Transformation or Death

Chapter 175

Holy Power (5)

“Coffee is ready.”

“Oh, thank you. Hmm... It smells good.”

After Haru’s brilliant apple mad movie ended, Cafe Baekho obtained a moment of peace.

“The barista seems skilled, but it must be difficult with no customers, right?”

“Haha, well, what can you do? But it’s worth it when customers occasionally come.”

“Oh, right. Come to think of it, was that owner over there a magical girl?”

“Yes. She’s retired now.”

“Then managing the cafe is kind of a hobby... And the hard work falls on her, right?”

Unexpectedly perceptive. Running this cafe was essentially nothing more than supporting Han Jae-jung, who became unable to get a normal job due to quests.

Even though the quest frequency has recently decreased, he still receives two to three quests a day. Small villain exterminations continue to happen daily.

Fortunately, after regaining his starlight, quick deployment and retreat became possible, reducing the frequency of meetings with the magical girl. Moreover, with Joo Ah-yoon’s help, he can now use the butterfly.

The convenience of quest completion has improved, but the salary remains the same. In fact, this employee’s salary is close to an endless deficit.

If magical girls don’t occasionally come and overspend, the salary would almost seem not worth it. Though they do make a significant profit from cocktails sold only at night...

Recently, with magical girls being very busy, even that small revenue has disappeared.

And then, the quests...

[Main Quest: ‘Pest Extermination’ is in progress. Non-urgent quests can be abandoned.]

This quest information was delivered by Belt after he regained consciousness.

Belt must have exploited the system’s loopholes to proceed with the quest in the most favorable way for Han Jae-jung.

He felt unexpectedly proud of Belt. Something unimaginable in the past.

“So how is it? Pass me the information. I’ll compensate you with a satisfactory amount.”

“I’m sorry, but this is just an ordinary tea shop, so I don’t have any information for the magical girl.”

“Huh? Did I ever mention that I was a magical girl?”

“Well, if a Japanese person who hangs out with that friend has a high probability of being a magical girl, I just roughly guessed. Looks like I was right.” ɽАNoΒĘṥ

Han Jae-jung looked at Haru. When their eyes met, she flinched and turned away while biting her straw.

“I, I won’t open my mouth again...!”

“Who said anything?”

“Because I’ve been screwed over by my loose talk more times than I can count... Today, I’m going into a silent meditation!”

She already broke her silence by saying that. Han Jae-jung didn’t bother to point it out.

What he wanted to address was Joo Ah-yoon.

‘What the hell is she saying.’

Unable to understand Japanese, he had no idea what she was talking about.

‘Why is he so good at this.’

Why is he competent in such strange areas? Even as a weeaboo, his skills were beyond imagination. Did he study something in the past?

Gradually, shadows began to form around Joo Ah-yoon’s eyes.

It was just a tiny stimulus. The humiliation of being a boss who only receives help from employees. Something that should have stopped right there.

For most people, being fluent in a language other than English is difficult. In fact, her inability to understand Japanese made her closer to average.

But now, that was no longer the case.

Like a droplet falling into a full glass and overflowing its contents, her already tired mind was hypersensitively receiving even the smallest stimuli.

Joo Ah-yoon had volunteered to be Han Jae-jung’s helper.

Life support, combat assistance.

Amid repeated self-blame that she hadn’t been helpful in anything, the fact that she couldn’t even help with communication was enough to plunge her into a sense of self-loathing.

Her role was wavering.

For people whose identity is tied to their role, this was quite a significant situation.

Joo Ah-yoon was one of those people.

‘Am I really being helpful?’

She had been stuck in this question for days.

A terminal, unreasonably short period, a task with difficulty far exceeding the time available.

In the midst of the current crisis, Joo Ah-yoon was still wandering.

“Hmm... If this continues, communication will be inconvenient.”

Magenta Helios muttered, looking at the dejected Joo Ah-yoon.

The lack of communication was just a trigger, and there was a more complex and heavy story behind that expression, but she couldn’t know that.

“Since we’re going to talk anyway, I’ll change my outfit.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m not a mentally ill character in a work of fiction. If I’m talking to myself, there must be a reason. What could it be?”

“...Hoping to be heard?”

“Correct.”

A girl around ten years old caught a red sphere floating around her. The sphere had comical facial features that seemed like they came from a children’s cartoon.

As the soft ball-like sphere was caught in her palm, it suddenly changed shape into a long rod.

“Since you heard it, you understand it, right?”

“What the hell...”

Before Han Jae-jung could stop her, the girl moved her lips.

“Dress up.”

[Dress up your star!]

Light filled the quiet afternoon cafe. It was warm like sunlight. Simultaneously, the light was cruel and arrogant. It shone its own light without caring about anyone’s gaze. It didn’t care whether its target was hot or burning.

Her brown hair that reached down to her back stretched longer and was painted pink. Her purple pupils were dyed a similar color to her hair, and her seemingly endless hair was tied into a ponytail with a cute ribbon.

