Mr. Magical Girl

Chapter: 124. The Rat and the Rat (3)

“Is the story over?”

After finishing up with Old Man Ri, we stepped out of the room and were greeted by the man who had guided us.

Was he originally disguised for wandering outside? Now, he was dressed in a sleek black suit and glasses.

Looks like he’s quite high-ranking.

From his outfit, he didn’t seem like someone who lived in the slums. He could easily blend in as a worker in Seoul’s bustling areas.

He probably goes out regularly. Maybe he’s a contact for the Association.

But still, I couldn’t let that shamelessness slide.

“Don’t pretend you don’t know when you’ve been watching.”

“I’m not sure what you mean,” he replied with a straight face.

So shameless.

“It’s not behind the wall… but under the floor. You were probably hiding there watching us, right?”

The wooden floor and shabby walls were all traps set for an ambush.

The entire room could be considered a giant trap.

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken? I’ve been here the whole time.”

The man stubbornly insisted this with that same shameless expression.

I don’t know why he’s being so stubborn, but it doesn’t matter, I’ll let it go.

“Ah, right. Next time you hide, pay attention to the airflow. If there’s smoke or dust in the room, you can see where the air is flowing.”

I waved my hand, signaling to end this topic.

I was already too tired from arguing with Old Man Ri, and I didn’t have the energy to bicker with this guy.

“…Thank you for the advice.”

“Forget it. You said you were alone, but it must have been someone else.”

It seemed he understood my words, as he quietly lowered his head.

“So, will you be guiding us back too?”

“Ah, about that…”

Just as the man raised his head to answer my question,

“Let’s rest! Rest! I’m tired!”

If it were any other time, I would’ve said something, but right now, I totally agreed with Sihyeon.

The two students seemed to have noticed the moment he started talking and began whining.

What are they, children?

“We’ve rested enough!”

“You call sitting down for a bit after running for a few hours resting?”

“You carried me here!”

“I ran, so it’s okay for me to take a break?”

“You’re still full of energy. Run a little more.”

What a bunch of nonsense.

Back in my day, I ran across the Siberian plains while chewing on tree roots.

I wanted to yell at them but managed to keep my mouth shut to avoid sounding like an old man.

“Just one hour!”

“And when do you plan to go back then?”

“Then how about 30 minutes!”

“30 minutes will turn into an hour.”

“10 minutes!”

…Is this even going to help?

Just as I was about to say something about their foolishness,

“May I say something?”

The previously forgotten man interjected into our conversation.

“What is it?”

“It’s about resting, right? You look tired too, sir!”

“Sihyeon, calling a stranger ‘sir’ is a bit…”

Was it because he was called ‘sir’? The man’s facial muscles twitched slightly.

But despite that, the professional information broker didn’t lose his smile.

“I’m not a sir, calling me ‘oppa’… that’s a bit much. Please call me ‘uncle.'”

…Is he for real?

What’s going on? Is there not one decent person around here?

“Can we just get on with it? Whether you call me uncle, grandpa, or whatever, let’s move on!”

How much longer are they going to act like fools?

“Oh. I’m sorry. I was just shocked by being called ‘sir.’”

Come on, I’m not that old.

…Oh right, he lives in the slums. He might not have served.

“Anyway, back to the journey.”

The man cleared his throat awkwardly, trying to ignore the earlier incident.

“Starting with the bad news… we need to leave right away.”

“Good.”

The students’ sighs echoed in the background, but to me, it was pure good news.

This was a chance to get some leg exercise. Come on, students. In important moments, what stays with you are your legs.

“Well, the good news is… the journey back won’t take even 10 minutes.”

My dumbfounded exclamation overlapped with the students’ surprise.

I hadn’t expected that. To cover a distance that took hours to run in just 10 minutes? Even in this warped world, that sounds impossible.

Plus, it was only after entering the upper-levels that the man actively started utilizing spatial distortion for movement.

If there was a reasonable explanation…

“Did you drill a straight hole or something?”

If I dropped from the top to the ground, I’d probably make it in under 10 minutes, right?

“Well, I suppose anyone except for this Hero would end up dead, but…”

Well, that makes sense.

“Just follow my lead for now,” he said, and slowly opened the doors we first entered.

The hallway we initially walked through appeared again.

The students sighed with wonder just from seeing the hallway, but for me, it didn’t matter if it was a lie, so I quietly followed behind the man.

“…This is really tiring.”

“It’s just 10 minutes… hold on.”

Despite their complaints, the students seemed resigned to follow us.

As the two corpses exited the door, it closed behind them.

“Well then, follow me.”

The man resumed his originally emotionless demeanor and led us.

It was unlike when we had sprinted here; his stride was leisurely as if we were taking a stroll.

Even our two idiots seemed fine with this relaxed pace and stopped complaining.

About five minutes into walking…

“We’re almost there. Here, take this.”

The man stopped in a dead-end alley and tossed us something.

Three items soared through the air.

Since it seemed like each of us got one, I reached up and snagged the one that was flying the lowest.

Unable to identify what the object was, I instinctively asked Na Eun.

If it were something bizarre, I’d guess it was related to the Otherworld, but it seemed just too ordinary.

A keychain with an animal tail.

The end fur was gray, so I couldn’t tell what creature it belonged to, but it was an accessory you’d see often.

