The Calamity of Night

Jun-woo remembers the protective talisman he used until he was four years old.

A very slender, white peach branch that wouldn’t break no matter how much it bent.

His memories began around the time he started using that branch.

One day, he woke up to find his parents had gone to work, and shadows swept past outside the tent, making sounds like the wind.

Things like the smooth touch of the talisman he clutched tightly back then.

When he was four, his father sold that talisman and brought home a longer, thicker peach branch.

Jun-woo cried all day.

“You’ve grown a lot, so we’re getting you a bigger one.”

“Why can’t I use both!”

Despite Jun-woo’s tantrum, his mother firmly shook her head.

“No. Talismans are very expensive. We have to sell the old one to afford a new one.”

At thirteen, Jun-woo changed his talisman once more. The new one was the same as what adults used. His parents sat him down for a serious talk.

“Receiving this talisman means you must now pull your own weight. Always remember the feel of this talisman. It will be your hope and courage. And…”

His father’s words were finished by his mother.

“Always fear death.”

+ – + – +

We formed a defensive formation.

We made a convex semicircle facing where the black energy was gathering.

We positioned the horses in front of us, facing toward us with their bridles secured. We calmed them by stroking their faces.

Teacher Sena stood at the front of the formation with her back to us.

She slowly raised her hand high, fluttered it like waving a fan, then folded her fingers to show the number three.

This meant.

‘Talisman full power! Concealment!’

I glanced at my talisman.

About 20cm in length. A thin, straight-trimmed peach branch. Light brown and elastic.

Asset number one. A personal magical device that conceals our presence from calamities. It was effective just by carrying it, but we could also intentionally amplify its power.

First, I pulled the talisman toward my chest and held it vertically to the ground.

Humm—as the magic power embedded in the talisman activated, I took out a 10-light mana coin from my pocket to catalyze the talisman’s magic.

Crackle! The coin disintegrated into powder and dissolved into the talisman. I quickly shook the talisman and muttered.

“Conceal!”

Humm-hummmm-

The talisman vibrated repeatedly, and my presence became increasingly faint. Even the wind seemed to pass right through me.

“You, you’re a Mana Beginner?”

Miri next to me opened her eyes wide.

Only Mana Beginners could manipulate magical tools.

You needed to be a Mana Beginner to sense the magic power imbued in tools and properly catalyze mana coins.

They say you need to accumulate a certain amount of magical power to become a Mana Beginner… but for me, magic power had been visible from the start.

Ignoring the surprised Miri, I snatched the 10-light mana coin from her hand and catalyzed it into her talisman for her.

Crackle!

The mana coin crumbled and dissolved. Only then did Miri snap back to reality and shake her talisman to activate concealment.

The same scene unfolded throughout our group.

Of the eleven students, four were Mana Beginners: myself, Yuria, Kallin, and Mukuru. Each of us helped those next to us activate concealment.

Crackle!

Crack!

All around, the sound of 10-light coins breaking was crisp.

A 10-light coin could buy two meals in the city, about 10,000 won in Korean money… not an insignificant sum for us nomads.

When all students spared no expense to fully activate their talismans, our individual concealment barriers combined to create quite a powerful barrier.

Humm-humm-

The talismans resonated, and our presence became utterly transparent.

Despite standing tightly in defense formation, the wind blew through us as if we were just an empty field.

Teacher Sena nodded her head once deeply and made a fist with her raised hand. Normally a “stop!” signal, it had a different meaning now.

‘Hold your breath!’

Gasp-

All eleven of us held our breath simultaneously.

Sensing the gravity of the situation, even the horses made no sound, not even a snort. They just swished their tails nervously.

Thud-

From the darkness that had gathered like a black cloud, a single orc emerged.

Grrrr…

Blood-red eyelight dripping like actual blood. The crimson glow fell from its eyes like tears, dropping beneath its chin. The light that fell to the ground spread in all directions as it soaked in.

Its black body was only partially visible through the steam billowing from its nose and mouth.

The sound of a beast growling and a pungent odor. The wind itself seemed to shudder with each ominous step it took.

The children in the tight defensive formation all trembled.

It was the worst of hunters, the Calamity of Night—an orc.

‘Of all things, it had to be an orc…’

This was the worst possible situation.

The Calamity of Night ultimately consists of magical weapons, not living creatures.

Our concealment could fool their magical sight—they wouldn’t recognize us even if we stood right before them.

But orcs were different. They were famous for their tenacity among the Calamity of Night creatures, and their tracking abilities were exceptional.

