City of Witches

༺ Friendship? (3) ༻

1.

‘How can day and night be so different?’

Even in the should-be familiar first-floor of the department store, this darkness weighed heavily on their shoulders.

The creatures lurking in the corners amplified their unease, as they chose not to attack despite having them surrounded completely.

Siwoo racked his brain.

Wondering if this long standoff was really worth all the trouble.

As time passed, sweat streamed down his back like a waterfall.

The red-eyes around them flashed like warning lights, increasing the pressure they were giving, but they only stood in place, as if waiting for something.

Though, this intense standoff wasn’t all that bad. At least, it offered a moment for Siwoo and Sharon to converse.

“Do you know what’s going on?”

“Not exactly, but something feels off… You see, if there were so many of them, even if they were to conceal themselves in their subspaces, we would still find them during our search…”

Siwoo nodded in agreement after hearing Sharon’s words.

There weren’t only one or two of those dogs in this place.

Considering the size of the buildings, dozens, or maybe there were even hundreds of them here.

‘And we didn’t discover any of them until now? How…?’

“Are they usually this smart…?”

“It varies based on the number and shape of their eyes… But you should’ve seen it. In most cases, they’re no different than ordinary beasts…”

“But what about this case…? It feels like they’re under someone’s command or something.”

“Under someone’s… Command…?”

Siwoo began to explain his assumption to Sharon.

“First, to avoid detection during our search, they somehow hid themselves, all while luring us and keeping a distance of 150 meters. Then, when we reached the center of the department store, where we wouldn’t be able to escape, they immediately closed in on us and tightened their encirclement. Don’t you think their behavior is strange?”

Indeed, their actions were too well-planned.

They moved in unison, as if they were one.

‘Commanding… Homunculus…’

A certain witch came to Sharon’s mind.

“…Could it be…?”

“Do you know something?”

But Sharon quickly rejected her own assumption.

‘Now way.’

‘If that ‘Criminal Exile’ is here, there would’ve been a much bigger commotion.’

‘Hell, there would’ve been a huge disaster happening by now.’

‘We first encountered those black dogs three months ago. If the mastermind behind those incidents was really the ‘Cowardly Witch,’ she wouldn’t be content with causing such small-scale incidents.’

‘Besides, she hasn’t been showing herself since the Chernobyl Incident.’

“No. Let’s focus on getting out of here for now.”

“How many can you take on with your remaining mana?”

“Probably twenty or so… What about you?”

“…I’ll have to try to find out.”

One fortunate thing for Sharon was the fact that Siwoo seemed much calmer than she had anticipated.

Even for Sharon, someone with a fair amount of hunting experience, this was a dire situation.

While it might not be so in action movies, in real life, sheer numbers could overturn overwhelming skill differences.

And even if one wasn’t aware of that fact, it was only natural to feel afraid when they were being surrounded by those growling monsters.

But Siwoo showed no signs of such unease.

This calmness of his also eased Sharon’s mind, making her feel composed despite the looming danger.

If he wasn’t here, she wasn’t even sure that she could keep her composure.

“You’re quite reliable, don’t you know that?”

The words slipped out of her mouth unintentionally, prompting Siwoo to turn his surprised gaze at her. A moment later, a smirk formed on his face.

“Their number keeps increasing.”

“So? Should we move away now?”

“The sooner we do, the better, but there’s a problem. The encirclement near the entrance is surprisingly loose.”

Taking note of his observation, Sharon also scanned their surroundings.

And she confirmed the validity of his words; There was a spot where the number of the red-eyes were considerably lesser than the rest of the spots.

“I’ve got something in mind, do you wanna hear it? If not, sure, you’ve got more experience than me anyway.”

“What is it? I’ll hear you out.”

Siwoo then explained to Sharon what he had found out from his observations.

He spoke hurriedly, sensing that time was running short.

“The encirclement near the entrance is loose, but the one around the escalator leading towards the underground is extremely tight. I have a feeling that they’re trying to guide us toward the entrance… Well, that’s assuming they have that kind of intelligence to begin with…”

“You’re trying to tell me that we shouldn’t go through the entrance?”

