Chapter 102: Ticking Seconds

[Translator – Aren]

Before launching a full-scale reconnaissance into Seoul, the military had succeeded in establishing communications with 5 survivors.

To summarize who they were.

The Dobong idiot.

A survivor believed to have remained isolated near Bukhansan in Dobong, sobbing as he cried something that sounded like, “You fucking idiots, get me out of here!” or something. However, because he was considered highly likely to mentally collapse and was close to Bukhansan, where the incident originated, his influence was judged to be extremely limited, and everyone stopped paying attention to him.

Go Ryeoha of Konkuk University.

A survivor the military attempted to contact because she had shown the most favorable and cooperative attitude toward them. However, after her survivor group collapsed due to poor conditions and internal divisions, she began wandering around half out of her mind. Still, she was useful and not so far gone that she couldn’t be put to use.

Professor Nowon.

A survivor who had told us the truth about Go Ryeoha while also proposing a deal. When we entered Seoul again, we could exchange supplies. He appeared to lead an organized group, and since he also seemed to cooperate with isolated military forces in northern Gyeonggi, Command judged that even if he hated the people outside the blockade line, it was still at a level where compromise was possible.

Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes.

A Seoul wizard and survivor believed to belong to the 66-Society, currently leading the offensive aimed at northern Seongnam. At the same time, after opposing the military’s increasingly coercive measures shortly before the blockade decision was made at the beginning of the disaster, they killed generals and field commanders and are now attempting to break through following the collapse of the blockade line.

And finally, Madam Yongsan Station.

A survivor who had attempted to take the lead in negotiations by speaking smoothly and slyly with the military. The problem was that Yongsan Station had been one of the places where military units held out until the very end.

Pastor Park Yohan suspected that this woman had tried to trigger an outbreak of infection by sending a trailing train packed with Amalgams toward Suwon Station.

The people gathered in the Reality Survival Command’s command-and-control room seemed to be thinking along similar lines.

Every one of them waited at their assigned positions with faces full of suspicion and caution, maintaining operational readiness, or stood in orderly ranks with perfectly aligned rows and columns as they awaited the generals’ decision.

Several American generals who hadn’t shown their faces for a while had appeared as well, and the moment they heard Major General Jeon Minho’s report, they frowned and started chattering away to each other in English.

Fortunately, I had an ace up my sleeve.

Standing among the other Supreme Archmages, I sent Shin Nain a hand signal.

Today of all days, the fact that Ears-branch wizards at the same stage could communicate telepathically felt useful in all sorts of ways.

Shin Nain noticed, narrowed his eyes, and asked inside my head.

'What is it, Jemin-ssi?'

Translator wizard. Tell me what those Yankees from across the water are saying.

'Jemin-ssi. This is the global era. You should at least know English.’

My tiny dumbass brain can barely handle learning one spell.

I scored 400 on the TOEIC to begin with. Even if I studied English, my ceiling was already set.

Shin Nain already knew English, so leaving that to him while I went all-in on the magic that had recognized my talent as a Great Archmage was simply the wiser investment.

In the end, Shin Nain sighed and translated the American generals’ private conversation for me through telepathy.

It went as follows.

Marshal McKinsey: Yongsan Station. Isn’t this woman a hostile actor who previously attempted to breach the blockade line?

Brigadier General Thatcher: Yongsan Station was one of the places where military units held out until the very end. If she’s a local survivor who took control of Yongsan Station afterward… Yes, I believe that’s highly likely.

Lieutenant General Thatcher: It seems the blockade operation is having an effect. Could this be evidence that subtle tension between the various factions inside Seoul is intensifying over their limited resources?

Marshal McKinsey: Or an operation designed to make us draw exactly that conclusion.

As expected of the generals, America had prepared for wartime.

Marshal McKinsey flipped briskly through the report, pointing out every suspicion surrounding Madam Yongsan Station without hesitation. Of course, the testimony we Supreme Archmages had given probably played some part in that.

A brief silence settled over the room.

Then Marshal McKinsey made his decision.

"Get her on the line. Profilers, analysts – standby. Negotiation goes to Major General Jeon. Spiritual warding... ha. Ridiculous just saying it. Full LISA gear, engaged.”

Hey, translator wizard.

You’re lagging behind.

'It’s nothing important. He just said Major General Jeon is handling the negotiations.'

