50
Chapter 50
Seeing the Human-skin Jellyfish swarm, we decided to step off the main road and take a detour through the alleys.
Even with the risk of ambushes, we judged that staying hidden from the swarm diving from the sky was the priority. Plus, there was the issue of ammunition.
Considering the bullets spent and those scavenged from fallen soldiers, we had roughly 2,400 rounds left.
Of course, that's plenty for five people.
The problem was that it felt woefully insufficient for the Supreme Mages pushing through the fog-shrouded Seoul of 2028. We had to avoid unnecessary fights; I came here to learn magic, not to cull monsters.
Shin Na-in was the only one who seemed disappointed.
This bastard, Shin Na-in, had trembled before that mysterious monster with the piercing yellow gaze, yet here he was, burning with fighting spirit before the Human-skin Jellyfish. I could tell by the way his breathing grew heavier through his gas mask.
"May they all be cast into the fires of hell and become a handful of clean ash."
Normally, I would've scolded him for such a gruesome prayer, but since we shared the same concerns, I let it slide.
Because only the two of us understood the meaning of "eternity" that Father Jeong Yong-hwan kept muttering when he became a monster. I didn't know if that was truly what it meant, but once a train of thought hits the worst-case scenario, it's hard to shake off.
What if those faces, now part of the Human-skin Jellyfish rolling their eyes in the sky above the road, are still thinking and conscious?
It would mean they're enjoying an eternal life that only ends when someone kills them. People who say "better to be alive in a gutter than dead" might actually consider a career change into a monster.
Personally, I want to live my life as I please, so I wouldn't want that kind of immortality.
And I wasn't the only one; the other Supreme Mages seemed to feel the same.
Lee Se-jun shuddered, and Hamza shook his head vigorously to clear his thoughts.
"Ugh, the fact that they still have human eyeballs is just pure horror."
"I think I can afford to live in Seoul now. Real estate prices are bound to crash."
Pastor Park Yo-han, with a sour expression, hid behind a pile of concrete and peeked out to observe the Human-skin Jellyfish swarm.
"Forget the property values... I've never heard of monsters like these being spotted on the Front Line. Do they not leave Seoul? Or are they a new breed?"
"Whatever it is, let's move."
I patted the pastor's shoulder and pointed toward an alley connected to the intersection.
Calling it an alley was generous—it was practically a two-lane road. To Baek Jemin, a country bumpkin from Gyeonggi-do, a real alley was somewhere that felt crowded with just two people. Even the alleys here were oversized, typical of Seoul.
Fortunately, the Human-skin Jellyfish swarm didn't approach us.
Watching the one that attacked the drone flutter its skin like a real jellyfish to ascend, it seemed their movements weren't very quick outside of their initial strike.
Or perhaps they realized we were mages and stayed away, just as the Amalgams feared my eye magic. We began to detour, keeping a constant eye on the swarm.
Visibility in the fog: 200 meters.
A distance that could feel suffocatingly short or surprisingly long depending on the person and the environment.
Between us Supreme Mages advancing along the intersection and the Human-skin Jellyfish fluttering low in the sky, a strange standoff ensued. Lee Se-jun kept his gun aimed at them the whole time, and the pastor couldn't stop glancing their way.
I felt that unpleasant gaze as well.
The swarm was staring right at us. It felt as if our eyes met occasionally, as if they knew I was watching them warily.
The human skins forming the jellyfish fluttered in the wind, their hollow limbs flopping about. The faces embedded in them, twisted in screams, stared at us with bloodshot intensity.
"That cluster is brutal."
"Cluster?"
When Hamza asked, confused, I gave a slight nod of my chin toward them.
"See how they're all clumped together over there?"
"Ah~."
"Stop saying 'ah' and let's go."
Even without the pastor urging us, we Supreme Mages picked up the pace.
The swarm didn't chase us, and we didn't provoke them. It was a delicate truce between monster and human. Naturally, there was only one reason this was possible.
No one said it out loud, but we all likely guessed.
The message that came through the dark blue phone: [Non-mages strictly forbidden from outdoor activity]. In thick fog, mages could unleash powerful spells to repel monsters, but in thin fog, magic was unreliable, leaving one vulnerable to attacks.
It was an environment where learning magic was a prerequisite for survival.
And all five of us Supreme Mages were mages—beings capable of detecting and avoiding danger. To replace magic here, you'd need Special Forces with grueling training, strict discipline, and heavy equipment support.
