Chapter 52: The Bond Forged Over a Bowl of Ramen

[Translator – Aren]

Up until now, we’d believed the fog was what created the monsters.

We’d thought of it as a kind of environmental effect. Something that interfered with modern weapons and common sense while creating the perfect hunting grounds for monsters.

Which, honestly, was only natural. Humanity has spent its entire history waging wars, and our skills in fighting in them were nothing to sneeze at.

World peace? Humanity probably hadn’t gone even a 100 years without fighting somewhere. And let’s not forget that the folks over in Africa and the Middle East are part of humanity too.

Anyway, we’d all been carrying around this oddly warped sense of human pride born from centuries of warfare. A sort of ‘Humanity can kick anyone’s ass’ mindset. The idea that no one could beat mankind at war and that if it weren’t for that damned fog, we’d simply blast those monsters away with overwhelming firepower.

But now, the Seoul wizard Kang Areum was saying something completely different.

With her sharp, angular jaw, Kang Areum offered an entirely different perspective on the fog. She thumped herself on the chest in frustration.

"Have any of you ever felt that gaze moving through the fog?”

"The pale yellow gaze? The monster that seemed to be swimming through the fog?”

"Swimming…that’s actually a pretty good way of putting it.”

Kang Areum gave us a bitter smile before she opened her notebook and laid it on the car’s hood. Then she tapped it with her index finger, clearly telling us to read it.

The gesture was so blatant that every one of us Supreme Archmages exchanged glances. Without saying a word, we somehow managed to have an entire conversation with our eyes.

Should we? Why not? We really need this info, right? You really trust this? What if she’s feeding us false info?

It looked like we’d spend the rest of our lives communicating through eye contact, so I decided, as the bravest among us, to take action.

"Ow! Jemin-ssi, why’d you shove me all of a sudden?”

"Sejun-ssi, you go read it.”

"Absolutely not!”

Lee Sejun’s fierce resistance meant I ended up checking it myself.

Watching us with her arms crossed, Kang Areum looked at us with disdain, then she let out a small chuckle and shook her head.

"You guys are acting pretty cute.”

"Let’s start with the yellow gaze and the fog.”

That was the very first thing I brought up after opening the notebook.

It contained no shortage of secrets, along with information we’d never even imagined. Among them was a surprisingly logical theory explaining why monsters appeared at all.

I pointed at a relevant passage and looked up at Kang Areum.

"So, if an ordinary person comes into contact with the pale yellow gaze, they just mutate?”

"Yeah. It’s the strongest and most driving factor leading to mutation.”

She met my gaze without flinching before looking over all five of us Supreme Archmages. She knew exactly how valuable her information was, and judging by the smug little pose she struck, she clearly thought we ought to be grateful that she was sharing it.

Shin Nain looked openly irritated. Lee Sejun couldn’t have cared less, yawning like he’d rather be anywhere else, but Pastor Park Yohan and Hamza understood exactly how precious this information was. Their eyes were practically sparkling.

Only after seeing everyone’s attention fixed on her did Kang Areum smile in satisfaction, resting one hand on her hip as she continued.

"Back in the early stages of the crisis, or when people still didn’t know what was really going on, they assumed thinner fog meant it was safer to move around. They thought it’d be easier to avoid monsters, but that was fundamentally the wrong conclusion. They got the order backwards.”

According to Kang Areum, this was how things actually worked.

Among the Seoul wizards, there were plenty of different theories about what had caused everything, but there was one point they all agreed on. Whether the pale yellow gaze was the cause or merely the result, it was one of the single most crucial factors behind human mutation.

The pale yellow gaze.

The moment someone was exposed to the gaze of those enormous beings nesting throughout Seoul, the mutation began. According to Kang Areum, the pale yellow gaze only became active on the night before the fog thinned. During periods of dense fog, whatever creature possessed that gaze remained inside its nest and rarely moved.

Once the pale yellow gaze swept over an area, hiding inside a building did little good.

It pierced straight through the fog, buildings, and any obstacle humans could put in its way.

