Chapter 13
Chapter 13
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Alien Magic - 1
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A post from the gallery I'd seen before came to mind.
Cracks—what are they, and why do they form?
There were endless theories about it, but in the end, no one really knew.
Baa~!
So I just had to accept that this sheep noise was a thing?
"Everyone, be careful. And watch your mental state."
"Mental state?"
"Ah, Mage-nim, you said this is your first crack, right? Mental abnormalities are common. You might fall into confusion, or fail to distinguish friend from foe. Something like that."
"I see."
"That's why our goal is to destroy the core inside the crack as quickly as possible."
"What about scavenging materials inside the crack?"
"You can get them from monsters, or sometimes items are hidden somewhere in the crack. But people often lose their minds searching for them, so be careful."
While Knight Ho-jun, escorting the mage-me, explained, Party Leader Hyung-sik spoke up.
"Yurim, what kind of monsters do you see?"
"Y-Yes?! Ah, yes. Over there. Um..."
The woman named Yurim, who had taken on scouting duty thanks to her archer's far sight, jumped in surprise.
Was there something shocking?
"This place... feels off. Be careful..."
"What's wrong?"
If the scout was this uneasy, it meant the danger was real.
But didn't they say it wasn't dangerous earlier?
The atmosphere clashed with the initial briefing, making the other first-timers like me uneasy.
Not just them—the veterans too.
I could hear morale dropping.
"Wol-young, got any magic that could help? The Association said your magic is special."
"Well, the mood's not great right now, so how about some tea first?"
"Tea?!"
"Tea clears the mind. Uh... can we boil some water?"
"Got it right here."
Someone fired up a portable gas stove and boiled water.
I added the herbal tea I'd prepared at home and passed out cups.
"Whoa... this is good."
"Feels like my head's clearing up..."
Just the tea lightened the mood for most.
But a few were still on edge.
"Looks like low crack resistance. They're gonna have a hard time with future cracks like this..."
Is the party gonna disband like this?
"Here, take these."
I couldn't let my first crack run end so anticlimactically.
I pulled out pouches of mixed peppermint, agarwood, lemon balm, lemongrass, and sage.
Hyung-sik's eyes widened.
"Ooh... artifacts?"
"Something like that. Herbal pouches I made myself."
"...Why's a mage making incense?"
"Is there a law saying mages can't?"
"No, but..."
I handed them out to the uneasy ones.
Soon, their faces relaxed.
"This scent's amazing... thanks."
"My head was spinning, but this helped."
"You really need a mage for stuff like this..."
Not sure any other mage could do this.
Hyung-sik, who'd been on cracks with mages before, just stared in shock.
"Yurim, you okay now?"
"Yeah... thanks to the scent..."
"How bad is this place?"
"Worse than the last one."
"Last one? Where was that?"
Yurim cautiously answered my question.
"The place we went last time was ancient Greece."
Ancient Greece.
They'd fought the Nemean Lion there.
"We took it down, but at great cost. It was the most dangerous crack we'd ever seen... but this feels totally different."
"Different how...?"
"Yeah. Instinctively, it feels like... this place shouldn't exist."
"What kind of monster makes a place like that...?"
"Uh... I've been hearing sheep sounds since earlier. Maybe it's sheep-related?"
I raised my hand with my theory, and everyone looked puzzled.
"Sheep sounds?"
"I don't hear anything...?"
What?
Just me?
"Sheep... like a chimera?"
"Or maybe Polyphemus."
"Could be related to a shepherd who raised sheep."
They discussed seriously.
And the conclusion...
"Mage-nim, can you lead the way? Toward the sheep sounds?"
"Sure, no problem. But this is my first crack. You cool with that?"
"Yes. In places like this, we follow the one who senses something special."
"Alright then."
As they said, I headed toward the sheep bleats.
Monsters popped up here and there, but nothing too dangerous.
Just goblin and orc trash mobs.
"Urgh...!"
"Aaaah... my head... my head... Mom's calling..."
The problem was, the closer we got, the worse the party's mental states became.
One pouch wasn't gonna cut it.
"Alright, everyone gather up."
In times like these, the mage steps up.
I rounded up the confused party and opened Secrets of Light and Shadow.
"Our Lord said man does not live by bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God. Do not put the Lord your God to the test, but worship Him and serve Him only."
⟨ Holy Dyeing to Ward Off Harm ⟩
I invoked the spell by quoting the great saint who drove off the devil's temptations with mere words.
This should block most hallucinations and confusion.
After chanting, I sprinkled holy water, and most snapped out of it.
"Whew..."
"What... what was that?"
"My mom who passed away..."
But one.
Yurim's eyes were completely glazed.
"I have to go... have to go... Master is calling... I must offer myself. Offer myself to Master..."
"Yurim?"
"I have to go!!!"
"Wha?! What's wrong with her?!"
She drew her combat knife from her waist and aimed it at her throat.
I didn't hesitate.
"Hyah!!"
-Smack!
"Wo-Wol-young?!"
If words don't work, smack 'em—that's the rule.