The only problem was the worry that our path had diverged from the vanguard reconnaissance unit.
As soon as we put distance between ourselves and the swarm, Shin Na-in tapped his headset and shared his thoughts.
"Don't you think most of them went toward Line 3? Toward Suseo. Since Line 3 cuts right through the heart of Seoul, I suspect they're using it as a main axis to establish bases, branching out like limbs."
"Then that's a shame."
The elite Special Forces would have to break through the hardest parts, while we headed toward the closest route to Kondae.
I trust the Special Forces to manage even without mages. Who knows? Maybe some of them became mages. Besides, according to the subway map, diverting to Line 3 now would mean a massive detour to get to Kondae, and I had no desire to do that.
I'd had enough of going in circles when I went to file that civil complaint.
Eventually, after navigating through shell craters and crossing the intersection into the alley, the facades of relatively intact buildings came into view. The pastor shrugged, scanning the area with a dull look.
"Looks like this was a villa village."
"The villas are so clean?"
"It's Seoul; they should be clean."
Some were almost intact. The pastor and Shin Na-in tried to paint this as a divine miracle, but Hamza coolly pointed out the real reason with his finger.
"The shelling was concentrated on the roads. They did it to keep people from escaping."
"What are you talking about? These people believed in God, so the shells missed! You can tell just by looking at a Christian!"
"I guess those Human-skin Jellyfish believe in God too, since they're flying around without getting hit. Stop talking nonsense and let's move."
"Jemin, how dare you spout such blasphemous nonsense!"
I seem to be developing a knack for shutting down the religious fanatics' bullshit.
With the pastor and Shin Na-in venting their rage and rambling about Satans and demons like a jukebox, the tension completely vanished. Of course, that didn't mean we Supreme Mages abandoned our duties.
Hamza's gaze, which had been looking at the pastor and Shin Na-in with pity, suddenly sharpened.
It seemed the coward had become so frightened that he'd actually grown vicious. *Huff, huff*—Hamza's breathing through the gas mask grew heavy as he began pointing in various directions.
The darkened windows of the buildings lining the road through the villa village. Those were the exact spots Hamza was flagging.
"I think it's dangerous."
Then the atmosphere around Shin Na-in, who had been adding "Amen" to the lyrics of the Satan-demon song, shifted.
Despite his numerous flaws and broken personality, his detection ability was reliable. Shin Na-in glared at the buildings Hamza pointed to with half-closed eyes, then slowly closed them and spoke calmly.
"Two heads. Three spines."
Just trash mobs.
As I adjusted my grip on my gun and turned my head, Shin Na-in quickly added:
"Five jellyfish coming."
In that instant, we Supreme Mages naturally fell into formation.
Lee Se-jun, in the middle, lowered his stance and aimed his gun toward the roadside Hamza had indicated. The pastor gripped his K2 Rifle and took a position next to Lee Se-jun, while Hamza crouched in the center, clutching his head.
Being skilled at improvisation, I took the sky, and Shin Na-in, who could read my thoughts and react instantly, acted as my support.
A formation formed without a single word.
Kill, monster, five minutes, route.
It was the moment the taste of metallic blood filled my mouth as the taste buds on my tongue seemed to split.
Red footprints were stamped across the sky. The Human-skin Jellyfish were more intelligent than I thought. The footprints appearing from behind the rooftops showed they knew how to exploit blind spots.
Since people usually look straight ahead or directly up, they seemed to glide cautiously behind buildings before striking all at once.
Perhaps a few from the swarm we encountered earlier had followed us.
Naturally, a surprise attack that has already been spotted is useless.
Everything happened in a flash.
My muzzle aimed at the sky monsters before the red footprints could reach us. The Human-skin Jellyfish had already spread its body to swallow us; if I weren't used to monsters, the sight would have been paralyzing.
The skin of the Human-skin Jellyfish was covered in suckers, like a squid, octopus, or starfish. Suckers made of human lips.
And on the inner skin, dozens of pairs of hollow limbs swayed, waiting to grab a new victim and tear them to shreds. I don't know if it was a "misery loves company" mentality or just monster instinct.
I don't know about people who love communing with wild animals or other species, but I value my own human rights over animal rights, so I pulled the trigger without hesitation.
In the silent streets of Seoul, where the moans of monsters sounded like soft background music, loud gunshots echoed through the alleys of the villa village.
The sound of shell casings bouncing and clattering on the cracked asphalt struck my ears clearly. Every one of us Supreme Mages fired with a sense of gratitude. We now knew what a blessing it was to face monsters that could be killed with guns.
