Chapter 37: Escalation

[Translator – Aren]

The day the fate of the world changed was quieter and more jarring than expected.

-Clank, clank.

The backs of countless 2.5-ton military trucks stretched down the road, packed with important personnel. They bounced around like bean sprouts crammed into a basket.

On the smaller roads branching off through the alleys, soldiers in full combat gear marched in neat formation. But the sighs and shouts of the people below were swallowed beneath the white contrails cutting across the sky.

-Whoooosh—.

Three fighter jets flew overhead in formation. They were probably launching them from everywhere. I’d heard Suwon had an Air Force base nearby. Maybe they were coming from there.

Thinking about it, I finally understood why Suwon had been chosen as one of the key strongholds of the second blockade line.

So, it was because of the Air Force base there.

All of this felt unreal. The excitement was still there, as well as the thrill. But the reality that I was heading toward a battlefield where lives were on the line felt strangely distant. Whenever I fought monsters, my spine would stiffen from adrenaline. Yet now that I was merely one part of this massive military movement, I found myself surprisingly calm.

What brought me back to reality was an unexpected sound.

[The President and the government will now make a major national announcement.]

Lee Sejun, who had been quietly sighing to himself. Hamza, who was blinking lazily. even Shin Nain, who seemed to find joy in everything. All turned toward the source of the voice.

Pastor Park Yohan had deliberately turned the volume up. He wanted everyone to witness this historic moment together.

"You ought to listen to these things. It makes for a good story later.”

His casual remark prompted everyone to fall silent.

Even I, Baek Jemin, sat among the other wizards in the back of the military truck and listened. Just as the world had been divided into before and after the COVID era, the world would now be divided into before today and after today.

[My fellow citizens. Today I stand before you to speak openly about the most dangerous moment our nation has faced since its founding. This includes both the struggle against the greatest threat humanity has ever imagined and an accounting of the mistrust, concealment, and actions taken against civilians in the name of public safety.]

By the time Suwon Station had nearly been overrun, information about the Amalgams had already begun spreading despite government censorship and information controls.

The government had never officially admitted anything, but Korean society had long since descended into chaos.

People might not know the full horror of the Seoul blockade line. Yet the outbreak of monsters and the military’s willingness to shoot civilians without hesitation had reopened some of the deepest scars in Korean memory.

-Clunk.

We hit a speed bump. My backside briefly lifted off the truck bed before slamming back down. Lee Sejun rubbed his lower back and winced.

"Things must be pretty bad outside Seoul, huh?!”

"Riots, really.”

The answer came from the beanie-wearing makgeolli uncle.

With both hands shoved into the pockets of his ragged padded jacket, his hair fluttered in the wind.

"People saw those face-rubbing monsters and still forgot all about em. Now they're crying about family members in Seoul. Bunch of idiots. Have they never watched a zombie movie? Opening the gates because you wanna save your relatives when monsters could be mixed in? How does that make any sense?”

"Oh, come on now. What’s with that attitude?”

The poodle lady finally snapped back in anger.

"The government didn’t exactly handle things well either, right? They should’ve tried talking people down and helping them evacuate. You can’t gun people down because you’re scared and then act like the survivors are the only ones at fault.”

"And~ that kind of thinking is exactly how you end up as one of those face-rubbing monsters. Do you still think Seoul’s something worth protecting? As much as I hate agreeing with the Chinese, they're not entirely wrong. Frankly, it’s a miracle they haven’t started dropping nukes already.”

"Why do you keep breathing around the bush? If you want to say everyone should just die, then say it. You don’t have any family trapped there, so who are you to judge the people who do? What’s so noble about shooting everyone who comes begging for help?”

"Exactly~. The government’s busting its ass trying to save 40 million people, while those idiots don’t even know how to save themselves. One minute they’re demanding refugee screening centers in Seoul, the next, they’re demanding quarantine camps… No wonder this country’s always at each other’s throat.”

Watching the argument between the makgeolli uncle and the poodle lady, I felt like I was looking at a miniature version of Korea in 2028.

Maybe the country really was doomed.