But the preparations Major General Jeon made for that negotiation were quite a sight.

He first fastened a pentagram necklace around his neck that a soldier had come rushing in with, then sprinkled salt over his own head like he was seasoning himself. And if that weren’t enough, some unusual figures began entering the command-and-control room.

First up was a priest with greasy hair, wearing a gas mask pouch and military belt over his cassock.

The greasy-haired priest made the sign of the cross over the kneeling Major General Jeon, poured some oil he had brought with him, crossed himself again, and began to pray.

"In nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti. Sancte Michael Archangele, defende nos in proelio. Contra nequitiam…”

The atmosphere became so reverent and solemn that even people without any particular religious devotion instinctively fell silent.

When the unfamiliar prayer ended with an ‘Amen,’ the greasy-haired priest marked Major General Jeon’s forehead with holy oil in the shape of a cross and said,

"May the protections of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.”

After the greasy-haired priest stepped back, a Buddhist monk approached and quietly brought his palms together.

He was an older man, and something about his face seemed strangely familiar. When I stared at him, our eyes met.

The monk winked at me with one eye and gave a broad, easygoing chuckle.

Only then did I remember that I had met him before.

Monk Wonhaeng.

One of the civilian Operators who had awakened Dogma-type magic, and someone acquainted with Monk Cheinghwi.

We’d only met once, so I hadn’t realized it, but had he come all the way to the US military camp too?

But Wonhaeng’s attention was no longer on me.

He silently pressed his palms together and began rapidly reciting a strange mantra.

"Namo sat-tatha Sugataya Arahat Samyaksambuddhaya. Namo sat-tatha Buddha-koti sunisam…”

It was so fast, and the sounds were so unfamiliar to anything I had heard in my life, that even when I focused and tried to listen, I couldn’t hold onto any of it.

My reason told me it was probably something significant, but I simply lacked the background knowledge, so everything poured straight back out of my head like water through a cracked jar. Then there was one mantra that gave me a strange sensation. A shallow but cool current of air brushing past me.

"Oṃ anale anale visade visade vira vajradhare bandha bandhani vajrapaṇi phaṭ huṃ truṃ phaṭ svaha..."

Only after rapidly reciting those strange, unfamiliar phrases all the way to the end did Wonhaeng quietly bow his head and step back.

Next came the shaman woman who had acted as a quarantine inspector when we first entered the US military camp. There were more than a few shamans around, so in my head I decided to call her the Pyeongtaek Shaman.

The Pyeongtaek Shaman looked around here and there, spotted Go Ryeoha, and clicked her tongue sympathetically.

But when she saw me, her reaction was the exact opposite. Her eyes widened in delight, and the corners of her mouth curled upward.

"Our little lamb is here too? Well, I suppose your fate always did look like that.”

"Who? Me?”

"Yeah. Where else would you find a student who looks as innocent and harmless as you? You’re a little lamb."

It was only a short exchange, but I could feel everyone’s attention snap toward us at once.

At that, the Pyeontaek Shaman played it off with a laugh and decided to get back to her actual job.

"Goodness, things are so urgent I don't even have time to chat. Call me later if there’s anything you’re curious about.”

The Pyeongtaek Shaman had brought a basket of salt and a fan, and the salt basket was the first thing she put to use.

She circled Major General Jeon Minho, who was kneeling with his head quietly bowed, and scattered salt all around him by the handful. Even my grandma hadn’t sprinkled salt that thoroughly when she made kimchi.

Just when I started wondering whether Major General Jeon was going to turn into living salted seafood at this rate, the Pyeongtaek Shaman finally set down the salt basket, picked up her fan, and shouted.

"General of theAzure Emperor of the East. General of theRed Emperor of the South, General of theWhite Emperor of the West. General of theBlack Emperor of the North. General of theYellow Emperor of the Center. Grant your protection and safeguard this man. Drive away all wandering spirits, false gods, and evil spirits from every direction.”

Once the Pyeongtaek Shaman’s noisy ritual ended and she stepped back, our very own Pastor Park Yohan approached next.

Clutching a Bible in one hand, Pastor Park laid his other hand on Major General Jeon’s head in blessing and spoke.

"Whoever dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’ In the name of Jesus Christ, I command every wicked spirit to depart from this man.”

