Chaos (1)
The day after my house exploded, I just holed up at home. I had no motivation to go out and do anything, and there was this ominous feeling that if I stepped outside, I'd get dragged into some mess. Real talk, incidents and accidents hadn't let up for months straight. Of course, thanks to all that chaos, I'd met Shin-nim and adapted at breakneck speed to become a decent mage.
But even so, I couldn't help feeling worn out a bit.
"I wanna rest."
Once this job was done, I wasn't even glancing at another anomaly for a good while. Time to pick up my hobbies properly. Fishing, which I used to love so much—I hadn't gone in months. Thinking about how I met Shin-nim while fishing, it felt like a must-do as a couple's hobby.
Let's go sea fishing soon.
[Yeah!]
I even made fishing plans with Shin-nim. Checked over my gear for the first time in ages, and the day flew by. Then the next day arrived.
Finally, the day of reckoning—the date of the Cheondo Society's terrorist attack.
"About time."
I glanced outside. Darkness had already settled over the city, though city lights dotted the gaps here and there, and the streets still buzzed with energy. But given the factory's early open, early close schedule, most workers had clocked out by now. The factory would be empty, swallowed in total darkness.
And anomalies and criminals? They loved that kind of dark the most.
"Gotta head there early."
Once they kicked off the terror, it'd be too late. Giving the enemy time to prepare was a straight path to defeat in any war manual. If we couldn't crush them from the jump and chaos spread, that'd play right into what the Cheondo Society wanted.
"Take 'em down the second it starts."
I wasn't some hero of justice. But bad morning news soured my mood, and worry lines on my colleagues' faces got to me. Hell, if we didn't stop this, it'd blow up into something bigger later. Even I couldn't handle the Four Evils head-on. Sure, with Shin-nim's help, maybe—but the moment I called on her and tangled with those beasts, my normal everyday life was goodbye for good.
"I'm gonna kill you all, Cheondo Society."
They'd threatened my life multiple times already. And now they were gunning to wreck my peaceful routine. Things wouldn't go the way you bastards wanted.
Give me some cheers.
[Jin-seok. You can do it~]
I gave Shin-nim a quick prayer and melted into the dark night streets.
On my way to the factory, I sorted through what I knew about the Cheondo Society in my head. At its core, it was your standard cult. Lunatics worshiping the Four Evils, praying for chaos in this world.
The problem? The Four Evils actually existed. And the Cheondo Society bastards really got power from them.
The power of chaos...
Up to now, I'd tangled with two factions: Chaos and Palace Qi. Tonight's foes were from the Chaos side.
They wielded two powers: storms that threw everything into disarray, and flames that melted things down into one.
Seemed simple at a glance. That's what made it so damn strong.
"Can't let my guard down, or I'll get wrecked."
These guys were tough. Even regular cultists could smash a building. If they went all-out with magic, even I'd take damage. And their leader, the cult head? He was on another level from any I'd faced before.
"The Four Evils' chosen human."
I recalled what the shaman had said before. Anomalies ranked from Rumor, Folk Tale, Legend, Saga, Myth, and Outlier. The Four Evils were at least Saga-tier monstrosities.
A guy empowered by something like that? His strength went without saying.
"So what."
But that didn't matter to me. They'd messed with me and mine. Whether he was a bit stronger or way out of my league, didn't change a thing. I'd just stake my life to wipe them out.
"That's how it works in this world."
Maybe 21st-century society's rules were different. But in my head? Only the deep sea's rules mattered.
Shin-nim didn't want me cowering like prey, begging for help from others. She wanted a predator's mindset: forgive no trespassers on my turf, and if I die, take a limb with me.
"Right?"
[Spot on. So cool so cool]
See? Even Shin-nim agreed. With a wife who hated wishy-washy crap, how could I hide like a coward? Even if a Four Evil showed up in person, I'd rip off an arm or an eye before going down.
"...."
