16
Chapter 16
I could no longer move.
The moment the monsters with hundreds of entangled faces fell with a shriek, only two thoughts crossed my mind.
Feeling a terror that easily trampled even my pain, I peeled my left hand off the heated gun barrel.
Squelch-.
The makeshift bandage wrapped by the monk Cheong-hwi was sticky, soaked in blood and clumped together. A groan burst from my throat only after seeing the scabs hardened by the sudden intense heat and my slightly melted skin.
"Ugh... Ugh..."
Like an overturned bug flailing its limbs before curling up to die, I had no choice but to lie on my side like a shrimp and involuntarily curl my fingers and toes.
It felt like my entire body was folding up neatly like origami. Just as the leaves of a mimosa fold up not out of shyness but to avoid being eaten, my body seemed to be curling up to avoid being devoured by a terrible predator.
Rat-tat-tat... Bang...
Amidst my fading consciousness, only the gradually subsiding gunfire told me that this chaos was being sorted out to some extent.
Surprisingly enough—no, wait. If the military had the resolve to stop everything here, even if it meant gunning down a few surviving returnees with bullets, it would be possible to get the situation under control.
The other thought that crossed my mind now that things had come to this was very simple.
Could I learn alteration-type magic from other lines?
Stage 1 alteration-type magic didn't bring about a massive difference. But from Stage 2, although it was a bit hellish, paying the price of pain brought an honest reward in return.
Besides, there was a possibility that instant-death spells like Avada Kedavra or direct attack magic like fireballs were concentrated in other lines.
Even if that wasn't the case... If the Stage 2 magic of the Vision Line was this useful, I couldn't imagine how amazing the other lines would be. The suspicion that the power varied wildly by stage, the desire for greater strength, and the pure curiosity about the power of magic fought against the pain.
It was around this time that my shoulder was grabbed by someone else's hand.
"Survivor, wake up!"
"They're not coming close! I'll pull him back, cover me! Covering fire, covering fire!"
Dragged along by the soldiers, I finally entered the inside of the machine gun nest.
Inside, the sweat-soaked soldiers were doing their best in their respective roles. A Private First Class grunting as he hauled an ammo box near the machine gun. A Gunner splashing water from a canteen to cool the machine gun barrel. An assistant gunner helping to replace the ammo can.
It was around then that I was propped against a pillar of the shrine, passing by them.
Lacking even the energy to speak, I let out an 'Ughhh' groan like a zombie, and a military doctor approached, examined me, and furrowed his brow deeply.
"This hand is a goner."
"No... No..."
"Your name is... Baek Jemin? If you don't want to lose your hand, snap out of it. I'll give you painkillers and antibiotics first, so take them and hold on. If you pass out, you'll be a one-armed man. If this goes wrong, we'll have to amputate. You aren't left-handed, are you?"
"Right-handed..."
"Ah, that's a relief at least."
At those words, I felt myself snap back to my senses.
"No!"
"So I'm saying..."
"My pain vending machine... My Stage 2 magic vending machine can't disappear!"
I had to save this left hand, no matter what.
It wasn't about its physical function; it was practically a magical tool or a grimoire that made casting the powerful Vision Line Stage 2 magic easier by making me feel pain at the slightest touch!
If I let them amputate this excellent vending machine that dispenses magic with just a click, I'd only have to resort to self-harm again or devise some bizarre new method. That would be completely missing the point.
Pouring all of these feelings into my words, I explained the situation to the military doctor as clearly and in as much detail as possible. He then looked back at the soldiers with a devastated expression.
"His condition isn't good. We need to send him to a controlled hospital as soon as the area is secured."
"But..."
"There's nothing more we can do here for now. It seems the bleeding has stopped somehow... Mr. Baek Jemin? Since we're on the subject, I'm going to disinfect it and apply some hemostatic agent. This might hurt."
After giving me his dedicated treatment and examining me from various angles, the military doctor shook his head slowly.
That complicated, subtle expression finally made reality sink in.
Did I survive?
To have somehow made it out of that hell...
Trying to anchor my slipping consciousness, I focused on the surrounding noise. Relatively hopeful voices reached my ears. The report of a signalman, who had set down a heavy radio and was twisting the dial or inputting frequencies, rang out particularly clearly.
"This is Paldal Two, Paldal Two. Station lockdown successful. Major intersections blocked."