“Given this circumstance, where they lure us in like their prey, there’s no way that they’d let us off so easily.”

Sharon nodded in agreement.

Siwoo’s opinion was sound.

If they wanted to drive them away, there was no need for them to create such an elaborate encirclement.

“So, my plan is to escape through the underground and head towards the subway. What do you think?”

Typically, in situations like this, people tend to act based on the immediate circumstance.

But Siwoo combined the information he was given and accurately assessed the situation.

“Let’s go. I’ll lead the way and break through the front. Protect me if I can’t react in time. Save your mana as much as you can. If there’s a major threat, your strength will be more crucial than mine.”

Without displaying any fear, he positioned himself where the most glowing red-eyes were.

Sharon silently admired his composure.

“Okay, let’s do it your way.”

“Alright, let’s go—!”

He dashed forward without hesitation.

His sudden burst of speed took Sharon by surprise. Even the back of the black dogs shrunk back because of it.

“Run!”

As he was running, the shadow particles in his right hand coalesced into a sword-like shape.

Simultaneously, a sharp-edged ribbon materialized near his waist, slashing through the air around them.

-Boom!

-Grrr!

The department store, previously enveloped in tense silence, instantly turned into chaos.

Everything from clothing, cosmetics, to jewelry displays, was destroyed without exceptions.

A Homunculus was sent flying after being struck by a ribbon. There was one charging at the pair, and a third one following behind.

“Hah!”

Sharon exclaimed, raising her staff to strike.

At the same time, she noticed three Homunculi leaped towards Siwoo, blocking his path.

Their speed was nearly imperceptible to the naked eye.

Like a motorcycle racing with full throttle and was about to collide with someone.

If this was the previous Siwoo, he would have been pushed back, even if he managed to block them.

However, after going through more battles, Siwoo had long analyzed his own weakness.

His Law of Shadows possessed miniscule magic circles, like clustered particles, designed to disrupt other magic. They were effective against spells, but they lacked substantial physical destructive power.

And in the presence of pure and dense mana, they couldn’t even do anything significant.

To counter this weakness, he learned earth-based elemental magic from Sharon.

He utilized the heavy and dense nature of the element to add more weight to the shadows he wielded.

If previously his weapons were like soft batons, this time, it was akin to solid iron hammers.

-Thump!

Simultaneously, a sound, akin to a truck collision echoed through the space.

One of the Homunculus turned into a crumpled mess as it fell from the sky.

It wasn’t something one would see in their everyday life.

Because the average human body lacked that kind of physical strength.

In any case, the sensation Siwoo felt from the impact proved it.

That by adding weight to his attack, it would increase its destructive power.

-Grrr!

Before Siwoo could regain his posture, another Homunculus descended upon him like a missile.

Adjusting his posture wasn’t possible now.

The shield in his left hand couldn’t intercept the attack at this timing.

In that momentary moment of vulnerability.

He promptly altered the shape of his sword, which he had just used to strike the previous Homunculus.

Instead of a longsword, the shadow transformed into a straight spear, striking diagonally towards the Homunculus soaring through the air.

As it impaled itself on the firmly held spear, the monster let out a pitiful cry.

-Kiieeek!

Ignoring that dreadful scream, Siwoo dispersed his spear to reduce the impact before advancing again.

His movements were as fluid as flowing water.

It was something quite unusual.

After all, he hadn’t received formal training in physical combat.

He wasn’t even familiar with Taekwondo, something that South Korean men would normally learn.

When he first hunted the Homunculi in the modern world, he was still swinging his sword clumsily.

No, it would be more accurate to say that the sword was swinging him instead.

But now, his body could move to follow his instinct.

Almost as if engraved into his muscles, before the thought of ‘how to defeat the enemy’ crossed his mind, he effortlessly created a weapon and exploited the enemy’s weakest points.

His movements were even more natural and fluid compared to his battle with Della.

-Kiieek!