Her white dress became more flowy, with a design laden with frills and ribbons. Pink also dyed the dress.

In an instant, a magical girl appeared.

Han Jae-jung was stunned.

“...Are you crazy?”

“Why, this way she’ll understand too.”

“But suddenly transforming like this...”

“Is there a problem?”

“Yes, there is.”

“Hmm~ What is it?”

Hearing her say it herself was truly creepy. Han Jae-jung thought to himself that her actual age was much older than her appearance.

‘She’s not an easy crazy girl either.’

Joo Ah-yoon also clicked her tongue in disbelief.

“It’s strange. Wouldn’t you normally be flustered? Right, Kimu?”

“Excuse me, the surname Kimu is a prejudice....”

“Someone I know said if you say Kimura, you’re already half right. Unfortunately, it seems wrong today.”

Han Jae-jung started to feel uneasy. Joo Ah-yoon seemed to feel the same. Throughout the conversation, Joo Ah-yoon, who had been behind the counter, was now moving outside.

“Right. Let’s ask for names. That bulky, scattered-looking boy and the girl who looks like a kid. What are your names?”

“What the hell?!”

“Look. How can I not be suspicious when I’m sincerely talking to a child like this?”

Watching Jo Ah-yoon, who was furious, Magenta Helios laughed again.

“Then again. I’m curious about your names...”

Swak-! A very tiny light particle spread widely. The utilization of the boundary line wrapped around her body. It attached to the outer edges of objects and marked their outlines.

“Oh, I’ll say it again. A person’s name, that is.”

Outlines were marked on everything in this cafe, revealing objects that were previously invisible.

[Oh no...!]

[My mistake. I’m sorry.]

Two iron balls floating in the air.

“Ursa Major and... Was the other one Cassiopeia? They’re a good pair.”

Magenta Helios twisted the corner of her mouth mockingly, then returned to her expressionless state.

“Brother!”

“...Seriously.”

Jo Ah-yoon grabbed the belt. Han Jae-jung also sighed and grabbed the belt. They didn’t want to fight, but they had no Jooice.

“Ah~ So you’re going to dispose of me now that my identity is exposed? Quite thorough. Okay, let’s play around with these young people.”

It felt quite awkward to refer to them as young based on the girl’s appearance, but right now, there was no time to care about such minor details.

Her identity was exposed. She didn’t know what the problem was. However, since the other party was a magical girl, the strange entity would never be forgiven.

“We can’t just sit back and take it.”

“Take it... Huh? Wait, aren’t you going to eliminate those who know the secret?”

“...? Why us?”

Magenta Helios’s expressionless face cracked. This time, it wasn’t a smile, but an embarrassed expression.

“Wait a minute. So why are you trying to fight?”

“You’re picking a fight right now!”

“A fight...? Is this it? Kids these days are weird.”

“You’re the weird one!”

Jo Ah-yoon couldn’t understand. What was this magical girl’s intention? Why was she harassing someone who was suffering on a time limit from the middle of the day?

“Seems like there’s a misunderstanding. I just wanted to talk.”

“Talk? About what?”

“That technology.”

Magenta Helios pointed to the belt.

“That transformation system.”

Ah, is that so. Han Jae-jung finally caught Magenta Helios’s intention. Despite her expressionless face, her eyes were sparkling like a child with a gift in front of them.

“That senior... Really completed it.”

She who had connections with Sky Polaris in the past. It wouldn’t be strange if she knew about this belt technology.

Helios didn’t come to fight.

She came to know about the legacy of the past.

‘If I play it right, I might even hear an explanation about the system.’

An unexpected harvest.

“You know my identity too, right? Then there’s nothing to hide.”

“Probably.”

“Just as you expected, I am Red Helios herself. I’ve become younger due to circumstances, but I’ve kept all my past memories intact. I know the senior Sky Polaris’s dream. I know what that technology is like. I know you’re human. I never expected it to succeed...”

Helios muttered in a nostalgic voice.

“So, will you tell me? How did you complete that transformation system?”

But the problem is...

“I don’t know.”

“What?”

“We really don’t know.”

The fact that they have no information to give to the other side. Not out of spite, but genuinely not knowing.

“What? Didn’t the senior tell you? Ah... Never mind. Then tell me the research lab. I’ll find it myself.”

“Don’t know that either.”

“Uh... Then, the blueprints! If we have the blueprints...”

“Don’t know.”

“...How did you get that belt?”

“Found it.”

It’s the truth.

“...Did that senior scatter this dangerous technology on the ground?”

For Helios, who was expecting knowledge and hope, she couldn’t give that gift.

“A completely unrelated ordinary person picked it up?”

Instead, she seemed to have given disappointment and despair.

“That crazy bitch?!!”

My thoughts exactly.

Han Jae-jung strongly agreed.

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