REAPER SCANS

Mr. Magical Girl

[Translator –  goguma]

[Proofreader – ilafy]

Chapter 9: Justice When I Do It, Evil When You Do

“Would you look at this…?” Chasing a hero racing through the streets on a motorcycle, I stumbled upon a scene I could hardly believe.

After settling onto a rooftop, she looked through the scope of her gun in a particular direction before starting to conceal her presence.

I watched for a moment, assuming she was the typical sniper type, before noticing something strange…

She was taking aim from the rooftop, even though there hadn't been any evacuation warning and people were still walking around.

Was she a sniper for the Association’s Assassination Unit who targeted monsters hiding in human society?

She was way too suspicious, though. There was no way a member of the Association’s Assassination Unit would move so sloppily.

While their quality might have dropped since I left, there was no way in hell they would advertise themselves as assassins by riding around alone on a motorcycle like that.

“It’s way too suspicious.” I bit down harder on the silver rod as I talked to myself. I had to find out what she was up to.

I leaped toward the building where her gun was aimed. The distance to the next building was quite significant, so I had to kick off more forcefully than usual, leaving a visible crack on the rooftop.

I felt a bit sorry for the building owner, but it was a necessary consequence to stop a suspicious hero.

A fierce wind blew between the buildings, assaulting me in my journey through the night sky.

Perhaps my new outfit was black to help me hide in the night… Not only did my black clothes and hair blend easily into the darkness, but my pale skin was also covered by black particles.

I dismissed it at first as a simple costume change, but I was starting to appreciate how it made it easier for me to stay hidden. It was almost as if the power had been given to me, knowing exactly what I needed. 

I crossed over the building… and quickly realized what the sniper had been aiming at.

“Take this! The iron fist of justice… Iron Fist!” A hero punched a monster while shouting an embarrassing line. 

Was he not ashamed? Is that what was popular? Instead of worrying about what to say, he should have practiced his punch and perfected his form.

Not to mention, he was naming his skills. What purpose did that serve other than to let your enemy know how to counter it? To top it all off, he had a cameraman filming him, probably streaming it live.

‘What a fucking mess.’

He had forgotten the resolve of a hero, becoming a clown more concerned with his image than his duties. Normally, I would have broken some of his limbs to teach him a lesson in justice, but… that day was different.

Someone else had captured my attention more.

‘I should observe the situation for a bit.’

No matter how I looked at it, he was just an ordinary hero of the era. Was there any reason to kill him? I hid between the buildings.

The monster and hero exchanged blows, with the hero seemingly having the upper hand…

“Ultimate attack! Apocalypse Strike!” The hero, as if boasting about his ultimate skill, pulled his arms and chest back before flying forward with both fists outstretched.

I couldn’t bear to watch it anymore; it was way too embarrassing. All he was doing was charging and hitting the ground afterward.

At that same moment, I sensed a bullet being fired from the other building.

A brief flash caught my attention, and the bullet whizzed past my eyes.

Bang—

A faint sound trailed after the bullet that could easily be drowned out by the countless noises of the city if you weren't paying attention.

Seeing the direction the bullet was headed, I heightened my senses as much as I could. By concentrating mana toward my head, I could enhance my five senses to the point where time seemed to slow down.

I watched the air split apart in the bullet’s wake, its small spiraling trajectory visible ahead.

With my heightened cognitive abilities, I eyed the bullet's path… It would hit the hero squarely in the head. If it stayed on course, the bullet would end his life.

“That’s a bit much to just let happen.” Even if I didn’t like him, taking his life was a completely different matter. I couldn’t just let one of my juniors die like that.

‘He’s really lucky, huh?’

I bit down harder on the rod in my mouth and kicked off the building I was hanging from, causing the entire structure to shake from the impact.

The shockwaves shattered the building's windows, sending shards of glass flying everywhere.

My goal was to intercept the speeding bullet.

Fortunately, an evacuation warning had been issued, so no one else was around. With no one to worry about and a life on the line, I could use my powers freely.