Partially dazed, Sharon watched him effortlessly breaking through the encirclement.

At first, she was especially concerned about him.

Despite his experience fighting the Homunculi, he still didn’t have as much experience as her, after all.

Normally, an ordinary person would panic when they had to fight against such numbers.

-Boom!

Suddenly, a sharp, ribbon-like whip lashed out, deflecting two Homunculi that were trying to attack Sharon from behind.

At the same time, Siwoo used the weight of his shield to strike down one Homunculus and crushed another one’s head with his foot.

He effortlessly handled the Homunculi charging at her without even taking a glance while simultaneously facing the ones charging at him from the front.

Watching this, Sharon recalled a phrase.

Free from restraint¹融通無碍, related to Zen Buddhism, meaning unfettered, free from restraint, adaptable.

A Chinese philosophy that referred to a state where one’s actions and thoughts flowed freely without obstructions.

His movements were unhindered.

Devoid of any momentary hesitations or interruptions.

Like an experienced hunter, he adeptly wielded his magic, continuously altering the form of his weapon, leaving no space for the Homunculi to evade his relentless onslaught.

This allowed Sharon to break free from the entrapment without having to resort to using her staff.

In the blink of an eye, he swiftly killed three more Homunculi while Sharon was preoccupied with unnecessary thoughts.

As someone who was also walking the path of magic, she couldn’t help but admire Siwoo’s ability to overcome obstacles using a skill that closely resembled martial arts.

This was something that normally could only be obtained after years of pushing himself to the limit while undergoing abusive training.

‘If he’s really this skilled… He could probably beat Della despite the gap between their magical abilities…’

‘Wait, could it be that he really beat her…?’

Such bizarre thoughts began to form in her mind.

Amidst the chaos of splattering Homunculi body fluids and screams, Siwoo continued to push ahead.

Finally, he spotted the entrance to the escalator, which seemed impossible to reach.

-Grrr…

“Phew…”

To his surprise, the Homunculi didn’t pounce on him, but instead kept a certain distance from him, trying to maintain their initial standoff.

This brief moment of respite allowed him to catch his breath, wipe off his sweat and survey his surroundings.

And what he saw surprised him.

The once overwhelming number of monsters had diminished significantly. He could easily count their numbers at a glance.

Those repulsive creatures started to retreat with their tails between their legs.

Siwoo tried to describe the current situation.

If he was allowed to say his honest thoughts, he felt that he didn’t get the thrill he previously expected.

When he first defeated a Homunculus, he had sprinted around, leaving his whole body in pain due to excessive mana usage.

But back then, he felt a sense of accomplishment as his hard work paid off.

Today was different. The battle was so one-sided that he couldn’t even feel proud of his accomplishment.

“Such a one-sided fight… Do we even need to run…?”

They had been trying to look for those Homunculi every night.

Now that they achieved such a major success, he didn’t feel the need to escape.

“You’ll never know. There might still be more of them lurking in ambush.”

But Sharon thought otherwise, expressing a rather cautious approach.

Even with all the uncertainties, Siwoo had killed around eighty Homunculi, including those who joined the encirclement later.

If they were to deal with the rest of them, that number would rise to about a hundred.

Even if their crystals were valued at one million won each, it’d still sum up to a hundred million won.

She couldn’t earn a billion won through normal work in a short time, but she could easily make that much by hunting the Homunculi.

With one billion won, she wouldn’t have to depend on Siwoo.

Of course, she didn’t plan to hoard all the money herself.

Though she had an agreement with him, stating that she’d gain the ownership of the crystals in exchange for teaching Siwoo magic lessons, she wasn’t such a greedy person.

Hunting the remaining twenty would be enough, it’d yield her a minimum of twenty million won, enough to easily cover her next quarterly payment.

Such thoughts momentarily distracted her from her rational judgment.

“I’ll take care of the remaining ones.”

She declared as she raised her staff.

Footnotes:

• 1融通無碍, related to Zen Buddhism, meaning unfettered, free from restraint, adaptable