Hermit Wizard

Chapter 13

The Upside-Down World (4)

[It is an excellent body acceleration magic. You have to be careful when you run against them. And that weapon…]

Their weapon was a delicate glossy metal disk worn on the back of their hand. Whenever they found a citizen, dozens of black, pointed needles were fired from the disk, and they were lodged in the human’s head, torso, and limbs. The victims immediately stiffened and fell on the spot. These dimensional races moved as a group and recovered the fallen citizens, and piled them up near the Channel.

They ruthlessly killed the chronically ill or elderly without mercy instead of paralyzing them. When they were harming a person, the disk’s needles didn’t stick to the skin but penetrated the human body.

[It’s an artifact that adjusts magical effects and destructive power according to the user’s will. These things were mass-produced and distributed to the military. Their civilization level is very high. Moreover, seeing them move isn’t a skill they’ve done once or twice. They were thoroughly trained. Those guys…must have been waiting for the Channel to open and repeatedly hunted the creatures of the other dimensions.]

Access to Akashic Records didn’t guarantee an entire truth. Parvache could access information on specific races, languages, and dimensional structures, but he couldn’t gain access to everything listed. Parvache knew that the species currently hunting in Munich were intelligent creatures that evolved based on reptiles. Although there were subtle differences in species depending on the dimension, it wasn’t rare for them to dominate various dimensions. However, there was no information about what kind of habitat or dimension those creatures originated from. There was no choice but to guess from the present clues.

As time went by, the number of people who were hunted and laid around the Munich channel increased, and if you looked at the hidden footage of the scene, it became hard to breathe. This dimensional race seemed to be capturing people alive for some reason. When the number of people accumulated to a certain extent, other groups came out of the Channel to collect the people scattered around the Channel and disappeared into the Channel.

The survivors inside the dome frequently called for rescue over the phone and the Internet. The German government decided to send troops to save the citizens’ lives, although it wasn’t clear how to get out of the dome again. The plan was to find a way to escape the dome once those dimensional race creatures were eliminated and the hostages were secured. As a result, they succeeded in killing about a hundred individuals of this race. Still, they moved swiftly and neutralized the German troops. The rescue troops were eventually caught helplessly in front of the dimensional creatures that responded with speed beyond human imagination- paralyzed, tied up, and thrown in front of the Channel.

After some time passed, the dimensional race stopped hunting. Even though they knew there were survivors, they were mockingly wandering in front of the building where citizens were hiding as if waiting for something. And as time went on, they seized some unarmed citizens and took them to the border of the dome. They tore the citizen’s bodies to pieces and scattered them on the floor. The German troops watched from the outside helplessly. It was a blatant provocation. Enraged soldiers shot into the dome, but they laughed it away.

The German government had now been unable to deploy additional troops, even though it was clear that there were survivors inside the dome.

[It seems like they haven’t reached a good number yet.]

Parvache, who was listening to Munich’s situation, which I found out over the Internet, said.

[It’s a provocation to send in rescue troops…so, they get more prey into the hunting ground]

“To save the survivors?”

[Right.]

“…Parvache.”

[What?]

I thought about it for a while and then said.

“At the level of civilization in this world you’ve seen so far…can humanity fight those guys and win without my help?”

[Assuming you didn’t help?]

“Yeah.”

Parvache pondered for a moment before answering.

[If it’s about the size of the current city right now, I think it’s possible. Like the internet comment you read, if the government detonates a few bombs, the hostages will be lost, but no matter how fast those guys escaped with the power of magic, they won’t be able to escape from the fiery explosion of a bomb.]

“But…what if they don’t stop?”

[Yes, that’s the problem. Whether they are capturing humans for food, enslavement, or mana extraction like the demon races…it will depend on the reason. Still, Munich’s situation will not end, and additional troops will invade. And there will be an all-out war. First of all, what bothers me is that they know how to use magic.]

“The artifacts from before aren’t all they have, right?”

