Mastore 136 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 136

Our store is open for business as usual (3)

I briefly explained to Noona, whose face had become a mask of incomprehension. About how the emergency committee drafted anti-magic specialist to find core gates and prevent civilian casualties, and that I was included in that.

“I thought they only recruited people with at least three years of experience. How did Lee Chan end up in there?”

"My supervisor is an advisor to the emergency committee. So I pulled some strings through connections."

"Your supervisor? You have a supervisor?"

"You know, the proctor when I took the license exam. The one who's been itching to make me a professor. That person became my supervisor, saying it's what the law requires?"

"Ah, that vampire. I get it now."

I continued explaining. The professor had asked me if I would be willing to help, and I had agreed, so my assigned area ended up being around the store.

I got some intel from an expert friend of mine and walked around the area near the store in the middle of the night. I walked around the area and found a suspicious spot, then got confirmation from another expert acquaintance.

At this point, Noona interrupted me.

“And who’s this expert acquaintance?”

“The one who gave me the intel? Uh… you’ve met them. The Chihuahua kobold who bought masks.”

“Lee Chan, isn't that guy completely crazy? You sure he’s reliable?”

A perfectly reasonable question. While I was struggling to figure out how to answer, another shout came from outside. A familiar voice again.

“HEY!! YOU!! SHITHEAD!! GODDAMN IT!!”

It was a booming voice full of indignation, powerful enough to penetrate even the downpour that had flooded the store. After a brief silence, Noona asked,

“Lee Chan, did you just hear a dog barking?”

“This one dog in question made no such noise.”

“Not you, Mongmong. A stranger might be coming, so hide for a bit."

At my words, Mongmong nodded and leapt down under the counter, then suddenly collapsed flat as if its legs had given out. Guess the tension of nearly being swept away finally hit him.

Noona and I quickly approached the storefront window to see outside, and from a distance we saw a familiar dog-headed figures wimming against the current.

And that with the butterfly stroke, with perfect arm movements no less. His head was rhythmically submerging and emerging from the water, and somehow he was still managing to shout skillfully throughout.

“HEY!! YOU BASTARD, FUCKING HELL—!!”

It's the angriest voice I've heard so far. Did I commit some mortal sin?

Noona watched with a face beyond bewilderment to complete shock, while I stared blankly at the Chihuahua with complicated feelings. The Chihuahua swam all the way to the front of the store, grabbed the front door handle, and started banging on the door.

And then he said something like this.

“BATHROOM!!”

“Huh? What did you say?”

“GIVE ME THE BATHROOM KEY, YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!”

I asked again, wondering if I HAD heard correctly.

“You want what?”

“FUCK!!! I’M GONNA SHIT MYSELF!!”

I think I need to hear more details. Looking at Noona, whose expression showed complete reluctance, she made a half-crumpled face and approached the front door to push it open.

As soon as the door opened, the Chihuahua instantly jumped over the table we had placed as a makeshift barrier, dripping water everywhere, and desperately begged,

"Shit, I feel like I'm going to die. Bathroom, where's the bathroom key?"

"It's at the counter, but may I ask you just one thing?"

"What. Speak quickly, quickly."

“Why didn’t you do your business at home and came here instead?”

As soon as I asked, it seemed his pent-up anger finally exploded as he shouted in a furious voice.

“You damn bastard!! My fucking toilet is overflowing, you bastard!! How the hell am I supposed to take a shit!!!”

Then, his eyes went beyond bloodshot, nearly tearing up blood as he continued to explain. Ever since those clouds appeared outside, everything related to water in his house had begun overflowing.

The sink, sink drain, faucet, showerhead, toilet, and so on. Even as his house was half-submerged in water, he was still working, but then his stomach suddenly started hurting.

“You kept working even while your house was flooding?”

It wasn't me but Noona who asked, dumbfounded, and the Chihuahua responded in an equally dumbfounded tone.