Normally, Pastor Park would have been grinding his teeth and calling all of this heretical, but today he was comparatively quiet.

Sure, he looked about as sulky as Lee Sejun whenever he got jealous of Go Ryeoha, but at least he wasn’t saying it out loud.

"In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.”

With the ordination prayer finished, Pastor Park returned to us Supreme Archmages.

It was a ridiculous sight.

Before contacting the other side, Catholicism, Buddhism, Korean shamanism, and Protestantism had all joined forces to pray over the man and pickle him in salt. Just one year ago, it would have been almost impossible to imagine.

And yet, nobody could laugh or make fun of it.

Thoroughly marinated in salt and prayer, Major General Jeon silently kept both hands against his chest for a long while, breathing in and out.

-Suup, haaah…….

Salt, holy water, and holy oil weren’t the only things running down Major General Jeon’s forehead.

Beneath hair gone dry and coarse from all the salt, individual beads of sweat rolled down his forehead and cheeks. The moment one finally reached the tip of his chin, Major General Jeon’s eyes snapped open and he rose to his feet.

"May 12th, 6:11 AM."

Everyone reflexively swallowed.

The peculiar sensation of saliva passing down my parched throat struck heavily against the root of my tongue like pain.

"Starting communication."

The analysts and profilers hadn’t come to the command-and-control room in person.

Apparently, to avoid the risk of having their identities exposed during the communication and being cursed to death from afar like Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes could do, they were listening from an entirely separate location to a time-delayed feed of the transmission.

Naturally, the risk Major General Jeon Minho had to shoulder was enormous. He was the commander of the Joint Alteration Operations Group and currently one of the few Korean generals holding a genuinely critical position within the Korean-US Combined Command.

But Madam Yongsan Station needed at least one person on the other end whose identity and authority were credible enough for her to trust.

Even during the previous communications from Seongnam, she had doubted the position and authority of the commander leading the blockade-line forces at the time and had hardly been cooperative. And now the most threatening factor of all, Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes, was actively operating.

That was why Major General Jeon had decided to accept the risk and conducted the communication while protracted against Localized Invasive Structural Alteration phenomena, LISA for short.

The signal didn’t come immediately.

I couldn’t tell whether she was being cautious, deliberately trying to seize the initiative in the negotiation, or whether communications were simply difficult. As time passed, it was the ordinary officers who grew increasingly anxious.

The Korean officers in particular kept checking their wrist watches nervously, rolling their eyes around, and anxiously biting their lips.

Just as Brigadier General Thatcher, the sleepy-looking white man with black hair, began wearing a much sharper expression than usual…

[...Hello? This is Pyeongtaek this time, right? You didn’t route me to some other blockade line again, did you?]

-Click.

Major General Jeon Minho picked up the receiver and gave a brief hand signal to the people around him.

I didn’t know exactly what the signal meant, but judging by the way Madam Yongsan Station’s voice grew louder, it was probably an instruction to turn up the speakers.

And so, the conversation began.

"This is Pyeongtaek. My name is Major General Jeon Minho, commander of the Joint Alteration Operations Group under the Reality Survival Command, which is subordinated to the Korean-US Combined Command.”

[Oh my? It really is Pyeongtaek? Well, what a surprise.]

Her energy was incredibly high.

I could practically picture Madam Yongsan Station covering her mouth as she made a huge fuss.

Instead of reacting to her theatrics, Major General Jeon calmly got to the point.

"I would like to know the name of the person speaking with me."

[Oh my, no, no. You know I can’t do that, right? You’re already having a hard time because of the Gangnam group, and now you’re asking for my name? Don’t you think that’s a bit much?]

"Do you know about Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes?”

[Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes…? Ah, the leader of the Gangnam group? Who came up with that? What a perfect nickname.]

Ahem. Hm.

I must’ve swallowed wrong or something, because I coughed a little, and my shoulder was feeling stiff too, so I decided to move around for a moment.

Shin Nain immediately asked in a cold voice.

"Jemin-ssi, what are you doing?”

"Oh, you know, I just felt a bit uncomfortable.”

"You’re shameless, Jemin-ssi.”

I ignored Hamza’s unnecessary commentary.

People with superior taste have been envied by ordinary people since prehistoric times. It was only natural.

