Hermit Wizard

Chapter 7

Common Day of Unemployed Wizard (4)

Looking for a wizard, the giant kept shouting. Parvache continued to interpret it. Meanwhile, there was no one standing near the giant; most of them had collapsed and been rolling on the floor.

[‘Wizard. Is there a wizard? How can I not see a wizard when the Channel is open? Are the wizards in this world low-level idiots who don’t even know the magic that reacts to Channels?!’]

It looked very angry.

[‘Wizard! If you are listening to me, interpret me quickly! Get rid of these sharp-sounding bugs right now!’… that’s what it said.]

Oh, yes. So far, I’m probably the only wizard on Earth. I’m sorry for it as I don’t know the magic. And because I can’t, it’s perhaps right that none of the humans on Earth could do it. Since I had a Channel in my body, the ‘Channel Detection Alarm Magic’ failed every time during practice. Even before the spell was completed, it detected the very close Channel and started incompletely. According to my Great Master Parvache, it was one magic that could never be learned with a Channel in the body.

As I was complaining inside, the giant reached out and pointed at the Mapo Bridge.

[…Ah, I think that guy is asking you to get rid of something.]

“Ahhh…”

When I saw the direction the giant’s finger was pointing, I understood what it was trying to communicate. Ambulances and fire trucks had flocked to fix the accident, and most of them were still ringing sirens on the Mapo Bridge.

[The siren’s frequency is the opposite of the structure of that guy’s sensory organs. Just as humans feel pain due to their voice, that siren must make them feel very uncomfortable. As a human, it’s like continually listening to the scratching of a blackboard.]

“Ah… then.”

[Before it makes any more fuss, it would be better to keep the surroundings quiet…just because it doesn’t enjoy eating humans, it doesn’t mean he won’t kill them. I don’t know what will happen if he starts moving. They are vicious in nature.]

“Hmm.”

[He holds himself with trying to talk. It’s his first time in this dimension, so he controls himself because he doesn’t know what’s going on.]

I roughly understood how it felt right now. Then, what shall we do? As far as I know, I’m the only interpreter…no, I mean the wizard it was desperately looking for. Should I go over there and force all the sirens off? But was it really right to go outside the barrier in this situation? It wasn’t yet clear what that Channel looked like. And there was a possibility that the Truth-Seeker would be hanging around there. So, what could be done without going from this barrier?

“…If I want to tell them to turn off all ambulances and fire trucks’ sirens…where should I call?”

[You think they would believe you?]

“Wouldn’t it be better than not trying anything?”

I immediately found the representative number of the broadcasting company and made a call. However, only the recorded message played. It seems that people who were frightened after watching the news called urgently and questioned the authenticity of the broadcast. In the meantime, the giant was still screaming, and according to Parvache’s interpretation, it was the repetition of the same words spoken so far.

“Oh, it shouldn’t burst out like that…”

I was in a hurry and pressed 119. It was the first number I had ever pressed since I was born. I’ve never made a prank call until now! Damn it! This number also couldn’t be connected. Reports seemed to be flooding in. I hung up the phone right away and tried to press 112 just in case, but it was the same. I have to tell them to turn off all those sirens quickly!

“Where the hell am I supposed to call?”

As I was nervous, I suddenly thought of a number in my head. That number I’ve heard many times in a radio public service announcement.

“120…”

I made a call in doubt.

-Hello. This is 120 Dasan Call Center of Seoul City.

“Ah, yes, hello! I’m going to tell you about the situation at Mapo Bridge…oh shit, it’s an automatic voice!”

It somehow felt strange because the call wasn’t received by a person but by a recorded mechanical voice. While I was confused, the line continued.

-Please press 1 for transportation/ 2 for the water supply/ 3 for general administration/ 4 for information on the phone number of the Seoul City Hall and Ward Offices/ 5 for grievance counseling at the workplace.

“…”

I’m sure it was number 0 to connect to a counselor. I thought whether I should just press 0 right away, but I was still listening to the announcement because I thought it might be a unique choice on number 8 or 9 there, but it ended after the selection of grievance counseling at the workplace! No, which number should I press?

“Pa… Parvache…”

[Why?]

