Mastore 61 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 61

Convenience Store Clerk Taking a Practical Exam (6)

If I touch an object imbued with magic power, or an object that has a spell cast on it, it gets erased. That’s the condition of my constitution that I’ve experienced for the past two weeks, and so far, it hasn’t caused any major issues.

So, I thought it would be enough for this ATM too. Since it was said to be covered in magic power residue, I thought that if I just touched it with my hand, the residue and the devil would disappear. I thought the equipment would stop, you know?

But....

“Lee Chan, what are you doing?”

I can't stop it, no...!

I’m not joking; it really isn’t working. Right now, I’ve got my hand on the Braille keypad on the side for the visually impaired. I'm touching it, I tell you. Yet nothing is changing. The LCD screen is still half-inverted as before, and...

[Insert the card, in the direction of the arrow.]

This thing is still talking down to me. It's the same if I put my hand on the screen instead of the keypad, and even if I rub my palm on the LCD, it's the same.

"Noona. This isn't working...?"

"Not working? Why?"

"I don't know either. This..."

I'm not sure. Does the devil need something other than anti-magic ability...

No, that’s not it. I came here to take the practical exam for the anti-magic license. If it was something that an anti-magic user couldn't do, the practical exam examiners wouldn't have accepted the request. So, it’s probably not that.

Could it be that even with my abilities, I can’t do it? That can’t be it either. This constitution has managed things even anti-magic doctors at university hospitals couldn’t handle, so if I can’t, it’s safe to say no other candidate would be able to either.

I decided to think differently.Touching something should erase the magic. But maybe… what if touching it doesn’t erase anything? Or…

“...Noona. Could this devil be hiding in the internal parts of the ATM?"

I can’t erase it because I can’t touch it.

Technically, I’m only touching the exterior casing of the ATM, not the devil itself.

What if it’s hiding inside the CPU chip or the circuitry, and that’s why I can’t get rid of it?

"I didn't know you had such conditions for your work."

“I didn’t know either. This is just a guess, but....”

It's literally a guess, so in the end, I have to check it for sure. But this is a problem in itself, how do we check the inside?

Do I borrow a key from the goblin outside or find a screwdriver to unscrew the casing, all while this berserk ATM just sits there waiting? It's like performing a laparotomy without anesthesia.

“Lee Chan, you realize what you’re saying sounds an awful lot like we’ll have to break it open.”

“…Yeah.”

I don't like it, but it seems there's no answer other than anti-magic (physical).

As soon as the devil senses we’re trying to pry it out, it’s definitely going to start throwing the trash can and the receipt shredder at us again. Honestly, if I were the devil, I'd do that 100%.

So, the only way is to quickly tear it off, put your hand inside, and get rid of the devil. That’s the only conclusion I can come to. But this isn’t something a monkey wrench or a crowbar is going to solve…

“Noona. Can’t you use some kind of magic to handle this?"

I remembered that Noona had done things that couldn't be explained unless with magic. Like flying around with a container weighing several tons attached to a Pegasus, or carrying around shiny dragon scales.

As I looked at Noona while reminiscing, she was wearing a bitter smile.

"I can do it, sure. As long as I don't get reported to the police."

“Ugh....”

"Believe it or not, I’m a semi-government employee, Lee Chan. If I just go throwing magic around, I get slapped with extra penalties."

This is something I'm hearing for the first time. Is it similar to how an athlete gets charged with special assault if they beat someone up?

Still, if we're about to have our ribs crushed by a shredder thrown by a devil-possessed ATM, couldn't we use magic once or twice in self-defense?

"There’s gotta be a more solid reason than that."

"What's a more solid reason?"

"For example, if you were literally about to have your ribs smashed in and it’s caught on CCTV. Then I could probably cast a spell to protect you."

It's a reason that takes my breath away. Noona's face had lost all traces of a smile as she finished speaking.

“But, I really don’t want to see you in that state....”

She glares at the LCD screen, tapping the card slot with the corporate card in her hand. The LCD screen, halfway turned, now only showed a countdown of time left to insert a card.

10 seconds left.

“Hey, Lee Chan. Are you sure there’s a devil inside this ATM?”

"I'm sure."

I'm confident about this at least. When I stared intently at the upper part of the LCD screen, I could see that the distortion was clearly more severe compared to other parts of the ATM. I even pointed it out with my index finger.

"Somewhere inside here, but I’ve got no idea how deep it’s burrowed."

"So, it’s definitely inside, huh?"

Muttering to herself, she slipped the corporate card right into the slot. Normally, it should have thrown up an error and spit it back out since it wasn’t usable for deposits, but…

[Deposit completed.]

Without entering a deposit amount, account, or even a password, it went ahead and completed the deposit on its own. What's even more outrageous was the deposit amount that appeared on the screen.

[Deposit amount: 11,460,000 won]

[Account balance: 0 won]

"Uh…."

This... How did this crazy thing withdraw money from a corporate card?

