Differing Views on the Messiah Incident
Even a messiah-level event couldn't bridge the divide in perspectives. The Republicans framed it as a challenge to Korea and an overseas terrorist attack, aggressively pushing for border closures. The Democrats saw it as an extreme case of magic crime targeting the socially vulnerable, calling for stricter regulations on lethal magic. With their core arguments at odds from the start, any normal dialogue was impossible. The media skewered this absurd comedy while referencing police briefing materials to lay out the incident timeline for the public.
"NoName, the victim in this terrorist bombing, started internet streaming last August and has now risen to the top of daily Korean viewership charts as a popular broadcaster. Just before the bomb went off, she puts on the election campaign hat from President Lee Jo-won as a gift, and viewers all chime in to stop her. NoName then innocently dons a Democratic Party scarf too, keeping the good vibes going. And here—the music box bomb in question. Before she can even turn the lever once, NoName yells at her fellow streamer to get out of the room. Currently attending Seferon Academy, NoName shows her quick thinking by wrapping her body in aura and boldly trying to disarm the bomb. But it detonates anyway, unleashing a fierce surge of mana wind that cuts the stream. Fortunately, the incomplete spellcasting spared her life. According to responding officers, she held on until the end to prevent the transmutation circle from exploding. Some worry this is Walpurgis retaliation against NoName, but politicians remain silent on countermeasures."
Ironically, the biggest hero in capturing the perp was Detective Ma Beomil. When the police SWAT team asked the Violent Crimes Unit to check magic usage records, they were floundering. It was the first time applying the ordinance created after the Walpurgis incident, and no one knew the procedures. Meanwhile, Detective Ma ignored orders to stay off frontline duty, went straight to Mana Corporation himself, and identified the culprit. With tight coordination from Paju Police Station staff, they nabbed him swiftly, earning the first media spotlight.
Viewers of Genius Scout who knew him personally turned their ire on the police chief and Ministry of the Interior director who tried to oust such talent for political reasons.
"Good for you, Dad. You're not just getting reinstated—you're coming back in glory."
"Good my ass! Do you have any idea how worried your father was? I'd rather ship off to Incheon than let something like this happen again!"
"Thanks for worrying. But I'm really fine."
Ma scowled and shook his head.
"Why'd you lose all sense of fear, kid..."
He speared a pre-cut apple slice with a small fork and handed it over. I crunched into it, chewing steadily. My young body made my heart race back then, but reason and experience kept my head cool. Even now, devising a barrier transmutation circle in that split second still amazes me.
Meanwhile, the news announced that Eom Jun-yong, former rapper and Gangnam District councilor, had been appointed vice-chair of the Walpurgis Special Investigation Committee. Gone was the bleached blond hair; he'd dyed it back to a neat black.
"What about the accomplice?"
I'd called Ma to the hospital room to hear the latest on the ongoing investigation ASAP. The interrogation was out of his hands given the case's gravity, but his connections were still solid.
"They recovered the chat logs, but couldn't trace the user."
"Pfft—didn't expect much anyway."
Expectations breed disappointment. Still, those chat logs piqued my interest. I stared at Ma, who fell silent before letting out a deep sigh. He looked conflicted, like it was hard to say.
"They all want me dead that bad?"
A flicker of sadness crossed Ma's eyes at my words. As the sole survivor of the attack, Walpurgis surely saw me as a thorn in their side just by existing. Wars are won or lost in the court of public opinion. They probably resented me leveraging my status to rally international pressure on Walpurgis through the Korean government, like Joan of Arc uniting the French.
"Nah, the opposite."
"Huh?"
"The guy said he hoped you'd survive. From the bomb, I mean."
"Sarcasm... right?"
They sent it themselves—these psychos. Walpurgis exceeded even my expectations of fanatics. My chest tightened. How do I vent this indescribable rage?
La ilaha illallah, Muhammadur rasulullah (There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.)
Flags bearing the Islamic Shahada fluttered on streets everywhere. Walpurgis, the Islamist extremist terror group spanning Syria, Iraq, Arab states, and North Africa. Its original name was far longer and more complex, but it gained infamy worldwide after a terrorist attack at Sweden's Walpurgis Night festival killed 5,000. They eventually adopted the name themselves.
Locals exhibit intense faith in Islam compared to other religions, largely because the Quran (Islam's holy book) can be directly verified. Humanity can use magic because mana streams periodically supply mana from overlapping dimensions. Textbooks worldwide show these streams piercing Earth like hedgehog spines—one crossing the mid-Pacific, the other emerging across Israel, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, and parts of Saudi Arabia.
That's why Walpurgis thrives despite global diplomatic pressure: they occupy the planet's highest-mana-concentration zone, calling it "chosen by God." Their leader occasionally visits this "holy land," acting divine, forcing a third of the world's population to bow, willingly or not.
They secure followers via religion, funds via mana and drugs, and diplomatic edge via terror—that's Walpurgis's grand strategy. Korea no longer interested them: a barren land ignored by Allah, its atheist populace unworthy of salvation. They set up minor branches only for drug revenue, skipping proselytizing or terror.
Then what about the serial bombings starting with Banghwa Bridge eight years ago? Walpurgis insists it was just punishment for allying with "infidel" UN forces.
But few knew Korea had secretly run experiments too. Terrorist Al-Zarqawi, former Egyptian surgeon, was one result.
"Oh, Messiah! Ohhh!"
In the sacred space of salat (prayer), the man grinned maniacally. He'd found the long-sought messiah candidate. Overwhelmed by heart-constricting joy, his mouth split wide. That Korean kid claiming Walpurgis survivor status had been shaking nations wildly—a real thorn.
Her butterfly effect ended the Sudan War when America intervened directly, costing Walpurgis billions in support losses. Hilarious. Talent matters, but nature's gifts are unbeatable. Now Western Europe was cutting ties with Arab states one by one, leaving them cornered. Time for a lesson.
Korea first. To instill fear that Walpurgis could kill effortlessly without lifting a finger, they urged a citizen to bomb. Contact via anonymous Captagon drug chat. Failures didn't matter—drug addicts would replace them. The discontented youth sacrificed his body gladly, sending the girl the music box bomb.
Al-Zarqawi smacked his lips, recalling the experiment scrapped after 30 years and billions in losses. If she were truly the messiah, no magic bomb could've scratched her.
And his wish came true. The bomb detonated perfectly—yet she emerged unscathed.
"Cherub Seraph! You weren't dead after all! Trying to fool even Allah, you heretic!"
He'd thought the messiah project a failure. Eyes bloodshot, Al-Zarqawi rewatched NoName's stream repeatedly. How had he missed it? She was born with world-shocking power. Especially her deep aura, snaking like a serpent, caught his torn gaze.
Undeniable. That's the new human.
Al-Zarqawi scrapped all prior plans for this terror case. To quell backlash, he filmed an interview claiming the Korean bombing was a rogue subordinate's act, not official Walpurgis policy, and uploaded it.
Couldn't snatch her in Korea amid tight security. If the state got protective, it'd complicate things. Her overseas trip was the chance.
"Great Sheikh, I think we've found the Messiah...!"
Al-Zarqawi messaged the leader to halt all external ops, lie low, and posted the interview on VTube. When lost, do nothing.
He schemed like a hyena, biding time. But it backfired.
Twelve hours later, NoName uploaded a survival update on her VTube: "Scared?"—a smug taunt goading Walpurgis.
Fissures cracked Walpurgis immediately. Rank-and-file, clueless about leadership's apology video, erupted in fury.