Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter: 115. Slum Area (1)

“So, let’s go make some money.”

With everyone happily tearing apart warm flesh, I opened my mouth with a serious expression.

“That’s disgraceful; finish eating before you talk.”

It’s good that they’re trying to respond to me, but talking with food in their mouths is not a good attitude. Of course, Han Abin only looked curious but didn’t say anything with food in her mouth, so it was only Baek Sihyeon who committed the blunder.

Maybe it’s because she got scolded. Baek Sihyeon shoved the pizza in her mouth and opened up.

“Master, that… ack, hot! Ugh… hot cheese is sticking to my throat!”

“Here, Sihyeon. Cola.”

Fast on her feet, Han Abin quickly handed Baek Sihyeon a bottle of cola, after she managed to finish off her pizza. Baek Sihyeon’s flustered condition was comical, while Han Abin had already handled her pizza with grace.

I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Glancing at me as I stared at the silly antics, Han Abin tilted her head.

“What do you mean all of a sudden, Senior? Are we really going to make some money?”

“It wasn’t originally the plan, but…”

I shot a sideways glance at Baek Sihyeon, who was choking on her cola.

“Someone caused an accident.”

Meanwhile, the culprit was still desperately trying to stifle a burp.

I wonder if she knows that part of her salary will be deducted for this blunder. It’s not just my wallet; I can’t just let my student’s future be squandered.

“What did Sihyeon do this time?”

Han Abin, familiar with Baek Sihyeon’s antics, asked with a calm tone.

“I’ll just tell you that it involves damages in the hundreds of millions.”

“Then she’ll definitely need money…”

No sooner had Han Abin said that than Baek Sihyeon chimed in.

“She said we can just split the repayment! It’ll be fine if we just leave it!”

“Well, splitting it means around one million won each for sixty years, huh? That’s quite the shovel job,” I sighed, throwing a small document onto the table.

“Read this.”

Both of them leaned in to read it, the paper twisting awkwardly as they tried to position it for better viewing. Eventually, the words landed right between them.

By the time both of them had finished reading…

“So, we’re saying we’re going to go catch the bad guys? I’m in!”

The bright-headed Baek Sihyeon mumbled an answer without fully reading the document.

“…Senior, is this an official mission?”

Only Han Abin noticed the hidden secrets in the document.

It was cleverly disguised to look like an official mission, but the dark undertone within was unmistakable.

“Han Abin.”

“If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. This isn’t a mandate.”

I know this statement itself suffices as pressure, but it’s genuine, so I continued.

“If you live a normal life, that’s one thing, but there are good things, and this is one of them.”

Of course, being a hero is far from normal, yet it’s still something one can choose to ignore.

“What about Sihyeon…?”

Quick on the uptake, aren’t we?

“This request was originally a designated mission for Baek Sihyeon.”

Hyunseok brought this up to stop me from taking it, but right now, I’m completely ignoring his concern.

“And I snagged it using my connections.”

It was intended for her in the first place, and she just happened to blunder into it.

Swoosh!

Someone swallowed loudly. Was it both of them or just one?

“Baek Sihyeon, if you really want to keep being a hero, you must accept this request.”

I slid the document toward Baek Sihyeon to indicate that she should look more closely.

She quietly picked it up, inspecting her own section as if searching for what she missed.

In my mind, a hero is not someone who turns away from darkness; they shine even when faced with it.

So, this could be a turning point for Baek Sihyeon.

What would happen if I showed her the dark side of heroic society?

The worst outcome is that her pristine white transforms into black, but if her heart is pure, she might remain untarnished white, just as someone among us once did.

“So, in the end, we’re going to go beat up some bad guys, right, Master?”

After another look at the document, she casually spoke.

“Right.”

That statement wasn’t a lie. By society’s common standards, they’re definitely villains.

“Then I’ll definitely go with you! Let’s think about it once we get there!”

Now that’s a classic Baek Sihyeon response.

“What about you, Han Abin?”

Even in response to my question, Han Abin quietly shut her mouth and continued pondering.

It’s not that she wasn’t listening; she was looking at me and reacting.

She probably just needed time to think.

“If it’s too hard to decide now, give me your answer by tomorrow morning…”

“…I’ll go too.”

It seemed Han Abin had made her decision, cutting off my words.

“Can I ask why?”

“…Senior, you recommended I pursue a leadership role, right?”

Without any hesitation, Han Abin answered as if she had the answer all along.

“That’s right.”

“And since you disappeared, I did a bit of digging.”

Her words flowed smoothly.

“Hero experience is a requirement, and articles about confidentiality, no private life, brain manipulation… none of it sounded good.”

It’s all true for important positions in the Association.

“But… it was quite attractive.”

Her voice took on a higher pitch.

“Since my story isn’t progressing anyway, I might not retire; plus, being able to do something and the requirements for a leadership role align well with my strength.”

Sniping, healing, psychological skills. All of these are indeed fitting for a leadership position.

“So… I genuinely decided to aim for leadership…”

Her words paused briefly, as if this was the question she really wanted to ask, taking a deep breath.

“Is that confidentiality clause related to incidents like this?”

A dry smile formed on Han Abin’s face as if she expected this wouldn’t be her first time dealing with such matters.

