Chapter 131
Chapter 131
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 131
Chapter Title: Bolt from the Blue
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It was truly like a bolt from the blue.
On top of that... the rift that had appeared in the sky was no joke in size.
It wasn't just hovering over the school—it was an enormous scale that could engulf the entire surrounding area.
Honestly, I was dumbfounded.
After lying low for so long, was this their way of hitting all at once?
Still, it didn't feel like that big of a crisis.
The rift had only just formed, and above all... I was right here.
I didn't need help from any other mutants.
If I'd been far away, that might be different, but at least I had the power to cover the whole city even if it got completely overrun by rifts.
Kagak-!
Arms and bodies of monsters began bursting out of the rift in a frenzy.
From a distance, it was a sight you could call an omen of the apocalypse without argument.
Sure, just last year, plenty of people were grumbling about how the world had changed because of mutants, but now even those complaints had dried up.
The world they lived in had truly become a different place.
Anyway, I turned to Do-yeon.
"Just stay put here."
"H-Huh? Is that okay? What about the shelter...?"
I smirked at Do-yeon as she mentioned the shelter.
"No need."
With that, I dashed out to the wide-open sports field and spread my wings.
Whoosh-!
My massive wings unfurled. No need to revert to my main form.
Well then, shall we clean this up nice and easy?
* * *
It didn't take long for the peaceful school grounds to turn into a scene from hell.
I'd had plenty of experience over the past few months with just how horrific those monsters tearing through the sky were.
Even with the Mutant Management Bureau doing their utmost, casualties weren't entirely avoidable.
Blind spots in visibility were inevitable, and there were always occasional fatalities.
Human losses to monsters were a steady occurrence.
That's why everyone there was scrambling in panic, fleeing for their lives.
"Call the Bureau! Call the Bureau...!"
I heard someone shout. One of the teachers dialed the Bureau's number.
His legs must have been shaking, desperate to run himself... but he was a teacher with a duty to protect the kids.
-This is Yoo Ha-rin from the Mutant Management Bureau. How can I help?
"This is Nare Middle School in Suwon. Th-there's a massive rift in the sky...!"
-Nare Middle School... Got it. Sending agents right away.
"Please hurry!"
The moment he shouted that, a door suddenly appeared in the air where the teacher stood.
"Eek!"
The teacher jumped in surprise but relaxed once he realized what it was.
And soon, agents poured out of the door.
Among them, a lively girl with a shark tail flashed a bright smile at the teacher.
"Don't worry, we're Team 2 from the Bureau~ So... where's the rift? Let's see... Whoa, this thing's huge! Team Leader? I don't think we can handle this alone."
At Agent Song Min-ah's words, Ha-rin replied flatly.
"I dunno, doesn't seem like we'll be needed."
"Huh? After seeing that?"
"Seo-hyun unnie's here."
"Huh? The Director?"
"Look over there."
Ha-rin's finger pointed far off to the sports field.
Min-ah could now see Seo-hyun, just spreading her wings and about to take to the sky.
"Still, just in case, should we hang back?"
"Well... we might not even be necessary, but better safe. No calls from other areas yet?"
"Nope."
As the two Bureau agents chatted casually, the teacher just stood there, staring blankly at Seo-hyun.
The same went for people elsewhere on campus.
The eyes of those fleeing in terror all turned to Seo-hyun at once.
The moment she took flight, countless monsters finally ripped through the sky and plummeted toward the ground.
But... they never reached it.
The instant they started falling, Seo-hyun snapped her fingers.
Snap-!
She was way up high, yet the crisp sound rang out clear as day.
Everyone below could hear it perfectly.
And the sight that followed... left them speechless.
A single point appeared in midair.
Just as people wondered what it was...
Every monster dropping from the sky got sucked into the point all at once.
Crunch-!
The gruesome sound of flesh and bone being crushed echoed repeatedly, then fell silent.
Countless monsters beyond numbering had been pouring from the sky, yet they were dealt with in the blink of an eye.
Soon, the rift in the sky sealed shut, and the point Seo-hyun had created vanished.
"What was that?"
"What do you mean? First time seeing unnie go all out?"
"Yeah..."
"Oh, right. Newbies like you probably haven't seen her fight since she always handles everything solo."
Ha-rin watched the scene and shrugged it off.
"It's a kind of gravity magic. Like a black hole, you know? Similar principle. I don't know the details... but basically, she crushes them all in her own pocket dimension and stores them."
"Why store them? Oh, don't tell me."
"They're all money, so of course she does. Monsters are tough buggers—even crushed like that, they're still good for research or processing into materials."
"No way..."
"That's why I said we didn't need to step in. If they weren't worth cash, she'd probably just incinerate the lot. Unnie's on a whole other level from regular mutants."
Min-ah could only gape in shock.
She'd felt it during the Bureau's public recruitment too... but their Director's power was beyond measuring.
"What about Team Leader Yeon-hwa?"
"Yeon-hwa unnie's strong, sure... but comparing her to Seo-hyun unnie? Eh."
