Mastore 140 - Dumpster

Magic Realm Convenience Store – Ch. 140

Regular customer assembly (3)

It is said that the certification required for making magic potions vary depending on the manufacturing process or intended purposes. Physical recovery, mental restoration, industrial use, magical aids, and so on.

In I took it as a concept similar to how cooking certifications are divided into Korean, Western, Japanese culinary skills, etc. In addition, Elena has apparently obtained most of these certifications.

She even had the equivalent of a pufferfish cooking certification, that’s... a poison-making certification.

"What did you get a poison manufacturing license for?"

"I wanted to try making antidotes. Any potion with detoxification or antidotal properties requires this certification, so I got it just in case.”

"Hmm..."

At this rate, wouldn’t a rainbow spill out the moment she opened her wallet? Like some kind of master chef?

"That's incredibly reassuring. I'll list a few items now, so please let me know in advance if anything isn't possible. First..."

Noona took a breath and began reciting the necessary items one by one. Including the previously discussed potion that allows breathing underwater, she mentioned rapid cooling potion, magic neutralizer, and calming potion.

“And, do for magic supple…ments. Do we need this, Unnie?”

"I don't need one. Yoonha?"

"Not really. Then just the ones I mentioned for now. That’ll do for the moment.”

“Understood. When do you need these by? And how long should their effects last?”

"The effects should last at least two hours, and ideally, you’d finish making them all within the next ten minutes. Is that possible?"

In response to Noona’s question, Elena picked up the pouch on the table and reached inside. I watched, wondering if there was something else she hadn't taken out yet, and after a while, she took out a pair of round-framed glasses.

Putting them on, she turned to us, clenched her fist determinedly and declared.

“I'll finish within five minutes!”

Just take the full ten. I was about to say, but Elena had already turned away, using one hand to open the largest reagent bottle’s lid while lighting a lamp with the other.

Then she began pouring the contents of the opened reagent bottle into a flask, filling it about halfway. I guess that's the base solution for the magic potion. Like broth.

From that point on, Elena stayed completely silent, occasionally dripping various solutions onto a petri dish or mixing substances in empty bottles without blinking once during the process.

At this point, trying to talk would probably just distract her. Noona, who had been watching just like me, looked at me and Manager then finally the gentleman Elder before speaking.

"While Elena is concentrating, let's do what we need to do. Um, Elder Wolf."

“Go ahead, Miss Yoonha.”

“Have you ever been inside a gate before?”

It was a direct question. The Elder slowly shook his head in response to Noona's question and then asked in return.

"Is there some kind of special qualification required?"

“There aren’t formal qualification, but the mana concentration inside a gate is much higher than outside. Since we're entering a core gate now, it will be particularly severe."

It is said that when exposed to high concentrations of magic for a long time, symptoms start from the extremities and can lead to full-body paralysis, and in severe cases, even cardiac arrest…

“Will insurance cover this if something happen, Noona?”

"You don't need to worry about that since it doesn't apply to you. If it did, I would have stopped you when you said you'd go down. Anyway."

Noona explained she hadn't anticipated a gate would appear right in front of the store, and as such, she didn't have any protective gear or specialized equipment on hand.

Which meant we would have to tough it out with our bare bodies. Unless you are a professionally trained person, 30 minutes is the limit.

“I'm used to these situations since I experience them regularly, and Unnie has plenty of experience as a magician, so I'm not worried about her either. But for Elder Wolf, although I now know well that you're no ordinary person..."

"You needn't worry too much about me either."

Elder Wolf replied briefly and then calmly rolled up one sleeve of his suit. He clenched and unclenched his fist, then smiled faintly.

"I’ve been through similar situations quite often myself."

"Um... were you perhaps a former military person? During the Great War?"

“Yes. Although it’s difficult to elaborate further.”

Perhaps because his service in an escort unit involved classified military information, he spoke with caution. Noona seemed to pick up on something and didn’t press further.

“But Miss Yoonha, what should I do?”

"I'd like you to protect this guy down there. I'll handle Unnie, making us a team of four."

Apparently, Hunters entering a Gate always go in teams of at least four. This allowed splitting into pairs if necessary, ensuring one could assist if their partner encountered danger.

And magicians who always face restrictions in using magic, or specialists with a single purpose like me who are anti-magic, are always accompanied by one hunter as an escort.

Thus, our team composition would be as follows: Noona as a professional hunter would lead; Manager as a magician would handle emergency situations; Elder Wolf would protect me from threats inside the gate; and I would serve as the strategic anti-magic weapon…?