“What, am I supposed to stop working? The Magic Bureau’s servers are fucking blown to bits right now, and there's a mountain of work. f I just drop everything ‘cause my house is a little flooded, are you gonna do my job for me?”

“No.”

“I know, fuck. That’s why I’m just here to take a shit. Just to take a shit, so hurry up!! Give me the damn bathroom key!!”

At this point, Noona seemed to give up trying to make sense of it all and stepped back two paces, leaving me to handle this yangban entirely. For now, responded according to protocol.

“I feel bad for your situation, but it might be difficult.”

“Why!!”

“Just a guess, but I assume you live in an apartment. Which floor are you on?”

“4th floor!!!”

“If the 4th floor apartment plumbing is backed up, wouldn't our restroom here probably be in the same situation?”

I couldn’t bring myself to check directly, so I phrased it carefully. The Chihuahua stared at me without blinking for about 10 seconds.

Then, as if his eyes were stinging, a single tear rolled down. As I watched, I felt sorry for this yangban for the first time. Right, how badly must his stomach hurt for him to act like this...

A moment later, the Chihuahua pulled out a laptop from behind his back. How did someone who rushed out needing the bathroom manage to bring that along?

“Haaa.”

He took a deep breath, placed the laptop on one of the remaining tables, grabbed one of the chairs lying submerged nearby, and sat down.

“I'll endure it while working….”

And then he started working. If his Beagle CEO at the company saw him like this, maybe it’d have a positive effect on next year’s salary negotiations…

While I was thinking that, Noona approached him and asked.

“Why did you bring your laptop?”

“It’s waterproof, so mind your own business and do your own damn work. Or are you gonna take a shit for me instead? Huh, fuck?”

“....”

Noona returned silently, looking at me as if expecting an explanation for this absurdity as well. I offered the best justification I could think of.

"As you just saw, he's someone with exceptional professional dedication, so I decided to trust him, even if it meant being fooled.”

“...Alright. I'll trust your Chihuahua guy, then. But who’s the other expert?”

The seven-year-old pureblood dragon had just started playing the recorder. If I said that outright, Noona would definitely try to land a low kick on me…

“Well, they’re not comfortable revealing their real name…”

“Then how did you meet them? Where are they now?”

"Went home because their mom called."

"What called?"

“Anyway, they’re an unrivaled expert in sensing magic, so just pretend you’re being fooled and trust me. You think I'd be doing this without any basis?"

Thinking this approach was getting me nowhere, I completely changed my tactic. Noona, who had been staring at my face the whole time, let out a small sigh and said.

"Right now everywhere is in chaos trying to find the core gate, you idiot. The Magic Bureau keeps firing detection magic non-stop as they tweak the calculation formulas.”

“Where are they even firing them?”

“Government buildings, expensive real estate areas, near high-ranking officials’ residences.”

According to Noona, although this neighborhood is indeed considered a high-risk area for the core gate, it isn't a guaranteed 100%.

On top of that, compared to central areas packed with critical facilities, the priority here is relatively low. To put it in extreme terms, she's saying they consider this an area where flooding doesn't really matter.

“They’ll get to it eventually… but it’ll be much later. Don’t go spreading this around because it’s the kind of thing that would cause a protest.”

After hearing all this, the only thought left in my head was whether the high-ranking officials of this world had gone insane. Why are they spraying their resources on places they need while blatantly ignoring the dangerous areas?

"Then can I just do a one-person protest, Noona?"

"I understand how you feel, but this is something we need to be absolutely certain about. You’re pushing aside the requests of the higher-ranking officials and interfering by asking for detection magic to be used here.”

“We already have a rough idea where it is, but do I still need detection magic?”

“Maybe not for the Magic Bureau, but for us, yeah. We can't move unless we’re certain.”

He added that there is a severe shortage of manpower on the hunter side.

Every able-bodied Hunter was busy with civilian rescue efforts, fighting to close gates, or following orders to investigate other potential core gate locations.

That’s also why she asked where I got my intel. Without opinions from credible experts, they'll dismiss it as nonsense...

