Mastore 52 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 52

Convenience Store Worker Practicing Rehearsal (4)

The fur was just the beginning.

At the same time, the entire forearm began to grow huge. The swollen muscles even covered the protruding tendons, and the well-trimmed nails grew into those of a beast...

The transformed arm was far too large to be called just an arm. As he turned his now stiff, silver-white fur-covered arm this way and that, he seemed to realize he might’ve startled me and quickly added:

"Oh, I apologize if I startled you."

If there had been a shotgun under the counter, I might have grabbed it right then and there. First, let me catch my breath....

“That... Is that okay? Your arm?”

I asked, concerned he might have been in some serious growing pain, but the old man only gave me a soft smile and a gentle sip of his drink.

"It's not dangerous. As long as I don't swing it around."

This wasn't the answer I wanted to hear, but I decided to assume it was okay. Let’s move past that for now. He didn’t chant any spells or anything, so...

"What you just showed me, it isn’t magic, right?"

“Yes. It's my constitution, and I can control it at my will."

"And other werewolves can all do this too?"

"Not necessarily."

It's said that transforming only the arm like this is impossible for most werewolves. So it's only possible for a few whose "symptoms" are severe.

“Nowadays, technology has developed to the point where the severity of symptoms isn’t as much of a problem, but… back in the day, there was no such technology, so people like me had to make extra efforts to suppress the overwhelming instincts. This is the result of those efforts.”

It sounds like he had no choice but to try, and as a result, he became able to do it. If it’s the kind of effort I could do, maybe I should give it a shot. I asked,

“What specific efforts did you make?”

"Hmm. Among the things I did in the past... Ah. First, you put shackles on your ankles."

"Shackles?"

“That’s right. As sturdy as possible. Then, you place freshly slaughtered raw meat just out of arm’s reach and endure it. You have to hold out until the pain of the shackles digging into your flesh outweighs the rising instincts.”

“Uh....”

I shouldn’t have asked.

"That was the general idea, though I realize now it’s not really a story for you, Boss…"

The old man chuckled heartily, flexing his beastly hand a few times. Then, the swollen arm and claws gradually shrank back to their original form.

Afterwards, he put on his wristwatch with familiar hand movements and continued.

"With that constitution of yours, what do Boss want to do?"

“Uh… get a license, I guess?”

For now, that's it. When I answered, the old man made a bitter smile and added.

“I don’t mean what you have to do, but what you want to do.”

"Pardon?"

I didn’t quite get what he meant. Putting everything else aside...

“Does that even matter?”

"In my case, it was. For example."

Back when the old man was in his prime—during the Great War—there was no need to suppress his constituion at all. Apparently, a werewolf in their prime under a full moon had the fighting power equivalent to an entire company of soldiers.

"Sir, were you on active duty during the old war?"

"I was in a special unit. However, if we were to talk about that time, it seems we'd have to stay up all night. So."

Anyway, the war ended with the elfs' defeat, and law and order were established, forcing the werewolves to find other ways to relieve their instincts. But, with the war over, how could there be such a thing?

Since there was no one to tear and rip apart, they had to find a way to suppress their instincts instead of satisfying them. This was when the old man began trying to control his own constitution.

“At first, I approached it with the mindset of ‘I must do this.’ I had to adapt to this new world, something along that line. But..."

“Yes.”

“The more I thought ‘I must do this,’ the harder it became to control. To use a comparison, I felt as if I was destroying myself under the pressure of obsession.”

There wasn't even a guideline for suppressing the constitution, so the majority of werewolves suffered tremendously during this period. Well, it’s not easy to suddenly do something you’ve never done before.

"But you eventually found a way, sir.”

"That's right. Rather than finding a way... I had a turning point."

"A turning point?"

It became a world where you'd be in big trouble if you tore and ripped someone apart, so you shouldn't do that. I thought that would be enough of a trigger....

"A child was born."

He added a moment later.

“My daughter.”

After hearing it, I couldn't help but be convinced.

“I see.”

“The moment I held my daughter in my arms, this thought overwhelmed all others. That I always want to hold this child in my arms at any time. With arms that are whole, not those of a beast."

"That’s how you succeeded?"

"Yes. Though during the first full moon, it was only the upper half of my body."

After that, the old man's constitution improved day by day as his daughter turned 100 days old, took her first steps, and looked at him and called him 'Dad'….

The period when he completely succeeded in control was the full moon of the month his second child was born. His son. As he recounted this, the old man’s eyes briefly softened with emotion before he composed himself and concluded,

"That was the turning point for me. I wanted to, and so I was able to.”

“I see…”

“So, if Boss has the opportunity and something you wants to do, I think Boss will be able to do it. That’s what I was thinking when I brought up the story... it might have been a bit long, I’m afraid.”

“What do you have to be sorry about?”

It didn’t feel long at all, and compared to some lecture about how I wasn’t working hard enough, it hit home. Isn't it advice based on experience? The problem is how I should accept this advice...

“Ugh, my head....”

As I mulled over his words, a weak voice came from behind. When I turned around, the flame woman, who had been lying face down, was clumsily raising her body while holding her nape and shaking her head.

“Are you feeling more clear-headed now?”

"What nonsense are you..."

She muttered with a dazed expression, then looked at the snow woman sitting next to her and immediately distorted her face. As she raised her arm, heat began to swirl around her outstretched arm.

The lights were about to shatter from the flames. As it wasn't a situation to hesitate, I reflexively grabbed her arm.

