Chapter 11 - Belief Is Proof

January 7, 6:47 p.m.

The time had come to part ways with First Lieutenant Shin Han-gi and the driver.

They handed me some basic toiletries and a towel, then smiled awkwardly.

"Once things settle down a little, you should be able to go back to your apartment and collect your belongings. Just think of this as a temporary place to stay."

"Well. Okay."

They'd fed me Richam, so I'd let it slide.

With that thought, I opened the door. A faint smell of bleach lingered inside; apparently the room had originally been used for storage.

Still, it gave me a fresh appreciation of how highly the Armed Forces valued magicians. Normally, they would have crammed ten people in here, but they'd generously limited it to four.

A shaved-headed staff sergeant who had already settled down by an outlet and plugged in his charger glanced over. Seeing my luggage, he asked,

"You get dragged here too?"

"What about you?"

"They rejected my application for career service, and I was just waiting to get discharged. So I'm absolutely thrilled."

His name tag read Lee Se-jun.

After his application had been rejected, Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun had been waiting out his remaining days in the unit like a bomb nobody dared touch. Apparently, the instant they discovered he could use magic, they'd discharged him with miraculous speed.

"Come to think of it, everyone's an alteration-type magician here, aren't they?"

Now that I looked, all four of us used alteration-type magic rather than doctrinal magic.

They'd bundled us together because we used alteration-type magic, even though we were all civilians now. Given what Shin Han-gi had told me, I could only wonder why.

Hadn't he said they were even postponing introductions to keep us from contaminating the information by coordinating our stories or getting confused?

I tossed my towel onto an empty mattress, looking distinctly unimpressed. A languid-looking man who had been swaying his head with earphones in spoke up.

"Judging by your face, you think it's strange they've put us all together."

"Well..."

"It's a power struggle. The religious people aren't comfortable around us."

That actually piqued my curiosity.

I set down my belongings and stretched out on the mattress, propping my chin on one hand at an angle. I decided to start with an introduction.

"Baek Je-min. Eighth year in the reserves, twenty-eight years old."

"Twenty-eight, and already in your eighth year? Did you even finish high school?"

"I took the equivalency exam."

"You've really been rushing through life."

If my parents had heard that, they would have exploded with frustration and gone straight to the columbarium. Fortunately, the only one here was Baek Je-min, a polite, functioning member of society.

The languid man with the earphones tapped his name tag and grinned.

"Shin Na-in. Twenty-six. A reservist like you, except I was in the middle of mobilization training when they brought me here. They said you learned eyes, right?"

Shin Na-in tapped his earphones, then gave me a confident smile.

"I'm ears. Want me to guess what your inner voice is saying, Mr. Baek?"

"Oh. Seriously?"

"Right now, you're thinking this is fucking bullshit."

I suspected ninety-nine percent of the people still left in the Republic of Korea were thinking that, but I humored him.

Just then, as Shin Na-in fiddled with his earphones, a tiny thread of music escaped and reached my ears.

It was a melody you'd miss unless you listened very carefully. But the lyrics were so distinctive that once you heard the song, you could never forget it.

["March forth~ Jesus' little soldiers~."]

So this bastard was the classical shitter.

I frowned, unable to help wondering. How had a man who sat on the toilet listening to songs like that, no matter how much everyone outside cursed at him, awakened alteration-type magic?

Even that sly-looking Pastor Park Yo-han probably wouldn't listen to hymns inside a bathroom stall.

Of course, considerate soul that I was, I decided not to poke at a sore spot.

The shaved-headed corporal, whose drooping lids left his eyes half closed, seemed to feel differently.

He had already hung his uniform jacket on a nail sticking out of the wall and was sitting in his shirt. Something clearly displeased him; the atmosphere around him was ominous.

His name tag was visible, though crumpled. The shaved-headed corporal's name was Park Se-hyeok.

"If that Jesus freak's going to be here, he could at least put that shit away."

"..."

