Chapter 11

Faith Is Proof

January 7th, 6:47 PM

The time finally came to part ways with Lieutenant Shin Hangi and the driver.

The lieutenant and the driver handed me a basic set of toiletries and a towel, both wearing awkward smiles.

"Once things calm down a bit, you'll be able to go back to your apartment and collect your belongings. Just think of this as a temporary stay."

"Yeah... okay."

He'd fed me Richam.

That earned him some forgiveness.

Thinking that, I opened the door.

A faint smell of bleach lingered in the room, as though it had originally been used as a storage space.

Still, it made me realize once again how valuable the military considered wizards.

Normally they would have crammed ten people into a room like this.

Instead, there were only four.

A buzz-cut staff sergeant already occupying the spot nearest the outlets glanced over at me before speaking.

"You got dragged in too?"

"What about you?"

"I'd already failed my career extension application and was just waiting for discharge, so honestly this is great."

His name tag read Lee Sejun.

Apparently, Staff Sergeant Lee Sejun had become the kind of untouchable bomb every unit had—the guy waiting for discharge after failing to re-enlist.

The moment they discovered he could use magic, however, the military had immediately discharged him.

"Come to think of it, we're all Alteration-type mages here."

Now that I looked around, all four occupants used Alteration-type magic rather than Dogma-type magic.

It struck me as odd.

Shin Hangi had specifically said introductions were being delayed to prevent information contamination.

Wasn't that the whole point?

As I tossed my towel onto an empty mattress, a sleepy-looking man who had been swaying his head while listening to music through earphones spoke up.

"Looking at your face, I'm guessing you're wondering why they gathered us together."

"Maybe."

"Politics. The religious crowd finds us uncomfortable."

That only made me more curious.

Dropping my belongings, I sprawled onto the mattress and decided introductions were in order.

"Baek Jemin. Twenty-eight years old. Eighth-year reservist."

"Twenty-eight and already an eighth-year reservist? Did you even finish high school?"

"I got a GED."

"Damn. You've lived a busy life."

If my parents had heard that, they'd probably have exploded on the spot and been sent straight to the family columbarium.

Fortunately, the only respectable adult present was Baek Jemin.

The sleepy man tapped his name tag and grinned.

"Shin Nain. Twenty-six. Reservist too, except I got mobilized. They said you've awakened Eye-type magic, right?"

He tapped one of his earphones and smiled confidently.

"I'm Ear-type. Want me to guess what's going through your head?"

"Oh? Seriously?"

"You're thinking everything is completely fucked."

Honestly, ninety-nine percent of the people still alive in Korea were probably thinking exactly that.

I nodded along.

At that moment, Shin Nain adjusted his earphones, allowing a tiny bit of music to leak out.

The melody was faint enough to miss if you weren't paying attention.

But the lyrics were unforgettable.

"Forward, little soldiers of Jesus~"

The classical-music pooper.

It was this bastard.

My expression immediately twisted.

If he was that devout, why had he awakened Alteration-type magic instead of Dogma-type magic?

Even Pastor Park Yohan didn't seem like the type to sit in a restroom stall listening to hymns.

Fortunately, being a considerate person, I chose not to stab him in such a sensitive spot.

The buzz-cut corporal with drooping eyelids clearly felt differently.

He had already hung his combat jacket on a nail protruding from the wall and was sitting around in just his undershirt.

Something about him seemed irritated.

His name tag identified him as Park Sehyeok.

"If the Jesus freak came here, he could at least clean up after himself."

The atmosphere instantly turned cold.

Park Sehyeok spoke as though muttering to himself.

Yet somehow he made sure everyone could hear.

Apparently he genuinely believed he was talking quietly while continuing to grumble at the wall.

"So the existence of monsters like those proves God exists? Those Jesus freaks ought to go crazy with a little more dignity."

I quietly rolled over and faced the other direction.

This didn't seem like a room where people would gather and chat.

The way Shin Nain's expression had frozen over made it easy to imagine what a Muslim civilian must have felt standing before Crusaders.

Instead, I focused on something else.

Shin Nain's faith seemed stronger than average.

So why had he awakened Alteration-type magic instead of Dogma-type magic?

Unable to shake the question, I decided to sleep first.

Come to think of it, I hadn't slept a single minute since Han Myeong-un had turned into that writhing mass.

Ever since the civilian advisory group for Localized Intrusive Alteration Phenomena had officially launched, it had been nothing but nonstop research.

Everyone else seemed overwhelmed and frantic.

Only the Operators—what most people called wizards—appeared relatively free.

Each wizard had been given an independent workspace to avoid interfering with one another's research.

Not that the space was anything impressive.

It was a study café.

The government had practically requisitioned a private study café near city hall and converted it into a facility for us.

The owner protested furiously with tears in his eyes.

But civilian resistance meant very little against a military operating under mobilization orders.

"What about my business?!"

"We'll compensate you with Gyeonggi regional currency."

