Chapter 77: The Trash-Recycling Wizard

[Translator – Aren]

Me, Shin Nain, Lee Sejun, and Hamza.

A heavy silence settled over the four of us as we descended the stairs from the rooftop.

It was probably because of the transmissions we had just exchanged.

Then Lee Sejun finally finished wrestling with his thoughts.

"Come to think of it, we never told them about the fog, did we?”

"Hm?”

"Isn’t that the most important information? Should we go back up?”

"You didn't leave it out on purpose?”

"Why would I deliberately leave that out?”

Lee Sejun adjusted the 999K, the heavy, tin-can-like radio, on his back as though he had committed some grave offense as a hollow laugh escaped me.

I had assumed Lee Sejun had kept quiet because his schemes were impossibly subtle and profound, but apparently not. Hamza furrowed his brow and tilted his head, seemingly unsure what to make of it. Rather than watch that damn bastard SHin Nain launch into another dramatic speech, I decided to step in myself.

I gestured to Lee Sejun and resumed walking down the stairs.

"Look. We didn’t know the fog was helping us either. You didn’t know, right, Sejun-ssi?”

"Right?”

It was obvious he simply hadn’t thought about it, but I decided to play along and move on.

"But the fog only helps us wizards. It reduces the backlash from magic and weakens monsters. For us wizards, the fog really is an ally. But it’s different for the military. Its monster weakening function is useful to them, but that’s all.”

"Modern weapons systems are ultimately designed to deliver firepower with precision.”

Unable to hold himself back, Shin Nain cut in, making my face twist.

Still, I had to admit his explanation was far more direct than the remedial lesson I had carefully tailored to Lee Sejun’s level.

"If this fog cannot be cleared, they’ll have to rely on detection methods such as thermal imaging or infrared. That should allow them to identify targets to some extent. But the things we encountered in Seoul…were they truly obeying the physical laws of reality? These servants of Satan merely imitate those laws in order to deceive reality itself.”

"Imitate them?”

Lee Sejun raised his eyes in surprise. Shin Nain, apparently too intoxicated with himself to notice everything around him.

"Under the laws of the almighty Lord, the powers of hell cannot invade the mortal world. For devils to remain here, they must possess people or create followers and thereby deceive the Lord’s laws. Countless works of fiction emphasize this, and even in the Bible, devils only attempt to persuade humans away from the Lord. They dare not act directly themselves. Since these devils cannot possibly belong to this world, naturally, they must have come from hell!”

Shin Nain seemed almost completely convinced that the monsters were merely imitating the laws of reality.

-Step, step.

As we descended the stairs 10 floors down, we had no choice but to listen to Shin Nain.

"However, people today have strayed so far from the Lord that they no longer understand this obvious truth. Even while the powers of hell invade our world, they dare to judge Satan's legions using humanity’s paltry wisdom. If we argue that the fog must not be cleared, they will resist us instead.”

"What? Nain-ssi, isn’t that going a little too far?”

"Even if they don’t openly resist, they’ll still suspect us.”

When Hamza asked with wide eyes, I took control of the conversation again.

After shooting Shin Nain a glare that told him to stop showing off, I flexed the fingers of my left hand, which Hamza had bandaged before we came down, and spoke.

"You think people will hear that the fog is on our side and must not be cleared, then simply say, ‘Ah, I see,’ and accept it? What are we really telling them? We don’t have a solution to the crisis, so the military just has to fight while dealing with the fog. Meanwhile, only the wizards get to reap all the benefits from it.”

"...!"

"Especially since the military probably already knows there are wizard groups inside Seoul, and the fog creates an environment overwhelmingly favorable only to wizards. Non-wizards can’t even compare how strong monsters are inside the fog versus under sunlight. Most of them would die the moment they entered this place. The military wants to bombard Seoul, send in fighter jets, drones and tanks, but apparently they can’t. And when asked why, the answer is that the monsters become stronger if the fog clears."

Right.

As I descended the stairs and spoke, I was able to organize my thoughts and understand why I had considered it only natural not to reveal the truth about the fog.

"Clearing the fog would only make things even worse, so let’s just keep holding out like this. We don’t know when this shit will end, but let’s keep living this way until another solution appears. Do you really think ordinary non-wizards could accept that? What do you think the military maintaining the blockade line would think after hearing that?”

