Hermit Wizard

The military officer spoke softly. However, the woman crouching on her bed was throwing her unfocused eyes into the air.

The look in her eyes was like a walking corpse. The right side of her face, which wasn’t covered by her burn scars, was pale blue, and there were blank dark circles. Her body trembled.

“Hwang Soo-rim, there are people who want to speak with you today. Are you going to be alright?”

Hwang Soo-rim wrapped herself with her arms and clenched her fists as if she didn’t want to hear it. Words leaked out of her mouth like a moan.

“No, I’m scared!”

“It will only take a minute. Will it be hard?”

“I don’t want to!”

Hwang Soo-rim distorted her face, like the person who recalled the memories that she didn’t want to remember. She then put her face on her knees. A long sorrowful cry continued in her hospital room.

The military officer’s eyes remained in her arms, which were exposed over her hospital clothes’ spilled sleeves and were very skinny, leaving only her bones. He kindly gave a few more words of consolation. He tried to talk more and finally gave up. He shook his head and came out of the room.

He then talked to a man in a black suit waiting outside the door.

“It seems impossible today. She’s in extreme anxiety.”

“Hmm…”

“These days, she wakes up and screams several times while she’s sleeping. It’s getting worse and worse.”

The man in the suit frowned his eyes as if it was intolerable. He tilted his head and asked again.

“It’s taking too long, though. Even if she has anxiety, why don’t we just try to have an interview?

“Like last time, it’s likely to lead to spasm. It can only make things worse.”

The man said, lowering his voice in case he would be heard in the hospital room.

“Isn’t she pretending to be sick on purpose?”

The military doctor shook his head.

“Since hospitalized, she has been vomiting and been having convulsions and seizures. When we run the test, nothing clearly comes out, and it appears to be a psychogenic symptom.”

“But, aren’t these three symptoms you’re talking about, can be put off if she wants to make it up on purpose?”

Upon hearing the man’s words, the military doctor shook his head in frustration.

“No one in the world can act like that. You’ve seen the CCTV footage in the hospital room, and you’ve seen it in front of your eyes, right?”

“Hmm…”

The agent in the suit fiddled with his chin as if he was uncomfortable.

He had already confirmed that Hwang Soo-rim had a seizure in her hospital room. Her eyes were closed, and her body squished, spatting out the white foam. Still, he couldn’t help but wonder if it might be a fake act.

The military doctor said firmly.

“We had already been instructed to do an EEG test when she had a seizure. It was a reaction close to panic disorder.”

“… I see.”

The agent smacked his lips bitterly.

Two trainees were found in Hun-neung with their limbs intact. Kim Kyung-hwan and Hwang Soo-rim escaped injury thanks to his protection, but although he had already resumed magic training, Hwang Soo-rim seemed useless. It was a big problem for the government.

“You seem to have a lot of concerns.”

The agent nodded.

It took time to invite instructors and train the trainees again since all the Kaifus, who lived in Korea, had left the country. No matter how insignificant the ability that Hwang Soo-rim showed at the training camp was, it was a waste of money to just throw her away. Moreover, according to the records, she showed remarkable growth in the early years of her admission. She was by no means a bud that had to be thrown away.

“The situation isn’t good anyway. We may have to let Trainee Hwang Soo-rim go…”

Originally, the termination of the contract by the trainee’s will was subject to a big penalty. She had to pay back some of the government’s cost to foster her as a wizard. The nation had no choice but to do so. Moreover, it was too dangerous for trainees who had been exposed to the top secret to easily abandon their nationality and move outside due to changes in their minds.

However, the incident in Hun-neung was unpredictable. It could be interpreted as an inevitable situation in which a trainee’s status couldn’t be maintained. Looking at the current state of Hwang Soo-rim, it was even more.

“Does she want to be discharged from the hospital?”

“Yes, she is crying and begging every day, saying that just being here is painful and difficult, and she wants to go home quickly.”

The agent replied to him with a frown.

“I’ll report above what’s happening so far.”

He then sighed and turned his back.

After the conversation, the military doctor looked at Hwang Soo-rim on the bed through the closed hospital door’s glass.

Like most of the patients in that ward, which was completely isolated from the outside, this woman was also unable to get out of the hospital due to her trauma. What the hell happened in there?

He looked at her sadly for a moment, and then he quickly turned his head and moved on with his work.

***

The conversation between the military doctor and the agent ended in the hallway, and they were far away from the hospital room.

Hwang Soo-rim, squatting on the bed, was reading all of their movements. Even with her head buried in her knees, she quietly exhaled her Mana and sensed the outside.

Knowing that no people were coming and going in the hallway, she sobbed in the same position for 30 minutes after that. As time went by, the flinching of her shoulders stopped. She raised her head weakly and quietly came down from the bed.

