Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 10

#010. Sector 49 (2)

The rising sunlight stung Ray’s eyelids.

“… … .”

The cold of last night penetrated my whole body.

The bonfire outside the window had long since been extinguished by the night wind.

My bones clanked.

It was a cracked area after being hit by a golem.

It wasn’t to the point where I couldn’t move.

If you leave it alone, it will naturally stick to this extent.

Ray climbed onto the scrap heap, finished his meal, and tossed the can away.

There was still nothing visible on the horizon.

After eating, we got into the car, started the engine, and set off.

Every second felt precious.

We had to cover as much distance as possible before the sun got too hot.

Boooo …

I ran and ran again.

The vehicle’s pure white body gradually turned a dull color due to the dust and small stones blown by the wind.

Take a break. Run again.

Run. Rest again.

Meanwhile, the sky changed into various colors to attract the boy’s attention.

Cloudy and gray.

In a crimson hue dyed in the dusk.

In pitch blackness where the stars are silent.

But the boy didn’t even glance at her and just ran towards his destination.

Two more days passed like that.

The buildings of Sector 49 began to appear on the horizon.

*

The sky has suddenly become dark.

Ray arrived at the outskirts of Sector 49.

“Sector 46? What about the place I was born in? It’s a cesspool. It’s the same as here.”

Niles said so.

There isn’t much difference between sectors 46 and 50.

Then, the remaining areas between the two sectors would naturally be grouped into one category.

A dark, gloomy, bottomless place where all kinds of evil flow like sewage.

It was obvious at first glance.

Not far away, shabby, damp concrete buildings were visible.

“If there’s a difference, it’s that it’s wider than here. The buildings are a little taller. The streets have higher numbers.”

The rule that more prosperous areas appear as you go up also applies between lower sectors.

Buildings spread out wide to the left and right of the field of vision.

It was definitely a larger place than Sector 50.

The area is large.

More residents live there.

… there must be at least one or two people who know a lot about magic.

Ray parked his car deep in the scrap heap and turned off the engine.

Dddd …

Went out.

We gathered some junk and placed it around the vehicle to make a sound when someone approached.

I got back into the car and closed the door.

“… … .”

All I can see is thick darkness all around.

I covered my tired eyelids and let my consciousness sink into sleep.

The activity starts tomorrow.

Wandering around the slums after dark is tantamount to suicide.

*

After finishing breakfast, Ray packed a can of food and a bottle of water and headed to the sector.

I didn’t plan on using the car for a while.

In areas with many poor people, the mere presence of a car tends to attract attention.

If it was known that the young boy was the owner, there was a risk of being robbed or attacked.

‘Was the golem only in sector 50?’

No golems were seen in the garbage dump in sector 49.

Perhaps that’s why no one, regardless of age or gender, was seen picking up trash, except for a few people outside the dump.

We crossed an old bridge that looked like it might collapse at any moment and entered the sector.

The smell coming from the air has changed.

From the sour metallic smell of a scrap heap to the pungent odor of sewage.

It didn’t matter anyway.

The boy had no sense of pleasure or displeasure based on smell.

The street scene wasn’t much different from Sector 50.

Sticky morning air.

Drunkards everywhere.

Merchants opening their shops with lifeless gestures.

─How’s the work at the mine? I heard the wages went up a bit recently.

─If you die, you die. Damn it.

─Hehehe. I, I can still drink more.

A drunken homeless man staggered toward Ray, his arms outstretched to grab him.

“Hey, kid. Do you, do you have some money? Hehe.”

As Ray dodged, the homeless man flung his arms in the air and fell to the ground.

thud!

This kind of thing was already familiar.

Ray continued to advance down the street naturally without looking back.

I glanced at a nearby sign.

‘Street number 36.’

This means that the number of streets is at least twice that of sector 50.

There are many places to go.

It takes a lot of legwork.

This meant that it might take longer than expected to explore the entire Sector 49.

The primary purpose of the expedition was to find clues to magic.

Revenge required strength, and the magic the boy saw was a powerful force on a different level than guns or blades.

Also, since the target of revenge was a wizard, it was necessary to figure out exactly what magic was.

‘… We’ll also have to find clues about the city of rainbows and wizards.’

The next goal was money.

There was no telling how many times he would have to go up and down the Elton River in his quest for revenge.

In the process, a lot of items are inevitably needed.

Food, water, fuel, medicine, etc.

But these are all secondary issues that can be easily solved if you have money.

For now, there is some money from Humphrey, but it is not a large amount that will be of any use during the journey.

Before leaving for the next sector.

You should stockpile as much money as possible here.

“… … .”

Ray could feel the gazes of people clinging to him one by one as he walked down the street.

No, not one or two.

I’m sure there are at least a dozen pairs.

Shoe shiners, gum sellers, touts, etc.

Boys of all shapes and sizes were looking at Ray with wary eyes from all over the streets.

Ray’s lips twisted.

Yeah, this looks like it’s no different from sector 50.

They also know that they have no choice but to take such actions.

It’s never fun to have a stranger wandering around your territory.

Moreover, if you walk around confidently rather than looking timid.

‘You’ll probably think I’m provoking you. Rather than thinking I’m a newbie who doesn’t know the rules of the street.’

Ray revealed his presence without hiding his body.

Although he didn’t take off his hood, his stride was steady.

If you operate in Sector 49, you’re bound to run into it at some point.

It would be a hundred times better to attack from the start.

The street boys’ eyes grew increasingly fierce, but Ray paid no attention.

“Didn’t you say you were recruiting people this time? You said you were looking for workers in Sector 45.”

“So if only I had won that money yesterday….”

I spent the whole morning roaming the streets, engaging in a war of nerves with street boys.

I listened to the residents’ conversations.