“I'm the what now, Noona?”

“Strategic anti-magic weapon, you punk. Lee Chan, can you do anything physical with your constitution?"

"Uh… I dunno?"

I had never consciously tried it, but it didn’t seem likely. If my constitution had that kind of ability, it would’ve helped when I nearly threw out my back carrying soju boxes.

Right? A Gate isn’t just dangerous because of high mana density. Magic beasts are common inside, and environmental collapse happens frequently as well... It varies.”

This is completely beyond my imagination. She was basically saying that the inside of that sewer, which I don't even know what it looks like, could be the set of a real-life monster movie. Or even a disaster movie…

(D: Final Destination…)

While I stood stunned, Noona smiled bitterly and continued.

"Seeing your reaction makes me glad I asked Miss Elena for calming potion."

"Yeah, no kidding…"

“We three can manage getting down there somehow, but once we reach the gate’s core, you’ll need to do your job. Since the core has some form, you might be able to touch it with your hands."

"What if I had refused to go down? What were you gonna do then?"

"I was going to move the gate entirely. Even if it was far."

This was answered by Manager. Looking at her, I saw her gazing up at me with a grin. I immediately asked.

"Where exactly?"

"3km up above."

"But wouldn’t that just cause problems under that sky instead?"

“It might. But still, isn’t that better than chaos right in the middle of the city?”

"Fair enough."

Still, hearing this made me realize once again that if I didn't go down, things really wouldn't go smoothly. Manager said that she can't just completely remove the gate.

“But since Chan agreed to go along, I’m much more relieved.”

"I'm glad you're relieved..."

"Oh! I’m all done! Yoonha, Chan!"

Elena seemed finished. When I turned toward her, she was stretching with her glasses in one hand.

Five small bottles about the size of a thumb were placed on the table. They were the four types of potions that Noona had asked for earlier. Underwater breathing, rapid cooling, magic neutralization, and calming potion.

I wondered what the fifth bottle was. Elena grabbed the potions in one hand, handed them to me, and began explaining first.

"I had a bit of time left. This one has wound coagulation, hemostatic effects, pain relief—"

“Oh. And?”

"It helps with fractures too, and if you drink it, it'll aid in blood regeneration. It’s only for quick emergency treatment since a stronger effect would require boiling longer.”

“…Bone fractures?”

“Yes. I’ve never been inside a gate myself, and I just thought you never know what might happen….”

This felt like overkill. No way things would get bad enough for broken bones… right?

Still, I agreed with her opinion that anything could happen. A lot, actually. As I accepted the potions, Elena grasped my hand with both of hers and spoke, her voice trembling slightly.

"You must come back healthy. You absolutely must."

I just nodded because I wasn’t confident. I want to return safely too. That's secondary to whether I can, but still.

Now preparations were pretty much complete. Only two short things remained.

“Officer. Please keep the store from being washed away.”

“Yes.”

A crisp salute followed her short reply.

"Preserving the scene is my specialty. Don’t worry and just focus on coming back."

"Huff, huff, huff."

At that moment, I noticed Mongmong had come close and was licking my ankle. I thought for a moment and asked Noona.

"Noona. What do you think about taking this guy with us?"

“Hey, Lee Chan, he’s a bit....”

"He's not just some ordinary dog. Who knows what he might do for us down there?"

"Like what exactly?"

"I don't know either. There might be plenty of mice or bats down there that don't understand human language..."

The officer, Elena, and the Elder probably wouldn’t understand our conversation, but I spoke plainly anyway. There was no time to beat around the bush. Besides, they would all find out eventually.

Noona's expression was like, 'What are you going to do with a barely two-year-old puppy?' but I continued regardless.

“This guy’s body is unusually sturdy, and if something goes wrong, I can handle it somehow.”

Being a mystical beast, he has magic power inside him, regenerative abilities, and if necessary, I might be able to resolve magic accumulation issues with my constitution.

But the biggest reason was that Mongmong looked as if he desperately wanted to follow. He must have heard everything we discussed about what might happen down there, how dangerous it is, and yet he's still like this.

Just to be sure, I asked one more time.

"Wag your tail if you don't agree, Mongmong."

Mongmong held his tail straight up without moving even a single hair. . Noona stared at him with a conflicted expression before turning to Manager.

“You know him too, Unnie. Mongmong. What do you think?”

“I always respect the opinions of those involved. Dogs aren’t exceptions.”

