WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: LilGuyBlastoise
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ I Made Magic Easier by Changing the Formula ◈
Chapter 16: The Combat Formula of Everyday Magic
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The boy tried to get up several times, only to collapse again.
His eyes were swollen and torn.
His face was covered in blood.
“Urgh... ngh... Please save me...”
Just as he struggled to crawl away, one of them kicked him hard in the ribs.
Thud!
“Argh!”
The boy curled up like a shrimp and rolled across the ground.
‘...These pieces of trash!’
I trembled with rage.
Anger rose to my throat.
‘Five of them. Daggers and clubs.’
I draped an old discarded ragged straw mat over my clothes and smeared charcoal soot around my eyes.
‘It’ll be troublesome if my face is recognized.’
Then I completely covered my face with a piece of straw mat.
I looked exactly like a vagrant.
“Fuck, I’m sick of beating him. Rake, hold his leg tight.”
“Paim, are we really breaking it?”
“I’ll take the leg, you take the arm. Nice and clean, one each.”
“Heh... good. Hurry up and hit him. Nothing sounds better than bones breaking.”
Paim raised their club high.
Just as he was about to bring it down on the boy’s leg, I flicked my fingertips forward.
[First-Tier Transformation Formula: Mana Needle]
Flash!
A stream of mana compressed into a needle shot through the air.
“Argh!”
Paim screamed and dropped their club.
A thin stream of blood spurted from Paim’s right shoulder.
“W-who are you?”
“Over there!”
Their gazes turned toward me all at once.
“What did that beggar bastard do?”
“Kill him!”
Two of them pulled daggers and rushed at me together.
They were fast.
Too fast for my ordinary eyes to follow.
‘If I can’t see them, I just have to make myself see them.’
I concentrated mana in my eyes.
It was everyday magic I had originally made to find tiny frayed threads or needle holes in fabric.
[First-Tier Transformation Formula: High-Precision Vision]
At that moment,
“...!”
The attackers’ movements seemed magnified.
Even the flutter of their clothes and the movement of their eyes.
Everything was clear and slow.
‘I can see it all.’
The one on the right lifted their shoulder and stabbed forward.
The one on the left stomped hard and moved in from the side.
Whoosh!
I calmly twisted my body slightly.
The dagger of the attacker on the right barely grazed my collar.
At the same time, the blade from the left stabbed toward my side.
Screech!
The blade pierced my outer clothing but slid away against my protective undergarment.
“Huh? Why won’t it go in?”
They were startled, exposing an opening.
I poured mana into my foot and stomped on the right attacker’s toes.
[First-Tier Transformation Formula: Pressing]
This was everyday magic that applied the force used to press out wrinkles while ironing clothes.
Unlike pressing fabric, though, I put my full body weight into my foot.
Crunch!
“Argh!”
The attacker collapsed as their toes were crushed.
Even I was startled.
‘What? Why is it this powerful?’
I had only pressed down as though I were ironing, yet human bones shattered like crackers.
A combat application of everyday magic!
It was far more terrifying in actual combat than I had imagined.
“Y-you monster!”
The remaining attackers faltered in fear.
Then something invisible swept across the ground.
[Invisible Thread]
Transparent threads slipped from my bracelet.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
“W-what is that sound...”
Slice!
Flesh tore from Rake’s leg as they approached.
Blood splattered and streamed down.
“Argh! M-my leg...!”
Rake fell backward in horror.
“W-what is this? Is there something there?”
The attackers beside Rake recoiled in terror and hurriedly stepped back.
But they were already fish caught in a net.
Twung!
Both attackers were snared by their ankles and dangled upside down.
“Argh! Save me!”
“W-what is this?”
I pulled them higher, then reeled in the thread and sent them crashing into the ground.
Thud! Thump!
“Urgh!”
“Argh!”
“B... be careful. There are invisible strings ahead...”
Rake clutched his leg and crawled over the dirt.
I walked over and cast [Compression] on his leg.
I pressed down with all my strength, as though smoothing wrinkled cloth.
Crack!
The sound of bones being crushed.
Rake had wanted to hear that sound, so I would let Rake hear plenty of it.
Crunch!
“Argh!”
Rake foamed at the mouth and passed out.
Four of them had been incapacitated in an instant.
Now only Paim remained, clutching his shoulder and groaning.
“Y-you... who are you...?”
Paim backed away in terror.
Then he quickly picked up a dagger from the ground and threw it at me.
‘Damn!’
I panicked.