"Whoa."
"Anyway, looks like it's over. Let's head back."
"No goodbye to the Director?"
"Someone who can visit us anytime she wants? No need to bother. And unnie hates that formal stuff."
"Oh..."
"Time to go. HQ might get more support requests."
With that, Ha-rin opened a door.
In the spot where Min-ah and Ha-rin vanished, the teacher who had called them just stood there dazed.
Their worlds were just too different.
* * *
For now, the monster corpses seemed safely tucked into the pocket dimension—no issues there.
I folded my wings and landed.
Each one of those bodies is a fortune, so I can't just torch them carelessly. It's a real hassle.
Had to fine-tune my power so they wouldn't get too mangled, then store them in the dimension.
If they weren't valuable, I'd have just burned them midair and called it a day.
Anyway, situation handled... time to pick up Do-yeon.
As I headed back, I started feeling sparkling stares.
The kids who'd just watched me wipe out the monsters in seconds were clearly hooked now.
The parents were the same.
They must have been curious about just how strong the Bureau Director really was.
But maybe sensing I'd been in a foul mood today, none approached.
They just watched with curious eyes.
"Unnie!"
"No injuries, right?"
Do-yeon came toddling over and hugged me.
"What would I get hurt by... when you wiped them all out? But how'd you do that?"
"Unnie can use magic, remember? Just handled it with magic. Was gonna burn them, but... their bodies are worth a ton."
"Money? They make money?"
"Yep, big money. Anyway, ready to head home?"
"Yeah!"
I scooped Do-yeon up and spread my wings again.
"Wheeee!"
Do-yeon grinned ear to ear, just like that kid I'd given a ride to back when I first mutated.
School life's probably gonna be a breeze for her from now on.
Might even swing by this school now and then if she nags enough.
Probably end up surrounded by kids, showing off magic tricks.
* * *
Suwon Mayor Kim Jae-hyun touched his face, replaying what had just happened.
As expected... the Director's power was on another level from videos.
The sky filled with monsters.
Yet they were all gone in an instant.
In less than 10 seconds, a horde that could have wrecked the whole city vanished.
Jae-hyun realized his choice today had been spot-on, a hundred times over.
Along with how close his daughter had come to causing a disaster.
His face was grim.
Shock and betrayal from his daughter, plus guilt over him and his wife spoiling her rotten.
Looked like a long family talk was in order tonight.
* * *
Slap-!
A dull pain hit.
The kind she'd never felt in her life.
Ji-yu stared at her father in disbelief.
"Honey! Have you lost your mind!?"
"How much did we spoil her for her to turn out like this!?"
Jae-hyun's wife, Yeon-seo, couldn't believe her husband slapping their daughter the moment he got home.
What was going on? He'd been smiling happily before the parent observation... Yeon-seo couldn't comprehend.
"What happened? More importantly, why hit her!"
"You know what went down today!? We nearly lost everything!"
"...What happened?"
At Yeon-seo's question, Jae-hyun explained everything he'd seen and heard in detail.
Her expression hardened as she listened.
"Is that true?"
"Y-Yeah, Mommm..."
"You're the crazy one. No, I was the one out of my mind."
Yeon-seo felt the same as Jae-hyun.
She'd wanted to give her daughter everything she asked for.
Having lived shackled by her own parents, she didn't want that for her child.
So from middle school on, she'd granted every whim and minimized interference.
Worried overmeddling might restrain her.
But... this bolt from the blue.
She realized now she'd abandoned her daughter under the guise of freedom.
And never dreamed it would lead to this.
She'd watched Jae-hyun's life up close, too.
The betrayal she felt toward her daughter was as deep as his—if not deeper.
That said, Yeon-seo hadn't totally neglected Ji-yu.
She'd repeatedly warned her never to bully others just because her dad had status.
Yet her headstrong daughter had let it go in one ear and out the other.
Spoiled rotten, Ji-yu ignored her parents' guidance entirely.
And the person she'd targeted? The Director's relative, of all people.
One wrong move, and as her husband said, the family would've been ruined.
Yeon-seo clearly remembered the Director's words at her first press conference.
Touch my family, and I won't let you off.
Her legs nearly gave out.
"Cut Ji-yu's allowance and all her academies. Studies? Useless when she's not even human. And you—stay home for a while and educate her properly. Make sure she understands exactly what she's done."
"...Got it."
"D-Dad! Mom!"
Bam!
Jae-hyun stormed out, slamming Ji-yu's door.
Yeon-seo fixed her daughter with a cold stare.
The chill in that gaze was utterly foreign to Ji-yu.
Her always-warm parents turning like this? She never imagined.
They seemed like different people in an instant.
And then... Yeon-seo told her daughter outright.
"No more academies, no allowance, phone confiscated. And no more eating at the table for a while."
"...!"
"Like your dad said, take your time thinking about what you did wrong."
With that final word, Yeon-seo slammed the door shut.
In that moment, Ji-yu realized a wall had risen between her and her parents.
And that it wouldn't come down easily.