If we were facing an ogre, we might have fooled it with concealment, but with an orc… well…?

Using concealment was… just a last desperate attempt.

Grrrr?

Spraying light from its eyes, the orc approached near Teacher Sena.

It tilted its head. It had clearly sensed something and come looking, but was confused when it couldn’t see us.

It slowly examined the area around Teacher Sena. It swept the ground, sniffed around.

Each time the orc passed close by, Teacher Sena’s shoulders trembled slightly.

Gruk? Gruk?

After exploring the surroundings for a while, the creature turned its head toward us. Its eyes, dripping with red light, curved into a crescent.

‘Is it smiling?’

Frrrr!

The orc shook its head like a dog caught in the rain. Blood-red eyelight scattered in all directions, showering Teacher Sena and splashing over us.

‘Urgh…’

Skin touched by the light burned as if scalded. Yet everyone gritted their teeth and suppressed their screams. Even the horses didn’t make a sound despite their writhing bodies.

All except one.

Do Gyeong-su.

“Aaaagh! My eyes!”

Like an idiot, he’d been staring directly at the scattered light and got it in his eyes.

‘Oh no…’

Despair swept through our ranks.

I reflexively looked at the orc.

Dripping red light from its eyes, steaming from its nostrils, the creature was grinning. Its protruding teeth fully visible as it smiled wide.

I saw in slow motion as it raised its heavy iron club.

Teacher Sena screamed.

“Combat ready!!!”

Snap!

As Teacher Sena snapped her fingers,

BOOM!!

A massive explosion erupted near the orc’s neck. The orc tumbled backward from the force.

Teacher Sena’s Gift had activated.

Although she had fallen from mage to Mana User when her Circle broke, her Gift remained powerful as someone who had once been a mage.

However, despite the explosion powerful enough to tear a human limb from limb, the orc merely shook its head a few times and stood up.

Shing!

Teacher Sena drew a longsword and pointed it at the orc. Sweat beaded on her face, tension evident.

Grrrr…

The orc glared at Teacher Sena with its elongated eyes.

“Aim! Maintain the defensive formation behind me! Do not scatter!”

Teacher Sena issued commands without looking back.

If we scattered, Teacher Sena couldn’t protect us.

The orc’s specialty was tenacious tracking and devastating charges!

Only Teacher Sena’s Gift could block the orc’s charge, which no human body could withstand.

The students needed to stay grouped behind her so she could shield them all.

It was a battle of breakthrough versus defense.

Click!

Despite cold sweat from fear, the students stood shoulder to shoulder and drew their bows to aim at the orc.

In the Star Continent, fourteen to sixteen years old wasn’t an age of complete protection. They had to pull their weight in battle and assume certain responsibilities.

Every hair on my body stood on end as my senses heightened to their limit.

Gulp.

Someone swallowing.

Grrrr…

The orc growling as it lowered its stance.

And then,

Boom!

Gravel flew into the air. The orc vanished from its spot.

Snap!

Teacher Sena snapped her fingers.

KABOOM!

An explosion erupted five paces in front of Teacher Sena. The black orc’s body soared through the air before landing with a thud!

“Fire!”

Whoosh!

Arrows flew in an arc toward the orc.

Eleven shots, four hits!

But Miri’s arrow bounced off the creature’s bulky thigh.

Mukuru and Kallin’s arrows merely grazed its skin and deflected.

Only Yuria’s arrow pierced precisely through the creature’s eyebeam.

Unfortunately, my arrow missed.

“Haa… haa… good! Keep shooting!”

Teacher Sena continued giving instructions, but her breathing was heavily disrupted.

It was the toll of using her Gift. Already her shoulders were heaving.

How many more times could she use her Gift?

Kyaaah! Kuaaa!

The orc, with an arrow in its left eye, was enraged.

Ping! Ping!

It swatted away the incoming arrows and stared us down.

A suffocating killing intent settled over us, freezing me in place.

THUD!!

In that moment of paralysis, gravel flew up again and the orc vanished.

Another lightning charge!

Snap-

KABOOM!

Teacher Sena’s explosion activated just in time, sending the orc flying backward again.

But…

“Huff… gack… s-sh… shoot! Kuhak…”

Teacher Sena’s voice was so choked she could barely get out the word ‘shoot.’

Her legs wobbled dangerously.

Grrrr…

Meanwhile, the orc rose again as if nothing had happened.

The stark contrast between the two created a vivid picture of terror.