#004. The Man Who Was Swept Down the River (1)
The bullet pierced the back of the Hector organization member’s head with precision.
Thud!
As the corpse fell, blood splattered onto Ray’s face and body.
The hot blood that had been flowing through the veins just moments ago.
A person died right in front of him, but Ray did not show a dramatic reaction.
Wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve, he asked the man who fired the shot, “Did you get a report? You usually don’t wake up at this time.”
“Yeah. I heard Hector’s guys were roaming around.”
The man wore a perfectly fitted navy shirt and slacks.
He looked to be in his early thirties.
Chic—
The man lit a cigarette and approached slowly.
With the tip of his shoe, he flipped the corpse over to confirm its identity and said, “Caught one of them.”
Then he glanced at Ray.
His coat bulged like a can.
Having grasped the situation in an instant, he let out a hollow laugh.
“You’re a reckless one.”
When someone gives a compliment, it’s customary to express gratitude.
That was the rule Ray knew.
“Thank you.”
“That’s not a compliment.”
“Actually, it was a bit ambiguous.”
Ray could not read the hidden meanings behind people’s expressions or words.
Whether someone smiled broadly or cried sadly,
In either case, they all appeared to have similar expressions to him.
Thus, he only gauged others’ emotions through the color of their mana.
However, there were occasionally people who were exceptions.
Those whose emotional range was narrow, resulting in very faint colors of mana being contained within them.
For Ray, this was the most difficult type of person to deal with. The man before him was just that kind of person.
After blowing out a puff of smoke, the man said, “You’ll get yourself killed if you keep this up. There are things you can touch and things you can’t.”
“If I don’t touch it, I’ll starve to death anyway.”
The man shook his head as if he were fed up.
“Anyway, does that mean I’ve paid off my life debt with this?”
The life debt referred to when Ray saved the man who had been swept down the river with an injury to his waist.
It had been a year ago.
“I thought it was scrap and picked it up. I’ve told you several times. Maybe your memory isn’t that good.”
He wasn’t being sarcastic.
He genuinely questioned the man’s memory.
Knowing somewhat about Ray’s emotional deficiencies, the man chuckled and replied,
“Well, thanks to you, I’m alive.”
“And I’ve already paid off my debt.”
Ray looked at the man with a calm gaze.
The man had originally been an executive in an organization in Sector 46.
He claimed to have been betrayed and thrown into the river.
Ray thought that it couldn’t be entirely false.
The fighting techniques the man taught him were far more systematic than those of street thugs.
One could say that Ray’s ability to beat up street kids was partly thanks to this man.
“That’s that, and this is this.”
“And I could have handled it alone. Even without your help.”
“You’re quite cocky. Not even a thank you?”
“Thank you.”
“I told you it’s not a compliment.”
The man crushed the finished cigarette into the ground.
He thought Ray wasn’t entirely wrong.
‘He definitely has talent.’
Just two weeks.
That was how long it took to teach this emotionally parched kid all the fighting techniques he had.
Ray absorbed everything taught to him and immediately applied it.
It didn’t take him hours to completely embody those techniques.
Eventually, there was nothing left to teach him.
For such a kid, taking down a few organization members would be nothing.
“You remember what I mentioned last time?”
“Yeah?”
“The invitation to join the organization.”
“Right.”
It wasn’t just this man who recognized Ray’s talent.
Many organizations in Sector 50 were sending love calls to Ray, whether they knew it or not.
A brilliant shining gem is bound to stand out wherever it is found.
“I’ll do it.”
Ray’s decision wasn’t for any other reason.
If he joined an organization, he could ensure protection for the kids under the bridge as well.
“Hmm.”
However, the man’s reaction was lukewarm compared to last time.
He stepped out of the alley and sat on the sidewalk.
Ray sat beside him.
Click!
The second cigarette was lit.
As smoke billowed into the sky, the man suddenly asked,
“Do you use magic?”
