LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 44
“A fox, a fox. Such a splendid creature.”
Jinseong recalled the red foxes he had seen while mercenary in England.
Unlike the sociable stray cats commonly found in other countries, the red foxes did not shy away from humans; instead, they would show off tricks or be adorable to request food, displaying their cleverness. Furthermore, their notable intelligence allowed them to even use buses or subways.
Thanks to the abundance of foxes around, Jinseong could easily cast spells. He could effortlessly gather parasites like Dirofilaria immitis and Echinococcus, using the collected materials to fulfill assassination requests. Especially with Echinococcus, it was advantageous to cause anaphylaxis and make it look like natural causes, disguised as an allergic reaction.
“How nostalgic it is to have used fox hides for such spells.”
But the usefulness of a fox didn’t end with parasite gathering. In most countries, foxes symbolize “wisdom.” Whether viewed negatively or positively, the underlying notion was that of “wisdom,” granting them a universal applicability. Naturally, spells involving foxes significantly influenced wisdom, as most fox-related magic aimed to enhance brain function. Therefore, Jinseong often carried around fox hides to cast spells on his companions.
“Even if they avoided me when I offered it later. Tsk tsk tsk.”
Brain function enhancement.
However, the brain is a very, very delicate organ. When artificially stimulated, it could lead to numerous problems.
Issues such as over-concentration due to frontal lobe malfunction, reduced application ability from damage to the lateral prefrontal cortex, or anger management disorders from damage to the orbitofrontal cortex occurred quite frequently. Moreover, some wizards experienced instability in their magic due to abnormal brainwaves, or combat issues due to dopamine system dysfunction.
To remedy the problems that arose, they would again cast spells with fox hides, further disrupting brain functions… this vicious cycle would repeatedly unfold.
Criticism?
There were indeed some who did.
However, most didn’t blame Jinseong.
Survivability in battle often required all manner of actions, and it was customary for mercenaries to consume designed drugs before a fight. No matter how much Jinseong’s magic harmed the brain, it couldn’t compare to the harm inflicted by chugging those drugs.
Especially after the outbreak of World War III, most had half-lost their sanity. Thus, trading in future prosperity for present enjoyment wasn’t seen as alarming. It wasn’t as if they were undergoing lobotomies; a few malfunctions weren’t worth making a fuss over.
“Though the mercenary life was rough, it was fulfilling.”
Of course, those who were overly cautious distanced themselves from Jinseong.
They loathed the idea of messing with people using parasites and consuming their companions’ lives like bullets.
They readily called Jinseong and his companions insane and panicked at the mere sight of fox hides, let alone the animals themselves.
“A fox. A fox.”
Suddenly, Jinseong thought of Iarin.
“Martial arts imitating a beast. And a fox. Hm.”
He seemed to ponder something, subtly taking out his smartphone and then glancing at Rise.
Rise quietly stood a step behind Jinseong, slightly bowing her head, resembling a respectful follower.
“The Mukuri Kokuri no Inugami would fall under dogs. And since a fox is also a type of dog….”
Rise’s long, flowing hair reflected the glow of the lighting. It shone with an unusually glossy sheen, reminiscent of thread shimmering as it cascaded down.
Jinseong turned to gently stroke Rise’s hair. Startled at first, she seemed to relax, letting her body lean towards him while closing her eyes.
“Hmm.”
He felt the smooth, soft texture of her hair slipping through his fingers like fine silk. He also sensed the flow of divine power, akin to the flickering signals of a fiber optic cable, racing to the tips of her hair before returning to her body again.
“The overflowing divine power even flows to her hair.”
The divine power generously pouring into Rise overflowed to the extent that it flowed through each strand.
“Best to send a text; after all, even if both receive foxes, it’s not a loss but rather a gain, leading to inconsequential differences.”
Thinking so, Jinseong sent a message to Iarin.
Then, lost in thought about who held power in Tottori Prefecture, he headed towards their lodging with Rise.
—
“Is life in Russia bearable? I’m doing well in Japan. Thanks to good information, I’ve had some successful harvests, and now I find myself with enough leisure to check out a festival. However, seeing the festival made me think of you, so I’m sending this message. Regardless of international exchanges, there must be holidays, and it would be nice for you to come over to Japan and enjoy the festival together. I also have some connections to introduce and gifts lined up.”