Meanwhile, the probing conversation between Major General Jeon and Madam Yongsan Station continued.

The kind where both sides kept talking in circles around each other, trying every dirty little trick they could to squeeze out even the slightest reaction.

"If there is someone you wish to contact, we can guarantee their safety and financial independence, arrange evacuation overseas, and even provide communications support.”

[Goodness, you soldiers really are such kind-hearted people. Politicians are always the problem, aren’t they? It would’ve been nice if you’d worked up just a little courage and disobeyed orders once in a while too, don’t you think? Still, you don't have to worry too much. Everyone I care about is right here in Seoul.]

"Was that not the reason you proposed negotiations?”

[That’s exactly why I won’t. Who offers their neck to a tiger just because they’re negotiating with it? Soldiers, raw fish isn’t bad for you, but you know eating the wrong kind can make you sick, right?]

"It seems you already know exactly what you wish to say."

[You soldiers told the people of Seoul that everything was safe, that it was only a disturbance or a riot, that there was no need to run. And then when they did run, you told them you’d shoot them, didn’t you? Well, now it’s your turn to listen. Give and take. Isn’t that what a conversation is?]

It was then that Park Yohan frowned and folded his arms.

"She’s composed. Whether that’s because she’s confident she can control the situation or because she’s putting on an act, she’s clearly got something up her sleeve.”

"If it isn’t about the safety of family outside Seoul, what else could she possibly want out of a negotiation?”

Lee Sejun raised one eyebrow and casually posed the question to the pastor.

Not that he was going to have an answer just because he asked though.

"Lee Sejun, if I knew that, would I be standing around like this? Tsk. Use your head.”

I saw Lee Sejun’s face twist like some wrathful demon at the edge of my vision and promptly stopped paying attention.

Because right then, the actual terms of the negotiation were finally presented.

And the conditions were far more drastic than any of us had expected. More than enough to shake everyone in the Korean-US Combined Command.

[We demand pardons, immunity from prosecution, and material support from the Pyeongtaek Command.]

"Pardons and immunity…?”

[Pardon every violation of the law, large or small, that I and the people who trusted me enough to gather around me had no choice but to commit in order to survive. And grant us immunity for everything we’ll inevitably have to do until we make it out of Seoul. Supplies too. Firearms, ammunition, food, medical supplies…whatever you can provide.]

-Murmur, murmur, murmur...

The command room, which should have remained silent, stirred ever so slightly. Even the officers who had been listening quietly showed their agitation, some scoffing while others stared wide-eyed. Rough voices occasionally mixed into the murmuring.

Most of the reactions were pretty much, ‘Is she insane? How the hell is that supposed to work?’

Major General Jeon Minho frowned as he spoke into the receiver.

"Ma’am. Those aren’t matters Command can decide at its own discretion. More importantly, in exchange for conditions of that magnitude, you and your group would have to…”

[Then let’s make the exchange worthwhile. Information on the leader of the Gangnam group, the person you soldiers call Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes, and on the Gangnam group’s actual combat assets. The Seongnam blockade line is about to break, right? We’ll give you everything we know about Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes and the Gangnam group’s main wizards.]

"It would be difficult to determine whether that information is genuine, and we have no assurance that you actually possess it.”

[Goodness, aren't you clever? Fine. I’ll give you something up front.]

And information about Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes began slipping from Madam Yongsan Station’s lips.

Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes.

Believed to be a former Grade 5 civil servant.

Before the blockade was implemented, they apparently learned through administrative documents that VIPs were being evacuated and attempted to expose it but failed. Because no wounds or other signs normally associated with violence and looting during desperate attempts to escape were found on them during the early stages of the disaster, it is believed they had been detained at the time.

Possesses greater knowledge than an ordinary civilian regarding the government intranet and military deployment plans.

Immediately before the blockade, they attempted to escape while the military was indiscriminately firing on major roads and incinerating corpses with flamethrowers but failed. Entire family is believed to have been shot dead.

Joined the 66-Society in order to survive.

Distinguishing characteristics.

Deep and shallow burns cover the entire face and neck. These injuries were self-inflicted. They burned their own face away in order to erase it.

After saying that much, Madam Yongsan Station added coyly.

[Of course, depending on how these negotiations turn out, some of my guesses might become a little more certain. Don’t you think? Living in a place like this does make your memory awfully spotty.]