“Do you know much about magic?”
Ray’s immediate response came back.
The man sensed that his intuition was correct.
‘I had some suspicions.’
Predicting human actions or starting a fire without a lighter in front of the bridge were some examples.
“Tell me. Do you know anything about magic?”
The man chuckled softly.
This was the first time he saw Ray so eager.
“I don’t know much. When we invited a magician to our old organization, I just asked a few questions then.”
The man shared what knowledge he had about magic:
That there exists a power called mana in the atmosphere which serves as a material for magic,
And that only a select few can feel and manipulate mana.
“Weren’t there any discussions about colors? That mana has colors?”
“Colors? I don’t recall hearing anything like that. They said mana isn’t visible.”
Ray felt puzzled.
Then what were these colorful energies he was seeing now?
One thing was certain: they were mana.
He had been using magic all along with these energies.
“They did say that mana is made up of various elements. They mentioned there are over three digits worth. They also said that depending on one’s constitution, the number and types of elements one can manipulate are determined.”
One hundred types of elements.
The colors he was seeing now seemed to match that number as well.
So did that mean different elements had different colors?
“Were there really no discussions about colors? Are you sure you’re not just forgetting because your memory isn’t great?”
“Can I hit you once?”
As soon as he finished speaking, the man playfully flicked Ray on the forehead.
But having read his movement, Ray easily dodged it, causing the fist to slice through empty air.
“You annoying brat.”
“Thank you.”
“It seems like you’re pretending not to feel emotions on purpose.”
“Didn’t the power of magic change according to your feelings?”
The man paused for a moment in thought before speaking up,
“The person I knew dealt with fire. When he got angry, he would create bigger flames.”
Indeed, magic is related to emotions.
This was extremely valuable information for Ray.
A few more questions were exchanged,
And then their conversation returned to its original topic.
“So what’s your answer about joining the organization?”
“No.”
“Why so suddenly?”
“…….”
The man fell silent for a moment.
He had a long-held dream:
To escape from the slums and live a better life.
But reality was harsh.
He was barely managing to maintain his current situation, let alone improve his life.
The man lifted his gaze,
And in the not-so-distant view, he saw the Elton River,
Along with debris being swept away by its currents,
Eventually destined to become part of a heap of scrap metal downstream.
He realized he was no different from that debris,
Having been swept down and settling into Sector 50 without resistance.
‘All sectors are located next to Elton River. If you follow the river upstream, you can reach the next numbered sector…’
But he had no strength left anymore.
He could not muster the courage to swim against that rough current again,
Yet this kid was different from his tired and worn out self.
He had intelligence and talent for physical tasks,
True potential blooming before him,
And if he could use magic as well…
‘…they say magicians are treated well wherever they go.’
It would be far too wasteful for such talent to end its life as a member of some third-rate organization in this alleyway.
The man found himself quite fond of Ray,
Thinking perhaps this kid could fulfill his dream for him too.
“Don’t you think about leaving Sector 50?”
“You’re saying strange things today. Did you eat something weird?”
“I’m serious. I could even give you a car. It’s not great, but…”
Ray shook his head firmly.
“No way. You know I have kids to take care of.”
“Don’t worry. I’m planning to open an orphanage soon.”
“An orphanage?”
“Yeah. I’m going to gather all the orphans like you and put them in there.”
“……”
Ray looked at the vessel in the man’s chest.
The color of the mana was faint.
Dim and with little tremor.
It wasn’t easy to distinguish.
But Ray thought there was a high possibility that the man’s words were true.
The man had kept every word he had said until now.
“They say when a person suddenly changes, it’s time for them to die.”
“It’s not sudden. I’ve been thinking about it for a while. I was an orphan too.”
“So, that means you’re saying I can’t join the organization?”
“Right.”
The man stood up and dusted off his backside.
Then he walked toward an old vehicle that had arrived in front of the sidewalk.
