Proof (Part 2)
Rumble—the military truck carrying us sliced through the dawn air as it headed toward Incheon. Crossing through Siheung, we caught sight of Songdo on the opposite side.
"Hngh."
The professors shivered violently, unnerved by the wind blowing in from Songdo. They knew about spatial mana from attending the conference, but this was clearly their first time heading to the actual site. Chen Zuiyuan, however, showed not a hint of tension. He seemed utterly relaxed and at ease, like he was just riding a truck back to his own home.
"Still, it's a relief that there are quite a few people in Korea who agree with my views."
Chen Zuiyuan suddenly brought up the topic. The professors didn't focus on his words; they were too busy sensing the thick spatial mana blanketing Incheon beyond the road. I turned my head to look at him, my face showing my curiosity. Then, through his disfigured features, I saw the corner of his mouth twitch upward ever so slightly, and his lips parted.
"It's nothing much. Before coming to the conference, I translated my paper—unofficially, on a small scale—and posted it to a community that had a somewhat intellectual vibe."
Hmm. For some reason, I had a feeling I knew exactly which community that was.
"My Korean and Elvish weren't fluent enough to translate it properly, so it was a total mess, but the people there took kindly to my ideas. One of them even went so far as to retranslate it and post it themselves."
I didn't reply to his words, just nodded up and down. Silence isn't always the best answer, but in situations like this, it usually was. Especially now.
"And on top of that, I got to meet someone like Professor Yang Jia. If coming to Korea isn't good fortune, then what is?"
He turned to look at me and let out a small chuckle. It seemed like the brightest smile his twisted facial muscles could manage. The moment I saw that smile, two emotions hit me: guilt and a sense of betrayal. Guilt for having tried to trash and condemn a person like this, and betrayal from that single "lol" he'd sent. Why the hell did someone like him act that way online? Well, reality was that I turned into a shitposter crapping out daily dung posts the second I logged into the internet myself, so maybe he had his reasons. I went through some self-justification to try and forget about the past.
Chen Zuiyuan didn't wait for my response. He smiled once, then turned back to gaze at Incheon again.
"Impressive."
He left that short impression of Incheon. It took real guts amid everyone's anxiety. The professors glanced over at his words for a moment. One elderly professor couldn't hold back and spoke up.
"How can you lot stay so calm? Any living being would tremble before that power."
In his conclusion, apparently, all lifeforms feared spatial mana. But no. He was wrong. Someone with enough spatial mana accumulated in their body could stand against it. Though to not tremble before spatial mana that thick would require considerable adaptation.
"I've adapted."
Chen Zuiyuan's answer came even before mine. He said something similar. His gaze wasn't on the professor. Chen Zuiyuan's eyes were fixed solely on Incheon. His expression even looked proud.
"Adapted? To that power?"
"Yes. This hideous face of mine is both the product and result of that adaptation. If I hadn't confronted it this much, I'd be trembling like an aspen tree right alongside all of you."
I could guess why he wasn't ashamed of his face. It was like warriors returning from war proudly baring their scars. To him, that grotesquely twisted face was a badge proving he'd faced spatial mana head-on and emerged victorious.
"...A monster. A monster."
He echoed what the elves had said at the conference. But it wasn't about his face this time. Maybe that's what the elves at the conference had meant too.
Rumble!
While we exchanged such talk, the truck pressed onward vigorously. Incheon was drawing near. Our truck passed through Siheung toward Songdo. The soldiers already aboard said they'd stamp the entrance to Songdo's LNG base, patrol the nearby coast, and return. Once we entered Incheon's outskirts, they loaded magazines pulled from their body armor into their K2C1 rifles. I didn't know the details, but they probably held live rounds.
"......"
In Incheon, intense purple spatial mana was scattered in patches. Some spots had an excessive concentration of mana power, while others had none at all.
"Anomalies tend to worsen at dawn. Stick strictly to the designated path, so once you're off the truck, please follow our control without fail."
The sergeant spoke with his body rigid. The professors nodded tensely, barely able to swallow.
That was when it happened.
Screeech!
The truck braked hard, jolting our bodies in the back. Soon, the lieutenant hopped off. He pointed at the two soldiers who'd been riding on the truck.
"Anomalies detected ahead and behind. Disembark."
At the same time, the lieutenant looked at us.
"If anyone here can use magic, please disembark as well."
At his words, everyone glanced around. Chen Zuiyuan was the first to step up. As he got off the truck, he said,
"Adapting wasn't the only thing I gained in exchange for this hideous face."
