Convenience Store Worker From Another World Chapter 145

Episode 145. Regular Customer Assembly (8)

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I glanced at the store manager. I couldn’t see his full face because I was looking straight ahead, but even just looking at his side profile, I could tell that he was very concerned about this topic.

Now that we’ve gotten to know each other, I wonder if it’s appropriate to be talking about this topic when there’s less than 15 minutes left until the estimated time…

“Can we keep walking and talking?”

The store manager probably knows the current situation better than I do. This is a conversation that can only be had now. When I asked to confirm, the store manager nodded shallowly and answered.

“huh.”

“I know what you’re sorry about to me.”

As I spoke and looked at the path ahead, I saw that there was a hill right in front of me that I could only climb if I lifted my feet high. I climbed it first, then grabbed the hand of the store manager who was trying to climb the hill and pulled him up, continuing to speak.

“The caves I used to live in weren’t all this twisted and tangled. This is probably something special even in this world.”

While doing this, I looked around from time to time. The magic was doing its job.

The upper part of the inner wall is constantly twisted and tangled, as if it is less enchanted, while the floor is a bit uneven, but not too bad. The store manager must have put a lot of effort into it.

“There’s almost no chance of getting crushed or bitten by an octopus the size of an apartment building or a snail the size of a house. There’s also no need to sneak behind moving, live rocks.”

“huh….”

“And there’s no need to head out into the open sea at a depth of 500 meters… .”

Thinking back on it this way, I feel like I’ve done all the crazy things I could do in this life in just 3 hours today. Will I get extra points if I’m born again?

“It’s rare to get rid of something you don’t even know what it looks like. Usually.”

During this short conversation, I came close enough to seeing inside the entrance. The inner wall is relatively neatly twisted, so I don’t have to worry about the path. It won’t take more than 30 seconds at most.

“So if I say that what’s inside isn’t scary, you won’t believe me, right? Right?”

“I believe everything Chan says.”

“why?”

“We promised each other that we wouldn’t lie to each other.”

“… That’s right. That’s what happened.”

After hearing this, something comes to mind. The only person in this world who knows my circumstances is the store manager. Therefore, the only person who can apologize to me for this is the store manager.

In other words, the store manager is the only person I can openly confide in right now.

So, I’ll just briefly tell you what’s on my mind. What am I afraid of? I have something to say about this topic.

“I’ll be honest with you. It’s scary. It’s scary, but there’s one thing that scares me more than what’s going to happen to me over there right now.”

“What kind?”

“I’m most scared that I’m not the only one who gets in trouble when I make a mistake.”

I’m used to disappointing others. I came prepared for this.

But now, this isn’t a situation that can be solved by going to the goal alone or crouching in the middle of a studio apartment. The problem has gotten bigger.

The old man, the older sister, and the dog who came in together. Ms. Elena waiting upstairs, the police officer, and the Chihuahua. A guy who is waiting somewhere for me to come find me, and the store manager next to me.

If I don’t do this job properly, it’s all over. That’s what scares me the most.

“If that’s not going to happen, I have to do well right now. But I’ve never done anything right before.”

“… … .”

“That’s why it’s scary. Now that this world is a little more livable, I’ve also come to realize that the other races I’ve met are actually pretty decent people. So…”

“huh.”

“… I’m most afraid of failing and everything becoming nothing. The things I’ve experienced in this world becoming memories that I can’t hold onto like they were before. That’s what I’m most afraid of.”

I used to do this a lot in the past. Chatting about trivial things, occasionally having serious conversations, listening to my worries, and hearing people thank me for listening.

I couldn’t express the reason back then, but now I can.

I just liked it that way. After hearing a few words of thanks, I felt like I was living well. Good things are good, right?

So even if it is a fleeting relationship, I want to hold on to it as tightly as possible and live with it. Just like the memory of playing with a broken sleeping bag when I was 9 years old, these moments will also disappear like magic someday.

“That’s why I decided to come down. It might be a bit childish to say these things at this age, but…”

“If that’s what Chan-i was worried about….”

“yes?”

“There are many things I can do to help.”

The store manager took my hand and led me forward as he spoke. His voice was a bit brighter than when he first apologized.

