Pursuit (4)
It's been over five years since I became independent from my parents. I used to live with them originally, but my sister flunked her college entrance exam, turned into a total NEET, and our paths started overlapping too much. That was the problem.
"Did you eat my ice cream?"
"Wasn't me? Maybe Dad ate it?"
"You little shit, wipe the chocolate off your mouth first."
"Oopsie~☆"
The reasons we fought were trivial. Did you eat my food? Keep it down on the phone. Do the dishes properly. Stuff like that. We bickered every day over the pettiest crap, and finally, our parents had enough and kicked me out. That's how I ended up with this place.
"So many memories here."
My first home, and still my home. Every corner bore my touch, every spot held some episode. I could spin yarns about it all day. Of course, that's nostalgia talking—objectively, it wasn't that great.
Old and crappy.
An aging apartment with constantly breaking fixtures. Awkward location, shitty infrastructure nearby. At least it was close to work; otherwise, it'd be the worst dump imaginable.
"Still, it's my precious home."
The place I'd lived in for five years. The one I bought on a loan and slaved away to pay off. A sixth of my life, shared with this house.
But... but why the hell...
"Is my house blown to bits!!"
I dropped to my knees in the middle of the wrecked living room. It looked like a meteor had hit—floor and walls half-demolished. Furniture naturally smashed to pieces. The sofa, TV, even the shelf I'd set up just for Shin-nim—all shattered. That explained why the stone slab had descended and was fuming.
"Bedroom's trashed too."
Glancing around, the wall there was blown out too. Not as bad as the living room, but collapsed with the bookshelf toppled. That explained Go-seo's huffing.
"Hahaha."
Laughter bubbled up. Not a situation to laugh at, but there I was, laughing. Not a hearty guffaw, though—a mix of uncontrollable rage and a touch of madness. Mad cackling.
[Hey, you there.]
[Attention!]
[At ease!]
I called out to the fish trembling in the corner of my vision. Deep-sea fish I'd brought home at Shin-nim's request. Smarter than regular fish, low mana cost to summon—perfect pets. Not that it mattered right now.
[Show me what you saw...]
[Shiver shiver shiver]
I cast a spell to peer into its memory. Visual info flooded my mind, replaying the incident.
An hour ago. Suddenly, a yokai appeared in the peaceful living room. Bottle-shaped. It glanced around, then locked eyes on the stone slab—clear hostility, mana surging.
The slab scoffed. Natural. An ant raging for a millennium couldn't kill a human. The gap between Shin-nim and this yokai was even wider.
[...?]
The slab extended tentacles to intercept. But it hadn't anticipated this: the bottle's attack was a suicide bomb.
Whipped by tentacles, it exploded simultaneously. The rest... well, matched what I saw now.
"So that's how it went down."
I got the gist. That yokai wasn't a natural anomaly—someone's summon. Meaning someone targeted me and hit my house.
"Hahahaha."
A grin crept back. If an accident, I'd wail at the heavens. But deliberate? Now I had someone to pay back.
Revenge locked in. I surged my mana to the max, tracing the vanished flow.
"Where are you..."
Not easy. Mana's everywhere, dissipates fast. My detection wasn't sharp enough for low-rank yokai traces.
"Go-seo, come here."
[...!]
I grabbed Go-seo and cast. Summoning the Observer that helped track the Cheondo Society before.
"Deep Sea Observer, come here and become my eyes."
⟨ Observer ⟩
Sliced my palm, drew a blood magic circle. Summoned the Observer beyond the window. It waved its signature squishy tentacles in greeting.
[?]
"Find a person."
[?]
"The one who trashed my house."
No time for chit-chat. The bastard who wrecked my place might bolt anytime—I had to hunt fast.
[...]
[...]
[!!!]
It finally grasped the situation under the slab and book's glaring eyes. Hurriedly, it scattered dozens of tiny eyes into the air—each a mini-version of my magic eye.
Memories from cloud droplets, sewer water zipping through the city, etc.
[Streeetch]
"That way?"