“There are rats that live in this slum.”

As everyone stared blankly at it, the man spoke up.

“These rats, horrifyingly enough, can teleport.”

Rats?

I was a bit surprised, but thinking it over, it could definitely happen. They’re powered by the Otherworld, so it’s possible for them to become monsters.

“This was crafted after many studies by the elder, who focused on that. The only problems are that it can only connect two places, and the elder has to calibrate it for individual users…”

“Ah, got it. Enough with the details.”

So this means if I carry this, I can teleport. The real reason I needed to come all this way was to see Old Man Ri.

“Eh? I’m not sure about this.”

“Abin will explain it later.”

I left the clueless Baek Sihyeon behind and casually attached the keychain to my waist.

“So, does this mean I can just charge down that alley with this?”

“Exactly.”

As I took a small step, the familiar feeling of spatial dizziness washed over me.

The floating sensation, the distortion of perception, and the grayness clouding my vision.

This is definitely it.

“Where does it lead?”

“To our hideout in the market. Feel free to use it, but do keep in mind that there might be brothers trying to use spatial movement as well, so be cautious.”

Seems like the slum has developed strange technology while I was gone. Back in the day, we just ran everywhere, and now it’s teleportation.

“Sihyeon, Abin. Let’s go.”

As I said this and turned to look at them,

“Wait a second! This is teleportation, right? Then I’ll get motion sickness… I need to take a moment to calm my mind…”

“Huh? It’s teleportation? Master, wait a minute; let me take a deep breath first.”

Both Han Abin, who had already caught on and was preparing, and Baek Sihyeon, who had just realized what was happening, started mumbling.

“Simply…”

I grabbed both of their arms and pulled them along.

“Kyaaaaaa!”

With a long scream, we crossed through space.

“We’ve arrived.”

“Welcome… I… huh?”

Was it thanks to yesterday’s feast?

The normally polite Dami came out to greet us, surprisingly respectful.

Though her polite mask twisted at the sight of the two students.

“Gonna throw up… Ugh.”

“Sihyeon… get your hands off… that’s my waist…”

“What’s wrong with your waist… it feels nice and squishy…”

“Don’t touch me…”

– Is there a stupid boundary laid out in this slum? Because all I see here are my students acting like fools.

“Why are the older girls acting like that?”

“It’s motion sickness from teleportation.”

I answered Dami’s question, but she looked at me blankly as if she didn’t understand a word.

“Motion… sickness?”

After all, since teleportation isn’t common, many might not know that you get sick when teleporting.

“Ah… for someone who hasn’t experienced teleportation, it’s a bit tough to explain… but generally, if I were to hold you and spin you around for about 10 minutes, what would happen?”

“They’d die?”

They probably won’t die.

At my absurd question and her answer, I couldn’t help but make a face.

“Ah, I get it now! The older girls went through a tough experience!”

Quick on the uptake, Dami quickly explained and covered her own mistake.

“Right.”

After that brief exchange, the students turned to look behind them.

“You’re fatter…”

“No way, Sihyeon, you’re the one who’s fatter…”

They were two idiots poking each other’s bellies.

…Pretty sure their brains have gone haywire. Are they really okay?

From Dami’s serious face as she chose her words, it seemed they looked really foolish.

…They should be fine. Probably.

I hadn’t anticipated they would break down like this.

It seems unstable teleportation affected their minds.

Well, considering it was an animal technique they were using, such side effects could definitely happen.

I myself almost lost my balance when I teleported before.

Let’s believe that. Even though I feel like I’ve done this many times, I should believe it.

“Um… but…”

What is it?

“The older girls aside… um…”

Dami was mumbling, looking at me.

It seemed like she wanted to ask for something but couldn’t get the words out.

I took my eyes off Dami and looked around the room.

A slurping sound from their mouths.

Two kids staring at me as they suck their fingers.

I already knew what they wanted.

Walking towards the central table, I said,

“Food, huh? It’s right here.”

Thud.

The food bag thudded onto the table, proving its weight.

Compared to yesterday, the amount hasn’t changed much, but the weight increased because it included drinks. I remembered how the kids had practically choked themselves trying to shove food in yesterday.

“Is it okay if we eat…?”

“Didn’t you ask that yesterday?”

Yesterday they ate fine.

Now that they actually did it, they might have realized how rude it was.

Judging by my thoughts, the kids were focusing on the food bag, quietly licking their lips.

This isn’t the atmosphere I wanted to create.

I said it jokingly for a moment, but it seemed to have been taken differently by them.

I really shouldn’t be judging Hyunseok’s sense of humor right now.

I thought maybe the students would lighten the mood, but those two idiots were just rolling around on the floor.

Well, what can I do?

“Eat as much as you want. Stop being so cautious; I bought this for you to eat.”

I patted Dami’s back.

Of course, I controlled my strength.

Dami whimpered for a moment as if it hurt, but soon, a happy emotion escaped her lips, and simultaneously…

The chaos from last night was recreated.

Maybe it’s because it included drinks; black and red liquid wafted through the air.

Thanks to that, today’s meal table was messier than yesterday’s, but…

I didn’t feel bad at all.

“Master, could you put that bread in my mouth?”

“Senior… is there no porridge…?”

Those two idiots aside.

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