11
Chapter 11
January 7th, 6:47 PM.
The moment came to part ways with First Lieutenant Shin Han-gi and the Driver.
The Lieutenant and the Driver handed over some simple toiletries and a towel, then offered an awkward smile.
"Once things settle down a bit, you should be able to go back to your old place and grab your stuff, so just think of it as staying here for a little while."
"Tch. Alright."
They fed me Richam, so I'll cut them some slack.
With that thought, I opened the door. It seemed they had originally used it as a storage room, as there was a faint trace of bleach in the air. But thanks to that, I realized anew just how much the military treasured their Mages.
Normally they would have crammed ten people in here, but they'd generously gathered only four of us in one place.
A staff sergeant with a buzz cut who had already claimed a spot near the outlet and plugged in his charger glanced this way, then spoke as he looked at my luggage.
"Did you get dragged here too?"
"What about you?"
"I failed my re-enlistment application and was just waiting to be discharged, so I'm feeling pretty great right now."
I checked his name tag—Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun.
Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun had failed his re-enlistment application and was just waiting for his discharge date, making him a ticking time bomb that no one in the unit dared to mess with. But the moment it was discovered he could use magic, they'd discharged him faster than a ghost.
"Come to think of it, everyone here is an Alteration-type Mage, right?"
Now that I looked, all four of us were people who used Alteration-type Magic instead of Dogma-type Magic.
We were all civilians now who used Alteration-type Magic, gathered together in one place. But having heard something from First Lieutenant Shin Han-gi, I could only find it strange.
Hadn't they said they were putting off introductions to prevent information contamination from us syncing up or getting mixed up?
As I tossed my towel onto an empty mattress with a skeptical expression, a man with a languid air who happened to be wearing earphones and bobbing his head spoke up.
"Judging by your expression, you must be finding it strange that they grouped us all together."
"Well..."
"It's a power struggle. From the religious folks' perspective, we're an eyesore."
That actually piqued my curiosity.
I set my luggage down, lay back on the mattress, and propped my chin up at an angle before deciding to introduce myself first.
"Baek Jemin. 8th year Reservist, 28 years old."
"28 and an 8th year Reservist? Did you at least finish high school?"
"I took the equivalency exam."
"Sounds like you've lived a busy life."
If my mom and dad had heard that, they would've burst a blood vessel and headed straight to the columbarium. Thankfully, there was only one polite, functioning member of society here—Baek Jemin.
The man with the languid air and earphones soon tapped his name tag and grinned.
"Shin Na-in. Age 26. Same Reservist status, but I got mobilized instead. I heard you learned the eyes, right?"
Shin Na-in tapped his earphones and flashed a confident smile.
"I'm the ears. Shall we tune in to your heart's voice, Mr. Baek Jemin?"
"Oh. Really?"
"You're thinking this is total bullshit right now, aren't you."
I figured about 99% of the people still left in South Korea were probably thinking the same thing, but I played along anyway.
At that moment, a tiny bit of music leaked out as Shin Na-in fiddled with his earphones, reaching my ears.
It was a melody you'd miss if you weren't paying close attention.
But the lyrics were so distinctive that once you heard it, you could never forget it.
[Let's march out~ Jesus's little army~.]
That classic piece of shit—so it was this guy.
I couldn't help but frown and question it. How could a man who sat on a toilet listening to songs like that, not giving a damn about others cursing, have awakened Alteration-type Magic?
Even that sleazy-looking Pastor Park Yo-han probably wouldn't listen to hymns inside a bathroom stall.
Of course, being the considerate person I am, I decided not to poke at his sore spots.
Though the buzz-cut Corporal with his droopy eyelids and half-closed eyes seemed to think differently.
The buzz-cut Corporal had already hung his Combat Uniform jacket on a nail protruding from the wall and was just wearing a shirt, but something must have upset him, because the vibe around him was ominous.
Thanks to that, his name tag was left crumpled and exposed.
The buzz-cut Corporal's name was Park Se-hyeok.
"If those Jesus freaks came here, they should've at least cleaned up a bit."
"...."
The atmosphere turned frigid. Park Se-hyeok was acting like he was talking to himself, but he was speaking loud enough for everyone to hear.