It was time to make a choice.

Major General Jeon Minho briefly set down the receiver and joined the American generals to discuss the matter.

Marshal McKinsey let out a hollow laugh and said.

"This drone — that was the Chinese, right? They're trying to contain this thing too, last I checked."

Major General Jeon Minho, still thoroughly salted, answered politely.

"Beyond a pretext for a nuclear strike, they may be after intelligence on the practitioners, sir. Minimizing intelligence sharing on our end was your directive, was it not?"

"Heh. Looking at who's pushing to fast-track the volunteer corps and PMCs through entry, I think we can guess who's behind this."

While they spoke, Lieutenant General Royce cautiously joined in.

"But sir -back home, public opposition to cooperating with the Chinese is growing fast. We've pushed Congress on intelligence sharing, but it's late in the game, and the senators can't ignore where the public stands."

"Used to think soldiers just fought wars."

Watching Marshal McKinsey give a self-deprecating laugh at Lieutenant General Royce’s words, I twitched my finger.

-Tap, tap, tap…

What the hell is Shin Nain doing?

Translator Wizard, do you damn job!!!

'They suspect China may not have been the one who sent the drones.’

The moment Translator Wizard finally got to work, I wondered if I’d heard him wrong.

What? Why?

It was obviously China, right?

But apparently the calculations of American generals ran deeper than anything someone like me could manage.

Shin Nain sent another telepathic message in a subdued, serious voice.

'If regular troops aren’t enough, they’ll have to bring in mercenaries as well. People who move according to money and contracts rather than duty or faith. It seems they suspect that whoever wants highly mobile mercenary forces deployed may be the actual sponsor. People who only want the sweet fruits of Holy Alteration Battle Arts.'

And finally, Marshal McKinsey spoke with a bitter smile.

This time, thanks to Translator Wizard actually doing his job properly, I didn’t miss it.

Marshal McKinsey: Give her the pardon. On the condition that she ceases further hostile activity and cooperates with Command. Back off on the material support by citing Seoul’s hostile environment.

Marshal McKinsey: This is generous enough for someone who may still be our enemy.

The decision had been made.

Major General Jeon Minho returned to the receiver, took a deep breath, and conveyed the decision of the Korean-US Combined Command in Pyeongtaek. After hearing Command’s terms, Madam Yongsan Station began clapping softly but unmistakably.

-Clap, clap, clap...

[You soldiers have gotten much more reasonable. Goodness, I suppose when the people at the top change, everything underneath changes with them. Isn’t that right?]

"How will you deliver the information?”

[Just keep this line open. It’s not like we have proper internet here, or even a fax machine. But you understand there’s nothing I can do about the risk of someone listening in, right? I’m basically announcing that I’ve joined your side now, so wouldn’t it be better for both of us to make the best of it?]

At that moment, Go Ryeoha, standing among the Supreme Archmages, cautiously raised a hand.

When everyone’s attention turned toward her, she hesitated.

Shin Nain clicked his tongue and frowned, Lee Sejun folded his arms with a stony expression, Hamza looked around helplessly, and Pastor Park calmly nodded.

Then Go Ryeoha’s eyes darted around before settling on me.

She probably wanted me to say something.

For Go Ryoeha, who was gradually taking the red pill, I decided to carve the Supreme Archmages’ mindset into her in place of the red pill.

"Ryeoha-ssi. Do you know why you went crazy?”

"Hubae-nim…”

"Because you viewed the world too softly. Everything in the world runs on necessity, but that good-girl complex telling you that you had to save even people who weren’t needed is what ruined you. If it were me, the moment I learned monsters could become experience points for raising my magical stage, I would’ve fed every non-wizard who did nothing but hide like useless mouths without so much as lifting a finger to the Amalgams, then shot them dead. If they were going to die anyway, they could live on in me as my experience points.”

I could see Shin Nain and Pastor Park staring at me in horror at this Great Archmage Baek Jemin’s philosophy of maximizing the recycling value, who couldn’t even pull their own weight, all for the benefit of everyone.

Under their horrified expressions and furiously condemning stares, I puffed myself up even more and gave them a confident smile.