Overwriting confusion with knockout worked cleanly.
"Is... is hitting okay?"
"Better than dying."
"W-Well, true, but."
"Can't go much further like this."
The sheep bleats grew louder deeper in.
They were messing with everyone's heads.
"How are you fine, Mage-nim?"
"Me? Yeah."
"How?!"
"I'm struggling too..."
The party's awed stares held worship.
Thrilling.
"I'm a mage."
"Mages aren't supposed to be like that?"
"Mages need ironclad mentality to wield mysteries."
Magic is the power to handle mysteries through mental discipline.
If your mind's weak handling worldly mysteries, of course you'd get swept away.
Hyung-sik nodded, flustered.
"I-Is that so? I've only worked with mages a few times..."
"Anyway, I'm fine. I'll scout solo."
"Wha?! Dangerous!"
"Yeah, solo action in cracks is the riskiest... Huh? What's that."
"Like family. Name's Arthur. Say hi."
-Grrr!!
"Uh. Um. H-Hi."
"With him, should be fine."
"Hmm... okay... just a bit, please. Come back if it's risky."
"Got it."
Not planning to dive into real danger.
First, I gathered the party safely.
"What're you doing?"
"Setting a simple barrier. Let's see... this'll do."
"...Aren't those wooden chopsticks?"
"Yes."
It's the wood attribute that matters.
I stuck the chopsticks from last night's jjajangmyeon in the ground, sprinkled incense and salt, finished with pepper.
"This place is guarded by wood. Harm cannot pass, and light shall protect it."
"...What magic is this?"
"Ancient spell. In ancient China, they revered wood as a sacred bridge between nature and man."
"Chopsticks work?"
"Yes. Wood altered by human hands is more effective than raw. It guards humanity."
Per Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, the first use was on crudely carved wood.
"I'll head in. Don't go outside."
I gave instructions and went deeper.
Sheep bleats intensified.
"Kek! Gack!"
"Grrk! Urgh...!!"
Deeper in, orcs and goblins attacked and ate each other.
Some even gnawed their own arms.
Grotesque scene.
Then, at the source of louder bleats—
-Shraaala!!
-Woooom!!
Suddenly summoned Secrets of Light and Shadow and Strange Tales lit up.
"What? Chill."
-Woooom!!
-Shraala!!
"New grimoire?"
-Woooooong!!!
-Shraaaala!!
These two get jealous—not just of grimoires, but books I read.
But still, can't resist a new one.
"Like I said before, even if I get a new grimoire, I won't ditch you. Don't underestimate man Yoo Wol-young."
I petted the fussing grimoires.
They calmed.
"That it?"
-Wooong...!!
At the end, a large orb—and beside it, a book.
Should be the crack's core spot...
Dunno.
Something like meat mush lay before the book.
Smashed by something huge and powerful.
-Aaaaaa...!!
The grimoire beside the orb vibrated, calling me.
Let's see...
"Silence of the Sheep?"
-Aaaaaa...!!
Quickly.
Read me quick—it begged with vibrations.
Fine.
Hand on it—the grimoire vanished.
New grimoire.
I summoned it—Silence of the Sheep appeared.
-Aaaaaa!!
Throwing a tantrum.
I opened the begging grimoire.
[The world has laws.
Water flows down, sound slower than light.
But those are just this world's laws.
Thus, I, Ebon, focused on the alien.
Couldn't get what I wanted with this world's laws.
So I found it.
The way to connect to the alien.]
"Oho..."
Flipping pages, skimming—it had fascinating spells already.
Promising.
-Aaaaaaaa!!
Couldn't study here, so skimmed and closed.
It whined.
"Cut it. I'll read more later. Be good—I hate clingy types."
The sounds stopped.
Smart one. Good sign for the future.
-Crack!!
"Huh?"
What.
Why'd it shatter.
The crack core crumbled to dust.
No spell—just read a grimoire nearby?
Crack clears by destroying the core...
"Done?"
No fights—my first crack expedition ended.
A few days after returning from the crack.
Studied magic, hit the tower, then gallery as usual.
Cao Cao = Built Wei's foundation.
Liu Bei = Yiling disaster wrecked the kids and nation's base. So, who's trash?
I was deep in heated gallery debate over Liu Bei vs Cao Cao trash wars when my phone rang.
Right when I wanted to post more.
Wanna ignore, but after Poyoo incident, this guy's a friend—kinda awkward.
"Hello."
-Ah! Hyung! Doing well?
Han Yul, leader of famous boy group Bigsby.
Work out together since he eats well, planned more.
-Hyung, you're a special mage, right?
"Always special."
-Got a favor... can you help?
"What?"
-One of our agency's guys is in bad shape lately. Hospital says nothing wrong.
"Send a pic."
Moment later, photo arrived.
Boyish female singer I'd met working out with Poyoo.
Ray, was it?
She's slumped, lifeless.
"Ray? You close?"
-Uh... yeah, not bad. Why? Problem?
"Yeah."
-What?
"Leave her like that, she'll die."