He seemed to genuinely believe he was muttering softly enough that no one else could hear, as he just kept babbling at the wall.
"The existence of such demonic Monsters is proof of God? If those Jesus freaks are gonna go crazy, they should at least do it quietly."
I decided to quietly turn away.
It didn't seem like the kind of atmosphere where we could all gather around and make small talk.
Seeing Shin Na-in's expression turn icy cold gave me a firsthand understanding of what it felt like to be a Muslim civilian placed in front of the Crusaders.
Instead, amidst this completely ruined mood, I decided to focus on something else.
Shin Na-in's faith seemed at least stronger than average, so why had he awakened to Alteration-type Magic instead of Dogma-type Magic?
Unable to hide my apprehension, I just headed to bed for the time being.
Come to think of it, I hadn't slept a wink since the moment Han Myeong-un got tangled up with me like gum.
***
Once the Localized Invasive Structural Alteration Civilian Advisory Group officially launched, it became an endless chain of research.
While everyone else was caught in a chaotic frenzy, we—officially called Operators, but mostly known as Mages—seemed relatively idle. The Mages were given independent spaces so as not to interfere with each other's research, and that space happened to be a reading room.
They had practically requisitioned a civilian reading room near city hall and turned it into a space for us Mages.
The small business owner protested fiercely with a tearful face, but in the face of a military that had already issued a mobilization order, civilian resistance was absolutely meaningless.
"What's going to happen to our shop!"
"We will compensate you in Gyeonggi local currency."
"No, I'm telling you I need to evacuate too!"
"Please evacuate. We will guide you."
Knowing that they were already on the verge of implementing the monstrous measure of a wartime economic transition limited to Gyeonggi-do, I could only feel sorry for them.
But I had my own problems to worry about.
Trying to learn Alteration-type Magic was no easy task.
"Bleeeegh...."
These crooked letters only revealed themselves within the fog.
Once you learned it, seeing it at any time wouldn't induce vomiting or vertigo, but that initial learning process was exceptionally difficult.
Just opening the Magic Special Lecture Booklet and turning the pages brought on a sensation like someone violently grabbing and shaking my stomach, making it utterly impossible to hold back the vomit.
This was despite purposely not eating anything.
After throwing up the empty contents of my stomach about three times, my vision turned yellow, and I couldn't read the Magic Special Lecture anymore.
"Ugh, fuck."
Muttering to myself, I looked around and saw that the other Alteration-type Mages didn't seem to be faring much better.
Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun was just resting his chin in his hands, tapping away at his phone screen with a bored expression, while Shin Na-in had tears streaming down his face; when I went to see what he was doing, he was copying the Bible by hand while babbling something.
Figuring it must be speaking in tongues or something, I quietly averted my eyes.
Then, this time, I locked eyes with the bald Corporal Park Se-hyeok, and he furrowed his brow deeply before snapping his head away.
"Did this fucker come here just to stare at people..."
It was a total disaster.
I completely got up and headed lightly toward where I heard the sound of conversation; there, I saw the religious folks gathered among themselves or studying while scribbling with pens.
"These things have twisted souls. That Monster called Amalgam even torments human souls. Like they're melting away!"
"If you forcibly break down the boundaries between the self and the other, the result serves as proof that it cannot lead to liberation."
Bosal Geulmun and Monk Cheong-hwi were busy discussing religious matters with each other.
"Hey, Priest. Are we just gonna leave that Islam bastard alone?"
"Pastor, if you have no intention of helping me examine shamanism and grain worship beliefs, please step aside."
"It's because the Catholic Church is so lukewarm that the Lord has abandoned you!"
Pastor Park Yo-han and Priest Jeong Yong-hwan were in the middle of an unexpected religious war.
"Are you still serving Americano here? Korean style."
Hamza was acting like he was determined to get some free service while using the place for free.
It was clear that the religious figures accepted magic differently than I did or the other Alteration-type Mages did. I quietly sat back in my seat, fiddling with the Magic Special Lecture Booklet and my phone as I pondered this.
Dogma-type Magic and Alteration-type Magic.
