Hitler and Goebbels, of all people.
Weren’t they war criminals who had once nearly shaken the very map of the continent? The fact that such people had recognized and even utilized the existence of Mystery was absurd.
“Mystery has been used in every war of every era. Just when do you think mages have existed?”
For her part, I Seo-a wasn’t very surprised. She calmly opened the lid of a bottle she had taken out, dipped her finger into the white bone powder inside, and slowly applied it to her face.
“All those historically recorded absurd events—they were all the work of mages, shamans, astrologers, and the like. There was even chaos during the Crusades because of the Necronomicon.”
“…Back then, mages frequently operated out in the open, after all.”
“Exactly. It was only after modernity began and organizations like the Clock Tower were established that they started moving in the shadows. When information control was practically nonexistent, mages were a common sight on battlefields.”
Having said that, I Seo-a used the bone powder on her face to change her skin to a ghastly, ghost-like pallor. Not satisfied with that, she made her finger bleed slightly and painted her lips red.
Seeing her like that, I An asked with a grimace.
“What have you been doing since earlier, anyway?”
“Preparing a spell.”
I Seo-a answered calmly, took out a pen, and started drawing a magic circle on the table.
“Have you ever heard of a Mystery Collision?”
“…I think I’ve seen it in a book. Isn’t it the theory that when it’s the same type of Mystery, you summon something similar and both sides have their power reduced?”
The dictionary definition was complicated, but in truth, it wasn’t such a difficult concept.
For example, let’s say there is a troublemaking Strange. One that goes into a convenience store and raises hell can show its best performance against a part-timer.
But what if the part-timer is also a Strange? What happens when a Strange that smashes a customer’s head whenever it dislikes them meets a Strange that smashes a part-timer’s head whenever it dislikes them?
The answer is weakening. When opposing or similar Stranges meet in the same place, both sides grow weaker.
It was a kind of territorial struggle. A fight that continues until one of them absorbs the other. The victor absorbs the loser’s concept and grows into an even stronger Mystery, while the defeated Mystery simply perishes.
This was a method frequently used by mages who directly handled Mystery when taming other Mysteries. They would release a tamed Strange to weaken another, then either devour it to grow or seize the weakened Strange and dominate it.
Either way, it was a commonly used method.
However, it was an impossible method for I Seo-a, who wasn’t even a Mystery mage. Without the ability to summon Mysteries or a pre-tamed Strange, how could she call forth another Mystery?
But contrary to I An’s thoughts, her expression was full of confidence.
“This is a cruise ship. That means it falls under the category of ‘ship’ no matter what. There are quite a lot more ship-related Stranges than you’d think.”
I Seo-a poured plenty of bone powder over the magic circle and dripped blood onto it as she spoke.
“There’s the Ship of Theseus, shipwrecks, turtle soup, the curse of the Titanic, and so on. If you only count the major ones, there are already this many. If you include minor ones, there are far more. Ah, there’s also the Kraken.”
“…Aren’t those literally Stranges? How would you bring them here or lure them with necromancy?”
“Right. But among ghost-related Stranges, there is one quite famous one.”
Just as I An was about to ask what it was, a sudden thought occurred to him, and he let out a hollow laugh.
“…No way?”
“Lawless ones of the sea! Obsessed fools who couldn’t stop plundering even after dying as pirates! They are evil spirits and Stranges both, a notorious group of ghosts that crushed several warships whole during the World Wars!”
Ignoring his words, she grinned and placed her hand over the magic circle.
“Ghost pirate ships! They shall come here to plunder this cruise!”
“I’m going crazy.”
I An gripped his tome and shook his head, while I Seo-a closed her eyes and began chanting.
It was a spell to summon uncontrollable evil spirits. It was dangerous magic not usually used, but she did not hesitate.
“O you who crave blood and flesh. O cursed one. O you formed of grudges. Come here. I have prepared the feast you desire, so indulge yourself, revel to your heart’s content, and enjoy the pleasure.”
Bwooooo!!
A sound like a ship’s horn could be faintly heard from somewhere beyond the window. The sea’s currents grew even fiercer.
“As high priest, shrine maiden, master of Mystery, and she who holds the leash, I command.”
I Seo-a opened her closed eyes and smiled dreamily.
