darkness. Not ordinary pollution—viscous, dense tar-like mana rippling in his dantian depths.
As ominous as a magical beast's, yet greedier.
'Body stuffed full of corrupted mana… yet pretending to be fine on the outside.'
No way such a man was normal. No way he just 'counseled' at the motel with Min Seo-yu.
'Show me. How you broke that woman.'
Her breathing grew ragged.
Then.
Ding—.
A clear alert chimed in the quiet office.
Her eyes snapped to the top of the screen.
[Author: Observer_04]
"Why…?"
A deflating sound leaked from Lee Se-yeon's lips.
Observer_04. The ID she'd given Jeong Ji-un.
D-grade? Not Min Seo-yu?
"Some mistake… ah."
ID grade. Her oversight. She'd forgotten.
As a named user with over 100 posts, she'd blanked on new accounts starting at guest level.
"Ugh, nothing to be done…."
Reluctantly, she clicked the title. His first 'work', after all.
Screen shifted, body loading.
She scrolled slowly.
Her eyes narrowed as she read down.
'Withdrawal therapy. Pretty extreme.'
Ordinary counselors wouldn't dare. Confining a magical girl, blocking senses? Risky gamble—could trigger rampage or witchification.
But Jeong Ji-un executed it. Cool as ice.
'Interesting.'
Her gaze halted on the attached photo.
[IMG_001.jpg]
A D-grade magical girl, hands bound to the bed headboard, blindfolded, gagged. Her flashy transformation outfit rumpled and soiled, fluids and urine trails mapping the sheets between her thighs.
Lee Se-yeon let out an involuntary chuckle.
"What a taste."
Definitely a pervert. Composition, lighting, subject's state—all meticulously calculated 'training' results.
The pose radiated fear… and bizarre relief. Absolute dependence on a controlling master.
'D-grade, but reacts well.'
But that was it. She scrolled on. What she craved was the ending.
So, what happened? How much more broken?
"……?"
Her finger froze.
Complete cure?
Frowning, she double-checked the line.
'Complete cure?'
Typo? Meant symptom relief or suppression?
But it clearly said: succeeded in complete cure via 'extraction' of corrupted mana.
In this field, how taboo, how delusional that word was—he had to know.
Even if intriguing, this was disappointing. Braggarts had no charm.
"…Wait."
Her eyes locked.
'Min Seo-yu.'
One week ago.
Grade 2 judgment, forced rest. B-grade pollution doesn't fade easy. Usually a month-plus rest and pricey drugs for barely grade 3.
But.
'One day.'
In one day, her pollution grade improved. No drug records.
"Thought it was coincidence."
She'd assumed personal treatment, his own meds. Private counselors had their ways.
But after his post, unease stirred.
What if not bluff?
"No, impossible."
She shook her head. Extraction? Where to dump corrupted mana?
Source: magical beasts. Mana leaking from gates—beast blood and mana, corrupted.
'Incinerated somewhere? But the motel room was fine when I checked. Just… those traces.'
Bed soaked in lewd fluids. Yeah, that was all….
Doesn't add up. Baseless. But she bit her lip. The nagging sense of something unknown lingered.
"Gotta confirm."
First thing tomorrow, call him aside. No beating around—ask direct. What happened in that room? Basis for that 'complete cure' nonsense?
Next morning.
Sector 4 Temporary Health Center.
"Ah, Team Leader. Good morning."
"Yes. Hello."
Lee Se-yeon rubbed her tired eyes, entering the break room. Casual greetings to staff fumbling at the coffee machine, grabbed her mug.
'Not here yet.'
Jeong Ji-un's desk empty. Usually punctual—late today.
Hiss—.
Espresso extracting, she gazed out the window. Clear weather, but her mood was foul.
"Oh, Counselor Jeong's here!"
A voice turned her head. Entrance bustling.
"Sorry. Traffic."
Familiar voice. Jeong Ji-un.
Mug in hand, she stepped to the break room door. He was donning his gown, entering the office.
"Jeong Ji-un."
She called.
"A moment, please…."
Words failed. As he turned, eyes met.
"……?"
Her pupils quivered uncontrollably.
'What?'
Changed. In one day. No—precisely, in that short night since last parting.
Physical shifts too: taller maybe, broader shoulders, sharper jawline.
But not the issue now.
Her eyes. Her ability to see corrupted mana colors screamed.
'…What the hell?'
She inhaled sharply.
Around his body, invisible viscous black haze writhed.
Like a living thing.
Creeping from his shadow, coiling ankles, waist, neck—devouring upward.
Not human mana color. 'Witch.' 'Magical beast.'
Like the poison beasts spewed—frontline stuff.