Chapter 50: Local Survivors

[Translator – Aren]

After seeing the Human-skin Jellyfish swarm, we decided to leave the main road and cut through the side streets instead.

Even if it increased the risk of an ambush, staying out of sight of the Human-Skin Jellyfish drifting overhead took priority. There was also the matter of ammunition.

After tallying up every round we’d fired so far and adding everything we’d recovered from the fallen soldiers, we had roughly 2400 rounds left.

For 5 people that was more than enough.

For the Supreme Archmages trying to punch their way through the fog-covered Seoul of 2028, it felt nowhere near enough. We needed to avoid unnecessary fights. I came here to learn magic, not to go on a monster extermination campaign.

The only one who seemed disappointed was Shin Nain.

That lunatic had been trembling in terror in front of that unidentified monster with the glowing yellow gaze, yet somehow, a whole swarm of Human-skin Jellyfish didn’t dampen his fighting spirit in the slightest. I could tell from the heavier breathing inside his gas mask.

"May every last one of them be cast into the fires of Hell and reduced to pure ash.”

Normally, I’d have told him to tone down those murderous prayers, but this time, I let it slide.

Only the two of us understood what Father Jeong Yonghwan had meant when he kept repeating the word ‘Eternity’ after becoming a monster. Maybe that wasn’t what he meant at all, but once your thoughts reached the worst possible conclusion, it wasn't easy to shake them off.

What if those faces floating overhead, their eyes rolling around as part of the Human-skin Jellyfish, were still conscious and capable of independent thought?

Then, until someone finally killed them, they’d be cursed with immortality. People always say, ‘Any life is better than death.’ Maybe they ought to consider becoming monsters before making claims like that.

I didn’t share that opinion. If I were going to live, I’d rather do it on my own terms. That kind of immortality should stay far away from me.

Apparently, the other Supreme Archmages felt much the same.

Lee Sejun shuddered, while Hamza shook his head vigorously, trying to drive the thought away.

"Igh, the fact those human eyes are still there makes them look like something straight out of a horror movie.”

"I think I could actually afford to live in Seoul now. Property prices are going to crash spectacularly.”

Even Pastor Park Yohan wore an uneasy expression. Sheltering behind a pile of broken concrete, he cautiously peeked over the top toward the Human-Skin Jellyfish swarm.

"Forget property prices… I haven’t heard of monsters like those showing up on the front lines. Do they stay inside Seoul? Or did they only appear recently?”

"Either way, let’s keep moving.”

I tapped the pastor on the shoulder and pointed toward the side street branching off from the intersection.

Calling it an alley felt misleading. It was still wide enough for two lanes of traffic. To a country bumpkin from Gyeonggi Province like me, Baek Jemin, a real alley was somewhere that felt crowded if two people tried to pass through. Even Seoul’s back streets were ridiculously oversized.

Fortunately, the Human-skin Jellyfish didn’t come after us.

Watching the one that had attacked the drone flap its skin like an actual jellyfish just to regain altitude, it seemed they weren’t particularly fast unless they were lunging at prey.

Or maybe they’d already realized we were wizards and simply didn't want to approach. Just like the Amalgams had feared my Eyes-branch magic. We kept a constant watch on the Human-skin Jellyfish as we circled around them.

Visibility was about 200 meters.

Depending on the situation, that could be absurdly short or surprisingly far. 

As the Supreme Archmages advanced through the intersection, and the Human-skin Jellyfish drifted low overhead, a strange standoff settled between us.

Lee Sejun never once lowered his rifle from the swarm. The pastor couldn’t stop glancing up either.

I wasn’t any different, feeling discomfort at those things.

The Human-skin Jellyfish were staring right back at us. It was as though they’d realized I was constantly watching them. Ever so often our eyes seemed to meet.

The human skin that made up the Human-skin Jellyfish fluttered in the wind, its empty hands and feet swaying limply beneath it. The twisted, screaming faces covering its surface stared straight at us, their bloodshot eyes looking ready to burst.

