Chapter 9

Who Are We? Wizards

Tick-tock...

Only the sound of the second hand on the colonel's analog wristwatch echoed through the conference room.

Everyone who had listened to the briefing kept their mouths tightly shut.

It seemed they had realized the situation was worse than expected; their faces were pale or completely drained of color. Amalgam—that damned term for the three-legged monster had somehow made going to the dentist even more terrifying.

Even so, there was one person brave enough to slowly raise a hand and ask the first question.

He was a monk who appeared to be in his late forties, dressed in monastic robes.

After receiving permission to speak, the monk turned toward us—or rather, toward those who had been identified as wizards—and, his long eyebrows arching slightly, said:

"My Dharma name is Cheonghwi. I believe that seeking to illuminate the world clearly and brightly is ultimately the same as illuminating oneself. It seems there are matters more urgent than reciting sutras or mantras, so I shall speak first."

After saying that, Monk Cheonghwi narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at the colonel.

"You said that Seoul would be placed under top-priority lockdown. Yet this strange thing called an Amalgam already attacked people at dawn today. If you impose a lockdown now, wouldn't it merely intensify the resistance of refugees already trapped inside Seoul and foster distrust toward public authority?"

The colonel frowned at those words.

Seeing an opportunity, a man with a crafty-looking face, glasses, and a crucifix necklace placed a Bible on the table and spoke.

"The bald monk isn't wrong. Christianity's reputation may have suffered because of heretics, but we don't just abandon people."

Then, puffing himself up, he introduced himself.

"Pastor Park Yohan of the Presbyterian Church. I've also served as a military chaplain, so I know how soldiers think. And I'm not convinced this lockdown is really necessary."

With both the monk and pastor pressing him, the colonel maintained a frown and remained silent for a while.

Then, without responding directly, he turned his back to them, switched off the projector, rolled up the white screen, and answered while facing away.

"The Republic of Korea Armed Forces have determined that releasing excessive information to the public through the civilian advisory group could trigger severe panic."

"Hah. How are we supposed to help if you won't talk? Being honest and laying your cards on the table is the first step toward building trust, you know."

Despite Pastor Park Yohan's grumbling, the colonel remained steadfast.

Instead, he merely gestured toward the officers who had brought the wizards.

"The officers who escorted the Operators, please guide them. We need to accurately assess, systematize, and classify the Operators' magic."

The military was rigid.

It was cold even toward civilians. Under normal circumstances, they would have been more careful to avoid complaints, but the urgency of the situation made it obvious they no longer cared.

Three officers remained behind.

Among them was our own Lieutenant Shin Hangi.

The first to step forward was Captain Kim Houn, a weathered, field-oriented officer whose slightly protruding lips and prominent cheekbones gave the impression of someone who had endured a great deal.

If not for his rank insignia, one might have mistaken him for a senior master sergeant.

In any case, Captain Kim Houn fiddled with the projector once more, lowered the screen, and muttered to himself while bringing up a different PowerPoint presentation.

Monk Cheonghwi, noticing the situation, merely chuckled quietly.

Pastor Park Yohan stroked the cover of his Bible and clicked his tongue.

"It's always the people with the most to hide who never shut up. But when someone's quiet, folks assume they're clean."

With that final complaint from Pastor Park Yohan, the colonel and the command staff streamed out of the room like a receding tide.

All that remained were those bearing the title of Operator, the wizards who had become Operators, and the officers who clearly knew more than they were saying.

"What was the point of making us stay if they're just going to turn off the projector and roll up the screen?"

Captain Kim Houn cleared his throat several times, tapped the screen with his hand, and began what was effectively a lecture.

The title of the PowerPoint was:

[Overview of Localized Intrusive Alteration Phenomena]

And so, we wizards began learning about a concept we had never imagined could exist in the real world: magic.

"Yes. These are spells learned by individuals with no particular religious affiliation. They are active-duty soldiers and mobilized reservists who awakened through magical symbols."

Captain Kim Houn's presentation caused quite a stir among the Operators—in other words, among us wizards.

Pastor Park Yohan in particular adjusted his glasses, his eyes visibly sparkling with interest.