The air turned chilly. Park Se-hyeok was acting as though he were talking to himself, but his voice was loud enough for everyone to hear.

Apparently, he genuinely believed he was muttering too quietly for anyone else to hear, because he just kept mumbling at the wall.

"Monsters like those demons are proof of God? If those Jesus freaks are going to lose their minds, they could at least do it quietly."

I discreetly turned away.

Apparently, this wasn't the sort of atmosphere where we could huddle together for a friendly chat. Seeing Shin Na-in's expression turn icy, I gained a painfully clear understanding of how a Muslim civilian must feel standing before a band of crusaders.

Instead, I decided to focus on something else amid this wreck of an atmosphere.

Shin Na-in seemed more devout than the average believer, at least. So why had he awakened alteration-type magic instead of doctrinal magic?

Unable to hide my unease, I decided to get some sleep first.

Come to think of it, I hadn't slept a wink since the moment Han Myeong-un had tangled together with those people like chewing gum.

* * *

Once the Civilian Advisory Group for Localized Penetrative Alteration Activity officially launched, it was one round of research after another.

While everyone else was busy and caught up in the chaos, we alone seemed relatively unoccupied—officially called Operators, though most people called us magicians. We were given separate spaces so we wouldn't interfere with one another's research. These weren't anything grand: just a study center.

They had all but requisitioned a private study center near city hall and turned it into a space for us magicians.

The proprietor protested vehemently, looking close to tears, but civilian resistance meant next to nothing before a military already under a mobilization order.

"What about my business?"

"We'll compensate you in Gyeonggi local currency."

"No, I need to evacuate too!"

"Then evacuate. We'll show you where to go."

Knowing that the countdown had already begun toward something as drastic as putting Gyeonggi Province alone on a wartime economy, I could only feel sorry for the owner.

But I had more than enough problems of my own.

Trying to learn alteration-type magic wasn't easy.

"Bleeuuurgh..."

These crooked characters only revealed themselves in the fog.

Once you learned one, you could look at it anytime without inducing vomiting or dizziness. But learning it that first time was extremely difficult.

All I had to do was open the Magic Crash Course booklet and turn a page, and it felt as though someone had deliberately seized my stomach in a tight grip and shaken it violently. There was no holding back the vomit.

And that was despite deliberately skipping meals.

After throwing up on an empty stomach about three times, everything took on a yellow cast, and I simply couldn't read Magic Crash Course anymore.

"Ugh, fuck."

Muttering to myself, I looked around. The other alteration-type magicians didn't seem much better off.

Lee Se-jun had given up altogether and was propping his chin on one hand, tapping his phone with a bored expression. Shin Na-in was streaming tears. When I checked what he was doing, he was copying out the Bible while babbling something under his breath.

Figuring it must be that thing called speaking in tongues, I discreetly looked away.

This time, I met the eyes of the shaven-headed Corporal Park Se-hyeok. He scowled fiercely and whipped his head aside.

"Did this bastard come here just to stare at everyone...?"

A complete disaster, all around.

I got up and drifted toward the sound of conversation. There, the religious practitioners were either gathered in their own little groups or working alone, scribbling away with pens.

"Their souls are twisted. That monster they call an Amalgam torments even people's souls. It's like they're melting!"

"That would be evidence that forcibly breaking down the boundary between self and other does not lead to liberation."

Madam Geulmun and the monk Cheong-hwi were busy discussing religion.

"Hey, Father. Are you just going to leave that Muslim bastard over there alone?"

"Pastor, if you aren't going to help me examine shamanism and grain-worship beliefs, please step aside."

"It's because Catholics are so lukewarm that the Lord abandons you!"

Pastor Park Yo-han and Father Jeong Yong-hwan were in the middle of an impromptu religious war.

"Can I still get an Americano here? Korean-style, please."

Hamza was bustling about as though, since he was using the place for free, he intended to get every bit of service he could out of it.