“Come. Everything you desire is here.”
The moment the spell ended, the magic circle glowed and scattered bone powder in all directions. The instant I Seo-a confirmed the magic had activated, she roughly wiped her face with a tablecloth and shouted.
“Let’s go! They’re coming!”
“Where and what are we going to—”
Kwaaaang!!!
A sudden, thunderous roar buried and cut off I An’s words. With a noise like a cannon shell hitting its mark, the cruise ship shook, and I An furrowed his brows deeply as he looked out the window.
[Kyahahahahaha!!]
In the distance, beyond the sea fog, the silhouette of a massive sailing ship was slowly becoming visible. Beneath a flag fluttering in the wind, the blurry figure of a sailor holding a spyglass and a large sniper rifle came into view.
The state of the sniper rifle he held was unusual. It wasn’t the kind of matchlock commonly used in the Age of Exploration, but a semi-automatic sniper rifle held in the creature’s hand. A sleek lump of black metal clacked as it moved.
“What the hell!”
I An exclaimed in shock.
“Why are their weapons state-of-the-art!”
Sschaek-!
A sound like tearing wind erupted as the restaurant window shattered, sending glass fragments flying in all directions. I An gritted his teeth and dashed out of the restaurant with I Seo-a. She let out a sharp scream and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“They must have scavenged them from other ghost ships and warships! Ruuuun!”
“What about the civilians!”
“I’ve released the ghosts! They’ll guide them to safety on their own!”
“You’ve got everything planned out!”
“I’m a veteran in this field!”
Kwaaang!
Another incoming cannon struck the cruise ship’s hull. I An staggered but barely regained his balance.
When he turned his head, the ghost ship had already drawn up right in front of them.
A sailing vessel like black mist. Ghost pirates of all shapes and sizes crowded atop it, licking their lips as they simultaneously wielded modern and antique weapons. Some of them had even donned bulletproof vests and tactical helmets pulled down tight.
It was completely different from what I An had imagined.
He had expected a ghost ship with skeletal pirates creaking about wielding scimitars, matchlocks, and hooks—not punks playing tough with assault rifles and RPGs.
Apparently, the barrier to entry for pirates was damn high these days. I An cursed under his breath and pulled out his revolver.
[Kyahahah! Plunder! Murder! Treasure!]
[Kill the wenches, kill the men too! Make them all our crew!]
[What about the children and the elderly, Captain!]
[Throw them into the sea to feed the fish! They are useless to us!]
A fairly bloody conversation echoed through the air. The pirates cackled as they hooked onto the broken windows of the cruise ship and climbed aboard.
I Seo-a turned her head slightly to glare at the pirates illegally boarding the cruise ship and shouted at the top of her lungs.
“Protect the living humans, and kill them! That is an order!”
The moment the words left her mouth, ghosts wearing sobok began leaping from the ceiling, walls, and floor. Reapers clad in black hanbok strode forward with heavy steps, and evil spirits with grotesque features laughed like madmen, drenched in blood.
Ghost crashed against ghost. Piercing screams, gunshots, and bestial howls rang out clearly. I Seo-a roughly wiped away the nosebleed caused by excessive magic usage and turned to look at I An.
“Let’s split up and find the main body of the cruise ship’s Strange! I’ll go down! You go up!”
“Will you be okay alone?”
I An spat out the words as he aimed his gun behind him. I Seo-a took out a glass bottle as if to say there was no problem.
“This much is still bearable! I’ll send a signal if I find something, so don’t die!”
She said that, tapped I An’s shoulder, and ran off toward the stairs. I An stared at her retreating figure for a moment, then threw himself through the doors of the elevator that had just arrived.
He boarded the elevator with a loud clatter, drew his tome, and sprang to his feet.
At that moment, sensing a gaze on the back of his head, he turned around.
“…”
“….”
A newlywed couple who had been exchanging affectionate acts in the elevator since the morning was staring intently at him.
I An confirmed the silhouette of a long worm quickly passing between their pupils and pulled the trigger immediately.
Bang-! Taang-!
Bullets pierced exactly between the two people’s eyebrows and blew out the backs of their heads before embedding themselves in the wall. The bodies of the two who had died before they could even transform fell face-first onto the floor, and between the flowing blood, blue worms crawled out.
