Chapter 46
With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility
It was fortunate that part of the Seoul Mage's tongue root remained.
Of course, that meant someone had to grab it and yank it out, but compared to the reward of increasing one's magical attainment, it was a trivial task.
I didn't forget to wink at the Seoul Mage either, staring at the pathetic remains of her head.
“Wink~. Bleeeeh~.”
I even stuck my tongue out inside my gas mask while mocking her.
Pastor Park Yohan looked at me as if I were an idiot.
“What are you doing?”
“Teabagging.”
“Tea-what?”
“It basically means mocking someone, Pastor.”
Thanks to Shin Nain's kind explanation, the pastor let out a long sigh.
“Hey. She's already dead. You think she's going to see you mocking her? Stop being creepy and get to work.”
“Q.”
At this point, I made a very sincere confession about how delicately Baek Jemin had been raised.
“Do I really have to step on something this disgusting for it to work?”
“Jemin, cut the crap. You're the one who grabbed the tongue root and cut it out.”
Judging by the silent agreement from everyone else, my heart hurt.
Left with no choice, I squeezed my eyes shut and stomped down.
Crunch!
I didn't want to hold onto that cold, slimy tongue root any longer than necessary.
After cutting it off with my greatsword and dropping it onto the floor, I raised my foot high.
All I had to do was stomp.
Then I could learn magic.
And yet...
“Jemin, what are you doing?”
Lee Sejun blinked in confusion.
Hamza was looking at me strangely as well.
At that moment, fog hissed out from the crushed tongue root.
But that wasn't all.
The Tongue Magic symbol I had learned appeared in my mind and began glowing.
Knowledge I had never known before was being forcefully shoved into my head.
Perhaps all my previous study of mysticism was finally paying off, because organizing the countless insights and revelations flooding through my thoughts felt surprisingly easy.
It was close to what people called enlightenment.
Only more direct.
More physical.
Like having it hammered into your skull.
The meaningless fragments of knowledge I'd gathered until now suddenly lit up the moment I crushed the Seoul Mage's tongue.
Shattered pieces of wisdom from an unknown source flowed through my veins and awakened even my fingertips.
Yet just as no one could catch an entire river with their bare hands, the amount I actually understood was only a tiny fraction of the torrent.
Even so, this much became clear.
Mutation-Type Magic split into two major paths.
They resembled the Sephirot and Qliphoth of Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah.
Both pursued opposite, inverted paths while aiming toward the same ultimate destination.
I couldn't understand what that destination was.
But I understood that the paths themselves were fundamentally different.
Eye.
Ear.
Tongue.
Hand.
Heart.
Each symbolized a different aspect of humanity:
Human perception.
Human destiny.
Human adaptability.
Human intellect.
Human life.
And the division came from whether one affirmed or denied those aspects.
Sephirot—the uninverted form of Mutation-Type Magic—was an esoteric system that assigned humanity's defining characteristics to various body parts in order to define what human nature truly was.
Qliphoth—the inverted form of Mutation-Type Magic—sought to deny those same characteristics and thereby prove what remained uniquely human even after everything else was stripped away.
The Tongue Path represented acceptance and change.
The normal form focused on linguistic evolution—the memetic transformations created through language, one of humanity's greatest traits.
The inverted form focused on predation, emphasizing ecological adaptation through humanity's animal instincts.
The first stage of the normal Tongue Path was exactly as Father Jeong Yonghwan had theorized:
A spell that translated languages humans could not naturally understand into human language.
The inverted form was a predatory spell that consumed other creatures and stole their memories and experiences.
And that wasn't all.
The moment I crushed the Seoul Mage's tongue, I felt myself reaching the Second Stage of the Tongue Path.
I recognized it immediately because I already possessed two magic paths that had reached the Second Stage, the stage known as Lamentation.
The Second Stage of the Tongue Path was:
Desire Explosion.
Interestingly, Desire Explosion belonged to the normal path.
The inverted path possessed Emotion Explosion instead.
Both specialized in overwhelming targets with desires or emotions so intense that ordinary people couldn't withstand them.
There was more.
A mage could obtain the remains of a more advanced mage from the same path and either consume or destroy them to inherit part of their essence.
