Mage Gallery (6)
A massive circular arena. In its center, two mages were locked in a deathmatch.
One wielded sea magic, the other lightning. The black mage and Section Chief Yu Hana, doubling as a mage.
"...."
I watched their battle for a moment.
Yu Hana's skills were superior overall, but for some reason, the fight dragged on without a clear winner.
That's weird.
Magic didn't always follow common sense, but it generally adhered to elemental affinities. Water beat fire, fire beat wood. When water clashed with lightning, lightning usually held the advantage.
Yet here, the one with the upper hand was none other than the black mage.
Doesn't even sting! You can't kill me with this!!
"Let's see if you can handle double the output!"
The black mage wasn't blocking Yu Hana's lightning spells at all. But instead of getting electrocuted, he was thrashing around like a madman.
Was there something in those tentacles sprouting from his body? Thanks to that bizarre regenerative power, Yu Hana couldn't take him down, and the fight stretched on endlessly.
What to do.
If I jumped in now, I could definitely kill the black mage. But that would blow my cover to Yu Hana.
Even if I used identity-distortion magic to hide myself, my clothes would give me away—and more importantly, I had to look after Kim Gwa-jang.
Even if I did hide...
The Magic Tower had already pegged my mana as belonging to a mage hunter. Helping out could get me a spell to the back of the head.
Guess I'll just watch for now.
After a brief internal debate, I decided to hold off. It wasn't a life-or-death crisis yet; they were at a standoff. Plus, as Yu Hana had said, her lightning output was ramping up. A bit longer, and it might overpower his regeneration.
"Section Chief Kim...? You came to rescue me...?"
"Of course I did."
"Heh heh... I owe you one..."
I crossed the spectator seats and sat beside Kim Gwa-jang. Slicing through the tentacles binding him, he let out a soft groan and stretched, his shirt riding up to reveal a glimpse of pale stomach.
I notice it every time, but he really looks like a woman.
His face suited "pretty" more than "handsome." With that youthful voice and slender build, no one would bat an eye if they mistook him for a girl.
Of course, he was a guy. We'd shared bathrooms a few times, even scrubbed each other's backs in the bathhouse.
"Hm...?"
Suddenly, a strange incongruity bubbled up in my memory. We'd seen everything there was to see of each other. But I couldn't recall ever laying eyes on Kim Gwa-jang's "down there"...
Was my memory faulty? As I racked my brain, Kim Gwa-jang tapped my shoulder.
"Something's happening..."
"Hm? Oh, yeah."
Sure enough, something was unfolding in the arena.
Yu Hana seemed to have won the fight. The black mage was charred black like a lump of coal, while she was panting but otherwise fine.
But calling the incident over would be premature. The tentacles sprouting from the black mage's body were still writhing alive.
Shurruk... Shurrruk....
"Wh-what the hell is that?!"
The tentacles weren't even singed by the lightning. One suddenly prodded the black mage's cheek.
The corpse, naturally, didn't react. The tentacle shook as if in disappointment.
Then it split open. Teeth and a mouth emerged from the split surface, unleashing a spine-chilling voice.
It sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard, shattering glass, and a creature's scream all mashed together. A voice that stirred primal terror. Any normal person hearing it would pass out on the spot. The arena filled with the maddening noise.
"What... was that?"
"Nothing."
I could handle it fine, and I'd covered Kim Gwa-jang's ears, so he was okay. Yu Hana had plugged hers in time too.
But her expression didn't relax. No surprise there—the black mage's corpse, definitely dead, started moving after hearing that voice.
Kiruk! Kerruk! Euk!
"This is insane..."
And it didn't stop there. His body swelled to three times its size, scales erupted across his skin, sharp claws sprouted from hands and feet...
Wait.
That looked a lot like the changes I'd gone through...
Before the thought fully formed, Shin-nim started thumping my back.
Not comparable! Totally different! Like sea vs. land!
What's the difference?
Th-that's...!
Shin-nim hesitated at my question. Her voice trembled faintly, and I felt her hands clench tight.
Oh, this is fun.
Of course, I was just teasing. What I'd undergone was a true evolution; the black mage had sacrificed himself for a berserk rampage. As Shin-nim said, it was like comparing sea to land.
...Taste.
Huh?
