[Translator – Aren]
-Tick, tock….
Only the second hand of the colonel’s analog wristwatch echoed through the conference room.
Everyone who’d listened to the briefing sat there in silence.
It seemed they’d all realized the situation was far worse than expected. Faces had turned pale or outright ghostly white. And thanks to the term Amalgam being associated with that damn three-legged monster, I’d somehow become even more afraid of going to the dentist.
Still, in the midst of all that tension, someone bravely raised a hand first. A monk who looked to be in his late 40s, dressed in Buddhist robes.
After receiving permission to speak, the monk turned toward us, those identified as wizards, and smiled beneath his long eyebrows.
"This humble monk’s dharma name is Cheonghwi². I believe that illuminating the world clearly and brightly is ultimately the same as illuminating oneself. It seems there are matters more urgent than reciting sutras or chanting mantras, so I shall speak first.”
After saying that, Monk Cheonghwi narrowed his eyes slightly at the colonel.
"You stated that the military’s highest priority is sealing off Seoul. However, that bizarre creature called an Amalgam already attacked people last night. At this point, wouldn’t a blockade merely intensify resentment among refugees trapped inside Seoul while further eroding public trust in the authorities?”The colonel frowned at that question. And immediately, another man who’d clearly been waiting for his chance spoke up. He had a sly-looking face, glasses, and a cross necklace hanging around his neck. Placing a Bible onto the table with a thud, he spoke up.
"The bald monk isn’t exactly wrong. Christianity’s reputation might be rough because of all the heretics, but we don’t just abandon people.”
Then, almost proudly, he introduced himself.
"Pastor Park Yohan of the Presbyterian Church. I’ve also served as a military chaplain before, so I understand the plight of you soldiers. But quite frankly, I’m not convinced this blockade is truly necessary.”
As the monk and pastor pressed him, the colonel merely frowned and stayed silent for a while.
Then, ignoring them entirely, he turned his back, shut off the projector, and rolled the white screen upward before finally responding without even facing us.
"The military has determined that disclosing excessive information carries a high risk of causing mass panic should such information spread to civilians through members of the Civilian Advisory Group.”
"Oh my. How are people supposed to help if you won’t even talk honestly? Trust starts with laying your cards on the table, right?”
Despite Pastor Park Yohan’s grumbling, the colonel remained unmoved.
Instead, he simply glanced toward the officers who had escorted us here.
"Please guide your assigned Operators. We need to accurately assess, classify, and systematize their magic.”
The military was rigid.
They were cold even toward civilians. Under normal circumstances they’d probably tread carefully to avoid complaints or backlash, but with the situation this urgent, they were blatantly ignoring people outright.
Monk Cheonghwi merely laughed softly as though he understood. Meanwhile, Pastor Park Yohan stroked the cover of his Bible while muttering irritably.
"It’s always the ones who talk the most that immediately go dead silent when accused of hiding something, as if it makes them look cleaner.”
With that final complaint from Pastor Park Yohan, the colonel and the rest of the command staff withdrew from the room like a receding tide.
What remained were the title of Operator, the wizards who’d received it, and the officers who clearly knew more than they were saying.
Among the three officers that stayed behind was, naturally, our very own Lieutenant Shin Hangi.
The first to step forward was a Captain named Kim Howoon. He seemed like a battle-hardened officer with the rugged look of someone worn down by hardship. Slightly protruding lips, sharply defined cheekbones, and the aura of a field officer who’d seen far too much hardship.
If not for the rank insignia, I would have assumed he was some veteran master sergeant.
Captain Kim Howoon fiddled with the projector again before lowering the screen back down, muttering complaints to himself the whole time.
"What kind of idiot turns off the projector and rolls the screen up after telling us to use it?”
After clearing his throat several times, Captain Kim Howoon tapped the screen with his own hand and began what felt more like a practical field briefing than a formal presentation.
The title of the PowerPoint read [Overview of Localized Invasive Structural Alteration].
And just like that, we wizards found ourselves learning about the concept of magic, something none of us had ever imagined could truly exist in this world.
* * *
Captain Kim Howoon’s presentation caused a massive stir among the Operators, or more simply put, us wizards.
Pastor Park Yohan in particular was visibly excited, adjusting his glasses as his eyes sparkled.
"So what you’re saying is people with faith can perform unique miracles?”
"We currently suspect that individuals with strong religious devotion manifest distinctive forms of magic aligned with the doctrines of their respective faiths.”