I desperately needed some authoritative wisdom from Hamza, my fellow Richam enthusiast.

"Hamza, do you think this country can make it?”

"I don't know anything about the fate of nations. The angel doesn’t tell me stuff like that.”

While the two continued bickering, the government’s emergency announcement kept crackling from the rattling military truck.

[The government humbly acknowledges that this crisis is no longer a disaster affecting only the Republic of Korea but a global catastrophe confronting all humanity. Therefore, beginning with the mobilization order and continuing through the present day, we will publicly disclose information regarding several monster species positively identified by the government and military. These are four confirmed species that, thanks to the courageous efforts of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and active support from our ally, the United States, have thus far been prevented from spreading beyond Gyeonggi Province…]

The moment those words were spoken, every conversation stopped.

A strange silence settled over the truck. The President continued reading from the prepared script, his voice calm yet trembling slightly.

Identified Species 1. Cranial Fusion-Type Mimetic Organism.

Approaches victims while disguised as a human. Upon contact, fuses with the victim’s head and seizes control of the body. Capable of imitating human behavior to a limited degree. Demonstrates active intelligence and awareness of firearms, taking measures to avoid them. The original victim’s consciousness is presumed irrecoverable. An instinctively hostile predator with no capacity for communication or negotiation.

Communication Impossible.

Identified Species 2. Autonomous Mobile Spinal Extraction Entity.

An independent monster created through mutation of a host’s spine. Mimics humans by transmitting signals that manipulate the host’s nervous system. Incapable of communication. Maintains the host’s human appearance while consuming internal organs for sustenance. Upon the host’s death, it emerges, lies in ambush, and reproduces by injecting bodily fluids into new victims in a manner similar to parasitic wasps.

Domestication Impossible.

Identified Species 3. Cellular Degenerative Colony Organism.

A slime-like organism believed to emerge when humans are exposed to specific environmental conditions. Presumed to be the result of every cell in the human body degenerating into a colony of highly mutilated, cancer-like cells. Moves collectively in search of hosts. Upon contact with victims, reproduces through mechanisms similar to cancerous growth.

No intelligence. Domestication Impossible.

Identified Species 4. Blood-cord Delta.

A subspecies of the Cranial Fusion-Type Memetic Organism. Adapted to indoor environments and capable of avoiding dense biochemical gases. Typically lies in ambush on ceilings using tentacles to snatch corpses in order to suppress resistance among potential victims.

Domestication Impossible.

[These are the monsters we face. Additional reports will provide visual documentation of these creatures for public viewing.]

There was still no mention of the Teratomas. But honestly, the four species they’d already described were enough to show that we were in a living hell. Still, why release all this information now?

The government had gone to extraordinary lengths to suppress these details until today. Why suddenly reveal everything?

As I sat there deep in thought, Shin Nain raised an eyebrow while listening to music through one earbud.

"A propaganda campaign to establish a moral justification for this crusade.”

"A propaganda campaign?”

"It's a question aimed at everyone who feels uncomfortable with the idea of exterminating the Seoul heretics. Like, ‘Look upon the work of Satan. Behold them. Now then, if we follow your advice, can you bear the responsibility for what happens next? Do you dare?’”

"But there’ll still be people claiming this is all AI-generated fake footage or something.”

Despite Lee Sejun’s sharp remark, Shin Nain kept smiling, looking almost delighted.

"Then let the line break."

"What?"

"If the majority have surrendered themselves to Satan’s dominion, then this country deserves to be brought to ruin once. Refugee evacuation? Quarantine? When the weak-minded drivel they've been preaching ends up spreading those satanic monsters across the entire Korean Peninsula, only then will they understand. Only then will they realize just how cowardly and pathetic they’ve been.”

"Wow…”

I shifted my butt and subtly scooted closer to Hamza.

Caught off guard, Hamza had to stretch himself upright like a man being flattened in a hydraulic press.

"Jemin-ssi, I think I’m getting crushed.”

"I’ll give you a spoonful of Spam this time, so hang in there.”

Shin Nain was a complete lunatic.

