Chapter 106

Encounter Battle at Seongnam

I'd never been to Seongnam in my life.

I didn't work in IT in Pangyo, there wasn't anything there I particularly wanted to see, and neither my family nor acquaintances lived there.

Naturally, if I was going somewhere in Gyeonggi Province, I'd rather go to Seoul or Suwon.

And yet, this year alone, I'd already come to Seongnam twice.

I'd heard it was supposed to be a pleasant city to live in up until 2027.

The Seongnam of 2028, viewed from beneath a helicopter, looked utterly destroyed.

Roads originally built for traffic had been divided.

Infantry marched along one side.

Tanks and armored vehicles rolled down the other.

Parks that had probably once been filled with trees and grass now housed rows of K9 self-propelled artillery and towed guns, their massive barrels raised toward the sky.

Like soldiers everywhere along the containment line, infantry formed buddy teams and searched every alley.

The civilians they encountered immediately dropped to their knees with their hands raised, trembling.

This was the same place where they'd opened fire with flamethrowers on refugee groups the first time we'd come here.

Fortunately, this wasn't quite the front line yet.

They weren't immediately setting civilians on fire.

Still, watching soldiers point guns at them with barely concealed suspicion made it obvious how precarious Seongnam's situation had become.

The biggest difference from my previous visit, however, was the drones.

Swarms of quadcopters buzzed through the city so loudly they almost rivaled the helicopter rotors.

Flying lower than our aircraft, they wove between buildings with rifles pointed downward or bombs hanging visibly beneath them.

Seeing the front line of the containment zone without fog obscuring it sent a thrill down my spine.

I counted the drone formations.

Four drones per formation.

Six...

Seven...

Eight...

There were easily dozens.

I clicked my tongue.

"There are way more drones than the last time we came. Actually, weren't there none at all back then?"

"Because there's a limit to how many people you can throw into a meat grinder."

Lee Sejun grinned smugly while looking out the helicopter window.

"And twenty-first-century warfare shifted toward unmanned drones a long time ago."

Typical Lee Sejun.

The guy lost half his organs but still loved showing off whenever military topics came up, probably because he'd been an NCO.

Despite South Korea being effectively doomed, he somehow still looked proud.

"They might lack a little flexibility compared to humans, but they're much better at killing things. There's a reason the military slaughtered ten million people in Seoul to protect Gyeonggi Province."

"Why Gyeonggi Province?"

"Mr. Jemin..."

Sejun stared at me in disbelief.

"You seriously didn't know why they trapped everyone in Gyeonggi under the name of the Second Containment Line?"

"Nope."

"Because of semiconductors."

He spoke as if explaining something obvious.

"The largest semiconductor factories in Korea are in Pyeongtaek. That's why the Combined Command established headquarters there. They were desperate to preserve Gyeonggi's infrastructure so chips could keep being turned into drones."

"...Really?"

I had always assumed infrastructure preservation existed solely for containment operations.

Learning that drone production was part of the equation was new.

More importantly—

I deeply disliked the fact that Lee Sejun knew something I didn't.

This guy spent all day talking about wanting to become a cute TS anime girl.

How dare a hormone-overloaded former sergeant know something that the great archmage Baek Jemin didn't?

Lee Sejun...

A dangerous man.

If he ever surpassed me in magical attainment, I'd need to smack him in the back of the head immediately.

***

While Sejun and I chatted about military matters, the other Best of the Best Mages sat in tense silence.

Then Goryeoha, who had been muttering to himself the entire flight, suddenly spoke loudly enough for everyone to hear.

"...People are dying, but nobody seems bothered."

"Hm?"

Sejun frowned and turned.

Goryeoha still had his face buried in his knees.

He continued speaking.

"The soldiers... I know we don't like them... but while we're eating, sleeping, and talking... they're dying."

A less emotionally intelligent person might have snapped at him.

Hey, asshole. You're the guy who practically euthanized useless non-mages and now you're talking about morality?

Fortunately, I possessed extraordinary empathy and wisdom.

So I responded gently.

"The Yellow Bandage Remnant already said it."

I shrugged.