The military referred to this as either Faith Magic or Dogma-type Magic.
Dogma-type magic, according to the military’s current theory, was magic manifested among deeply devout believers. However, not every religious person could use it, and each religion seemed to produce entirely different forms of manifestation depending on its teachings and doctrine.
At that point, the bald man wearing a necklace of prayer beads, seated beside Monk Cheonghwi, spoke in a surprisingly delicate voice.
"Oho. So if that's the case, then there are separate categories for these invasive-whatever phenomena?”
"Yes. And over here are the magic users without religious affiliation. These are active-duty soldiers or mobilized reservists who awakened through the magical symbols.”
Captain Kim Howoon gestured toward our side as he spoke.
And just like that, the soldiers in combat uniforms suddenly became the focus of every religious figure in the room.
Captain Kim Howoon clicked his tongue, tapped the screen again to regain everyone’s attention, and continued.
"Magic that manifests accidentally through religious discipline and doctrine within the fog has currently been classified as Dogma-type. Those who awakened through the geometric symbols discovered in the fog are presently classified as Alteration-type."
"And what exactly differentiates the two?”
The priest with the neat 80/20 parted hairstyle finally spoke for the first time while adjusting the clerical collar of his cassock.
He looked fairly young, though his eyes carried a giant yellow tint, as though he suffered from jaundice.
Captain Howoon responded by displaying a chart drawn in the military’s trademark bureaucratic-document style.
"Dogma-types use sect-specific magic believed to originate from religious doctrines and teachings. At present, the three confirmed cases are the most common religions in Korea. Buddhism, Catholicism, and Protestant Christianity.”
Captain Kim Howoon then explained the types of magic the military had identified over the last 2 months through military chaplains and clergy.
1.Protestant Christianity: Their magic is called [Redemptive Conviction]. The more strictly they adhere to their religious doctrine, the more they become protected by what can only be described as miraculous luck.
For example, someone on the verge of being crushed beneath a collapsing building might somehow survive because the debris coincidentally overlaps in just the right way to create a safe pocket and an escape route.
2. Catholicism: Their magic is called [Reception of the Eucharist]. After conducting Mass and receiving Holy Communion, they become capable of resisting an Amalgam’s fusion attempt for a limited period of time, even pushing it away instead. However, the exact duration appears to vary from priest to priest, and due to the obvious risks, the military cannot test it recklessly.
3. Buddhism. Their magic is called [Mantra Invocation]. By reciting sutras and sacred chants, they can suppress instinctive fear, not only within themselves but also in those around them. The effect becomes significantly stronger when chanted in Sanskrit. However, because Korea possesses relatively few Sanskrit scriptures, the government is reportedly making every effort to secure Sanskrit texts and Buddhist scriptures from India, China, and Japan.
After finishing these examples, Captain Kim Howoon advanced the slide and continued.
"Based on these examples, we predict followers of other religions may also display unique effects. However, as you know, aside from these major established religions, the remaining faiths are somewhat lacking in data.”
It was at that moment that Captain Kim Howoon subtly glanced toward the foreigner wearing the turban.
The foreigner wearing the turban noticed the attention on him and immediately waved his hands dismissively.
"I’m not an imam. I read the Quran and follow Sharia, but I still eat gochujang, Korean pork belly, and soju.”
It turned out that he was an honorary Korean.
It was then that the bald man with the prayer bead necklace suddenly boomed out in his unusually delicate voice.
"What about shamanism? The indigenous faith carrying the spirit of Korean people isn’t a major religion?”
"Bosal¹ Geulmun-nim, please calm down. The soldiers probably just mean the military chaplains currently serving in the army.”
While Monk Cheonghwi soothed the fuming bald man, I realized a shocking truth and slowly turned my head.
At that exact moment, my eyes met another soldier staring just as wide-eyed as I was.
Bosal?
Noticing the agitation among us soldiers, Bosal Geulmin glared our way.
"These brats use magic too? Hmph! Don’t make me laugh. Their powers are bizarre and uncanny. Dogma-type magic? If what we use counts as that, then what those kids are using is sorcery. Sorcery, I say!”
"I’m still in the middle of explaining things. The soldiers only learned it by circumstance, so please don’t be too harsh on them. We’ll explain their Alteration-type magic as well.”
Captain Kim Howoon continued in a voice soaked with exhaustion as he finally began explaining our side.
"Alteration-type magic refers to cases where a specific effect manifests in a particular part of the body.”