[Nod]
Full throttle detection, then it powdered out from exhaustion. But I'd pinpointed the culprit. Grabbed Go-seo, leaped out the hole in the window.
"I'll kill you."
Daring to touch my sweet home. I'd make sure you died over and over.
I sprinted at full speed. First time pushing this body so hard since the change. Made by Shin-nim, alright—top performance. Wall-running, building-hopping like in movies? Easy.
"Did you hear something just now?"
"Pigeon landing?"
"Maybe."
Cognition distortion magic, of course. The one I'd set before meeting Se-ah still had time left. Normals couldn't perceive me, or my face even if they did.
"Found you."
About 30 minutes nonstop, I spotted an abandoned auditorium on the city's edge. Old gym, probably. Now reeking of ominous mana—anomaly-infested.
"I see you, bastard."
Even amid the mana clutter, my eyes pierced through. Observer's memory handover let me spot the familiar mana—the bottle yokai's controller.
"Let's go."
[Kill it.]
[Bzzz...!]
Cheered on by the two, I charged the gym. Pushed open the front door—reality split from the interior. Separate space, anomaly's turf, with its own rules.
"..."
Glanced around. Noise from inner hallway—vibrations, frantic movement. Gym sports?
"Here, huh."
Headed down the hall. Thick steel door greeted me. Straight from entrance—probably main court. Noises louder, crowd presence.
"..."
BOOM!!
No need to be gentle. Kicked the door flying. It crashed open, revealing the gym interior.
"Mark that spot!"
"Pass here! Block it!"
"Aim for the corner!"
"I got it!"
"Smash!"
Sports in full swing. Basketball on one side, badminton on the other. Problem: basketball with a human head instead of ball, badminton shuttlecock a severed arm.
"Who's that?"
"New player?"
"No uniform."
The racket halted play. All eyes on me, chattering guesses.
"Need a ball anyway."
"Lend an arm—or two."
"Thirsty, gimme some blood."
Not a player, they decided. Limbs elongated into monsters, advancing.
Glanced back—door shut. Open gym, no hiding or running.
"Tch."
Normals would've been ball or birdie. Too bad for anomalies—I ain't normal.
Clicked my tongue, formed hand seals.
"Beast that rends, cleave the foe in one stroke."
⟨ Summon Mantid ⟩
Mana drained. Massive white cocoon erupted behind me.
Crack, split!
Green forelegs burst out, shredding the cocoon—a giant praying mantis emerged.
[Mana for you—go kill.]
[Kieeeek!!]
Pumped heaps of mana into the newborn. It grew rapidly—from human-sized to dump-truck huge.
[What the hell?!]
[Monster! It's a monster!]
[Run!]
They— anomalies themselves—freaked out. Mantid closed in, slicing one by one.
[Gaaah!]
[S-save me!!]
[Kieeeek!]
Crunch, chomp! Bisected by forelegs, snatched and devoured. Black blood sprayed.
They became the sports gear.
[Don't slack! It's slow!]
[Weapons up, charge!]
Some rallied, attacked. But mana-gorging mantid crushed them effortlessly.
[Kieeeeeeeek!!]
[Fuck...]
[Our court...]
Now roof-touching huge. Frustrated, it swung forelegs—walls cracked, gym shook.
Rumble...!
Crash!!
Long-neglected structure couldn't hold. Collapsed. Screams and explosions everywhere.
"Deep Sea Tentacles, block."
⟨ Deep Sea Tentacle ⟩
Summoned tentacles to shield debris. Collapse done, surveyed ruins. Black puddles, anomaly limbs scattered.
[Kieek!!!]
[Shut up and die.]
Mana-overdosed and berserk? Skewered it with tentacles, fed the corpse to more. Enjoyed mantis ASMR while waiting.
"About time."
Familiar mana lingered. A minute later, noise from vision's edge—front door area, actually janitor's office by hall.
Debris melted away, revealing a man in red shaman robes.
"Who dared attack me!!"
"Me, you fucking punk."
Finally, the house-wrecker. Thought you'd bolted, coward.