The Genius Magician Who Sees Rainbows Chapter 002

The Boy on the Scrap Heap (2)

The light drizzle transformed into a heavy downpour, beating against the world.

Shhhhh─

All the filth of Sector 50 was washed away.

The old grime on the dilapidated buildings.

The stubborn bloodstains and dirt marks on the streets.

And for a moment, even the sharp emotions harbored between those living at rock bottom.

Slosh. Slosh.

The rainwater, carrying all manner of filth, flowed into the sewers.

And then it flowed out into the Elton River that cut through Sector 50.

The winding river split into several tributaries, one of which flowed to the lowest point of Sector 50.

The tributary passed under a tunnel.

And beside the walkways under the tunnel.

There stood a worn-out tent.

"Wow, Ray. Perfect timing! You could've been completely soaked."

Another boy inside spoke as he watched the gray-haired boy who had just entered the tent.

"Yeah. The weather's been strange lately."

Ray said while shaking off the water droplets from his clothes.

The blood that had splattered when he knocked down Ron had already been washed away.

A dim lamp lit the inside of the tent.

Children of various ages were gathered around.

Ray found a spot and sat down.

Pale, the group's leader, asked everyone:

"How did everyone do today?"

The children pulled out their possessions and gathered them in the middle.

Dirty coins and bills.

Canned food and biscuits.

Various grocery store vouchers reflected in the lamplight.

Money and food they had earned from activities like shining shoes, selling newspapers, and begging on the streets.

Ray also took out his items.

It was more than what all the other children had collected combined.

"Wow! That's our Ray for you!"

"You got this from trading scraps with the golem, right? Amazing as always. It never accepts anything I bring."

Ray remained silent.

No one else knew that the golem only accepted magical items with residual mana.

That was because he was the only one in Sector 50 who could see mana.

He deliberately avoided bringing up anything about mana.

Experience had taught him that being different usually brought more disadvantages than benefits.

Pale exclaimed in admiration:

"Thanks to Ray, we'll be able to stave off hunger a bit today. I'll keep the money in the safe. We'll buy food at the grocery store tomorrow. And we'll distribute the food we collected right now."

Pale began distributing the food, starting with the youngest.

Realizing there wasn't enough food to go around, Ray quietly stood up.

Plop.

He settled down at the tent entrance.

The food was scarce.

As it had always been.

Even finding items with mana flowing through them wasn't easy.

It took all day of searching to get this much food.

Growl.

The sound from his stomach.

He didn't mind.

Physical build was one of the most important things for a boy to survive in the slums.

It was more efficient for his growing younger siblings to get the nutrition than himself, who had mostly finished growing.

Even then, their chances of survival were extremely low.

With luck, they might become drug dealers or cannon fodder for some third-rate gang.

Growl.

Still, Ray felt he had an obligation to support this group.

Because he owed them his life.

"Look over here! There's someone here!"

It was a cold winter day.

Back then, when he had collapsed while wandering the city, not even realizing his feet were frostbitten.

These children had saved him as he was being buried in snow.

They had carried him to the tunnel, warmed his frozen body, and treated his frostbite with expensive medicine from who knows where.

'I thought it wouldn't have been so bad to die then.'

He hadn't particularly had a reason to die.

But then again, he hadn't particularly had a reason to struggle to stay alive either.

In that situation, his life had been unexpectedly extended.

Ray, who couldn't feel emotions, had established a few principles to adapt to human relationships.

Repay what you receive.

Whether it be gratitude or revenge.

That was why Ray had been supporting this group for nearly a year.

"......"

Ray glanced to the side.

The food distribution was still in full swing.

In the children's chests, mana of various colors appeared and disappeared as if playing hide and seek.

The second reason for supporting the group.

It was the ability to observe others' emotions up close.

Pale and the children showed more diverse emotional changes than anyone he had ever met.

The sight of rich, deep-colored mana moving brought Ray great satisfaction.

The movement of mana according to emotions.

It was the only field Ray found interesting and fascinating.

And.

"Ray. You need to take your share."

These children didn't treat him like a monster.

Ray stared blankly at Pale sitting beside him.

The group's leader Pale.

A boy the same age as him.

"I mean, you collected almost all of this food."

At first, that's what he thought.

That they were friendly to him because he was a big help in gathering food.

But after observing them over time, that wasn't it.

Pale and the children treated him as a human being.

They just treated him as someone a bit odd, somewhat dull to emotions.

They didn't show fear or disgust.

Ray opened his mouth.

"I'm not hungry."

Growl.

"Your stomach says otherwise."

"......"

Though he couldn't feel the pain of hunger, he couldn't control every single organ response.

Ray accepted the half biscuit Pale offered.

The two boys watched outside the tent while chewing their biscuits.

Swoosh──

Pale suddenly asked.

"You know what, Ray?"

"What?"

"This rain that's falling now."

"It's falling."

"It's black, right?"

"It is."

"They say it's because magicians use too much magic."

"......"

"They say magicians live in the lower-numbered sectors."

Magicians.

They were known as beings who could create mysterious phenomena using mana.

However, it was just a rumor; no one in Sector 50 had ever actually seen a magician.

Ray answered dryly.

"Could be."

"I really think magicians exist. Just look at the golem. I'm sure some magician sent it."

"It could just be a machine."

"No. It must be moving by magic."

Pale's eyes sparkled.

Ray didn't show it, but he agreed with Pale.

When the golem moved, the surrounding mana would converge into its core.

Then it would mix together, turn black, and rise as smoke.

'Mana must be like fuel.'

The smoke that rose to the sky.

The black rain falling heavily now.

He thought the two factors must be related.

