Chapter 105 - Finally, Somewhere to Go

The makeshift ward at Suwon City Hall.

There, Lee Se-jun and I lay in adjoining beds while Shin Na-in and Hamza nursed us. Fortunately, Se-jun had already washed and cleaned himself up.

Without any sense of touch, I lay in bed feeling oddly adrift, contemplating a philosophical question: if I couldn't feel its softness, what made a bed any different from the floor?

Se-jun, twice as clean as usual and dressed in a hospital gown, ground his teeth at me.

"Je-min. Can I please punch you just once?"

"No."

I'd seen a Stage Three heart mage kick a car like a knuckleball shot. Why the hell would I let him hit me?

Still, thanks to the heart mage Lee Se-jun volunteering as a test subject, learning what Tongue, Stage Two [Explosion of Desire] did at its original 100% power had been a major gain. In its original form, [Explosion of Desire] incapacitated its designated target by unleashing every physiological urge they had.

Then did Inverted Alteration-Type Tongue, Stage Two unleash every emotion at its original power, too? Just as I was wondering, Na-in spoke.

"I doubt it."

He had brought over a folding chair and was sprawled in it, leaning against the bed as he softly flipped through his Bible.

"Doubt what?"

"Didn't that wealthy American with his heretical knowledge say the tongue branch was the dividing point between upright and inverted holy-war arts?"

"You were listening? What's gotten into you?"

"I merely reinterpreted the knowledge and information about holy-war arts that a heretic had twisted to suit himself, restoring it to correct doctrine."

Miraculous logic: he'd merely reclaimed what had been stolen.

But what mattered now wasn't the self-justification inside his head. It was his reasoning.

Na-in closed the Bible and tapped the headset around his neck with his index finger.

"If we review the holy-war arts we've identified so far, each has its own unique characteristics. Accessing 100% power through the tongue is most likely a feature unique to upright holy-war arts."

His reasoning went like this.

Each system of magic had its own inherent properties, which apparently made them either terribly incompatible or independently operated. Their very division into four types reflected that.

To summarize each system's unique features:

Doctrinal type: No clearly defined stages of advancement. Uniform application regardless of advancement. Presumed capable of consecration. Becomes a sacred relic upon death.

Ritual type: Contracts with transcendent beings. Receives spells through those contracts. Leaves behind a grimoire upon death.

Sorcery-type: Crafts items using one's knowledge, inspiration, and materials.

Alteration type: Effects are reduced according to advancement. Can level up. Leaves behind remains upon death.

From there, Na-in believed the upright and inverted forms would each possess different unique features.

"Based on what you've told us, Je-min, I suspect the unique features of the upright and inverted forms lie in Tongue Branch, Stage One."

His argument was fairly convincing: it made sense for magic symbolizing humanity's acceptance, change, and adaptability.

The upright tongue symbolized memetic change through the inheritance of human culture and knowledge, while the inverted tongue symbolized physical change through predation, humanity's bestial side.

The important thing was that the two prioritized different things.

The upright tongue prioritized change.

As [Demotion] suggested, processing something into a form humanity could accept came first.

The inverted tongue prioritized acceptance.

As [Predatory Plunder] suggested, you ate first and processed it later.

Adding the knowledge and experience I'd acquired by destroying the Dubai Fondant Witch's remains to the equation...

"So the upright alteration type's unique feature is using magic at its original 100% power, while the inverted alteration type's is acquiring magic from branches you don't have by devouring remains."

The upright form let you use original magic that humans would ordinarily be incapable of using.

With the inverted form, remains from another branch were normally a burden until you awakened that branch, but acquiring those remains then allowed you to advance rapidly.

Very easy to understand.

"Cannibalism, that barbaric human custom, had a substantial religious component, not merely a nutritional one. Even mana, so commonly mentioned in fantasy novels, originally referred to an energy believed to reside in all things. Heathens of primitive faiths who believed in mana reportedly thought they could take the mana of those they killed by eating their flesh."