Only those who had learned magic could survive being struck head-on by the pale yellow gaze without mutating. Granted, they’d still suffer severe aftereffects and a brief wave of nausea, but they wouldn’t succumb to the infarction or transformation. Furthermore, they could actually hide from the gaze.

Ordinary people, however, began mutating the instant they were exposed. Whether it happened quickly or slowly, they had already conceived a monster within themselves or were doomed to become one.

Kang Areum explained that that was why most ordinary survivors had retreated underground and why, unless they had a compelling reason otherwise, even wizards spent most of their time beneath the surface instead of above it.

"We still don’t know whether the creature moves and that causes the fog to thin or whether it only moves because the fog’s about to thin. Around here, we usually call that yellow gaze either the Searchlight or the Lighthouse.”

"..."

"Special forces were deployed? What a joke. It doesn’t matter how elite they are. If they were exposed to the gaze, they’re finished. The only people who even have a chance of surviving Seoul are wizards or ordinary people sheltered by wizards. Unless those special forces secretly had wizards among them or already knew enough to stay underground, then if they were exposed, you’re probably looking at monsters wandering around in special forces uniforms by now.”

Seoul’s were cruel but simple and clear.

If you were a wizard, you’d live.

If not? You’d die.

You’d find it difficult to find a place more wizard-friendly than this.

"How do you know the monsters get weaker inside the fog?”

"The fog thins every so often. Roughly every 3 days. The third day is the worst. By then, Mimics don’t even bother with those half-assed disguises anymore. With their vision and hearing becoming dramatically sharper, they simply charge after ordinary people. The Human Slimes become much more active too. Think of it like a slug that’s been shriveled up by salt suddenly coming back to life.”

"Hold on.”

I stepped away and gathered the Supreme Archmages for a quick discussion.

Kang Areum had been handing over information far too willingly. That alone made me suspicious. Besides, she was the very first friendly survivor we’d met. There was no way to cross-check anything she was saying.”

"Do you think she’s telling the truth?”

"Hard to say, she’s brought up things none of us had even considered, it’s just…”

Pastor Park Yohan smacked his lips uneasily, trailing off.

These revelations were as shocking as they were important, and there was still every possibility that none of them were true.

Shin Nain seemed to have arrived at the same conclusion.

"Jemin-ssi. Our opponent is an Ears-branch, Stage 2 wizard. If someone whose true intentions we can’t fully read starts offering us favors worth far more than the price we’ve paid, then it’s entirely possible they’re trying to steer the way we think. More importantly, there’s a perfectly rational reason we should remain suspicious of everything she says.”

"What reason?”

"She doesn’t believe in the Lord, so she can’t possibly be as honest as a faithful Christian.”

Haah~. Damn it.

Rather than waste my energy bickering with Shin Nain, I turned to Lee Sejun and Hamza instead. Lee Sejun looked thoroughly uninterested.

"We’re both wearing gas masks, yet one is called ‘little brother’ while the other gets called ‘old’? Hmph, I’ve got no interest in a woman that rude.”

"What can I say? I just stayed youthful. What do you think, Hamza?”

"It doesn’t feel dangerous, but I don’t know whether it’s true.”

Fair enough. Hamza’s magic judged danger, not truth.

Still, knowing there wasn't any immediate danger was enough. Even if Kang Areum turned out to be lying, the information she’d given us would at least serve as a first reference point to compare against whatever other survivor groups told us later.

I slipped off my backpack, rummaged inside, and pulled out a bundle of MPC.

"Here, take this.”

"What’s this stack of paper?”

Looking less than impressed, Kang Areum accepted the MPC anyway.

"You really think the Korean won kept its value after Seoul went under? The last news I saw was thestock market hitting a circuit breaker. Now, if you want to evacuate through the second blockade line, you need tickets issued by the military, and that’s what this stuff, the MPC, is for. They cost 100 per person. You’d have to work manual labor for 100 days to earn this much. We bought it specifically to trade with friendly survivors.”

