Chapter 37
Escalate
The day the fate of the world changed was quieter and more rattling than anyone would have expected.
Clunk. Clunk.
The backs of countless two-and-a-half-ton military trucks stretched along the road, packed with important personnel like sardines in a can.
On smaller roads branching off into the alleys, soldiers in full combat gear marched in orderly columns.
Yet sighs and cheers alike were swallowed beneath the contrails streaking across the sky.
Fwoooosh—
Three fighter jets flew overhead in formation.
They were probably launching from other places as well.
I’d heard there was an air base in Suwon.
Perhaps they had come from there.
Thinking about it, I finally understood why Suwon had been chosen as one of the major strongholds of the Second Containment Line.
There was an air base here.
Oddly enough, it still didn’t feel real.
The excitement remained.
The thrill remained.
But the sense that I was heading toward a battlefield where lives were at stake felt strangely distant.
Whenever I fought monsters, my spine practically stiffened with tension.
Now that I was merely one small piece of a massive military deployment, I felt calmer than expected.
Ironically, it was an unexpected sound that restored my sense of reality.
[The President and government will now deliver an important national announcement.]
Lee Sejun stopped sighing.
Hamza slowly blinked.
Even Shin Nain, who somehow enjoyed everything life threw at him, turned his head toward the sound.
Pastor Park Yohan had deliberately increased the volume so everyone could share in the historic moment.
“You should listen to things like this. Makes for good stories later.”
At his easygoing remark, everyone quietly listened.
I, Baek Jemin, sat among the other magicians in the back of the military truck and witnessed the day fate changed.
Just as the world had been divided into before and after COVID, everything would now be divided into before today and after today.
[My fellow citizens. Today, I stand before you to speak honestly about the greatest danger our nation has faced since its founding—the most terrifying threat humanity could imagine. This includes uncovering the truth behind the distrust and actions committed against civilians under the name of protection.]
Back when Suwon Station had nearly fallen, information about Amalgams had already spread despite government censorship.
The government had never officially acknowledged them.
But Korean society had long since descended into chaos.
Even without knowing the full horror of the Seoul Containment Line, people had seen monsters appear.
They had seen civilians shot without hesitation.
It touched an old national trauma.
Thunk.
A speed bump launched my rear end briefly into the air before slamming it back down.
Lee Sejun rubbed his back and groaned.
“Things must be pretty bad outside the city.”
“Riots.”
The answer came from the beanie-wearing makgeolli uncle.
His hair fluttered in the wind as he kept both hands tucked into the pockets of his worn jacket.
“People see those face-rubbing monsters and still go on about family members in Seoul. Damn idiots. Haven’t they watched movies before? Opening the gates because you want to save your own family when monsters might be mixed in—is that supposed to make sense?”
“Oh, come on.”
The Poppy Lady finally snapped.
“What exactly did the government do right? They should’ve found a way to calm people down and evacuate them safely. Killing everyone because they’re scared and then blaming the survivors isn’t reasonable.”
“With that mindset, you’ll end up as one of those face-rubbing monsters yourself. Do you still think Seoul is something worth protecting? Even if the Chinese are annoying, they’re not entirely wrong. Honestly, I’m amazed they haven’t dropped nuclear bombs already.”
“Why are you dancing around the fact that you’re basically saying everyone should die? Just because you don’t have family there doesn’t mean you get to insult people who do. What’s so great about shooting everyone who comes out asking for help?”
“Exactly! The government’s trying its hardest to save forty million people, but all these people can think about is refugee camps, quarantine centers, evacuation routes... This country is like this because nobody listens. All anyone does is fight.”
Watching the argument unfold, I felt like I was seeing a miniature version of South Korea itself.
Maybe the country was really doomed.
I desperately needed the authoritative wisdom of my Richam buddy, Hamza.
“Hamza. Can this country survive?”
“I don’t know the fate of nations. The angel never told me.”
While the makgeolli uncle and Poppy Lady continued arguing, the government announcement kept playing through the rattling truck.
[The government now acknowledges that this disaster is no longer South Korea’s problem alone, but a global catastrophe facing all humanity. Beginning with the mobilization order and continuing until now, we will share information regarding four identified monster species currently being fought by our armed forces under the active support of the United States. These species have thus far been prevented from spreading beyond Gyeonggi Province...]
At that moment, everyone fell silent.
Beneath an eerie stillness, the President continued reading from the prepared statement.
Identified Species One: Cranial Fusion Mimic
Approaches victims while disguised as a human.