"People outside the containment line don't think of those soldiers as human anyway. They complain, insult them, tell them to throw themselves into danger because it's their job."

I continued.

"You shouldn't call that selfishness. Those people are smart. They've figured out how to live comfortably."

"My problem? Not my problem."

"It's the secret to freedom from every tragedy in the world."

"Do I care whether soldiers die?"

"Nope."

"The people relaxing safely in the rear certainly don't care."

"So why should I?"

"Get over your good-person complex."

Click.

Goryeoha simply felt too responsible.

What exactly was wrong with us eating, sleeping, laughing, and researching magic while soldiers died?

We didn't make those decisions.

If anything, it proved we were considered more valuable than the soldiers.

Besides, we were actually going out to fight monsters and hostile mages.

That already made us more moral than civilians sitting comfortably behind the lines yelling at the military.

Naturally, both members of the Christian Duo glared at me.

"Listen to this bastard talk."

"Mr. Jemin. You've fallen for the Devil's whispers again."

I ignored them.

At this point I was used to it.

***

The helicopter began descending.

The frame rattled violently.

Hamza muttered a prayer under his breath.

I looked outside.

Seongnam City Hall.

The grounds were so spacious and well-maintained that they almost resembled a luxury park.

The buildings looked expensive.

The difference was that every road and parking lot had been taken over by military vehicles and heavily armed soldiers.

Apparently they were accustomed to transporting important personnel by helicopter.

A section of the parking lot had been converted into a landing zone.

The altitude steadily decreased.

People, trees, buildings, and vehicles that had looked like miniatures gradually became life-sized.

At that moment, Pastor Park cleared his throat.

"Equipment check."

"And repeat team assignments."

"We won't have time to stand around confused once we land."

He repeated the briefing we'd already heard during the flight.

Mission:

Infiltrate the elementary school near Namhansanseong Entrance Station in northern Seongnam.

Eliminate the Yellow Bandage Remnant.

The military expected heavy resistance and planned to draw attention with conventional forces while Aphorism used magic to infiltrate and break through.

Since the Yellow Bandage Remnant could apparently influence monster hordes using Reversal Ear Magic, front-line casualties were expected to be severe.

Apparently the Combined Command had gotten plenty of value out of spending a day grinding soldiers into dust while letting us rest.

The Command probably wanted to delay the operation further.

But now that the Yellow Bandage Remnant had been identified as a Reversal Ear Mage forcing conversions, waiting was no longer an option.

On one point, the Command and the pastor agreed.

"They're probably using bait and diversion."

"We need to split into teams."

Lee Sejun immediately objected.

"You want the infiltration team limited to three people?"

He pointed toward Goryeoha.

"He's barely functional. That basically means splitting into teams of two and three."

"We should all go together."

Hamza nervously raised a hand.

"I don't think either option is good..."

His doctrinal spell, [Angel's Intuition], was proving useless again.

It only warned against the absolute worst outcome.

Outside the fog, it had become even weaker.

"Both options seem bad" wasn't useful information.

The pastor continued.

"There are four confirmed enemy officers."

"If two stay near the school, do you think the other two are just sitting around?"

"They'll be waiting in ambush or moving to surround us."

"We need magical combat power available to intercept them."

"So trust the military."

"Trust the military?"

The pastor scoffed.

"How long do you think ordinary soldiers can hold against mages?"

"How many kids do you think die while we're waiting?"

Apparently I was the only person thinking:

If a few non-mages die, isn't that just part of the job?

Shin Nain shot me a look of disgust.

Meanwhile Sejun awkwardly looked away.

The pastor sighed.

"Lee Sejun. You're always talking about repaying your debt to the country."

"Then don't casually throw away the lives of young soldiers."

"And stop learning from Baek Jemin."

"...I'm young too."

"You—"

The pastor started shouting.

Then remembered Sejun's age.

His expression immediately became complicated.

"So... maybe you should've aged a little more appropriately."

***

Thud.

The helicopter landed.

The argument ended immediately.

"Hey, wait, listen—"

"No time."

I opened the helicopter door and jumped out first.

Everyone followed.

