Chapter 57

Magic has forms. 

And among those forms was this:

A wealthy and majestic church with floating glass walls, built so tall that its summit couldn't even be seen.

We holed up in its utility room, made a makeshift shelter, and spent some time doing rough maintenance. I replaced the battery in the tactical flashlight I'd been pushing hard all this time, blowing dust out of the seams with a few puffs of breath.

Click. Click.

No problems with the fit. I turned the tactical flashlight off again, slipped it back into the pocket on my chest, and looked around at my Supreme Wizards.

Unfortunately, because I had acquired the first stage of Ear-type magic, I now had the penalty of hearing people's thoughts.

The only silver lining was that my Ear-type magic was vastly inferior to Shin Nain's.

Why was that a good thing?

From our experiences so far, we knew that the stronger a magic's effect, the more severe its backlash. The fog helped alleviate that backlash, but the fog inside this utility room was rather thin, so I estimated we'd be taking about seventy percent of the normal recoil.

And this was where the difference between Shin Nain's Ear-type magic and mine became obvious.

The difference lay in the details.

According to Shin Nain, the first stage of his Ear-type magic allowed him to hear not only a person's thoughts but also the unconscious impulses and intentions underlying them. Compared to my own first-stage Ear-type magic, which could only distinguish whether someone harbored hostility or not, the performance gap was enormous.

While I only heard something like the babbling of a stream when facing a hostile person, Shin Nain could grasp the very beginnings of a detailed plan for how that hostility might be expressed.

After explaining that much, Shin Nain slowly stood and straightened his clothes. Though "clothes" was a generous term. All he had on was a poncho covered in splattered bloodstains and grime.

"Mr. Jemin, it seems your Ear-type Sacred Tactical Formula is somewhat inferior to mine. I'll explain the details after I return from the restroom."

"I'll come too. The plumbing here doesn't seem dangerous. Still, we should move together."

"Huh? Mr. Nain, I'll come too. Just a second."

The moment Shin Nain mentioned going to the restroom, Hamza and Lee Sejun hurriedly got up and began removing part of the barricade.

Someone might get angry that we were splitting up in such a dangerous environment just to relieve ourselves.

But we were Supreme Wizards.

Opportunities to use a proper restroom were rare for Supreme Wizards. When you had the chance, you emptied everything.

You couldn't exactly take a leak in the bushes either. If some amalgam-like monster suddenly pounced while you were doing your business, you could end up becoming a monster yourself with your pants around your ankles.

And if that happened, it wouldn't even be a noble sacrifice.

How unfair would it be to become a monster in such a ridiculous way?

We had to avoid threats as best we could.

At that moment, Pastor Park Yohan tilted his head and looked at Lee Sejun.

"Didn't you get rid of your urge to excrete? Why are you going if you don't even need to poop?"

As the pastor's puzzled gaze settled on him, Lee Sejun thumped his chest proudly and his eyes sparkled.

"I need to verify whether it really doesn't come out!"

"Ugh. Fine. Just go already. Talking to you shortens my lifespan. Take a gun with you."

"Yes, sir."

Good thing he listened to the pastor.

Shin Nain, Hamza, and Lee Sejun headed toward the restroom carrying firearms.

Thankfully, my Ear-type magic seemed weak enough that its penalty was weak as well.

I wasn't constantly hearing Lee Sejun's insane inner monologue.

Apparently, I only heard people's thoughts intermittently, and I sincerely felt relieved.

If I'd had to listen to Lee Sejun's thoughts twenty-four hours a day, I might have gone insane and started spraying bullets everywhere.

The wish of a hairy twenty-four-year-old former short-service sergeant to become a cute girl loved by everyone while sucking on candy all day.

Having to hear that nonstop every second of every minute would have crossed into the realm of torture.

Without question.

The pastor clicked his tongue and looked pityingly toward the restroom, where Lee Sejun was presumably headed.

"How does a guy who looks like he could deadlift three-fifty end up like that?"

"Maybe his testosterone overflowed."

"Overflowed?"

"When something becomes excessive, it's sometimes worse than not having enough."

"Yeah. Moderation's best in everything. Jemin, I keep saying it—you've got what it takes to lead the youth group."

And so our Supreme Wizards split into two groups: the restroom trio and the duo consisting of the pastor and me.

According to horror movie clichés, the smaller group would get attacked and everything would go to hell.

But we weren't helpless horror movie characters.

We were super alpha men boldly marching into hell.

The proof came in the form of gunfire.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Looks like they'd encountered a monster on the way to the restroom.

I hadn't even heard proper footsteps, yet even cowardly Hamza seemed to have held his ground instead of running.

The pastor and I briefly considered going to support them, but changed our minds.

The backpacks piled in the utility room caught our attention.

"They'll fall back on their own. If we lose this stuff, we're dead anyway."

"Yes, sir."