"Seriously? Things are that screwed? How bad is it really?”

Apparently, ‘The stock market hit a circuit breaker’ didn’t quite convey the scale of the disaster.

The problem was, I didn’t know anything beyond that either.

I looked around to see if anyone else did. Hamza casually adjusted one of his backpack straps before speaking.

"After the exchange rate passed 3000 won per dollar, they stopped reporting exchange-rate news altogether. Since they aren’t even exchanging dollars anymore, the real exchange rate’s probably far worse.”

"Is that bad?”

Kang Areum asked with complete innocence and naivety.

I couldn’t help shrugging. There was an old saying that the more, the better, so maybe exchange rates worked the same way? The numbers were getting bigger, after all.

Maybe South Korea wasn’t doing so badly.

Now that I knew my homeland was apparently doing just fine, I figured there was no point hesitating. I decided to explain our own situation first.

"We’ll definitely keep what you’ve told us in mind, but please understand that we have to be cautious too. We only entered Seoul a few days ago.”

"Haah~. Fair enough. If everyone outside thinks the fog comes first, then I can understand why. Whatever. We’re all going to die together anyway.”

In the end, we Supreme Archmages decided not to accept Kang Areum’s information as absolute truth just yet. We’d wait until we met other survivor groups and cross-check everything she’d told us.

Instead, we explained our objective. Crossing the Han River. We also showed her the route we’d planned and asked this local for advice.

The moment she heard we intended to cross the river, Kang Areum slowly nodded.

"Cross the Han River. Hm, hm."

"So we're planning to follow Line 8.”

"Are you people insane?”

Looking genuinely dumbfounded, she walked over to a car trunk, pulled out a map, and spread it across the hood.

Apparently she’d made an effort to stay clean despite living here for months. Her hands were spotless, but that wasn’t the important part. What was really important was what lay directly along the Line 8 subway route we’d chosen.

"Seokchon Lake andLotte Tower."

"Wow. I’ve heard those are some of Seoul’s landmarks. Guess I finally get to see them.”

Just as Lee Sejun smiled faintly for what felt like the first time in ages, Kang Areum cut him off with a bombshell.

"Lotte Tower is where the pale yellow gaze nests.”

* * *

April 17th, 2028, 6:24 PM.

We Supreme Archmages decided to spend the night in Kang Areum’s hideout. Friendly local survivors were rare. Safe shelters were even rarer.

Besides, we really needed somewhere we could finally let our guard down and regroup. There was no better palace or time for it.

In this merciless Seoul, where closing your eyes could end with something slurping your brains out, receiving hospitality like this wasn’t something to take for granted. And this was where Hamza’s background as a Pakistani medical student finally came in handy.

Granted, his specialty had been surgery, but he was still miles ahead of your average quack.

And Hamza ended up thinking of something none of us Supreme Archmages had. He reached into his backpack and pulled out something every woman trapped inside Seoul had probably been longing for. The moment Kang Areum saw it, her eyes welled up, and it was obvious her opinion of Hamza shot through the roof.

"Sanitary pads? You actually bought pads?”

"There are women living in Seoul too. They’ve been trapped here and can’t exactly come and go freely. If they’ve survived this long, then high-quality sanitary pads are probably one of the things they need most. Take them. Call it proof that we’re friends.”

"You guys are really good people. That’s not something you see often in Seoul…”

The other four of us had already taken off our gas masks. While dismantling our rifles, we quietly scrubbed away the caked-on gunpowder residue with cleaning rods and watched the whole exchange unfold.

None of us could help admiring Hamza’s foresight.

Even the pastor, despite pouting a little, couldn’t deny it.

"Looks like the Muslim came better prepared than I expected. Not sure whether this turned out better than I’d hoped or worse…”

"So, is that the level of preparation and consideration you need to get a girlfriend?”

As I reflected on my entire lifetime of perpetual singlehood, Shin Nain clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"If you had tried that, Jemin-ssi, your story would’ve started in prison. Then you’d awaken your Holy Alteration Battle Arts, cut a plea deal, and end up conscripted into the first blockade line as a specialist.”