Unlike me, who was excited by the prospect of wizards fighting other wizards, I had a hard time understanding that reckless optimism of his where it apparently didn’t matter whether the blockade line held or collapsed.

Meanwhile, the government’s major announcement continued.

[However, despite the valiant efforts of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces, military casualties over the past 3 months have now surpassed 13 thousand personnel. The soldiers understand the threat posed by these monsters better than anyone and have fought desperately to prevent breaches of the containment lines. They are, without exaggeration, the elite of the Korean Military. Despite suffering severe psychological trauma and lasting aftereffects, they continue to dedicate themselves to preventing the monsters from reaching the rear areas. Unfortunately, while maintaining a firm stance toward the survivor groups remaining in Seoul, the current government was unable to prevent bloodshed.]

At this point, I finally understood why Shin Nain had called this a propaganda campaign.

Yeah. They were framing this masterfully.

[The local survivor groups made the understandable decision to prioritize their own survival over the necessity of quarantine and containment. As a result, they not only refused military orders and demanded that the military cease its use of force but also engaged in outright hostile actions against the Armed Forces. Furthermore, evidence has emerged suggesting that certain survivor groups deliberately used human bait to lure monsters toward military defensive positions. These groups have shown little willingness to negotiate with the current government, and… it is believed that a significant portion of the more than 13 thousand military casualties resulted from operations conducted by these Seoul-based survivor groups.]

At that point, the President took things a step further and began appealing to emotion.

Granted, it was the old-fashioned ‘Suck it up for the greater good” kind of sentiment, but it was more than enough to resonate with the people living safely outside the blockade lines.

[I understand the sense of betrayal felt by the citizens of Seoul. In the early stages of this crisis, the government was so focused on analyzing the cause and formulating a response that, under the pretext of preventing panic, it restricted the sharing of information. In order to prevent sudden traffic collapse and logistical chaos, we blocked evacuation attempts and demanded isolation within the containment zone under the guise of quarantine measures. These are the original sins of both the government and the Armed Forces. Actions that cannot be justified under any circumstances.]

[However, despite limited capabilities and exhaustion pushed to their absolute limits… the government and military fought with everything they had for approximately 3 months. Through the successful maintenance of the first and second blockade lines, we secured the safety of the Korean Peninsula outside of Seoul and northern Gyeonggi. The survival and safety of 40 million citizens remains the government’s highest responsibility. Despite the value of Seoul and the people who remain there, I was forced to make the utilitarian choice for the sake of the greater number.]

[To the citizens of Seoul who could not accept this decision and who have gone so far as to employ human bait in attempts to break through the containment lines, thereby demanding further sacrifices from our soldiers, I offer my sincere apologies. Despite this tragic division, if there remain individuals willing to act rationally and negotiate, I urge you to respond to communications from the Combined US-Korea Command in Pyeongtaek.]

[My fellow citizens, this is a crisis unlike anything in the history of our nation. No one could have imagined such a disaster would occur, and even I, who bear the responsibility of confronting any threat to this country, was no exception. I stand before you as a sinner. Yet I am a sinner who remains determined, more than anyone else, to stop this catastrophe by whatever means necessary. I ask that you grant the government and the Armed Forces one final chance. To those who will lose family members, I once again offer my deepest apologies. Should the Republic of Korea fall, I will bow my head before our ancestors and beg their forgiveness.]

[However, I could not gamble the survival of 40 million citizens on the possibility of rescuing innocent people who may be hiding among the monsters. That is all.]

-Rattle, rattle.

As the broadcast faded away, silence settled over us. The only sound left was the suspension groaning as the truck bounced over speed bumps. In that silence, Pastor Park Yohan spoke bitterly.

"It’s fear more than responsibility.”

"The soldiers on the first blockade line really were ruthless.”

As I replied to the pastor, I found myself recalling the time our Alteration-type trio had encountered the Teratoma.

The sight of soldiers fearlessly forming a semicircular encirclement around a monster disguised as a young girl and opening fire with flamethrowers. There had undoubtedly been innocent refugees mixed in among them.

And yet the soldiers on the first blockade line had pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Why do you think the rules of engagement became 'No Rescue. Shoot on Approach?'

