The Hot Wind Carries Curses
A hot wind blows. “Meow···.” Hyeonro said weakly, shaking her head. It meant they couldn’t find the one they were looking for.
“Lady Dowol, if even a high-ranking spirit can’t find him—”
“It means the opponent possesses skills on the level of a high-ranking spirit and has concealed their traces. But that’s impossible.”
“Yes, it’s impossible.” Pigeon 1 agreed with my opinion.
While everyone else was still building the foundation of their tower, reaching the middle or even later stages alone made no sense. Even a genius needs study materials to achieve greatness. Otherwise, like the geniuses of past centuries, they would have to spend their entire lives establishing and proving theories. Yet no one could create such a theory in just two months after awakening. That left only one possibility.
They were receiving support from a spirit. And not just any support—overwhelming, absolute support.
“What kind of deal would allow someone to wield sorcery at that level?”
“···It might not even be a deal. The price wouldn’t be something an ordinary human could bear. If it were paid on a national scale, that would be different, but there’s no way they’d waste it on mere terrorism.”
“Exactly. If possible, it should all go toward securing infrastructure and safety. That’s the logical choice.”
During the conversation, I drew another stroke of the formation with ink made from ground catalyst. The foundation of the defensive formation surrounding the command post was nearly complete. I straightened my back, which had grown stiff from bending over for so long and from the weight on my chest.
“Then, regardless of the reason, the only existence in this country currently capable of providing that level of sorcerous support is···”
“Gangcheori. I cast my vote for Gangcheori.” Gp Commander, who had been listening to our conversation, raised his hand while sipping instant coffee. He was the most likely suspect, after all.
“In that case, there’s something I don’t understand. Why use the Dream-Soul Play Fruit?”
As Pigeon 1 said, it didn’t match Gangcheori’s usual methods. Even in the game, his existence was defined by smashing everything in his path. The problem was that he only did so against opponents he knew were weaker than himself. That was why these tactics worked and why our advance had been stalled.
“You all know why the Awakened staying here are behaving so obediently, even though they could easily escape this hellish front yard?”
“Because it would be a long-term loss. If we don’t stop Gangcheori here, the country will fall. And if they fled and Gangcheori was defeated without them, the nation would stabilize while they’d be branded deserters—worst case, shot during arrest.”
In that sense, the world the leader of the Gilded Jade Society wanted was one where this country collapsed. For them, the Republic of Korea was the greatest enemy of all.
“I sometimes imagine it. What if I were Ha Dowol?”
“Huh? Me?” I nearly dropped the brush in my hand at the sudden coming-out.
“If your family weren’t ill, who could stop you? With my original position and Ha Dowol’s martial prowess, there’d be nothing to fear in this world. If those rotten bastards below hadn’t existed, the subjugation of Gangcheori might have gone smoothly.”
“Right. The Gilded Jade Society are the real traitors. That’s why they’re so desperate.”
“Imagine it. If you possessed the greatest martial power and commanded an army. If you believed you were the strongest in the world, your mind would clear and your view of the world would change.”
“···Are you suggesting Gangcheori might be thinking something similar?”
“It’s just a hypothesis. After failing the civil service exam and seething with rage, he picks up a sword to cause trouble—only to suddenly win the lottery. The world would look truly beautiful then.”
The world looks beautiful… That’s how I felt until I won the world championship. If this world hadn’t come to be, and if my parents suddenly returned alive, maybe I would feel the same. No, I don’t even need that much. I just hope Dohwa stays healthy.
And in that moment, a chill ran down my spine. If I interpreted those words differently—
“Gangcheori… is challenging the dragon again?”
“Huh? Is that what it means? I thought he was just trying to become the king of the world.”
“···We can’t allow it. No matter what happens, we must stop that.”
The difference between an Imugi and a dragon was literally heaven and earth. What was a dragon? A god who had ascended. Even if its divine status was relatively low, it was still a god. If Gangcheori became a demonic dragon while retaining that rage and malice, it wouldn’t merely threaten the survival of a single nation—it would become an enormous threat to all of humanity.
“No, no. Gangcheori has already failed once. If he truly became a dragon, he would abandon his flames and train again as an Imugi.”
“That thing… right! The Yeouiju. He said he needed to obtain that, didn’t he?”
“Yes. A bead formed of pure spiritual energy.”