I spoke silently in my heart, perhaps to Shin Nain, who might somehow hear it.

Don't think we're being cold. If we run out of bullets, we're all dead. You know that.

The supplies we'd brought were extremely valuable. The locals in Seoul had already formed a rough idea of how we operated. If we left our supplies unattended and moved around, there was a high chance they'd be looted.

Every Supreme Wizard was a precious asset, but people couldn't fight without eating, drinking, and resting.

And there would certainly be plenty of people coveting firearms and ammunition—the lead-type magic itself.

Given the environment of Seoul and South Korea, I was certain countless Seoul Wizards would drool at the sight of guns and bullets.

Instead, I pulled out my Sorcery Phone and quietly examined the screen.

Gunshots had echoed through this wealthy and majestic church.

Would groups using Sorcery Phones—or survivors in general—immediately exchange information about it?

That was what I intended to find out.

Current time: April 18, 2028. 11:14 PM.

After confirming the time displayed on the dark blue Sorcery Phone, the pastor and I waited silently.

Several more gunshots echoed in the meantime.

Bang.

Bang-bang-bang...

Yet the Sorcery Phone in my hand never vibrated.

As even the phone remained silent, only the sounds of our breathing filled the utility room. We didn't dare chat and risk missing a notification.

Only after some time had passed did footsteps sound from the hallway.

Bang!

The door burst open.

As expected, it was the Supreme Wizards.

They'd clearly gotten into a fight, yet none of them were stained with blood. Apparently they'd washed up using the restroom faucets; water droplets ran down their ponchos.

If this had been outside Seoul, everyone would've made a huge fuss about monsters appearing and complained about why no support had arrived.

But this was Seoul.

In a city that no longer belonged to humanity, there was nothing strange about non-human things appearing.

If anything, we were the foreign elements in Seoul's ecosystem.

The real surprise was something else.

I looked at my Sorcery Phone and checked the time.

11:40 PM.

I showed the screen to Shin Nain, Hamza, and Lee Sejun and waved it around.

"What the hell were you doing in the restroom for thirty-six minutes? Constipated?"

"Mr. Jemin, would you believe me if I said Mr. Nain spent thirty minutes singing hymns while soothing his anal sphincter in the name of the Lord?"

"Oh, Allah. Mr. Nain, that's constipation."

Lee Sejun and Hamza reacted with more shock to Shin Nain's bathroom habits than to the monster encounter.

Yet even while making a scene, they were diligently stacking benches in front of the door to reinforce the barricade.

That professionalism was exactly what made them Supreme Wizards.

Meanwhile, Shin Nain simply smiled brightly and tapped his headset.

The poop enthusiast who had occupied a restroom stall for thirty minutes crouched down and pulled a tightly rolled sleeping bag from his backpack.

His bloodshot eyes crinkled as he grinned.

"Mr. Jemin, considering the hardships I endure, I believe even the Lord would forgive me for spending thirty minutes singing hymns while expelling impurities from my bowels."

"Mm."

Faced with Shin Nain's perfectly logical and reasonable rebuttal, I glanced toward Lee Sejun and decided to stay silent.

The fact that I agreed with that weird Christian fanatic filled me with profound humiliation and discomfort.

But the most horrifying thing was the inner thoughts of the person creating this psychological environment.

Ah, I want to get rid of my body hair.

I frowned at the penalty of my first-stage Ear-type magic and shook my head.

That was when the pastor stepped in.

He looked around at us with disappointment in his eyes. Then, noticing Shin Nain pulling out his sleeping bag, he yawned leisurely and walked over.

"Enough of that. Talk about the magic you've all acquired. We'll sleep at midnight and get moving a little later tomorrow. It's already late anyway. Right now, it's more important that everyone fully understands each other's magic without any room for misunderstanding."

He looked around at us before continuing.

"That's how you make sure nobody falls apart when the most important moment comes."

"Just as expected of Pastor. That's some deep thinking. It's better to clear these things up while we have the time."

As Shin Nain nodded in agreement, Lee Sejun and Hamza, who had finished setting up the barricade, came over and sat down as well.

"Yeah, this is definitely something we should know for sure. We need to understand our team's capabilities if we're going to make plans."

"Right. The angel agrees too. We have to prepare thoroughly. More importantly, Mr. Jemin, give me your right hand."

"Huh?"

"I need to disinfect that wound."

Only then did I remember that I'd cut my right hand with the greatsword.

Hamza pulled a first-aid kit from his backpack and began rummaging through it, producing alcohol swabs, bandages, and antibiotic ointment before tending to my hand.

It was during this time that we discussed each other's magic.

"The third stage of Ear Magic isn't limited to hearing the dying words of the dead. It's very restricted, but I can actually converse with the voices of the deceased."

According to Shin Nain.

Apparently, he hadn't spent thirty minutes in the restroom for no reason.