Lost in those thoughts, I arrived at the factory complex, far from downtown. The nighttime factories were a monochrome void of dark, harboring all sorts of anomalies and yokai in their shadows.
"That must be it."
The factory district reeked of dark mana, but one spot stood out thickest: the biggest factory nearby, Han-seong Apparel Factory.
"A gyeol-gye barrier."
The factory was already wrapped in a black gyeol-gye—magic that weakened outsiders and buffed Cheondo Society members, from the looks of it. Normally, you'd smash the barrier first. But I just pierced straight through.
"No point breaking it and letting them rabbit."
They operated in cells. If they scattered now, who knew when I'd get another shot at wiping them out. So, bull right through. A little shackle on my limbs wouldn't make me lose.
"Let's go."
The moment I breached, I felt eyes on me. They'd finally noticed the intruder. Footsteps multiplied around me.
"Come at me."
I flipped open Go-seo and boiled my mana. Looked like tonight would be a long one.
Daehan Mu-dang Association. Guardians of Korea's nights, the coalition of shamans. They rarely banded together unless it was dire. Shamans were solo operators by nature, and too many in one spot amplified divine power, drawing ghosts like flies.
But tonight was different.
"Haven't gathered like this in ages."
"Things have been hectic."
"This is an exception."
On the roof of the tallest building in an Incheon factory district, over ten shamans assembled. The reason was grave: the cult "Cheondo Society" rampaging across Korea lately.
"Found the bastards yet?"
"No need. Look there."
"The Four Evils..."
A male shaman pointed. A bizarre black membrane shrouded one spot—a gyeol-gye woven from sinister sorcery, they all knew. A twisted human face flickered across it briefly. Human sacrifice to power the barrier. Anyone stepping in would feel their divine energy weaken.
"Only one entrance."
"They dug a blatant trap."
"They're committed."
The Cheondo Society had dodged clashes with the association before. Always sneaky barriers pre-ritual, then bolt once done, evading pursuit. But tonight felt different. Like they'd come locked and loaded for war.
"Even prepped hostages nice and tidy."
"No choice but to go in."
"Such shady creeps."
No alternatives. Worker dorms were inside, at least a hundred civilians. Shamans couldn't abandon the unlucky. They prepped for battle, the elder leader sharpening his blade.
"Um, excuse me...?"
"Hm?"
A young girl approached him—a high schooler moonlighting as a shaman.
"Why don't we wait a bit before going in?"
"Just use casual speech. Feels weird."
"Got it... Anyway."
Age meant little to shamans; fresh initiates often hit harder. She'd predicted the terror and rallied everyone—rightly, she should've led. He'd hear her out, whatever.
"What's the purpose in calling me?"
"Don't get the wrong idea, okay? Hear me out?"
Don't misunderstand? What was she about to drop that needed such caution?
"Let's hold off going in for a little."
"...What're you talking about?"
But her words? Total misunderstanding material. Time was critical; rescuing civilians first. Her suggestion made zero sense.
"Mind explaining why?"
"Yeah, you need a clear reason, right? Totally get that, but...!"
He asked, but she just groaned, no real answer. What was her angle? He didn't suspect a mole, but her intent baffled him.
"Elder!"
"What is it!? Ritual started already!?"
A shaman watching the barrier dashed over frantically. He braced for the worst—civilians sacrificed?—but the guy just pointed.
"Look, over there!"
"What's up? Something new...?"
The elder shut his mouth mid-sentence. The scene doubted reality itself.
The ominous black gyeol-gye the Cheondo Society had raised now churned deep navy, rippling like waves. Beyond, a blurry black silhouette thrashed like a colossal monster. Just looking induced splitting headaches.
"What the hell is that?"
"No idea."
He asked his colleague—got the expected "dunno." Not Cheondo work. Their masters ruled sky and earth, not sea. So what was that thing?
"Knew it... Shoulda seen this coming."
"...You already knew about that entity?"
"Kinda. Unfortunately."
Only one: the girl who'd hesitated on entering. I Se-ah alone seemed to recognize it.