They were essentially magical catalysts.
The Tongue Path was an exception.
Because it symbolized acceptance, change, and humanity's adaptability—and because the inverted path emphasized predation—it could consume catalysts from other paths as well, though the benefits were greatly reduced.
And all of this knowledge...
All of it came from the memories possessed by the Seoul Mage we had killed.
...
No more.
I couldn't handle any more.
“Bleeeeegh!”
I collapsed, overcome by dizziness, and vomited.
I frantically tore off my gas mask, but not before getting vomit all over it.
Cleaning the mask was the least of my concerns.
My stomach, intestines, and colon all seemed to have gone on strike simultaneously, threatening to eject everything I'd ever eaten.
Thankfully, it didn't get that far.
But there was no stopping the strength from draining out of my body.
By the time I regained my senses, my hair was soaked with cold sweat.
Hamza was desperately patting my back.
The dizziness was so overwhelming I could barely even feel the blows.
Reality itself felt distant.
When I could finally hear voices again, the first thing I did wasn't answer questions.
I asked one of my own.
“Hey... Sejun. Why are you perfectly fine? And Shin Nain, you heard my thoughts too, didn't you?”
How had they survived that flood of knowledge?
I'd only scooped up a handful and nearly died.
How were they standing there unaffected?
They had studied mysticism too, hadn't they?
We'd all attended Anderson Makenford's occult lectures together.
Anyone with occult knowledge should've reacted exactly the same way I did.
That was when Shin Nain answered.
The fanatic completely solved the mystery.
“The very act of listening to such heretical knowledge demonstrates a lack of faith. Jemin, repent.”
“You listened to Anderson's lectures too.”
“Jemin. All I heard was do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-si-do.”
Only after hearing the reply of Lee Sejun—the self-proclaimed founder of the eight-note scale—did I finally understand.
These bastards had never studied mysticism at all.
Not even a little.
When I dredged up a handful of knowledge, they couldn't recognize a single fragment for what it was.
The Seoul Mage's magical knowledge contained a treasure trove of information.
And these idiots let it all pass through one ear and out the other.
The treasure pile was right in front of them, and they couldn't pick up a single gem.
Come to think of it, these bastards had never shown their faces back when Pastor Park and I were listening to numerology lectures under Monk Cheonghwi.
“Urgh... my blood pressure...!”
“Seriously, you're saying that?”
“Jemin, worry about the smell of your vomit first.”
Neither Lee Sejun's indifferent response nor Hamza's calm advice did anything to soothe my resentment.
These useless bastards...
***
The place where the Supreme Mages decided to rest was the seventh floor of the department store.
Unlike the intimidating rows of mannequins arranged near the entrance, the interior showed surprisingly few signs of human activity.
According to the directory illuminated by our tactical flashlights, the seventh floor had once been a restaurant district.
But four months had passed since the disaster.
Nothing edible remained.
The electricity had long since died.
The refrigerators contained nothing but rotten garbage.
The only worthwhile find was a few canned peaches that had originally been intended for shaved ice desserts.
There were also clear signs that someone had already scavenged the area.
The refrigerators and restaurant counters had been looted.
Either survivors had lived here once, or scavengers had passed through long ago.
There were far fewer useful supplies than we'd hoped.
Still, after everything we'd gone through, we needed rest.
We moved tables and chairs to block the emergency entrance and settled down.
The moment I dropped into a chair, I immediately felt better.
After everything I'd done today, exhaustion should've knocked me unconscious.
Fortunately, the dopamine rush from obtaining magic and absorbing knowledge kept sleep at bay.
And so the Supreme Mages gathered around a small round table, sharing a bag of military biscuits.
The seventh floor appeared safe.
Shin Nain's precognitive vision hadn't detected any immediate threats.
His detection abilities hadn't picked up anything either.
And most importantly, Hamza had declared the area secure.
For the moment, that was enough.
Meanwhile, I had to tilt my canteen and rinse the vomit off my gas mask with water.
Even so, I faithfully upheld the spirit of benefiting all humanity by sharing the revelations I'd gained.
After hearing everything, Pastor Park rested his chin on his hand and neatly summarized it.