"Damn, that’s creepy as hell, clustered like that.”

"Clustered?”

Hamza asked, puzzled. I casually jerked my chin toward the swarm.

"Look, they’re all packed together.”

"Ah~."

"Ah, my ass. Let’s move already.”

The pastor didn’t even need to hurry us along. Every one of the Supreme Archmages was already walking faster.

The Human-skin Jellyfish swarm didn’t pursue us, and we had no intention of provoking them. It was an uneasy ceasefire between monsters and humans. Of course, there was only one reason that was even possible.

Nobody said it aloud, but we’d all reached roughly the same conclusion.

The message we’d received on the dark-blue phone [Non-wizard personnel are forbidden from going outside.] When the fog was thick, wizards could unleash absurdly powerful magic to drive monsters back. When the fog thinned, their magic weakened, and that was when different monsters came out to hunt.

It was an environment designed to force people into learning magic if they wanted to survive.

Fortunately, all five of us Supreme Archmages were, well, wizards. People capable of detecting danger early enough to avoid it. You’d need highly trained special forces, armed with top-tier equipment, operating under rigorous discipline and brutal training.

The only thing worrying me was the possibility that we’d already diverged from the initial vanguard reconnaissance unit’s route.

As soon as we’d put enough distance between ourselves and the Human-skin Jellyfish, Shin Nain tapped the side of his headset and voiced his opinion.

"I imagine most of them headed toward Line 3, right? Toward Suseo. Since Line 3 cuts through most of Seoul, they’d probably use it as their main base, then establish strongholds branching outward from there.”

"That’s a shame, then.”

The elite special forces would push through the hardest route, while we headed toward the closest path to Konkuk University.

I trusted the special forces to handle themselves. Who knew? Maybe one of them had awakened as a wizard. Besides, after checking the subway map, turning toward Line 3 now would mean taking one hell of a detour before reaching Konkuk. And I had absolutely no intention of doing that.

One pointless detour while filing a civil complaint in my life had already been enough.

Eventually, climbing over shell craters, crossing another intersection, and entering a side street, we finally found ourselves among buildings that looked relatively intact. The pastor glanced around with his usual indifferent expression before shrugging.

"Looks like this was avilla neighborhood."

"The buildings look pretty nice, though.”

"This is Seoul. They’re supposed to look nice.”

Some of them were practically untouched. The pastor and Shin Nain immediately tried to spin it as another miracle from God, but Hamza calmly pointed toward the real explanation.

"The artillery focused on the roads. They wanted to stop people from escaping.”

"What nonsense. The shells missed because faithful Christians lived here! You can always recognize Christian neighborhoods!”

"I guess the Human-skin Jellyfish must be Christians too. That’s why the artillery didn’t hit them while they were floating around. Quit talking nonsense and keep moving.”

"Jemin-ssi, what kind of blasphemous nonsense are you even spouting?!”

I was getting surprisingly good at shutting these Christian nutjobs down.

With the pastor and Shin Nain loudly arguing about Satan and demons like a pair of broken records, the tension almost disappeared. That didn’t mean the Supreme Archmages had forgotten their responsibilities.

Hamza, who’d been watching the two of them with a look of utter disappointment, suddenly sharpened his gaze.

Maybe he’d been frightened so badly he'd come out the other side with nerves of steel. Huuuff— Huuuff—. His breathing grew rougher inside the gas mask. Then he slowly pointed toward several places.

The darkened apartment windows lining both sides of the street. That was on the other end of his finger.

"I think something dangerous is there.”

At that, even Shin Nain stopped punctuating his Satan and Demons song with the occasional ‘Amen.’

For all his countless flaws, and despite being a complete failure personality-wise, his detection abilities were something you could place your trust in. Narrowing his eyes, Shin Nain stared at the buildings Hamza had pointed out. Then he slowly closed his eyes and spoke in his usual calm voice.

"Two faces. Three Spines.”

Just trash mobs.

I had barely shifted my grip on my rifle when Shin Nain added another warning.

