A severe magic addict.
Her workshop resembled a cursed chamber more than a functional workspace.
Stuffed deer heads adorned the walls, while the floor was littered with various items associated with necromancy.
Thick curtains blocked out all the windows, preventing even a sliver of light from penetrating the interior.
With no electric lights on, the faint glows of candles and incense sticks provided the only illumination in the room.
An eerie atmosphere completely enveloped the space.
At best, it looked like the dwelling of mentally unstable individuals obsessed with the occult.
It was certainly not a place a seemingly ordinary high school girl would inhabit.
Yet, considering it was a wizard’s abode, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible, so Ian followed her into the room, surveying his surroundings.
“Impressive, isn’t it? I created this place all by myself.”
She declared, a proud smile gracing her lips.
“I bought each and every item with my hard-earned blood, sweat, and tears. Look, see that candle? That’s an unmelting candle once used by a real exorcist in France. Just that one candle cost a whopping ten million won.”
“…That’s quite expensive, isn’t it?”
“That’s just how this industry is. You wouldn’t know, having only just joined.”
Having said that much, she suddenly realized they hadn’t formally introduced themselves and awkwardly extended her hand.
“I’m Lee Seoa.”
“Shin Ian. I am truly grateful for all the help you’ve provided in various ways.”
“…Ahem. Well, that’s good then. More importantly, let’s fix your way of speaking.”
Lee Seoa said, pulling an orange juice carton from the refrigerator.
Ian subtly glanced at the blood packs filling the refrigerator, then politely accepted the juice she poured for him.
“My way of speaking?”
“Yeah. Wizards don’t typically use honorifics with each other. Not unless it’s a master-apprentice relationship.”
“Why not?”
Lee Seoa responded immediately, as if his question were obvious.
“Because there’s no need to appear weak, is there? While wizards often use monsters as magical ingredients, using other wizards as ingredients is actually quite efficient. If you’re underestimated, you might get stabbed in the back and end up ground in a blender.”
“Ah…”
“It doesn’t matter with ordinary people. But when dealing with another wizard, or someone who knows you’re a wizard, it’s best to be as domineering as possible. So, when you talk to wizards, speak casually.”
“Understood.”
Ian immediately adjusted his speech.
Lee Seoa let out a small laugh, surprised by his much faster-than-expected adaptability.
“Alright. Shall we get straight to business then?”
She sprang to her feet and began tidying the items scattered across the table.
Ian started to rise, intending to help her, but Lee Seoa stopped him.
“No need to help. If another wizard’s hand touches it, the spiritual power (TL Note: ‘yeongnyeok,’ a pure energy refined from ghosts) I’ve carefully nurtured will weaken. It’s much better if I do it alone.”
Given her explicit instruction, Ian had no choice but to comply.
He let out a low hum and casually placed the diffuser he had brought as a gift near the window.
A subtle lavender scent began to fill the workshop.
With the addition of the fragrance, the surreal atmosphere of the place seemed to soften slightly, becoming more comfortable.
Leaving the diffuser, Ian settled back onto the floor and sipped his juice.
‘Spiritual power, huh?’
Ian was well aware of what spiritual power entailed.
As one of the three essential elements of magic was the soul, it was impossible for him not to know.
From a magical perspective, humans are divided into two fundamental concepts.
One is the physical body, and the other is the soul.
The moment either ceases to exist, a human can no longer remain human.
If the soul remains intact but the body dies, it becomes a ghost.
If the soul dies but the body remains intact, it becomes a corpse.
The former—that is, a ghost refined and converted into pure energy—is spiritual power.
To Ian’s knowledge, only one type of wizard wielded this power.
“You’ve learned necromancy?”
“Yeah. Good guess, wasn’t it?”
Lee Seoa replied, moving a massive, unidentified skull.
Straining, she set the skull in a corner, wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead, and turned back to Ian.
“But seriously, never ask questions like that in front of other wizards. It could be taken as an invitation to fight.”
“…What?”
“That’s just how this industry works. Asking ‘What’s your magic?’ or ‘Have you learned this kind of magic?’ is practically an unwritten rule. I don’t fully understand why, but that’s just what they say, so I’m telling you.”
…
It truly was an undeniably complex society.
Ian shook his head and moved towards the now-cleared table.
“Have you ever met another wizard?”
“No, this is my first time seeing one in person too. I know they exist through online communities, but I have no idea who they are or what they’re up to.”
Lee Seoa naturally made space for him.
Ian emptied the contents of his bag onto the table and sorted the necessary items by type.
Lee Seoa, who had been quietly examining the ingredients he brought, tilted her head at the cube-shaped monster.
“What? You said you only caught a Palcheok. This is a different one, isn’t it?”
“I encountered it on the way here. Monkey Dream. Do you know it?”
“Oh, that one. It’s famous, so I know it. But why is it still in reality? It’s supposed to only appear in dreams.”
“I thought so too.”
Ian sighed deeply and recounted what had happened on the subway.
After hearing the entire story, Lee Seoa tapped her lips with a finger, her brow furrowed.