Upon contact, merges heads and steals the victim’s body.
Capable of limited human imitation.
Demonstrates intelligence sufficient to understand firearms and actively avoid them.
The victim’s original personality is believed to be irrecoverable.
A predatory organism with no possibility of negotiation.
Communication impossible.
Identified Species Two: Autonomous Spinal Extractor
A monster born from a mutated spinal column.
Manipulates hosts through nervous system signals while maintaining a human appearance.
Consumes the host’s internal organs from within.
Upon the host’s death, emerges and lies in ambush before reproducing by injecting bodily fluids into new victims, similar to a parasitic wasp.
Cannot be domesticated.
Identified Species Three: Cellular Degenerative Swarm
A slime-like organism believed to form when humans are exposed to specific environments.
Thought to be the result of all bodily cells degenerating into a colony of hyper-mutated cancer-like cells.
Moves as a swarm while seeking hosts.
Reproduces through contact using mechanisms similar to cancerous growth.
No intelligence. Cannot be domesticated.
***
Identified Species Four: Blood-Tendril Delta
A subspecies of the Cranial Fusion Mimic.
Adapted for indoor environments and capable of avoiding heavy biochemical agents.
Ambushes prey from ceilings using tentacles.
Believed to absorb fragments of victims’ knowledge.
Observed manipulating corpses to suppress resistance among survivors.
Cannot be domesticated.
[These are the monsters we face. Additional reports will provide visual images of these creatures for public viewing.]
There was still no mention of the Teratoma.
But honestly, those four species alone were enough to constitute hell.
The question was why the government had suddenly chosen to reveal information it had hidden so aggressively until now.
Apparently I looked thoughtful.
Shin Nain raised an eyebrow without removing his earbuds.
“It’s a propaganda campaign.”
“A propaganda campaign?”
“They’re creating moral justification for what comes next.”
He smirked.
“It’s a question aimed at people who oppose wiping out the Seoul heretics. Look. Here stands Satan’s power. Can you bear responsibility for the consequences if we follow your suggestions? Can you?”
“But there’ll be people claiming it’s AI-generated or fake.”
At Lee Sejun’s criticism, Shin Nain looked delighted.
“Then the line should break.”
“What?”
“If most people have already surrendered to Satan’s authority, then perhaps this country deserves to collapse. Refugee evacuations? Quarantine camps? When those monsters spread across the entire peninsula because of such weak, naïve ideals, maybe then people will realize how pathetic and cowardly they were.”
“Wow...”
I quietly scooted closer to Hamza.
Poor Hamza was compressed sideways like something caught in a hydraulic press.
“Jemin, I think I’m getting crushed.”
“I’ll give you an extra spoonful of Spam later. Endure.”
Shin Nain was completely insane.
Unlike me—who was excited about the prospect of magicians fighting magicians—his willingness to accept either victory or catastrophe was impossible to understand.
Meanwhile, the government’s statement continued.
[Despite the heroic efforts of our armed forces, military casualties have surpassed 13,000 over the past three months. These soldiers understand the threat posed by these monsters better than anyone. They continue defending the containment line despite severe psychological trauma and mounting losses, determined to prevent the monsters from spreading into the rear areas.]
[Unfortunately, despite repeated hardline measures toward survivor groups remaining inside Seoul, the government has been unable to prevent bloodshed.]
Now I understood exactly why Shin Nain had called it a propaganda campaign.
The framing was immaculate.
[The survivors inside Seoul made the understandable decision to prioritize personal survival over quarantine and containment. However, this has resulted in repeated refusals to obey military directives, demands that artillery support be halted, and even direct hostile actions against military personnel.]
[Evidence suggests some survivor groups have deliberately used human bait to lure monsters toward military defensive positions.]
[These groups have demonstrated almost no willingness to negotiate with the current government. A significant portion of the 13,000 military casualties are believed to have resulted from their actions.]
At this point, the President shifted toward emotional appeals.
The kind of old-fashioned emotional appeal that essentially translated to:
Please suffer a little for the greater good.
But for people safely outside the containment line, it was effective.
[We understand the sense of betrayal felt by the citizens of Seoul. In the early stages of the crisis, the government focused on analyzing and containing the threat. Information was restricted to prevent panic. Evacuation attempts were blocked and citizens were isolated within the containment line under the justification of quarantine measures.]
[These actions cannot be justified under any circumstances. They represent the sins of both this government and our armed forces.]