"You bastard. You're not Shin Na-in, are you?"

What surprised me was something else entirely.

Not the leveling up by eating people part, but the fact that Na-in had researched all this non-Christian knowledge. I leaned over for a peek and only then realized that what he held wasn't a Bible.

I'd figured a Christ-nut like him did nothing but read scripture.

Na-in twisted his face like an evil spirit and clicked his tongue.

"Je-min. I was simply concerned that the pastor was exposing himself to heretical and heathen teachings for too long. Those who stand against evil can never stand alone. Only together beneath the Lord's roof can we oppose it. I have chosen to share the pastor's burden."

"Ohhh, sure."

Just as I was thinking he was spouting his bullshit again, a plate appeared on my lap.

It held unevenly cut apple slices. I looked over to find Hamza carefully peeling an apple with a paring knife as he tended to us. The problem was, the slices were wet, as though they'd been dunked in water.

"In the name of Allah."

"Why's the apple so wet?"

"Water is precious, so I dipped it in and took it out. We don't have forks either. I'll give you a wet wipe, so clean your hands before eating."

Hamza actually handed me a wet wipe.

Se-jun was already busy tipping bite-sized apple pieces into his mouth and chewing.

"Can't feel the apple when I chew."

Tsk.

I picked up the plate, tipped the slices into my mouth, and chomped away.

I heard Hamza cry out in horror, but he finally gave up when he saw me wiping my mouth and chin with the wipe he'd given me for my hands. Na-in, meanwhile, was watching me with an inscrutable expression.

"What?"

"Je-min. You said you used Eye, Stage Three [Cognitive Dissonance] at its original 100% power, correct?"

"That's why my ribs are mended, the pain's all gone, and I'm just lying here."

At the cost of my sense of touch.

Na-in looked me up and down in a thoroughly unpleasant way, then spoke with a rather serious expression.

"It appears to be more than simple healing."

"Oh, this bastard's being dramatic again. Spit it out. Talk or I'll shoot."

Na-in knew perfectly well that when I, Baek Je-min, said I'd shoot, I meant it.

He regarded me through half-lidded eyes, grinning.

"Je-min. Are you breathing consciously?"

"I'm not falling for that tri—"

I flinched.

Only then did I notice something was wrong.

I'd thought wound recovery and pain negation seemed a little too unremarkable for Eye, Stage Three [Cognitive Dissonance] at 100% power.

Still, magic couldn't always be top-tier. If there were amazing spells, surely there could be a crappy one or two. I'd brushed it aside...

The instant I realized it, a heavy sensation settled in my chest, like sticky sheets of plastic pressed together so tightly they wouldn't come apart.

"Ghk, keh."

"Je-min?"

"Ghhk, ghk. Grrkh."

Fortunately, the commotion didn't last long.

I'd merely forgotten how to breathe for a brief moment.

"Haaah..."

Only after several deep breaths did I barely recover my senses.

Hamza looked worried, Se-jun tilted his head skeptically, and finally there was Na-in, watching with a grin.

His lips twitched as he smiled at me—pleased, as though I were a fool, as though mocking me.

"It seems you've realized it."

Normally, I'd have snapped something back at each of them, but the truth I'd just discovered was too overwhelming.

I panted, dragged in air, and then laughter spilled out in place of breath.

Because I'd realized what a fragment of omnipotent power magic truly was.

Non-mage scum who thought only of fireballs, chain lightning, and other killing magic could never even imagine it.

Was killing people in spectacular fashion magic?

Did that deserve to be called a miracle?

Guns and nuclear bombs were a hell of a lot better at killing people.

"Hohohoho... Hahaha!!!"

A thrill ran through me.

The original 100% power of Eye, Stage Three [Cognitive Dissonance].

[Cognitive Dissonance] allowed you to keep living by refusing to acknowledge that your vital processes weren't actually functioning. Healing wounds by denying that you'd been injured was merely one tiny facet.

