NOVEL WEB Chapter 15
“Just, k-huh. Yeah. Just saying.”
The monster spoke as it tightly gripped the man’s arm with a hand that seemed to have slightly changed color… yet still close to the hue of plaster.
“The cost, k-huh. The cost is necessary. Something… a very severe cost—wouldn’t it be…?”
The strength of that grip was so powerful, it felt as though he were caught by a machine. It squeezed as if a machine were crushing his arm, causing his bones to scream and his muscles to writhe in pain.
Yet, even as he objectively recognized the pain, no scream escaped his lips, nor did any sense of crisis arise.
“Do you agree?”
Perhaps this was due to the effects of the magic the monster had cast on him all this time.
Or perhaps it was the instinct that raged madly within him.
No, perhaps it was.
“Yes.”
Perhaps it was because he realized he could never turn back.
It could be.
The man constantly struggled with his thoughts.
Instinct and reason mixed and tangled, fighting each other to disorient him.
Thus, the man stood dazed, staring at the monster.
Phew!
“I shall conduct the ritual.”
Until the monster’s hand plunged deep into his belly, and his vision turned black.
The man constantly struggled with his thoughts.
* * *
Believe.
All life can be born without a mother.
Look at the dust.
There are fleas born without a mother.
Though there are no flies on rotten meat, maggots crawl.
In dirty muddy water, there are fish and shrimp that resemble serpents.
If it is said that nature’s principles come together to give birth,
then that is undeniably a lie.
You must only believe.
Only belief will lead you to truth.
Creatures are born without a mother.
And even without a father, they create life.
Only the embryo of life is the true origin.
Life is shaped and formed by a great will.
Believe.
From sweat, insects are born.
That life has been sculpted.
Only believe.
* * *
“Oh, oh?!”
The man rejoiced at his transformed body.
As soon as he regained his senses, he saw a dirty back alley and eerie darkness.
The shaman who had been probing his belly had vanished without a trace, but the powerful magic he had left behind lingered visibly as a mark of its presence.
Muscles.
Not just any muscles, but those of the kind earned through a lifetime of training and dedication.
The man’s arms had thickened and hardened to the point where they resembled logs, veins bulging out, spreading an intimidating presence.
Was that all?
No, not just his arms—his entire body had transformed.
In a discarded mirror resting next to a trash can in the back alley, stood a muscular man who could easily claim first place in a bodybuilding contest.
His neck was thick and strong.
His legs swelled to the thickness of a woman’s waist.
A sleek set of abs graced his belly.
He had developed solid pecs and broad shoulders.
“Hehehe.”
This was an entirely different body from the one that used to have a belly sticking out, where muscle was overshadowed by flab.
Just by looking at it, one felt an overwhelming presence, and he could attract the envious glances of both men and women alike.
“Truly, what a remarkable person!”
The man’s earlier doubts vanished completely.
If someone could transform an ordinary body into a muscular one, how could they not be a true shaman?
A genuine shaman.
A shaman of incredible skill!
And he was chosen by such a shaman!
“Hooray!”
* * *
He was happy.
There was no reason to be unhappy.
“Hey, you’ve changed your body recently?”
At work, everyone treated him warmly.
“Oh my, that person….”
Women regarded him as attractive.
“Wow, are you preparing to be a food fighter? You’re demolishing those meals!”
The meals he ate every day suddenly became delicious.
“Wow, I wondered where that metallic smell came from—turns out it was from that 100-won coin!”
Perhaps his luck had turned; money began to flow in steadily.
* * *
So happy.
Was it because of the muscles? His body felt so light, and the world sparkled around him.
His body moved as he wished, and everything went according to his desires.
He could decide to sleep and be asleep within five seconds.
When he decided to run, his body would move fluidly without needing a warm-up.
He could eat as much as he wanted without gaining weight, only muscles being formed instead.
Great magic!
The great power of magic!
Now, he felt no fear even towards those heavenly-like older brothers.
“Hey! Go buy me some cigarettes!”
“Yes! Ah, dear brother! Could you possibly buy me one too?”
“What? This brat is acting all nice nowadays? Alright, buy him one too.”
