Genius Prismatic Mage Chapter 13

#013. Children of the Street (3)

5th day of arrival at Sector 49.

“Your liver is sticking out of your stomach. Who gave you permission to come around here?”

A group of people appeared in front of the alley.

Whoosh! Boom! Boom!

“Ugh…!”

“Oh, it hurts… It hurts so much… .”

It didn’t even take a minute for them all to roll over in front of Ray.

Ray passed them with an indifferent expression and exited the alley.

Even after the duel schedule was set, the search for the streets did not stop.

Not only is the street occupied by Cedric, but other groups are also walking around the streets.

Cedric’s men did not attack Ray as instructed, but the other groups were a different story.

It goes without saying that we cannot leave an intruder who enters our area alone.

Everywhere we went, groups of men with knuckles and pipes appeared.

Ray never avoided a fight that came his way.

Rather, he openly walked the streets and provoked fights.

“T, this can’t be won. I, I can’t win.”

“Whoa! What the hell are you?”

It was to master combat using magic.

Or create a wind.

Increase strength or agility with strengthening magic.

Any magic that was not visible on the outside could be used.

‘Certainly, the more you use magic, the more you get used to it. Just like the more you use your body, the more you train it.’

Ray’s thoughts were correct.

As you become more comfortable with mana, you will be able to use magic faster and with less mental power consumed.

That was why the time it took to beat up street boys was getting shorter and shorter.

Through repeated fights, Ray continued to grow stronger.

… and that wasn’t intentional.

Ray’s existence was becoming increasingly famous among the boys of Sector 49.

“That’s right. This kid. Gray hair. Expressionless face. You’re the hunter, aren’t you?”

“What is your purpose? Where do you come from?”

He is a ‘hunter’ who goes around destroying children without thinking about the consequences.

Rumors of a duel with Cedric had also spread throughout the streets.

“There’s someone attacking Cedric? That crazy guy?”

“But seeing as Cedric is holding the board properly, I guess he’s not lacking in skill.”

“What’s that kid’s name?”

At first, everyone was skeptical.

But it didn’t take long for the rumor to spread and gain credibility.

This was because Ray was walking around beating up street kids and exuding an overwhelming presence.

The boys on the street, regardless of their faction affiliations, joined forces to catch the hunter.

“Stop. Can we look at it for a second?”

“You cheeky little brat!”

The opponent is a stranger from sector 50.

A kind of solidarity was created against external enemies.

Of course, it didn’t help much.

In every alley Ray passed, boys rolled around on the ground, clutching at broken bones.

So while Ray continued his exploration and hunting.

“Wait a minute. You’re a hunter, right?”

A boy appeared in front of the alley.

The opponent was relatively small in size.

Is it a little below the average for your age?

‘It’s strange that you’re alone. I don’t think you’d be good at fighting.’

Shirt, trousers, and round glasses.

A bun hat placed on top of curly hair.

It was a completely different appearance from any opponent that had appeared before.

Well, it wasn’t anything to worry about.

All you have to do is knock down any enemies that block your way.

“Take off your glasses. If you break them while fighting, my hand will get hurt.”

Ray approached with brisk strides.

The boy in the bread hat quickly waved his hands in horror.

“Oh, no! I didn’t come here to fight!”

“… … ?”

Ray stopped walking.

The boy with the bread hat’s chest rose and fell roughly as if he was very surprised.

“Phew, oh, oh. I’m not really good at fighting. Look, how am I supposed to fight back with this tiny body?”

The boy in the bread hat spoke quickly, as if trying to let Ray down.

“If you weren’t going to fight, why did you come?”

“Whew. Okay. Calm down for now. You’re a hunter, right? Gray hair, expressionless. I came here to make a suggestion.”

*

The boy’s name was Philip.

Ray and Philip.

Two boys were walking through a pile of scrap metal.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. There’s no one who doesn’t know you. These days, wherever I go, all I hear is about you.”