“If it is a complaint to turn off the ambulance siren to calm the monster near Mapo Bridge…is it ‘transportation’ or ‘general administration’ complaints?”

[…General administration, you idiot]

I pressed number 3…and waited again. And before a minute passed, the counselor was connected! This time it wasn’t a recorded voice. It was a real person!

“Yeah! I-I have something to tell you about the situation at Mapo Bridge!”

-Yes, Sir, did you call for something on TV right now?

He seemed to be aware of the situation. That was a relief. I think it would be easier to talk about.

“That’s right! We have to turn off the siren right now. Please quickly tell the fire department or whoever is it!”

-Sir, many people are calling about this, and the city does not officially instruct our counselors, so it’s hard to say anything about it.

“No, it’s okay. You don’t have to tell me anything. Please tell the person in charge to turn off the fire truck and ambulance sirens! You just saw that Ashp… no, you saw the monster pointing at Mapo Bridge with its hand? I think that siren is loud, so I think we should turn it off quickly.”

As I was speaking, it was a groundless story that even the country could tilt, but there was no other way. However, I couldn’t tell them to turn off the sirens because I understand everything that giant said.

-Yes, Sir. We’ll record your opinion well and deliver it to the relevant agencies.

“I’m telling you! Don’t just record it! Hurry, we have to turn off the siren right now…”

It was then, the giant’s shout burst from the TV. It was loud, so loud that it could not be compared to the ones before.

“Mm’khaaang’ooooo!”

I felt the hostility and anger mixed in it, so I stopped talking without knowing and turned my head to the TV. The screen shook slightly enough to guess that it was too loud to hold even if you hear it inside the helicopter. The cameraman seemed to have stumbled. After hearing the loud echoes that spread out, I could guess how loud it would be to listen to them on the spot.

-Sir? Sir? Hello?

Suddenly I lost my words, and the counselor over the phone kept calling me, but instead of answering it, I asked Parvache.

“…Why don’t you interpret it?”

[…It was just swearing.]

I knew it for some reason. At that moment, an ominous feeling came up in the back of my head. It wasn’t as good as Parvache’s, but I had a feeling. The last sound that the giant roared was spat out while the lid was completely open and flying far away. I reactivated the translation magic that was disabled while I was talking on the phone. Parvache said in a bitter voice.

[…Min-joon, I think it’s too late.]

The giant’s elongated head, which was half its body, faced the sky. I felt like its yellow eyes were a little bigger. Then, the giant who lost its mind roared.

“Khang’aaaaaamm’khaaang’oo!”

That cry sounded like this to my ears, whose connection to Akashic Records was incomplete due to immature magic.

[Die. You genital-like young animals…]

The giant’s roar continued for a long time. The air near the ground on which it stood was vibrating like crazy. The screen shook violently, seeing that the helicopter was affected, and soon began to move away from the giant. They couldn’t hold up and seemed to be trying to keep more distance. The helicopter was so far away that the giant’s body looked half as small.

[That…]

“It’s done…”

Being caught in the violent vibration of the sound waves created by the Ashpim Giant, the people who were caught in the upheaval exploded. I got nervous on the phone.

“Oh, my God, for real, we’re doomed!”

-Hello? Hello? Sir? Sir?

“Turn on the TV right now! Because of the giant now, people are starting to die. I don’t know how many more will die if it keeps going like this.”

-What are you talking about, Sir? Please calm down…

Come to think of it, there was no way the TV could have been turned on in the call center. That counselor now knew about Mapo Bridge’s case through the incoming call or the Internet. They weren’t seeing the situation in real-time. I hung up the phone because it seemed to be meaningless.

“What should I do, Parvache?”

Actually, it wasn’t the first time I had seen humans or humanoid creatures die. No, honestly, I witnessed crueler scenes than this and scenes where even more lives were lost without meaning. However, it happened in another dimension. It wasn’t a scene that I saw with my own eyes, but a scene witnessed by my avatar connected to my senses.

It’s the first time I saw people die in the world I live in, with my own eyes. Strangely, there was no such thing as fear or sadness. Just…how do I phrase this? Annoyance? Okay.

Deep annoyance was rising in my heart. Why? Why was I so annoyed?