Squish!
I An crushed them underfoot, shot the running pirate in the leg down the hallway, and pressed the elevator button.
He placed his hand over the slowly closing doors and used magic.
“Be born anew.”
Crunch!
With a brutal noise, the gaping elevator doors joined together as if fused. A knife thrust through the closed door with a metallic sound, but the elevator ascended faster than it could be swung.
“Hoo….”
I An wiped away the dripping sweat, put a cigarette in his mouth, and lit it. As the hot smoke traveled down his throat and seeped into his lungs, his wildly pounding heart calmed down.
Though the situation had suddenly become urgent, he didn’t particularly blame I Seo-a. He had had no intention of solving the Strange by the book in the first place, and rather than quietly investigating for several days, causing a ruckus was much better.
Why would he waste time staying still, not knowing what might happen?
Even the man who had died with his memories lost had been alive on day two, only to die the next day. It meant there was a sufficient possibility that the situation would grow more complicated as time passed.
Therefore, wrapping everything up quickly today wasn’t a bad method at all.
“….”
I An held the half-smoked cigarette in his mouth and reloaded his revolver, waiting for the elevator to stop.
Before long, a ding sounded and the elevator stopped. He spun the cylinder of the reloaded revolver and placed his hand over the elevator door.
He chanted a familiar spell, and the door split open with a screech. Beyond the open door, I An looked upon the hallway filled with worms, infected survivors, and pirates, and exhaled a puff of cigarette smoke.
A cruise ship where those jerks from some Blood-Tongue Cult or whatever were lying in wait.
And the captain and remaining crew members who had yet to reveal themselves until now.
To ask anything, finding them first was the priority. He holstered his revolver, unfolded the Hand of Re-creation, and moved his lips.
“I am the companion, the torch, and the servant of the Great One. Bestow upon me the grace for the sake of the Great You, and the spear to punish our enemies.”
As he chanted, he plastered chunks of Strange flesh all over the tome and sprinkled blood on it. Then the tome began to vibrate, emitting a pale white light.
“And thus I shall open the path for You. O Great One, please lend me Your hand.”
Tuk.
The moment the spell was completed, the materials for the magic circle placed atop the tome evaporated and disappeared. In their place, a pure white cube appeared.
“Kieeeeek!”
[It’s the living! Kill! Kill!]
The Stranges detected I An’s presence and rushed at him, but without even blinking, he commanded the cube.
“Clear a path.”
[Understood.]
The cube answered in a woman’s voice and emitted light.
Soon, it transformed into a disc-like form, compressed itself, and charged forward at high speed.
Kwaaaaah!!
It whipped up a storm of light as it flew, tearing apart, disassembling, and reassembling everything in its path. Creatures with grotesquely deformed limbs and organs convulsed before going limp.
[Mission complete. Eradicated.]
Once the enemies were gone, the compressed cube scattered into motes of light.
It was a type of offensive magic recorded in the Hand of Re-creation. It had its drawbacks: it was single-use, required quite a lot of materials, and induced fatigue with each use—but with this much power, it was more than worth it.
I An smiled with satisfaction and spat out the cigarette he had been holding.
“Shall we?”
[Mhm.]
The tome vibrated as if responding to I An’s mutter.
At that moment, the status window turned on by itself, and its contents began to change.
[EX. CHAPTER 2 – A Murder on the Ship]
[Plot Summary: Instead of uncovering the truth behind the murder, you have decided to destroy the cruise ship along with I Seo-a. And you did so by drawing in pirates, an utterly absurd enemy. Because of this, the passengers have begun harboring murderous intent toward you. Yet you ignore them and set off to find the captain. Will you be able to find what you seek?]
[ENTER. CHAPTER 3 – That Which Sleeps Beneath the Sea]
[You begin to roam the ship in search of the captain and crew. But suddenly, you become curious. Why do such monsters appear on this cruise? What is the identity of these worms? Why do they parasitize humans and deform their bodies? It was a reasonable curiosity. Will you be able to satisfy this curiosity? Oh, you have a feeling it won’t be easy.]
A chapter summary and notice filled with personal opinions.
I An stared at them blankly, then smirked and raised his middle finger.
[…Ha.]
The status window let out a hollow laugh at his blatant insult and disappeared.