Pastor Park was surprisingly democratic.

He insisted on convincing people one by one.

Honestly, he wasn't suited for the military at all.

If we let him keep talking, the dopamine rush would wear off before the operation even started.

So I stepped in as mediator.

"Pastor and Shin Nain come with me."

"Sejun, Hamza, and Goryeoha support the military."

"Intercept enemy mages if they try to flank us."

"Any objections?"

Hamza instantly raised a hand.

"If we're worried about ambushes, shouldn't Mr. Nain stay with us?"

I immediately pointed at him.

"You just want Shin Nain's detection ability protecting your ass, don't you?"

"Guh!"

Hamza shut up.

There was no way I was giving up Shin Nain.

After the Anyang military hospital incident, I'd learned that his detection ability was priceless.

You could compensate for insufficient firepower.

You couldn't compensate for dying before finding the enemy.

I pointed around the group.

"Assignments."

"Shin Nain: reconnaissance."

"Pastor: accompany us and help front-line troops withdraw while countering Yellow Bandage propaganda."

"Sejun and Goryeoha: support rear units and suppress enemy mages."

"Hamza: medical support and danger assessment."

"Everyone understand?"

Everyone stared blankly.

I clicked my tongue and pulled out my gas mask.

Even Goryeoha raised his head slightly to look.

"What?"

"Mr. Jemin..."

Hamza blinked.

"Couldn't you always be like this?"

I laughed.

The fresh rubber smell of the anti-fog gas mask already filled my nose.

Excellent.

Cleaning and drying it properly had been worth it.

I fitted it over my face.

Hooo.

Hiss.

Airflow normal.

Goryeoha's condition meant he couldn't restore the Hebrew enchantments on my poncho.

But honestly?

I liked it better this way.

A mage wearing a red-lettered poncho.

Even I had to admit it looked incredible.

After checking my customized AR-15, sling, bayonet, grenades, and equipment, I finally answered Hamza.

"When have I ever not been like this?"

"Uh..."

"You can explain later."

I turned.

"Let's move, Christian Duo."

"No time."

"And if you step in front of me, I'll shoot."

Leaving Hamza's silent scream behind, I strode forward.

The soldiers stationed around City Hall all turned to watch us.

This place was practically the front line.

The containment-line veterans carried murderous intent.

The kind of eyes that, before the apocalypse, would've stabbed four or five people without hesitation.

The sight was terrifying enough to make my thighs tingle.

But none of them treated us with hostility.

Instead, they displayed the orange armbands covered with military ID tags—the symbol of containment-line veterans.

Every time I passed, soldiers lowered their weapons or adjusted their slings before snapping into a salute.

I couldn't see their expressions beneath their protective masks.

But I heard the tags.

Jingle.

Jingle.

The sound followed my footsteps.

Marching soldiers.

Soldiers carrying flamethrowers and shotguns.

Soldiers loading vehicles.

Even officers.

Anyone wearing those orange armbands stopped what they were doing and saluted.

Jingle.

The ID tags rang like tiny bells.

And beneath those sounds came another set of footsteps.

My own team.

"Baek Jemin. What's with all the shooting people talk?"

"Trying to lighten the mood?"

"No."

Shin Nain answered for me.

"Mr. Jemin is fully prepared to shoot people."

I glanced sideways.

The Christian Duo had finished preparing as well.

Ponchos.

Gas masks.

Weapons.

Ammo.

Grenades.

Canteens.

A thoroughly masculine look.

The difference was customization.

Shin Nain's poncho was covered in red crosses.

The pastor's had a Bible verse written across it.

"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

"James 4:7."

The pastor spoke through his gas mask.

"Fits us perfectly, doesn't it? Fighting monsters so we can remain human."

"What do you think, Baek Jemin?"

"The second half is nice."

"The Lord's grace is finally touching you. Amen."

I immediately stopped talking.

Any further conversation would only encourage him.

Instead I turned my attention toward northern Seongnam.

Toward Gangnam Clairvoyant and his forces.

Far away, pale clouds drifted.

No.

Not clouds.

Fog.

Ground-hugging fog.