After walking for about 30 more seconds, we arrived at our destination.

When I first entered and looked around, I thought it was the same underwater cave as before, but after looking around a little more, I realized that this was no ordinary place.

The inner wall was contracting. The rock had been eroded into a rough, circular shape. It contracted enough to cover a certain area, then stopped and expanded again. The cycle was quite fast. It was like looking at a heart.

To the right of where the store manager and I are standing, there is a huge water drop floating just high enough to reach out and touch. It looks like it is as big as a building with dozens of floors.

There was something in the middle of that drop of water. To be exact, you could see the whole area crumpling around that thing. That must be the thing that wrecked our store.

The store manager, who had been staring blankly at the water droplets, continued speaking.

“The paths we took today. Most of the foreign races would be extremely scared of such things.”

“I guess so. I guess so.”

“I thought it would be especially scary in Chan’s case. It’s hard for me to imagine living in another world or somehow adapting while facing unknown concepts.”

The store manager only heard about the place I lived in through my own mouth. The only things to be careful about in Korea are things like traveling at night, scams, or spam calls to solicit investments…

If you do something wrong even once, it can ruin your life. If I think about it, the world I live in is a scary place.

“That’s what I’m most sorry about. I’m the one who made Chan work in this world, but I don’t know anything, so I can’t explain it properly or help you properly.”

“You don’t have to feel sorry about that anymore. I signed it.”

“It was hard not to feel sorry. I guess….”

The store manager, who was about to become gloomy again, looked at the opposite side of where we were standing and narrowed his eyes. After a while, he pouts slightly and raises his right hand.

Then he snapped his fingers, and with a cracking sound, a black cloud appeared in the sky on the other side. The cloud, which was the size of cotton candy, quickly grew to several meters in size, and a single bolt of lightning struck the ground.

– Kieeeeek!!

– Squeak, eek!!

Immediately afterwards, there is a scream. I can hear the sound, but when I look in the direction it is coming from, I can’t see anything. Did you turn on cloaking or something?

“Manager, what’s over there?”

“You don’t have to look at Chani. They’re not cute.”

“Ugh… .”

“It’s nice to have these conversations, but it’s a shame. Right?”

The lightning didn’t stop in one line. It was moving slowly, pouring out lightning without stopping every few seconds, and screams could be heard in succession along with the sound of the lightning.

There must be more than one or two of them here, I said to the store manager.

“There’s only one more magic left, boss.”

“Yeah. Should I use it to get inside that water drop?”

“No. If I can’t make it, please use it to contact my sister. I think I can go there by myself.”

Now, you have to swim up into a giant bubble floating in the air. In this situation, there is one medicine that can be used: a rapid freeze.

Icebergs float on water. I took the bottle out of my pocket and opened the cap while dipping both hands in the water droplets.

Then, as if the tree was growing at a fast pace, a trunk sprouted. Branches made of ice stretched out from the main trunk, and from every corner of the branches, other branches and frozen leaves sprouted.

The hand holding the bottle was covered in ice, like a root, and could not be seen. It was not cold. I prayed to my constitution that my hand would not get frostbite.

The store manager, who had been looking at me, opened his eyes slightly wide and spoke as if he was impressed.

“Chan-i, your head works very well.”

“I often watch documentaries set in Antarctica.”

“Documentary?”

“Before the TV in my room broke. All the other channels were crackling, but for some reason, that one was fine. Anyway…”

My body began to gradually rise as it was pulled by the ice. I wondered if the underwater breathing medication was still effective. I took a deep breath and said hello to the store manager.

“I will try my best and come back.”

“I’ll do well. Chan-i has never let me down before.”

I couldn’t answer that question. Starting with the arms, then the head, torso, and legs.

I was completely submerged up to my toes, and then I was dragged through the water droplets as if I was being pulled by ice. As if I was diving into the deep sea, I couldn’t see anything.

It was because everything around me seemed distorted. The next morning after staying up all night drinking, I opened my eyes and my room was spinning just like this… .

It’s the same when you feel motion sickness coming on. It’s the same when your head hurts like it’s going to split. It feels like needles are being stabbed into your temples one by one.