As I savored Shin-nim's adorable reaction, her voice came again, too soft to catch. Luckily, she repeated it, and I froze solid.
Husband. Made it to my taste...
Huh?!
Good lord. Shin-nim was so cute I nearly blacked out.
I wanted to scoop her up and shower her with affection right then. Unfortunately, the arena situation was turning dire.
I'll pet you tons later, okay?
Ue?
I stroked the head of the Shin-nim hugging me from behind, then turned back to the arena.
It was a total mess. The rampaging black mage was smashing everything in sight, while Yu Hana dodged his attacks with effort.
Kwaaaar! Kraaaar!
"Kuh...!"
One punch cracked the arena floor. Dozens of tentacles whipped like blades.
Yu Hana ran with lightning coiling around her legs, but as a mage, her stamina was waning.
"Tch..."
I weighed the Magic Tower threat against morality in my head. The scales tipped toward inaction—until Kim Gwa-jang whispered in my ear.
"I have a way... Wanna see?"
"What is it?"
"Well..."
He pulled something from his pocket: a tie pin embedded with a blue gem. Mana flowed through it in an unusual pattern—it was clearly an artifact.
"What's this?"
"A disguise pin... Pretty good, right?"
Kim Gwa-jang pinned it on, and his appearance shifted entirely. His eyes slanted seductively, lashes lengthened. Lips plumped, skin paled further, and his figure turned outright feminine.
Unlike his prior androgynous masculinity, he now looked like a heavenly beauty.
"Damn, that's slick."
"Right...?"
No one would recognize him like this. Even I might've thought he was a cousin if I hadn't seen the transformation.
One chain binding me snapped free.
"Got one more... For you too, Section Chief Yi...?"
"Hand it over."
Curious, I took the pin and attached it. A strange mana swept over me.
"You look younger."
"Oh..."
Checking the hand mirror Kim Gwa-jang offered, my face had changed drastically. No stubble, no dark circles, the rough edges smoothed out. It was like my younger self.
Eek...! You look way handsomer now!
Hm...
Shin-nim didn't like it for some reason, but I was pleased. Nostalgic, and who doesn't love looking younger?
"Problem solved."
With disguises in place, there was no reason to hesitate. Even if I jumped in and used deep-sea power, Yu Hana wouldn't recognize us.
"Be right back."
"Be careful..."
No more second thoughts. Especially with Yu Hana on the verge of getting pummeled to death.
Kwaaaargh!
"Quit punching already, you psycho!"
Kwajik! Kwajijik!
Yu Hana was cornered against the arena wall. The barrier she'd erected shattered in real time under the black mage's fists.
A few more hits, and it'd break.
What to use.
I ran through optimal takedown options. Sword-drawing and insect magic lacked punch—out. Deep-sea magic packed power but took too long to cast.
That'll do.
Spotting the scattered seawater around him—the black mage's summons, now uncontrolled in his frenzy—I focused my senses.
"O water."
⟨ AUTHORITY OF YOG-SOTHOTH ⟩
This power from Yog-Sothoth felt different from regular magic—more instinct than logic, more finesse than formula. I sensed the distant water like my own limbs, imprinting my will upon it.
"Pierce."
Chwaaaak!
The moment my command hit, dozens of spikes erupted from the puddles. They impaled the black mage like spears, drawing a pained groan.
Kwaaaargh!
"Whoa."
But he was a monster. Mere spikes weren't lethal. He'd shatter them and regenerate soon enough.
"Just... die already!!!"
But I wasn't alone. While the water spikes pinned him, Yu Hana chanted a massive lightning spell.
Kuwaaaaa...!!!
Pajijijik!
A storm of lightning raged. He took every bolt without escape. The electricity surged through the water spikes into his body.
The black mage resisted desperately but ultimately fell to Yu Hana's full-power strike.
"Hah... hah..."
With the fight over, Yu Hana caught her breath, endured a moment longer, then collapsed to the arena floor.
She'd burned all her mana in that last clash.
As I watched her, she called out to me.
"Hey, you... Are you by any chance..."
"Yeah. A mage..."
No point hiding now. I'd just admit to being a mage. Even if she mistook me for a mage hunter, the disguise covered that.
Or so I thought—until Yu Hana spouted something bizarre.
"A witch? That artifact's a transformation item, right?"
"...Pardon?"
What the hell was this woman talking about?