The journal we’d found in the abandoned hospital hadn’t been wrong in the slightest. 

Humanity cannot win this war.

Because we love ourselves too much.

Amalgams disguise themselves as humans and blend in among them, using that fact to break through refugee screening attempts.

Predator Spines keep their hosts alive so they can find places to lie in wait. And Teratomas go even further, mimicking the appearance and cries of infants, weaponizing humanity’s instinctive desire to protect children to the point that even the Ears-branch’s ability to read minds becomes ineffective.

Only those who have awakened magic are given the chance to recognize their true nature quickly enough to fight back.

Enemies who desecrate and slaughter anyone foolish enough to cling to noble but fragile morality.

That was what monsters were.

But not everyone possessed the aptitude necessary to become a wizard. At least, the ethics and morals of 21st-century Korea had made sure of that.

As long as people insisted on saving the innocent hidden among the monsters, Korea could struggle and thrash about all it wanted, defeat would remain inevitable. At the very least, everyone gathered here seemed to understand that on some level.

I looked around at the Supreme Archmages and asked what they thought of the government’s major announcement.

"Even so, we have to save them. The Lord was willing to risk His life for a single lost lamb.”

Pastor Park Yohan steeled his resolve, as if reassuring himself.

"Not everyone is good. But neither is anyone born deserving death. At the same time, nobody is guaranteed salvation either.”

Hamza revealed a surprisingly cynical outlook.

"I don’t know. If we can save them, it’d be nice to save them. But we can’t put everyone else at risk just to do it…”

Lee Sejun rested his chin on his hand and groaned in frustration.

"Jemin-ssi, that way of thinking is flawed."

"...”

"Salvation belongs to the Lord alone. Once a person dies and stands before Him, then their fate will be decided. The righteous do not fear judgment, while the wicked repent when faced with terror!”

Only Shin Nain possessed unwavering conviction.

In a mad world, the logic of a madman sometimes becomes the right answer.

Not that I intended to go mad along with him. I’d rather sneak a peek at his test paper and copy the answers I liked.

Before long, the back of the military truck grew noisy as everyone began debating their views. Rather than joining that pointless argument, I turned my attention elsewhere.

Using the bandages and disinfectant I’d brought beforehand, along with the combat knife I’d used during the ritual, I decided to experiment with Hand-branch, Stage 2 magic.

For this operation, I had brought my old K2 instead of my brand-new AR-15. The reason was simple but practical. I wanted to avoid being identified or even suspected of being a wizard or mercenary because of a distinctive firearm.

Now that wizards were fighting other wizards, and now that we had reason to fear the powers possessed by the wizards in Seoul, the smartest move was to avoid leaving any obvious clues.

Besides, combat uniforms, gas masks, and ponchos weren’t particularly eye-catching near the first blockade line.

So I used Hand-branch, Stage 2 magic somewhere inconspicuous.

"Which is why conducting inspections would reduce resistance from the Seoul survivors…”

"And who’s taking responsibility when that gets people killed?”

Using their argument as background noise, I secretly pricked my left index finger with my combat knife.

Using the bead of blood that emerged, I wrote words onto the rubber lining inside my gas mask and repeatedly tested the effect. The word I’d written was ‘Breathing.’ I figured it might help with the stuffiness caused by the filter.

In the end, I managed to identify a few patterns.

1. The broader a word’s meaning, the weaker the effect. If I want a specific result, I need to use more detailed words.

2. However, imbuing longer and more complex meanings seems to require a higher level of magical mastery. At my current level, my limit appears to be roughly one word, or in terms of character count, 2 characters (Hangul).

3. When I combined words like "Purification," "Breathing," and "Refreshing," only the word written with the greatest amount of blood actually produced an effect. That might change at higher levels, but for now, only one works.

4. I suspect Tongue-branch, Stage 1 could strengthen the effect further, but I was too scared of making my tongue explode again to test it.

5. The magic feels somewhat similar to rune magic and provides ongoing effects, but the backlash is relatively mild. At worst, my arm feels numb, like I’d slept on it for 6 hours, while my fingers twitch and occasionally cramp.

