14

Let's not think it's manageable.

I thought as I looked at the 70% figure.

If I think it's even a little manageable, the percentage will drop.

The battery is there, but it won't last long.

The most important thing is to endure while maintaining it as long as possible.

Yeah, that's how I see it.

After all, even if I use all of this gathered energy, I can't defeat Iris.

"What?"

Iris seemed startled when she saw me cut through the laser beam.

67%.

Yeah, just by seeing that much, this happens.

Can I not concentrate?

70%.

The moment I cursed myself, the percentage went up.

The numbers are so honest.

I ran forward.

Click.

Iris seemed momentarily flustered, but quickly regained her composure and removed the fuse.

The cartridge was loaded.

Good.

Then it's my turn.

Let's see how far I can push with the circuit.

I thought about the technique I saw in the webtoon.

Up until now, I had mostly been solidifying the energy into a blade form, because I thought that method, from the webtoon, would be the most effective.

If the circuit percentage drops, I won't even be able to attack near a magical girl.

At the very least, my 'despair' should be greater than their 'hope.'

What about now?

The fact that I could cut it means it's similar.

In the webtoon, Iris's hope circuit usually stayed around 70%.

When her mental state broke, it even dropped to around 50%.

Isn't that why Iris uses her warp point technique?

Compared to Blossom, who maintains nearly 90%,

Iris's raw power is lower, so she probably found a way to break through by sending her attacks before the enemy could resist.

I removed the blade that had been on my wrist.

Then, I reached my hand forward, positioning myself as if a laser were about to shoot out of the circuit.

Iris had already finished aiming at me.

75%.

If I get hit like this, I'll be sent flying somewhere.

No, maybe Iris has adjusted her power.

Even if she pushes me with just magic, it should be enough to knock me out.

If I get caught like this, Blossom will know my face.

The thought made my heart race.

The fear rose to my throat.

What if Blossom—or rather, Hayoon—looks at me with a disgusted expression?

77%.

The battery was still full.

Which should I choose?

Of course, the battery.

I can't trust myself.

Boom!

As Iris shot, there was a recoil in my wrist.

The suit helped cushion some of the shock, but my arm still felt sore.

It was okay.

It hadn't broken yet.

73%.

Click.

Seeing the percentage drop when I felt a bit relieved just confirmed it—I was right not to trust myself.

I quickly moved the circuit and removed the battery.

As soon as the top plate of the circuit opened, black smoke rose.

It was a burnt battery.

I shook my arm, dropping it to the ground, and opened the suit pocket to pull out a new battery and insert it.

The battery was full.

The percentage was 70%.

It was still dropping.

That wasn't good.

Iris's attack seemed to be a warp point attack.

If she had simply pushed me with magic, I might have passed out without being able to endure it.

Iris's face showed a hint of bewilderment.

Her gaze toward me wavered.

65%.

Seeing that face, my mind quickly settled.

This still wasn't good.

I tried to think of a hopeless situation.

If the percentage keeps dropping like this, it will eventually tilt in Iris's favor.

I had to remind myself that things were still unfavorable—but…

A small smile crept onto my face.

Ah, maybe I really do prefer villains over magical girls.

Or maybe I'm just a coward.

Maybe I wanted to be a magical girl too.

Ji-hye was right. Maybe I could have at least talked to Hayoon about it.

But…

I'm just the kind of person who can't.

I've always been like this since my past life.

No matter how hard I studied, as I got older, my grades only dropped.

After going to university and serving in the military, it became hard to even maintain a B grade.

My high school grades were based on my own hard work, remembering my past life, but that's it.

Maybe if more difficult subjects came up, I would crumble.

It'll probably happen in my second year.

To fix the broken orphanage.

To give the kids one more snack.

With excuses like that, I followed the scout who approached me and became a worthless soldier.

Just like I was in my past life.

Even with a pretty face and being the protagonist's childhood friend, I ended up like this.

I'm hopeless.

72%.

Alright.

I've settled a bit.

When Iris removed a fuse and shot at me again, I had already rolled to the side.

I don't believe the nonsense that blades or hand-to-hand combat are faster than guns at close range, but Iris's rifle was certainly long.

As I rushed forward and quickly veered to the right, I narrowly avoided the beam.

I swung my fist.

"Ah!?"

Had Iris never allowed a proper attack from a soldier before?

She screamed.

I didn't hesitate, continuing to channel the circuit's energy—

"Hmph."

Iris stuck out her tongue at me and quickly lowered her left hand, touching the hem of her dress.

"Aah!?"

The fabric of Iris's skirt was heavily pleated.

At first glance, there seemed to be no side slit.

If there were one, the design would have felt odd.

But Iris casually slid her hand inside the hem of her skirt.

To the left, she had layered the fabric and created a side slit.

And probably, there was a holster on the inside of her leg.

The movement was swift, as if she had practiced it many times.

Bang!

By a hair's breadth, I was able to block the attack.

Using my left arm as a shield, I released the energy from the battery.

Just for a moment, a black hemispherical barrier formed in front of me.

Bang! Bang!

I was able to block up to three shots.

The pistol looked like a small automatic handgun.

Each time the trigger was pulled, a small fuse popped out.

The gun was small, so it didn't have the warp point function.

I wasn't sent flying to strange places.

Clink!

The battery blocked three shots before being automatically ejected.

I was slightly surprised that the circuit had been opened—

"Ah!?"

My scream, distorted through the helmet, leaked out.

Thud, thud.

I was hit with bullets made of pure magic on both shoulders.

The suit's defense was a little better than the tight-fitting armor I used to wear, so the pain was a little less.

However, it still felt like a punch from a boxer wearing gloves.

But, then again, I couldn't really gauge the power of it since I had never boxed.

As I staggered backward, Iris also jumped back.

Looking again, she still hadn't touched the ground even once.

Coward…

I thought, but it would be wrong to say that, right?

Technically, I was the more cowardly one.

As I reached into my pocket, Iris's rifle barrel was pointed straight at me.

I threw my body toward the ground.

78%.

The helmet hit the ground, causing my head inside to shake violently.

There was no time to be in pain.

I quickly rolled to the side as fast as I could and barely managed to hide in the corner.

I replaced the battery.

…This was the last battery.

After using this one, I'd have to fight purely with the power of the circuits.

81%.

Good.

I didn't like how it only charged up in these kinds of situations, but in a way, it was efficient.

Anyway, it would help with survival.

Iris was humming a tune.

That meant she was angry.

It was a habit she used to do in webtoons, and one I also found annoying since coming to this world.

Iris, who wants to seem grown-up, actually had a childish demeanor and habits.

She thought openly expressing anger would make her look like a child.

So, she hides her emotions like this.

Pretending to act "happy."

Her usually calm demeanor was the same.

…The reason Iris wanted to kill me was probably because I'd embarrassed her by teasing her like before.

But how did she recognize me this time?

81%.

What should I do?

Should I escape from here?

But the direction I would turn was somewhere I didn't know.

Running toward Iris and then retreating felt clean since it was a new area I entered.

There weren't even any combatants.

Had they all been taken out by Iris?

I looked the other way.

Iris was staring straight ahead down the corridor.

There were several fallen combatants visible.

Some were still wriggling on the floor, perhaps still conscious.

There were a few places in the corridor where I could hide.