“So according to what you're saying, when a mage dies, the magic symbol corresponding to the path they learned appears on the relevant body part. And if that body part is destroyed, the knowledge and magic can be absorbed.”
“Exactly!”
“And the knowledge can only be retained to the extent that the person can understand it. Meaning you need a certain foundation of prior knowledge first.”
“That's right!”
I couldn't help applauding the pastor's clean and concise summary.
If he'd learned Mutation-Type Magic, he would've become a truly great mage.
I honestly didn't understand why he stubbornly stuck to Doctrine-Type Magic, which was so difficult to combine with other systems. Chasing magic seemed far more practical than chasing the Lord.
At that moment, Shin Nain returned from the restroom after spending twenty-five minutes singing hymns in a stall.
“Jemin! How can a crusader of the Lord who wields Mutation-Type Holy Arts entertain such tragic thoughts?”
“Stop reading people's minds.”
Ear Magic was clearly supposed to have the drawback of hearing nearby voices.
Yet Shin Nain seemed to have reached the point where he simply ignored the drawback altogether.
Granted, he was still the lunatic fanatic who sang hymns on the toilet to help himself relax, but even I had to acknowledge his dedication to magic.
On the other hand, look at Lee Sejun.
Despite reaching Heart Magic Stage 3, he seemed dissatisfied that he hadn't gained any knowledge and kept rubbing the stubble on his chin.
“Seriously, this is unfair. Just looking at magic symbols used to cram knowledge into my head. Why do I suddenly have to study now?”
“You're talking as if you've ever studied before.”
“I became an NCO specifically because I didn't want to study.”
I opened my mouth to reply, then simply rolled my tongue around instead.
Why had this bastard suddenly produced an irrefutable fact?
I wanted to win the argument, but there wasn't a single opening to attack.
In the end, I simply shared the knowledge I'd learned.
“The Seoul Mage we killed was probably Tongue Stage 2 and Heart Stage 3.”
The information I conveyed covered the difference between normal and inverted Mutation-Type Magic, the various stages of the Tongue Path, and the mechanics of magical advancement.
The important part was this:
Mages generally advanced by consuming or destroying the remains—the catalysts—of more advanced mages from the same path.
If Lee Sejun had advanced by destroying the heart, then the Seoul Mage must have possessed Heart Magic Stage 3.
That also explained why our magic had been partially ineffective against her.
The reason my Eye Magic Stage 2, Shin Nain's Eye Magic Stage 1 Past Vision, and even his Ear Magic Stage 1 mind-reading ability had all produced weak results was very simple.
Hamza nodded and summarized it perfectly.
“High-level mage blocks low-level magic. Easy.”
If there was a difference in attainment, the lower-level mage had to struggle desperately while the higher-level mage could casually stomp them into the ground.
It was essentially the sort of level difference adults liked because it quantified combat ability.
However, despite clearly being a Mutation-Type Mage, the Seoul Mage had failed to break Pastor Park's absurd Doctrine-Type spell, [Soteriological Certainty].
She'd been completely countered and had missed a perfect opportunity, giving us room to counterattack.
The pastor offered a theory.
Cleaning water stains from his glasses with a polishing cloth he'd thoughtfully brought along, he spoke.
“Jemin mentioned this back in Suwon. Magic is fundamentally a matter of belief. I can't say for certain what the root difference between Doctrine-Type and Mutation-Type Magic is, but the distinctions are becoming clearer.”
According to the pastor's observations, the two systems were almost opposites.
Father Jeong Yonghwan had apparently believed that learning both would make him stronger.
But looking back, every Doctrine-Type and Mutation-Type spell the priest learned had suffered from reduced performance or instability.
“That young priest thought mastering both would increase his strength. I disagree. For starters, Doctrine-Type Magic used by me and the Muslims doesn't inflict horrifying pain like your system does. You've probably noticed.”
Mutation-Type Magic demanded pain as payment.
In return, it granted diverse and powerful abilities appropriate to each path and stage.
Doctrine-Type Magic, meanwhile, demanded powerful faith.
Not morality.
Not obedience to rules.
Rather, it depended on how a person's worldview was structured, and religion simply happened to be one of the strongest influences on worldview.