And I knew exactly what that meant.

As soldiers continued saluting us, my steps grew heavier.

The jangling ID tags represented the price paid to maintain the containment line.

Proof of camaraderie shared among men whom nobody else considered human.

Collecting a fallen comrade's dog tags wouldn't save their soul.

But even a rational man like Baek Jemin knew there were times when facts didn't matter.

I quietly switched my rifle's selector.

Click.

At that moment, the broad avenue beside Seongnam City Hall opened before us.

A wasteland.

Burned tree stumps lined both sides.

It wasn't hard to imagine what had happened here.

Humans and monsters alike had died in fire.

Now our three-man team walked through the ruins.

Step.

Step.

Thankfully, this trio happened to contain the smartest members of the Best of the Best.

Nobody needed an explanation for why we were advancing on foot rather than using vehicles.

If Lee Sejun had been leading, we'd probably be charging forward in an armored vehicle firing autocannons.

Shin Nain released a dry laugh and gripped his rifle.

Clack.

The sound of metal locking into place echoed.

"Come on."

"We've fought mages before."

"You really think we'd still be stupid enough to drive right at them?"

He snorted.

"Throw some concrete or rebar at a vehicle and it's disabled."

"Even if the hull survives, mobility kills it."

"Exactly."

Pastor Park interrupted.

"Enough."

"If you spent yesterday resting, that's enough."

"People are dying."

This time, his words carried weight.

Shin Nain immediately put on his headset and pulled up his hood.

Detection mode activated.

I prepared my tongue magic as well.

The three of us walked down the center of the avenue with rifles in hand.

The closer we drew to the fog, the louder the distant gunfire and artillery became.

The battle was near.

I exhaled slowly.

I am a trivial human being.

My life and desires exist only for myself.

My abilities are barely enough to support my own existence.

How could someone like me take responsibility for the lives of others?

That said—

It would be a waste to miss out on experience points.

If I encountered monsters along the way, I intended to kill as many as my ammunition allowed.

The containment line divided northern Seongnam from the combat zone.

After passing the avenue, we reached a large intersection.

That's where things became strange.

The moment we entered the active combat zone, static erupted from the pastor's walkie-talkie.

A hideous screech.

Like a television receiving no signal.

The noise threatened to destroy the speaker.

The pastor reacted instantly.

Click.

He removed the battery.

"You two should remove your batteries as well. Remember what happened at Jangji Station Department Store? Turning something off isn't enough."

"Modern phones don't have removable batteries."

"Good grief. You actually brought your phones? Either throw them away somewhere or I'll crush them myself."

Easy for him to say.

What was a modern human supposed to be without a phone?

Still, the memory of the Jangji Station incident immediately changed my mind.

Thinking back to the Dubai Sticky Witch slaughtering soldiers while every walkie-talkie suddenly started ringing still sent chills down my spine.

Walkie-talkies with removable batteries were one thing.

Modern smartphones with sealed batteries were another.

The trick was simply too dangerous.

The pastor was right.

I immediately pulled out the smartphone that had accompanied me for half my life.

Along with the talisman Venerable Bopi had given me.

Carefully wrapping the phone with the talisman, I placed it beside the road and returned.

The pastor blinked.

"What are you doing?"

"I dressed my phone."

Meanwhile, Shin Nain took a more definitive approach.

CRACK!

He dropped his phone onto the pavement and smashed it with the butt of his rifle.

Even the pastor stared in shock.

"Nain, what are you going to do without a phone?"

"A truly faithful man listens to the Lord's words. He does not seek comfort from the products of technological civilization. The righteous find comfort only in the Lord's embrace."

"If we'd met at a prayer retreat, they'd have absolutely adored you."

Thanks to that, we avoided one of the more sinister methods used by the Seoul Mages.

The ability to make even powered-off phones ring and reveal their location.

The Christian Duo and the Best of the Best Mage were finally working together properly.

Unfortunately, the ominous signs didn't stop there.

Not long after entering the intersection, we began seeing abandoned armored vehicles and tanks littering the roadway.

At first I couldn't understand why such heavily armored vehicles had been abandoned.

