[Raw Fish Station (TL Note: ‘Hoe Tteugi Yeok’ literally translates to ‘Sashimi Slicing Station’ or ‘Fish Filleting Station’, a macabre name that hints at the station’s purpose.)]
Before a dilapidated station, marked by such a chilling sign, a man brought a cigarette to his lips.
He flicked a lighter, drawing in the smoke slowly as his gaze settled on the stationary train.
“Aaaargh!!! Ugh, aaargh!!!”
Beyond the blood-splattered train window, someone’s screams echoed.
Bits of flesh and blood seeped from the door seams, while a silhouette, briefly glimpsed through the window, convulsed intermittently before finally falling still.
“Dead, then.”
Another sacrifice had been offered.
The man flicked his cigarette away, watching as small monkeys, brandishing sashimi knives, moved to another part of the train.
At that very moment, someone approached from behind him.
“What are you doing here, Eddy?”
The man, called Eddy, turned his head toward the voice’s owner.
The figure of a woman, clad in a raven-black Gothic Lolita dress, was reflected in his eyes.
Eddy gazed at her for a moment, then shifted his attention back to the train.
“Just watching.”
“So, you have a taste for the cruel? You should have said something.
I could have made it far more entertaining for you.”
The woman wrapped her arms around Eddy’s body.
Eddy chuckled dismissively, pushing her away.
“The number of humans sacrificed has already surpassed a thousand.
This monstrous phenomenon will no longer be confined to dreams; it will manifest in reality.”
“Perfect for harvesting, wouldn’t you say?
After all, we’ve nurtured them so diligently.
It’s about time we started devouring them.”
The more a monstrosity consumed life, the higher its level ascended.
Even among the same species, the disparity between a creature that had devoured hundreds and one that had consumed mere dozens was truly as vast as heaven and earth.
Naturally, a superior monstrosity possessed far greater magical value.
Its quality was self-evident, and as it contained the life force of the humans it had consumed, it served as an unparalleled ingredient for spells and rituals.
There was a reason mages ventured out to hunt these creatures.
Eddy, however, had no particular desire to engage in such direct action himself.
How could an elegant mage be expected to run around on two feet, like the vermin of the Bureau of Management, who were little more than slaves to the state?
Mages were noble and beautiful beings.
They were vastly superior to humans, a race capable of dominating the world if they so desired.
The Bureau of Management? The Papacy? The Cartel?
All were mere collections of commoners.
How could such beings, possessing only human flesh and minds, ever stand before a mage?
They might hold their heads high now, but eventually, with the passage of time, they would be the first to kneel.
When that day came, they would become loyal servants to the mages, freely supplying whatever goods and materials were needed.
Yet, for now, that was not an option.
Though annoyance and disgust churned within him, he still had to exercise caution.
He needed to cultivate more power, to lay the foundation for a world beneath his feet.
To achieve this, higher quality ingredients were essential.
However, as he had stated, Eddy harbored little fondness for the barbaric act of running around on his own two feet.
Thus, he had chosen this method.
“Kyahhh!!! S-save me, save meeee!!!”
The so-called Monkey’s Dream.
A monstrous phenomenon that began as a Japanese urban legend but had now gained a physical form.
It was a dream-bound monstrosity that appeared only in dreams, cruelly murdering humans.
Because it did not exist in reality, even the Bureau of Management struggled to trace its presence.
There was no better monstrosity for forcibly feeding sacrifices, nurturing it, and then summoning it into reality for hunting.
Having devoured over a thousand humans, its quality was undoubtedly exceptional.
A single hunt could yield materials equivalent to dozens of lesser monstrosities.
That alone made it worth closing his eyes and engaging in a barbaric hunt.
“Focus on the incoming reports.
If piles of corpses appear on a train in a specific country, it’s highly probable that country has become its nest.”
“Hmm.
I’m not particularly fond of international travel, you know.”
The woman let out a deep sigh, unfurling her parasol.
Before long, the stationary train began to move forward once more.
Passing through a crimson fog that obscured everything beyond, the train emitted a monkey’s cry as it vanished from sight.
“The most likely origin is Japan, the birthplace of the urban legend, wouldn’t you say?
But those shrine maidens there are rather bothersome.”
“It could be Japan, or somewhere nearby.
It tends to appear where the legend has spread, after all.”
“Hmm… then what about Korea?”
The woman spoke.
“Perhaps because the internet is so uniquely developed there, Korea seems to be where all sorts of urban legends and ghost stories come alive.”
“It is a peculiar place, indeed.
And consequently, the Bureau of Management there is quite capable.
However, we cannot be certain it will appear in Korea.
If it does… we will have to act faster than the Bureau.”
“How tiresome.
I’d much rather it appeared somewhere in Africa.”
“You wouldn’t mind dealing with voodoo practitioners?”
Eddy asked with a laugh.
The woman folded her parasol.
“They’re inferior to necromancers.
What’s so difficult about killing them?”
Instead of responding to her words, Eddy drew a knife from his pocket.
“I’ll await the news.
It shouldn’t take too long.”
“If the monkey doll at home starts moving, contact me immediately.
And keep a close eye on global news, just in case.”
Having said that, the woman placed the sharp tip of her parasol against her own neck.
And with a thrust, she pierced her neck without hesitation.
Eddy, too, severed his own head with the knife he held.
The moment his severed head touched the ground, he awoke from his dream.