"Five Jellyfish incoming.”

The moment he said that, the Supreme Archmages naturally fell into formation.

Lee Sejun, standing in the center, lowered his stance and aimed toward the roadside Hamza had indicated. The pastor adjusted his K2 and took position beside him. Hamza crouched in the middle, clutching his head. 

Since I was the quickest at improvising, I took charge of the sky. Shin Nain, able to read my thoughts and react instantly, covered me.

A formation built without exchanging a single word.

Kill, monster, 5 minutes, path.

The taste buds on my tongue split apart, a metallic taste of blood filling my mouth.

The Human-Skin Jellyfish were smarter than I’d expect. The footprints began appearing from behind the rooftops. They knew how to exploit human blind spots. 

People usually watched what's in front of them or looked straight upward. So the monsters drifted carefully behind buildings, waiting, before dropping onto their prey all at once.

Maybe some of the Human-skin Jellyfish we’d encountered earlier had followed us.

Of course, an ambush only works if your target doesn’t already know it’s coming.

Everything happened in an instant.

Before the red footprints reached us, my rifle was already tracking the monster overhead. The Human-skin Jellyfish had already spread its body wide, preparing to swallow us whole. If I hadn’t grown used to monsters by now, the sight alone would’ve frozen me in place.

The inside of the Human-skin Jellyfish was lined with suckers, like an octopus, or a squid, or a starfish. Except that each sucker was made from human lips.

Beneath the skin, dozens of hollow hands and feet writhed restlessly, waiting to seize another victim and tear them apart. Whether it was the resentful mindset of the ghosts of the drowned, dragging others down with them, or simply the monster’s instinct, I couldn’t say.

Maybe people who loved communicating with wildlife and other species would hesitate, but not me. I cared a hell of a lot more about my human rights than any monster’s, so I pulled the trigger without a second thought.

Gunfire exploded through the silent streets of Seoul. In this quiet villa neighborhood, where the distant groans of monsters served as ambient music, the sharp crack of rifles echoed between the buildings. 

Spent casings clinked and bounced across the shattered asphalt. It was a wonderfully satisfying sound. Every one of the Supreme Archmages fired with heartfelt gratitude. Because now we finally understood just how miraculous it was to have monsters that could still be killed with bullets. 

Monsters that died when you shot at them? 

What incredible good fortune.

With a thankful heart, I swung my muzzle from target to target, giving each of the four Jellyfish three or four rounds, nice and fair. The Human-skin Jellyfish weren’t particularly durable. Hideous appearance aside, and despite their reliance on ambushes, once you were prepared for them, a rifle was all you needed.

It was a simple matter of just predicting their path about 10 seconds ahead, lining up your sights, and shooting them down.

They were practically premium farming mobs. The only unpleasant part was their wailing screams echoing from inside as bullets tore through the human skin, filling the air. Riding the momentum, I stomped each Human-skin Jellyfish with my combat boots after it hit the ground, making sure they stayed dead.

Four were killed by me, and one by Shin Nain.

I’d definitely tease him about the kill count later. I immediately swung my rifle toward the roadside. The two Amalgams, each a mass of dozens of fused bodies, were already beginning to split apart.

Lee Sejun calmly focused on shooting their legs, reducing their mobility. Meanwhile, the pastor was basically firing with the philosophy of just keep shooting, and eventually he’d hit something.

Right then, the Predator Spines, climbing over walls and power lines, finally entered my field of vision.

Instead of firing, I sharply bit my tongue.

Alteration-type, Eyes-branch, Stage 2.

My suffering stretched longer than any moment I had ever known.

Gunfire erupted one after another.

Shin Nain dealt with the Predator Spines. As their skulls burst apart, spinal fluid mixed with blood spilled out in a pale pink slurry. The Amalgams never even had the chance to split apart. Lead kept punching through their heads, sending body fluids spraying everywhere.

Excellent.

Satisfied, I closed my eyes.

-Blink.

"Area secured.”

With Lee Sejun’s short, decisive report, the first thing we did was check our ammunition consumption.