Philip guided Ray with a smiling face.

“This way. My business is near the east dump. You can decide whether or not to accept the offer after seeing it. If you accept, it’s a formal contract.”

The words were quite eloquent.

I used a lot of difficult words that adults would use, but it didn’t feel particularly awkward.

The distance is a bit far.

Wouldn’t it be a waste of time?

“Ah! It’s a little far! Sorry. Just bear with it a little longer!”

… he was also quick-witted.

It was a type I had never experienced before.

Because even if my peers were quick-witted and mature, they usually had limitations.

‘It’s definitely a bit unusual.’

Ray stared at the back of Philip’s head.

Curiosity and interest arose in my heart.

It was an emotion I had rarely felt except in matters related to magic and mana.

“They’re all here. This is it.”

The place we arrived was in front of an abandoned factory.

The exterior was similar to Cedric’s hideout, but the difference was that there was a lot of chatter coming from inside.

────.

There was no noise when the door opened.

It was evidence that it was usually well-oiled.

──── Boom!

The doors opened to the left and right and reached both ends.

The inside of the factory was clearly visible.

Two- or three-story wooden or iron beds were lined up in rows inside the factory.

In between, furniture such as tables and sofas were placed.

Shirts, underwear, and other items were hung on clotheslines that stretched between the factory railings and bed frames.

In the corner, there were even plumbing facilities such as a sink and urinal.

and.

─Throw some shoe polish over there!

─Hey! Those are my shoes!

─Who wants to go to work on street 3 instead of me today? It’s delivery work!

Boys of various ages, big and small, were moving about the space.

Philip said with a confident look on his face.

“Welcome to the Philip Hotel.”

“… It’s amazing.”

It was a sight that I could only say I had never seen before.

If there were no limits to my emotional range, I would have definitely opened my mouth wide and let out a heartfelt exclamation.

Ray, who moves his feet inward first.

Philip followed behind, grinning.

“There must be more than 100 people.”

“It’s 186 to be exact. If you include those who are already out working.”

It was heartbreaking to see the mana swaying in the hearts of so many children.

Ray continued to look inside the factory as he passed among the children.

The children didn’t seem particularly wary of Ray.

I guess they think they are from the same group.

Because there were so many people, not everyone knew each other’s faces.

“Here are the kids. They have something in common.”

“Oh, did you notice?”

“You don’t seem like you’d fit in with other groups. You’re either too young. Or too small.”

It feels like a herbivore.

Ray somehow felt like a wolf among the sheep.

“Oh! That’s right. You have a good eye.”

“Did you create this whole environment?”

“Well then. I put a lot of effort into building the infrastructure.”

Then a boy ran up to Philip and handed him a bag of coins.

“Philip! This month’s rent!”

“Oh, Jonathan. Are you good at restaurant work?”

“Yeah. First of all, the biggest thing is that there’s no harassment on the way to and from work.”

Philip took the bag, checked the amount, and put it in his bosom.

“Okay. I definitely received it.”

Then he took out his notebook and wrote down Jonathan’s name and the amount.

Jonathan had a few more conversations with Philip and then disappeared with light steps.

Ray staring at his notebook.

Philip glanced up from his notebook and asked.

“Oh, do you want to see? Even if you look, you probably won’t know.”

Nod.

Ray flipped through the pages of the notebook he was handed, examining its contents one by one.

It was full of various details about the operation of an abandoned factory, no, a hotel.

Flutter.

Ray’s fingers keep moving.

Then I stopped at one page.

“There’s a rumor that he came from Sector 50. He lives in a car in the southern garbage dump. His expression hardly changes. He’s really good at fighting, but when he does, the atmosphere becomes really scary! Approach with extreme caution!”

The word ‘scared’ was circled in red several times.

“I did a lot of research.”

“Huh, huh?”

Philip was very embarrassed.

I never thought Ray could read.

“…Can you read?”

“any.”