The religious practitioners certainly seemed to accept magic differently from me and the other alteration-type magicians. I slipped back into my seat and thought it over, fiddling with my phone and the Magic Crash Course booklet.

Doctrinal magic and alteration-type magic.

What was the difference between them? Why could one group awaken doctrinal magic simply by entering the fog, while the other had to stare holes through these goddamn characters to learn anything?

There was one counterexample to the idea that believers got doctrinal magic and nonbelievers got alteration-type magic.

I shifted my eyes discreetly toward Shin Na-in again.

"Hoshishoshashoaneubaragoni..."

What would you think upon hearing that?

It gave me goosebumps.

Shin Na-in was mumbling bizarre words whose meaning I couldn't even begin to guess, weeping torrents over whatever was making him so sad and happy. Honestly, if not for the cross on his Bible, I'd have reported him immediately as some lunatic worshipping Cthulhu or something.

Even someone like him hadn't awakened doctrinal magic. Only after looking at the magic characters had he awakened alteration-type magic—the ear branch.

Then did being able to use doctrinal magic prevent you from learning alteration-type magic?

That question was answered in a conference room at 1:11 p.m. on January 9.

With Captain Kim Ho-un and First Lieutenant Shin Han-gi observing, the magicians of southern Gyeonggi gathered for their first seminar to exchange research findings. There, Father Jeong Yong-hwan confidently announced,

"Doctrinal magic and alteration-type magic are not mutually exclusive. I have successfully awakened both doctrinal magic and the branch of alteration-type magic known as eyes."

Kim Ho-un brightened at that, gesturing with a finger as he asked,

"If you don't mind my asking, Father, what effects does your magic have?"

"My eye-branch magic allows me to detect pulses and heat visually."

Jeong Yong-hwan went on to explain what he had investigated and researched.

"As a Catholic priest, I have also studied various existing religions and beliefs. It is a field with strongly heretical aspects, but it is indispensable to supplementing our doctrine. The Lord, commonly known as Jehovah or Yahweh, came to be called Hananim or Cheonju here through the merging of belief in Him with the sky-god traditions that existed in the Republic of Korea. In the same way, religious faith is fluid, not absolute. I mean historically, quite apart from belief in salvation and the Lord's actual existence."

"So you're a full-blown heretic, Father?"

Park Yo-han glared, but Jeong Yong-hwan continued undeterred.

"If this doctrinal magic was not bestowed by our true Lord, but is merely a phenomenon granted randomly by an enemy or some process, then rather than seeking divinity in it, we must continue seeking divinity in our actions and hearts. If these truly were miracles bestowed by the Lord, the one and only God would hardly grant miracles even to the clergy of other religions in order to affirm the existence of other gods..."

"Satan and his devils spread it to deceive us! What other interpretation could there be?"

It was Kim Ho-un who quelled the impending escalation. Rubbing his hollow eyes, he said,

"All right, everyone, please calm down. So, Father, you're saying there's a possibility that doctrinal magic wasn't bestowed by a divine being?"

"I wouldn't go that far. But just as learning doctrinal magic doesn't prevent one from learning alteration-type magic, those who have learned alteration-type magic should also be able to use doctrinal magic. However, when I learned through those... characters, I experienced extreme revulsion, chills, fever, and body aches. The backlash was far more severe than what has been reported."

"That's strange. People who can use doctrinal magic are extremely rare even within established religions, aren't they? Are you saying doctrinal magic users can learn alteration-type magic, but the backlash is worse for them than for ordinary people?"

The moment Kim Ho-un asked that question, something struck me as I listened in silence.

Doctrinal magic and alteration-type magic weren't mutually exclusive. That meant you could learn both, yet the people who used alteration-type magic couldn't use the doctrinal magic of established religious practitioners.

Besides, going by what they'd said, doctrinal magic ought to have a higher awakening rate, since it didn't require looking at magic characters and retching. But the actual results were the exact opposite.

