Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Alien Magic - 3
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The world has its laws.
Water flows downward, sound travels slower than light.
And purifying a corrupted body while tracing the energy infused with alien power requires years of work—that's another law of this world.
But what about alien magic?
"Ah, no... You don't mean you're summoning that, do you?! That's like burning down the whole house to kill a bedbug!!"
"Nah, it's not that bad."
Something indescribable began to emerge from the black smoke.
"Ugh... Uuugh..."
Neia, standing beside me, turned pale and trembled.
With how scared she gets, can she really keep dungeon crawling?
"Hey, hey. That thing doesn't bite."
It has a lot of mouths, but it doesn't bite.
"...It's not biting I'm worried about!!"
The darkness expanded.
And with it, the room filled up with fluffy clumps like tufts of sheep's wool.
"Uuuugh...!!"
Warm and nice.
"Whoa... M-my body feels better! But, oppa, how long do I have to stay like this? I keep hearing weird noises... And even though my eyes are covered, it feels like there's something right in front of me..."
Even with all the protections in place, mental corruption was starting.
Well, this much is fine.
Energies were forcibly pulled from Ray's body and sucked into the fluff filling the space.
-Meeeh~!
And then.
A single ball of yarn dropped in front of me.
It was the energy that had dwelled in Ray's body, transformed.
"H-hey... Book Mage... Wh-when does this end?"
"We cast the magic, so it has to get paid, right?"
"Paid...? What payment?"
"The best is a human head... but we can't use that here, so let's substitute with something else."
What I pulled out was five packs of Bibigo King Mandu, the trustworthy kind.
"Here. Good job."
"This is okay?"
"Of course. According to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, after the Southern Campaign, to appease the shaman spirits, they offered 49 heads—or made dumplings instead and held a ritual."
"That doesn't mean this works!?"
"These are alien beings. To them, it doesn't matter if it's a real human head or a dumpling."
The concept that dumplings were used in place of human heads.
That's what matters to alien entities.
"What if it doesn't work? Do we have to fight? Ugh... I'm not confident fighting this..."
"Don't worry. A great mage always has Plan B ready. But..."
The one that took the Bibigo King Mandu slowly melted away and vanished.
At the same time, the alien sensation filling the room disappeared too.
"See? It liked it."
Done.
I approached Ray, removed her earphones and blindfold, and asked.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
"Th-three..."
She folded her three extended fingers.
"Better. Still, be careful. You'll see some hallucinations and hear voices from now on."
"What do I do then?"
"What do you mean? Take lots of supplements. Brew some tonics too."
"That works?"
"It does. She just got tangled with an alien entity. Mental fortitude training will resolve it."
"Why supplements then?"
"A healthy body makes a healthy mind."
Ray looked confused but nodded.
"Now, trace where this power came from..."
I picked up the yarn ball I'd gotten earlier.
"Let's go."
Neia flinched when I opened Secrets of Light and Shadow.
Worried it'd be like before?
"This isn't alien magic, so it's fine."
I pulled out honey, beeswax from my bag, two four-leaf clovers I'd hunted all day for last time, and a cute honeybee doll from Daiso.
Then I unwound the yarn from the ball and wrapped it around the doll.
"...What's that?"
"Magic using a bee's homing instinct to track."
"Not real bees?"
"Too small to see."
This has the form of a honeybee, so magic works on it.
"Solomon said: 'The honeybee signifies contemplation of creation and the Creator.' Through this, it shall find its creator. Light the way."
⟨ Bee Homing Magic ⟩
I poured honey on the bee doll and placed a four-leaf clover on top.
The other clover went into Ray's hand.
Then the honeybee doll flew into the sky.
"Alright, Ray. Let's go."
"Huh? M-me too?"
"Of course you. The bee needs you to move."
"Ugh..."
"Hey, don't worry. We got two mages here."
"Hey, watching you makes me feel like I'm not the mage..."
"Tsk tsk. Don't lose confidence."
I comforted the sulking Neia.
We followed the honeybee doll outside.
People stared in wonder at the flying doll.
Getting attention feels nice.
"Here? Thought it'd be farther."
The doll stopped at an officetel not far from SA Entertainment's building.
"...Hey, this place feels off."
"You sense it too, mage."
As she said, this officetel was definitely weird.
"Um... O-oppa, do I have to keep going with you?"
Ray was completely terrified.
But I couldn't leave her behind.
"Come on, don't be scared."
The moment we entered the building with Ray in front, the door shut by itself.
"Eek...!!"
"Th-this is..."
"What? It's just an automatic door."
"...Don't you remember pushing the door open just now?"
"Weird stuff happens in life."
I couldn't ignore the sensation inside the building.