Once he dismounted, the rest of the professors followed suit. Click-click—the soldiers moved like they had preset formations. Even the driver had hopped out and grabbed his K2 rifle. We each followed behind the soldiers, charging our magic.
Beep-beep—the walkie-talkie on the lieutenant's chest buzzed. A mechanical voice leaked out.
"Hunter support incoming. Hold position, and if you can escape, report your location after evacuating."
The soldiers knelt in prone firing positions, aiming down the alleyway, tense. They looked ready to fire the instant anything popped out. Two privates, including the driver, covered the rear, while the sergeant alone watched the front. Chen Zuiyuan and I joined the relatively lightly guarded front. In the heavy silence, another device on the lieutenant's chest beeped.
Beep—beep— Its tip glowed purple, so it was probably a mana stone detector. Hearing it, the lieutenant immediately briefed positions.
"Mana lifeform appearing ahead!"
With the lieutenant's shout, the sergeant's muzzle swung. Something slimy was crawling out from the alleyway in firing range. It looked like a tiny slime. Compared to the ones I'd encountered in gates, it was pathetically weak, but it was still a monster infused with spatial mana.
"Slime specimen confirmed!"
The sergeant yelled upon spotting the monster. Keeping his muzzle trained on it, he bellowed even louder.
"Fire!"
With a deafening roar, the sergeant pulled the trigger.
Tat-tat-tang!
A fierce three-round burst. Amid the ear-splitting boom and muzzle flash, the monster seemed to lose form from the bullets. But no. It was absorbing the bullets that hit it. Spatial mana-based lifeforms fundamentally had predatory traits. Broken space inherently tried to revert to its original state—a restorative property that, upon becoming a lifeform, warped into predation. You could tell just from how it swallowed the bullets. It ingested them and reshaped itself into a bullet-like form.
Click-click-click—At the worst possible moment, the sergeant's rifle jammed.
"Malfunction!"
His voice echoed through Incheon. But no support was needed. The private guarding the rear didn't even have time to swing his muzzle around.
Pop!
Chen Zuiyuan thrust his hand toward the monster as it reshaped. His mana shot forward in an instant, causing a tiny localized spatial rift collapse. Pitiful compared to my magic, but its speed was exceptional.
"Urk!"
He couldn't avoid the urge to vomit, though. Clutching a prepared handkerchief to his mouth, he retched. But since the spell was small-scale, the nausea subsided quickly. The ring on his finger glowed and seemed to tighten around it, but it stopped once he withdrew his mana.
"Report the situation!"
The lieutenant rushed over, sensing the danger, and shouted—but the monster had already lost form to the rift collapse. The sergeant reported exactly what happened.
"Fired a burst, but malfunction prevented neutralization. However, the professor behind took care of it with magic..."
The lieutenant glared hatefully at the sergeant and his rifle. Then his gaze shifted to Chen Zuiyuan. His eyes were different now. Nothing like the fear from before.
"Thank you so much."
"No need. I just did what had to be done."
The lieutenant's expression toward Chen Zuiyuan had changed noticeably. He locked eyes with him for a moment, then rallied the group.
"Everyone, maintain vigilance and stay close. The immediate threat is over."
The detector that had been beeping nonstop went quiet. At the lieutenant's words, we all gathered together.
"......Hoo."
Soldiers and professors alike panted, releasing their pent-up tension. A couple were still heaving like they couldn't go on. Chen Zuiyuan and I, on the other hand, showed little reaction.
"Replacing the magazine."
While the sergeant swapped his mag, the lieutenant spoke.
"No further anomalies detected, but we'll hold position here briefly awaiting support."
A few professors nodded vigorously. Mindful of the professors steeped in fear, the lieutenant added one more update.
"Once support arrives, anyone who doesn't want to proceed can return with them. We have to scout inward regardless. Anyone wishing to head back?"
I glanced at Chen Zuiyuan at the lieutenant's question. Sensing my gaze, he turned with a steady expression. It was astonishing—facing even a feeble monster with a human body, casting magic, and showing no sign of strain.
"M-me! I have to go back."
"Th-then me too!"
"I'll return as well!"
As panicked professors requested to withdraw, fear spread like ripples. In the end, only Chen Zuiyuan, me, and one nameless professor stayed with the lieutenant.
Vrooom—
Soon, two vehicles pierced the thick mana and arrived: a Korando and a truck. The withdrawing professors hurriedly boarded the truck. Two men who looked like hunters dismounted the Korando to join us. The lieutenant conferred with the major who'd arrived by truck, received four magazines and two grenades, and turned back.
"Let's go."
Our truck slowly advanced toward where the mana felt even thicker.