"So you're saying people with faith perform unique miracles?"

"For now, we're operating under the hypothesis that individuals with strong religious devotion manifest unique forms of magic corresponding to the teachings of their faith."

The military referred to this as Faith Magic, or Dogma-type Magic.

Dogma-type Magic was a form of magic that manifested among devout believers. Not every believer could use it, and the military's current theory was that it manifested differently according to the teachings of each religion.

At that point, a bald man wearing a string of prayer beads around his neck, seated beside Monk Cheonghwi, spoke up in a surprisingly delicate voice.

"Oh-ho. So if that's true, then there's a separate category for that intrusive-whatever-it's-called thing that they all have in common?"

Captain Kim Houn gestured toward us.

Suddenly, the soldiers in combat uniforms found themselves under the scrutiny of the religious representatives.

With an indifferent expression, Captain Kim Houn tapped the screen again to regain everyone's attention and continued.

"Magic that manifests accidentally within the fog while following religious doctrines and teachings is currently classified as Dogma-type. Those who awaken through the geometric symbols discovered within the fog are classified as Alteration-type."

"And how exactly are the two different?"

A priest with a neatly parted 2:8 hairstyle, who had been silently adjusting the collar of his cassock, finally spoke for the first time.

He was relatively young, though his eyes had a slight yellow tint, suggesting he might have jaundice.

Captain Kim Houn displayed a chart formatted in the distinctive style of military administrative documents and explained:

"Dogma-type users employ sect-specific magic believed to originate from religious doctrines and teachings. At present, we've confirmed three major categories: Buddhism, Catholicism, and Protestant Christianity—the most common religions in Korea."

Captain Kim Houn continued by explaining the kinds of magic the military had identified over the past two months through military chaplains.

1. Protestant Christianity

Their magic was called [Soteriological Assurance].

The more strictly they adhered to religious doctrine, the more they seemed to receive inexplicable blessings of fortune that could only be described as miracles.

For example, someone on the verge of being crushed beneath a collapsing building might miraculously find the debris stacking together in such a way that a safe path and pocket of survival space formed, allowing them to walk away unharmed.

2. Catholicism

Their magic was called [Eucharistic Reception].

After attending Mass and receiving the Eucharist, they became capable of resisting and even repelling an Amalgam's attempt at fusion for a certain period of time.

However, that duration appeared to vary from priest to priest, and because of the risks involved, the military could not test it recklessly.

3. Buddhism

Their magic was called [Mantra Invocation].

By reciting sutras and mantras, practitioners could suppress instinctive fear—not only their own, but also the fear felt by those around them.

The effect grew stronger when chanted in Sanskrit.

However, because there were relatively few Sanskrit scriptures available in Korea, the government was reportedly making every effort to acquire Sanskrit texts and Buddhist scriptures from countries such as India, China, and Japan.

After reaching this point, Captain Kim Houn changed the slide and continued.

"Based on these cases, we expect that followers of other religions would display different effects as well. However, as you know, aside from these established religions, information on other faiths remains rather limited."

At that moment, Captain Kim Houn discreetly glanced toward a foreigner wearing a turban.

The foreigner noticed the look and immediately waved his hands.

"I'm not an imam. I read the Quran and follow Sharia, but I also eat Korean pork belly with gochujang and soju."

Turns out he was practically an honorary Korean.

That was when the high-pitched voice of the bald man wearing prayer beads rang through the room.

"What about shamanism? Isn't the traditional faith of the Korean people a legitimate religion too?"

"Please calm down, Bodhisattva Geulmun. The soldiers were probably only referring to military chaplains."

As Monk Cheonghwi soothed the fuming bald man, I suddenly realized a shocking truth and turned my head.

At that exact moment, my eyes met those of another soldier whose eyes were equally wide with surprise.

Bodhisattva?

Noticing the disturbance among us soldiers, Bodhisattva Geulmun glared in our direction.

"These brats. These brats use magic too? Hmph! Not a chance. It's strange and sinister. Dogma-type magic? If what we do is that, then what those kids use is sorcery. Sorcery!"

"We're still explaining. The soldiers only learned it by chance, so please don't be too harsh. I'll explain their Alteration-type magic as well."