Thud—

I landed in front of the hero, and the concrete pavers beneath me shattered, sending chunks of debris flying into the air. I caught a glimpse of the hero’s surprised expression through the fragments, but that wasn't important.

“Hero Ambushe…”

‘Don’t worry. You’re not the one I’m ambushing today.’

I raised my crowbar in the bullet’s path.

Clang. Graaaaaate—

* * *

Reaper Scans

Translator - goguma

Proofreader - ilafy

Join our discord for updates on releases!!

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* * *

The bullet spun in place faster after striking the head of the crowbar.

I felt the weight through my arms. Realizing that it could slip through if I didn't stabilize it, I supported it with my right arm as well.

I’d initially thought it was an ordinary bullet, but there was a persistence and weight behind it that made me realize it was far from ordinary. It was likely a special bullet designed for special or large monsters, which probably meant it also had some sort of additional effect.

Rumble rumble—

Flames erupted from the back of the bullet, increasing its power.

‘Too late.’

While it might have worked if I hadn’t realized it was a special bullet, it was meaningless. I simply twisted the crowbar, sending the bullet flying straight up.

Fwooosh. Boom—!

The burning bullet soared into the air and erupted in an explosion.

I watched the fireworks show of exploding money. ‘A bullet with an enhanced impact spell, secondary propulsion, and explosion… those bullets must be disgustingly expensive. How many effects are they going to pack into a single bullet?’

“Hero Ambusher! What did you just do?!” the hero shouted behind me.

‘Hero Ambusher?’ Based on the context, he was probably referring to me. I gave him a dry smile before walking closer to him. “Someone was trying to attack you, so I stopped it. You’re thankful, right?”

“There’s no way I’d believe that.”

‘Don’t believe it if you don’t want to.’

“You’re supposed to say ‘thank you’ in situations like this, you little shit.”

I planted my feet before throwing a punch squarely on his jaw—partly to teach him some manners and partly because I was too lazy to explain. It would be easier if he were unconscious.

Was it because I didn’t hold back? He couldn’t react to it at all.

“What…?” That was his final word before the hero fell unconscious to the floor from the strike to his chin.

Thud—

The massive fists hanging from his arms also fell after their master collapsed, unable to move.

‘Now that this side is pretty much handled…’

I turned in the direction the bullet had come from and spotted the frightened sniper trying to run away.

‘It’s time to ask her who she is.’

Flashing a smile at the camera, I leaped toward the girl from the destroyed tiles.

My jump further crushed the scattered tiles and spread dirt everywhere, but it wasn’t my concern. The Association would handle it, either by compensating for the damage or handling the cleanup.

I needed to find out who that woman was.

* * *

Crrrshk. Clang—

I nearly overshot the rooftop. Thankfully, I managed to latch onto the roof railings with the end of my crowbar, but I also ended up pulling the railing out in the process.

Seeing the steel railings crushed by the end of my crowbar, I had the fleeting thought that I needed to use my powers more often. It’d been so long since I fully exerted them that I’d lost my touch.

‘I wonder if that hero from earlier is alright… I did hold back somewhat, but I hope I didn’t break his jaw.’

“Hiek…”

After tearing off the metal railing attached to my crowbar, I stared at the scared woman and tossed the railing segment toward a corner of the roof.

Clang. Clang—

The crushed metal clattered along the tiles, and I took another step toward her.

With each step I took, she crawled back in fear.

“D-Don’t come any closer…” She continued to tremble as her voice cracked, terrified. There was no reason to listen to someone like that.

“Who are you?” I asked while rubbing my chin with the crowbar.

“Ah… Urh… Ahhh…” She seemed to be sinking further into fear, trembling uncontrollably and making incoherent sounds.

“I won’t kill you, so answer me. I’m sure you don’t want to go skydiving from here without a parachute.” I pointed toward the broken railing with my crowbar. “There’s an open spot right there.”

