REAPER SCANS

Mr. Magical Girl

[Translator –  goguma]

[Proofreader – ilafy]

Chapter 27: The Past

I watched Sihyeon in silence as she swung her hammer, tilting her head in puzzlement. She seemed focused on something, murmuring to herself between swings.

Not wanting to disturb my student while she was concentrating, I turned to Abin to discuss our next steps. “You guys should head back home first.”

“What about you, Sunbae?”

“We still need to hand this over to the Association. They’ll be here in about nine hours. Do you want to wait on this mountain of corpses with me?”

Abin glanced at the pile of monster bodies scattered around us, then shook her head.

Yeah, she’d fought hard. It was time to rest. There was nothing better after a battle than a good rest.

“If it’s too far, you can ask Sihyeon to carry you. Also, let her know there won’t be any training tomorrow.”

“Are we resting on Saturday and Sunday too?”

Was it Friday? They could rest fully over the weekend.

“Yeah, tell her to rest up. This is Sihyeon’s first real battle, after all.”

Fighting me definitely didn’t count as a normal battle.

“Okay.”

“I might not be back from the Association this weekend, so don’t turn the house into a mess while I’m gone.”

“Even if I look like this, I’m a fully grown adult.”

I heard the dissatisfaction in her voice. It was clear Abin wasn’t fond of her younger transformation, and I couldn’t blame her. Her original appearance was completely different. Still, to my ears, it just sounded like a child complaining.

‘Even if I look like this, I’m twice your age, Abin.’ It wasn’t something I needed to point out, so I swallowed my words.

I watched Sihyeon dance on the other side, lost in her own world, drawing arcs with her hammer. It wasn’t destructive or efficient, just instinctive. Still I was satisfied to see my student’s growth.

“You’re not leaving right away, are you?” I figured even Abin would have a hard time stopping Sihyeon as it was.

“We’ll go once Sihyeon’s done.”

“She’ll go on for hours if you leave her like that.”

It wasn’t the first time Sihyeon had fallen into a trance while practicing with her hammer. I still couldn’t understand how her swings were that awful despite concentrating so hard.

“If she keeps going, just stop her and head home.”

“Okay,” Abin responded, but it didn’t seem like she had any real intention of cutting Sihyeon off. Instead, she began inspecting her bow, murmuring to herself as well.

* * *

They arrived 30 minutes earlier than expected.

A convoy of jeeps sped across the plains, heading straight for the small basin I had created.

“Over here!” I called out to them, waving my arms to catch their attention. The jeeps drifted to a halt, sliding to a stop around me in a cool maneuver.

The Association’s employees swiftly exited the vehicles, checked their surroundings with precision, and raised their guns toward me.

I raised my hands in surrender, showing I meant no harm.

“Safety secured!”

“Secured!”

Once the all-clear was shouted, the rest of the team disembarked.

The first group, dressed uniformly, looked like soldiers, but the ones stepping out after… What should I call them?

Unlike the soldiers, they wore flashy outfits, each sporting their own unique style and colors. If they moved in sync, it might have been a sight to behold, their vibrant gear and weapons like a scene from a painting.

They didn’t. Instead, the heroes dragged their feet, yawning lazily despite being on official duty.

Was I wrong to have requested something from them? As disappointing as their attitude was, the flashiness of their attire grabbed my attention again.

Turning away, I addressed one of the Association workers approaching me. “Haram Lee, Registration Number 01-005-M. I uncovered an organization in violation of the monster regulation law. I took appropriate measures to neutralize it after judging that it was an emergency situation.”

“Did you receive permission for this?”

“After identifying multiple B-Rank and C-Rank monsters, I suspected the presence of an A-Rank monster and prioritized immediate action.”

“To do that, you would need a Free Extermination License. Do you possess one?”

“I do.”

“Have you verified that this organization is not involved in another hero’s story?”

“I have confirmed it, yes.”

An endless barrage of questions assaulted me, but it was all pointless—they were simply just going through the motions, ensuring everything was legally airtight.

The questioning dragged on for a while before we finally neared the end. "Who disposed of which targets?"

"Registration Number 01-005-M took care of the A-Rank monster. 30-1376-M and 26-1943-M handled the rest."

‘Well, I did kill the B-Rank wolf too, but… that doesn’t matter much.’

"How should we distribute the rewards?"

"Equally. Split three ways." With that settled, we boarded the elevator together.

“Confirmed. I also notice that the three of you share a teacher-student relationship. That’s quite rare these days.”

"Is there a problem with that?" I asked.

"Not at all. It's just that not many heroes strive for strength anymore. I think it's because the world has become more peaceful."