"Ah, shit! Why are you fighting as soon as you open your eyes?!"

"Mind your own business! I'm going to grab this thieving cat bitch's hair and..."

I could feel strength building in the arm I was holding, and I saw her clench her fist. It seemed like she was trying to fuel the flames, but not even a heat haze appeared, let alone a flame.

"What, why isn't it coming out?"

It must be because I was holding her. Realizing this, I tightened my grip on her arm. She looked at me with a surprised face and barked loudly.

“What, is this your doing? What did you do to me?!"

"I'm putting out a fire here, and if you want to fight, go ahead and slap each other or something. Do you really want to eat prison food like this?"

"I said mind your own business! Let me go, ugh…!"

She struggled as if to shake me off, but her strength wasn't very strong. As I was contemplating if it was right to subdue her like this, the snow woman, who regained her senses belatedly, looked up at the two of us in the middle of a scuffle.

"You."

The loose expression on her face quickly filled with anger. Hey, now you too?

"You...!"

She jumped up from her chair with a thud and instantly created several ice chunks by her head. Then, biting her lower lip, she was about to aim the ice chunks at us…

“Please calm down.”

I instinctively glanced toward where the old man had been sitting, but all I saw was an afterimage. Before I knew it, the old man had moved behind the snow woman and lightly tapped her on the nape with the side of his hand, causing her to immediately slump over.

Holding that snow woman under his arm, he approached and...

“You too.”

He reached out his hand towards the flame woman's neck and firmly pressed the area near her Adam's apple with his thumb. The strength left the arm I was holding, so I let go, and she immediately fell to her knees and even hung her head low.

"Urgh."

Unlike the snow woman who had completely passed out, she seemed to still have her consciousness. The old man knelt on one knee in front of her and spoke as if whispering.

"Youth is a blessing, young lady. However..."

"What…?"

"If you're going to waste that blessing on hurting other species, I may have to use a bit rougher methods, even for your sake."

His expression was kind, but his eyes were so sharp that it was hard to even look at them. As the flame woman, who inhaled with a hiccup, nodded her head, only then did he relax his eyes and look up at me.

“You said you didn’t want to get involved in their matter, correct?”

“Yes.”

There are plenty of things in this world that are better left unknown, and messy love quarrels are definitely one of them. I pointed at the flame woman and asked.

"How many minutes will it be this time?"

"If you're talking about regaining control of her body, she should be able to walk around completely after 30 minutes."

That meant I had to leave her alone for another 30 minutes, but I didn’t want to. There's a limit to how much leniency one can show. I crouched next to the flame woman and casually spoke to her.

"Looks like walking's tough for you. Should I call a chauffeur for you?"

She must have lost her energy too, as she just nodded her head without a word. Now, this is what I call creative problem-solving. The old man understood right away too, nodding and held the flame woman under his arm.

“I suppose it’s time to get going.”

“Of course, and next time, please visit more often. I’ll save some cigarette packs with decent pictures for you.” (Meaning without the warning picture.)

"HooOh, there's no need for you to go that far..."

"Don't say that. It's the least I can do for all the advice."

I would’ve loved to send him off with a whole box of energy drinks, but I had a feeling he wouldn’t take them. Anyway, with that, the old man left, and...

I was alone again. I immediately took the jar of gummies I had put on the table, returned to the counter, and thought back to the advice I had heard. A clear purpose. A turning point. Whether it's a small or grand turning point, it's fine...

If I have to pick a reason, it is to eat well and live well. I’ve never really had that.

I’m doing all this because I’m scared I won’t be able to achieve it. If I can't do this, I'll fail the practical exam, and if I fail the practical exam, I won't be able to get the license... and if I can't get the certificate, won't it become increasingly difficult for me to stay here?

That’s all there is to it. I’m not even hoping for success or personal glory. I don’t even know what those are. So can't you just listen to me properly now? Body of mine?

Thinking that, I rolled the gummy around in my hand, but it still just rolled, same as always. Well, I don't even know what living well and eating well is, let alone achieve success or glory.

* * *

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure out what I should want to do or what I should use as a turning point.

For example, should I submit a resume to a hospital, saying, “I’m an anti-magic specialist,” or maybe learn more about the hunter work that Noona does? I didn’t know exactly what kind of work it is, but at least I figured I would be able to make good money.

Of course, it didn't work out well. If I was so desperate for money that I could live doing a job I didn't know well, I would have gone to work on a shrimp fishing boat long ago, why would I be doing this here?

I thought about giving up and finding another way, but it didn’t seem like a good idea would come to mind. So I had no choice but to keep digging the same well, and naturally, no water came out...

Before I knew it, it was 9 a.m. Saturday, May 7th.

It was a The spring weather was in full bloom, with not a single cloud in the sky, and the sunlight felt warm. Since it was the weekend, no office workers were rushing in, so my body felt at ease, but my mind was far from it. That was because there had been no progress at all.

There was exactly 1 hour left until Manager came. 9 hours until the practical exam.

At this point, instead of thinking about what I really wanted to do, all I could think about were excuses to give Manager.

The more I thought, the more my head throbbed, so I just laid my forehead on the counter and laid down. If I rested for about 10 minutes like this, maybe something would come to me…

“Mister.”

A familiar, cheerful voice called out. I lifted my head to see a pair of familiar amber eyes peeking at me. The little girl greeted me first.

“It’s been a while, Mister.”







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