"I need to evacuate too!"

"We'll assist with that."

Knowing the region was already counting down toward a wartime economic transition, I could only sympathize.

But I had my own problems.

Learning Alteration-type magic wasn't easy.

"Uwaaaagh..."

The crooked symbols only appeared inside the fog.

Once learned, they no longer induced nausea or dizziness.

But learning them the first time was unbelievably difficult.

Every time I opened the magic handbook and turned a page, it felt as though someone had grabbed my stomach with both hands and violently twisted it.

The nausea became unbearable.

And I'd deliberately skipped eating beforehand.

After vomiting on an empty stomach three separate times, the world had begun turning yellow around the edges.

Reading any further was impossible.

"Goddamn..."

Looking around, it seemed the other Alteration-type mages weren't doing much better.

Lee Sejun had completely given up and was just scrolling through his phone with a bored expression.

Shin Nain was crying.

For a moment I wondered why.

Then I realized he was copying Bible verses by hand while mumbling something incomprehensible.

Probably speaking in tongues or whatever it was called.

I quietly looked away.

Unfortunately, my gaze met Corporal Park Sehyeok's.

The moment our eyes locked, he frowned deeply and immediately turned his head away.

"This bastard come here just to stare at people or what..."

It was a complete disaster.

When I got up and wandered toward the sound of conversation, I found the religious practitioners gathered in their own groups or scribbling notes as they conducted research.

"These things have twisted souls. That monster called the Amalgam torments even a person's spirit. It's as if the soul itself is melting away!"

"If the boundary between self and other is forcibly dismantled, then it would serve as proof that such a process cannot lead to enlightenment."

Bodhisattva Geulmun and Monk Cheonghwi were busy discussing religion.

Meanwhile—

"Hey, Father. You're just going to leave that Muslim fellow alone?"

"Pastor, if you have no intention of helping examine shamanism and grain-worship traditions, then perhaps you should step aside."

"It's because Catholicism is so wishy-washy that the Lord abandoned you!"

Pastor Park Yohan and Father Jeong Yonghwan were busy fighting a miniature religious war.

And Hamza?

"Do you still serve Americano here? Korean style, please."

He was enthusiastically squeezing every bit of free service he could get.

The religious types definitely accepted magic differently than the rest of us Alteration-types.

I quietly returned to my seat and fiddled with my magic handbook and phone.

Dogma-type Magic.

Alteration-type Magic.

What exactly was the difference?

Why could one group awaken Dogma-type magic simply by entering the fog, while the other had to stare at these cursed symbols until their eyes bled?

The explanation couldn't simply be faith equals Dogma-type, lack of faith equals Alteration-type.

There was an obvious counterexample.

I glanced toward Shin Nain again.

"Hosishoshashoanubaragoni..."

What would you think if you heard that?

I got goosebumps.

Shin Nain was muttering incomprehensible gibberish that I couldn't even begin to interpret.

At the same time, tears streamed down his face.

Honestly, if not for the cross printed on his Bible, I would've assumed he worshipped some eldritch horror from beyond reality.

And yet this guy had not awakened Dogma-type magic.

He had awakened Alteration-Type: Ear Category only after reading the magical symbols.

Then perhaps Dogma-type users simply couldn't learn Alteration-type magic?

That question was finally answered on January 9th, 1:11 PM.

Under the supervision of Captain Kim Houn and Lieutenant Shin Hangi, the wizards of Southern Gyeonggi gathered for their first seminar to exchange research findings.

And it was Father Jeong Yonghwan who confidently revealed the truth.

"Dogma-type and Alteration-type magic are not mutually exclusive. I have successfully awakened both Dogma-type magic and Alteration-Type Eye Category."

Captain Kim Houn immediately perked up.

"If you don't mind sharing, Father, what ability does your Eye-type magic possess?"

"My Eye-type magic allows me to visualize and detect pulse rates and body heat."

Then Father Jeong began explaining the conclusions he had reached through his research.

"As a Catholic priest, I have also studied various other religions and faiths. While some might regard such study as bordering on heresy, it is indispensable for understanding doctrine. Even the Lord commonly known as Jehovah—or Yahweh—became known in Korea as Hananim or Cheonju after merging with native heavenly deity traditions. Faith is fluid rather than absolute. I say this from a historical perspective, separate from belief in salvation and the Lord's existence."

"Father, you're sounding like a complete heretic."

Pastor Park Yohan glared.

Father Jeong ignored him.

"If these Dogma-type abilities are not miracles bestowed by our true Lord, but rather random phenomena granted by some enemy or external force, then we must seek holiness within our actions and hearts rather than within the phenomenon itself. If these truly were miracles bestowed by the one and only God, then why would He grant identical miracles to the clergy of entirely different faiths, thereby acknowledging the existence of other gods?"

"The Devil is deceiving people! What other explanation could there be?"

The discussion threatened to spiral out of control.

Captain Kim Houn intervened by rubbing his exhausted eyes.

