The paper Lee Jae-soon was holding emanated an ominous feeling right from the title.
It wasn’t written in blood.
It wasn’t written with something extracted from some horrific monster or disgusting plant.
It was merely a collection of words written in ordinary ink.
Yet, why did this simple arrangement of common words, easily found at a stationery store, feel so foreboding?
『 Fairy Mimicry Generation Ritual Methods and Precautions 』
No matter how many times he chewed on that one line, the sense of foreboding was unlike anything he’d encountered before.
It felt like looking at a talisman stuck to a suspicious box straight out of a horror movie.
Thus, Lee Jae-soon hesitated continuously.
Was it really right to follow this through as it was?
Maybe he should rethink things and turn back even now.
But even though he was hesitant to proceed with the ominous ritual, he couldn’t turn back.
That was because something else surfaced in his mind the moment he thought, ‘Should I turn back?’
It was the image of his future plummeting into despair after losing the title of ‘promising candidate.’
Because of that, Lee Jae-soon found himself in a situation with no way out.
He was afraid to perform the ritual.
But turning back didn’t seem like it would lead to a smooth life either.
Caught between two choices, Lee Jae-soon wasted time aimlessly on the ground, maintaining his indecisive attitude, hesitating endlessly.
Should he do this?
Should he go back?
But no matter how many tens, hundreds, or thousands of times he pondered over it, the answer was destined to be the same.
“I’m doing it, I’m doing it, I’m doing it….”
What he felt from the paper was pure ominousness and discomfort.
But if he didn’t receive a ‘gift’ from the fairy, destruction would surely come knocking.
An uncertain and vague ominous future.
A definite and horrifying future of destruction.
It was clear which one he should choose.
That’s why Lee Jae-soon found himself here, despite all the agonizing thought.
He had purchased items needed for the ritual, even while hesitating.
He had arrived at the remote area in Gangwon-do after countless doubts.
And even after arriving deep within the wilderness, burdened with his pack and laying out alcohol, it was the same story.
Yeah.
No matter how much he questioned and doubted, what he had to do was already set in stone.
The ritual.
He had to perform the ritual.
『 Fairy Mimicry Generation Ritual Methods and Precautions 』
That suspicious and ominous ritual just by looking at it.
‘Right, it was said to be okay as long as I heed the precautions, right?’
And it’s not like problems were guaranteed to occur.
Ominous, uncomfortable, suspicious, eerie…
These were all just his subjective feelings, weren’t they?
How ambiguous and uncertain human intuition could be—would he really let himself be trapped by that?
The hesitance about performing the ritual was merely dismissible as ‘subjective.’
But if he performed that ritual, if he succeeded, he could achieve greatness.
That was ‘objective.’
Yes.
Objectively, he could succeed.
He could soar high while gaining more information with the gifts from the fairy, rising to great heights once again.
His companions and superiors would look upon him with admiration as he gained the abilities of a journalist, and his name could spread far and wide beyond the industry into the common populace.
Not like those journalists who became famous due to memes, he could become as renowned as the legendary reporter Joseph Pulitzer!
Wealth and honor!
Admiration and respect!
All of that would be within his grasp if he simply performed the ritual properly.
‘As long as I perform the ritual correctly. The precautions are all written down, right?’
Even the method and precautions for the ritual were clearly written on the paper.
Very kindly, no less.
The detailed instructions seemed to guarantee that failure was impossible…
‘It would be foolish to back out now that I’ve come this far. Yeah, foolish! As long as I follow the paper, what could possibly go wrong? I’m no fool; I can perfectly execute what’s written here. Who am I? I’m someone who breezed through the journalist exam! I may be hesitating right now, but hey! I’m still a big deal! I can handle this, I can handle this!’
Lee Jae-soon steeled his resolve like he had done before.
Of course, it took time to gather himself…
But he thought that was only natural.
This could very well be his last chance to give up on the ritual.
Amid such a crucial crossroads of decision, it wouldn’t be strange for him to deliberate.
‘Alright, damn it! I’m doing it! Right now! I’m doing it!’
Finally, Lee Jae-soon stood up.
‘Wasn’t it said to be done before dawn?’
He swiftly scanned the paper he was holding in his hand once more.
Although he had memorized its contents by heart, he double-checked just in case he had misremembered anything.
Only after confirming that what he memorized aligned perfectly with what was written on the paper did he begin to act.
Rustle.