"So if anyone gives Go Ryeoha-ssi shit, tell them you’re still better than someone like me. They should be grateful you at least let those useless non-wizard parasites who spent 2 months doing nothing but eating without even learning magic die peacefully. Does it make any sense for a country that used to call people parasites for paying no taxes and living off welfare to blame you because, after the world ended, you couldn’t save people who couldn’t even bring home their own food? They’re only giving you shit because you’re an easy target. Hoarding non-wizards really was a sin, though. Trying to save people when you didn’t have the ability to was a sin.”

If she kept hoarding non-wizards even after joining the Supreme Archmages, I’d shoot her dead.

That was the resolve behind my words.

Go Ryeoha gave me an incredibly complicated, indescribable look.

Still, apparently I had helped her make up her mind. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears spilling down in heavy drops, and trudged forward. The generals looked bewildered, since they had no idea why this woman was approaching them or what the hell I had just said to her.

That was when Major General Jeon Minho, being a native Korean speaker, approached her with an awkward expression and asked,

"Go Ryeoha-ssi, did you have something you wanted to say?”

"Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes’ magical stage."

"Excuse me?”

"He’s an Ears-branch wizard. Gangnam-ahjussi…Upright Alteration-type, Ears-branch, Stage 4…”

With her mind still hanging by a thread, Go Ryeoha finally chose to face the truth.

Tears continued spilling from her eyes without pause as she poured out everything she knew, trying to give them even one more scrap of information, like she was making a confession. Everyone in the command-and-control room fell silent at the sight of her back.

With a few exceptions.

Pastor Park immediately came charging over.

"Baek Jemin, you damn butcher. Do you only treat your parents well because you need them too?”

"Yeah?”

Who else besides my parents was supposed to put up with nonsense like ‘Uugggh, Mom, Dad, Jemin wanna sleepy-sleep, Jemin no wanna!’ Even my parents were disgusted by it.

My parents were people I desperately needed.

Then Shin Nain came over.

"Jemin-ssi. That’s a truly horrifying way to think. There’s no such thing as an unnecessary person. Beneath the Lord, we are all equal sheep.”

"Didn’t you tell me before that I wasn’t a good person? Heaven only takes the sheep it wants too, then dumps the rest of the filthy sheep into Hell and slow-roasts them, but somehow I’m the one getting yelled at.”

"That’s why you should live cleanly. The gates of Heaven are open to everyone.”

"You really think the world wants a clean, kind, gentle Baek Jemin who gets into Heaven more than it wants Great Archmage Baek Jemin, who acts like a complete asshole but actually gets results?”

"I’m glad you at least realize you’re an asshole. Repent, Jemin-ssi.”

You win. You fucking bastard.

That was when Hamza cautiously crept over with a frightened expression.

"Jemin-ssi.”

"What?”

"Do you think you really would’ve done it? Fed people to monsters for experience points, I mean.”

At those words, I suddenly found myself unable to answer.

It wasn’t because I cared about what society would think.

After thinking about it for a moment, I gave an honest answer.

"No."

If I had been put in the exact same situation as Go Ryeoha.

If I had realized that I could no longer keep the people who had once applauded for me alive.

If I had ended up in that situation while knowing about monsters and the beginning of eternity…

"I think I would’ve shot them myself, though.”

At the very least, I wouldn’t have borrowed someone else’s hands.

*t*t*

May 12th, 2028, 6:46 AM.

We Supreme Archmages loaded our respective gear onto the helicopter while watching the Pyeongtaek US military camp bustle chaotically around us. Armored vehicles and tanks that had been parked in lots and hangars until now were roaring to life and thundered down the roads.

As I stood there mesmerized by the majestic procession of tanks, someone noisily heaved a heavy ammo can into the helicopter.

-Clunk!

Lee Sejun pulled a smartphone and a pair of earphones from inside his clothes and handed them to me.

"Jemin-ssi. If you’re going to goof off, at least listen to the recording they distributed.”

"Oh, sure.”

What kind of idiot would work when they’d been given permission to screw around instead?

I promptly took Lee Sejun’s phone and looked at the screen.

All while proudly showing off the gas mask I’d gotten too lazy to keep putting back into its pouch and had instead started wearing at my shoulder like an epaulet beneath my poncho flapping in the wind.

"Wooow, you tell him he can slack off, and he really does slack off.”

I ignored the pastor needling me and tapped the screen.

Madam Yongsan Station had kept her promise.