According to the military, there were currently three major categories of Alteration-type magic.
The first branch was Eyes. The user becomes capable of seeing things ordinary humans cannot. Whether that meant seeing through walls, perceiving heat signatures like infrared vision, or seeing the future like I did—if one could perceive something beyond normal human capability, then one had awakened an Alteration-type Eye ability.
The second branch was Ears. The user could hear the inner thoughts of other humans. Of course, it required insane levels of concentration, and there was no guarantee they could target the person they wanted. Apparently it was closer to pure luck.
The third branch was the Heart. The user gained vastly improved metabolic efficiency. For example, even after sprinting at full speed for 30 seconds, they reportedly wouldn’t feel winded nearly as easily as before. Though there were side effects afterward.
"There are probably more categories, but these are the only systems the military has identified so far.”
Only then did I finally understand where the term Localized Invasive Structural Alteration came from.
"So Alteration-types were discovered first, huh? Back when the military was grinding soldiers into paste.”
The question slipped out unconsciously. If Dogma-types had been discovered first, the terminology would have sounded far more religious or at least more academic.
Captain Kim Howoon raised an eyebrow at my observation.
"Hm. Very sharp. Just what you’d expect from someone who awakened an Alteration-type Eye ability.”
Eyes.
The moment everyone understood what that meant, the way they looked at me changed.
The religious figures, as well as the confused soldiers beside me. All of them stared at me with strange, complicated expressions that were difficult to describe.
Captain Kim Howoon had to tap the screen again to regain everyone’s attention.
"Anyway, the reason all of you were gathered here is to prepare for the possibility of the fog returning. As Operators, you’re expected to share knowledge, establish systems, and cooperate with one another. Our objective is for everyone to help each other grow stronger, maintain the containment line alongside the military, repeatedly conduct reconnaissance into Seoul, gather more knowledge, and ultimately discover a clue that could resolve this entire situation.”
"I remain concerned about this containment strategy. You speak as though Seoul is not a city to reclaim, but one to erase.”
Captain Kim Howoon frowned slightly at that before letting out a weary sigh.
"We still cannot disclose the exact reason Seoul was sealed off, nor the complete timeline. Believe me, we didn’t want to see those recordings either, but we’re soldiers. We had no choice.”
"And you said there are more kinds of monsters as well, didn’t you?”
This time, I pressed the attack.
Lieutenant Shin Hangi looked toward the other officers with an utterly miserable expression, clearly panicking because this wasn’t something he’d been told to reveal. The other wizards, who evidently hadn’t heard any of this before either, kept glancing back and forth between me and the officers.
Only Captain Kim Howoon reacted differently. He glared at Shin Hangi like he wanted to kill him, then finally let out a long, exhausted sigh before answering.
"I really, really didn’t want to say this, but since you’re Operators, we’ll inform you. The military has currently established confirmed response protocols for three identified species, including the Amalgam.”
He silently mouthed, “Follow me later," toward Shin Hangi before chewing on his lower lip and continued.
"As for unidentified species that the military suspects exist based on circumstantial evidence…there are 11. That’s all.”
* * *
The moment we returned to the break room, Shin Hangi shot me a resentful look before eventually slumping his shoulders and leaving.
Meanwhile, the driver soldier still in the room thoughtfully prepared 2 cups of coffee and handed them to the lieutenant.
"Take these with you while you talk, sir.”
"Uh, right. And take good care of the Operator.”
The driver remained perfectly straight in salute until the lieutenant disappeared from view.
Then, the instant we were left alone in the break room, the driver practically sprinted toward me and clung to me desperately.
"O-Operator-nim.”
"Yeah?"
"My…my mom, she went to Seoul to visit my older sister.”
"..."
"Please, if you get the chance later, could you find her for me? Han Sookja. Curly hair, strong accent…”
I quietly listened while the soldier described the most painfully ordinary middle-aged woman imaginable.
Then I smiled and reassured him.
"Don’t worry."
"Operator-nim!”
"If I find Han Sookja, I’ll probably die right alongside her. So at least she won’t be lonely.”
“...”
_________________________________________________________________________
¹Bosal: just to make it very clear. This person is a shaman. Bosal (Bodhisattva) is a title usually used by female shaman. But Geulmun is male, so that’s why Jemin is surprised.
²Cheonghwi: 청휘 possibly something like 晴輝 which could mean Bright Radience or Clear Light, hence the later explanation "I believe that illuminating the world clearly and brightly is ultimately the same as illuminating oneself."