You didn't need to breathe.

You only had to deny that breathing was necessary to stay alive.

Your heart could stop.

You only had to deny that it needed to beat for you to live.

This was the logic of returning from death.

The power to achieve limited immortality by sacrificing, for a limited time, one of the senses that fed human perception!!!

"Up and at 'em!"

I sprang straight out of bed.

Since my sense of touch hadn't returned, [Cognitive Dissonance] was still active. How long would it last? Six hours? A day? Dopamine was exploding through my brain so wildly I couldn't even feel mental fatigue.

Having confirmed the true capabilities of original magic, I found myself thinking: who gave a shit whether the Seoul mages came or not?

"Who wants to explore magic before the Gangnam Clairvoyant's bastards arrive?"

* * *

My exploration of original magic lasted exactly five more hours.

I'd reached the limit of the pain and sensory loss my fragile, delicate mind could bear.

Human will could never overcome pain, and fear could only be driven out by greater fear.

As an alteration-type mage, I'd learned that in my bones, so I didn't push myself.

Instead, here was what I'd discovered about original magic with Na-in, Se-jun, and Hamza's help.

First came Hand, Stage One, [Blood of the Right Hand].

We investigated this magic, which forced humanity's common sense upon monsters to inflict absolute damage. After coating the 5.56 mm rounds loaded in my magazine with blood from my right hand and monitoring them for almost an hour, we figured out what 100% power meant.

"The blood isn't drying?"

"It seems to stay in the state just before it hardens into a scab. Ugh."

"I suspect it might work on heretical fetish objects as well. Though rather than fully nullifying them, I imagine it would merely suppress their effects slightly."

The original capability of Hand, Stage One [Blood of the Right Hand] was extending its duration.

I didn't know how long it lasted, but blood that should have dried stayed moist and jiggly as time passed. Mosquitoes would probably love it. One thing was certain: for magic whose effects diminished as the blood dried, removing the time limit made it a decent spell, however unremarkable it looked.

The second spell we investigated was Heart, Stage One, [Endurance Enhancement].

I'd considered investigating Hand, Stage Two [Enchant] first, but heart magic was so heavily passive in nature that I decided to see whether it had a hidden active effect.

Se-jun really shone here.

"I'll check the other branches. Se-jun, you investigate the heart branch."

"Ugh. Me? Tongue magic looks like it hurts like hell when you use it."

"Doesn't hurt as much as you'd think."

And so, through Se-jun's sacrifice, we discovered heart magic's effects.

Just as I'd suspected.

Heart, Stage One [Endurance Enhancement] at its original 100% power maximized metabolic efficiency and allowed control over metabolic rate.

You could freely adjust the body's metabolism, burning through your food reserves faster to accelerate regeneration or improve reflexes. Conversely, you could lower your metabolism to the extreme and endure harsh environments for a long time without eating.

Further investigation of heart magic, however, was obstructed by Se-jun's whining.

He stuck out his blood-soaked tongue and thrashed around, throwing a fit that brought our research to a halt.

"Hwaaaaaaagh!!!! Ah, fuhk!!!! I' huurts!!!"

"Se-jun! Stop being such a baby! It's only like pounding your tongue with a meat tenderizer! I've felt the pain of getting crushed in an industrial press!"

"Hwaaaaaagh—!!!"

Despite my desperate persuasion, Se-jun refused to come around.

Hamza finally managed to calm him with a painkiller injection, but Se-jun, who had actually pissed his hospital gown, glared at me with burning, murderous eyes.

"Absolutely not. Tell me to do it and I'll actually punch you."

"Lee Se-jun, you fucking crybaby."

Even a real man like Baek Je-min had stopped at sobbing his eyes out. This bastard was going to kill someone.

With no other choice, I started investigating another branch.

Ear magic.

Na-in served as the test subject here.