Then—

Tap tap.

Shin Nain tapped his headset.

A telepathic signal.

While the pastor raised his rifle and maintained security, Shin Nain and I exchanged information through Ear Magic.

Mr. Jemin. There's a thin layer of fog here.

And I figured out how they neutralized the vehicles.

Looking down, I finally noticed it.

A faint layer of fog only a few centimeters thick covered the road.

Without careful observation, it would've looked like ordinary dust or concrete residue.

More importantly—

Neutralized?

No matter how strong monsters were, they shouldn't be able to penetrate tanks or armored vehicles.

And South Korea had always been obsessed with CBRN defense.

There was no way they would've allowed monsters easy access.

Then Shin Nain's telepathic voice shattered my assumptions.

I told you before. The Yellow Bandage Remnant's Reversal Ear Magic likely involves hypnosis, suggestion, and mental collapse.

...No way.

They probably persuaded vehicle crews and officers exposed to communications to break seal protocols and come outside.

Or guided them into opening hatches without realizing they were helping monsters infiltrate.

Only then did details I'd overlooked become obvious.

The armored personnel carriers.

The Humvees.

The tanks.

None of them remained fully sealed.

Hatches stood partially open.

Windows were lowered.

In some cases disgusting slime coated the insides of gun barrels, as though something had crawled through them.

A cold sensation spread through my chest.

Gangnam Clairvoyant.

That bastard had clearly spent serious time figuring out how to neutralize armored forces.

He wasn't merely fighting the military.

He was systematically dismantling it.

Creativity empowered by magic.

Anti-mage tactics that incorporated monsters.

Forget long-range executions.

This bastard was dangerous because of how he thought.

He couldn't be allowed to live.

The pastor must've noticed something from our expressions.

"Nain. Figure anything out?"

"Yes."

Shin Nain summarized.

"They hypnotized vehicle crews and allowed monsters to infiltrate the armor."

"Those bastards deserve divine punishment."

The pastor's response was brief.

We continued forward through the graveyard of military vehicles.

If monsters had gotten inside, there was always the possibility some still remained.

Naturally, we became more cautious.

Then Shin Nain suddenly stopped before a tank.

Its hatch was closed.

Disgusting mucus coated the tip of its cannon.

At first I thought he was admiring Korean military engineering.

Instead, he closed his eyes.

"This tank contains no amalgams or Devouring Spines."

"We won't be ambushed."

The pastor frowned.

"But you said monsters got inside."

I didn't bother explaining.

The image of the Human Slimes from Jangji Station came to mind.

Weak.

Slow.

Annoyingly difficult to kill.

Given their control over Seoul's sewer network, they had likely infiltrated the vehicle in liquid form.

I didn't want to imagine what happened to the crew.

Three people inhaled simultaneously.

Whose breath belonged to whom no longer mattered.

When Shin Nain opened his eyes again, they contained both fear and anger.

"Prepare for cover."

One sentence.

That was enough.

When Shin Nain said danger was coming, danger was coming.

The pastor and I exchanged glances.

Then we began looking for solid vehicles to use as cover.

Our steps slowed.

Bodies lowered.

Meanwhile Shin Nain remained standing in the middle of the road.

Like a lightning rod waiting to be struck.

Silence settled over us.

The pastor and I quietly prepared to dive for cover.

Shin Nain remained motionless.

Then—

A microphone tapped.

A cheap speaker squealed.

EEEEEEEEK—

Speakers hidden throughout abandoned buildings activated simultaneously.

A voice echoed across the empty street.

[Testing. Testing.]

Breathing into the microphone.

Mocking.

Smug.

[I was wondering why you suddenly stopped walking. And you aren't carrying any communication devices either.]

At that exact moment, Shin Nain's telepathy reached me.

Mr. Jemin.

Prepare Eye Stage Two.

One hundred percent.

I stopped rolling my tongue and prepared to bite.

Shin Nain wanted something.

And when it came to detection, he was unquestionably superior.

I trusted him.

A speaker suddenly shrieked.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE—!!!

[Sorry. Thought maybe you couldn't hear me. Messed up the volume.]