"Let's calm down. So, Father, you're saying Dogma-type magic might not necessarily be a gift from a divine being?"

"Not exactly. My point is that learning Dogma-type magic doesn't prevent someone from learning Alteration-type magic. Likewise, Alteration-type users should theoretically be capable of learning Dogma-type magic. However..."

He hesitated.

"Learning through the symbols caused intense revulsion, chills, fever, and body aches. The side effects were far stronger than previously reported."

"That's strange. Even among mainstream religions, Dogma-type users are extremely rare. Are you saying that people capable of Dogma-type magic can learn Alteration-type abilities, but suffer more severe side effects than ordinary people?"

The moment Captain Kim Houn asked—

Something clicked in my head.

Dogma-type and Alteration-type magic weren't mutually exclusive.

That meant both could be learned.

Yet Alteration-type users generally didn't possess Dogma-type magic.

Furthermore, Dogma-type magic should theoretically have had a higher awakening rate.

After all, it didn't require staring at nausea-inducing symbols.

And yet reality showed the opposite.

Among countless religious believers who entered the fog, only a tiny handful awakened Dogma-type magic.

Even Hamza—the Muslim who ate pork belly, drank soju, and slathered everything in gochujang—was among them.

Maybe devotion wasn't the deciding factor at all.

Religious people naturally assumed piety was the standard.

But everything I'd seen suggested otherwise.

Dogma-type magic wasn't granted merely because someone believed.

Meanwhile, Alteration-type magic could be awakened by anyone capable of reading the symbols.

If anything, Alteration-type was the more universal system.

Then—

Ding.

A realization struck me.

"Faith."

"Mr. Baek Jemin?"

"Religion is just the lens. Faith is the core. Faith itself proves reality."

Despite the attention suddenly focused on me, I hurried to put the idea into words before it slipped away.

"If Dogma-type magic truly manifested according to doctrine, then Protestant pastors should be able to use the Catholic ability Eucharistic Reception too, right? Both traditions perform communion. Yet Eucharistic Reception belongs exclusively to Catholic priests, while Protestant pastors receive Soteriological Assurance. Whoever named them aside."

I swallowed once and continued.

"In world history class, I vaguely remember learning about the Reformation. A man named Calvin argued that salvation was predetermined—that people merely proved they were among the saved through faithful conduct and devotion. Korean Protestantism was heavily influenced by Calvin and Puritanism. So perhaps Soteriological Assurance emerged from that belief: the conviction that one's salvation is already guaranteed. Maybe the determining factor is whatever belief lies at the very center of a person's faith."

The expressions around the room became complicated.

Even Pastor Park Yohan, despite looking displeased, seemed deep in thought.

Only Captain Kim Houn exchanged glances with Lieutenant Shin Hangi before turning back to me.

"So your theory is that Dogma-type magic is less a miracle bestowed by a divine being and more..."

"The influence of personal belief upon reality."

I continued.

"Unlike Alteration-type magic, it doesn't rely on magical symbols. Instead, it originates from beliefs closely tied to the individual's faith and worldview. That's why it's more limited and why the effects tend to be standardized within each religious tradition. Much more so than Alteration-type abilities, which vary wildly even within the same category."

The tradeoff seemed obvious.

Dogma-type users didn't suffer nausea, dizziness, or vomiting because they weren't being forcibly awakened by an external mechanism.

But when Dogma-type users attempted to learn Alteration-type magic through the symbols, they suffered even more than ordinary people.

Because the symbols challenged the worldview they had painstakingly built within themselves.

That was my theory.

And judging by how Father Jeong quietly adjusted his cassock afterward, he had plenty to think about as well.

The discussion more or less died there.

Sensing the mood, Captain Kim Houn clapped his hands.

"Excellent. That's given us a lot to consider. I'm glad the civilian advisory group is working so hard. We'll conclude today's seminar here."

***

Back at the dormitory, Shin Nain still looked annoyed.

Lee Sejun, however, looked impressed.

"You got a GED, right?"

"Yeah."

"You're smarter than I expected."

"I graduated from college."

People with GEDs can go to college too.

Corporal Park Sehyeok remained in his corner muttering to himself.

Still, I'd clearly earned some goodwill from Lee Sejun.

He casually showed me a cigarette pack tucked inside his jacket.

"You smoke? Dunhill."

"I don't."

"Then I've got nothing to give you. How about information instead?"

That got my attention.

"I've got a buddy assigned under the Capital Defense Command. He's on the containment line right now."

Lee Sejun tapped the cigarette pack against his palm.

"The atmosphere around Seoul is getting ugly. They say violent clashes aren't far off. People are trying to break through the blockade."

He looked me straight in the eye.

"You'd better prepare yourself."

Prepare for what?

I let out a dry laugh and picked up my phone.

It had been a while since I'd checked the group chat.

"With monsters pouring out into the world, what else could there possibly be to prepare for?"

The group chat was eerily silent.