I tried to find some clues about magic, but I didn’t get much.

‘I’ve only just walked around one street. I’ll be the last one to talk to anyone directly.’

His identity is that of a boy from the outer sector who is looking for a wizard.

There was no need to attract unnecessary attention from the residents.

The sun rose higher and higher.

We had lunch of canned food under the bridge and then hit the road again.

How long did it take to walk like that?

Ray’s steps suddenly stopped.

“… … .”

It was in front of a two-story building.

The structure consisted of a store on the first floor and a house on the second floor.

“Bookstore… Veronica?”

Ray stuttered over the words written on the sign.

I had learned a few words and phrases from Niles.

“I’m hungry. Save me. I’ll kill you. Gun. Sun. River. Read the last one as hyung. Repeat after me, hyung.”

「… … .」

Although the training was conducted in a playful manner, Ray remembered it all.

I figured out the rules for combining letters and pronouncing them on my own, and thanks to that I was able to read simple letters without difficulty.

Of course, figuring out what the read text meant was a separate problem.

Ray pondered for a moment, wondering if it might be a store related to magic.

What is a bookstore?

Veronica sounds like a person’s name.

When I looked down, I saw the inside of the store with the lights off.

The shelves and cupboards were filled with neatly arranged square objects.

Likewise, it’s something I’m seeing for the first time.

Ray had no way of knowing what the object was.

The boy furrowed his brows.

I thought about it for quite some time, but I couldn’t come up with an answer.

“hey!”

When I raised my head at the loud scream, I saw a girl leaning out the window.

Red hair with wavy bob cut.

She was pretty, but her expression gave her a cold impression.

“You were the one who broke the window! You’re trying to steal the book again!”

Book? Is the name of the item in the store a book?

“Get out! Why are you doing this to us!”

Ray looked at the color of the mana in the girl’s bowl.

Red excitement. Yellow joy.

Blue discomfort. Dark green annoyance.

What is it? Those aren’t colors that can be had together like that.

“Get out of here quickly! The adults are coming down now! Let’s see if they still won’t go!”

But what on earth is he talking about now?

“…What a strange kid.”

“What? What did you just say!”

The girl leaned forward out the window as if she was going to fall.

“What did you say! Because of you guys, how much is Grandpa─!”

Ray looked at the girl blankly.

Then he turned around and walked away from Veronica Bookstore.

*

Ray toured the sector the next day as well.

I expanded my radius and went two more streets, but I couldn’t find any clues about magic.

If I were to collect something, it would be the ever-increasing number of street boys’ harsh gazes.

The bookstore was still closed.

Neither the window nor the girl was visible.

And so the day came to an end.

Ray returned to the vehicle among the scrap heaps, covered himself with a sheet, and curled up in the seat.

‘I wonder if there are any clues here. I haven’t even looked through the entire sector yet.’

A small emotion that blooms in the heart.

Although the size was tiny, it was definitely a feeling of impatience.

Ray closed his eyes.

How much time has passed like that?

Knock, knock, knock

Footsteps were heard outside.

Ray carefully raised his head and looked out the window.

A few small silhouettes were slowly approaching us, moving between the piles of scrap metal.

A rather secretive action.

Very faint footsteps.

It was thanks to Ray’s constant attention to the outside that he was able to detect the presence.

‘It’s time to come. Three. No, four.’

Thanks to the glowing mana in the opponents’ vessels, their numbers and locations could be clearly identified.

They must have been the ones receiving the harsh stares from the street.

I was expecting an attack today since I followed them all the way to the dump.

I took my eyes off the window

I crouched back in my seat again.

The footsteps came closer and stopped right in front of the window.

Look up.

There is no one visible in the window.

The enemies are crouching down, pressed against the car.

Inside and outside the vehicle.

Everyone held their breath.

The night air that had been flowing gently became tense.

Ray took a leather sack from his bosom and wrapped it around his neck.

The stones inside are heavy.

It was a weapon made by picking up junk from a garbage dump during the day.

I heard a whisper.

─Kill him?

─Subdue him first. Cover his mouth so he can’t scream.

─I also need to find the trunk key. It looks like there’s something to eat inside.

Territory?

I don’t think I can describe the current situation with such clumsy words.

This is plunder.

Because this is a slum.

If you don’t take it, it will be taken away.

If you don’t kill, you die.

The law of power that has been ingrained in us since we were very young.

There were no particular complaints.

This kind of thing was all too familiar.

The moment someone’s head slowly rises from under the window.

Wedge─!

Ray moved with lightning speed and swung his blackjack towards the window.

Bang!

“Ahh!”

Blackjack flew in through the window.

A silhouette fell to the floor, blood pouring from its head and its body shaking.

“fu*k!”

“What, what is it!”

Before the other silhouettes could even panic, the door opened and Ray ran out.

Boohoo─!

Blackjack sliced through the air without hesitation.

The mana shining from the enemies’ bodies served as a mark.

“Crack──!”

In an instant, a second silhouette fell.

He held his tongue and drool flowed from his mouth.

“This kid! Die!”

The remaining silhouettes swung the clubs they had brought, but Ray’s movements were quick.

Ray smoothly dodged all the attacks.

Boom!

With a sound of bones breaking, the remaining silhouettes fell at Ray’s feet.

“Ugh… .”

“right….”

A moment of commotion. Soon silence came.

All that could be heard was the sound of bodies squirming and groans.

The faces of the marauders in moonlight.

All of them are around the same age as Ray.

Ray crouched down in front of the oldest-looking boy.

“hey.”

I didn’t intend to ask an obvious question.

Why did you come?

What were you thinking of doing?

Because I already knew very well the physiology of street children.

The hot breath of the fallen boys spread dizzyingly into the night air.

Ray’s cool voice fell.

“How many streets are you eating?”