[Can you hear me now?]

Nobody answered.

The three of us simply waited.

The voice continued.

[Judging from your mood, you're not here to defect.]

[And you're definitely not ordinary soldiers.]

The Yellow Bandage Remnant clicked his tongue.

Then—

[Fire.]

Now.

I bit down.

CRUNCH.

Pain shot through the root of my tongue.

My spine trembled.

Tears streamed uncontrollably down my face.

My pain was absolute.

The pain of others was insignificant.

Only my suffering stretched endlessly.

Eye Stage Two.
[Perceptual Distortion] 100%.

The world slowed.

To a crawl.

I rose and looked around.

An ambush.

Gun barrels emerged from every direction.

White-bandaged soldiers appeared in shattered windows.

Others rose from trash piles in alleyways.

One machine gunner was setting up a bipod and feeding ammunition into his weapon.

Slowly.

Painfully slowly.

Yet I moved faster than all of them.

Their fingers hadn't even fully reached their triggers before I'd stood up, surveyed the battlefield, turned my head, and casually walked toward Shin Nain.

Only I moved freely through time.

I grabbed the back of Shin Nain's neck and forced him down.

Part of me wanted to strike a dramatic pose and say You're already dead.

Reality wasn't so generous.

My eyelids had already begun trembling.

No time for style.

I shoved him flat and dropped to one knee.

Then aimed at the enemy.

Without Eye Stage One's assistance, accuracy would be questionable.

Still.

One hit was enough.

Click.

Every pull of the trigger distorted reality.

The rifle fired.

Explosion.

Flash.

Smoke.

The firing pin struck.

The bullet launched—

Then immediately slowed to near motionlessness.

Anything I touched moved freely.

Anything trapped within my perception became rigid.

Frozen.

The world bent according to my awareness.

Everything I'd learned.

Everything I'd experienced.

All of it led me toward a higher understanding.

At this moment—

As I pulled a trigger to kill another human being—

I finally understood something about magic.

Humanity defines the world.

If that is true—

Then only what I perceive truly exists.

This was the essence of Eye Magic.

Human cognition.

Human-centered reality.

Such arrogance.

How could a power like this ever belong to those who worship gods?

Ecstasy flooded me.

I was—

Approaching omnipotence

The moment that realization crushed down upon me—

Gunfire erupted.

BLINK.

RATATATATAT!

Shots exploded from every direction.

Bullets ricocheted from concrete and steel.

The smell of gunpowder filled the air.

Ringing tore through my ears.

Casualties appeared instantly.

Blood erupted.

Bodies collapsed.

Most never even realized what hit them.

The first to die was the machine gunner.

Machine gunners always died first.

Even so, the volume of fire resembled a complete encirclement.

Rounds struck asphalt.

Ricocheted.

Tore through ponchos.

Yet nobody suffered fatal wounds.

Even Shin Nain recovered immediately and began firing toward the enemy.

RATATATATAT!

I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him across the pavement while firing blindly.

It was absurd.

Bullets filled the air.

Yet despite dragging a full-grown man across open ground, nothing vital was hit.

Our clothes tore.

But our flesh remained intact.

The miracle didn't end there.

Beyond the gunfire came another sound.

A buzzing.

Like angry hornets.

At first the noise was drowned out by gunshots.

Then Shin Nain's telepathy cut through the chaos.

Drone Command.

Republic of Korea drones.

Take cover!

Someone grabbed my shoulder.

The pastor.

His eyes were wide.

He seemed to be shouting something.

Then—

KWAAAAAANG!!!

An explosion drowned everything out.

Glass rained from shattered windows.

The blast vibrated through the road beneath me.

My ears rang.

And through the ringing, Shin Nain's telepathy emerged first.

They're retreating...

Sure enough.

The Yellow Bandage Remnant spoke again.

[Listen, listen.]

[If you continue fighting, we'll lure even more monsters here.]

[Unit 55, withdraw.]

[Don't pursue.]

[If you pursue, the ceasefire ends.]

[You know we're the ones showing restraint.]

[Let's be reasonable.]

The drones ignored him completely.