Lee Sejun had used 2 magazines. Shin Nain had fired 15 rounds. I’d used 12. The pastor had gone through 1 magazine. Everyone had adapted to the hellscape called Seoul far faster than expected. Fighting the Seoul wizard probably made us much stronger as well.

What was the most pleasing improvement was our ammunition consumption.

"We’re using a lot less ammo now.”

"Didn’t we fight around 100 monsters when we broke through the subway tunnels?”

"What are you talking about? The five of us split our fire this time, so we did great.”

"Can you really call this great? Our ambitions lie far beyond this, Jemin-ssi.”

Shin Nain immediately poured cold water on the mood. I could practically feel the annoyance rise inside of me. Seriously. Why was this bastard always determined to humble the Supreme Archmages?

Still, being the mature and patient man that I was, I let it go.

Truth be told, losing my chance to solo the Seoul wizard had bruised my pride a little. It should’ve been 1v1, not 5v1. Life just wasn’t fair.

How was I supposed to know the bastard had been walking around with Predator Spines embedded in her body?

Either way, that brief firefight seemed to have put the nearby monsters on alert.

After that, the Supreme Archmages advanced without suffering another attack. Every now and then we heard distant groans, or drawn-out screams, as though monsters had spotted us from somewhere beyond the edge of the fog. Yet none of them crossed a certain invisible line.

After walking for quite some time, we came across a small park. There was a tiny playground inside.

A place where children had once played was now stained only with gloomy bloodstains. A few empty pavilions stood nearby. Looking at the deserted playground, everyone seemed to become a little sentimental.

Instead of moving on immediately, we paused for a brief moment to take it in. The only one who actually voiced his thoughts was the pastor.

"I wonder what happened to the kids…”

"They’re probably doing just fine. Don’t worry.”

"Lee Sejun. Was that supposed to be comforting?”

"Huh? Yeah. Why?”

Listening to those two, I found myself caught between laughing and sighing.

I mean, technically those words were meant to be comforting, but… Well…

Just as we were about to keep moving, ending our moment of reflection…

-Vrrrrr—.

By now, nobody needed to say anything. The moment I reached into my chest pocket and pulled out the dark-blue phone, another message had already arrived.

[Survivor group of Songpa wizards located. Requesting contact. Meet in the basement of the building to the right of the intersection north of the park.]

"The intersection north of the park?"

For a message that only vaguely mentioned the Songpa area, the location was surprisingly precise.

I looked at Shin Nain and Hamza. Shin Nain merely shrugged, apparently not having detected anything. Hamza simply furrowed his brow. Lee Sejun swapped magazines, checked his rifle, and resumed scanning the surroundings. The pastor folded his arms in thought.

A moment later, he reached his conclusion.

"It’s pretty clear that they spotted us, isn't it?”

"Pastor, they probably heard the gunfire. If they were nearby, there was no way they’d miss it as long as they had ears.” 

After Shin Nain dutifully chimed in, the pastor adjusted his gas mask.

"We’re going."

At those words, the rest of us silently looked at him.

The first Seoul wizard we’d encountered had left far too strong an impression, but the pastor didn’t waver.

"We still know far too little about what Seoul has become. Whether it’s Go Ryeoha or some other friendly wizard, if we’ve got the chance to make contact, we shouldn’t hesitate.”

That was the decision the Supreme Archmages had come to.

*t*t*

April 17th, 2028, 12:13 PM.

Leaving the distant sounds of artillery, monster groans, and screams behind us. We arrived at the entrance to the underground parking garage beneath a large apartment building. At first glance, nothing seemed particularly unusual. But to a wizard the palace was full of signs that couldn’t be overlooked.

Several bloody handprints stained the wall near the garage entrance. 

As the owner of Hand-branch, Stage 2 magic, I recognized them immediately.

"Hand-branch, Stage 1 magic. Blood from the right hand that repels monsters.”

The pastor looked around before nodding.

