The Shaman Desires Transcendence

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Kki–ik

Jinseong stepped outside the mansion and effortlessly jumped onto the rooftop of a high-rise building using teleportation one after another.

“Uh? Uhh?! Sergeant Kim Seong-il, Sergeant Kim Seong-il! You must wake up! It’s a giant!”

“Ah, damn it, I told you not to wake me unless it’s an officer coming!”

During this commotion, a soldier stationed atop the high-rise was completely startled, but instead of explaining himself, Jinseong simply melted into the shadow of the building. As he utilized camouflage, he became part of the very scenery.

“What’s there to see? There’s nothing!”

“No! There was definitely something over there…”

“So, is there?”

“Uh, no, there’s nothing…”

“Damn it, were you dozing off?”

Leaving behind the two now focused on each other rather than on their duties, Jinseong gazed toward the eastern sea.

“Similar things resemble similar things. With a small snake swimming at the back of my eye, my own eyes shall also transform like a snake.”

Jinseong altered his vision to stare into the distance. Despite being a place invisible even to a Mongolian’s sight, his enhanced vision made it seem as if he had the powers of a machine, endlessly expanding his field of view until it extended beyond buildings and mountains, even reaching the sea.

Expand.

He could see the ocean moving like waves.
A ship floating, surrendered to the rhythm of the waves.
Fish leaping above the surface.
Birds searching for prey.

And then…

“Huuh.”

He distinctly sensed a different density of energy.

“Great Magic? No, it wasn’t done by magic.”

Jinseong was in shock at the massive betrayal.

“To think they could alter the density! It’s because of this that my magic didn’t work.”

Energy seeks to maintain equilibrium. From hot areas to cooler ones, from high density to low density. This constant effort to maintain balance creates flow and sustains Earth’s ecosystem.

Yet, based on the border marking the start of Japan’s territorial waters, the energy density was entirely different.

This was a sophisticated boundary and wall Jinseong could not fathom.

“To even think of creating an energy dome?”

It was like a heat dome. Just as hot air envelops a region in a dome-like shape, this was an elevation of multiple energy densities covering a specific area. While enhancing the form of energy was something done on a smaller scale for summoning techniques or martial arts training, implementing such a thing across an entire nation was something Jinseong had never seen before.

What was even more astonishing was how subtly they had adjusted the density. Clearly different from the surroundings, yet in a state of ignorance, one wouldn’t even feel much of an incongruity. Moreover, they mixed the energy forming the dome with thermal energy, making it appear at first glance to be a natural phenomenon.

“Those Japanese weren’t lying when they said it was a blessed land.”

Surely, the Japanese received a slight buff within that heat dome compared to other countries. A higher energy density meant they could absorb more energy while performing the same actions at the same time, implying they would reap greater benefits over time.

Having adjusted it inconspicuously, even small bits would accumulate to become a mountain.

Though, the dreadful heat and sticky humidity caused by the thermal energy would have been an unbearable downside…

Yet, in a way, that might not even be a disadvantage.

If it’s cold, people die, but if it’s merely hot, one only suffers significantly.

It wasn’t nearly as perilously hot as the Middle East, so what could possibly be the problem?

“To be able to create something like that without even magic.”

Just a simple act of making it look like an area rich in natural forces.

Moreover, the most cunning part was that the effect would evoke thoughts of the Great Ritual of Magic.

“Buffing an entire nation seems similar to a Great Ritual. If there are capable individuals, they might recognize that energy dome, but they would likely brush it off as simply a Great Ritual. Huh. How truly sly and cunning.”

The Great Ritual of Magic can turn a famine into a feast and fertilize barren land.

During World War III, China focused the powers of the Great Ritual on a few individuals to create war-torn fighters, whose resilience and madness shocked the world, bordering on zombie-like.

Given how powerful the effects of the Great Ritual are, it would be no surprise if they perceived such a buff on the national level as nothing unusual.

Certainly, there would have been beings who had doubts, but that sense of incongruity likely faded away as swiftly as Japan’s wealth during the bubble era did.

A wealthy nation spends extravagantly on the Great Ritual every year.

It wouldn’t raise any eyebrows.

“My magic must have completely bypassed that heat dome. Huh, truly impressive.”

Just as plants are protected in a greenhouse, those people must have lived their lives shielded from magic.

Normal magic would be deflected the moment it encountered the energy dome due to the density, and even strong magic would be shattered as typhoons strike heat domes, unable to exert their power. If the force rivaling that of a Great Ritual were projected, it might exert its effect despite the heat dome, albeit diminished.

A truly dreadful act.

Indeed.

“This is the land where gods dwell. God, god…”

Jinseong narrowed his eyes and twisted his mouth.

A land rejecting external magic.

“It seems there’s a reason I couldn’t enter Japan before my return. There must have been interference from an intelligent being, one that was surely pulling strings without my notice.”

The energy dome only blocks external magic; it doesn’t prevent shamans from entering.

Yet, to think Jinseong tried so hard to go to Japan and failed, it clearly indicates some foul play was involved.

In a position similar to that of a mercenary, Jinseong was in a position beyond reach, under the influence of some authority…

“Then perhaps there are methods to monitor shamans coming from foreign lands.”

He suddenly thought Japan resembled a Galapagos.

An island completely isolated, possessing a distinct ecosystem unlike any other.

Rare and academically valuable, yet in return, terribly vulnerable to invasive species…

Such was his thought.

Thus, the Galapagos Islands make every effort to ensure invasive species cannot set foot on their land.

Cats, dogs, insects, rats…

Animal species that can be seen everywhere else can wreak havoc on the ecosystem if introduced.

“Do they think I can’t get in, just because of that?”

But just because they block doesn’t mean they can block everything.

Even if they sprinkle salt, the methods to gain entry are limitless.

Rich households don’t just get robbed because they wish for it!

Kki—ik.

Jinseong used teleportation to travel to the airport.

『 It’s unfortunate that I can’t go to Japan together. 』

『 I’ll go to Japan alone, so you two enjoy Russia. 』

He simply texted Iserin and Iarin.

Then he quickly bought a ticket and boarded the airplane.

His destination?

Germany.

* * * *

Jinseong arrived at Frankfurt am Main International Airport.

He immediately moved to the airport lounge, as if he had no interest in anything else. The lounge had a hard yet practical design, but the walls exhibited strange forms, neither clearly paintings nor patterns, radiating an exotic atmosphere.

“Runes.”

Runes.

Magical characters used in Northern Europe, and a power that had dramatically advanced during Nazi Germany.

He stared at the wall for a while, and upon discovering an X-shaped rune, he placed his hand on it.

“Gebo.”

Bzzt.

As he placed his hand and attempted to absorb the symbol, a slight spark erupted as if met with resistance, but soon, as if it had surrendered, the spark ceased, wrapping itself around him like a cloak.

“This won’t last long.”

Each rune character holds multiple meanings. The Gebo he touched also possessed various implications, the most prominent being ‘gift’.

He intended to surround himself with the stolen symbol to thin out his presence.

The runes embodied symbols, and since the rune inscribed on the airport was merely half-decorative, it lacked strong power, making the act feasible.

However, since it didn’t contain strong power from the start and he had snatched the symbol, it was utterly insufficient to rely on just one.

“Gebo.”

He wandered around the airport, eagerly placing his hand on any visible X-shaped rune to seize their symbols.

As the numbers gradually grew and reached nine…

“It’s done.”

He confidently believed the symbols wrapped around him could mask his presence for at least a day.

“No matter how much they reject foreign beings, will it work?”

Jinseong smirked as he boarded the plane to Japan.

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