"...Guess we can't get their help then."

I had to admit it. The ‘experts’ here were a pureblood dragon in kindergarten, a rookie anti-magic two weeks into the job, and a Chihuahua on the verge of soiling his pants.

Honestly, I wouldn’t trust us either. Feeling conflicted, I asked Noona.

“Then what about Noona? Are you really okay with this?”

“I’m only going along with it because I trust you. Since when have you ever been just some ordinary guy?”

“…That’s kind of comforting.”

“I'm feeling pretty good right now, so tell me exactly where you think it's suspicious. I’ll go check myself.”

It wasn’t far. I stepped toward the counter, whispering quietly enough for only Mongmong to hear.

“I’m stepping out for a second. You just rest here, okay?”

“Understood.”

He answered in a whisper. Next, I looked at Noona, pointed outside with my finger, and then crossed over the table to go outside.

The moment we stepped outside, the downpour started thrashing my entire body, and my clothes that had barely dried became about 2kg heavier again from soaking up water. This damn rain really didn’t know moderation.

Would that cursed dark cloud hanging over the building disappear if I messed with it, or not? As I raised my hand, lost in thought, Noona suddenly grabbed my other arm and spoke.

“Hey, Lee Chan. Where’s the thing you found?”

“About a three-minute walk straight ahead. Why?”

“Release your constitution. I’ll take the lead.”

So I released them. She readjusted her grip on my hand and strode forward purposefully, and just like before, there was absolutely no resistance even in rapids strong enough to sweep away bicycles.

Following her felt like clinging to a boat while being half-dragged. Midway through, I suddenly remembered something and asked her.

“Noona, can you freely control your weight?”

"Yeah. I'm squeamish about using it on living things, but I can do whatever I want with my own body. With some tricks, I can even fly around without holding that guy's reins."

“I see.”

"Wait, hadn't I told you about this before?"

"No, you hadn't. Even when that pigeon wrecked the store before, you just disappeared without saying anything."

"Well, now you know. Cut me some slack."

"Slack for what? It's your choice whether you fly or not."

We continued our conversation, catching up on lost topics, and walked another two minutes until we reached the manhole that Hana had pointed out this morning.

"Just need to open this?"

“Yeah.”

Without a word, she immediately bent down, placed her hands on the manhole cover, inserted her fingers around the edge, and lifted it out in one motion.

I thought we could finally see what was inside, but the moment we looked, exclamations of both dismay and amazement escaped simultaneously.

"Wow, this is..."

First, rainwater wasn't draining into it at all. It was as if an invisible barrier blocked it.

If everything had been normal, an iron-rung ladder should have been clearly visible inside. Maintenance workers needed something to climb down when repairs were required.

That ladder was twisting into a spiral structure. Not just twisted, but actively twisting.

Sometimes returning to its original state, sometimes bending into an L-shape. I couldn’t tell if it was an optical illusion or if the walls themselves were actually warping, but this clearly wasn’t normal.

After confirming this much, I looked at Noona, who had already pulled out and put a tobacco-free cigarette in her mouth. Still, I had to ask her opinion.

"What do you think, Noona? Is this the place?"

"...Well, damn..."

Seemed like a yes. While watching my sister puffing on her water-soaked cigarette, I experienced for the fourth time today what I had already experienced three times before. Not a shout, but a whisper so quiet it barely carried.

"I'm glad to see you appear to be in good health, Boss."

Turning toward the voice, I saw a familiar fedora and silver beard. And a kind facial expression as intricate as his fine wrinkles.

“Huh? No, Elder. When did you get here?”

“I’ve just arrived. By the way, what exactly are the two of you doing right now?”



|Note

Consider supporting me by subscribing on Patreon for 5$. 

Advance chapters of Magic Realm Convenience Store Worker : 18 Chapters

Advance chapters of Got a Gallery in the Wild : 10 Chapters

Also, consider visiting my patreon to check out my other projects