It was the total absence of hope.

It even emphasized the helplessness of ordinary people who weren’t wizards, telling them they could do nothing.

It might have been different if ordinary people had said it, but we happened to be wizards.

If we spouted something like that while stranded inside Seoul, would the military outside really just accept it?

Especially when the military probably knew about the 66-Society too?

Expecting everyone to join forces after hearing the truth about the fog felt far too overflowing with faith in humanity and optimism about the situation.

To put it bluntly, I considered that lazy thinking.

After cooperating with the military this long, we Supreme Archmages knew they had worked hard.

We didn’t even need to look far. Konkuk University alone made it obvious. Seeing the disaster inside Seoul showed just how fiercely the military had held things back.

It had been an iron-blooded decision to mercilessly abandon nearly 10 million lives in Seoul and northern Gyeonggi in order to save 40 million.

A heartbreaking choice to cast aside morality, ethics, politics, and everything else for the sake of survival.

That was why 40 million Koreans were still alive outside, grabbing each other by the hair and fighting among themselves, but at least not turning into monsters.

But.

Put another way, it meant they could abandon us Supreme Archmages the instant they judged us to be dangerous.

I still remembered the rules of engagement: ‘Rescue operations are strictly prohibited.’ Rescue was forbidden. In this crisis, it sounded cruel but was a rational and reasonable policy.

And people inevitably felt that rationality and reason were unjust when aimed at them.

"It won’t be too late to reveal the truth about the fog after we get outside. We can return in triumph, enjoy the sweet life for a while, and tell them afterward. And if they’ve already pushed the nuclear button, then it’s out of our hands anyway.”

"Jemin-ssi, the way you think is kind of terrifying.”

Hamza made a fuss, but perhaps because he saw some logic in it, he didn’t criticize me.

"I want to learn magic. My goal isn't to die shouting the truth. Our value is already through the roof. We can name our own price, so there’s no reason to damage it ourselves.”

There was an obvious truth people often forgot.

I was me. The state was the state.

I knew perfectly well that the survival of the state overlapped with my own survival in many ways, but it did not guarantee my survival unconditionally.

Of course, out of a sense of loyalty, I had accommodated the state quite a lot, but there were lines that absolutely could not be crossed.

I hoped the military wouldn’t hold any grudges against me over something like this.

Honestly, wasn’t I, Baek Jemin, a top-tier talent who had already answered to the mobilization order, achieved all kinds of distinguished military accomplishments as a civilian operational unit, and charged into Seoul without even thinking about running away?

Besides, the fog wasn’t even what we truly needed to worry about.

Never before had I felt so relieved that 10 flights of stairs took so damn long to climb down. They delayed our arrival at the underground laboratory, even if only slightly.

Reading my thoughts, Shin Nain narrowed his eyes and spoke firmly.

"Professor Nowon was at a higher level than me. My mind-reading didn’t work on him.”

"So we have no way of knowing whether what he said was true.”

"Still, there seems to be a high chance that it’s true. We need to interrogate Ho Ryeoha-ssi.”

"And then what?”

"Make her understand the sin she committed."

-Brrrrrrr—.

That vibration wasn’t coming from my spell phone. It was the sound of Hamza, flapping both his hands.

Even saying ‘please don’t’ was apparently too much for him, so he was just waving both hands around like crazy.

I also agreed with Hamza, since fighting Go Ryeoha under the current circumstances would only lead to enormous losses.

"Would anything change if she knew?”

"She may be able to repent, even if that means being sentenced to death.”

"Jemin-ssi, Hamza-ssi! I told you from the beginning that Ryeoha-ssi was dangerous. I strongly agree with Nain-ssi.”

"Sejun, please…”

5th floor.

For the first time, opinion among the Supreme Archmages was split cleanly.

Shin Nain and Lee Sejun formed a rare alliance.

Kill Go Ryeoha.

Hamza and I, as the only sane people present, argued against them.

Keep Go Ryeoha alive and take her outside.

"The professor probably wasn’t telling the whole truth to begin with. More importantly, Professor Nowon is even more dangerous, and he never denied being connected to the 66-Society. The Society’s intentions were probably heavily involved.”

Hamza offered a calm and composed rebuttal.

A simple, clear argument that anyone could nod along with.