“…Ugh, fine. Just shove him in a bag or something. But don’t ever lose that bag.”

"Got it."

* * *

I grabbed a bag floating around the store, stuffed Mongmong inside, and went back outside.

As soon as I stepped out, I realized my earlier impression of the downpour getting worse wasn't just my imagination. The raindrops hammering my shoulders carried actual weight now.

I glanced at the convenience store’s display window to check the water level, and saw that the water was overflowing slightly above the table where Elena and the Chihuahua were sitting. Just a moment ago, it was just below the table.

Above the undulating rainwater, Elena was waving her hand incessantly with a worried expression, while the Chihuahua was staring blankly in our direction with his laptop open.

“.....”

“I get what you’re feeling, but let's hurry. We don’t have that much time.”

“Got it.”

As soon as we deal with this damned core gate, everything would return to normal. Store sales, the street, all the times spent talking with customers.

"Are you alright, Elder? What about Unnie?"

“Yes, I’m fine. Should I assist you, Miss Owner?”

"No, I think I’ll manage."

The gentleman Elder is already standing on the surface of the rainwater. Manager, head bowed against the rain, placed her hands on the floodwater and let out a short grunt.

“Hup.”

Then she gracefully climbed onto the water as if scaling a low fence. Standing on the surface of the rippling rainwater, Manager tapped the water surface with the soles of her shoes.

"It's a bit scary doing this after so long. Elder Wolf, am I doing this right?"

"Yes. Excellent, Miss Owner."

"Take this bag, please? He's going to float away."

Feeling both dumbfounded and speechless, I simply handed the bag containing Mongmong to Manager. It's called a bag, but it's no different from a non-woven fabric pouch with a zipper and shoulder strap. It's not even waterproof.

Taking the bag, Manager stared down at its zipped opening and began to speak.

"Mongmong. We'll be there soon, so just hold on a little bit, okay?"

“Kkiing... achoo.”

Seems like water got into his nose. After that, I let Noona pull me along while Manager and the Elder walked silently atop the floodwater.

We continued walking in silence until we reached the manhole cover. Since we hadn't closed the lid, the interior was still fully visible. The bizarrely twisting wall ladder, the wall of water replacing the cover.

Noona tested the thick water barrier with her foot and then asked me.

"Lee Chan, can you try touching this? The ladder too, if possible."

"I'll give it a try."

I carefully stretched my hand into the manhole opening, only my head poking out of the floodwaters. There was slight resistance against my hand that then disappeared, which must mean the water wall is gone...

Next came something rough with a metallic texture. Probably the rusty part of the ladder. I couldn’t glance down without plunging my head underwater, so I asked Noona instead.

"How’s it look? Working?”

"It's working well. Keep holding onto it just like that, and come down last. Got it?"

“Yah.”

“I’ll go first.”

She briefly looked at Manager and the gentleman Elder before grabbing the ladder and descended below.

Amidst the noisy rainfall, the metallic sound of footsteps echoed intermittently on the ladder, before ceasing completely within seconds. Didn’t seem too deep.

"You two can come down now!"

“It might be best if you hand me the bag, Miss Owner. It could be cumbersome for you.”

“Yes.”

After shouldering the bag Manager handed over, the elderly gentleman began descending the ladder with one hand. Next, Manager dipped her body into the rainwater to climb down the ladder...

But stopped. With just her head slightly extended above the manhole lid, she gently stroked my hand gripping the ladder. I could hear her mumbling through the water.

"I'm a bit indebted to Chan today."

"What debt? My workplace is about to flood, it’s only right I work my ass off…”

"Not that."

“Then what do you mean by indebted?”

“For this city.”

What was that supposed to mean?

She quickly climbed down before I could ask, leaving behind the ringing sound of footsteps fading away. I waited until the ladder sounds stopped, and shortly after, a clear shout reached me.

“Chan-ah! You can come down now!”

“Yes!”

I quickly immersed myself fully into the floodwater and placed my feet on the ladder. With each rung descended, the heavy sound of rain became increasingly distant until finally everything grew quiet.

By the time I had counted about twenty rungs internally, my foot touched solid ground. I let go of the ladder and looked around, but the surrounding scenery was vastly different from what I had imagined.

“...Noona.”

“Yeah.”

“Why is it so damn spacious here?”

For a sewer, the interior space was absurdly large. It seemed like even the drainage pipes and pillars had expanded to match the enormous space...

When I asked, Noona wrung the water soaking her hair with both hands and answered.

“It’s releasing space. The gate core.”





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