He crumpled the paper in his hand into a tight ball, twisting it into a rope-like shape, then picked up the lighter lying on the ground and lit the end.
Crackle.
Fire ignited at the paper’s tip, slowly spreading upwards, turning the paper to ash.
When the flame reached the very top of the paper, he gently released it as if sending it off in the wind.
Thus, the paper fluttered and took flight, turning to ashes accompanied by a spark, which was carried away by the night breeze, swirling and vanishing.
All that remained where the paper had burned was a bit of ash and the pungent odor that lingered from its burning.
‘Phew. Let’s stay calm. Just remember what I’ve memorized and do it as planned.’
He closed his eyes and recalled the text written on the paper.
『 Before the start of the ritual, this paper must be burned. Roll the paper tightly and twist it into a string-like shape then light it on fire. However, the key point is to confirm that the paper has completely turned to ash before starting the ritual. One must not begin the ritual if the fire goes out midway or if the paper hasn’t completely burned down. 』
『 After the paper has burned, a smell will linger. The ritual must begin before that smell dissipates. 』
『 Walk in circles. 』
『 The shape of the circle doesn’t have to be perfect. However, one must absolutely not walk in a straight line; the movement must be curved, forming a circle. If, at any point, it takes the shape of something other than a circle, the ritual could fail or become distorted, so extreme caution is required. 』
『 Do not draw or mark the circle in advance. 』
『 Continue to draw circles as you walk. 』
『 After walking around in the grass a few times, the grass will naturally lay down and trample down, creating a path. At that point, you can loosen up a bit. 』
‘If someone sees me, they’ll think I’m performing a sinister ritual. Damn it. The precautions are just like that from the start.’
Lee Jae-soon slowly moved his feet while recalling the contents drilled into his head.
As he moved, he felt the grass, which had been flourishing, get crushed and bent beneath his feet.
He expressed it as a feeling because he couldn’t visually confirm it.
Thanks to the near absence of moonlight, he couldn’t tell if what he trod upon was grass or just dead weeds.
‘Great, I can’t see a thing. Damn it.’
He recalled the paper’s directive to move in curves, proceeding cautiously step by step.
Since visibility was low with little moonlight, any misstep could lead him to walk in a straight line, so he kept his head down, as if pressing his forehead to the ground, to avoid any unpleasant incidents from breaking the rules.
Splish.
Splish.
One step.
Another step.
He continued moving, not relaxing his tension, repeatedly confirming whether he was indeed moving in curves, tracing circles as he walked.
It was merely a matter of walking, yet it felt incredibly strenuous.
His body was drenched in cold sweat.
It was as if he’d submerged himself in the stream he crossed upon entering this remote area, his body thoroughly soaked, and the wet clothes brushing against him in the night breeze sent chills down his spine.
The cold was so unnerving that every time the night wind blew, he thought it was some ghostly hand brushing past him invisibly.
In that moment, a shudder would run through him, and he’d feel a strong urge to quit.
But Lee Jae-soon forcibly suppressed those thoughts and kept on walking.
Walking, walking, walking.
He kept his eyes down and continued moving.
He didn’t even know where he was.
He didn’t know how far he had walked.
Merely relying on the vague outlines of the flattened grass by which he walked, he continued checking if he was indeed moving in curves and not straight lines.
And after quite a bit of walking like that…
Finally, he spotted a familiar path from a distance.
It was where he had taken his first step.
Excited by the sight, he headed towards it, but suddenly recalled an important fact and slapped his own cheek.
Smack!
Was it because his cheek was wet with cold sweat?
The pain felt especially sharp.
But thanks to that slap, he regained his senses and let out a sigh of relief.
‘Damn it. If I go that way straight, it’ll surely be a straight line.’
He shuddered at the realization that he had almost committed a major mistake.
Keeping his eyes on the starting point, he lowered his head while repeatedly confirming that his path was curved, moving forward, finally returning to the starting point while tracing arcs.
‘I did it. I drew the circle!’
He returned to the starting point while drawing curves.
He had successfully completed the first circle.
‘Phew. I’ve overcome this mountain.’
He felt pride in having successfully drawn a circle in this dark place.
But that sense of pride was short-lived.
The ritual was far from over.
『 Keep walking in circles. 』
『 After a few rounds in the grass, it will naturally get flattened and create a path. At that point, you can loosen up a little. 』
He recalled the contents written on the paper as he continued onward.
To successfully perform the ritual.