[Haa... Fuck... Did you hold them off?]
"We are entering a lull. Please send reinforcements to Suwon Station. We will deploy drones to recon the vicinity and finish the confirmatory incineration."
[Check on your side first. You've been through a lot.]
Just as he said, the gunfire echoing throughout the station slowly began to die down.
As the acrid gun smoke and slightly spicy scent of gunpowder drifted into the station on the breeze, I weakly turned my head to look beyond. There, I saw the familiar faces of those who had survived that bizarre spectacle.
Pastor Park Yo-han, Monk Cheong-hwi, and four soldiers.
The station soldiers were pointing their guns at them, conducting an inspection. Yet, even with guns aimed at them, the pastor and his group wore expressions of relief. The world really has gone crazy. To think we live in a world where you're relieved to see someone pointing a gun at you.
It was then that the sound of combat boots echoed hurriedly as the soldiers checked their weapons again.
A major, who appeared to be the commander, shouted at the top of his lungs.
"The monster called Amalgam relies on human bodies to move. The big ones multiply by splitting to surround you, but it seems this one is already dead, so rest easy. Always move as a squad, and just like in your normal shooting training, shoot the Heart Line or the legs first. Then you shoot the head. As long as you stay calm, it's nothing special, so don't get yourselves killed like idiots!"
Next, the major walked over to the soldiers crouching next to the signalmen.
"Drone Operator. Recon the inside of the buses, the gaps between them, and the crevices underneath. If even one of them is hiding and launches a surprise attack, this mess will start all over again."
"Yes, sir!"
"Everyone, keep this in mind. If you try to save one person, your friends, lovers, and families in the rear will all get eaten alive. If you're suspicious, shove your gun barrel in first, and if something feels off, just shoot!"
Saying that, the major turned around and accidentally locked eyes with me.
Me, the civilian operator leaning against a pillar, being treated by the military doctor and blankly catching my breath. The major's name was Kang Min-su. As soon as Major Kang Min-su saw me, he bit his lower lip hard, then trembled slightly before snapping his head away.
It seemed he had realized that I was a civilian operator—a mage.
And then, as if making sure I heard him, he muttered.
"If only they had shot them all dead, this wouldn't have happened."
Fuck.
It's a bullshit thing to say, but after climbing all the way up here from that underground platform, I found myself half-agreeing with him.
Under Major Kang Min-su's command, the national army at Suwon Station continued their Amalgam sweep and search operation. Amidst the overlapping sounds of radios and soldiers shouting, a few more gunshots rang out.
It wasn't long before the sickening smell of burning corpses drifted in on the breeze, and it was around that time that Pastor Park Yo-han and Monk Cheong-hwi walked over.
"How about it, Mr. Baek Jemin. Still can't believe in the protection of Jehovah God after this?"
"They said I might have to get my left hand amputated?"
"Ahem. You aren't left-handed, are you?"
"I am right-handed, but..."
"Then it's fine. The Lord took your left hand instead of having your right one torn off, so how true and blessed is that! Right?"
I almost hurled a string of curses at this bastard of a heretic pastor, but clamped my mouth shut.
At least Monk Cheong-hwi offered something resembling comfort.
"Since you have such deep ties to the secular world, it is only natural you remain here. It is truly a profound intention."
"That's meant to be comforting, right?"
"It is closer to admiration. I, too, should reflect on whether I truly did my best."
After exchanging a few words like that, we fell silent for a while, watching the fog slowly fade outside the station.
It was then that murmurs of relief, steeped in emptiness, finally began to spread among the soldiers.
Only the sound of the signalman's radio came through clearly.
"This is Paldal Two, visibility at 300 meters... It's thinning out. Fog dissipating. Fog dissipating. Please check other stations as well."
As the hellish fog lifted, the corpses of the Amalgams began to reveal themselves.
True to monsters that had devoured the equivalent of two subway trains and burst up to the surface, their numbers were incredibly overwhelming. A rough visual estimate put them at nearly a hundred bodies. My legs grew weak at the realization that I had escaped from such a massive horde.
At that moment, Pastor Park Yo-han took out a glasses cloth to clean his lenses and let out a hollow laugh.
"Come to think of it, was his name Shin Na-in? That kid who faithfully attends church. You know, the guy who learned the alteration-type Hearing Line?"