Monsters die from gunshots?
What could be more grateful than this?
Out of gratitude, I shifted my aim and gave four jellyfish three or four rounds each. The Human-skin Jellyfish weren't particularly durable. Aside from their disgusting appearance and ambush nature, they could be eliminated if you were prepared.
It was a simple matter: predict their path ten seconds in advance, align the sights, and shoot them all dead.
Aside from the wailing screams echoing through the tearing human skin with every hit, they were basically easy loot mobs. Capitalizing on the momentum, I crushed the falling Human-skin Jellyfish with my combat boots, ensuring they were dead.
Four for me, one for Shin Na-in.
Planning to tease him about the kill count later, I immediately turned my gun toward the roadside. Two Amalgams, looking like dozens of people clumped together, were preparing to split.
Lee Se-jun was calmly shooting the Amalgams' legs to reduce their mobility, while the pastor was just firing wildly, hoping at least one shot would hit.
Just then, several Predatory Spines approaching by clinging to walls or power lines entered my sight.
Instead of firing, I gave my tongue a quick, sharp bite.
Alteration-type Eye Stage 2.
My pain lasts longer than any other time.
Gunshots echoed in rapid succession.
Shin Na-in dealt with the Predatory Spines; a pale pink fluid, mixed with spinal fluid, leaked from their shattered skulls. The Amalgams had lead bullets hammered into their heads before they could split, spraying fluid everywhere.
Perfection.
Satisfied, I closed my eyes.
Blink.
"Situation clear."
With Lee Se-jun's short, firm report, we first checked our ammunition usage.
Lee Se-jun used two magazines, Shin Na-in used 15 rounds, I used 12, and the pastor used one magazine. Whether it was their quick adaptation to the nightmare of Seoul or the help from the fight with the Seoul Mages, everyone's combat skill had improved drastically.
The most satisfying part, of course, was the ammo consumption.
"Ammo consumption has dropped significantly."
"Didn't we fight around a hundred of them when we cleared the subway tracks?"
"What are you talking about? Our firepower was split among five of us, so this is actually pretty good."
"Can we really call that fighting well? Our goals are far more ambitious than that, Jemin."
I found myself instinctively bristling at Shin Na-in for raining on our parade. Why was he always trying to bring down the Supreme Mages?
Still, being a patient man, I decided to endure it.
To be honest, my pride had been slightly wounded since it took five of us to beat one Seoul Mage. I should have been the one to take him down alone; it was genuinely frustrating. Who could have known the Seoul Mages would walk around with Predatory Spines embedded in their bodies?
Regardless, this brief skirmish seemed to have put the nearby monsters on edge.
We Supreme Mages were able to move forward safely without further ambush. While we occasionally heard groans or distant screams, as if the monsters had spotted us from beyond the fog's visibility, none of them dared to enter our immediate vicinity.
After traveling for a while, we came across a park with a small playground.
The area where children once played was now left with only bleak bloodstains and a few pavilions. Seeing the empty playground seemed to make everyone sentimental.
Instead of moving on immediately, we spent a few moments surveying the vacant park. Only the pastor spoke his thoughts aloud.
"I wonder what happened to the children..."
"I'm sure they're eating well and living happily. Don't worry."
"Se-jun. That was supposed to be a consolation, right?"
"Huh? Yes. It was."
Listening to the conversation between the pastor and Lee Se-jun, I felt a wave of complex emotions.
I mean, it was a consolation, but... well...
Just as we finished our brief reflection and started moving again.
*Buzz*—
Everyone knew what it was without a word. As soon as I pulled the dark blue phone from my breast pocket, a new message appeared.
[Found a group of mage survivors in Songpa. Requesting contact. Meet in the basement of the building to the right of the north park intersection.]
"The north park intersection?"
The location information was incredibly detailed for something that only mentioned the Songpa area.
I looked at Shin Na-in and Hamza; Shin Na-in shrugged, perhaps having not detected anything yet, and Hamza merely narrowed his eyes. Lee Se-jun reloaded and adjusted his grip on his weapon while scanning the perimeter, and the pastor stood with arms crossed, deep in thought.
Finally, a conclusion was reached.
"It's pretty obvious they've spotted us, right?"
"Pastor, they likely heard the gunshots. We fired nearly a hundred rounds; there's no way they wouldn't notice if they were close."