The days of hanging his head low and repeatedly saying “yes, sir” were long gone. The man could now act in a charming and smooth manner, like a private who sweet-talks the sergeant.
Even when he would normally slap someone’s back of the head with a comment like, “You brat withdrew,” he could easily smooth things over, perhaps due to his suddenly imposing muscles or some unknown factor that made others favor him.
He could now speak boldly among his friends.
“Hey! Look at this!”
“Wow! Crazy! Did you learn some kind of demon power?!”
“Demon power? This is the blessing of the shaman!”
They said that those who bond with each other share their bond.
His friends, who valued style, looked up to the now muscular man and clamored that they too wanted to meet the shaman to gain such muscles.
Moreover, even the friend who had suspected the shaman of being a scammer now apologized.
“I’m sorry. I just had to ask…”
“I get you, don’t I! Thank you for worrying about me!”
The man accepted the apology with the heart of a great person.
He knew it wasn’t jealousy, but rather genuine concern for his naive self. There was no need to be angry. It was kind of petty to hold a grudge against someone who had acknowledged the greatness of the shaman and admitted their mistake.
Instead, the man filled a bowl with soju, beer, and makgeolli, serving it to his friend.
“Here! This is for the drink!”
His friend gulped it down without complaints, the bomb shot he mixed with a stir of his pinky.
And after that?
He drank to the point where his friends blacked out, only stopping when the store owner politely requested that they leave. The bill reached a staggering 700,000 won, but the man didn’t feel bloated at all, only a gentle buzz.
Money?
The man calculated it.
It was an expensive amount, but with his luck, he could pay it off happily.
With his luck turned around, what was 700,000 won?
One million, ten million, one hundred million!
Money was bound to roll in!
The luck flowed by magic would fill his bank account!
He even discovered a new hobby.
Meow-ow.
Was it perhaps the calm in his heart?
He had started raising a pet.
He’d brought home a stray cat that had been following him on the street.
Meow!
The cat he had brought home looked so cute.
Though it bore scars like a veteran street cat and limped on one leg, it was adorable enough that such things hardly mattered. This tabby cat, different from others who would act aloof and treat the owner with disdain, was affectionate and clung to him as if it couldn’t live without him.
“Isn’t this what they call a cat-dog?”
What a lucky guy.
He genuinely felt that way.
At work, he was adored by his seniors.
When he returned home, a cute cat awaited him.
He had friends to drink with anytime.
All around him were beautiful girls showing interest in him.
If he couldn’t express this as happiness, what could he possibly say?
The man sincerely thanked the shaman.
Yet suddenly, a curiosity arose within him.
Thus, the man asked the shaman.
“By the way, shaman, what’s the name of the spell you cast on my body?”
Then, the great shaman replied.
“It doesn’t have a specific name. But, k-huh. Yeah, how about I name it here?”
Magic.
The spell that transformed the man’s life and granted him happiness.
The name was.
“Gondii nidus.”
* * *
What is happiness derived from?
Some might say it comes from the fulfillment of the soul.
This fulfillment of the soul is truly as empty as grasping at a phantom and picturing its form in the mind. Though one cannot assure the existence of an invisible soul, it undoubtedly exists, and one must believe and grasp it with the heart.
Merely the water in this vessel is clear, yet certainly exists; if one could satisfy and draw closer to purity, one would surely approach truth and obtain happiness.
Some might say it comes from the fulfillment of the spirit.
Austerities.
Training.
Escaping all that torments the flesh to exist solely through the spirit.
The power of the spirit is indeed weak yet formidable, transforming ever so subtly.
It can make the hot seem not hot, and the cold seem not cold.
This incredible power of the spirit, which transcends mere sensations to apply them to reality, can showcase unprecedented miracles beyond the laws of physics and the realm of special abilities.
With such a spirit, how could everything not be happy?
Yet many cannot fulfill either of these two.
Jinseong simply handed happiness in a very simple way.
That happiness stems from the flesh, yet all elements are interconnected, influencing each other closely.
It is ultimately not different from fulfilling the soul and spirit.
“ॐ.”
Jinseong smiled as he looked at the man holding a plain cat.