"You mean the guy who sits alone in the bathroom for 20 minutes with his earphones in, listening to hymns?"
He was a crazy bastard with terrible bowel habits who randomly blurted out speaking in tongues, but he was still a familiar face, so I hoped he hadn't died.
"After hearing about the monster called Amalgam, he laughed and asked if it wasn't just a Dubai Chewy Human. Hahaha... Isn't he insane?"
"Fuck... Calling it a Dubai Chewy Human..."
"They say the surest way to defeat the hordes of Satan and demons is to conquer fear with humor. You should hang out with him sometime, Mr. Baek Jemin. He's a fun guy."
What a dated reference, Dubai Chewy. Wasn't that a meme back in 2026?
More importantly, that bastard Shin Na-in has a unique sense of emotion. Faced with his vocabulary, which left me speechless, I realized anew just how mundane I was.
Laughing heartily in my exhaustion, I noticed the military doctor approaching.
The military doctor, having apparently heard the Dubai Chewy Human remark, scowled deeply at Pastor Park Yo-han before ordering the medics to help me up.
"Let's go, Mr. Baek Jemin. We need to at least try to save your hand."
Following the military doctor and the medics to the vehicle, I looked around.
Major Kang Min-su stood waiting next to a requisitioned van, glaring at me as I approached, before finally raising his radio and speaking.
"To unit 0110 1624, situation at Suwon Station resolved. Successful prevention of underground identified species leakage. Confirming swarm pulverization via firepower projection. As of now, all ground areas of Suwon Station are secured. Commencing survivor identification and primary quarantine procedures."
Clunk.
At least it wasn't a military truck this time. Sitting in the backseat of the requisitioned van, I caught the tail end of Major Kang Min-su's report.
"Establish a blockade line until handover and designate a free-fire zone."
***
Time flows mercilessly.
And the fact that a monster called Amalgam had struck Suwon Station trickled down through the electronic circuits of the internet to every corner of the country. The information control by the government and the military had become virtually nonexistent.
January 13th, 10:43 AM.
Holding my phone with its cracked screen in my right hand, I stared at the articles heating up the portal sites.
[Just how long did the government plan to hide this... Condemning voices growing nationwide]
[Real-time US-China summit picks up speed, voices emerge to define the Seoul riots as a transnational biological disaster]
[Those left behind in northern Gyeonggi... expressing extreme betrayal, claiming the government abandoned them]
Finding my smartphone lovable for enduring through all that hell, I kissed the cracked screen before looking down at my left hand, which was heavily wrapped in bandages.
Just then, the doctor who came to check on my condition tilted his head and asked.
"You aren't left-handed or anything, right?"
"Yes, yes..."
"I'll say it again, but you were really lucky. When a bullet pierces between your thumb and index finger, you usually have to be prepared to lose your thumb at the very least. Even if it didn't shoot straight through your palm."
"I heard..."
"I'm just amazed, truly amazed. Only a few peripheral nerves in the muscle between your thumb and index finger bones were severed, but there will still be some aftereffects. Do you usually attend church or believe in a shaman or anything?"
"Not really..."
"Then your ancestors must be watching over you. You should visit their graves when the situation improves. So, is there anywhere else that hurts?"
"My left hand feels like it's constantly burning..."
"That's normal then. Let me know if you're uncomfortable, Mr. Baek Jemin. Since the bandages were just changed, leave them on when we disinfect it."
After filling out a brief medical questionnaire, this chatty doctor nodded and stepped back.
With the influx of wounded, sparing this much time would normally have been difficult. However, simply because I was a mage, I was receiving top-priority medical supply support from the hospital.
There was no greater rise in status than this, but actually being treated like a VIP didn't make me feel as pleasant as I'd thought.
I merely stared through my phone screen at the world I could see from my confinement in the hospital room.
After staring at it for a long time, the battery died, so I just turned the phone off.
The world I knew would never return.
Instead...
I grinned to myself as I stroked the Magic Special Lecture booklet placed on the nightstand beside my bed.
This time, before the monsters could come to me, I would head into the fog first.
It was the result of the fear of death and the memories of those moments weighing life and death planting an even stronger desire within me.
I want to learn stronger magic, more useful magic.
If it's something I can only learn in the fog, I'm willing to jump right in!
End