"So this is how they’re guarding the entrance. From now on, if we see deliberately placed bloodstains, we should assume there’s a survivor hideout nearby.”

"Either Hand-branch, Stage 1 is more common than we thought, or it’s incredibly valuable.”

For some reason, Lee Sejun’s observation made me puff my chest out a little.

The moment we stepped into the entrance of the underground parking garage, a question slipped out before I could stop it.

"Wouldn’t these be the first actual local survivors we’d meet?”

"The Dubai Chewy Witch was technically a local survivor too.”

"She doesn’t count.”

Shin Nain’s smart-ass reply immediately annoyed me.

Then the pastor spoke up, which made my mouth shut quickly.

"Careful now. What if the latest trend among Seoul residents is raising Predator Spines inside their own bodies?”

Once again, I was reminded how difficultcultural relativism could be. We stopped in front of the lowered security shutter.

While Lee Sejun covered our rear, lazily yawning, I looked toward Hamza and Shin Nain. Neither gave a particularly strong reaction.

"It isn’t dangerous.”

"They’re human. No signs of hostility.”

Safety came first.

Only after confirming that did I step forward and pound on the shutters with the back of my hand.

"Anyone there?”

Footsteps echoed from the other side. Then a hoarse voice came through the shutter.

"Is it you guys?”

Despite the completely unexpected question, I answered calmly.

"Yes."

"You don’t even know what I’m talking about. So why’d you answer with yes?”

"If I’d said no, you wouldn’t let us in, right?”

"Hmm. Judging by those excuses, I guess you’re not monsters.”

Only then did the shutter rattle upward.

The stale smell that washed over us was probably unavoidable. The person standing behind the shutter looked absolutely filthy. Grease-stained padded jacket. Soot-covered face. At first glance, I was sure it was a man, but no, she was actually a woman.

She looked to be in her early 30s. Judging by her build, she’d worked out quite a bit. Broad shoulders, a sturdy frame, and even a slightly square jaw.

The moment she saw us, she frowned.

"Heard all that gunfire. You deserters?”

"No, we’re civilians.”

"Looking like that?”

All of us awkwardly looked ourselves over.

We were wearing military ponchos, full combat gear, rifles, magazines packed alongside grenades, and gas masks strapped to our faces. By anyone’s standard, we looked exactly like extremely well-prepared civilians.

"Ma'am, this is just how everyone outside Seoul dresses these days.”

The instant she heard outside Seoul, her expression changed.

Resentment? Hatred?

No, it was closer to desperate hope. She chewed on her lower lip for a moment, then gestured for all of us to come in.

"Come inside first. You tell us what’s happening outside and we’ll tell you what’s going on here. If either side’s got something the other needs, we can trade.”

But we couldn’t bring ourselves to step inside, because one thought kept screaming in our heads.

What if she’s got one of those Predator Spines growing out of her spine, too?

We hesitated awkwardly until Lee Sejun finally spoke up first.

"Noona.”

"Don’t call me 'Noona' with an ugly mug like yours…Just call me ‘Ma’am.’”

"Ma’am, you don’t, erm, have monsters growing out of your spine too, right?”

-Click.

I hope she didn’t think badly of us for instinctively resting our hands on our rifles. Our first contact with the Seoul wizard had left an unforgettable impression.

Fortunately, the square-jawed lady simply widened her eyes before clicking her tongue.

"People who do that are hardcore. Can’t believe you actually ran into one of those things and lived. I’m nowhere near that level. Just Hand Stage 1.”

"Those things?”

"You’re talking about the guys planting one of those spine monsters into your back, right? Not just anybody can do that, you know?”

The square-jawed lady studied our reaction for a moment, then folded her arms and raised an eyebrow.

"So you really are from outside. So? You coming in? I don’t hate outsiders all that much. If we’ve got something worth trading, let’s trade.”

*t*t*

April 17th, 2028, 12:29 PM.

Day 3 of our expedition.

We Supreme Archmages made first contact, not with Go Ryeoha, but with the first friendly local survivor we’d encountered inside Seoul.