After hearing the sycophantic chime-in from Shin Na-in, the pastor adjusted his gas mask and spoke.
"Let's go."
Everyone looked at the pastor in silence.
The impact of our first encounter with the Seoul Mages had been too strong. However, the pastor's mind was made up.
"There's still too much we don't know about how Seoul has changed. Even if it's not Go Ryeo-ha, we shouldn't hesitate if we can find other friendly mages."
That was the decision of the Supreme Mages.
***
April 17, 2028, 12:13 PM.
Leaving behind the faint sounds of shelling, groans, and screams of monsters, we arrived at the entrance of an underground parking lot in front of a large villa. It looked like an unremarkable spot, but for a mage, it was littered with unmistakable traces.
Several blood-stained handprints were marked near the entrance of the garage.
As a possessor of Hand Line Stage 2, I immediately recognized what they were.
"Hand Line Stage 1. It's the blood used to repel monsters from the right hand."
The pastor looked around and nodded.
"It seems they're guarding the entrance this way. It's better to assume that places with artificial bloodstains are survivor shelters."
"Hand Line Stage 1 might be more common than I thought, or maybe it's quite rare."
At Lee Se-jun's words, I felt my chest puff out slightly.
As we descended into the underground parking lot, a question accidentally slipped out.
"Are these the first real local survivors we've encountered?"
"The Dubai Sticky Witch was a local survivor too."
"They're not exactly 'proper' survivors."
Shin Na-in's dismissive retort made me flare up with anger.
But the moment the pastor spoke, I shut my mouth.
"Now, now. What if it becomes a trend for everyone in Seoul to grow a Predatory Spine in their back?"
Realizing once again how difficult cultural relativism can be, we stood blankly before the lowered shutter.
While Lee Se-jun, who was yawning repeatedly, took the rear, I looked at Hamza and Shin Na-in, who both gave lukewarm reactions.
"It doesn't seem dangerous."
"It's a human. They don't seem to have any hostile intent."
Safety first.
Only after confirming it was safe did I rap my knuckles against the shutter.
"Is anyone there?"
Footsteps echoed from the other side, and a raspy voice leaked through the shutter.
"Is it you guys?"
Despite the abrupt question, I replied calmly.
"Yes."
"How do you even know it's you?"
"Because you wouldn't let us in if I said no."
"Hmm. Judging by those excuses, you don't seem to be monsters."
Only then did the shutter rattle open.
A waft of stale air was inevitable. The person behind the shutter was a woman with a dark complexion, wearing a grease-stained puffer jacket and looking quite disheveled. I'd actually thought she was a man at first.
She looked to be in her early thirties, with a sturdy build—likely from working out—and a slightly squared jaw.
As soon as she saw us, she frowned deeply.
"I heard gunshots. Are you deserters?"
"No, we're civilians."
"Looking like that?"
We awkwardly looked down at ourselves.
Dressed in military ponchos and gear, armed with rifles, magazines, and grenades packed tight. With our gas masks on, we looked like civilians who were perhaps too well-prepared.
"Ma'am, this is how everyone dresses outside Seoul these days."
The moment she heard the words "outside Seoul," her gaze changed.
Resentment? Hatred?
No, it was closer to a desperate hope. The woman chewed her lower lip for a moment, then gestured for us to come in.
"Just come inside for now. We'll trade info on the outside and the inside, and then we can figure out what else to exchange."
However, we couldn't just walk in.
Damn it, the worry that this person might also be growing a Predatory Spine in her back came first.
As we hesitated, Lee Se-jun bravely spoke up first.
"Noona."
"You've got a creepy face, so... don't call me Noona, just call me Miss."
"Miss, you're not... growing any monsters in your spine or anything, right?"
*Click.*
I hope she doesn't think we're mean for instinctively fiddling with our guns. It was simply the result of the unprecedented impression left by our first contact with the Seoul Mages.
Fortunately, the squared-jawed woman widened her eyes and clicked her tongue.
"The ones who do that are real pieces of work. You're lucky to have survived meeting them. I'm not like that. Just a Hand Line Stage 1."
"That?"
"You mean planting those spine-heads in your back, right? Not just anyone can do that."
The woman studied us, then crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.
"You really are from the outside. Want to come in? I don't hate outsiders that much. If we can trade, let's trade."
***
April 17, 2028, 12:29 PM.
Day 3 of exploration.
We Supreme Mages made first contact with a local survivor who, while not Go Ryeo-ha, was open to friendly contact.
End.