Of all the countless religious people who had entered the fog, only a tiny handful could use doctrinal magic. And that Muslim, Hamza, stuffed his face with pork belly, soju, and gochujang.

Maybe it had nothing to do with devotion? The believers seemed to assume, without saying so, that devotion was the criterion.

From everything I'd seen, doctrinal magic wasn't granted simply for being devout or having faith.

Alteration-type magic, on the other hand, could be awakened as long as you managed to read the magic characters. This was actually the more universal kind.

That was when something rang out inside my head.

"Belief."

"Mr. Baek?"

"Religion is the lens, and belief is the key. Belief itself proves existence."

Though all those eyes turning toward me made me uncomfortable, I desperately began to speak, trying not to lose the inspiration that had flashed through my mind.

"If doctrinal magic really manifests strictly according to religious faith, then Christian... I mean, Protestant pastors should also be able to use [Reception of the Eucharist], the one Catholic priests use. As far as I know, they all celebrate Communion. But [Reception of the Eucharist] went to Catholic priests, while you, Pastor, use a magic called [Fatalistic Conviction]. Though I don't know who named it."

I swallowed once, then continued.

"From what I vaguely remember learning about the Reformation in world history as a kid, someone called Calvin proposed a predestinarian view of salvation. My understanding is that those who will be saved are already chosen, and all you do is prove to yourself that you're one of them through good deeds and devotion to the church. Considering how much Protestantism in Korea was influenced by Calvin and the Puritans, maybe that's where [Fatalistic Conviction] comes from. I think it might vary according to what your most important belief is."

The looks the religious practitioners gave me grew a little more complicated.

Even Park Yo-han, stubborn and clearly displeased, merely pursed his lips and seemed to ponder it deeply.

Only Kim Ho-un exchanged a glance with Shin Han-gi, then looked at me and asked,

"So your theory is that doctrinal magic, rather than being a miracle bestowed by a divine being..."

"Is an individual's belief exerting influence on the world. Instead of relying on magic characters, it originates in personal conviction that's close to religious faith. Maybe that's why its use is limited and its effects are fairly uniform within each denomination. Much more so than alteration-type magic, where even members of the same branch have different effects and capabilities."

On the other hand, since it wasn't forcibly awakened through an external factor like the magic characters, it at least seemed not to cause dizziness or vomiting.

Meanwhile, members of established religions who could use doctrinal magic felt greater pain than alteration-type magicians when they tried to learn alteration-type magic through the external factor of magic characters. Because it was no different from shaking their beliefs—the worldview firmly established within them.

That was my theory. Jeong Yong-hwan seemed to have plenty to think about himself, turning aside and straightening his cassock.

There wasn't much conversation after that.

Sensing the mood, Kim Ho-un clapped his hands to break it.

"Very good. There's a lot to think about. I'm glad all of you in the civilian advisory group are doing your best. Let's conclude the seminar here."

* * *

When we returned to our quarters, Shin Na-in looked sulky, while Lee Se-jun looked at me with surprise.

"You said you took the equivalency exam. You're smarter than I thought."

"I graduated from college."

People who took the equivalency exam knew how to get into college too.

The shaved-headed Corporal Park Se-hyeok was still holed up in the corner grumbling, of course. But I certainly seemed to have won Lee Se-jun's favor.

Lee Se-jun gave me a glimpse of the cigarette pack tucked inside his clothes.

"You smoke? Want a Dunhill?"

"I don't smoke."

"Then I've got nothing to give you. I'll give you some information instead."

"Information?"

"A guy from my intake was under Capital Defense Command. He's on the cordon now."

Lee Se-jun tapped the cigarette pack and tucked it away as he spoke.

"He says things in Seoul are looking ugly. Says an armed clash over breaking through the cordon isn't far off. You'd better brace yourself."

Brace myself, my ass.

A hollow laugh escaped me, and I picked up my phone, deciding to check the group chat for the first time in a while.

"With monsters pouring into the world, what else is there left to brace for?"

The group chat was utterly silent.