Then I started to wonder whether it could affect people directly.

To test that, I borrowed Lee Sejun’s gas mask and tried casting on it. Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to work. Lee Sejun, who had eagerly volunteered the moment I suggested the experiment, leaned close while wearing the mask and whispered.

"Jemin-ssi, how’d it go?”

"You’re still a man. Writing ‘Gender Swap’ didn’t do anything.”

"Damn it. Do I really need to reach Heart-branch, Stage 5 for that?”

Hand-branch, Stage 2 only grants effects to objects stained with my blood.

Just in case, I’d even humored Lee Sejun’s desperate request and written ‘Beauty’ on his hairy forearm using the blood of my left hand. Nothing happened.

"Sejun-ssi, just live your life already. You were born a proud Korean man. Why are you so determined to get rid of your dick?”

"Because I’d like to spend my life mooching off other people’s hard work for once, damn it.”

For fuck’s sake. I had to actively resist the urge to join Shin Nain in judging him. Well, everyone has different dreams, I guess. In any case, the limitations of Hand-branch, Stage 2 were becoming clear.

6. It doesn't work on living things, especially humans. Therefore, it must be used to strengthen or grant properties to non-sentient objects such as firearms, gas masks, or clothing. It’s extremely similar to what most people would call enchantment magic, lending some support to existing theories that the Hand-branch is related to alchemy.

Around that time, the atmosphere began to change.

The smell of burnt residue mixed with something foul and metallic wafted over.

Amidst the ash-colored dust drifting through the air, Lee Sejun and I quietly straightened our posture. Hamza, who’d been practically folded in half, sat upright, and the people who’d been chatting up to this point all fell silent.

We’d reached the first blockade line.

The biggest difference was that the constant thunder of artillery fire had stopped. In its place settled an even stranger, chilling silence.

For a moment, I wondered if everyone had been wiped out…

Thankfully, that wasn’t the case.

I could still hear soldiers’ footsteps and the clatter of metal gear.

The truck finally came to a halt. Then soldiers from the first blockade line approached. They were wrapped head to toe in CBRN protective gear and gas masks. Each carried either a flamethrower or a shotgun fitted with a drum magazine.

-Huff– Huuuff—.

The distinctive sound of breathing through gas masks pressed against our ears as a soldier wearing a squad leader’s armband spoke.

"The civilian Operators’ assistance has been requested for a final ultimatum and warning. I’ll escort you to headquarters.”

*t*t*

March 23rd, 2028.

The South Korean government finally revealed truths it had concealed for a long time.

The Seoul Unrest was not merely a civil disorder. It was both a form of quarantine as well as a war against dangerous monsters that had appeared alongside the fog. Knowing full well the consequences, the government and military had accepted Seoul’s downfall in order to ensure the nation’s immediate survival.

The entire world argued over the information South Korea had released regarding the four identified monster species. Regardless of whether they believed it or not, nobody could deny its impact.

Humanity would never return to the world that existed before March 23rd.

The United Nations officially designated the Seoul Unrest as an unprecedented transnational biological catastrophe and convened emergency meetings to coordinate worldwide support.

Discussions ranged from nuclear strikes in the event of a containment breach to the deployment of volunteer forces and even UN peacekeeping troops.

Amidst all this, the government delivered a final ultimatum and final negotiation proposal to the survivor groups remaining in Seoul.

Or more accurately, it was the same proposal they had been offering all along.

- Begin aid deliveries via high-risk aerial supply drops.

- Provide regular material support through unmanned drones and autonomous vehicles if secure underground routes can be established.

- Suspend artillery strikes on any area whose coordinates are disclosed as survivor settlements.

- Continue surviving locally until Seoul can be reclaimed.

And while all of us wizards stood gathered together, the response that came crackling back through headquarters’ radio, buried beneath layers of static, was the following.

[....Hey......You....... Fucking…idiots…]

Amid the deafening interference, a voice shouted back. The audio quality was so distorted that it was impossible to tell whether the speaker was a man or a woman.

[Let us the fuck out!!!]