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Gyeoul is at it again…

Even before, she was a fourth-dimensional being who enjoyed random jokes and spouting strange things, but ever since coming to the Demon Realm, it seems to have gotten worse.

At this very moment, right before a fight breaks out, she asks how many generations of punches there are.

I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle.

“Hayan… You laugh at this stuff, so she keeps doing it.”

“I-I’m not laughing because it’s funny, I’m laughing because it’s absurd…”

Gyeoul has been like this since elementary school, but to say it’s because of me…

Seolhwa unnie tends to favor Gyeoul too much.

‘Well… I can’t blame her for liking such a cute kid. But it’s a little disappointing.’

I’m not the type to be called not cute either…

My parents said they didn’t have time to hold me when I was little.

Apparently, everyone who saw me wanted to hold me.

I was the neighborhood’s top star.

The idol of the Taebaek Group.

The mascot of the business world.

These days, it all feels like a lie.

Everyone just dotes on Gyeoul.

Well, even I would prefer Gyeoul over someone like me…

‘No! Thinking like that is bad.’

Being with Gyeoul is so nice, but sometimes I feel strange.

Every time I think like this, something bubbles up inside me.

Inferiority complex? Jealousy? A sense of inadequacy?

Or is this what they call Middle School Second Year Syndrome?

“This time, I’ll do it.”

“Huh? Hayan?”

Ever since coming to the Demon Realm, Gyeoul has suddenly started acting mature and switched to genius mode.

Seolhwa unnie, true to her nickname, has been showing off incredibly useful abilities.

Ha-yul unnie stays quiet, but once she starts, it’s no joke…

Lin unnie is busy writing some kind of paper even in the Demon Realm.

Compared to them, I’m not doing anything, just tagging along like a little stream.

I’m not a stream, but I keep babbling like one.

Even in times like this, I need to step up to make my presence meaningful.

If I don’t step up like this, my existence will fade away.

I’m not a child who needs to be taken care of forever.

***

The demons, who had been warming up, began to move toward the expedition team.

“You humans will regret coming this far.”

“Ugh. These f***ing racist bastards never get old, do they?”

Jeong Ha-yul glanced at Jeong Gyeoul but pretended not to notice and fixed her gaze on the demons.

She wanted to run out and fight right away to avoid Ha-yul’s gaze, but Lee Ha-yoon had personally asked her to handle this situation.

Feeling the back of her head burning, she sat down.

“Sigh…”

As Jeong Ha-yul sighed and sat next to Jeong Gyeoul, the other expedition members followed suit.

Everyone except Lee Ha-yoon took on the role of spectators.

“This would be perfect with popcorn. Does anyone know a magic spell to make popcorn?”

“If such a thing existed, mages would have solved the world’s food crisis by now.”

“They can create fire, ice, and lightning, but why can’t they make a single corn? What a mysterious world… Isn’t there a way to carry a seed, link it with earth magic, sprout it, accelerate its growth, and harvest it in minutes? Frying it into popcorn would be easy. The problem is making the corn.”

Park Seol-hwa and Lin Hazel stared at Jeong Gyeoul, who suddenly started pondering magic, with disbelief.

“Don’t just talk about it, why don’t you try researching it yourself?”

“Hmm, if we could just magically create crops that farmers have poured their blood, sweat, and tears into, all the farmers in the world would be devastated. Such magic probably doesn’t exist and shouldn’t exist.”

“…”

Jeong Gyeoul, who hates tedious and boring things, immediately changed her stance as soon as the word “research” came up.

Perhaps seeing this situation as an opportunity, Park Seol-hwa started listing the benefits of research and subtly tried to steer the conversation toward potion development.

“Those pests!”

“Kill them all!”

The demons, clearly offended by being ignored, began to charge.

“Making potions might be fun, but… it’s just boring. Unnie, you’re always whining about it too.”

“Unnie has been doing it for over a decade, so that’s why. When you first start making them, it’s really fun. It’s incredibly rewarding and satisfying. Seeing the potions you made being sold worldwide and saving people…”

Whether the demons were charging or not, Park Seol-hwa’s persuasion continued.

Of course, Jeong Gyeoul wasn’t convinced.

The expedition members, ready to watch the fight, were having their own conversation.

Lee Ha-yoon had already gathered her magic power.

