Chapter 51
Chapter 51
The woman with the sharp features was named Kang Ah-reum.
She introduced herself as a thirty-two-year-old Seoul Mage with Level 1 Hand and Level 2 Hearing skills.
But far more important than her personal details was her magic lineage. As a practitioner of Orthodox Alteration-type Magic, Kang Ah-reum seemed well-versed in those who used Inverse Alteration-type Magic. In fact, her hand magic was identical to the one I knew.
"Just come inside. I can't give you the royal treatment like I did outside, so just make do."
Kang Ah-reum showed us around her underground parking lot home without hesitation, and surprisingly, there were no traces of human waste.
Gas stoves, ramen boxes, and water bottles were piled up everywhere. A flashlight was on to illuminate the dark interior, and while no generator was in sight, various things plugged into the cars suggested she used the batteries for power.
Of course, most of the items didn't consume much electricity. Aside from the flashlights and phone chargers, there were hardly any electronic devices.
The place was so neatly organized that we, the Supreme Mages, were actually surprised. The ramen boxes and canned goods stacked neatly on abandoned cars, along with relatively clean clothes, spoke volumes about how Kang Ah-reum had survived.
The Pastor was the first to admire the tidiness and ask.
"It's remarkably clean for a woman living alone."
"You make it sound like a house always becomes a disaster when a woman lives alone. I don't believe in Jesus, so watch your mouth."
"My, my. Now, don't be like that; listen to a few good words. It's just a shame that someone like you doesn't attend church."
Pat pat!
Out of habit, I lightly tapped the Pastor on the back as he tried to evangelize.
"Ow! What was that for, Baek Jemin!"
"I will be leading this conversation."
I wanted to give him a proper thrashing, but I showed some restraint since he was my elder.
Lee Se-jun's personal desires were perfect for evoking disgust, Shin Na-in needed to quietly gauge the opponent's intentions rather than speaking, and it was a better choice for Hamza to help Na-in detect danger.
Therefore, I, Baek Jemin—the most rational and logical of us all—decided to step forward for the negotiations.
"How did you handle the human waste?"
"Jemin, for fuck's sake..."
Lee Se-jun panicked, not knowing how to react, but Kang Ah-reum was a Pro Survivor. She raised an eyebrow at the question, then smirked as she tightened her padded jacket.
"I made some use of the villas upstairs. Or I used a chamber pot."
In a normal world, I would have been handcuffed by now, but as a Pro Survivor, Kang Ah-reum actually seemed pleased with the question about waste disposal.
It was a dirty subject, but waste management was incredibly important. While the Supreme Mages had simply gone wherever they pleased or used public restrooms, Kang Ah-reum used the emergency stairs, timing her trips to dispose of waste when it was safe.
Why was this important?
Because it would help determine if monsters possessed a sense of smell.
The moment that thought crossed my mind, Shin Na-in looked at me with surprise. I have no idea what the hell this bastard thinks of me.
Meanwhile, the stranger, Kang Ah-reum, narrowed her eyes slightly and walked toward the trunk of a car with its hood open.
"You're surprisingly cautious for someone from the outside. I thought you were all lunatics since you were firing guns like crazy."
"Fine, let's get straight to the point. Let's talk about what we both want."
Slam!
Before closing the trunk, Kang Ah-reum pulled out a notebook. She waved the notebook in her right hand and rested her other hand on her hip.
"I want to know how much you know about Seoul. And any information that could help in breaking through the Blockade Line. I'm also open to bartering if we can."
"And the price?"
"Well... I'll answer your questions. And I'll let you stay for a day."
Kang Ah-reum certainly possessed more information than we did.
However, we couldn't enter a casual trade when it was difficult to accurately gauge the value of our own items and information. I looked toward Shin Na-in for help, but he only proved that her self-introduction had been accurate.
Shin Na-in let out a frustrated sigh and glared at Kang Ah-reum.
"She really is Level 2 in the Hearing Line. I can vaguely guess her intentions, but I can't hear the sounds clearly."
I approached Shin Na-in and whispered very softly.
"Why don't you try flirting with her, Shin Na-in? Your face is decent enough. You seem popular."
"As a devout Christian, I have sworn to remain chaste until marriage. I won't do it unless she's the one I'm marrying."
"Then just marry her?"
I shut my mouth after confirming that Shin Na-in had flown into a rage for the third time.
Turning my attention back to Kang Ah-reum, I calmly adjusted my rifle sling and spoke.
"Sounds good. Let's make this a quick and easy deal."
"Hey, Baek Jemin. You acted like you were going to negotiate some grand treaty, and you just say 'quick and easy deal'?"
I remained composed even in the face of the Pastor's grumbling.
Huuu—.
I deliberately let out a loud breath through the gas mask, then tapped my weapon with my hand.