In a voice heavy with fatigue, Captain Kim Houn began explaining us.

"Alteration-type magic refers to effects granted to a specific part of the body."

According to the military, there were currently three major categories.

First: Eyes.

The user becomes capable of seeing things ordinary humans cannot.

Whether it was seeing through walls, perceiving heat like infrared vision, or seeing the future as I did—if you could perceive something beyond normal human sight, then you had awakened Alteration-Type Magic: Eye Category.

Second: Ears.

The user could hear the voices inside other people's minds.

Of course, this required extreme concentration, and there was no guarantee the target would be the one you intended.

Apparently it was almost entirely luck-based.

Third: Heart.

The user gained dramatically improved metabolic efficiency.

For example, even after sprinting at full speed for thirty seconds, they would barely feel out of breath.

Naturally, there was a drawback afterward.

"There are probably more categories, but these are the only three the military has identified so far."

Only then did I finally understand where the term Localized Intrusive Alteration Phenomena had come from.

"So Alteration-type magic was discovered first."

I paused.

"By throwing soldiers into the grinder."

If Dogma-type magic had been discovered first, they would have used more religious terminology.

Or perhaps academic terminology.

As soon as I voiced the thought, I saw Captain Kim Houn raise an eyebrow.

"Hm. Sharp observation. Just what I'd expect from someone who awakened Alteration-Type Magic—Eye Category."

Eyes.

The moment people understood what that meant, the way they looked at me changed.

The religious figures.

The bewildered soldiers.

Everyone began directing strange, difficult-to-interpret gazes my way.

Captain Kim Houn had to tap the screen again to regain everyone's attention.

"Anyway, the reason you're all gathered here is to prepare for the possibility that the fog returns. As Operators, you're here to share knowledge, establish systems, and cooperate with one another. The goal is for everyone to help each other grow, maintain the containment line alongside the military, repeatedly conduct reconnaissance missions into Seoul, acquire more information, and ultimately find a clue that will allow us to resolve this entire crisis."

"This humble monk remains concerned about this containment policy. It sounds less like Seoul is a place to be reclaimed and more like a place to be destroyed."

Captain Kim Houn frowned at those words before letting out a sigh.

"I still can't explain why Seoul was sealed off or provide the full timeline. We didn't want to watch those briefing materials either, but we're soldiers, so we had to. Please don't press us too hard."

"I heard there are more types of monsters too."

This time, I followed up with another question.

Lieutenant Shin Hangi looked around at the officers with an expression of utter distress.

Apparently he hadn't expected me to reveal that information.

The other wizards shifted their gazes back and forth between me and the officers.

Only Captain Kim Houn stared at Lieutenant Shin Hangi as though he wanted to kill him.

Then he sighed heavily and answered.

"I really don't want to say this, but since you're Operators, I'll tell you. At present, the military has fully identified and developed response tactics for three classified species, including the Amalgam."

Silently mouthing 'See me later' to Lieutenant Shin Hangi, Captain Kim Houn chewed on his lower lip before continuing.

"And there are eleven unidentified species that the military believes exist based on available evidence. That's all."

***

The moment we returned to the break room, Lieutenant Shin Hangi shot me a resentful look.

Then his shoulders slumped, and he turned to leave.

One of the drivers who had remained behind thoughtfully prepared two cups of coffee and handed them to the lieutenant.

"Take these and talk things over while you drink, sir."

"Ah, right. And take good care of the Operator."

The driver saluted sharply and remained standing at attention until the lieutenant disappeared from sight.

As soon as we were alone in the break room, he rushed toward me and practically clung to me.

"O-Operator, sir."

"Yes?"

"Please find my mother later. Han... Suk-ja. Han Suk-ja. Curly hair. Strong accent."

As he described an extremely ordinary-looking middle-aged woman, I quietly listened.

Then I smiled and tried to reassure him.

"Don't worry."

"Operator, sir!"

"If I end up finding Mrs. Han Suk-ja, I'll probably die too."

I grinned.

"So at least Mrs. Han Suk-ja won't be lonely."

"S-sir... my mother went to Seoul to visit my older sister."