Guillotine Match
[However, despite limited capabilities and exhaustion pushed to their very limits, the current government and armed forces have maintained the containment for approximately three months through sheer determination. As a result, by holding the First and Second Containment Lines, we have secured the safety of the Korean Peninsula outside Seoul and northern Gyeonggi Province. The survival and safety of forty million citizens is the most important value the government must protect. Despite the value of Seoul and its citizens, I was forced to make a utilitarian decision for the sake of a greater number of people.]
[To the citizens of Seoul who could not accept this decision and who have resorted to using human bait to break through the containment line, demanding sacrifice from our soldiers, I wish to offer my sincere apologies. Even in this tragic situation, if there remain those among you who still possess reason and a willingness to negotiate, please respond to communications from the Pyeongtaek U.S.-ROK Joint Command.]
[My fellow citizens, this is a crisis unprecedented in our nation's history. No one could have imagined such a thing happening, and I am no exception, despite my duty to confront any danger. I stand before you as a sinner. Yet I am a sinner driven by a sense of duty to stop this disaster by any means necessary. Please grant the government and military one more chance. To those who will lose family members, I once again offer my deepest apologies. I will bow before our ancestors and ask forgiveness as I witness a crumbling Republic of Korea.]
[However, I could not gamble the lives and safety of forty million citizens on the possibility of rescuing innocent people who may already be mixed among monsters. That is all.]
Clunk. Clunk.
The announcement ended, and silence settled over the truck.
Only the suspension rattling over speed bumps filled the air.
Pastor Park Yohan spoke bitterly.
“That's not responsibility. That's fear.”
“The soldiers at the First Containment Line were pretty terrifying.”
I answered while recalling the day the Three-Man Squad had confronted the Teratoma.
Even when facing a monster disguised as a little girl, the soldiers had calmly formed a semicircular encirclement and opened fire with flamethrowers.
There had undoubtedly been innocent refugees mixed among them.
Yet not a single soldier at the containment line had hesitated to pull the trigger.
Why did the rules of engagement state No Rescue. Shoot on Approach?
The diary we found in the abandoned hospital had not been wrong at all.
Humanity could not win this war.
Because humans loved themselves too much.
The monsters exploited human weakness.
Amalgams infiltrated among refugees disguised as people, slipping past attempts at screening.
Predatory Spines kept hosts alive long enough to find suitable ambush sites.
Teratomas went even further, mimicking infants and crying babies so perfectly that even the psychological insight granted by Ear Magic became useless before the simple desire to save a child.
Only those who had awakened magic could glimpse their true nature quickly enough to fight back.
The monsters were enemies that mocked and destroyed anyone who clung to noble but fragile morality.
That was what monsters were.
But not everyone possessed the aptitude to become a magician.
At least, twenty-first-century Korean morality had ensured that much.
As long as people insisted on saving the innocent trapped among monsters, South Korea would lose no matter how desperately it struggled.
Everyone gathered here seemed to understand that truth on some level.
I looked around at the Supreme Magicians and asked what they thought of the government's announcement.
“Even so, we should save them. The Lord would stake His life to save even a single lamb.”
Pastor Park Yohan hardened his gaze as if reassuring himself.
“Not everyone is good. No one deserves death. But neither does everyone deserve salvation.”
Hamza revealed a surprisingly cynical opinion.
“Well... if we can save them, we should. But we can't endanger everyone just to do it.”
Lee Sejun rubbed his chin and groaned thoughtfully.
And then Shin Nain spoke.
“Jemin, your entire premise is mistaken.”
“...”
“Salvation belongs solely to the Lord. Once people die and stand before Him, salvation will be decided there. The righteous do not fear judgment, and the wicked repent before terror.”
Only Shin Nain possessed unwavering conviction.
In a mad world, the logic of madmen sometimes resembled the correct answer.
That didn't mean I needed to go completely insane myself.
Copying part of the answer sheet and rewriting it in my own style seemed sufficient.
Before long, the truck had erupted into heated debate.
I ignored it.
Instead, I focused on another matter.
Using the bandages, disinfectants, and the ceremonial greatsword I had brought along, I began experimenting with Hand Magic Stage 2.
This operation used my old K2 rifle instead of the new AR-15.
The reason was simple.
I didn't want to stand out.
Now that magicians might be fighting other magicians—and Seoul's surviving magicians were considered a serious threat—the smartest move was to avoid leaving obvious clues.
Combat fatigues, a gas mask, and a poncho weren't particularly noticeable near the First Containment Line.
So I quietly tested Hand Magic Stage 2 where nobody would notice.