“I…”

“I?”

“…I respect you, Hero Ambusher!”

‘What nonsense is this?’

Seeing the scowl on my face, she quickly tried to correct herself, her expression growing even more terrified. “I guess you don’t like being called ‘Ambusher’? Or did I do somethi–”

I stared straight into her eyes. “I’m a bad guy who ambushes heroes. A hero like you shouldn’t be respecting someone like me.”

People referred to heroes like that as ‘corrupted heroes’ or ‘villains’. 

For someone who claimed to respect me, she certainly seemed scared. She trembled more before stuttering, “I… I was moved after hearing you say that heroes these days aren’t like the old heroes, but since I’m not strong enough to beat people on camera like you—”

“You tried to kill them by sniping them? To escalate it?” I asked.

“Y-Yes. The media only mocks you. No one talks about your ideas…”

“So you wanted to increase the scale, is that it?”

“Yes.”

She was a hero influenced by my ideals. It wasn't bad. Not only did she understand my ideals, but she also tried to support them. “Not bad. You’re right, heroes these days are wrong.”

“Thank you for understanding!” Still trembling, she smiled happily as she raised her head, excited to have heard a compliment from me.

“You know…” I raised my crowbar. “I never once thought about killing them.”

I swung the crowbar down.

Crush—

“Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!”

I crushed her right hand. The spine-chilling sound of breaking bones echoed across the rooftop. She screamed and scrambled, clutching her right arm with her left.

‘So loud. You sound like a child screaming.’

After a bit of time for her to narrowly grow adjusted to the pain, she looked back up at me. “Wh-why?”

“I don’t think you understood it fully. I don’t hate kids these days. Bright heroes? They’re good.”

“Hiek…”

I observed her bright, innocent eyes. “Heroes? Also good. They work to maintain order and receive the rewards they deserve. Kids these days don’t understand hardship. They think being a hero is simply something to be happy about, where you can make money and become popular.”

‘They don’t know about the battlefields drenched in blood and flesh. They don’t understand death or the persecution heroes once faced. Without it, they will never become strong heroes. They will never become perfect heroes. That is why I will bring them hardship.’

She tried to speak again. “That’s why I was trying to raise awareness in society, and—”

“Stop.” I cut off her worthless words. “You were in the wrong the moment you tried to kill a fellow hero. That isn’t justice. A hero should never do that.”

She started to mouth something, as if there were something more to say, but before she could speak, I continued sharing my ideals. “I don’t care about their current standing. It’s a necessary job, and they are being treated fairly for the work they do in the eyes of society. That’s not a sin worthy of death.”

I tried to persuade her. “Still, they can’t call themselves heroes. Only those who endure hardship, face sadness, and make sacrifices can truly be called heroes. It isn’t a title that can be given lightly.”

I raised my crowbar. “That’s why…”

I struck down. “If you want to continue spreading my ideals, remember my words.”

I raised my crowbar. I struck down.

Because she did something unheroic, I broke another leg.

* * *

“Hm hm hm~” I happily hummed to myself while heading home.

Not only did my hunt end well, but I also managed to help a struggling hero and meet a woman who shared my ideals. It was the first piece of good news I’d had since starting.

In the end, I bought a lot of snacks and beer from the supermarket and headed home with bags full of them to celebrate.

Clang. Clang—

The sound of the beer cans clinking together was almost music to my ears. I returned home happily, even willing to forgive Unho if he ate snacks and scattered crumbs everywhere.

“I’m back, Unho.”

“You’re late.”

‘A man’s voice?’ 

As I entered the living room and looked toward the strangely familiar voice…

“Where did you come back from, Haram?”

“Why are you at my house, Hyunseok?”

Wearing a spotless navy suit, and with his hair perfectly slicked back, the man in my living room clearly seemed like a distinguished individual…

Hyunseok Park, Branch Manager of the Hero Association’s Korean Branch, was sitting down in my living room, sharing snacks with Unho.

____

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