“Uh, um. I’m sorry. If I offended you. It’s not an excuse, but I like observing people.”

Philip was flustered and talking about this and that.

He said that observing, analyzing, and understanding people has been his survival strategy since he was young.

So, I end up paying close attention to people’s facial expressions, tone of voice, and small gestures.

“It’s the complete opposite for me. I can’t tell even if I look at it.”

“So it’s like my habit… huh?”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m not in a bad mood.”

Ray’s forgiveness.

Philip looked relieved.

After continued guidance, we arrived at a container room located at the innermost part of the factory.

The two large boys guarding the door looked at Ray and asked.

“Philip. What is this guy?”

“The famous hunter these days. I told you. I’m going to invite you as a guest today.”

The big boys’ eyes widened at the word hunter.

It was a look of half curiosity and half fear.

Squeak─ bang!

Philip and Ray went inside.

When we closed the door, there were only two people in the room.

The beds, tables, and such appeared to be in much better condition than those outside.

Is this the space that Philip uses alone?

“It’s a space that I use alone. It’s like the president’s office.”

Philip, who was putting the money bag in the safe, spoke as if he had read Ray’s thoughts.

Ray turned his head.

He said, staring intently at Philip’s squirming back.

“I thought you were a fraud. When I first heard you.”

“Hey, I don’t lie. In business, trust is everything.”

Kirik─ Click!

Philip locked the safe.

She got up from her seat and started whining.

“Money can be earned again, but once you lose credit, you can’t get it back, right?”

“… … .”

No matter how I looked at him, he didn’t look like he was my age.

Could it be that he is an old man taking medicine to make himself younger or wearing an elaborate mask?

The two boys sat facing each other on the sofa.

Philip said, unfolding the sector map.

“Sector 49 is largely occupied by three groups.”

“One would be Cedric.”

“That’s right. The guy you’ll be fighting in a few days. Aside from Cedric, there’s Zephyr and Lawson.”

Zephyr on street 1-13.

Cedric on 14-27th Street.

Lotson 28-38.

These were the names of the boys who shared the streets of Sector 49.

“Do you know what’s good about eating street food?”

“The biggest thing is that you can monopolize jobs.”

“That’s right. You really know how this world works.”

That’s why the kids tried so hard to fit in with the group.

After all, the easiest way to get food was to earn money and buy it yourself.

“But the leaders don’t accept just anyone into their group. They only accept those who are strong, smart, good at getting things done, or helpful to the group.”

“All the kids here are failures. By my standards.”

“That’s right. It’s a place where some of the losers gather.”

Philip chuckled.

“But the kids here are doing their jobs safely without having to join the big three. Do you know why?”

“… … .”

“There are a lot of mines in Sector 49. I’ve never been out of there, but I’ve heard there are several times more than in other sectors.”

Ray combined the given information to come up with a deduction.

“They say a lot of adults are dying.”

“oh….”

Philip let out a sigh.

“That’s very accurate. You’re not only good at fighting, are you?”

“Keep talking.”

“Anyway. So there are a lot of jobs in Sector 49 right now. Since there are no workers, they are trying to hire children. It’s more than each group can handle.”

Because of this, each group was freed from its monopoly on work and instead received a certain percentage of the income as remuneration.

“My job is to dispatch the children and manage the remittances. I’m kind of a broker. I also provide them with a place to sleep. It’s not free, though.”

Philip said he led the entire process to create the current situation.

When I examined the colors of my emotions, I found out that it wasn’t a lie.

It was a great thing.

It was not the usual bluff that street boys usually put on, but rather, in his own words, he was doing ‘real’ business.

“But not all the leaders of the herds have business agreements with me.”

“Is that why you came to me?”

Philip grinned.

The more we talked, the more I felt like Ray and I had a good rapport.

‘It’s still a little scary, though.’

There are times when you have to be bold to gain profit.

Philip took a deep breath and said with shining eyes.

“I’ll make a formal offer. I want you to become my business partner.”