NOVEL WEB Chapter 205
“Witch… you say?”
I had previously heard of those beings from Mu-young.
Criminals who suddenly appeared across various regions over a decade ago, possessing unimaginable and powerful Particle Sensitivity.
All of them had a common trait – they were women. The horrific atrocities they committed were collectively referred to as the Witch Incident.
Because of the witches, the Republic was plunged into a momentary existential crisis. After a year of pursuit, we finally managed to eradicate them all, but by that time, countless wizards had already sacrificed their lives.
Of course, just knowing the facts didn’t make me particularly feel a sense of crisis.
After all, this was all news I had only heard a few weeks prior, and although it involved the survival of a nation, it was already a thing of the past.
“Is that the witch that I know? The one who supposedly caused the Witch Incident?”
“You heard right.”
“…Weren’t all the witches wizards?”
But the instigators of that turmoil were not human but some slimy alien creature…
How should I take this fact?
“It’s hard to understand easily. Those things can shapeshift into humans, right?”
“Even more than that. They actually eat brains while alive, covering themselves with the skin and pretending to be us. They base their actions on the intelligence and memories they absorb during that process.”
Despite the calmness in his voice, the content was utterly horrifying.
“Witch. What a fitting name. They only target female wizards to do such things…”
He then placed his hand on the tank where the witch resided, closing his eyes as he fell into thought.
“Rather, if they had lived quietly pretending to be humans, that would have been better…”
I quickly understood his words.
The things the witches did at that time were incomprehensibly horrifying events that no human could ever imagine.
Cities with thousands of people were turned to ruins overnight, and that happened more than once.
While it was shocking to think that fellow humans had done such things… if those deeds were committed by skin-covered monsters, it somehow seemed more understandable.
If they wanted to live among humans quietly, they wouldn’t have committed such acts. It felt like their brains had been eaten long before…
As I listened to his story, the initial shock began to settle down.
One thing was for sure: witches were a breed that awakened an unprecedented sense of discomfort and fear. Just looking at their appearance and the acts they committed made it clear.
However, we already knew of the existence of spirits, which are alien beings. We had also witnessed countless monsters twisted beyond recognition due to the effects of particles.
Humans were no exception. Some became wizards, while others turned into furry demons. Then there were those who ended up as mutants with protruding teeth, spines, and limbs.
Even death couldn’t offer rest. If variation spores settled on a corpse, it would rise again and roam as a ghoul. The forced cremation was also a manifestation of that fear.
I, too, could not witness the last moments of my mom and friends. I only stood there, weeping at the spot where the ashes were scattered.
Of course, I now think it’s better than to see them wandering as ghouls.
In any case, what difference would it make if a monster that mimics humans were added to the situation? It would simply mean one more existence that must be killed.
“Are you not surprised as much as I thought?”
“I was surprised. More than that, I’m just curious why you’re telling me this now.”
The reason I had come to see him wasn’t to inquire about the identity of the witch but to resolve the questions I had been harboring in my mind.
“…The nature of witches, those aberrant species are beings even closer to the Vessel particles than we are. They presumably arrived here with meteors filled with those particles.”
Feeling my gaze, Mok Jinwoo continued to explain.
“You know, we can only use the particles that have been infused into us through wells for our magic writing. This applies to warlocks and demons as well. Even monsters are no exception.”
That was the very first thing I read in the introduction to magic studies when I entered Yoram.
“But unlike us, witches can manipulate the neutral particles that are dispersed in the atmosphere as they are. Do you know what this means?”
But… what is this?
“The limits of our magic are determined by the amount of the well, while theoretically, they can exert infinite magical power.”
As he continued explaining, a strange sense of discomfort enveloped me.
“Witches also have a rather unique ability. Petrification, illusion, disintegration, brainwashing, and so on…”
I was clearly listening to a story about witches. So why does it all feel so familiar…
“Each entity may differ, but the common point is that they all perform miracles that are impossible to explain with magic.”
“Miracle? That’s…”
“Witches call those miracles this way.”
And at that moment,
I felt a shock as if I had been hit on the head with a hammer.
“…Powers.”
“Wait…! Powers!?”
“Yes. That power you possess.”
“Uh, uh…?”
So startled I could hardly speak clearly. My magic and powers were those of those monsters? How should I take this? Am I not a person but a monster? What in the world…
“Hehe, I can see exactly what you’re thinking,”
Mok Jinwoo grinned, seemingly delighted at my confusion.
“You don’t need to worry so much. You are definitely human. It was proven two years ago.”
Reflexively, the events from back then flashed in my mind.
After being rescued from the ruins by the director and the sisters, they conducted a rigorous physical examination under the guise of a health checkup. Especially focused on my head.
And on the last day of the examination, the sisters cheered and jumped around happily as they analyzed it. At that time, I didn’t understand why…
“If you were a witch, you would have been dead at the hands of Jae-hyeok already. He despises the very concept of witches. What you possess is merely their power.”
The idea of Jae-hyeok wanting to kill me was something I couldn’t imagine at all now.
That said, I also felt no particular resentment. If the reason was understandable, I might even gladly accept my death.
Well, it seems I need to get Yeon Minha’s permission first…
“…That’s why it was so confusing. Traces of things that should have been wiped out without a trace appeared from a thin little kid. And a male one at that…”
“…Wait a minute.”
While listening to him, something caught my attention.