I put the earphones Lee Sejun had given me into my ears and played the recorded file.

[I didn’t expect that Konkuk engineering girl to spill information on Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes. Goodness, she’s completely become one of you outsiders now. She really told you another wizard’s stage? A Seoul wizard would never do that. And Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes, of all people?]

The rumble of tank threads and the shouts of soldiers faded away, leaving only Madam Yongsan Station’s sly, teasing voice tickling my ears.

Even though my eyes were still watching soldiers clutching rifles and sprinting through salty, sand-laden wind.

[Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes really was a Grade 5 civil servant. Young too. How do I know? Goodness, you’re determined to clean me out of every last card I have, aren’t you? Still, now that we’re in the same boat, I suppose I should tell you. That’s what being a team means, right?]

Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes.

A social elite who had worked as a Grade 5 civil servant.

While handling administrative documents, they discovered that VIPs were being evacuated and attempted to inform the citizens of Seoul but were caught. They were arrested by military police for leaking classified information and were being transported in custody when the convoy came under attack after the restricted access zone was overrun, allowing them to escape.

Afterward, they attempted to escape again, this time taking at least their family with them, but the military and police issued orders to shoot them because they had come from within the restricted-access zone.

Escape failed.

Every member of the family was shot dead.

They begged three times to be allowed to return into the fog, pleading with the soldiers not to shoot, but every one of them was killed and their bodies incinerated afterward.

Only they managed to escape and survive.

Afterward, they burned their own face and neck to prevent anyone from identifying them.

[My source is the 66-Society. It seems they’ve got some internal factional fighting going on too.]

I could see American soldiers climbing aboard trucks.

Some of them looked much younger than me, with baby faces like they had only just graduated high school.

Those young soldiers were clearly nervous about the battle ahead, yet strangely excited at the same time as they chatted among themselves.

[After that, Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes used their long-range killing ability to stir up further chaos among the troops massacring Seoul’s civilians while gathering survivors who could be confirmed as human and raiding military units. They were the most hostile toward soldiers. At the same time, they were also the best at making use of them.]

Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes aggressively used their long-ranged killing ability to expand their organization.

The condition was the level of recognition.

The more information they knew about the target, the more dangerous it became, and once their knowledge of someone exceeded a certain threshold, long-range killing became possible. That was why having your face and name exposed was so deadly.

And because Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes could potentially be killed by the exact same method, they erased their name and burned away their face and voice with fire.

Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes seized firearms regardless of whether the survivors they incited lived or died. Then, using the survivors under their command who operated those stolen weapons, along with soldiers coerced into joining them, they went around hunting down other wizards in Gangnam.

Their choices were simple. Do and offer up your remains, or join the Gangnam group.

The Gangnam group’s oath of loyalty consisted of revealing your face and name.

At the same time, to prevent Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes from being singled out, every wizard in the Gangnam group fights with their face covered.

[In a way, they unintentionally became the first benchmark for the 55 Unit the Society had been planning to operate. That’s also why they were promoted within the Society despite originally being a local Seoul survivor.]

Therefore, the Gangnam group’s wizards were difficult to distinguish from one another, but even so, there were a handful of particularly distinctive and powerful individuals who could be identified as their real combat assets and officer-class members.

There were 5 of them in total.

To summarize the ones whose nicknames I had mostly come up with…

Madam Yongsan Station said she didn’t know their exact stages in detail, but she could at least tell us their highest known stage, and began explaining them one by one.

1. Sports Rebar. Inverted Alteration-type. Hand-branch wizard. Estimated Stage 3.

A wizard dressed in sweatpants, sneakers, and a padded jacket, dragging a bloodstained piece of rebar behind them. They keep their shirt collar raised to roughly conceal the lower half of their face, though there is speculation that the face they show may not be their real one.

2. Hundred-Miles Eyes. Inverted Alteration-type, Eyes-branch wizard. Also possesses Upright Alteration-type, Heart-branch. Estimated Stage 2.

Believed to possess long-distance vision, while Upright Heart-branch is confirmed to be Stage 2. A sniper who operates from within the fog and assassinates targets by personally throwing stones or other objects by hand.

They wear a beanie, short-sleeved shirt, cargo pants, and work boots, with their face covered in black paint.