Regardless of its intent, if it was pure, it became a Yeouiju—and that purity did not distinguish between good and evil. However, rage over failure was clearly not that kind of purity. In other words, Gangcheori had a higher chance of failure than an ordinary Imugi.
“Ah, but this is just instant coffee? Don’t you have fresh beans?”
There should be. In my memory, there was a section in the corner where catalysts were grown that also cultivated vegetables and fruits for self-sufficiency, and coffee beans were among them. They weren’t crops that required waiting for the right season—they were grown at high speed through sorcery and magic. Of course, it consumed mental energy quickly, but the surplus mental energy more than compensated, enriching the soil. For that reason, a plan to distribute artifacts that rapidly grew plants nationwide had been underway for the past three weeks or so.
“Simple. It’s too much trouble. Even if I tried to make the soldiers do it, they’re all so busy, hahaha.”
It was a wise choice and a reasonable excuse.
-Whoosh.
“···Hm?”
The wind blew. A south wind, dry and hot, carrying the scent of blood and curses.
“Rial, are you okay?” Molly said, lightly tapping Rial’s bandaged ankle. Rial wanted to retort that if he was asking whether she was okay, why poke at it, but having already exhausted today’s energy, she didn’t feel like arguing much.
“So-so.”
“We need to reconsider the plan. We’re all wearing ceremonial robes, and this is the result. Besides, to treat the wounds, we first need to lift the curse, and Suhyeon’s purification takes time.”
There was no choice. As a former nurse, she was faster than others at treating wounds, but purification was inevitably slow. The opponent was strong, and they had only one life. That ice cream wasn’t omnipotent either. It couldn’t protect them while they fought.
“Let’s pull out now. No matter how I think about it, retreating during combat would be far worse than—”
-Knock knock.
“···Come in.”
Nam Hongryeon had been speaking when an unexpected knock on the dormitory container door made her swallow her words, but she quickly composed herself.
“I’ve come to check on the progress.”
The one who entered wore a white coat that rarely matched a military uniform. She was a military doctor, but her appearance was clearly that of a beautiful girl.
“···Well, even though I said I came to check progress, the treatment is already finished, so this visit is just procedural. It’ll be over quickly.”
The military doctor removed Rial’s bandages, examined the wound, and checked its progress. The unusual part was that she recorded the entire process on her phone using a cart.
“202@, February @@, 21:31:37. No special distortion or decay has occurred in the wound. If purification alone is applied, as in Case A-3, a complete cure is possible.”
“···Um, what is this?”
“Oh dear, I should have explained first. I’m sorry. We record cursed patients like this to classify their types. I hope you don’t mind me filming without permission.”
“Ah, that’s fine. Instead, could I ask you something about Gp?”
“Hmm··· Well, if it’s something simple, I don’t mind.” The military doctor replied with a sly smile. Of course, she had no intention of revealing classified information. But···
“There are quite a lot of women in Gp. Almost a 1-to-1, no, a 3-to-2 ratio.”
What Rial was curious about had nothing to do with classified matters, and the other party members even facepalmed at his question.
“Well, we conscripted reservists and others. And men usually choose female characters when playing games.”
“Ah.”
At the word “conscripted,” the party immediately understood. There were about 2.7 million reservists. Glorious Land was an enormous hit game, so while the number of awakened Awakened was unknown, at least ten thousand could be expected, and if the scope was expanded to the entire nation including natural awakenings, an enormous force could be dreamed of. However, everyone knew the truth.
“But there aren’t enough people to fight. Even after conscription, we’re short. Before, when we went out to meet the support forces, a whole group arrived in wheelchairs, on crutches, with one arm each. At first, I thought those crazy suit-wearers had sent injured people from the rear to the front lines, but I heard they were disabled from the start. The country only sent scarecrows to deal with the yokai coming down from the south. Well, even if they awakened as mediocre Awakened, the energy they possess is real, so there’s some leeway in combat personnel······ I’m sorry. I got carried away and just complained.”
The military doctor spoke, her bitter expression fading. Additionally, because essential infrastructure facilities had to be protected, the available forces were limited.
‘Oh?’
And the military doctor’s statement was enough to pique Nam Hongryeon’s interest.
-WEEEEEEEEEE!!!
Unfortunately, the heavens didn’t seem willing to give Nam Hongryeon time to satisfy that curiosity.