[Sure. Seeing the way they move, it seems that they brought a scale for hunting purposes only. Still, if they go into an all-out war, war artifacts that aren’t here yet will be mobilized, and it’s an unfavorable fight for this civilization that is ignorant of magic. But…]

Parvache seemed to organize his words for a moment and proclaimed rightfully.

[But, if you think about it…this world’s ignorance of the magic is yesterday’s story, and wouldn’t it be different now?]

“Are you telling me to teach mankind magic?”

[No, you don’t have to be a teacher.]

“…Ah! I see.”

It was only then that I realized what Parvache was trying to say. Yes, until yesterday, there was nowhere to learn about magic. I was presumably the only one who knew any form of magic. But it was different now that over 200 Channels had been opened.

[For a simple example, the races that appeared in Hong Kong were certainly possessors of magical knowledge. It is impossible to fight those red reptiles by learning magic in a short period, but you can ask for help and get a clue to break that black barrier. And how to fight against them…you could get some artifacts through a mutually beneficial deal.]

Then Parvache added a meaningful word.

[Of course, this is only when humankind speaks out and negotiates with other races. The gray-eyed races will contact the Hong Kong government…or even the Chinese Communist Party. However, it is Germany that is directly affected by the red reptiles. Unless they are sure that those reptiles will be a threat to China, will China actively seek help from the gray-eyed race to save Germany? Is there any impact on China’s benefit to be obtained through negotiations?]

Now Parvache seemed to know very well how this world worked.

[People on the Internet are worried that the reptiles will come out of the world and follow their own country. If those guys are as good as me at fighting, why are they provoking and trying to drag humans inside? Why don’t they come out to this world?]

“…”

[Isn’t there a reason they can’t come out of the boundary? That barrier may have other uses other than trapping. I’m sure the governments of each country are carefully considering this possibility. China will not give up weighing because of the irrational fear that those guys can run from Germany to China at any time.]

“…Yes, that’s true. China or any country is going to be selfish until they get a spark on themselves anyway, right?”

[Yeah. And we also have to go that way, Min-joon.]

Parvache called my name like he is trying to tell another essential story. He said with force.

[Can you estimate how each government will move? We must go out more desperately than them. Even if the government fails once or twice, the country will not be disbanded, but if you make a mistake, your life will be lost.]

“…Me? Being selfish?”

[Yes. As I said, this world is fucked up now. As far as I know, there has never been a case in which these many Channels are opened at once. Maybe the world can hold out, maybe not.]

“…”

[But you can’t even come out to save this world, and you don’t have the ability to do that. Now, if you fly to Germany and analyze the magical patterns of that barrier, you can probably destroy the barrier and rescue the hostages. But then you become the target of the red reptiles, catch the eyes of the many intelligent races who have come into contact with this world, and attract attention from humanity as well. It’s not imminent, but the greatest danger of being exposed to Truth-Seekers one day will be inevitable.]

I sympathized and nodded. Parvache continued to speak.

[China will not be actively moving until they are convinced that those reptiles will be a threat to their country. The same goes for you. You can’t respond to all of the unknown dangers that will emerge from over 200 different dimensions. You can’t fly the Waterbirds across the continent, can you? Do you understand what I’m saying?]

“…Yeah. I understand.”

When it comes to my safety, Parvache had no room for negotiation. After listening to the lecture with similar contents over the last ten years, I made up my mind. Yes, I don’t have to go out. The Channel of Mapo Bridge was too close to my house, which is why I had to help, but that Channel in Germany was too far away to spark a fire right now. Moreover, after the Mapo Bridge channel, China and Japan’s channels close to my barriers hadn’t yet come out. Even if something came out, it wasn’t a more fatal threat to humankind than Caracas, Cairo, or Munich.

Even if more Ashpim Giants appear on Mapo Bridge, it would be possible to resolve them at the Korean military level. Yes, I am safe here.

There was no need for me to step up.

While muttering in my mind, Parvache added a wedge.

[Yes, the world has turned upside down, but you don’t have to be the one to sort it out.]