With [High-Precision Vision] active, I could see the blade’s trajectory.
But while my eyes had become faster, my body was still painfully slow.
I saw it coming clearly, yet I could not dodge it. The dagger struck my chest.
Clang!
Fortunately, it bounced harmlessly off my protective undergarment.
“That’s impossible...”
Despair filled Paim’s eyes.
Pew!
Meanwhile, the Spatial Stitching Needle I had fired pierced one of Paim’s eyes.
“Argh! Why are you doing this? W-we didn’t do anything wrong!”
Paim staggered as they clutched Paim’s bleeding left eye.
“You didn’t do anything wrong? Think carefully.”
“O-okay. I was wrong... How much do you want? If I return the money I took, isn’t that enough?”
Paim did not remember who I was at all.
Of course he did not.
My face was covered.
But even if I showed him my face, he would not remember me.
To him, I was probably just one of countless prey.
“I’ll make sure you never touch someone else’s belongings again.”
I gathered mana in my finger and pressed precisely against Paim’s right wrist joint.
[First-Tier Transformation Formula: Knot Cutting]
Using the technique for cutting a thread’s knot, I severed the connections in the human body.
Snap.
Something came loose inside Paim’s wrist.
Paim’s right fingers drooped limply.
“G... gah!”
A beastly scream burst from Paim’s mouth, but I did not stop.
Crack.
Then Paim’s ankle tendon.
“Argh!”
He thrashed like an animal before finally collapsing unconscious on the ground.
Paim would never again be able to hold a blade or chase anyone down.
“Ugh...”
The boy lying on the ground groaned.
I approached and checked his condition.
‘Fortunately, none of his bones are broken.’
Then about ten men appeared from both ends of the alley.
“There they are! The bastards who messed with my little brother!”
A large young man who appeared to be their leader.
With a muscular body covered in scars, he was the very image of an alley boss.
“Big brother...!”
The boy burst into tears.
“Leo! Are you okay?!”
The young man ran over and embraced the boy.
“Sniff... They were going to break my arms and legs... That person saved me...”
“Those Red Scorpion bastards... How dare they!”
The young man looked over Paim’s gang sprawled across the ground, his eyes brimming with killing intent.
“Drag those bastards away and lock them up.”
“Yes.”
The men dragged Paim’s group away like dogs.
The young man glanced at me, then approached.
“You’re impressive. You took down the Red Scorpion bastards like this all by yourself.”
“It was nothing. I’ll be going now.”
“Wait. I’m Vargo, the man in charge of this district. The one you saved is my only little brother. You saved him, so I’ll reward you.”
“I don’t need a reward.”
I turned away because I did not want to get involved with underworld gangs.
Whooo.
The night wind blew fiercely.
At that moment, the loose knot came undone, and the mask covering my face slipped off.
“...!”
I hurriedly lowered my head to hide my face, but Vargo was staring directly at me.
“You’re that mender from House Valderk.”
To think my identity would be discovered so quickly.
“You have the wrong person.”
“Come on, don’t deny it. There’s no information around here that doesn’t reach my ears.”
Vargo smiled meaningfully and took another step closer.
“Not long ago, that delinquent Felix was desperately trying to catch you. There’s also a rumor that the assassin Jacob entered the Valderk estate and vanished.”
“...!”
I froze.
How much did this man know?
“Surprised? When you live around here, there’s nothing you don’t know. I know your name is Hans too. Want me to tell you one more thing? That spoiled young master Felix of House Bergen, the one who sent Jacob after you? He ran away in the middle of the night.”
Felix ran away?
“Is that true?”
“He left for the Kingdom of Kran. He probably went to his mother’s family, the House of Duke Broy.”
Vargo laughed heartily and patted my shoulder.
“But don’t worry. I make sure to repay favors and grudges alike. You saved my brother, so you’re on my side. I’ll keep your secret until I’m in the grave.”
He pulled a rough wooden token from his pocket and tossed it to me.
The name [Vargo] was carved into it.
“It’ll come in handy. Bring that to me, and I’ll help you with anything in my territory. Fighting, information, whatever you need.”
Information.
That word lodged itself in my mind.
* * *
A little while later.
I returned to the annex lodging of House Valderk.
I had been busy during my break.
I had made a huge profit from stocks and taught Paim’s gang a lesson.
“And... I got this too.”
[Vargo]
The name was crudely carved into it.
He had shown me favor.
He had said he would give me information because I had saved his brother.
There had seemed to be no deception in his eyes.