All of the movements were now being filmed on CCTV in the hospital room. Hwang Soo-rim moved slowly. Even if she didn’t try to act, she was exhausted and tired at every step. She vomited most of what she ate, and she cried for almost 30 minutes. Her eyes were swollen red and sore.

-Kheeek…

She opened the window of the hospital room. It would look like she was getting some air because she was frustrated, and it was actually windy. The invisible flow seeped in, and Hwang Soo-rim’s hair shook in the aftermath. Her badly distorted scars were revealed for a moment and hid under her hair again.

“Sigh…”

She sighed as if the ground was sinking. With the window open, she turned her back. There was nothing lively from the tip of her head down to the tip of her toes. She didn’t have to make up her walk as if the world was ruined. She took her heavy steps and entered the bathroom.

After closing the bathroom door, her eyes changed. Her body was still in bad condition, but she didn’t have to keep acting in a blurry and hopeless way. The bathroom was the only place in the hospital room where CCTVs couldn’t observe.

“It’s a little late today.”

It was a small but clear voice. It wasn’t the voice of a person who gave up on the world.

As her words fell, a corner of the empty bathroom fluttered. As black ink filled the atmosphere, it swayed and shook, then a familiar existence appeared.

It was a blackbird of similar height to her. Hwang Soo-rim asked herself. Did it said it was a crane?

She searched for it later, but that bird had many different parts similar to the bird that people around the world called a crane. It was much bigger, and its head was a little different.

There was a difference that was clearly revealed without having to search the internet. Even if it wasn’t a crane, no bird in the world had three pairs of wings like that and…

“Haha! I’m sorry, Lady. I noticed something very interesting on the way here. I’m a little late!”

No matter what kind of bird it was, no bird could speak so naturally in the world like that one. It was different from the parrot. In a way, it was just like a person. It was no different from people.

Hwang Soo-rim muttered inside. It’s a question that has already been asked several times but without a response.

‘Is Eraser an animal lover? Why are they all fox, bear, and crane? These are animals that are not normal at all.’

Even though she murmured like that, Hwang Soo-rim poured tap water in a plastic cup for brushing teeth on the sink. She then put the cup in front of the bird. It was expected behavior.

The crane spread its right middle wing and pulled out a feather from there.

“Here you are.”

It put its feather on a cup of water that Hwang Soo-rim held. It was already familiar, but she looked displeased.

As if the black paint melted, the black feather broke down and disappeared. Even after that, the water inside didn’t lose its original transparent color.

Whew, she let out a sigh. The color of emotion was different from the sigh she just played in front of the window. She soon closed her eyes and passed what was in the plastic cup into her mouth.

“Uuum…!”

After passing the last drop to her throat, she looked like she would vomit anytime soon, but she barely endured it. After repeated deep breaths, Hwang Soo-rim finally calmed down her stomach.

“It tastes terrible whenever I drink it.”

“It is harmful to the body and mind, so it reacts on its own.”

“Hey, Mr. Bird. Are you sure it won’t have side effects later on?”

“Just call me Song. You’re so stubborn.”

The crane, which called itself ‘Song,’ answered back leisurely and swept its beak with the tip of its wings. It then pulled out a short pipe from its arms and asked.

‘It seemed like it didn’t want to go right away,’ Hwang Soo-rim thought.

There was no light on it, but smoke came out from the pipe on its beak. It was invisible to those without Mana. Hwang Soo-rim, who breathed it from the side, looked a little better. There seemed to be some anesthetic effect in the smoke.

“If you inhale the smoke like this, you will forget the effect of the poison you just drank for a couple of hours. Those humans won’t keep running for twenty-four hours a day. You’ll be comfortable for at least a few hours.”

“… Thank you for giving me the sickness and the medicine. You’ve just given me the poison that works until next week, and you’ve given me painkillers that last only a few hours.”

She said sarcastically. However, the crane replied, saying that it couldn’t help it.

“In the first place, aren’t you drinking the poison as you are now because you couldn’t even support your acting, Lady?”

She was angry but couldn’t take her words back since what the crane said was true.

The dissolved feathers of the crane in water became a mysterious poison. It was said to have the ability to manipulate the poison’s composition according to the situation and use. The effects of the poison Hwang Soo-rim drank were mainly to cause intermittent seizures, lose weight, make a face pale, and make tears pop out frequently.

“I’ve heard that you’re using this method because you look so fine for a woman who’s been traumatized by a terrible disaster.”

Hwang Soo-rim replied with a sharp voice. Her fingers pointed to her scar that covered half of her face.

“Because I have already taken such a stage before?”

“If you’ve been through it, isn’t it easier to act? It’s a feeling you’ve experienced.”

“Since I’ve been through it, it’s not easy to act while empathizing because I hate that the horrible feelings of that time come back to life. Once I think of it, it’s scary to keep getting caught up and fall into the gloomy mud.”

“Hmmm…”

As if it didn’t make much sense, the crane swept its beak down.

