Chapter 43

Department Store Chaos

The reason our Archmages immediately concluded that the gunshots had come from the department store was simple:

Preparation.

Hamza, who had learned land navigation just to adapt to life in a foreign country.

And the legacy of Korean administration, which had thoughtfully installed area maps around subway stations.

Those two factors made the achievement possible.

"Take a right immediately after Exit 3. It's close."

Even with Hamza's directions, however, finding the department store wasn't easy.

The fog in Seoul was beyond imagination.

No elaborate description was necessary.

It was simply heavy.

Just heavy.

The air was so damp and saturated that my poncho felt weighed down against my body by moisture alone.

If someone tried hanging laundry outside in today's Seoul, even the mold would probably become waterlogged and burst.

Every breath fogged the inside of my gas mask.

Cold droplets slid down the rubber and brushed against my lips.

It felt disgusting.

Even so, I kept walking.

Breathing in.

Breathing out.

Carrying all the anxiety, excitement, and suffocating discomfort of the heavy air with me.

Hooo...

Just as the sound of my breathing merged with the fog, I turned my head, wondering if we were still moving in the right direction.

Then I saw it.

An ugly building emerged from the mist.

The shattered windows looked like broken teeth.

The outer walls were cracked and split from artillery impacts.

The sight alone made me sigh.

Lee Sejun, Shin Nain, Hamza, and Pastor Park Yohan all stopped dead beside me.

Lee Sejun was the first to speak.

"Wow... the department store is wrecked."

Human civilization was collapsing, and this idiot was shocked by a department store going out of business.

Meanwhile, Pastor Park Yohan and Shin Nain merely nodded as if this was inevitable.

"People pursued luxury and indulgence instead of seeking the Lord. Naturally this happened. If they'd donated their department-store money as tithes, would things have come to this?"

"The One who once punished with fire and flood seems to have chosen artillery shells this time. Though the exterior became filthy, spiritually it has been purified."

"So this fog is dishwashing steam for God's tableware?"

I had to cut Shin Nain off before he got any deeper into whatever insanity he was cooking up.

Both he and the pastor turned toward me.

Even through the gas mask lenses, their gazes felt oppressive.

"As expected of you, Mr. Baek Jemin. Interpreting the fog as the Lord's dishwashing steam. Such unwavering faith puts me to shame."

"Jemin, Nain isn't saying that for nothing. You've got something biblical about you. Just come to church and everything will work out. Everything! You've got youth ministry leader potential!"

"I'd rather have nothing."

Forget the Korean Christians.

Look at Hamza.

The guy who seemed most likely to be a religious fanatic was simply staring at the ruined building in admiration.

"Even after all this, the structure is still standing. Korean construction really is incredible."

True patriotism was finding something to praise even at the edge of disaster.

Among all our Archmages, perhaps Hamza loved Korea the most.

Still, this wasn't the time to stand around admiring architecture.

At this rate we'd spend the whole day lingering outside before deciding it looked dangerous and turning back.

Among this collection of lunatics, only one man possessed an unwavering sense of purpose.

Me.

Baek Jemin.

I had no choice but to restore discipline.

"Formation up. Let's move in. Standing around here is just wasting time."

Naturally, I took point.

Eye Magic.

Tongue Magic.

Hand Magic.

My adaptability made me the most versatile member of the group.

The backbone of the Archmages.

Shin Nain's job was detection.

He could sense approaching enemies and use Past Sight to gather information from traces of battle.

Since we were likely dealing with another mage, gaining the initiative would be critical.

In that regard, his role was just as important as mine.

Hamza and the pastor served as our luck totems and danger assessment specialists.

Hamza could consult his angelic intuition.

The pastor could analyze gathered clues and infer an enemy's intentions.

We expected his Soteriological Certainty to assist with drawing correct conclusions from incomplete evidence.

As for Lee Sejun...

Well.

Lee Sejun was the pack mule.

Bodyguard sounded nicer.

Let's call him fire support.

Having another person capable of shooting a rifle was always useful.

"Jemin, I feel like you've been colder toward me lately."

"I don't have religious prejudice, but I do have prejudice against grown men who want to turn into cute anime girls."

And so we formed up.

Abandoning every last trace of hesitation.

As we advanced, more of the building emerged from the fog.

The upper floors weren't in much better condition.

Chunks of concrete had fallen from near the roof and littered the surrounding area.

Apparently the department store hadn't escaped the bombardment entirely despite the Jangji Station mage's records suggesting otherwise.

Unlike the subway station, which still had power, the department store was pitch black inside.

The shadows beyond the entrance looked more oppressive than the fog-filled streets outside.

Even our fearless Archmages hesitated.

The silence was overwhelming.

The darkness seemed to crush the fog itself.

It felt as though even our heartbeats might stop.

The pastor grumbled.