Ray called out to the man’s back.
“Got it. By the way, be careful. It seems Hector is preparing for war. I saw him loading equipment onto a truck.”
“I know.”
The man raised his hand and waved his gun.
“Oh.”
Ray only then remembered that the gun had been fired.
Using blades only during conflicts was an unwritten rule among organizations in Sector 50.
Breaking that rule was akin to declaring all-out war.
“War? Are you thinking about it?”
“If I have no thoughts, but there’s an opponent, then I have to do it. It seems Hector is eyeing the shops in this area.”
“If you loses, the shop owners will have a hard time. I heard your organization’s protection fees are relatively fair.”
The man frowned.
“There are so many bastards without morals that I seem relatively okay by comparison. But why am I ‘uncle’? I’m still a bachelor who hasn’t even married.”
“Because you’re an uncle.”
“If you were my little brother, I would have given you a good beating.”
The man growled at Ray.
Meanwhile, the window of the vehicle rolled down, revealing a menacing face.
“Boss, you need to go.”
“Yeah, I should go.”
The man opened the back door, rummaged through his belongings, and threw something at Ray.
It was disinfectant.
“What is this?”
“Your ear.”
When he touched his ear, he felt a hardened scab of blood.
It seemed he had gotten hurt during a fight with Humphrey.
“See you later. Try to move the hideout if possible. The area is likely to become a battlefield soon. And I’ll have a car ready, so keep that in mind.”
The boss of the organization that divided Sector 50 drove off in a vehicle that carried Niles across the street.
Ray sat on a nearby pile of junk and applied disinfectant to his ear.
Then he stood up and walked toward the bustling area.
‘The weather has turned cloudy again.’
Ray looked up.
The sunlight that had been pouring down just moments ago was now overshadowed by thick dark clouds filling the sky.
It was always like this.
When it rained, the sky would clear temporarily, only to become cloudy again due to newly formed clouds.
Because of this, the streets of Sector 50 were generally dreary as well.
There was no dynamism or vibrancy to be found—just monochrome hues.
People wore expressions of lethargy.
These contributed to an oppressive atmosphere under the dark shadows cast by the clouds.
Dark-colored mana corresponding to negative emotions primarily resided in people’s hearts as well.
Suddenly, yellow colored mana appeared in his sight.
It represented excitement and joy.
“Hey! Ray hyung!”
A shoeshiner boy who had been squatting in front of an old lady spotted Ray and ran over eagerly.
The owner of the yellow mana was Josephin, the youngest boy of the group.
“What’s up? Why didn’t you come back yesterday…”
Josephin stopped speaking mid-sentence upon seeing Ray’s dirty raincoat and scratched face, bursting into tears.
“Waaah! Why are you hurt, hyung? Did you fight? Who did this to you? Waaaah!”
“I just fell.”
Ray couldn’t take his eyes off the various colors of mana swirling in Josephin’s chest.
It was simply fascinating—
the fact that one person could feel such a wide range of emotions.
Moreover, seeing the emotions of the children under the bridge sometimes made his heart flutter with warmth.
Ray used his third formula for comforting someone who was sad:
pat-pat-pat.
He gently stroked the small head.
Whether it was effective or not, Josephin quickly stopped sniffling.
He took out a can of food and placed it into Josephin’s shoeshiner bag as he spoke.
“Go ahead to the tent first and tell Pale I’ll be there soon.”
“Okay! Waaah! You’ll come back soon, right?”
“Yeah.”
Josephin hugged his bag tightly and disappeared toward the bridge direction.
Ray approached the old lady Josephin had been talking to earlier.
She was sitting on a mat with a shabby appearance, eyes closed in meditation.
“Grandma Viola, what did you talk about with Josephin?”
Viola, upon hearing her name called, lifted her head.
With a warm smile still on her face, she answered while keeping her eyes closed:
“It’s Ray! We were talking about rainbows.”