But then Lee Sejun unleashed an astonishingly pedantic counterargument.

"Professor Nowon has almost nothing to gain from lying. Let’s say the 66-Society wants Go Ryeoha-ssi dead and tried to drive a wedge between us through the professor. But the professor never once told us to kill her. He left the decision entirely to us. Even before considering whether he was trying to avoid responsibility, that implies the Society itself has difficulty controlling Go Ryeoha now that she has mentally collapsed. Should we really take someone that dangerous outside?”

"Lee Sejun, you fucking bastard."

How could one man be so perfectly consistent inside and out?

The instant he saw an opening to get rid of Go Ryeoha, his IQ shot through the roof.

Even Shin Nain frowned and shot Lee Sejun a sidelong glance, but since they were on the same side, he pretended not to notice that ugly motive and added his own opinion.

"Furthermore, the question of the original survivor count of 250 still hasn’t been fully explained. The Past Vision Jemin-ssi and I saw only revealed how the 58 corpses came to be. We still don’t know what happened to the dozens of Konkuk wizards. Even adding all of them together would still fall short of 250. It is difficult to determine whether there had already been continuous culling or whether people had left because of shortages of food and water. We do not know the whereabouts of every survivor, and there is a strong possibility that the claim she used another group to kill them is true. Even if only to determine whether it is true…For Go Ryeoha-ssi’s own sake, she must confront the truth.”

"For Go Ryeoha’s own sake?”

"Someone who commits a sin and forgets it cannot be saved.”

3rd floor.

At last, I, Baek Jemin, spoke to bring the argument to an end.

"The fundamental flaw in what happened here was the survivors’ attitude toward magic.”

"What?"

"Huh?"

"Jemin-ssi, what are you talking about now?”

Confident that I possessed a more neutral and objective perspective than anyone else, I evaluated what had happened at Konkuk University.

Assuming Professor Nowon was telling the truth, that is.

Go Ryeoha.

She was a powerful wizard, but she wasn’t mentally strong enough to carry out a culling.

No, she had believed it was wrong to force people to risk their lives in order to learn magic.

The Konkuk wizards.

They were ordinary fools inferior to me, but as senior wizards, I could at least acknowledge the effort they had made.

However, a perfectly legitimate structure had formed in which only they could enjoy the power of magic, and yet they failed to rejoice in that fact.

If it had been me, I would have been grateful that ordinary people refused to learn magic and lived every day smiling at the thought that I could remain special forever.

The ordinary non-wizards.

They were the hardest for me to understand, although it was only natural that they didn’t want to suffer, so it wasn’t as though I couldn’t sympathize at all.

But why had the fact that they needed to risk death to learn magic driven them to despair?

If they didn’t learn it, they would die anyway or meet a similar end.

It wasn't as though magic demanded hundreds of millions of won. All it required was pain, and in exchange, it granted almighty power.

Studying? Unnecessary. All you had to do was retch until you nearly died, and knowledge of magic would plant itself directly into your mind.

Power? You simply had to live through pain. The more you suffered, the more pain you could inflict on others.

Fear? Wasn’t the hollow possibility that your life might vanish without ever amounting to anything more terrifying than death?

When the power of magic existed, wouldn’t the true despair be having the ladder kicked away before you could reach its end, leaving you trapped for eternity?

In an age where rewards were uncertain, magic was the most honest blessing of all.

You received as much as you suffered. You gained as much as you struggled.

Rather than die regretting that I never challenged magic, I would challenge it and die without regrets the moment I reached my limit!

"This all happened because they lacked that kind of hungry spirit. Got it?”

1st floor.

While everyone else remained speechless, Shin Nain spoke.

"Let’s put Baek Jemin-ssi in charge of Go Ryeoha-ssi.”

*t*t*

April 22nd, 2028, 7:14 PM.

Day 8 of our expedition.

We Supreme Archmages decided to remain with Go Ryeoha until the supply package promised by the Korean Armed Forces was airdropped.

The military wanted us to bring Go Ryeoha outside, but having swallowed quite a bit of the red pill ourselves, we were reluctant. So we tried to find a natural way to leave her behind.

Our dear pastor, Park Yohan, had missed Professor Nowon’s bombshell revelation thanks to the reverse blessing of [Redemptive Conviction], so he knew absolutely nothing about the truth that Go Ryeoha had requested the euthanasia. Obviously, we didn’t tell him either.