Her already fierce expression intensified as she scrunched her eyes, making her face appear even more menacing.
“This is quite serious. If a monster that should only exist in dreams has encroached upon reality, then someone else must surely have intervened.”
…
“Well, never mind that. Honestly, those details don’t matter. What’s important is that you were exposed on the subway’s CCTV.”
“I tried my best to conceal myself.”
“Will that be enough? As long as there’s evidence, the Bureau will undoubtedly try to figure out who you are.”
Lee Seoa shook her head with an expression of utter exasperation.
It seemed she had considerable experience being hounded by the Bureau.
Given her long tenure as a wizard, it was natural that her encounters with the Bureau would have been frequent.
Ian offered a bitter smile as he tore open the fish’s packaging and extracted its eyeball.
“But there was no other way, was there? I couldn’t exactly trick the surveillance cameras there.”
“Hmm… I suppose not.”
Lee Seoa said, then crossed her arms in thoughtful contemplation.
Ian left her to her thoughts and opened his grimoire to examine the alchemy formula.
He had brought all the necessary items.
A single creature’s eyeball and a monster’s flesh.
He had drawn human blood himself at home, and purchased water and poisonous herbs before boarding the train.
Nothing had been left behind by mistake.
It seemed he could begin the alchemy immediately.
This was his first attempt at alchemy since creating the blade that killed primates.
Since the blade’s efficacy had already been thoroughly proven, the item he was about to create would undoubtedly be exceptionally effective as well.
It was a tool capable of crushing an opponent’s eyeballs without any risk to the user.
Unless one was fighting a blind enemy, the value of a tool that could seal off one of the five senses was undeniably high.
While it was a shame it was consumable, that was simply something he could recreate.
‘Do other alchemists create things like this too?’
He couldn’t be certain.
He would only know if he met other alchemists or read relevant texts.
‘I’d like to see the items they’ve created firsthand.’
Thinking this, Ian pulled out a sheet of paper and unfurled it on the table.
At that very moment, Lee Seoa, who had been standing silently until then, cleared her throat and retrieved an urn from a shelf.
She opened the urn’s lid, then, fixing her gaze on Ian, lifted a pinch of bone ash.
“There’s no helping it, I suppose. I’ll help you out this one time.”
“…With what?”
“The subway incident, of course. How long has it been since you escaped from there?”
At her question, Ian paused what he was doing and checked his watch.
“Roughly thirty minutes, I’d say?”
“That’s a bit ambiguous. While the Busan branch is notoriously sluggish, thirty minutes would still be enough for them to have secured the site… and memory erasure would likely be underway. They might have even reviewed the footage already, or perhaps they’re doing so right now.”
However.
Lee Seoa added, slowly scattering the bone ash she held in her hand onto the floor.
“If we corrupt the video footage even now, at the very least, it won’t be too late.”
“Corrupt it?”
“It’s a common urban legend, isn’t it? Haunted videos, CCTV footage with ghosts in them, things like that. Using necromancy, it’s not difficult to summon a ghost capable of such a feat.”
Lee Seoa then used her foot to swiftly drag through the scattered bone ash, tracing a circular shape on the floor.
Afterward, she pricked her finger with a needle and let a drop of blood fall onto it.
The blood crawled across the bone ash as if it were a sentient being.
It was Ian’s first time witnessing another wizard’s magic demonstration firsthand.
Ian, his eyes gleaming with interest, watched her intently while taking a step back.
Lee Seoa gripped a handful of bone ash, letting it slowly trickle through her fingers as her lips parted.
“Come forth, malevolent spirit wandering the nine heavens. Your master, who wields mysteries, commands you: manifest your form here, in accordance with my will.”
Her words concluded, and simultaneously.
Suddenly, a pale-skinned arm erupted from the piled bone ash on the floor.
Soon, it crawled up from the floor and glared at Lee Seoa with murderous eyes.
By any measure, it was a malevolent spirit brimming with resentment.
Yet, Lee Seoa remained unfazed, commanding it with an impassive expression.
“If you wish to be utterly annihilated without ever resolving your grudge, then you may resist. However, if you desire to continue wandering the nine heavens, then move as I command.”
[…You, young shaman. How dare you defy the will of heaven and command a malevolent spirit? Do you not fear divine retribution?]
The malevolent spirit spoke, weeping tears of blood.
Lee Seoa scoffed.
“That’s not what I want to hear from a malevolent spirit. Shut up and do as you’re told. You know what purpose I brought you here for, don’t you?”
[…]
“Go quickly. Or should I destroy you right here?”
Lee Seoa snapped her fingers.
At that instant, a towering woman manifested behind her.
It was her guardian spirit.
The malevolent spirit, upon recognizing its presence, immediately wailed and scrambled towards the wall.
The entity, passing through the wall as if it were nothing, swiftly flew in the direction of the subway.
Ian watched the malevolent spirit with a bewildered expression, then turned his head towards her guardian spirit.
The guardian spirit, a kitchen knife embedded in its forehead and blood streaming down, waved at Ian.
Ian, still feeling somewhat dazed, waved back.
It was a rather strange sensation.