‘There’s no harm in getting information when I need it.’
But the underworld was a place where yesterday’s benefactor could become today’s enemy depending on profit.
He might be grateful now, but there was no telling when his heart would change.
‘It’s better to keep a reasonable distance.’
I put aside my thoughts about Vargo and recalled the battle from earlier.
‘I won, but there were many dangerous moments.’
My Absolute Memory replayed the scene vividly.
The dim alley.
Paim’s subordinates rushing at me.
Objectively speaking, it had been one close call after another.
Especially the combat applications of everyday magic I had used.
[High-Precision Vision]
[Pressing]
The results had been destructive.
I had dodged their attacks and crushed their bones.
“I got lucky.”
It had only worked because they were nothing more than alley thugs.
Their movements were large and full of openings.
What if they had been properly trained knights or mages?
‘My head would have been cut off before I could even read their movements with High-Precision Vision.’
Above all, my greatest mistake had been the dagger Paim threw.
I had seen Paim pick up the dagger, yet I had stood there blankly.
I had never expected Paim to throw it.
More than anything, my reaction speed was too slow.
My eyes saw it, but my body could not keep up.
‘What if I hadn’t been wearing protective undergarments?’
I would have died instantly.
‘What if the dagger had been aimed at my head or thigh?’
I would have died or been crippled either way.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
“Whew...”
The thrill of victory vanished without a trace.
The protective shirt I was currently wearing was not enough.
I needed to make protective trousers too.
But I could not rely only on equipment.
Even if I covered my entire body in mana armor, it would be meaningless if I moved as slowly as a snail.
“I need to prepare.”
I stood and moved to the center of the secret room.
Then I closed my eyes.
Imaginary training.
I recreated the alley from earlier inside a virtual space in my mind.
I summoned Paim and their subordinates again.
‘We fight again.’
They charged.
I activated [High-Precision Vision].
A blade came at me.
I dodged.
I stomped with Pressing.
Everything was the same up to that point.
The problem came next.
Paim picked up the dagger.
‘Now.’
This time, I reacted immediately.
[Spatial Stitching Needle]
Stab!
Before Paim could throw the dagger, I pierced Paim’s shoulder.
‘No. Too slow.’
I shook my head.
The dagger might fly at me while I was activating the bracelet.
‘Let’s try again.’
This time, without a tool.
I gathered mana at my fingertips.
[Mana Needle]
I fired in advance as Paim bent down.
Toward the space between his eyes.
‘That’s dangerous too. What if he dodges?’
Dozens of times, hundreds of times...
I fought the enemies in my memories again and again.
It was a virtual battle, but the exhaustion was severe.
“Pant... pant...”
My entire body was drenched in sweat.
‘That’s enough combat training for today.’
A mountain of fabric piled on the workbench waited for me.
Making Cleansing Handkerchiefs!
This was training too.
Loading mana into every stitch and engraving circuits through feeling alone.
.
.
.
Time passed honestly.
On the fifth day of working day and night between the underground secret room and the annex, five hundred finished [Cleansing Handkerchiefs] were neatly stacked on one side of the workbench.
Then,
Knock, knock.
“Hans, are you inside?”
It was the calm, elegant voice of Nen, the maid.
“Come in.”
I quickly tidied the items on the workbench and opened the door.
Click.
Nen entered with the warm afternoon sunlight.
She held a bundle of newspapers and two envelopes.
“I brought the newspaper. There’s mail as well.”
Nen was always composed.
Her restrained gait.
Even the way she handed over an item carried a sense of discipline.
“Thank you, Nen.”
“You don’t need to thank me. It’s my job. Two letters came for you.”
The first white envelope Nen handed over bore the seal of the [Rowen Branch of the Magic Tower].
“It’s from the Rowen Magic Tower. I hope it’s good news.”
Nen spoke with a gentle smile.
“Thank you.”
I smiled back and accepted the envelope.
But as Nen took out the second envelope, her eyes sharpened for a moment.
It was a rough brown envelope.
“Hans.”
Her voice lowered.
“I think this is from the underworld.”
Her hand tightened around the envelope as though she were examining something dangerous.
“Are you being threatened?”
“Pardon?”
“Are they demanding repayment of an unfair debt, or forcing you to do something troublesome? If that’s the case, tell me. I can handle it for you.”
Handle it for me.
It did not sound like an empty offer.
A cold killing intent flickered deep in her eyes.
It was a silent resolve to wipe out that organization if necessary.
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