The military was furious.

There was no way they were listening to enemy propaganda.

The problem was that his words weren't merely words.

They were magic.

I felt something strange around my heart.

Like a needle repeatedly poking it.

Testing my reactions.

Once the ringing faded, I finally understood the situation.

The three of us were hiding behind an armored vehicle.

Me.

Shin Nain.

The pastor.

All three had escaped fatal injuries.

Shin Nain and I had a few cuts and grazing wounds.

Nothing serious.

Honestly, I missed having Hamza around.

But someone that useful couldn't survive a battlefield like this.

He was valuable.

Too valuable to waste.

Meanwhile military drones were hunting the ambushers.

Gunfire echoed constantly.

A few drones fell.

But shooting down drones with rifles wasn't easy even for expert marksmen.

Some appeared to be suicide drones.

Buildings exploded.

Glass and concrete rained down like a storm.

For now, the smartest thing we could do was remain in cover.

And breathe.

Eventually I recovered enough to think.

"Shin Nain, you insane bastard."

"How did you miss this ambush?"

He pulled his gas mask aside and spat blood.

"Do you remember what I told you about Human Slimes?"

"No."

"Figures."

He sighed.

"Their bodies are essentially tens of trillions of autonomous cells."

"Tens of trillions of tiny voices all screaming that they're hungry."

His eyes narrowed.

"One Human Slime inside a tank is bad enough."

"Several together..."

The pastor inhaled sharply.

"They developed a tactic specifically to counter Ear Mages."

"What?"

"They know Ear Mages rely on sound."

"So they overwhelm attention and mental stamina."

The realization was chilling.

This wasn't something ordinary soldiers could handle.

Not with training.

Not with sensors.

Not even with elite units.

The enemy wasn't attacking equipment.

They were attacking people.

"Damn it."

The gunfire gradually faded.

The drones continued buzzing overhead.

The pursuit had begun.

Meanwhile the Yellow Bandage Remnant sounded almost amused.

[Looks like Pyeongtaek finally sent someone competent.]

[People who actually understand magic.]

[That response would've been impossible for low-level trash or ordinary soldiers.]

Then his voice became cold.

[You're Aphorism, aren't you?]

[There's nobody else in the military capable of responding like that.]

Silence.

The broadcast ended.

For a while, the three of us simply breathed.

Then we adjusted our gear.

I examined my poncho.

Torn.

Shredded.

Several sections had been ripped away entirely.

My skin showed through.

Looking at it, I couldn't help smiling.

"Good thing we brought the pastor."

"Baek Jemin."

The pastor groaned.

"Can I walk the easy path just once?"

"Running a church is hard enough."

"And now I have to get shot at too?"

Shin Nain glanced over.

"Do you really think Mr. Jemin could cooperate with the military without you?"

The pastor immediately fell silent.

We looked around.

Bodies.

Severed flesh.

Burned impact craters.

Broken glass.

Dust.

Fog.

Abandoned buildings.

Ruined vehicles.

A battlefield.

I stepped forward first.

Again.

"The Seoul housing crisis is finally solved."

"Mr. Jemin, doesn't this prove my idea about nuking Seoul was correct?"

"Why is every church youth leader obsessed with Seoul?"

The pastor sighed.

"Kids. The countryside is nice too."

We kicked aside spent shell casings and continued onward.

Our objective hadn't changed.

Heroism broke under pressure.

Greed never did.

Somewhere in this ruined city, the military was still fighting.

We ignored them.

We had our own purpose.

Kill the mages.

Destroy their remains.

Steal their knowledge.

Their experience.

Their power.

"Mr. Jemin. I'm entering this holy war to destroy the authority of demonic evil."

"Can we save a few people too?"

"If you survive alone, who's going to applaud you?"

"Ah, for fuck's sake."

"Fine."

I tightened my grip on my rifle.

Even inside my gas mask, I couldn't stop smiling.

Thanks to the relentless Christian Duo, we'd adjusted our objective slightly.

As long as we fought monsters—

We would remain human.

Not noble heroes.

Not saints.

But human beings.

And as human beings—

We advanced deeper into hell.