She created two magic rails and placed them side by side, applying a strong voltage to both.

A magic technique Lee Ha-yoon had shown during a battle with the Satan Church.

“A railgun?”

“…I’ve read the papers reported in academia, but this isn’t a magic meant for one-on-many battles.”

By creating magic rails and placing a conductive magic projectile between them, a circuit is formed as the magic-induced current flows.

The current flowing through the rails accelerates the magic projectile to an incredible speed and fires it.

It was a magic that utilized the principle of a railgun.

Hence, its official name became the Railgun.

In a one-on-one battle, especially one where there’s time to prepare magic, it could literally be a finishing move.

But in a situation like this, where it’s many against one.

Without a vanguard to protect until the magic is complete, its utility value drops.

Seeing Lee Ha-yoon leisurely preparing the Railgun, Park Seol-hwa muttered worriedly.

“Shouldn’t we help her now…”

“Unnie, you tend to underestimate Ha-yoon too much. She’s also S-Class. Even if the buff guys look scary, thousands of them wouldn’t be a match for Ha-yoon.”

“W-When did I ever underestimate Ha-yoon…”

Park Seol-hwa waved her hands in protest, but she couldn’t continue because she felt a little guilty.

Compared to Jeong Gyeoul, she did see Lee Ha-yoon as far below and thought of her more as a child to be taken care of than a fellow combatant.

As Lee Ha-yoon created the conductive magic projectile for the Railgun.

The demons, startled by the sudden surge of magic power, charged at Lee Ha-yoon.

They were on par with regular troops, or perhaps even stronger…

But still, their strength was only at the level of B-Class Awakened Ones.

Compared to Jeong Gyeoul’s fists, the demons’ punches seemed to crawl in slow motion.

Lee Ha-yoon lightly dodged the demons’ attacks, humming a tune as she inserted the conductive magic projectile.

“You slippery little brat!”

“Guys! Bring out the tools!”

Realizing the limits of just punching, the demons began pulling out tools from their pockets, waists, and backs.

Some even reached into their underwear to pull out weapons, and the expedition members frowned at the sight.

“Ugh, if that hits, it’ll be contaminated.”

“Gross! Why do they keep stuff there?”

“…I’m not necessarily taking their side, but unnie, you sometimes use your chest as a pocket too.”

Jeong Gyeoul scanned the expedition members’ chests, saying they weren’t much different, and everyone was left speechless.

They had indeed used their chests as cup holders for cans with straws… and when wearing clothes without pockets, they’d tucked their phones between their chests.

Meanwhile, Lin Hazel, who had glanced down at her own chest, muttered quietly.

“…I used it because it was useful. Is that bad?”

“W-We don’t keep stuff in our underwear though!”

Whether the expedition members were chatting or not, the demons with their tools began their attack.

Even at that moment, Lee Ha-yoon didn’t stop assembling the Railgun or humming.

She dodged the tool attacks with the same light movements as before.

When a demon with a long-reach weapon approached, she’d throw an ice spear.

She continued the beautiful battle with movements like a game character.

“Why is she humming while fighting…”

“Isn’t she a magic type? Her movements are like a physical type. People would think she’s a dual Awakened One.”

“It’s all thanks to training with us Jeong sisters. If you guys exercised and sparred with us for a few years, you could be like that too.”

“No thanks, magic alone is enough.”

“…Are those things coming at us too?”

With a considerable number of demons gathered, they weren’t just targeting Lee Ha-yoon.

The demons at the back began to move toward the expedition members.

While debating whether to let Lee Ha-yoon handle it or step in.

Flash—

The ground exploded with a loud bang as a flash erupted in front of the demons.

“Aaaah!”

“Ugh! My arm! My arm’s gone!”

The expedition members looked at Lee Ha-yoon.

Using a single Railgun shot just to take out a few demons?

If that was the plan, it would have been more efficient to use other magic from the start.

It was a pity to see the Railgun, which took so much effort to create, used so wastefully.

But it wasn’t over with just one shot.

Flash—

Boom!

With each flash, dozens of demons were obliterated.

Each shot tore apart over a dozen demons beyond recognition, while the rest lost parts of their bodies and screamed in agony.

Flash—

Boom!

The Railgun didn’t stop firing.

 

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