“Anyway, I can’t put off my emotions, so I’m going to use this kind of method. What can I do? I hope I get out of here as soon as possible.”

“That’s right.”

Hwang Soo-rim nodded.

All military patients who were originally admitted to that military hospital in Gyeonggi Province were expelled to other places. After that, only the trainees of Hun-neung had been hospitalized. Of course, contact with the outside world was completely isolated.

Still, the government wouldn’t be able to hide it long. Even the families of the trainees didn’t know the situation since it was a secret. The government desperately tried to stop it, but the media had already interviewed some families. Their child was injured like that, and the word ‘fine’ wasn’t in their eyes.

The country was boiling. The wizard training center in Hun-neung was already a hot issue that exceeded the level of ‘public secret.’ Most of the media were talking like a confirmed fact. The government would soon limit the number of injured trainees being tied up here as well as treated.

The crane smoked deeply. Hwang Soo-rim breathed it and recovered for a while. As she took a deep breath, she asked casually.

“Where is Eraser now?”

“I heard that when the time comes, he will talk to you, Lady.”

That part was like an iron stick. She had tried a few times, but it gave no information at all.

“The contract between Eraser and me is not yet over. To get the price I want, I have to complete two more missions from Eraser, but if he doesn’t show up in my dreams like now and doesn’t give me the next mission, what the hell is he going to do with me?”

The crane said calmly, perhaps because he had already heard of it.

“Do you think he’s going to give you the mission once you get out of this place? It seems that he does not intend to dig at all from the human’s signal.”

“Well, I suppose so. Even if I go out, there will be surveillance, but at least it will be better than now.”

“By the way, what’s the price you want from Yoo–from the alien? I initially thought it was to heal the scar on your face, but when I heard it, you weren’t hoping for it, but rather, you refused to treat it right away, didn’t you?”

Hwang Soo-rim nodded. The Kaifu didn’t have any recovery magic, but Eraser taught Hwang Soo-rim the magic to heal her wounds. Even beyond that stage, Eraser had the magic to restore that old scar to its original skin, and he said he would restore it if she desired.

“Neither Eraser nor I want to get rid of the scar right now. If it’s treated completely and cleanly, which is impossible with modern medicine and Kaifu’s magic, it will certainly be suspected. There are too many eyes watching right now.”

In the first place, ‘face treatment’ wasn’t the price Hwang Soo-rim would receive from Eraser.

“I understand that part, but what the hell did you make such a contract to get paid by Eraser?”

“I have people to find, but it’s impossible for me. They hid very tightly, but Eraser will help me.”

“Important people?”

“Yes, it is important because they are my driving force to survive while struggling like this.”

“Driving force?”

“Yeah.”

Hwang Soo-rim stroked her face, starting with her left eye, where only yellow traces were left. A bumpy scar and red flesh ran down her neck.

The crane asked again.

“What are you going to do after you find them?”

She answered in an insignificant way.

“I’m going to find the fucking bastards, open their ass, pluck the giblets, pop them, and then rub it on their face. I am living for that day.”

The crane looked at her without replying for a moment.

“That must be a deep grudge.”

“I won’t kill them nicely.”

“In that case, it would be good to have an in-depth conversation with ‘him.’ Surprisingly, he has deep knowledge in that field.”

“Is that so?”

Hwang Soo-rim asked without inspiration, saying if that was possible, and the crane recalled the sight it had seen a while ago.

Yoon Min-joon dragged a small suitcase on wheels and visited White Deer. The crane didn’t know the details, but it was an artifact of a modified cabin carrier. What he took out of the carrier with a built-in life support device was one of the ascetics in Hun-neung. He said her name was Alice.

Yoon Min-joon had captured her, who transformed to the size of the nails during the battle. However, he said she was forced to take medicine to transform her to a size similar to a human being. The reason was that increasing the surface area was easier to ‘work’ with.

The crane recalled the scene again. Even though Alice was similar in size to humans, she fitted well in the small carrier.

As much as the body was in a state of ruin, the executive cried constantly and confessed everything. The Dragon’s soul was hiding in a place they didn’t know, and the second body of the Dragon was being rebuilt in the United States, waiting for the day of resurrection. Only the Dragon knew the reason why the ‘Channels’ that had appeared all over the world absorbed the soul, and they didn’t know how long that phenomenon would last.

After Yoon Min-joon went back, Daejong-maek, or the priest, asked questions to their god.

-Is everything the ascetic said about Dragon and Channels true?

God didn’t give the proper answer to questions related to the subject, as always. The priest once again asked the question. It was a question it asked without much expectation.

-We want to prevent the resurrection of the Dragon. Together with a human named Yoon Min-joon, we want to find the Dragon’s soul and seal it in this isolated earth. We will return to his original world, to that ground. Do you mind if we do that?

Suddenly, very surprisingly, the god they served, the “Land of Blood and Oil,” answered the priest, Yusu.

-Do as you wish.