He claimed that the voice of a murder victim had been present in the stall next to his.

While singing hymns and concentrating, Shin Nain had used his third-stage Ear Magic to determine how much information could be obtained through conversation with such a voice.

As a bathroom habit, it was absolutely terrible.

As a wizard's attitude, however, it was admirable.

Even in a restroom, he never lost his passion for magic.

Truly worthy of a Supreme Wizard.

Despite Shin Nain's countless personal flaws, I decided to acknowledge him as a fellow wizard.

The voice he had spoken to through third-stage Ear Magic belonged to the mother of a child.

She had hidden in a stall of the men's restroom, been hunted by a Devouring Spine, and ultimately died from shock after being unable to endure the pain.

However, because she had been consumed by fear and despair when she died, holding a proper conversation had been difficult. Shin Nain had essentially needed to guide the exchange through leading questions.

Besides, what if the voice itself had been a monster's trap?

After confirming that the restroom's fog was thick, Shin Nain accepted the burden and activated his first-stage Eye Magic, Retrospective Vision.

Looking several hours into the past, he saw the corpse of an abandoned host slumped in the neighboring stall.

Only then did he trust the voice.

And so the truth that emerged was this:

"The mother who was infected by a Devouring Spine in that restroom, became a host, and was later killed, died during the Critical Point Breakthrough. During the Critical Point Breakthrough—in other words, on January 6th, when the mobilization order was declared—people all over Seoul attempted to escape. The military units that still remained in Seoul, before the blockade line had been fully completed, prevented civilians from evacuating."

The dead woman's voice had been confused.

Terrified.

Despairing after losing her child amidst the chaos and hiding alone in a restroom.

Her account had been fragmented and incoherent, but Shin Nain somehow managed to piece together the scattered information.

As thick fog engulfed the city and monsters emerged, the military appeared to have already prepared for the situation.

The methods they used to stop the evacuation were far more systematic than we had imagined.

The moment the Critical Point Breakthrough was recognized, the military desperately moved to block all major roads leading out of Seoul and create traffic congestion.

Buildings near roadways were demolished and collapsed across highways.

Water mains were blown apart with explosives, flooding low-lying areas and restricting vehicle movement.

And then, anyone who ignored military orders and attempted to escape was reportedly shot without hesitation.

During that period, many religious facilities throughout Seoul attempted to shelter survivors amidst the chaos.

Whether they had once been called cults or mainstream religions no longer mattered.

People realized they had to unite if they wanted to survive.

Naturally, Mimic Beasts had infiltrated the refugees.

Amalgams.

Devouring Spines.

Human Slimes.

Blood Nets.

Human Jellyfish.

Teratomas.

Tadpole Bellies.

Lung Trees.

That was the fate awaiting locals who fled to religious facilities without proper weapons or equipment.

The survivors were either extraordinarily lucky or somehow managed to struggle through the chaos alive.

It was a heavy topic.

Yet Shin Nain dismissed the voices of the dead as mere echoes.

"The voices of the dead that I hear are remnants left behind by those who experienced powerful emotions or regrets at the moment of death. Since she attended church, her soul has surely gone to Heaven. There is no way her actual soul remains in this world."

"That's true. Amen. Lord, gather Your sheep who trembled in fear."

The pastor's brief prayer concluded the matter.

Still, we learned something valuable.

Shin Nain's third-stage Ear Magic excelled at reconnaissance and information gathering.

It felt similar to psychometry, yet the ability to converse with the dead and learn from their experiences and knowledge was undeniably reminiscent of necromancy.

Of course, saying "necromancy" aloud to a guy who constantly called everything a Sacred Tactical Formula would probably start a fight, so I kept the thought to myself.

That had become an unspoken rule among the Supreme Wizards.

Next was Lee Sejun.

Surprisingly, the first stage of his Hand Magic wasn't very different from mine.

Actually, that wasn't quite right.

It was exactly the same.

"So if blood comes out of your right hand, it deals damage too?"

"Yep. Earlier, I bit my hand until it bled and punched something. It exploded."

"Mr. Sejun is strong. I feel like I won't die if I stay near him."

Judging from how Hamza was wrapping bandages around me while making a fuss, it seemed genuinely impressive.

With the combination of first-stage Hand Magic and third-stage Heart Orthodoxy, Lee Sejun had become the ultimate close-combat specialist.

While I was busy creating all sorts of ridiculous combinations by strengthening Eye Magic through Tongue Magic, Lee Sejun could simply bite his hand, draw blood, and crush monsters with his fists.

The naturally overpowered Heart Wizard who could fire a two-kilogram revolver one-handed without even dislocating his shoulder from the recoil had now become Blood-Fist Lee Sejun.

I desperately concealed my jealousy and silently ground my teeth.

Lee Sejun.