"Guess romance and I were never meant to be~ never meant to be~.”

Even while joking around, I didn’t neglect the important work. To increase our firepower against larger monsters, I marked one magazine with tape and another with a pen so we could tell them apart. I decided the rounds loaded into those magazines would each receive a blessing.

I drew my combat knife. Closing my eyes tightly, I carefully pricked the tip of my right index finger. The moment blood welled up, I dabbed it onto each bullet one by one.

The stinging sensation crawled up my fingertip, making goosebumps ripple across my skin, but I endured it. This was our trump card, the method that might let us kill a monster in a single shot. Once every round had been enhanced, I loaded them back into the marked magazine one at a time.

While I worked, the discussion naturally shifted toward our route.

"If we stick to the tracks, we’ll pass Seokchon Lake and head straight toward Lotte Tower, which means we’ll be approaching the next of the pale yellow gaze. So, do we still go that way?”

"There are definite pros and cons.”

For once, Lee Sejun offered a surprisingly sensible opinion.

"The advantage is that we’d be traveling close to the pale yellow gaze’s nest. That means we probably wouldn’t have to worry about hostile wizards. Considering there are probably all kinds of abilities we still haven’t encountered, that’s a pretty significant advantage. As for the downside, I think everyone already knows what that is.”

"Honestly, people are just as dangerous as monsters. It’s hard to keep your faith intact in a place like this.”

Pastor Park Yohan reassembled his K2 almost entirely through muscle memory before raising one of his stained hands.

"But considering that thing, we should seriously think about taking a detour. You can gain things by fighting monsters. I’m not denying that, but every fight carries a huge amount of risk. It burns through ammunition, and most of the time, the payoff isn’t worth it.”

It was around then that Shin Nain finished reassembling his rifle and checking the chamber with a crisp ‘clack.’

He then leaned over the map Kang Areum had lent us and hovered a finger over the paper, careful not to smudge it with soot or grime, tracing a new route.

"I’ve been looking at it. FromGarak Market Station, we could turn right and detour throughOlympic Park. We wouldn't be able to use Jamsil Bridge like we originally planned. We’d have to takeOlympic Boulevard instead. It'll be a bit of a detour, Pastor.”

"Wasting time isn’t ideal, but I suppose we don't have much choice. May the Lord watch over us.”

Our route was tentatively revised.

Instead of continuing straight, we’d turn right at the massive intersection where Songpa Boulevard and Yangjae Boulevard crossed and head toward Olympic Park.

The plan was simple. I’d use Tongue-branch, Stage 1 together with Eyes-branch, Stage 1 to scout ahead with clairvoyance and keep us on course. We’d weave through side streets whenever possible to avoid Human-skin Jellyfish swarms. And we’d generally stick to larger roads to conserve our strength.

Of course, such a grand expedition demanded sacrifices from me, Baek Jemin.

Because I had to use the blood from my right hand to enhance one magazine for every member of Supreme Archmages.

As the cold steel touched my fresh wound, the stinging sensation was so intense that I actually started worrying I’d get tetanus or something. If I got sick and ended up bedridden, wouldn’t that mean I could lounge around while stuffing my face with magic knowledge all day?

Unfortunately, I, Baek Jemin, had been raised with far too much parental love. I’d never even had a proper cold in my entire life.

But my suffering wasn’t over yet.

I still had to stab the index finger on my left hand with my combat knife so I could inscribe my Hand-branch, Stage 2 magic, onto everyone’s gas masks. One by one, I squeezed my eyes shut and tapped the blade against my finger. I could instantly feel cold stares directed at me.

Especially from Lee Sejun. He looked thoroughly unimpressed.

"Just stab it already. How do you become such a coward over this?”

"My precious left hand, being stabbed by such a brutish combat knife.”

My priceless magic staff, the one that made me able to use Eyes-branch, Stage 2, being reduced to something this mundane…

Sighing dramatically, I stabbed my finger anyway. Anything to improve our survival rate.