"Why the hell would anyone crawl into a place like that?"

Nobody answered.

It wasn't really a question.

Since we couldn't identify the entrance, we simply climbed through a shattered window.

Wind and fog drifted slowly inside, pushing against our backs.

Naturally, I pulled aside my poncho and switched on the L-shaped tactical light mounted to my chest.

Click.

The mechanical sound echoed far louder than it should have.

Louder than anything we'd heard while traveling through the subway tunnels.

The entire department store seemed to vibrate with the noise.

Like an echo shouted from a mountaintop.

Yet the flashlight was useless.

The fog inside had accumulated for who knew how long.

Unlike outside, no wind stirred it.

The beam illuminated nothing but pale gray haze.

Perfect visibility for an ambush.

Immediately, I combined Tongue Magic Stage 1 with Eye Magic Stage 1.

Target. Department Store Mage. Five Minutes. Path.

The fog twisted violently.

Then split apart.

The gloomy interior of the department store unfolded before me.

Abandoned display counters.

Rows of mannequins.

Everything silent.

If I had come here alone, I would've pissed myself the moment I saw them.

The mannequins weren't even arranged normally.

They stood beside dead escalators.

Behind counters.

Watching corridors.

Seen through the fog, they looked exactly like guards standing watch.

Some even held brooms.

At first glance they resembled armed sentries.

Despite the conditions I'd specified, my vision opened completely.

Which meant there was definitely a mage nearby.

Not exactly surprising.

The surprising part was the backlash.

"This could be bad."

"What? Why? Did you find something?"

The pastor immediately became nervous.

I calmly explained.

"Normally, when I use Tongue Magic..."

"My tongue splits open and starts bleeding."

"Ugh. Gross."

Lee Sejun visibly recoiled and took a step away.

Just because I'd shown him my injured tongue a few times.

Personally, I considered my tongue one of my better features.

Very offensive behavior.

Still, priorities mattered.

"There's no backlash at all."

"Like our religion-type powers?"

"Exactly."

Now the message made sense.

Heavy fog. Outdoor activity is easy.

The denser the fog became, the easier it was to use magic.

This was basically a special event period where mages could cast far more freely than normal.

Shin Nain immediately tightened his grip on his rifle.

"Good. I was already hearing voices. I'll investigate."

"After finding cover first."

He was probably planning to use Past Sight from the entrance and comb through everything.

I stopped him.

Raising my hand.

Tucking my short-barreled AR-15 beneath my arm.

"No."

"The enemy's detection speed is probably faster."

"Finding evidence of the soldiers who came before us is more important."

Then I looked toward Hamza.

"The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it gets. Right?"

He hesitated.

Then nodded.

"...Yes."

"The angel says so."

No elaborate reasoning was required.

There was a very high probability this department store housed a local Seoul mage.

Gunfire.

Radio transmissions.

Signs of recent combat.

They'd almost certainly fought soldiers already.

There was a good chance they'd already detected us.

Since none of us had ever fought another mage before, caution was our greatest weapon.

Even Shin Nain seemed convinced.

"Tch."

"Fine. I'll focus on listening."

He clicked his tongue while glaring at Hamza.

But for Shin Nain, that counted as agreement.

***

The department store interior was littered with shattered glass and dust.

Moving silently was impossible.

No matter how carefully we stepped, the sound of debris shifting beneath our boots couldn't be eliminated.

We weren't special forces.

And under this level of pressure, mistakes were inevitable.

Crunch.

Crunch.

Every footstep tightened my chest.

Fear.

Excitement.

The emotions stabbed at my heart like needles.

Cold.

Thrilling.

Burning.

Contradictory sensations all at once.

Only five hearts beat within the vast department store.

Once, this lobby had been a gathering place for the wealthy and ambitious.

Now only worn mannequins in stained clothing remained.

Every so often we would round a corner and encounter another one unexpectedly.

My brain knew they were mannequins.

But my body insisted they might be monsters.

My rifle always came up first.

Clack.

I would peer through the optic.

Study the target.

Then realize the truth.

Not a person.

Not a monster.

Just a cheap imitation of humanity.

A mannequin.

And yet...

Even then, I found it difficult to lower my weapon.

Still aiming at the figure, I turned toward Shin Nain and asked,:

"Any monsters?"

"None."

At the moment, I was continuously maintaining the combination of Tongue Magic Stage 1 and Eye Magic Stage 1:

Target. Department Store Mage. Five Minutes. Path.

Because of that, I couldn't use my usual precognition to detect monster traces like red footprints.

I had to rely entirely on Shin Nain's ear-based magic.

Entrusting my life to someone else—especially to a fanatic, shit-talking zealot like him—felt utterly unpleasant and powerless.

That crushing helplessness that comes from realizing your life and survival are completely dependent on another person.