The downside was that it didn't provide instant understanding the way Mutation-Type Magic did.
Users had to infer its principles through observation and experience.
That didn't mean Doctrine-Type Magic lacked advantages.
Unlike Mutation-Type Magic, it didn't require suffering or vomiting one's guts out to learn magical symbols.
Doctrine-Type users simply awakened their magic instinctively when exposed to the fog.
And today, another advantage seemed to reveal itself.
Shin Nain spoke with sincere admiration.
“It seems Doctrine-Type Magic can overcome the resistance that Mutation-Type Mages gain from higher attainments.”
“It feels more like it's applied universally because there aren't distinct stages. When that noisy Seoul Mage rushed at me, if my faith had been limited by stages, I'd have died on the spot. Fortunately, faith has neither stages nor limits.”
“I am ashamed. As a fellow Christian, I feel humbled by your devotion, Pastor. Ah, Lord God. Why did You grant me Mutation-Type Holy Arts?”
“Nain. It's all part of God's work. Don't doubt it. Simply trust that you've been given a mission and carry it out. Faith itself is salvation!”
“...Yes. I nearly wavered. Thank you, Pastor. I almost forgot that the reason the Lord granted me Mutation-Type Holy Arts instead of Doctrine-Type ones was to drive back the forces of evil...!”
For God's sake.
They were being normal for a moment and then immediately went off the rails again.
I snapped my fingers loudly.
“Alright, ugly Christians, knock it off. Let's hear Sejun's story. So what exactly is Heart Magic Stage 3?”
Having learned the hard way that Shin Nain and the pastor should never be left alone together, I redirected the conversation.
Lee Sejun popped a hardtack biscuit into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully.
Then he tilted his head, shrugged, and tapped his chest.
“Seems pretty useful. I think it's a spell that lets you completely satisfy one of the things the body needs.”
“What does that even mean?”
“You know. Human physiological needs.”
While chewing, he gestured vaguely.
Translated from Lee Sejun's crude vocabulary into the refined language of Baek Jemin, it meant:
“Hunger. Sleep. Sex. Excretion. Basic biological needs. It seems you can choose one and completely satisfy it. For example, if you choose hunger, you can maintain your body without eating.”
At that moment, every Supreme Mage except Lee Sejun exchanged looks.
Hamza spoke first.
“You don't need food anymore?”
“Seems possible.”
Next came the pastor, lowering his glasses slightly.
“What if you eliminate excretion? Does that mean perfect digestion? Everything gets absorbed?”
“Honestly, if you pick hunger, that probably happens automatically. Similar idea, I guess.”
Only Lee Sejun failed to understand why everyone was suddenly clapping.
He narrowed his eyes suspiciously.
“What's wrong with all of you?”
The pastor glared at Shin Nain.
“For the end of all time spent playing rock-paper-scissors against a mind-reader. Amen!”
I smiled and explained it to Lee Sejun.
“Sejun. You know how democracy works in Korea, right?”
“Ah. Wait...”
Only then did he realize.
His face immediately fell.
He hurriedly tried to backtrack, but it was far too late.
Shin Nain and Hamza spoke in unison.
“To the eternal night-watch duty of Heart Magic Stage 3 Mage Lee Sejun!”
“Hear, hear!”
For a brief moment, Shin Nain asked one final question to confirm his suspicion.
“If you eliminate the need for sleep, you never have to sleep again. Correct?”
“Ah. Right.”
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Someone began applauding.
That person was me, Baek Jemin.
Heart Magic Stage 3.
The ability to transcend physiological needs.
I couldn't help being amazed.
Was this truly magic?
Only Stage 3, yet it allowed a person to permanently and completely satisfy one of humanity's unavoidable necessities.
As a mage walking the path of greatness, applause was only natural.
But that wasn't the only reason I was clapping.
The other Supreme Mages realized why I was applauding and joined in.
It didn't matter whether monsters appeared.
It didn't matter whether another mage attacked.
At this moment, Hamza, Shin Nain, the pastor, and I were all genuinely celebrating Lee Sejun's achievement.
As the magnanimous future Archmage who was willing to surrender the title to a companion who had surpassed him, I delivered the final proclamation.
“Long live Archmage Lee Sejun!”