-Prick, sting.

The reason tears welled up in my eyes wasn’t because it hurt. It was because it was tragic…!!

Using the blood from my left hand, I inscribed [Purification] onto everyone’s gas mask. There was no telling what kind of toxic environments we’d be exposed to in the future. Relying solely on the filters didn’t seem wise.

As for learning new magic symbols, we decided to wait until the fog grew dense again and we’d secured another sage hideout.

I had a strong feeling that I’d be able to learn another one soon. 

When I mentioned that intuition, everyone looked at me like I’d lost my mind. The only exception was Kang Areum-noona. While carefully packing away the sanitary pads Hamza had given her, she nodded in agreement.

"There is a rumor. They say the more monsters you kill, the faster you awaken to magic symbols, like gaining experience points. It could just be propaganda from someone trying to convince people to go monster hunting, but having fewer monsters around isn’t exactly a bad thing.”

"Wait, so Seoul is basically an insanely good grinding spot???”

Beat a wizard stronger than you, you’d easily level up. Kill monsters, and you’d also level up.

Wasn’t this palace basically heaven for wizards?

Why would anyone even want to escape? Once the fog got thick enough, I could go around blasting magic and wiping out monsters too.

Kang Areum stared at me for a moment before turning to the other Supreme Archmages.

"Is he always like this?”

"He came here because he wanted to learn magic.”

Lee Sejun answered in an utterly matter-of-fact tone. Kang Areum let out a long, exhausted sigh.

"If you’d stayed in Seoul, you definitely would’ve learned inverted Alteration-type magic.”

* * *

April 18th, 2028, 5:48 AM.

The sun had risen. I could tell because the fog had turned gray.

The night before, we’d shared steaming bowls of Spam ramen, our first properly hot meal in what felt like forever. Thanks to that, everyone looked noticeably more energized than usual. Still wearing those satisfied expressions, we lightly gargled with salt water, our faces slightly swollen, then put our gas masks back on.

It was time to part ways.

No one actually said it out loud, but everyone had already started packing, including Kang Areum-noona.

"Why are you packing?”

"Because now they can pinpoint my location through the spell phone, so I have to move. People living in Seoul need at least 2 hideouts these days. If an inverted Alteration-type wizard shows up and raids one, it’s game over.”

With that, the shutter to the underground parking garage slowly rolled open.

Seoul was once again swallowed by thick fog. Visibility was about 10 meters. Dense enough that using magic wouldn't be an issue. Right on cue, the dark blue spell phone buzzed, showing a new message had arrived.

[Dense fog. Outdoor activity recommended.]

Just as I slipped it back into my chest pocket, Kang Areum-noona walked over and quietly whispered to me.

"Hey. The pastor and the foreigner are Dogma-type wizards, right?”

"...”

"Keep an eye on them. Dogma-type magic isn’t like Alteration-type magic. That’s why they’ll probably become bigger targets. I don’t know exactly why either. Just be careful.”

With that, Kang Areum-noona turned and headed back toward the underground parking garage.

Whether it was valuable information or just another rumor, I couldn‘t tell. But she’d been the first genuine local survivor we’d met. And after sharing a bowl of ramen together, I didn’t want us to part without saying anything, so I raised my hand.

"Let’s both make it out alive.”

"Yeah~.”

Without looking back, Kang Areum simply waved her hand in farewell. Then she disappeared back behind the parking garage shutter. The rolling door descended between us once more.

It was only natural. The Supreme Archmages had to cross the Han River, while Kang Areum had to survive long enough to escape Seoul.

The others watched me say goodbye but said not a single word.

Only Pastor Park Yohan met my gaze through the lenses of his gas mask, his eyes resolute.

"Let’s move.”

"Right."

We were the Supreme Archmages.

With every step we took into the fog, our destination became clearer.

We were advancing toward the truth.

Though some would call it hell.

April 18th, 2028, 5:50 AM.

Day 4 of our expedition.

We remained in hell.