"Ms. Kang Ah-reum. Tell me if you're interested in a hot deal."
"A 'hot deal,' my ass."
Kang Ah-reum burst out laughing and headed toward another vehicle. I'm terrible with cars, so I can only describe it as a reasonably clean-looking sedan. She placed the notebook on the hood and gave a carefree smile.
"Fine. A quick deal it is. It's been a while since I've seen some sane people; it's nice."
The quick deal happened immediately.
We decided to provide the information Kang Ah-reum requested first.
Since we were stuck away from the outskirts of Seoul, she'd have a hard time verifying the truth anyway, so we figured showing our cards first wouldn't hurt. Having been stuck in Seoul for four months, Kang Ah-reum reacted wildly to the news from outside.
"What? The fog appeared and vanished all the way to Gyeonggi-do?"
"Yes. I almost died at the hands of an Amalgam while on sentry duty. I would've been gone if I hadn't awakened my magic."
"Amalgam? What's that?"
"The one that fuses its heads together."
"Ah~. So they had a specific name for them. Around here, we usually just called them Mimic Beasts."
She was thirty-two. It wasn't awkward at all to use polite language with Kang Ah-reum, who was four years older than me.
The only problem was the grumbling voice coming from a distance. It seemed Lee Se-jun was deeply wounded by the fact that he was the only one told to call her "miss."
"I'm only twenty-four..."
With a face like that, twenty-four?
I suppressed the urge to nitpick and continued the conversation with Kang Ah-reum.
A lot had happened.
From discussions of tactical nuclear strikes on Seoul, to 150,000 troops being deployed to the first Blockade Line with 14,000 dead, to the arrival of UN forces, the neutralization of the government that fled to Incheon as the PLA arrived in Ganghwa-do, and protests in rear cities demanding the rescue of families...
Finally, the news that the South Korean and US militaries had begun scouting Seoul to uncover the cause of the fog and acquire magical knowledge.
I told her everything plainly, fitting for a "quick deal." If she didn't like this "quick deal," I planned to turn it into a "hot deal" with bullets. We could at least enjoy some ramen and water for a day anyway.
Fortunately for all of us, Kang Ah-reum was a survivor who still held onto trust.
That is to say, she believed that if she held out, a rescue attempt would eventually come from the outside or she would find a way to escape. She listened with her mouth agape in disbelief, then asked in a trembling voice.
"What about Sokcho? Is Sokcho still okay? I heard the Martial Law Army is shooting people!"
"I heard protests are intensifying in the major rear cities, but we left on April 15th. I don't know what's happened since then. I haven't heard any news about Sokcho."
Looking back, it really has been spectacular.
I've been in Seoul for less than 72 hours, yet I've seen so much.
"Oh no...! My parents are all there...!"
"At least they're not in Seoul."
"That's... well, that's true."
I said that while thinking of Han Suk-ja, who vanished after visiting her eldest daughter's home in Seoul, and the end of her son, the driver.
Perhaps Kang Ah-reum had been able to endure alone here because she was certain her family outside was safe; once she confirmed the Blockade Line hadn't been breached, she quickly calmed down.
After panting for a while, Kang Ah-reum placed a hand on her forehead and spoke in a steady voice.
"So you're Civilian Operators sent from outside Seoul... mages with civilian status."
"Yes."
"And even though all the soldiers who came with you vanished, you didn't care and entered the subway tracks, killing nearly a hundred Mimic Beasts and Spinal Constructs to break through."
"Hmm."
"And you survived and won against an Inverse Alteration-type mage who had fought soldiers at a department store near Jangji Station and even obtained a gun."
Kang Ah-reum chewed over our achievements one by one before looking at all of us.
Her gaze was a mix of suspicion and wonder.
"Honestly, if I evaluate your combat power objectively, it's quite a high level. Beyond just high, your ability to handle monsters is overwhelming. Your magic levels seem low... a typical military unit couldn't survive here, and even one with mages has a limit because the proportion of mages is too low."
"Wow!"
Is there anything sweeter than hearing your achievements from someone else's mouth?
As I glanced around, I saw Shin Na-in, Hamza, and the Pastor all puffing out their chests for no reason. Only Lee Se-jun looked displeased, fiddling with his rifle sling.
That guy, Lee Se-jun, is still maintaining his "mysterious" concept.
There's certainly something about being mysterious that makes people go wild. I forced myself to stop dancing with my shoulders like Lee Se-jun, my lips twitching. Luckily, the gas mask covered my face, so I could smile to my heart's content.
It was then that Hamza raised his hand and asked.
"How do you know my magic level is low?"
"Huh? The effect is halved depending on the level. I can't even properly read the intentions of someone at a higher stage than me. I can tell immediately based on how effective my magic is."
Kang Ah-reum seemed to realize she'd said too much and looked around at us with a mysterious smile.