The pastor wasn’t an Ears-branch wizard, so there was no way he could have heard the radio conversation we had just held on the rooftop, and we had no particular intention of explaining it.

Knowing the pastor’s personality, he would only have made as much of a scene as Shin Nain.

So I, Baek Jemin, took on this monumental task.

I forced my eyes wide open so I wouldn’t fall asleep while listening to Go Ryeoha explain whatever damned nonsense she had about the Five Elements and the Five Directions, then spoke.

"Master, I truly think you’re remarkable.”

"What? Ahaha, Hubae-nim? Why are you suddenly saying that?”

"I mean it sincerely. I was deeply moved by the way you have worked so tirelessly, day and night, to protect so many survivors during these difficult times. Even amid a national crisis like this, wildflowers still find a way to bloom.”

"A-ahahaha…Thank you! I…It’s been so long since anyone said something like that to me…!”

"Baek Jemin. Why is your tongue so damn smooth? You little punk, were polite words always supposed to spill out of your mouth that easily?”

I heard the pastor let out a hollow laugh as he watched, but I was completely serious here.

I slowly shook my head, deliberately acting as though I were filled with regret.

"If it were up to me, I would leave with you, Master. But when I think of all the people here who trust and follow only you, I suppose it can’t be helped. Naturally, you’ll remain here as well.”

Operation Blue Pill, Plan B.

Go Ryeoha seemed far too insane, so we would exploit her delusion that the survivors were still alive and keep her tied down here. It was the smoothest, most elegant, and safest way to deal with the job of managing Go Ryeoha that those Shitphorism bastards had dumped on me.

Once we escaped Seoul, couldn’t we just ask them to rain artillery fire down on Konkuk University? Then Go Ryeoha would probably disappear too.

We wouldn’t kill her ourselves, responsibility could be shifted elsewhere, and if we said Go Ryeoha had remained behind to protect the survivors, she would forever be remembered as one of the few heartwarming tales to come out of Seoul.

Even though I had come up with it myself, the plan was perfect.

I couldn’t help closing my eyes in admiration of my own brilliance.

"I wish to respect the weighty decision you made based on your humanistic values…”

Just as I was endlessly laying the groundwork to complete this beautiful heartwarming tale blossoming within the brutal concrete graveyard known as Seoul…

-Grab!

My wrist was seized. With a grip far rougher than anything I could imagine.

And that wasn’t all.

-Preeeess—.

That subtle pressure against the back of my neck returned.

Feeling cold sweat trickle down my back, I very slowly raised my eyelids.

There stood Go Ryeoha, lightly waving her left hand and letting out an awkward ahaha, all while holding my wrist and idly stroking it.

"It’s okay! I already got permission!"

"From whom?”

"The people, of course. They cheered me on and told me not to miss this chance and go with you because I promised I would definitely come back for them!”

-Clap, clap, clap...

When I turned around wondering who was applauding, I saw the pastor.

Our pastor, Park Yoham, knew absolutely nothing about the truth. Rubbing the corner of his eye with his index finger, he spoke in a deeply moved voice.

"Everyone’s looking out for one another and helping each other. Even in this hell.”

"Ahaha…”

Apparently, when a pretty woman grabbed your wrist, goosebumps rose across your skin and your gaze naturally drifted toward her chest.

At that moment, I could feel the reason of a Great Archmage, the instincts of a man, and every human emotion tangling together inside me, leaving me powerless against my confusion.

I clearly needed to shake her off.

My reason was screaming at me to pull free and tell her to stay here…

But the softness of a woman’s touch and the reaction of my lower body were clouding my judgment. The only thing keeping me from giving in was the reason cultivated as a Great Archmage

Baek Jemin, get a grip.

Magic is more precious than lust.

Remember only the fulfillment of magic, my salvation and hope, my joy and ecstasy, my suffering and my everything!

While I remained trapped in that inner demon, Go Ryeoha quietly released my hand and spoke.

"My squishy Hubae-nim. I really will be useful. I’ll work hard enough to deserve cheering me on. Okay?”

Go Ryeoha’s madness was shallow, but relentless.

She unconsciously knew the truth, but her reason refused to accept it.

It was obvious that the moment we interrogated her by asking if she was insane or not, everything would go to hell.