“That's why some sort of inspection process would calm public backlash—”
“And who's taking responsibility if that causes losses?”
While conversations continued around me, I secretly pricked my left index finger with the greatsword.
A bead of blood emerged.
Using it, I wrote a word on the rubber lining inside my gas mask and rubbed it in.
The word was "Breath."
I wondered if it might make breathing through the filter easier.
The results gradually revealed several patterns.
1. Broad words produced weak effects.
To achieve stronger results, I needed more precise descriptions.
2. More complex meanings required greater magical attainment.
At my current level, I could barely manage one word—roughly two syllables.
3. When I combined words such as "Purification," "Breath," and "Refreshing," only the word written with the greatest amount of blood activated.
Perhaps higher levels would change this.
4. Tongue Magic Stage 1 could probably strengthen the effects, but I was too afraid of damaging my tongue to test it.
5. The magic functioned like a low-backlash version of rune enchantment.
The side effects amounted to little more than mild numbness, tingling fingers, and occasional cramps—as if I'd slept on my arm for six hours.
Which raised another question.
Could it affect living beings?
I borrowed Lee Sejun's gas mask and experimented.
Unfortunately, the answer seemed to be no.
Sejun eagerly volunteered and whispered through the mask.
“How'd it go?”
“You’re still a man. Writing ‘TS’ didn't work.”
“Damn it. Maybe Heart Magic Stage 5 is required?”
Hand Magic Stage 2 only affected objects stained with my blood.
Out of sheer curiosity—and due to Lee Sejun's passionate insistence—I even wrote Beautiful Girl on his hairy forearm using blood from my left hand.
Nothing happened.
“Sejun, can’t you just live as you are? You were born a Korean man. Why are you so determined to get rid of your junk?”
“Damn it! I want people to fawn over me for once!”
For a moment I understood the look of contempt Shin Nain kept giving him.
Barely.
Anyway, the limitations of Hand Magic Stage 2 became clear.
6. It does not affect living creatures, especially humans.
Instead, it enhances or grants properties to non-living objects such as weapons, gas masks, and clothing.
In other words, it strongly resembled enchantment magic.
Which aligned surprisingly well with the theory that Hand Magic was related to alchemy.
While I was experimenting, the atmosphere began to change.
The smell reached us first.
Burnt odors mixed with something metallic and foul.
Gray ash drifted through the air.
Sejun and I instinctively straightened up.
Hamza sat properly.
Even the people arguing fell silent one by one.
We had arrived near the First Containment Line.
The biggest difference was the absence of artillery.
The bombardment had stopped.
In its place lingered a far more unsettling silence.
For a moment I wondered if the line had fallen.
Fortunately, that wasn't the case.
I could still hear soldiers moving.
Metal clanked.
Equipment rattled.
Then the truck stopped.
Soldiers from the First Containment Line approached, wrapped head-to-toe in chemical-protection suits and gas masks.
They carried flamethrowers and drum-fed shotguns.
Hssss—whoooosh.
The sound of filtered breathing pressed against our ears.
A soldier wearing a squad leader armband spoke.
“For the final warning and ultimatum, assistance from civilian operators is required. We will escort you to command.”
March 23, 2028
The South Korean government revealed truths it had hidden for months.
The Seoul Disturbance was not merely civil unrest.
It was a war.
A quarantine operation against monsters born alongside the Fog.
The government and military had knowingly accepted moral collapse for the sake of immediate national survival.
The world argued over the information regarding the four identified monster species.
Many doubted it.
Few believed all of it.
Yet no one could deny its impact.
Humanity would never return to the world that existed before March 23.
The United Nations designated the Seoul Disturbance an unprecedented transnational biological catastrophe.
Debates began regarding tactical nuclear strikes if containment failed.
Volunteer forces.
UN deployments.
Emergency intervention.
Amid all this, the government presented what it called a final ultimatum—and final negotiation offer—to the survivor groups inside Seoul.
More accurately, it repeated the same proposals it had always offered:
- Begin aerial resupply operations despite the danger.
- Provide regular deliveries through secured underground routes using unmanned drones and vehicles.
- Halt artillery strikes against any area whose coordinates were disclosed by survivor groups.
- Remain alive until Seoul could be retaken.
And as magicians from across the region gathered around the command center radio, the response finally arrived.
A voice distorted beyond recognition by static.
Impossible to tell whether it belonged to a man or a woman.
[... Hey... you... fucking... idiots...]
The signal crackled violently.
Then the voice screamed:
[LET US OUT!!!]