The Shaman Desires Transcendence

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Strange Encounter.

The man considered the time he met a Shaman in the back alley.

“They said there are so many bizarre people among the Shamans.”

Bizarre people are those who can’t be judged by common sense.

Thus, he took the grotesque figure he encountered in that alley, along with the sudden stroke of luck that had come upon him.

He understood all of it with a single thought: ‘Shamans are bizarre, after all.’

Therefore, he perhaps could genuinely feel the power of the magic bestowed upon him.

“Oh, oh! Ooooh!”

First and foremost, his mornings had changed.

His life, which had always been fraught with drinking, harassment from his brother and the boss, and torment from debtors, was filled with excessive stress and an engorged liver. The liver, saturated with alcohol and grease, was barely managing to sustain itself, let alone alleviate the man’s fatigue, while the overwhelming stress exacerbated his weariness.

Insomnia.
Hair loss.
Chronic fatigue.
Muscle pain.
Furthermore, he couldn’t even stand in the morning.

They say that fatigue can lead to arousal, but whether it was a lack of that or simply feeling extraordinarily exhausted, he lay there in a sulk.

The severity of it haunted him to the point that there were times when he couldn’t even stand up to watch adult content after work, leading to a sense of crisis.

“I- it’s standing! It’s standing!”

Just as he was considering a serious trip to the urologist, it stood up.

“Damn, thank you! Shaman, thank you so much!”

You might say it’s nothing to make a big fuss over.

But that’s an ignorant remark.

For men, particularly those who live and die by their pride, whether it stands or not is a matter of life and death.

‘A guy who can’t get it up, no matter how strong his fist is, gets ignored!’

In a world dominated by thugs and goons, the meek never receive respect.
Losing hair? Just shave it all off!
Having a bulging belly? Call it a lucky pouch or whatever!
Being skinny or jacked? Just hit the gym!
But not being able to get it up is truly a matter of identity. You can’t even call yourself a man.

So the man sincerely thanked the Shaman.
His fatigue disappeared and what had died within him resurrected; it couldn’t get better than this!

Perhaps that’s why?
The man felt his once twisted life suddenly blossom.

On his way to work, he heard women saying, “Oh? That guy isn’t bad, is he?”

While collecting debts, he found a ten-thousand-won bill.

Even the brothers who used to treat him like air remarked, “Hey, you’re looking kind of sharp these days,” and promised to take him to a room later.

A punk who usually treated him like dirt unexpectedly handed over his quota without any complaints.

Luck.

Yes.

This is luck.
The man now understood that his days could be so joyful and filled with happiness.

He returned home from work with a smile plastered across his face. Moreover, with the ten-thousand won he found on the way, he bought a piece of electric grilled chicken from a truck and enjoyed it with a can of beer.

Thus, the man had a happy day.

And the next day.

“Oh wow, it’s still standing.”

The following day was no different.
His body felt as light as a feather, and the doppelganger that once troubled his heart was back to life.

Was that all?
On his way to work, he felt the gaze of a woman passing by, and when he went to collect money face to face, the usual nuisances seemed to have forgotten their antics, and they calmly handed him cash.

Curiously, he followed a peculiar metallic smell and ended up picking up a 500-won coin.

“Wow, this is amazing. Money’s just rolling in!”

The pinnacle of happiness came when one of his brothers actually took him to a room.

“Hey, there’s a girl I’m aiming for. Set the mood a bit, will you?”

It was clear they wanted to use him as both a hype man and a mood setter, but the man was simply thrilled. Although he couldn’t have a girl beside him, the fact that he got to enjoy the ambiance of the room was satisfying in itself, along with the thought that one day, he too could play around with a girl like that.

With a beaming smile, the man headed home.

“Money luck, women luck, career luck, health luck. Wow, everything’s blossoming! This is why they call it Shaman magic!”

The man was happy.
His luck, which had been so tightly wound, was now released, and everything was running smoothly.

However, just as he was about to wash up and sleep, a thought suddenly struck him.

‘How long can I be this happy?’

It was a valid question.
No matter how effective the “Great Magic” might be, it wouldn’t last forever, would it?
Even flashlights need battery changes, and magical items require upkeep.

The man feared that the good fortune that had come to him unexpectedly would also vanish just as abruptly.

Thus, the man found himself back in the alley the next day.

“Shaman, Shaman.”

He called the Shaman anxiously, almost like summoning a genie from a lamp or someone begging a demon for a wish.

“Hmm… How is it? The power of the great magic?”