"You guys really don't know anything about the outside. A 'quick deal' isn't going to cut it."
...I guess it can't be helped.
I adjusted my rifle sling, my resolve hardening. I decided not to hesitate if the negotiations looked like they were falling through.
"Baek Jemin, wait..."
The Pastor's attempt to stop me was useless. I took action without a word.
Kang Ah-reum narrowed her eyes at my movement and asked.
"Why are you giving me this?"
"This is some Spam I've been hoarding for myself, but I'll let you have it if you tell us."
Kang Ah-reum took the Spam I handed over, turned it over in her hands, and smirked.
"You're cute, kid. I'll let it slide. I'll tell you."
Hot deal, success.
***
First, we decided to ask about this mysterious dark-blue phone.
After taking the dark-blue phone I produced, Kang Ah-reum looked it over before handing it back with a disinterested look.
"I wondered whose it was; it's from the Jangji Station area."
"An Incantation Phone???"
Since when were 'incantations' and 'phones' words that could be linked?
Facing this bizarre product that openly defied scientific common sense, Kang Ah-reum shook her head and showed us her own Incantation Phone. It looked like a normal smartphone, but upon closer inspection, the data and Wi-Fi were still disconnected.
"It's exactly what it sounds like. You know the data centers and base stations are gone, right? They say the internet works in places with satellite communication, but to receive important information or exchange messages in areas without facilities, you need an Incantation Phone."
"How is that even possible?"
Shin Na-in, who could no longer hear the thoughts in people's minds, couldn't help but ask. Kang Ah-reum waved her pink Incantation Phone. Despite her sharp appearance, she was someone who liked round, cute colors.
"If you open the case and look at the integrated battery, you'll see it's written in blood. Standard Incantation Phones are roughly made using Hand Line Stage 2; once the blood's potency runs out, it goes dead again. The higher the mage's level, the longer they can maintain the phone."
Just as she said, when I opened the case of the dark-blue phone, I saw the word [Communication] written in blood on the battery. It had browned long ago, making it look as if the effect would vanish soon.
Kang Ah-reum held her pink Incantation Phone against the dark-blue one and spoke.
"However, these ordinary Incantation Phones don't function like true ones. Should I call it sympathetic magic... when a true Incantation Phone sends or receives a signal, the ordinary ones just mimic it. Hmm, it's hard to explain... if a true Incantation Phone is like a cloud server, ordinary ones have very limited functionality. Therefore, there are usually only one or two people per district who can handle a true Incantation Phone, and most survivors only use these phones when they're prepared to have their information exposed."
"Is that why you share information—to get people to use Incantation Phones?"
Kang Ah-reum let out a short gasp of admiration at Hamza's quick wit.
"Sharp, aren't you? Exactly. They sometimes renew Incantation Phones to maintain continuous contact or cooperation with survivors. Mine was renewed about a month ago."
She explained that while she came from a civilian background, those who used the true Incantation Phones were closer to actual incantationists who had been passed down knowledge.
However, they weren't physically distinct; they just had spells they spoke to each other like passwords.
[66 to complete 7. 55 to complete 66. A human to complete 55.]
"That's the question. Unless you're related to them, no one knows the refrain."
"Do you have any idea what it means?"
"I mean, I do."
Being the cool older sister she was, Kang Ah-reum didn't hide a thing.
Perhaps pleased with my "hot deal," she looked at us Supreme Mages and shared valuable information generously.
"Many people believe 55 refers to the 5th Line, Stage 5 of Alteration-type Magic. Some think that once you achieve the 5th Line, Stage 5, you can challenge the realm of the 6th Line, Stage 6. 7 probably refers to an even higher state."
"5th Line, Stage 5."
I glanced at the Pastor, who was nodding with a sour expression, as if he were remembering the monk.
"It's similar to the nonsense that bald monk was spouting about the Five Aggregates or the Twenty-Five Elements. The difference starts after the number six. Baek Jemin, you were part of the ritual. Does anything come to mind?"
I thought about it carefully, but nothing significant came to mind.
I remembered reciting the spell similarly, but I didn't recall the refrain. However, one thing became clearer: Monk Cheong-hwi was connected to the force operating these true Incantation Phones.
Without hesitation, we decided to ask about other things.
"Do you know anything about crossing the Han River?"
"Tons of things. But I don't know them. I'm in Songpa; why would I cross over to Gangbuk?"
While answering bluntly, Kang Ah-reum still gave us a few warnings.
"There's definitely a group of survivors there. Be careful if they're Inverse Alteration-type mages. That place near the department store where you defeated the one using a spine... that must be Jung Na-ri."
This was the first time we heard the name of the Dubai Sticky Witch.