His response caught me off guard—it was something I’d expect to hear from someone from the previous generation.

Curious, I inspected him more closely. Armed with a gun, his muscular body was clearly trained, and he had a rugged face to match.

For some reason, he seemed familiar.

‘Where have I seen him before…?’

“Are you an Awakener?” I asked.

“Awakener, huh. It’s been a while since I heard that word. No, I'm just a lowly guard who works at the Association."

His tone... it was familiar. Just then, a glint of light-blond hair poked out from under his helmet—blond hair that didn’t suit his Asian features.

"Henry... is that you?" I asked.

"You finally figured it out, Captain."

“I just didn’t think anyone would make things harder for themselves and still stay active at the Association.”

‘I can’t believe you’re still there after everything you went through in the assassination unit.’

“My current work is quite fulfilling. Though, I admit, it’s not as rigid as my old job.”

‘Fulfilling, huh?’ I stole a glance at the brats loudly chattering behind him—idiots who kept talking even after entering an enemy base.

“Is it really that fulfilling to watch over those idiots behind you?”

“They’ll retire in a year or two anyway. Isn’t it cute how bored they look because they’re not that popular as heroes? Reminds me of when I was a new recruit.”

“Cute, my ass.” Only people wearing rose-tinted glasses or with a screw loose would call them cute. “You guys were better than that, even as new recruits. Those are practically toddlers.”

Of course, I’d know—I was the one who trained them.

“I don’t think they’re too different from how I was.”

The elevator doors opened as Henry laughed, and the Association's employees began categorizing the corpses after securing the perimeter.

It was a task everyone handled, including Henry, their leader. The only exceptions were the heroes behind him.

Despite me even dragging bodies to help sort them, the heroes watched in disinterest, as if it had nothing to do with them.

The Association workers, seemingly used to the behavior, didn’t spare them a glance. I suppose I should’ve just been thankful they didn’t create more work for us?

Since they stayed silent, I decided not to express my frustration. Despite the awkward atmosphere, checking the secret base went smoothly.

When we reached the laboratory I’d stored the scientists in…

“Kya!” I heard someone letting out an intentionally cute scream.

‘Did I forget a monster?’ Judging from her tone, it wasn’t an emergency.

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - ilafy

Join our discord for updates on releases!!

https://discord.gg/reaperscans

* * *

I lazily dragged my hammer toward the door, scanning the room filled with scientists whose limbs were twisted in unnatural ways. 

A woman sat on the floor, clearly out of it. She wasn’t injured—physically, she was fine. What had happened?

“What? Did a monster show up?” Even though I didn’t sense anything, there could’ve still been a monster capable of hiding its presence, like the leopard.

“The scientists… they’re…”

“What about them?”

‘Let’s use our words.’

“Their limbs are…”

‘Ah, and here I thought it was something serious.’

“I did that, so don’t worry. You’re making a fuss over nothing.”

“Huh? But you—”

“Why are you so surprised? We didn’t have enough people, and that’s the best way to stop criminals from running away.”

“Isn’t this too much?” Did she snap out of it after hearing me? Her tone sharpened as she spoke.

I sighed. “Injuries like that can be healed easily at the Association, right? No one died, so there’s nothing to worry about.” She was overreacting—they’d be fine once they were hauled to the Association.

“But as people—”

“They are people, but they’re enemies first.”

What kind of mercy did that naive hero expect me to show?

“Still, as a hero, this isn’t right.” Did she even know who she was lecturing about heroism?

I leaned closer to the hero in green tights, who clearly didn’t understand the world. “If they escaped and created a monster that threatened humanity, would you take responsibility?”

“Hiek!” Her face turned pale as I released a bit of bloodlust.

“Did you consider the possibility that the monsters they created could kill countless civilians? Even the monsters here were strong enough to kill you.” I gestured toward the leopard, its intestines spilling out from a hole in its stomach.

She stumbled back, trying to distance herself.

I wanted her to tell me if it was really a situation in which we could treat them as humans. She collapsed, crawling over the bodies of the scientists, her hand stained with the leopard’s intestines.

“Tell me, do you think you could bear the weight of that responsibility?”

“Ur… Ahhh… Argh…”

As I continued to press her, someone grabbed my arm.

“Captain, I think that’s enough.”

“...So you think I went too far too, huh?” I glanced at Henry, who was lifting me by my armpits.

He gave a bitter laugh, pausing to take in the scene. “This is on the good side for us, yeah, but don’t be so hard on the kids.”

“...”

“For them, being a hero is just a fleeting dream. Most of them aren’t that invested.”

Hearing that soured my mood. “Can I go home?” I shrugged off Henry’s grips and hopped down.