Judging from how well he'd built his magical progression tree, he was becoming dangerous.

This guy was a terrifying rival threatening my status as a Grand Wizard.

...This won't do.

I, Baek Jemin.

A man who had always lived honorably.

But if Lee Sejun was going to threaten me like this, I had no choice.

Starting today, I vowed to actively prevent Lee Sejun from reaching Stage Four.

At that moment, I happened to make eye contact with Shin Nain.

The eye contact was accidental.

The contempt that immediately filled his gaze was not.

Pastor Park Yohan rubbed his wrinkled eyes and sighed.

"There's another subway station nearby. We should recover our stamina and push through quickly. Feels like monsters are going to start gathering."

As Shin Nain clicked his tongue, the pastor removed his narrow-framed glasses and put them into a case.

"That's quite the power-up. It's a shame about Baek Jemin, but at least he won't get fooled by ordinary people anymore. We've gained ways to fight without relying entirely on firearms. That's a load off my mind. Tomorrow we'll leave the church and keep moving."

I tossed and turned a bit for the first time in a while.

How could I not?

The title of Grand Wizard—the greatest dream of my life—was now being threatened by Lee Sejun, whose greatest aspiration was apparently becoming a gender-swapped cute girl.

Still, exhaustion eventually wins.

True to my parents' assessment that I slept like a corpse once I fell asleep, I enjoyed a wonderful night's rest.

And when I woke up, the world seemed optimistic again.

Right.

So what if Lee Sejun became Blood-Fist Lee Sejun?

So what if he reached Stage Four first?

If he tried to advance before me, I'd just threaten to stab him in the back.

Surely that would stop him from aiming for Stage Four.

With a solution in hand, a cheerful smile spread across my face.

I stretched lazily after waking up when a loud vibration suddenly buzzed from the Sorcery Phone in my pocket.

Only then did I realize everyone else was already awake.

All of them were staring at me.

"Wow, Baek Jemin. That thing's been vibrating for over ten minutes and you still didn't wake up?"

"Mr. Jemin. If your phone vibrates for ten minutes straight, please wake up."

The pastor and Shin Nain grumbled.

I responded with a refreshed smile.

"Let's all maintain a positive mindset. Isn't it a blessing that I woke up after only ten minutes?"

"Jesus Christ..."

I really didn't understand why people who believed in things without seeing them were being so harsh on someone who woke up after only ten minutes.

I pulled out the Sorcery Phone and checked the screen.

April 19, 2028. 7:31 AM.

For someone who used to wake up at 2 PM during his unemployed days, this practically counted as a miracle morning.

But the truly miraculous thing was who had been sending the endless stream of messages.

In Songpa District, Seoul—a place with neither cell towers nor Wi-Fi—there was nothing stranger than receiving instant messages.

[Kang Areum: Five survivor soldiers entered a church. That's you guys, right?]

"Looks like people in Seoul think we're soldiers."

"Hah. These days, if you dress properly, everyone assumes you're military."

The pastor grumbled while examining his gas mask.

The others seemed to share the sentiment and absentmindedly checked their weapons.

Honestly, if you wanted to take a stroll through Seoul in 2028, being equipped at least to our level was common sense.

Lamenting the outdated prejudices of Seoul's residents, I scrolled through the lengthy message history.

[Kang Areum: I'm the only one who knows you're using the Jangji Station Wizard Phone. I'm part of a group, but they're mostly indifferent toward you. However, there's one guy who's started tracking you. He's dangerous.]

[Kang Areum: I know you're weird, but you're not bad people. That's why I'm giving you this information. Be careful if you run into him.]

Attached at the end was a photograph.

It was a picture of a man.

The image had clearly been zoomed in from a distance, making it blurry and slightly out of focus.

Even so, the man in the picture appeared to be staring directly into the camera lens.

At least, as much as one could tell.

He wore a thick gray long padded coat, loose jeans like those worn by day laborers, heavy work boots, a black face mask covering everything but his eyes, and ski goggles.

I assumed he was a man because his shoulders were noticeably broader than an average woman's.

Maybe around 178 centimeters tall?

His weight was impossible to guess beneath all the layers.

Honestly, dressed like that, you'd think he'd be drenched in sweat and unable to move.

As I continued scrolling, more information appeared.

[Kang Areum: Nickname: Ski Goggles. Estimated magic level: Orthodoxy-Modified Eye Stage 3. He's a Ritual-Type Wizard.]

[Kang Areum: His Ritual-Type Magic is believed to be some form of stealth. Nobody knows what he's contracted with, but he offers human body parts as sacrifices. He's known for ambushing ordinary people under a wizard's protection. Looks like he's targeting you because your magic levels seem low. Almost nothing is known about Ritual-Type Wizards.]

I immediately frowned.

"Ritual-Type?"

So magic wasn't limited to Orthodoxy and Modification after all?