What was the difference between the two that one side could awaken to Dogma-type Magic just by entering the fog, while the other had to stare intently at this bullshit script to learn it?
To say that having faith led to Dogma-type and having no faith led to Alteration-type, there was one counterexample.
I rolled my eyes slightly and looked back at Shin Na-in.
"Hoshishoyashoaneubaragoni..."
What comes to mind when you hear this?
I got goosebumps.
Shin Na-in mumbled these bizarre words whose meaning I couldn't even dare to guess, crying his eyes out over something that made him both sad and happy. Honestly, if it weren't for the cross drawn in the Bible, I would have thought he was a madman who believed in something like Cthulhu and reported him immediately.
Even a guy like him couldn't actually awaken to Dogma-type Magic and only awakened to Alteration-type Magic - the Hearing Line - after seeing the Magic Rune.
Then, did being able to use Dogma-type Magic mean you couldn't learn Alteration-type Magic?
That question was answered on January 9th, at 1:11 PM in a conference room.
Under the observation of Captain Kim Ho-un and First Lieutenant Shin Han-gi, Priest Jeong Yong-hwan confidently revealed this at the very first seminar where the southern Gyeonggi-do Mages gathered to share their research progress.
"Dogma-type Magic and Alteration-type Magic are not mutually exclusive. I have succeeded in awakening to both Dogma-type Magic and Alteration-type Magic—specifically, the Eye Line."
Captain Kim Ho-un's face lit up at those words, and he asked, flicking his finger.
"If you don't mind me asking, what kind of effect does your magic have, Father?"
"My Eye Line magic allows me to visualize and detect pulses and heat."
Priest Jeong Yong-hwan continued to reveal what he had investigated and researched.
"As a Catholic Priest, I have studied various existing religions and faiths. It is a study heavily tinged with heretical traits, but it is indispensable in supplementing our doctrines. Just as the Lord, commonly known as Jehovah or Yahweh, combined with the heavenly deity faiths in South Korea to be called God or Cheonju here, faith is fluid and not absolute. This is historically speaking, apart from believing in salvation and the real presence of the Lord."
"You're a total Heretic seed, aren't you, Priest?"
Pastor Park Yo-han glared, but Priest Jeong Yong-hwan continued speaking without paying him any mind.
"If this Dogma-type Magic is not something bestowed upon us by our true Lord, but merely a random phenomenon caused by our enemies or some sort of mechanism, then we must continue to seek divinity in our actions and hearts rather than trying to find it in that phenomenon. If it were truly a miracle bestowed by the Lord, the one and only God would never bestow miracles upon the clergy of other religions in order to affirm the existence of other gods..."
"Satan's demons planted it to bewitch us! Is there any other way to interpret this?"
It was Captain Kim Ho-un who quelled the escalating atmosphere. He rubbed his sunken eye sockets and spoke.
"Now, everyone, please calm down. So, Father, what you're saying is that there's a possibility this Dogma-type Magic wasn't bestowed by some divine being, correct?"
"Not quite. However, just because you learned Dogma-type Magic doesn't mean you can't learn Alteration-type Magic, and likewise, those who learned Alteration-type Magic should be able to use Dogma-type Magic as well. But... learning it through those runes was accompanied by severe revulsion, chills, fever, and a full-body ache. It was a much more toxic backlash than what is commonly known."
"That's strange. Even among established religions, people who can use Dogma-type Magic are extremely rare, right? Are you saying that those who use Dogma-type Magic can learn Alteration-type Magic, but the backlash is more severe than for normal people?"
The moment Captain Kim Ho-un asked that.
That was when I, who had been listening quietly, sensed something.
Dogma-type Magic and Alteration-type Magic are not mutually exclusive. That meant you could learn both, but those who used Alteration-type Magic couldn't use the Dogma-type Magic used by established religious figures.
Furthermore, just going by what was said, the Dogma-type Magic shouldn't induce vomiting from looking at the Magic Rune, so its awakening rate should naturally be higher, but the actual results were the exact opposite.
Out of all those countless religious figures, only a very rare few of those who entered the fog could use Dogma-type Magic; what's more, that Muslim named Hamza was a Muslim who ate pork belly, drank soju, and devoured gochujang.