Iarin, having finished her martial arts training, chuckled lightly at the lengthy text received on her smartphone.
“This bastard finally gets in touch.”
Her face lit up with happiness as she slowly read the text. After pondering for a moment, she hurriedly ran to where Iserin was.
Tadadak!
Tatat!
She didn’t simply run; she jumped through windows and leaped over trees like a beast, reaching the room in an instant and knocked on the window.
“…You idiot.”
Iserin frowned slightly as she opened the window, only to scold Iarin, who promptly leaped into the room like a cat.
“I told you not to come in through the windows! The Russian students call you Puma Korean for doing that all the time!”
“Why~ Puma Korean? In English, it’s Puma Korean girl! Doesn’t it sound like a superhero? It’s cool, right?”
“That… sigh.”
Iserin sighed softly at the sight of Iarin, who merely listened to her nagging with one ear and let it slip through the other. She then firmly locked the window, feeling the cool air slip in.
“So, what is it this time?”
Iarin had caused enough trouble since she came as an exchange student.
Her everyday life seemed filled with wild antics.
Whatever the reason was, she would skip classes to sunbathe on the rooftop due to the sunny weather or get drunk after seeing a bear drink beer… She even became friends with that bear, frequently meeting up to drink beer and cola.
“This time, it better not be serious enough for a warning.”
That’s why concern naturally seeped into Iserin’s tone.
Not worry for Iarin, but for the warnings and penalties.
However, Iarin, offended that Iserin thought she was always causing trouble, shoved her smartphone in Iserin’s direction and yelled.
“Here! Look! I got a text from the eldest brother!”
Iserin took the smartphone and slowly read the message.
“Is life in Russia bearable…”
Jinseong’s text, starting with a well-being check, was indeed long.
It felt as if he’d jumbled every detail he hadn’t sent before into one single message.
Iserin read for a while before suddenly stopping.
“I smell something suspicious.”
Gift.
Seemingly fixated on that word, Iserin froze entirely.
[ Gift. Such a word carries a foul aura. I can’t help but wonder what secret lies beneath it. ]
Even the demon wrinkled its nose at the stench.
With a camel’s face grimacing, he appeared somewhat comical yet serious at the same time.
[ Gifts must surely hold secrets, and if it’s about secrets, that’s within my realm. So, beloved contractor, who adores uncovering secrets, you too might sense some fragments emanating from that word. ]
Iserin scrunched her face at the foul stench and enlarged the text, bringing her index finger to the word “gift.” She then closed her eyes.
In her closed view, a golden thread floated through the air. It resembled meaningless patterns, suspended like a visual manifestation of a synesthetic experience. Just like closing one’s eyes in front of a bright light at nighttime, those threads shimmered, continuously glowing and dispersing without forming a tangible shape.
But at that moment, a silver vibration spread out, wrapping around the golden threads, making the golden threads dance and form a shape that resembled a golden fox.
‘Fox.’
The golden threads illustrated the shape of a fox, which gleamed with radiance and sparkled with beautiful fur. It looked as if drops of water could flow over its smooth and attractive coat, crafted from golden thread. The fox was playfully nibbling on something uniform and square.
‘Hand.’
But that joy was short-lived. A gigantic hand reached out to the fox.
Reminiscent of a giant’s hand, it bore an ambiguous, shadowy hue, almost hidden against the closed eyelids as though it were trying to crush the fox.
Then it began to mold the golden threads into the shape it desired!
Thus, the formed figure morphed into a human likeness…
A human likeness….
‘Uh?’
The figure transformed.
An illustration of a human, as defined by a child holding a crayon in a messy grip, began to squish together. The figure squished, coalesced, then reshaped, becoming more clear. A small circle protruded from the middle, and surrounding that circle, larger circular lines were drawn. Like lightning branching out, thin threads radiated from the circle, hitting the walls and stopping at certain lines, forming yet another figure.
The shape formed by two gently curving lines merited a similarity to an eye.
An eye.
From a person into an eye.
The human shape transformed into an eye.
The shape of the eye bent like a crescent moon, almost humorously.
“Ugh!”
At that instant, Iserin couldn’t help but let out a startled scream as the prickly sensation from her eyes caused her to snap them open.
[ Huh? What’s going on? ]