Kang Ah-reum clicked her tongue in disapproval but was still willing to share information about the Inverse Alteration-type mages. She said that since we were strong enough to defeat Jung Na-ri, we wouldn't be easily devoured, so she didn't mind sharing.
When we told her about the rise in our levels and the information we'd acquired, Kang Ah-reum finally rested her chin on her hand and looked convinced.
"The Tongue Line only functions properly when the subject—that is, the agent and the target—is clear. The reason she couldn't use an Emotion Explosion, which is Inverse Tongue Line Stage 2, against you is probably because you kept pressing her without a break. She either couldn't identify you properly or simply didn't have the luxury to cast her magic. But you said there were soldiers? Ha... poor things."
"Your expression doesn't look very sympathetic."
"If you saw the people ripped apart by artillery fire, you'd look like this too."
Knowledge about the Dubai Sticky Witch, Jung Na-ri's Inverse Alteration-type magic, seemed to be shared among survivors, as Kang Ah-reum knew it well.
"Plundering knowledge and experience by fusing heads like a Mimic Beast is Inverse Tongue Line Stage 1. [Predation]. It's like a signature move for Inverse Alteration-type mages, so it's well known."
It was a magic that stripped everything away meticulously, which was why the Seoul Mages and survivors were so secretive.
If information was shared with the weak, the moment that person was hunted, the entire group's information would be leaked. Thus, the weak were inevitably left behind in terms of intelligence.
"Inverse Alteration-type is usually known up to Heart Stage 3. It's just so unique. Inverse Stage 1 is [Perfect Absorption]. It absorbs everything eaten, making nutritional efficiency incredibly high. Inverse Stage 2 is [Instant Evolution], a magic that strengthens deficient physical abilities or adapts to toxic environments by consuming massive nutrients. And Inverse Stage 3 is the symbiosis with monsters or those Spinal Constructs you mentioned. It's called [Hierarchy Arrangement]."
"Hierarchy Arrangement?"
"You know how Spinal Constructs infect people, right?"
"Yes."
"Hierarchy Arrangement is the stage where the mage completely seizes physical control. Even if part of their body becomes a monster, they can control it as they wish. By choosing symbiosis with a superior host, the monster allows the mage to effectively possess two egos, enabling instinctive movements."
For example, after achieving Inverse Stage 3, the Dubai Sticky Witch, Jung Na-ri, would have evolved her own spine into a Predatory Spine to achieve symbiosis.
In other words, she was hunted by a Predatory Spine and became paralyzed from the waist down, and while her own spine was infected by the spinal fluid, she reached Inverse Stage 3 to seize complete physical control and instead commanded the monster.
Naturally, to Alteration-type mages like us Supreme Mages, this was nothing short of appalling.
I could hear Shin Na-in and Lee Se-jun smacking their lips as they spoke.
"That's hardcore..."
"Truly hardcore."
I, Baek Jemin, although she was an enemy, was so moved by the noble spirit of mage Jung Na-ri, who pursued a higher realm, that I was speechless for a moment.
The desire to obtain stronger magic even by sacrificing one's spine—I could fully relate to that.
Just how abysmal must her talent have been for her to go that far? I took a moment of silence for the uncomfortable reality that lucky people combining passion and talent, like myself, are rare.
It was then that Hamza asked a question.
"But why shouldn't non-mages move when the fog is thin?"
"Ah. That's right."
At this point, we also asked why the movements of non-mages were restricted when the fog was thin.
I thought it was simply because of Human-skin Jellyfish or other monsters that are active when the fog is thin, or perhaps because magic usage was limited, but the answer was unexpected.
Kang Ah-reum looked at us as if we were strange, then covered her mouth and let out a sigh.
"The people from the outside don't know?!"
"Geez. Stop stalling and just tell us."
"I don't know how to put this... Don't tell me the reason they fire thermobaric bombs and things like that is to get rid of the fog?"
"Ah, what now?"
Because Kang Ah-reum kept dragging out her words unnecessarily, precious time was ticking away.
If the reason for not moving when the fog is thin was simply because of monsters...
"You've got it backward. The monsters come first."
Instantly, the attention of the Supreme Mages, who had been yawning or standing with their arms crossed, shifted to Kang Ah-reum.
"You guys think the fog comes first because of movies, right? Right? Sigh~."
"Isn't it obvious? We can't even fire artillery properly right now because of the fog."
Shin Na-in pointed it out sharply.
People who had been sacrificed by monsters leaping out from the thick fog would be driven mad by the injustice of that statement.
But Kang Ah-reum anxiously tapped the hood with her index finger, swallowed hard, and spoke while pursing her lips.
"You all know those monsters were originally people from Seoul, right? Only mages have the resistance to endure it. Those monsters..."
Kang Ah-reum looked at us with a gaze mixed with horror, lamentation, irritation, and fear.
"They only become weak when they're inside the fog."
End