For one thing, we were considered to be at the same stage of advancement. I was also curious about what went on inside his head.

"Shin Na-in. I'm going to uncover those sinister thoughts of yours."

"Je-min, a righteous man has nothing to hide."

"I'm looking because I hope your true self isn't a Christ-nut."

And I discovered the true 100% power of Ear, Stage One [Mind Reading].

At its original 100% power, Ear, Stage One [Mind Reading] could discern what someone thought in the past, present, and future.

But I didn't bother digging up Na-in's past.

I merely checked whether he'd still be a Christ-nut in the future.

From a future whose exact timing was difficult to determine, his thoughts seeped in like salmon swimming upstream.

'It shall end before my faith breaks. Thank you, Lord. Today, I enter the battlefield with hope of martyrdom.'

Jesus fucking Christ.

Astounded, I canceled [Mind Reading].

Na-in watched me proudly, the corners of his mouth twitching with confidence.

"Well? What did you hear?"

"My feelings are complicated. Don't talk to me."

Apart from being a Christ-nut, Na-in was practically the complete social package. He looked like he'd become Mr. Popular the instant he quit the religious lunacy.

Then again, keeping him a Christ-nut was pretty damn bad.

After much deliberation, I decided to leave him that way.

It was a rational judgment: better a Christ-nut at my side than Mr. Popular.

Unfortunately, I couldn't continue exploring original magic after that.

As I'd mentioned, the pain was starting to creep in.

[Cognitive Dissonance] was nearing the end of its duration.

The instant I realized that, I brushed off everyone's calls and reaching hands, returned to the ward, and flopped onto a bed.

"Je-min, what are you doing?"

"I think I'm about to hurt."

As the softness of the bed and pillow gradually returned to my senses, I sank into them and winked at the Supreme Mages.

"Gonna scream a bit."

That day, I thrashed in restraints, tears, snot, and drool streaming down my face until the morning sun rose.

* * *

May 13, 2028. 6:34 a.m.

The Suwon colonel and the duck-billed sergeant first class frowned the moment they greeted us in the conference room.

"I heard you even had to be restrained. Are you all right?"

"Yes. Fit as a fiddle."

"If you say so."

The colonel tilted his head at my spirited reply but let it go.

Both we Supreme Mages and the colonel and sergeant had more important concerns. I'd hoped Go Ryeo-ha might have come to her senses, but no such luck.

Supported by the pastor, she kept her face covered and her head bowed low.

Clicking my tongue inwardly, I decided to focus on the briefing.

This was why we'd even set aside our exploration of original magic to gather in the conference room.

"Military surveillance and reconnaissance have finally pinpointed the Yellow-Bandage Routed Soldier's location."

WHIRRR.

The old projector hummed mechanically and cast a map onto the screen.

Unable to hide his haggard complexion, the Suwon colonel pointed at a spot with his fingertips.

"Near an elementary school by Namhansanseong Entrance Station. He appears to be using captured communications equipment there to conduct incitement broadcasts."

"Can't you just shell him? Why do we have to go?"

Se-jun had arrived at a very rational conclusion.

I was after mage remains, so I'd jump right in, but the military was already dropping chemical shells, firing artillery, and launching drones like mad. If they reduced everything to rubble as usual, surely even the mighty Yellow-Bandage Routed Soldier would croak.

The answer, however, was completely unexpected.

"We are."

"What?"

"..."

"We are shelling him. He's holding out."

Se-jun stared back dumbly, while Hamza worked his lips and turned deathly pale.

After observing their expressions, the Suwon colonel distributed copies of the file the duck-billed sergeant had brought. I accepted mine without thinking, but my eyes widened as I read.

I should have realized it when Na-in said the inverted ear's powers were presumed to involve hypnosis, suggestion, and the breakdown of reason.