Just as he did when they first met, the grotesque figure emerged silently from the darkness.
As shadows coalesced to form a shape, it stepped forth from the damp and shadowy corner of the alley with an eerily light step.

Gulp.

The man faced the bizarre figure that had emerged from the dark.

The head of an insect glaring at him.
A bulging, shiny lump jutting out.
A stench, reminiscent of something, but much more disgusting and viscous.

“Shaman. The power of the magic was outstanding, or rather… it was way too satisfying! But…”

He couldn’t help but lower his gaze to the formidable being that overpowered him with all five senses.

Tap.
Tap.

Then the creature brought its face closer, as if it understood everything.

“You desire something.”

Hee-hee.

The creature’s breath echoed like laughter reverberating from afar, akin to that of a lunatic mocking from the deepest cave.

“You wish for this magic to be eternal, and that you obtain greater happiness.”

The man raised his head at the grotesque’s words that mirrored his desires like a mirror.

What appeared before him was still the same, a manifestly rigid form of an insect.

“That is impossible. There is only transcendence in this world. The fortune that has remained with you shall fade, and you shall lead a life fitting of your existence.”

“What?”

At those words, the man’s expression stiffened.

He had just been so happy and joyful.
Are all those feelings going to disappear?

Fortune will disappear, and he’ll live a fitting life?
What does a fitting life mean?

A lackey’s life?

A life where he can’t even get a girl?
No lightning strike from scratching a lottery ticket.

Expenditures from his monthly salary go to drinking and smoking.

What remains from that?

A lowly life scattered everywhere.
Is that his fitting life?
If this luck disappears, must he live such a life?

“Hee-hee. I did warn you when I granted you the great magic. What did I say? Think back.”

“That, that… Ah! If you need luck, ask for more if it’s more…”

The creature nodded in affirmation.

“Indeed. And what else did I say?”

“Oh, a cost! There would be a cost…”

Right.

He had said that.

The creature mumbled this and whispered to him.

“Bring me what I desire. Then your fortune shall grow stronger, and the time you can enjoy it shall also extend.”

*
*
*

The man realized that the fortune that had come to him was not eternal.
He understood that he could at any time revert to his former self.
He knew this happiness would vanish like a mirage.

Thus, he had no choice but to accept the creature’s proposal.

It wasn’t that difficult.
No, it was rather easy to understand.
He offers what the Shaman requests.
And in return, the Shaman extends the magic upon him and strengthens its effects.

It was simply that.

Fortunately, the Shaman didn’t make overly demanding requests.

“Hee-hee, bring me a living squid. Yes. It should be a cluster.”

Upon hearing the Shaman’s demand, the man headed to the fish market, requesting a cluster of live squid. The vendor handed him twenty squids, their eyes wide open and bodies wriggling.

Such a measly number felt absurd to the man, who had thought a “cluster” meant a box or hundreds.

“Here it is.”

After the man brought the squid, the creature displayed its magic.

Squeeek—!

The creature seemed to grab at thin air with plaster-like hands, and something invisible appeared to be torn apart, causing the bag he held to shred, leaking liquid onto the floor. As the escaping liquid swirled out, the squids floated in the air, seemingly compelled to fly towards the creature.

“Huh, h-huh!”

The sight that followed was nothing short of gruesome.

CRUNCH!

As the man clenched his hand again, the twenty floating squids had their eyes popped out simultaneously. Once sparkling eyes now floated separately into the air, approaching the creature as if they were distinct beings, and then…

SPLASH!

They were crushed within the creature’s mouth.

“Ugh!”

A foul odor wafted through.

Squids, now imbued with squished eye sockets, were wriggling in the air.
Inside the creature, which resembled a monster’s mouth, the crushed eyeballs continued to shatter…

The man felt something rising within him.

It wasn’t a matter of his stomach.
Something, something within his instincts seemed to push him to distance himself from whatever was repugnant.

It was a phenomenon akin to the human species’ rejection of the unfolding scenario.

“Cough, you are. You are strong in instinct compared to your spirit. Not bad, indeed. Quite a fine experience…”

The creature spoke words that seemed like praise or not while placing its finger upon the man’s abdomen.
“Ugh!”

As that finger touched him, a mild pain surged through him.
It wasn’t a pain of being pricked.
Not the heat of fire or the coldness of contact.

It was indeed a kind of pain that the man had never experienced before.

However, in an instant, it vanished like a bug bite, and the man watched the brief black mark on his belly fade, then asked the Shaman.

“Th- this time, how potent will it be?”

That question was the same as last time.

“Experience it directly.”

And that answer was the same as before.

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