3. Yellow-Bandage Straggler. Inverted Alteration-type, Ears-branch wizard. Estimated Stage 3.

A wizard in military uniform who wrapped a bandage painted yellow around their helmet and concealed their face with a KN95 mask and sunglasses. Knows how to use firearms.

4. Ski Goggles. Ritual-type, and Upright Alteration-type Eyes-branch wizard. Stage 3.

The same bastard we killed.

5. Velcro Corporal. Inverated Alteration-type, Heart-branch wizard. Estimated Stage 2.

A wizard in military uniform who randomly sticks the name tags of soldiers they have killed onto the Velcro patches of their uniform and hides their face behind a gas mask. They know how to use firearms but are infamous for their vicious method of killing at close range by embedding Human Slime into their own arm like a tumor and bursting it on their victims.

After explaining all of them, Madam Yongsan Station let out one of her sly little laughs.

[But I hear you’ve got some pretty capable wizards on your side too? The 66-Society seems to think highly of them.]

Someone tapped me on the shoulder.

When I turned around, the Supreme Archmages had already finished loading the gear and were climbing into the helicopter. The one who had tapped my shoulder was Go Ryeoha. With her eyes still swollen and puffy, she patted my shoulder and jerked her other thumb toward the helicopter.

All while enduring the gale whipped up by the slowly spinning rotor blades.

Was she feigning weakness even though she was a Heart-branch wizard?

I nodded, then followed Go Ryeoha aboard the helicopter.

-Clunk.

It was a heaviness I felt more as vibration than sound.

Leaning back against the seat, I kept my eyes on the outside for as long as possible before the motion sickness could hit.

The helicopter door closed.

Through the glass as the helicopter slowly lifted off, I could see tanks and armored vehicles below, crawling along or advancing together in formation.

[Guess all I can do is hope your people pull through.]

-Click.

The sound in my earphones cut out once.

The next voice was Major General Jeon Minho.

[First, there’s something I need to say to everyone who will be listening to this recording. I’m sorry.]

Shin Nain already had his eyes closed, probably humming a hymn, while Hamza was practicing putting on his gas mask.

[We tried to do his right, but we failed.]

Pastor Park Yohan was running his hand over the expensive-looking cover of his Bible, while Go Ryeoha had pulled her poncho over herself, hiding her face as she sat with her head bowed.

[Some of you probably ended up here by chance. Many of you are fighting even though you never wanted to. Many of you have cursed this situation countless times, asking why our country, why me, why I had to go through something like this. Many of you probably believe the military did something unforgivable. I won’t make excuses.]

Lee Sejun was looking at me with a serious expression, arms folded.

Under that gaze, I found myself aimlessly tapping the smartphone screen.

-Tap, tap.

[Even so, I believe it was something the military had to do. I’m not proud that we abandoned 10 million citizens. By making the cruelest decision at the cruelest moment, we protected at least the remaining 40 million. It’s something we can never take pride in and never boast about, but even so, it’s the one fact that gives us comfort.]

The ground below the helicopter was already packed with dense columns of vehicles and people.

Above them, fighter jets streaked past in formation, drawing contrails across the sky.

They passed so close.

For a brief instant as one fighter swept by, I could almost imagine that my eyes met the pilot's through the cockpit.

[At 2:44 AM on May 12th, the blockade line, having finally reached its limit, began to collapse. What the military did to the group led by the hostile local survivor we have designated as Gangnam Thousand-Miles Eyes was horrific. But the military cannot afford to lose our final source of comfort. The fact that there are still people alive.]

The recording was almost over.

I pulled out one earbud.

Instantly, the sounds of breathing and sniffling noses, along with the heavy atmosphere inside the helicopter, pressed down on me.

[I hope that, rather than vanishing in the end of the world, we can be remembered somehow, in whatever form that may take. Major General Jeon Minho, Joint Alteration Operations Group, Reality Survival Command. End of message.]

Click.

The recording ended.

I took out the earphones and handed them back to Lee Sejun along with his phone, then leaned against the seat again.

That was when Hamza, looking puzzled, asked me,

"You’re not getting motion sick today?”

"No."

Inside my head, I repeated the Supreme Archmages’ motto once more.

Madness against Madness.

Absurdity against Absurdity.

"The world’s shaking so much that a helicopter shaking doesn’t even make me dizzy anymore."

We shall enter hell before it encroaches upon us.