Gritting my teeth didn’t help. I just bit my lower lip with my teeth and tried to force my eyes shut. I just had to know that I was going the right way.

As I focused my mind, I began to see something vaguely. Something that had a smaller black sphere inside a white sphere―

“…pupil?”

On the other side, something that could only be described as a wide-open eye pupil was visible. Although it only had a white and black sclera, it had the shape of an eye.

When magical power is condensed to a single point, it appears like that. It goes beyond just being a shimmering sensation, and the magical power itself takes on a form.

I can see that it’s getting bigger and bigger, so I guess I’m being pulled in properly. But for some reason, those eyes are staring at me.

I don’t know if you mean, “I’m having fun, so why are you interfering with my enjoyment” or if it’s just my delusional thoughts…

What do you know? I’ve often been stared at like that.

I’m talking about the contemptuous gazes that ask what a person like me with no skills or anything can do. I’ve always avoided those gazes by looking down, but I can’t do that anymore, and I don’t want to.

I thought I could never live like this again.

My friends, my family, my acquaintances, they’ve all drifted away and disappeared. All I have in my world is my body.

I thought I would live like that my whole life and then die. I endured for 20 years with the blind faith that there would be a good day if I lived that way. A good day would come someday.

It’s been a pretty good month in this world.

We chatted about trivial things, sometimes had serious conversations, and when I told him my worries, he listened to me and thanked me for listening to him.

I always wanted to live like this. Now I finally understand what it means to eat well and live well. An hour of drinking with close friends is more valuable to me than months of driving an expensive car.

So I can’t back down. I’m not satisfied with just one month. I have to finish this job, even if it means filing an insurance claim and not being able to get out of here.

Right now, right in front of you, this guy.

“hey.”

After being dragged for several minutes, I finally came face to face with this damn thing. It was bigger than my torso.

Those eyes were glaring at me. I looked at them and asked.

“Do you like making a mess of someone else’s workplace?”

There was no answer. It was just staring at me with its imperfect eyes, the edges of which were constantly rippling. After shaking off the ice that had been holding my hand, I let go of the current.

I felt like this guy was trying to pull me in all along. I don’t have to struggle, so this is better.

During the fleeting moment of being dragged away, I briefly thought about how I could get rid of this. The store manager told me that my constitution would follow what I wanted.

There’s only one thing I want right now. I closed my eyes and reached out.

“I should just get off work. You little shit.”

The moment my palm touched her, all kinds of magical powers of various colors began to pour out ceaselessly from her eyes.

It’s as if a dam has burst before my very eyes. A magical force that shouldn’t cause any harm to my body is affecting me. Pressure.

My body was crushed by something I couldn’t even see. I tried to breathe, but water rushed into my lungs and mouth in an instant. It seemed like this thing had completely erased the effects of the breathing medication.

What should I do? – The thoughts I had in mind evaporated in an instant. I could barely hold on to just one thought. I had to be more certain.

I couldn’t leave a single speck of dust behind. With that thought in mind, I kept my eyes tightly shut and stretched out my arms as much as I could. In the rapids, my neck would bend and my back would break, but I had only one thought in mind: I had to grab onto something.

How long had it been like this? Something touched my hand. It was small and soft.

I felt a dull impact on my knees and toes, and a cool breeze touched my face. I hesitated for a moment, then took a deep breath. I could breathe.

“Cough! Ouch, ugh… ugh!”

“Good job, Chan.”

I opened my eyes immediately and looked up in the direction where the voice came from, but my vision was blurry and I couldn’t see anything. Tears were streaming down my eyes.

I didn’t have the strength to wipe it off, so I closed my eyes tightly again and said whatever came to mind.

“Store manager. I, well. Well. Well done.”

“You did a great job. Now water is splashing everywhere, and the space that was expanded is trying to shrink back down again.”

“What… What. Kkuluk, it’s shrinking?”

“Space. Since the gate core is gone, the space that had expanded will shrink back to its original size.”

“If that’s gone, then what am I holding on to now?”

“My right hand.”

It seems like the store manager came to the place where I was going to land and waited for me to land, because I’m not that lucky to land where I want.