It didn't just deposit. It scraped the card clean, taking every last cent without leaving a single coin. If it were me, I would have smashed the screen in with a shotgun right then and there.

In contrast, Noona looking at the LCD screen had an indifferent expression, while the ATM had a voice full of excitement.

[Please check if you have any more items to leave.]

[Thank you for using our service.]

As if it had seen all it needed to see, with a bizarre voice, the corporate card was spat out with a 'ptui' sound and fell to the floor. Noona glanced at the fallen card and muttered in a subdued voice.

“Lee Chan. All of our guild's shared activity funds were in that card, you know."

"Uh… and?"

"And since this thing just stole every last bit of it, doesn’t that count as self-defense now?"

I couldn’t disagree. Because although Noona was smiling with her eyes, her pupils were slightly dilated. She seemed angered by what the ATM had recited.

"Anyone would see this as self-defense. There's no helping it, this."

“I got ‘used’, the culprit is this ATM, the witness is Lee Chan, you.”

"If you want, should I take an oath as a witness? I can do it all day long."

“Never mind that. Step back a bit.”

I took a big step back. Noona was the kind of woman who’d half-destroy a workshop just because it pissed her off. I never dreamed I would see that process right before my eyes, but...

It started off simple. Without any preparatory movements, she casually grabbed one end of the ATM with one hand.

"Heave-ho."

And she yanked it out.

The entire ATM. The bolts securing it to the ground shattered, the plugged-in outlet and all the cords were ripped out, leaving them sprawled across the floor.

Several taut electrical wires snapped with a 'twang', and the fixing bolts embedded in the corners dangled pitifully with only one screw left. However, Noona's expression didn't change at all. Not caring in the least, she hoisted the ATM above her head with one hand and slammed it down to the floor with all her might.

[Are you, committing a crime?]

Even with the power cut off, the ATM wouldn’t shut up. Its warning about voice phishing crimes stuttered, and it flung the trash can and paper shredder around randomly—at the windows, the floor, Nuna’s body, everywhere…

Even while being battered by all sorts of machinery, Noona didn't move an inch.

Her complexion didn't change at all. Even though the ricocheted shredder was slammed into the floor, not a scratch was left on the marble floor, and the window directly hit by the trash can didn't even get a small scratch.

Noona, who had put one foot on the thrown-down ATM, turned to me with a face that had just remembered something and spoke to me.

"Come to think of it, have I ever told you what kind of magic I use?"

"I don’t think so?"

I thought Noona could carry cargo simply because she was strong. But simple strength alone can’t explain this.

“Well, let me show you. It’s pretty obvious when you see it…”

She took out a small dagger from inside her jacket, turned the handle towards the floor and let go. The moment the handle touched the ATM, it crumpled like paper and plunged into the floor, causing the ground to shake.

[Crime. Crime.]

"It's magic that controls weight. I've set this dagger to about 1 ton right now."

She casually caught the trash can flying at her with one hand and flung it aside before continuing.

"This one is about 100 grams? I'm not sure since I didn't use it seriously."

I think a softball weighs about 120 grams.

I immediately understood why Noona remained so calm despite being pummeled by those objects. Although their flight was noisy, they weren’t even moving at 60 km/h. And with their weight reduced to less than a softball, even if they hit somewhere, it would be no more than a light tap...

She must’ve lightened the cargo she carried around too. After swatting away the approaching shredder with her fist, Noona looked down at the ATM under her foot and continued speaking.

“So, what now? Want me to smash it some more?”

"Uh... No, let me check it first."

I pulled myself together, pushing aside my awe. I came here to work, after all.

As I approached the ATM and peered inside, I could see the dagger handle buried deep within the crumpled ATM. Right next to it, something like a purple mist was swirling.

[Crime. Police. Report.]

I quickly reached in. The moment my finger touched the edge of the mist, it burst like a balloon and scattered in all directions.

At the same time, the shredder and trash can, which had been floating around, dropped to the floor with a dull thud. Silence settled in, and Noona lifted her foot as she asked,

“All good?”

“Hold a sec.”

After pulling out the dagger and handing it to Noona, I quietly observed the ATM for about 20 seconds. The screen was dead, no more garbled voice recordings.

“…Looks like it’s done?”

"Well, it's good that it worked out."

I'm not sure if "worked out" is the right way to put it. The ATM looked like it had been left half-open in the middle of surgery, and the trash can and shredder were dented all over.

More than anything, Noona's corporate card balance had been wiped out. All because of trying to help me. I couldn't help but glance at Noona nervously.

"Noona. Won't you get an earful from the guild for this?"

"I'd be lucky if it's just an earful. I've already written explanatory reports before, and it looks like I'll be writing another one tomorrow morning."

"I'm sorry, Noona. Really."

“I didn’t do it to hear an apology. I was hoping for a thank you.”

“Thank you. This is also true.”

"If you're thankful, then, hmm…."

Scratching her head, Noona looked at my face, grinned, and concluded,

"Next time I buy you a meal, you're covering the drink."





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