It felt like stepping into a rift.
"Not a real rift. Rift-like? Know anything?"
"Hmm... Yeah, heard about spaces that give off rift vibes."
"No instructions on what to do?"
"Nope. Just 'stay away.'"
"Good."
Solve this, and it's Nyamgal material?
"...You wanna do Nyamgal here?"
"Don't you?"
"Well, not that I don't."
No Nyamgaler hates posting.
Neia gripped her staff, intrigued.
"So, mage. What now?"
"There's probably a core here too. Let's find it."
"And whoever sent Ray those weird transmissions."
"O-oppa... Mage-nim... What do I do?"
"What do you mean? Follow us."
I dragged the shivering Ray into the elevator.
The doll inspected buttons and pressed one firmly.
13th floor.
Ominous number.
But that's why it's worth checking.
"Let's go."
I hit 13.
The elevator moved.
No one spoke.
-Clunk!!
"Huh."
It stopped.
Broken?
But it looked fine.
-Fizzle crackle!
Lights flickered from the ceiling, and Ray started crying.
We mages were okay, but she's just a civilian.
"Here, hold this."
I put Saint Martha's Staff in her shaking hand.
Just holding the holy relic calmed her, face relaxing.
-Whirr...!!
The elevator moved again.
But weirdly.
Up, down.
Buttons lit and unlit repeatedly.
"Felt something like this trapped in a sealed space in a rift once."
"Elevators in rifts?"
"No. Get trapped in enclosed areas, weird phenomena drive you mad. Rifts mess with minds like that, cause disappearances. Those people get declared dead."
"Without bodies?"
"Yeah. Never found 'em."
Can't find them.
And since it's another world, declared dead.
"Filthy dangerous place."
"Thought it wasn't?"
"Oppa! Mage-nim! Can you really chat so casually right now?!"
"Of course. This is nothing, don't worry."
Neia casually raised her staff.
"Ice Missile."
-Crack!!
Her ice flew through the air, smashing the elevator wall hard.
Surprisingly, the jerking elevator stopped.
"Didn't break it?"
"Just fixing the anomaly. These things go back to normal after a spell or two."
"Ooh, neat. Gotta try if I get caught later."
I'm a rift newbie, only been once.
"Heh, learn well."
Neia smugly fired more Ice Missiles at the doors.
Finally, the doors opened.
"11th floor."
"Safe spot?"
Looked like a shared lounge in the officetel. Couches, vending machines, spacious.
While checking it out, a sound from behind.
-Thud flop.
"Ugh..."
"Ray, you okay?"
"Y-yeah..."
"Civilian thing, huh..."
"Problems for normals in rifts?"
"Well... Awakeners fear the alien feel too. Weak-minded get confused."
Neia helped Ray to a couch.
We could've pushed on, but with a civilian? No.
"Rest a bit then go."
"Resting here won't help much."
"Don't worry. Got something good."
I pulled out teabags from catnip I grew.
Aromatic herbal tea awakens the mind.
This'll restore Ray's mental strength easy.
"And song too."
"Signal?" Mine's dead.
"Downloaded some."
Always prepared hymns on my phone.
"Hymns restore mental strength? Wanna try in other rifts."
"Doubt it..."
Can't just play it raw.
Needs magic too.
I drew a magic circle around the phone playing hymns, added mind-clearing mint, and awakening chocolate sweetness.
"...Mint choco?"
"Wakes you right up. Hey, Ray, try this."
Brewed herbal tea with thermos water, fed it to her.
Drinking while hearing hymns, her face relaxed.
"Hey... When you hitting rifts?"
"Someday. Why?"
"Take me? With you, no mental breaks in rifts."
"Message the Association later."
.
.
.
After proper rest, we headed to 13 via stairs—elevator stuck.
"Opening the door."
The door to 13.
Opening it, we saw.
The hallway filled with people.
They showed hostility as we entered; Neia raised her staff.
"Tch... Hallucinating folks? No choice. I'll cast—hurt 'em a bit, but..."
"Hey, no. If they're just humans hallucinating, tap into human instincts' emotions—easy fix."
I opened Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.
Light poured from Strange Tales, enveloping the people.
Their instinctive goodness amplified.
But hostility lingered.
Not enough.
So I opened Secrets of Light and Shadow too and chanted again.
"Jesus said: Love your neighbor. Do not ignore your suffering neighbor; do not hinder those who seek to save."
⟨ Dual Grimoire Compassion ⟩
Two magics hit them.
This should do.
I lightly piggybacked Ray.
"Patient here! Coming through!"
Ray, the hallucinating patient, became the magic catalyst.
The enchanted people stared blankly, then calmly parted without issue.
Koreans indeed.
Full of heart.