The others must have felt it before too.

It wasn't a pleasant experience.

Then again, the other four had entrusted their lives to me while I tracked the mage.

After receiving Shin Nain's assurance, I lowered my rifle and continued forward.

Toward the cleared fog.

Toward the path indicated by Eye Magic.

The department store mage must have wandered around constantly.

Or perhaps my ability to steer Eye Magic through Tongue Magic was still immature.

There was no mage.

Only traces.

Then, at some point, the fog stopped clearing completely.

Instead, it merely grew thinner.

"They're definitely nearby."

"Did your eyes break?"

"Hamza, that's rude."

"Are you a blind man who can see?"

"Give me a minute."

Did Seoul's mages possess methods of interfering with magical detection?

Or was my own level simply too low?

I didn't know enough to draw meaningful conclusions.

Frustrated, I spent several moments staring at the countless mannequins frozen in bizarre poses within the thin fog.

Then, while weaving between them—

Hamza tripped over a fallen mannequin leg.

"Whoa!"

"Careful. If you get hurt, there aren't exactly hospitals anymore."

Lee Sejun caught him by the shoulder before he could fall.

Instead of thanking him, Hamza began frantically slapping at the leg around his ankle.

"That's not it!"

"Damn it. Even if it's a mannequin, don't kick it like that. It's creepy."

"It's a person...!"

...

Hamza.

Had he realized it was a human leg the whole time?

I unconsciously swallowed.

Lee Sejun immediately backed away.

Shin Nain pulled back his hood and revealed his headset.

Then he knelt beside the body Hamza had discovered and brushed away the fog with his hand.

A name emerged from the mist.

"Army Sergeant Bang Gi-seong."

"A sergeant?"

"Ugh..."

Both Lee Sejun and I sighed.

I was an eighth-year reservist dragged back into service and thought I had every right to feel cheated by life.

But a guy still serving as a sergeant?

If he'd been dragged into this disaster, he probably lost his mind long ago.

The pastor clicked his tongue.

"Young men. Why are you sighing? A soldier protecting his country is natural."

"Sergeant Bang did his duty."

"If he attended church, he's probably knocking on Heaven's gates right now."

Yeah.

Sure.

I knelt beside Sergeant Bang, who was apparently pounding on Heaven's front door.

His equipment was textbook.

Full MOPP Level 4 gear.

Chemical protective suit.

Gloves.

Everything.

A small radio was attached to his chest.

His right hand still gripped a K2C1 rifle.

As though he had been pulling the trigger until the moment he died.

Only one thing was missing.

One thing.

The moment I got a proper look at the corpse through the fog, a chill climbed my spine.

His head was gone.

More specifically, it looked as though someone had smashed it flat with a giant hammer, kneaded it like dough, and then removed part of the mass entirely.

I had no idea what Sergeant Bang looked like while alive.

But I was absolutely certain he had been more handsome than this.

"Shin Nain. Use Past Sight."

"You want me to watch Sergeant Bang lose his head?"

"We need to know whether it was an Amalgam or something else."

"Hooo..."

Shin Nain quietly sang a hymn to steady himself.

"Nothing can compare... to Lord Jesus Christ..."

Then he activated Past Sight.

While he was occupied, curiosity got the better of Lee Sejun and the pastor.

Both nearly vomited.

Wise Hamza avoided the experience entirely by refusing to look at the head.

"Urgh..."

"Lord God chose me for greatness, and yet I must witness things like this..."

"Quiet, everyone. Nain will tell us."

We carefully examined the surrounding fog.

Then—

Kzzzt...

Static.

The radio noise became harsher.

At first, nobody paid attention.

Radio interference happened all the time.

Kzzzt... Kshhh...

But the noise kept growing stronger.

More frequent.

More distorted.

Then I heard something strange.

Laughter.

A faint sound.

Like someone trying not to giggle before playing a prank.

I wasn't the only one who noticed.

When I looked around, Lee Sejun, Hamza, and the pastor were all exchanging uneasy glances.

That was when Hamza's expression hardened.

"Dangerous."

"Very dangerous."

"Oh God..."

I immediately grabbed Shin Nain's shoulder.

"Shithead. Get up. We're moving."

Unfortunately, the transmission connected before Shin Nain returned to reality.

A woman's voice emerged from the static.

A surprisingly pretty voice.

Slightly hoarse from hardship.

But playful.

The kind of voice that would probably sound beautiful if she sang.

[Hellooo~?]

The instant Lee Sejun heard it, his eyes narrowed mysteriously.

"I can tell."

"This is the voice of a naturally beautiful woman who coasted through life on looks."

"This bastard is literally making things up because he's jealous."

"Jealous?"

"Please. The cute girl I dream of becoming isn't some flirtatious woman like that."

"I'm talking about a tiny, adorable young lady who makes you want to give her candy and pat her head."