“The woman we faced in City No. 1 last time. She clearly knew the identity of my powers. Talking about the power of Polaris or whatever. Could it be that she’s also…?”
Upon hearing this, Mok Jinwoo nodded, as if to affirm my thoughts.
“You’re right. She was likely a witch.”
“…No such monster came from the corpse. It disappeared neatly without a trace after melting away… Of course, that’s strange too…”
“That’s a characteristic of their kind. That’s why we could only secure a single specimen.”
He placed his hand back in the tank.
“This is the only specimen. The Heir of Pacheon who participated in that extermination froze it whole, using their Unique Magic. Thanks to that, we were able to study defensive measures at least belatedly…”
“The Heir of Pacheon…”
The current Heir of Pacheon is her. The dangerous older brother I’ve heard about since childhood wouldn’t have participated in that extermination at that age.
It wouldn’t be wrong to assume that the Heir of Pacheon no longer exists in this world. Perhaps they died during the Witch Incident.
“The current head bears a particularly deep grudge against Jae-hyeok…”
But why did the headmaster’s words suddenly come to mind?
“…But didn’t you just say that they were all supposedly wiped out 15 years ago?”
“Indeed. That’s what I believed. No, it’s more accurate to say I thought so.”
Mok Jinwoo responded with a smirk.
“What’s certain is that we realized it way too late.”
He muttered in a voice filled with regret as he rummaged through the piles of documents in the laboratory.
“Let’s see… it should be around here…”
“You realized too late? What do you mean by that?”
“Great principles, unity, destiny… have you ever heard those terms being thrown around?”
At his unexpected question, I recalled a memory.
“…I have.”
“Have you thought about what those mean? Or about the ultimate purpose that witches possess?”
“Not at all. No matter how dangerous, they’re just monsters. But the ultimate purpose…?”
“Right. They may seem linguistically refined, but in the end, it’s nothing more than knowledge packaged in the barbaric nature I possess. They probably don’t even know what it means.”
As he continued rifling through the documents, he replied.
“But we must never overlook their danger. They want to color the land in their own hue. Terraforming the ground to fit their environment.”
“Terraforming… you mean?”
“Witches can commonly display a power called Corruption. Celestial Basin. You’ve been there, right? I heard this year’s freshmen conducted their first practical there.”
I nodded at his words.
“What was it like?”
“…It felt like I was not on Earth, but somewhere alien. The plants, the animals, everything in that environment felt alien…”
“Compared to fully progressed Corruption, that would be just half a change.”
Mok Jinwoo replied succinctly.
“Even now, ordinary people without Particle Sensitivity are forbidden from entering Celestial Basin. They would get poisoned in less than an hour from the toxins spewing from all directions. If further Corruption progresses in that state, it would become a land of death even wizards couldn’t endure.”
“…”
“And the essence of what witches call great principles and unity is… to turn the entire land into such a state.”
“Doesn’t that… seem too grand an objective? It doesn’t seem like there’s any land wasted by Corruption in the Republic. They couldn’t even stain half of it… let alone the entire land…”
“What if the witch’s attacks are not limited to our Republic?”
“Excuse me?”
“I found it.”
Finally, Mok Jinwoo, who had been poring over documents, gasped. He blew away some dust from it, inspected it, and then handed it to me.
– Overseas Communication Network Status
“What’s this…?”
“Read it.”
He urged me as he watched my bewilderment.
Flipping through the front page revealed a record of the status of the countries we were in regular contact with and the frequency of those interactions.
“Half during the Great War, followed by half due to the Fallen Star. Humanity’s numbers remain below 30%, and only a little over a hundred countries still exist on the surface.”
“…”
“But nonetheless, we survived. After humanity awakened to the power of magic, communication resumed. Although the sky was closed, the sea routes were still alive. Furthermore, the methodologies for utilizing raven-like messenger monsters improved day by day…”
– 21xx: 87 countries
– 21xx: 94 countries
– 21xx: 103 countries
The document showed that the number of countries confirmed to have survived increased over the years.
“Even countries across the ocean, which require crossing several large seas, resumed communication. This was a significant achievement. It meant that there was a possibility to regain the glory of a time when the old world was connected as one.”
In the midst of this, Mok Jinwoo suddenly stopped speaking. He then pulled another document from his pocket and handed it to me with a somewhat somber expression.
“But… beginning 15 years ago, some changes began to be sensed.”
“…”
The front page of the document he handed over also bore the words ‘Overseas Communication Network Status.’ Judging by the dates, it appeared to be more recent.
– 21xx: 100 countries
– 21xx: 97 countries
“Suddenly, countries we had lost contact with began to increase again. At that time, no one paid it any mind. It could easily be the result of storms or changes in weather, and it had been an imperfect connection to begin with. Internal issues within the countries contributed to that too…”
– 21xx: 88 countries
– 21xx: 80 countries
“And since two years ago, the situation has taken a sharp turn.”
– 21xx: 55 countries
Last year, the number of countries we had contact with decreased by 25 in just one year. A drastically rapid decline, which was an obvious sign that something was wrong.
I turned to the next page. And on the last page, I checked the list of countries that had most recently lost contact.
– 21xx: 21 countries
“…”
Suddenly, silence settled in around us. The sound of bubbles rising in the specimen tank was the only thing that broke the stillness.
I stared at him silently after placing the document down. Mok Jinwoo was also gazing at me as if waiting for a response.
“I understand what that document means now…”