A monkey doll, clutching a kitchen knife, sat on his bedside table, staring directly at him, its mouth stretched into a grotesque grin.
****
Shin Ian boarded the KTX, heading down to Busan, precisely on time for his reserved train.
Though it was his first time riding the KTX, it proved to be less remarkable than he had anticipated.
Just like any other train, the seats were uncomfortable, and the person beside him was a complete stranger.
Still, the high speed was a welcome relief.
Even his overworked back could endure this much.
‘The time is… twelve PM, I see.’
Ordinarily, he would still be asleep, but having made an appointment, he had traveled to Busan as quickly as possible.
He felt no particular fatigue, a benefit of having become a mage.
‘The workshop is located near a subway station.’
Ian typed the address he had received into his phone and followed the shortest route.
His shoulder bag contained materials for alchemy and a grimoire.
While the grimoire could be summoned at will, he thought it best to bring it along regardless.
He had also placed the blade he had already crafted, designed to kill primates, inside his bag.
In Ian’s estimation, it was an item of considerable perfection, but he couldn’t know how other mages would perceive it.
Since the opportunity had presented itself, seeking their advice wouldn’t be a bad idea.
*Beep.*
Exiting the train station, he descended immediately to catch the subway.
Being a weekend, the station was quite crowded.
While not uncomfortably so, he had to abandon any hope of finding a seat on the subway.
Wondering if there might be any monstrosities among the crowd, Ian scanned his surroundings, yet nothing felt particularly mystical.
With a slightly more relaxed mind, he casually bought some food sold at the subway station for lunch and then purchased a gift for Simmajung.
The gift itself was nothing extravagant; merely a small diffuser.
Ian subsisted solely on part-time jobs.
With no clear idea of how much money he would need to invest in alchemy, he couldn’t possibly spend a large sum on a gift.
A modest housewarming present was the absolute limit of what he could afford.
‘I really do need to figure out a way to make more money.’
Up until now, he had never felt particularly strapped for cash, but that was no longer the case.
Since becoming a mage, everything seemed to demand money.
Let alone the workshop, just continuously purchasing alchemy ingredients would undoubtedly drain his bank account dry.
It was time to conclude his part-time work and seek other means of earning money.
‘I should ask Simmajung if they know of anything suitable.’
Thinking this, Ian patiently waited for the subway to arrive.
A short while later, the subway arrived.
People poured out, and a similar number streamed in.
Ian squeezed himself into the crowd.
As expected, there were no seats available.
He let out a deep sigh, holding onto a handrail with his bag slung in front of him, and waited patiently until he reached his destination.
Fortunately, with each stop the subway made, the number of passengers gradually decreased.
Ian, who had been standing, eventually found a suitably empty seat and caught his breath.
[The next station is…]
Listening to the subway’s announcement, he counted the remaining stations.
‘Four more stops, then.’
It wasn’t far now.
Ian idly stroked the grimoire and the knife, which he had placed at the very bottom of his bag, as he waited for his arrival.
Ten minutes passed in this manner.
Yet, there were still four stations remaining.
“…”
Despite the passage of ten minutes, the train had not reached the next station.
This was a clear anomaly.
Instead of panicking like a novice, Ian immediately tore off the bandages wrapped around his knife, gripping it tightly in one hand.
With his other hand, he clutched the grimoire.
“…Why aren’t we arriving at the next station?
Excuse me, sir.
Did we perhaps pass the next stop?”
“…No.
I need to get off there too, but we haven’t arrived yet.”
“Haven’t we been running for quite a while now?
Why aren’t we stopping…”
Listening to the murmurs of voices, Ian narrowed his eyes sharply.
At that instant.
[Attention, passengers.]
The subway’s announcement echoed through the car.
[The next station is, Raw Fish Station (TL Note: ‘Hoe Tteugi Yeok’ literally translates to ‘Sashimi Slicing Station’ or ‘Fish Filleting Station’, a macabre name that hints at the station’s purpose.).
Raw Fish Station.
All passengers are requested to please remain seated.]
There was no time to react to the words ‘Raw Fish Station’.
Abruptly, all the lights in the subway car extinguished, and standing passengers were forcibly flung towards empty seats.
“Kyahhh!”
“Ugh, ugh!”
“What the hell!”
With a resounding thump, the flung passengers screamed in bewildered panic.
Yet, no one rose again.
Or rather, no one *could* rise.
The moment they landed in their seats, all strength drained from their bodies.
Like unconscious humans, they slumped in their chairs, staring blankly into space.
“…”
Ian, however, was not affected.
Nevertheless, he leaned against the handrail, feigning a loss of strength to blend in with the eerie atmosphere.
Peeking through narrowed eyes, he surveyed the now silent subway car.
Just then, in a corner of his vision, he saw several brown-furred beings approaching.
He timed his head movement with a jolt of the subway car, confirming their identity.
[Ukkik.]
They were monkeys, wielding sashimi knives, kitchen knives, and scalpels.
They stopped precisely in front of a particular woman and began chattering among themselves.
Then.
[Ukkik!]
One monkey, holding a sashimi knife, suddenly erupted in anger and plunged its blade into the woman’s thigh.
Blood splattered.
Light returned to the woman’s previously vacant eyes, and she immediately let out a piercing scream.
“Kyahhh!! Save me! Save meeeeee!”
Her screaming mouth was then torn vertically, along with her tongue.