"The Yellow-Bandage Routed Soldier's ear magic currently appears capable of influencing monsters and directing their behavior to some extent. Consequently, a belief is spreading among frontline troops that the more we attack him, the more intense the monster assaults become. This isn't mere speculation: we've confirmed that the timing of monster assaults closely corresponds to our artillery strikes. He appears to be using magic to complete his propaganda narrative that they're holding back the monsters, leveraging a ceasefire... And the frontline troops are indeed becoming increasingly unsettled."

"If it's just the Routed Soldier, special forces could—"

"He isn't alone."

The Suwon colonel operated the PowerPoint and showed us the next individual.

Though there were too many of them to call it an individual.

"We believe a mage designated Corporal Mismatch is guarding the Yellow-Bandage Routed Soldier. Each mage is estimated to command seven or eight Unit 55 soldiers, all of whom are Stage One alteration-type mages. Ordinary conscripts would struggle to break through. More importantly, we suspect some possess Inverted Alteration-Type Tongue, Stage One."

"Inverted tongue? Why that specifically?"

"That's based on testimony from frontline soldiers who witnessed prisoners being executed. Given that they appear to use methods similar to head-fusion mimic beasts, inverted tongue is considered the most likely explanation."

Then the pastor spoke.

"They're plundering information."

The pastor, who had been comforting Ryeo-ha, shook his head, trembling at their wickedness.

"Their operation is more sophisticated than we thought. I don't know whether they can eat the heads of corpses, too, but once someone is captured, refusing to defect means all their knowledge, experience, and information about the cordon falls into enemy hands. An inverted tongue eats the captured ROK soldier, an ear mage hears all those thoughts and shares them, then reports to the higher-ups..."

Silence lingered for a while.

Everyone must have had plenty to think about.

The Suwon colonel clasped his hands behind his back and turned to us with a grave expression.

"Given how brutal and dangerous this operation will be, we will accept volunteers only. The objective is to kill the Yellow-Bandage Routed Soldier and Corporal Mismatch. Even with friendly support, we expect chaotic close combat and harsh operational conditions..."

A hand shot up before he finished speaking.

Mine. Baek Je-min's.

"... And since engagements with monsters are also expected..."

Two more hands shot up.

Na-in and the pastor glanced at each other, recited a prayer together, and raised their hands high with solemn composure.

"... The risks you face may be overwhelming."

Another hand rose, slowly but clearly and decisively.

Lee Se-jun.

As the man who intended to honor his loyalty to his country despite his fear calmly raised his hand, Hamza, who had been watching nervously beside him, timidly lifted his own, trembling all over.

Se-jun grabbed Hamza's arm and hoisted it high.

"Agh!"

"Hamza. If you've decided to do it, you might as well look cool and have no regrets."

Finally, Go Ryeo-ha's hand crept upward.

Slumped in her seat, she barely managed to lift her palm. She mumbled something, but I was too far away to hear.

Still, she was going, so I'd let it slide.

Watching us, the duck-billed sergeant first class worked his protruding lips and voiced his admiration.

"They said all the first-generation civilian Operators were volunteers. You really are different. Patriots, every one of you."

"..."

I sensed the Suwon colonel's hesitation, but I'd let that slide, too.

Instead, he spoke briefly.

"Good luck. Ordinary luck won't be enough."

A strange tension and excitement surged through me.

Behind the fear of heading toward death, a throbbing exultation rose.

SCRAPE!

Chairs slid back, and we all gathered our gear.

Ready to depart in no time, we set off to cram ourselves into another, somewhat smaller helicopter.

In that strange silence, I watched the helicopter's slowly turning rotors and thought.

Luck?

No.

What I needed was resolve.

The resolve to willingly challenge magic.

The determination to reach omnipotence, whatever the price—that was what would please magic.

This time, I would be chosen.

And if, in challenging magic, the day came when I hit my limit, I would smash my head into the ground without regret and crush it until I died.

I had only one regret.

That I hadn't been in Seoul the day the fog rolled in!