Chapter 15
"However, kh-he. Yes. However."
The strange person, with a hand that seemed slightly different in color... but still close to the color of plaster, grabbed the man's arm forcefully and said,
"A price, kh-he. A price is needed. What. It won't be-a very severe price..."
The strength of that grip was so strong that it felt like being held by a machine rather than a person. It squeezed as if a machine was compressing his arm, making it feel like his bones were screaming and his muscles were twisting.
But at the same time, despite objectively recognizing that it was painful, he didn't scream or feel a sense of crisis.
"Do you agree?"
Perhaps this was due to the effect of the magic the strange person had cast on him so far.
If not that, it might be due to his wildly raging instincts.
No, perhaps.
"Yes."
Perhaps it was because he realized he could never go back.
It might be so.
The man pondered endlessly.
His instincts and reason mixed and intertwined, splitting and fighting, making his head spin.
Thus, the man stood still, staring at the strange person.
Plunge!
『 I shall perform the ritual. 』
Until the moment the strange person's hand dug deep into his stomach and his vision turned black.
The man pondered endlessly.
* * *
Believe.
All life can be born without a mother.
Look at the dust.
There are fleas born without a mother.
Maggots swarm in rotten meat even without flies.
In muddy water, there are fish and shrimp resembling snakes.
If it is said that nature's principle is to be born in pairs.
That is surely a lie.
One must only believe.
Only faith will guide you to the truth.
Even without a mother, living things are born.
Even without a father, living things are created.
Only the embryo of life is the true origin.
Life is created by being carved and formed by great will.
Believe.
Insects are born from sweat.
That life has been carved.
Only believe.
* * *
"Oh, ooh?!"
The man rejoiced at his transformed body.
As soon as he regained consciousness, what he saw was a dirty back alley and desolate darkness.
The sorcerer who had thrust his hand into his stomach had disappeared without a trace, but the power of the great magic left by the sorcerer had left visible traces before disappearing.
Muscles.
And not just any muscles, but bulky and firm muscles that only those who have dedicated their lives to building muscle for a very long time could have.
The man's forearms had become as thick and firm as tree trunks, with bulging veins exuding an overwhelming presence.
And that wasn’t all.
It wasn't just his arms, but his entire body.
In an abandoned mirror next to a trash can in the alley, a muscular man who looked like he could easily win first place in a bodybuilding competition was reflected.
His neck had become thick and strong.
His legs had swollen to the size of an average woman's waist.
Smooth abs had formed on his stomach.
Firm pecs and broad shoulders had appeared.
"Hehehe."
A completely different body from his previous one, which had a protruding beer belly and more fat than muscle.
A physique that exuded intimidation just by looking at it and could attract envious gazes from both men and women.
"As expected, you were an amazing person."
The man's doubts from earlier had completely disappeared.
If someone who could change an ordinary body into a muscular physique wasn't a real sorcerer, then what would it be?
A real sorcerer.
And not just real, but a sorcerer with great skills.
And he was a person chosen by such a sorcerer!
"Hurrah!"
* * *
He was happy.
There was no reason not to be happy.
"Hey, has your body changed lately?"
At work, everyone treated him intimately.
"Oh my, that person..."
Women saw him as attractive.
"Wow, are you preparing to be a food fighter these days? You're devouring food at an incredible level."
The food he ate every day became more delicious.
"Wow, I wondered where that metallic smell was coming from, this time it was a 100 won coin."
As if his luck had opened up, money started rolling in gradually.
* * *
He was so happy.
Perhaps due to the muscles, his body felt so light and the world sparkled.
His body moved as he willed and everything went as he wished.
When he decided to sleep, he fell asleep within 5 seconds.
When he wanted to run, his body moved smoothly without warming up.
No matter how much he ate, he built muscle instead of gaining fat.
Great sorcery!
The great power of sorcery!
Now he wasn’t even afraid of the big brothers who used to be like the sky to him.
"Hey! Go buy some cigarettes!"
"Yes! Oh, Haeng-nim! How about one for me too?"
"What? Look at this kid getting all polite these days? Alright. Buy one for yourself too."
The days of always bowing his head deeply and only saying "Yes, I understand" when meeting them were gone. The man could now act smoothly like a sergeant cozying up to a staff sergeant.