“If we go by the book, you’d have to stay until we’re done, but…” Henry struck an exaggerated pose before whispering in my ear. “I’ll handle it if anything comes up. Go get some rest.”

“Thanks.” I slowly left the room, a mix of emotions churning inside me.

“Please message me later! I’m sure everyone will be happy to hear you’re back, Captain!” Henry called out.

I waved my hammer back in a half-hearted response.

* * *

"...And that’s what happened. That’s it."

“I see. That was quite a disaster, Mr. Lee.”

I took another sip of beer, sharing everything that happened to Octopus Head. Al'Shel seemed unusually engaged, reacting and responding well, which got me excited and sharing even more.

Did I want someone to talk to? I found myself getting more carried away by the alcohol. Alcohol doesn’t affect me at all, though. It was probably just my feelings.

“Ah, right.” I almost forgot—I hadn’t gone there just to chat.

Click—

The top of my hammer opened, and I reached inside, pulling out something sealed within. I tossed it to Al'Shel, finally addressing the second reason I was there. “Take this.”

“What is it?”

“An A-Rank monster seed.”

“This is quite rare.” Al'Shel immediately began inspecting it with the tentacles on his face. “It’s pure, a lattice type, even cut by an expert. Its structure is—”

What was he going on about? “I don’t know anything about that field, so your explanations don’t help.”

He excitedly rambled on, mucus spraying from his tentacles, but he stopped once I interrupted. “Ahem. My apologies. It’s just my expertise... More importantly, what are your plans for this? To trade it? If so, I could get you the cash right now—”

“Give it to Linshua. Tell her I’m sorry for the late birthday present.”

“...” Al'Shel blinked slowly, clearly not expecting that response.

I wasn’t sure what an octopus’s expression looked like, but I imagined he was either shocked or underwhelmed.

“What? I know I messed up too.”

“If that’s the case, then why not tell her yourself?”

“Even I have some shame.” I shook my head, closing my eyes. “It’s been years since I’ve seen her, and that’s entirely my fault.”

“I doubt she would see it that way...”

“That’s something only she can decide.” For some reason, I felt myself sobering up—it probably wasn’t as fun anymore. “Anyway, are you ready to take my DNA sample?”

“We are. However, the costs of an operation of this scale are quite burdensome for us. There was a discussion among the top brass, and it was approved... but with an additional condition.”

“What condition?”

“You must personally visit headquarters.”

Flash—

A black magic circle appeared beneath me, absorbing light as if it were flaunting the Otherworld’s powers.

I moved quickly, trying to escape, but a transparent barrier blocked my way.

“Al’Shel!”

"It’s a simple teleportation spell. Please, have a safe trip."

“What am I even supposed to say to her?!”

“Why not just apologize and hand over the gift? It's something anyone can do. Oh, and take this back.”

I reflexively caught the black seed he tossed at me, but that wasn’t important. The real issue was escaping the magic circle. I summoned my hammer, attempting to swing it, but...

‘My body is…?’ It wasn’t moving the way I wanted. My fingers twitched, and my swing felt sluggish—far slower than usual.

“Argh…”

The magic circle cracked, but the spell itself still held.

Was it too late?

"Oh, my goodness. How are you still moving after drinking the paralyzing poison Linshua made? That is incredible."

So that’s why he had been so quiet. He’d probably spiked the beer.

“Al’Shel!” I swung my hammer again, shouting his name.

Before it could make contact with the cracked magic circle, everything changed. The world around me shifted—the sights, the air, everything my senses perceived was suddenly different.

I had been teleported far away and arrived in a large workshop filled with countless black statues.

As much as I wanted to go back and turn Octopus Head into Squid Head, there was something far more important in front of me.

‘What should I tell her?’

What could I possibly say after abandoning everything and running away?

Splash. Splash.

I turned toward the sound of something slimy moving along. Countless black seeds rolled around the floor near her.

She was creating art—following her instincts.

The seeds reached her hands and transformed into clay, then into gems. The girl with long black hair was working hard, sculpting a statue of someone.

No—it was too obvious to just call it just someone.

She was creating statues of me.

An O-Rank monster was personally crafting a statue of me.

I couldn’t run away anymore—it was time to face my past.

Step—

My boots echoed through the workshop.

Splash—

The girl, who had been focused on her statue, stopped. She turned her head at the sound of the intruder breaking the silence.

Her long black hair swayed in the air.

A young girl, pale-skinned with a childlike face, locked eyes with me. “...Dad?”

My past had caught up with me.

____

Join our discord for updates on releases!!

https://discord.gg/reaperscans

____