So for now, I decided to take a step back and ask something else.

"What kind of help?”

"I’ll make you various Cursed Objects suited to the Five Elements Diagram. I can make things like these Fire-spewing Hands, or something similar to a Four-Tiger Sword. What do you think?”

At that moment, I finally lost control and opened my eyes wide.

How dare this wicked woman…!

"Master, let’s go together. Can you reinforce our ponchos too?”

"Of course!"

"Jemin-ssi!!!”

"Hey now!”

Before Lee Sejun, who was grinding his teeth, Hamza, whose mouth had fallen wide open, and Shin Nain, who was glaring at me in horror, I raised my voice and shouted.

"Hamza. What does the angel say?”

"It…It says it’s not dangerous…gasp…”

"See?"

"What do you mean ‘see?’ Jemin-ssi, this is Satan’s temptation. You must not surrender to greed!”

In the face of Hamza and Shin Nain’s objections, I launched into a humanistic and rehabilitative argument.

"Forgiveness and love. Ever heard of ‘em?”

"That’s fucking…”

Just as Lee Sejun began grumbling, the pastor applauded and came to stand beside me.

"Baek Jemin. You little punk, didn’t I say you had what it takes to lead the youth group? Everyone may have looked at Ryeoha-ssi’s shortcomings in her situation and felt disappointed. They might accuse her of abandoning the survivors and running away. But when you consider how much good Ryeoha-ssi can do for people outside, this must be the Lord’s arrangement for a greater good.”

"Pastor..."

Shin Nain started to say something, then apparently realized it might cause [Redemptive Conviction] to break and tightly shut his mouth.

I strongly agreed with the pastor.

People could go insane in such a harsh and brutal environment.

More importantly, I had never met an evil person who offered free gear.

I hurried over to Hamza, Lee Sejun, and Shin Nain in quick little steps and whispered,

"She said she’ll give us gear. Gear, you hear?"

"Haah…You damn….Jemin-ssi, have you lost your mind?”

"Oh, come on. Everyone, punitive justice produces nothing. And what, did the ordinary non-wizards do everything right? Besides, the professor could have been lying. If even the slightest possibility remains, we should presume her innocent!”

Of course, if she truly seemed to lose control, I was fully prepared to carve Go Ryeoha apart even at the cost of going blind.

But whenever possible, wouldn’t it be better all around to keep feeding her the blue pill and take her with us?

After reading those thoughts, Shin Nain sighed and spoke.

"Jemin-ssi, what will you do if Go Ryeoha-ssi becomes dependent on you?”

"No, no. That'll never happen. I’ve lived 28 years without dating a single woman. From a woman’s perspective, I’m the kind of man she wouldn't touch even at gun point, so there’s no problem.”

"Mad people are mad precisely because they are incapable of making such objective judgments.”

The way this bastard put it was pretty damn irritating, but I decided to let it go.

Now it was time to persuade them rationally.

"We need somewhere to stay for the next two or three days anyway. There really is a possibility that Professor Nowon was trying to drive a wedge between us, and the Korean Armed Forces told us to bring Go Ryeoha out for now. The professor could change his mind while we’re escaping, the 66-Society could interfere, or an unexpected monster could ambush us. Something could happen on the military’s end and delay our escape.”

"I may look like human garbage, but I’m not the kind of person who casually discards people I've grown attached to. We Supreme Archmages are, at the very least, more valuable than other people. We’re precious treasures. But the fact that all five of us have survived this long is a miracle. We don’t know what kind of crisis may come, and a situation may arise where someone has to be expended.”

I glanced at the pastor, who was keeping Go Ryeoha occupied, then turned toward Hamza, Shin Nain, and Lee Sejun, who had calmed down somewhat.

"If someone is useful, we use them. If we fix her mind and she turns out all right, then sure, maybe she can become a Supreme Archmage as well. But not yet. We’re in a danger zone, and we won’t hold back any card that can help us escape it. We already accepted the risk of entering Seoul. If a danger can be controlled, we use it to oppose danger that cannot be controlled."

Madness against madness.

Absurdity against absurdity.

Only after I recited our motto did everyone finally seem convinced.

"Jemin-ssi. You’re not really doing this just because she offered you gear, right?”

"Come on. Let’s get some gear.”