Although normally this would have resulted in being hit on the back of the head and disciplined with words like "This kid's lost it," perhaps due to his suddenly bulky muscles or some unknown factor making them feel favorably towards him, they let it slide as if looking at a cute younger brother.
He could now boast loudly to his friends too.
"Hey! Look at this!"
"Whoa! Crazy! Did you learn some kind of magic engineering?"
"What magic engineering? This is the grace of the Sorcerer!"
They say birds of a feather flock together.
His friends who valued pride looked at the man who suddenly appeared with bodybuilder-like muscles with envious eyes, and pestered him about wanting to meet the Sorcerer to get such muscles themselves.
Moreover, even his friend who had suspected that the Sorcerer might be a scammer apologized.
"I'm sorry. I was just worried..."
"I know, you bastard! You think I don't understand your feelings! Thanks for worrying about me!"
The man accepted the apology with a magnanimous heart.
It wasn't out of jealousy, but out of concern for the gullible man. There was no need to be angry. If he hadn't apologized, it might have been different, but since he recognized the greatness of the Sorcerer and admitted his mistake, not accepting it would be petty.
Instead, the man filled a large bowl with soju, beer, and makgeolli and made his friend drink it.
"Here! Penalty drink coming up!"
The friend gulped down the bomb shot made by stirring with the pinky finger without a word.
And after that?
They drank heavily.
They drank until his friends' memories were completely blacked out and the shop owner, unable to watch anymore, politely asked them to "Please leave now." Although the alcohol bill alone came to 700,000 won, the man ended up just slightly tipsy without blacking out.
Money?
The man paid.
It was expensive, but he could pay it cheerfully because his money luck had opened up lately.
What was 700,000 won when money luck opened up?
1 million won, 10 million won, 100 million!
Money would roll in!
The money luck opened by magic would fill his bank account!
He even got a hobby.
Meow~
Was it because he had peace of mind?
He started keeping a pet.
He brought home a stray cat that had been following him on the street and started raising it.
Meow!
The cat he brought home had a very cute appearance.
Although it had scars on its face and limped on one leg, probably from living as a stray for a long time, it was so cute that these things didn't matter. This cat, with a color reminiscent of mackerel, was unlike other cats that were prickly and seemed to look down on their owners; it was very affectionate and stuck close to the man as if it couldn't live without him.
"Is this what they call a dog-like cat?"
He was lucky.
The man sincerely felt that way.
At work, he was loved by the big brothers.
When he came home, there was a cute cat.
He had friends he could meet and drink with anytime.
There were plenty of pretty women showing interest in him everywhere.
If this wasn't described as happiness, how else could it be described?
The man was sincerely grateful to the Sorcerer.
But suddenly, he became curious about something.
So the man asked the Sorcerer.
"By the way, Sorcerer. What's the name of the magic you cast on my body?"
Then the great Sorcerer answered.
"There's no particular name. But, kh-he. Yes, let's give it one here."
Magic.
The magic that changed the man's life and gave him happiness.
Its name was.
"Gondii nidus would be good."
* * *
What did happiness stem from?
Some might say it was the fulfillment of the soul.
This fulfillment of the soul was so empty that it’s like grasping an illusion and drawing its form in the heart. The existence of the invisible soul could not be certain, but it surely existed, and one must only believe in it with the heart and hold onto it with the heart.
However, the water contained in this vessel was transparent, but it surely existed, so if one fulfills it and gets closer to purity, one could surely get closer to the truth and obtain happiness.
Some might say it was the fulfillment of the mind.
Asceticism.
Training.
Escaping from all that torments the body and existing only with the mind.
The power of the mind was truly weak yet mighty, and its nature changed a thousand times.
It made hot things not hot, and cold things not cold.
This amazing power of the mind, which not only deceived the senses but applied it to reality, could exert miracles that increasingly deviated from the categories of physical laws and supernatural abilities the more it was trained.
If one has such a mind, how could all things not be happy?
But as many could not fulfill these two things.
Jinseong gave happiness in a very simple way.
That happiness stemmed from the flesh, but all elements were interconnected and closely influenced each other.
As a result, it would be no different from the fulfillment of the soul and mind.
"ॐ."
Jinseong smiled, looking at the man hugging an unremarkable cat.