"I hope Mr. Jemin understands the distinction."

At that moment, I was honestly more afraid of Lee Sejun than the unknown woman.

Thanks to him, my disgust threshold rose so high that the voice on the radio barely felt threatening.

The woman laughed.

[Your soldier friend says some really disgusting things with a straight face, huh~?]

"How dare you insult a pure and modest dream...!"

[Anyway. All of you sound like mages. So why are you working with soldiers~?]

[Mages should stick together, shouldn't they~?]

Nobody sided with Lee Sejun.

Instead, the fact that the Seoul mage sounded surprisingly friendly encouraged Pastor Park Yohan.

He stepped forward and cleared his throat.

"Young lady, what's your name?"

"You seem surprisingly reasonable."

"I'm Pastor Park Yohan. I run a small church."

"Would you like to hear the word of the Lord?"

[Mister, are you insane?]

"I understand. In times like these, seeking God can be difficult. But—"

[Ugh. Get lost. I don't go to church. Are you crazy?]

"Young lady, that's how Satan gets you!"

The situation was deteriorating rapidly.

I quietly moved beside Hamza.

Apparently he sensed negotiations collapsing too, because we naturally ended up shoulder to shoulder.

The woman giggled.

[Still... you guys are interesting.]

"Huh?"

[Want to join us?]

[You're not like those nasty soldiers trying to lock everyone up and kill them.]

[You're mages, right~?]

For one brief moment, Baek Jemin wondered if life in hell had finally presented him with a new romantic opportunity beyond his beloved right hand.

Then Shin Nain exploded.

He had been silently examining Sergeant Bang's final moments through Past Sight.

Now he suddenly snatched up the radio.

"Military frequency."

[Hm?]

"I know how you found out."

"You fucking demon."

Silence.

Everyone realized the negotiations had just died.

I didn't understand why.

But I'd rarely seen Shin Nain this furious.

The last time was when Monk Wonhaeng had healed his mental trauma with a mantra, causing Shin Nain to accuse him of stealing a trial sent by God.

After several seconds, the woman burst out laughing.

When she finally stopped, her answer sent chills down my spine.

[You're the eyes, aren't you?]

Click.

The transmission ended.

Immediately, Shin Nain hurled the radio to the floor.

CRACK!

Then stomped it flat.

Even the pastor looked startled.

"Nain? What happened?"

"Why are you suddenly—"

"That demon bitch."

His eyes were wide with shock, rage, and fear.

"She attaches herself to people's heads."

"What?"

"Like those Dubai Sticky-Humans."

"One of her spells lets her graft herself onto human heads and steal them."

TATATATANG!

Gunfire echoed once more.

Inside the vast department store, the sound bounced endlessly between the high ceilings.

Impossible to pinpoint.

Yet our Archmages followed the fading echoes.

Step by step.

Across shattered glass.

As time passed, distant screams drifted through the fog.

Aaaagh...

Every time Shin Nain heard one, he gave the same short report.

"Human."

"Dead."

I led from the front.

Target. Human. Five Minutes. Path.

I followed the trail of soldiers who had fled the Seoul mage.

We climbed a dead escalator.

As we advanced through the cleared fog, radio tones whispered from the mist around us.

Beep-beep-beep.

"Engaging... respond..."

These weren't communications anymore.

They were dying messages.

The final sounds of abandoned soldiers.

Voices trembling with fear.

Not soldiers.

Just terrified young men.

"Unable to engage..."

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Our footsteps echoed up the escalator.

I rolled my tongue and changed the spell.

Target. Department Store Mage. Five Minutes. Path.

The fog split.

One side cleared.

The other thickened.

Third floor.

Beyond a display counter where the mist had begun to recede, something moved among the scattered mannequins.

A pile of concrete.

At least, that's what it looked like.

Then it noticed me.

The "concrete pile" suddenly threw itself aside with a tremendous crash.

Dust exploded into the air.

And from within the cloud emerged a woman covered in dirt and blood.

Waving enthusiastically.

Holding a rifle.

"Holy shit."

She had fired from an awkward position and missed.

But she didn't stop.

She simply licked her lips.

BANG!

I immediately clenched my left fist and slammed it into the escalator handrail.

BANG!

Hard.

Pain shot through my arm.

My bones screamed.

The backlash burned all the way into my shoulder.

At the same moment, the next gunshot became crystal clear.

A bullet sliced through the air near us.

Everyone flinched.

Everyone crouched instinctively.

But crouching halfway up an escalator was suicide.

Shin Nain understood instantly.

He shouted something and began directing the others.

As for me—

I kept smashing my left hand against the handrail.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Keeping my eyes open as long as possible.

My vision blurred.

My eyelids began to fall.

And just before they closed completely—

I threw myself forward.

Blink.