Her gaze pierced through me as if she knew everything.

“Correct.”

And I confirmed that word was the truth.

“Then I’ll go too. It’s a social exploration led directly by you, Senior.”

“Alright, I’ll take that you both are going. You won’t need to prepare anything different, but be ready to face some grim sights.”

Saying that, I stretched my hand toward the now cold pizza on the table.

I should’ve mentioned this earlier.

Standing on the rooftop of the last moderately unsoiled building beside a heap of abandoned structures, I looked down at the destination.

There are various slum areas in Seoul, including the alleyways with the association’s branch office, but none are as filthy as this place.

Once, I thought about cleaning it up and starting anew, but it got prevented due to chaos.

The largest slum in Korea, located on the outskirts of Seoul.

“It stinks…”

“Abin, hand that over, the smell numbness agent… The students are already groaning from the stench!”

What are we going to do? If it’s this bad already, it’s bound to be worse inside.

Thinking that, I lifted my head to see a towering heap of garbage piled higher than the building we stood on.

About fifteen stories high, it’s a chaotic stack created by those who desperately sought a place to live.

The darkened plywood and wooden planks used for walls are likely sustaining this improbable structure through some kind of power.

The pipes protruding, continuously leaking filth, likely do nothing to improve the derelict building’s integrity.

“Did you put in the medicine?”

“I did, but… the smell won’t leave my nose. Ugh.”

“Thank goodness you advised me… Imagine how terrible it would’ve been without it.”

The two of them were trying to clear their noses, but it’s not the kind of smell that can be solved that easily.

With that horrendous stench, you either get used to it slowly or have no other option.

“Then, let’s go.”

“Master? What about the medicine?”

“Don’t need it.”

I’m used to it.

As I jumped from the five-story building, the students followed behind pinching their noses and landing in the slum area, I boldly took steps forward.

“Is your Master really going out like that?”

Baek Sihyeon asked, voice muffled through her nose.

She sounds ridiculous.

“To hide, we need to move through the sewers where the filth pours.”

Plop.

In agreement with my statement, a wave of repugnant black sludge fell beside us.

“Don’t we prefer not to?”

The students looked at the fallen filth and nodded with disgust.

“Don’t worry about it; just walk boldly since news will spread once we step inside.”

Thud.

I smacked a rock flying at me with my hammer, giving directions to the students.

Through the dilapidated curtain, past the stalls selling black food, and over the sewer beneath our feet.

Feeling the countless gazes directed our way from numerous locations, we squeezed between the narrow walls.

Nanjido.

Korea’s largest slum.

“Unlike outside, it’s cleaner than I expected…”

Han Abin remarked, pushing aside some annoying wires.

“Well, people live here, so they must clean around their homes.”

Of course, it’s only cleaner in their terms, with sticky filth stuck to the walls scattered around.

“Master, while we’re on the subject, may I ask something?”

“What is it?”

“Where are we headed right now?”

Well, obviously.

“I don’t know either.”

Han Abin’s face turned amusingly.

Maybe it’s because of the smell-numbing agent, but her facial muscles didn’t seem to function properly; it was an oddly stiff expression that made me find it strangely entertaining.

“Then where are we going?”

“Since you’re my senior, I’m sure you must have a plan! We’ll just follow along!”

Baek Sihyeon, who had been swinging her hammer without thinking, finally joined in on the conversation.

“Sihyeon, be careful; you might hit something.”

“It’s fine!”

Oh, right.

“And Abin? You asked where we’re going, didn’t you?”

Han Abin responded with a serious expression; she probably feared we might need to search through a maze.

“To be exact, I know the destination, but I don’t know where it is.”

“…So isn’t that hardly any different?”

“That’s why I’m looking for a guide while wandering around like this.”

“A guide? Do you know where they are?”

I hope I’m not looking for someone to guide us to the guide.

Well, she might be thinking such trivial thoughts.

“They’ll probably find us if we wander like this.”

“What on earth does that me—”

Crash!

Oh, here they come.

In a narrow alley filled with pipes, wires, and unrecognizable bumps, two individuals appeared at either end.

Looking severely undernourished, with their matching ragged clothes patched together multiple times, they resembled a quilt made of rags.

The sound we heard earlier was likely the noise of a liquor bottle smashing against the wall.

The man at the front brandished it as though it were a weapon.

“Hero gentlemen, what brings you here?”

The unmistakable hostility in his tone was palpable.

No doubt they thought we were here to rob them just because they saw women around.

That’s how people in slums are.

Normally, they’d be annoying, but at this moment, their presence was quite welcome.

“See?”

“Do you see?!”

Suddenly, Han Abin summoned a bow, stringing an arrow with a sharp tone, but I responded with a cheerful voice.

“The guides found us on their own!”

Though Han Abin might have wanted to speak, her face twisted in frustration.

But what can you do? This is a slum, after all.

It’s something I’ll have to get used to facing multiple times from now on.

“Sihyeon, go ahead.”

Giving the order to my student in that regard.

“Do I just knock them all out?”

With a roar like a wild boar, Baek Sihyeon dove in.

Smash!

Just like that, the thugs fell.

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