Could it be something separate from devoutness? Even if believers implicitly assumed that devoutness was the standard.
Based on what I've seen so far, Dogma-type Magic isn't simply granted just because someone is devout or claims to believe.
On the other hand, Alteration-type Magic can be awakened just by reading the Magic Rune. If anything, this side is much more universal.
It was then that a chime rang in my head.
"Faith."
"Mr. Baek Jemin?"
"Religion is the lens, and faith is the core. Faith proves its own reality."
Feeling the pressure of the stares directed my way, I desperately opened my mouth to speak, not wanting to lose the inspiration that had just flashed through my mind.
"If Dogma-type Magic really manifested exactly according to one's religion, then a Protestant Pastor should be able to use Holy Communion, which the Catholic Priest uses. I thought everyone performed the holy sacrament. But Holy Communion actually went to the Catholic Priest, while the Pastor uses a magic called Soteriological Certainty. I don't know who named it, though."
After swallowing once, I continued.
"From what I vaguely remember learning about the Reformation in world history class when I was young, I heard a man named Calvin presented a deterministic view of salvation. I understand it to mean that whoever is saved is already decided, and by being faithful to good deeds and the church, one merely proves to themselves that they are among the saved. Considering that Korean Protestantism was heavily influenced by this Calvin fellow and the Puritans, I think this Soteriological Certainty—believing that salvation is guaranteed while shouting 'Jesus Heaven, Unbelief Hell'—might stem from that. I believe it changes depending on what the most important faith is to the individual."
At those words, the expressions of the religious figures grew a bit complicated.
Even Pastor Park Yo-han, who was being contrary and looking displeased, just pursed his lips as if lost in deep thought.
Only Captain Kim Ho-un exchanged a glance with First Lieutenant Shin Han-gi before looking at me and asking,
"So, Mr. Baek Jemin's guess is that Dogma-type Magic is less of a miracle bestowed by a divine being..."
"And more about an individual's faith exerting influence on the world. Because it relies on a belief close to one's own personal faith rather than depending on Magic Runes, I suspect its application is limited and the effects are somewhat standardized across different denominations. Much more so than Alteration-type Magic, where even within the same line, the effects and efficacy can differ."
Instead, since it wasn't a forced awakening through an external factor like Magic Runes, it at least didn't seem to induce vertigo or vomiting.
On the other hand, religious figures of established faiths who could use Dogma-type Magic felt greater pain when trying to learn Alteration-type Magic through the external factor of Magic Runes than Alteration-type Mages did. Because it was no different from shaking the faith, the worldview firmly established within their inner selves.
This was my theory, and Priest Jeong Yong-hwan, perhaps having a lot to think about on his own, turned around to organize his thoughts.
After that, not much was said.
Sensing the atmosphere, Captain Kim Ho-un clapped his hands to refresh the mood.
"Alright. That's a lot to think about. I'm glad to see everyone in the Civilian Advisory Group doing their best. Let's adjourn the seminar here."
***
When we returned to our quarters, Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun looked at me with surprise, in contrast to Shin Na-in's sullen expression.
"You took the equivalency exam? You're smarter than I thought."
"I did graduate from college."
People who take the equivalency exam know how to get into college too.
The buzz-cut Corporal Park Se-hyeok was still holed up in the corner, grumbling to himself, though.
Instead, it seemed certain that I had earned the favor of Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun.
Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun casually showed me the pack of cigarettes in his pocket and spoke.
"Do you smoke? Dunhill?"
"I don't."
"Then I have nothing to give you. I'll give you some info instead."
"Info?"
"I have a buddy in the Capital Defense Command. He's on the Blockade Line right now."
Staff Sergeant Lee Se-jun tapped the cigarette pack and tucked it away as he spoke.
"He says the atmosphere in Seoul isn't good. An armed conflict to break through the Blockade Line isn't far off. You'd better brace yourselves."
Brace myself for what?
With a scoff bursting out, I picked up my phone to check the group chat for the first time in a while.
"What more is there to brace for in a world where Monsters are pouring out?"
The group chat was completely silent.
End