Their conversation paused amid the sound of rain.

The two boys continued eating while looking at the hazy scenery.

Swoosh──

"The rain's gotten a bit lighter. Still pouring though."

Ray nodded.

As Pale said, the rain had weakened.

From a downpour to heavy rain.

The sun was slowly setting, and it was getting dark.

Perfect conditions for activity.

"Huh? Hey! Where are you going!"

Pale shouted as he watched Ray putting on an old raincoat.

"I'll be back in a bit."

"Where are you going in this rain?"

"Keep an eye on the river. If it overflows the railings, the tent will flood."

Ray zipped up his coat, pulled the hood tight over his head, and rushed out of the tent before anyone could stop him.

Swoosh─

The tent quickly receded behind him.

He climbed up the riverbank and entered the alley.

He crossed the winding streets with quick steps.

There were no pedestrians in sight.

The shops had closed early.

The reason was simple.

Today was a black rain day.

There were stories that getting caught in this rain would make you sick.

These weren't entirely baseless rumors.

People who had worked long hours in the rain were found to have blackened internal organs when they died.

You could easily find patches of blackened earth throughout Sector 50.

Tu-du─ Tu-dudu─ Tu-dudu─!

The pitch-black raindrops hammered relentlessly against his raincoat.

It reminded him of the occasional gunfire that rang out in the streets during gang conflicts.

But not a single raindrop touched Ray's face.

A thin film of blue light clung tightly around his entire body.

There were hundreds of different colored mana in the atmosphere.

When he drew out specific mana and mixed the colors, this was the result.

He didn't know the exact principles behind it.

He could only say that it just worked when he did it.

Ray thought this phenomenon must be what people called 'magic'.

Lost in thought as he walked quickly, the street numbers changed.

From Street 17 to Street 18.

Since the entire area was a slum, there wasn't much difference in the scenery.

However, the gangs controlling the streets were different.

The organization led by black-haired Niles.

The organization led by limping Hector.

These were the two major powers dividing Sector 50.

From here on was Hector's territory.

He moved cautiously between buildings, alleys, and bushes.

Before long, he reached the outskirts of the street.

Going down the hill, he spotted two temporary buildings surrounded by wire fencing.

They belonged to Hector's organization.

One was a food warehouse. The other was a guard post.

He knew that on rainy days, all the guards gathered in the post to gamble.

Moving along the fence in a familiar way, Ray crouched down in an area thick with bushes.

He saw a break in the fence.

Just big enough for one person to pass through.

The back wall of the food warehouse was right there.

Ray reached out and removed the bricks from the wall one by one.

This was the result of months of carefully applying concrete dissolvent between the bricks.

Soon there was a small hole in the wall.

Ray passed through both the fence and wall holes to enter the building.

It was pitch black inside.

Whoosh!

A small flame appeared above his hand.

This too was magic that Ray knew how to use.

Ray had several formulas for mixing colors.

With the right color mixing, he could create small balls of light or make small objects float in the air.

However, some colors were difficult to handle.

For example, the red mana needed to create fire was like that.

Ray thought to himself.

'If I could better feel the emotions corresponding to red mana.'

Then perhaps he could create bigger flames.

Because mana flows to where emotions exist.

The small flame revealed the outlines of nearby objects.

Shelves lined both walls.

Boxes stacked on top of them.

Ray took several large cans from a box in the furthest corner and tucked them into his clothes.

This should be enough to keep the tunnel dwellers going for tomorrow and the day after.

'Should I take a few more?'

Ray shook his head as he considered it.

He couldn't get greedy.

There was a risk of getting caught.

Four at a time.

This was the safe amount confirmed through dozens of previous experiences.

Since food was regularly restocked in the warehouse, taking small amounts wouldn't be noticeable.

That's when it happened.

Tada-da─

The sound of footsteps running this way.

Ray extinguished the flame and immediately turned his body.

Swish─!

Something sharp grazed right in front of his face.

"What? He dodged that?"

A voice followed.

"Idiot. You couldn't even catch that?"

"The rat stealing our food finally showed its face."

There wasn't just one voice.

Three in total. Hector's men.

They seemed to have been hiding behind pillars and boxes.

Swish!

Ray kept moving, dodging the flying knives like a snake.

They were tracking his position precisely.

They must be wearing night vision equipment or something similar.

He had seen Hector's gang bringing in trucks loaded with high-end equipment before.

Ray knew what this meant.

'War.'

Hector was preparing for war.

"What the hell? How is this kid dodging everything?"

"Swing better, you idiot."

"Fuck! You try catching him then."

"It's like he can see all our movements."

Startled voices echoed through the warehouse.

Swish─!

Ray dodged the knife with ruler-precise timing.

Simultaneously, he pointed his right elbow forward and drove it into one of the men's chest.

"Ugh!"

Clang!

The knife clattered to the floor.

Without pause, he launched himself toward the next target.

"This little bastard! He knows exactly where we are!"

The gang members' suspicions were correct.

In the pitch darkness.

Ray's eyes could see the brightly glowing mana contained within their bodies.

Blood-red.

Murky green like a deep swamp.

'They're angry. And getting flustered.'

Swack!

"Fuck! How the hell is he dodging everything!"

Mana also flowed through the blood vessels after passing through a vessel in the chest.

By reading these flows, he could easily predict their next movements.

It was like having his own version of night vision.

"Urgh!"

Thud!

The difference in size and strength was overcome by technique.

The gang members all lay collapsed at Ray's feet.

Just as Ray hurried to escape through the hole.

CRASH──!

Creak─ Bang!

The door burst open with a flash of lightning.

A long shadow stretched across the warehouse floor.