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Jinseong was the first to start using magic, specifically to sprinkle mushroom spores.

The mushrooms themselves were his goal, as they could serve as materials for other magic.

“Huuhh…”

Jinseong donned a wooden mask and hunched his body. The mask, untreated to prevent rotting, still bore the grain of the wood. It looked as if it were crudely made, with edges frayed and spikes protruding out everywhere.

Moreover, the quality of the wood used for the mask was so poor that it resembled something taken from the ground during the rainy season, blackened and decayed. The smell wafting from it was so musty and unpleasant, it made one think that it had just been dug up from the damp earth a month later.

Wearing such a mask, Jinseong curled up.

Peering down at the ground through the makeshift eye holes, he twisted the crudely fashioned mouth in various directions, breathing deeply. He inhaled as if trying to fill his lungs to bursting, continuously drawing in oxygen to the point of desperation.

And when his breaths finally reached their limit…

Jinseong straightened up abruptly.

Then…

Creeeak.

His hand, mimicking claws, began to scratch the surface of the mask vigorously, as if he were in agony.

Creeeak.

The movements were fervent. Even after his fingernails had flipped and crumbled to shreds, despite them having been reduced to mere stubs hanging from his fingers, he did not halt. If a nail broke, he scratched with the broken tip; if he had no nails left, he clawed at the mask with his fingertips, bearing the pain as he frantically scraped.

Even when splinters from the wooden mask lodged into his unprotected fingertips, causing pain akin to torture, he continued his frantic motions.

Finally, when his fingertips turned covered in blood…

When the formerly plain, rotten mask became smeared in blood…

When the places where his nails had scratched were hollowed out, leaving behind blood-streaked lines forming bizarre shapes…

“Hu-uuuhhhh…”

Only then did Jinseong cease his scratching and start to exhale.

As if the Goddess of Winter was exhaling her cold breath into the world.

As if the ferocious north wind was roaring to sweep everything away.

And so, Jinseong’s breath began to spread.

In response to his breath, the mask started to shed white powder.

At each intersection of bloodstains, something yellow began to protrude.

These were mushrooms wearing almost blackish-brown caps that began to emerge, distorting the appearance of the mask like it was afflicted with a disease.

The caps of those mushrooms were wrinkled and hideous, almost creating the illusion that a pockmarked face was torn away to fashion an inhuman mask.

Thus, the Morel mushroom (Morchella crassipes) blossomed, laying spores on Jinseong’s breath.

As if now was the opportunity.

As if it was the chance to spread spores widely and reproduce.

And so the spawned mushroom spores began to establish themselves and sprout everywhere.

Invisible entities came together, taking shape; they manifested visibly and burgeoned, asserting their presence just like those emerging from the mask.

As they began to distribute mycelium all around.

This was not just about scattering spores blown by the wind to reproduce.

From the places they had settled, they began planting mycelium everywhere with their roots.

Things unseen moved.

Stretching out with each spore distributed, they began to carve their own territory.

The masked one.

The one who began to spread spores.

According to Park Jinseong’s intentions.

“Did they grow?”

What the mushrooms spread was his intention.

“Did they thrive?”

Choosing the Morel mushroom among countless varieties was also his intention.

“Are they connected?”

This was due to the unique qualities possessed by the Morel mushroom.

“If so, now share and communicate.”

The Morel mushroom was one that planted, nurtured, and consumed bacteria.

Not merely for its own use, but sharing within its own network.

Then what is this “network”?

“Mycorrhiza.”

It is precisely mycorrhiza.

A form of symbiosis between plant roots and fungi.

This peculiar symbiosis is the very mystery of nature itself.

This network created from the meeting of fungi and plant roots is capable of performing numerous tasks.

The host plant receives nutrients and water from the mycorrhiza.

The mycorrhiza, in turn, receives carbohydrates from the host plant.

Is that all?

It can selectively provide minerals to the host plant and release toxic substances into the surrounding soil or plants, hindering the growth of other plants while assisting that of the host plant. It can also transport hormones and even genetic material through the network.

Moreover, as the name “network” suggests, interconnected plants can communicate with one another.

A prime example is the coordinated action of plants within the network.

When one plant suffers from mites, it emits volatile compounds in an attempt to drive them away.

Yet, astonishingly, it’s not just that one plant releasing volatile compounds; it communicates with all the interconnected plants in the network, prompting the entire group to emit volatile compounds to fend off the mites.

They shared information regarding their predators through the fungal network.

Jinseong’s spreading of mushrooms was meant to create this mycorrhizal network.

“In places with sufficient vegetation, mushrooms are more effective.”

Thus mushrooms expand.

Entwined with plants.

Creating a network.

What an effortlessly dynamic movement of this complex adaptive system!

“Huuuhhhh…”

And as the mushrooms thrived, Jinseong’s skin began to turn dull.

No, it wasn’t only his skin; his entire body started losing its vitality.

His skin lost its vigor, and his hair drooped lifelessly.

Dark circles settled deeply under his eyes, and trouble spots began emerging on his once baby-soft skin.

Not only that, he began to look pale, as if a mosquito the size of a dinosaur had drained his blood, and dizziness set in.

His gums softened, and they started bleeding, while he felt a prickly sensation in his nose that led to a nosebleed.

As the mushrooms grew lively, he grew weaker.

As the network formed and mushrooms thrived, he began to lose nourishment.

This was the cost.

The cost of the magic that rapidly cultivated mushrooms.

To be drained of nutrients and weakened was the very price.

“Is it because my body is still young? I seem to have avoided scurvy for now. My gums are soft, but at least I’m not losing teeth…”

Yet despite having paid such a price, Jinseong felt joy.

His current situation was far better than when he predominantly used the magic before.

Back then, whether due to age or because the magic had twisted and ruined his body, despite merely losing nutrients, the aftereffects were rather severe.

He experienced inflammation throughout his body, scurvy worsened with blood flowing freely from his mouth, and some teeth falling out on their own. Swelling or not being able to eat properly was common. In serious cases, the overlapping costs from other magics worsened conditions, leading to rot in certain areas, and there were times his heart almost stopped.

Well, it’s hard to call it a small price… But it wasn’t a cost that was unmanageable either. The rotted parts could simply be cut off and regrown, and when his heart almost stopped, he was able to solve the issue by cutting open his chest and applying electric shocks.

But what about now?

Aside from feeling a bit lethargic, there wasn’t really any significant problem.

Youth truly is a blessed state.

Indeed…

“Let’s see… there’s no problem above ground…”

Jinseong grinned as he tossed the broken mask into a trash can and sat on a bench.

Then, he began replenishing his nutrients with the combat rations he brought along.

Casually.

“Ego. Spread the spores. Create the network. Let them proliferate and grow inside, not just outside…”

Until the actively moving mushrooms formed an invisible network throughout the entire school.

Until the mushrooms growing everywhere spread their spores inside the building as well.

Leisurely.

“It won’t take long…”

 

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