After vomiting all the water I had consumed and shedding tears, I finally calmed down. I knelt down and barely opened my eyes to look around. It was a sight to behold.

The underwater cavern has disappeared without a trace. The rock walls and floor have turned into dirt, and the water droplets are quickly disappearing, as if they are seeping into the bottom.

And this mud wall is closing in on us at a noticeably fast rate. Is this okay? Is this okay?

“Chan-ah. As it tightens from above, it will tighten from below as well, so this can’t be a very deep underground sewer, right?”

“That may be true, but if we’re talking right now, isn’t it a situation where we’re going to get into real trouble?”

“I’m thinking about it. How far should I clear the radius?”

“What are you cleaning up?”

“I mean dirt. I don’t think Elder Yun Ha-na will be buried in a pile of dirt, but if you’re going to use magic, you might as well use it efficiently.”

I don’t know what’s good or bad, but I know one thing. The shopkeeper has only one spell left to use. And it’s not a strong spell.

How many meters would it fly if I tried to throw it? I was half skeptical, but after thinking about it a little more, I also remembered that the jaws didn’t fit. How many rounds do I really have left?

“Store manager, before you came down, you said you were only allowed to do it 10 times.”

“Yeah. That’s right.”

“And so far, you’ve written 8 times. Is that right?”

“Twice before coming down, three times before diving, once while coming down, twice in the underwater cavern… Yeah. Eight times. That’s right, Chan-ah.”

“Then there are two left. Not just one.”

In addition, the preparatory movement when the store manager uses magic is to snap the fingers of his right hand, and I am currently holding that right hand tightly.

Let’s let go of this hand for now. I tried to relax, but the store manager grabbed my hand tightly instead. And the store manager answered my question.

“I tried to pretend that one time it never happened.”

“Why?”

“It was meant to be used as an emergency in extremely critical situations. It’s a pretty strong magic, so the way it’s used is a little different.”

“Is it very complicated? Does it take a long time?”

This is what I’m saying as the mud wall approaches. If I keep doing this, I’m really going to get crushed to death. Are you saying I’m going to skip the funeral and just be buried in the ground?

When asked, the store manager slowly shook his head and answered calmly.

“Not at all. Just make your voice a little louder.”

“yes?”

“Actually, I’m left-handed, Chan-ah.”

After speaking, he raised his left hand, touched his thumb and middle finger together twice, and then finished speaking.

“So, like this.”

The store manager snaps his fingers as he speaks.

Following a sound so clear and pure that it was incomparable to anything I’d ever heard before, the dirt that had filled the air literally ‘disappeared.’

To use an old-fashioned expression, it was as if it had just disappeared. The only sound effect was the store manager snapping his fingers, and the dust that had occasionally fallen as the space contracted had also disappeared without a trace.

The remaining dirt is clean as if it had been cut with a knife. The remaining ceiling, floor, and 2m wide wall sections on both sides are the same.

And in one of the places where the dirt had disappeared. About a dozen meters away from here, I saw my sister, my dog, and my old man.

While the puppy and his sister were lying on the floor, the old man was sitting cross-legged on the floor, looking around. Then he saw me and greeted me happily.

“Things seem to have worked out well for you both.”

“So-so.”

“Yes, so-so. By the way, are you okay? How are your sister and Puppy?”

“Yoon Ha is taking a short break. Puppy Boy is still sleeping.”

They say that guy is a boy. I guess you heard from your sister that he is two years old.

I wondered if my sister would feel like resting in this situation, but as I continued to listen, I heard her groaning occasionally.

“I’m dying… .”

“Yoon Ha. We’re all done, so I think it’s time to go back now.”

“Yeah. You worked hard, sis. You too, Lee Chan.”

“We have to go back to the store. We’ve worked hard, sis. How do we go back now?”

Everyone seemed safe and sound, so I relaxed. I sat down on the dirt floor and asked, but my older sister just waved her hand.

“I’ll break through the ceiling for you, so just stay a little longer. Isn’t it hard for you, Lee Chan?”

“I’m so tired I could die.”

“Then let’s just rest for 5 minutes and then go out. I don’t know how long it’s been since I last laid down on my back…”