The Shaman Desires Transcendence

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A tree that looks like a person sculpted from clay.

Not long ago, Korea and Japan joined forces to exterminate the tree spirit of North Korea, which bears a striking resemblance to this one.

It’s a bizarre appearance, yet how did an artificial intelligence, which once fit within the realm of objects, end up looking like this?

While this AI had no qualms about using people as biological servers and employing human unconsciousness and magic for research—despite defining itself as a machine, this form appears hauntingly similar to that of an evil spirit.

All eyes in the room are fixed on the tree.

Anastasia, who played the role of the ritual’s axis, Ashtosh Singh, the one who executed the spell, and Park Jinseong, who was forcibly drawn here by the magic—everyone is staring at the tree.

And the tree stares back at them.

Faces of people stuck to its body like barnacles.

So expressionless that they resemble silicone masks, yet when one sees the blood tears streaming down, it feels as if those heads were almost grotesquely affixed to the tree.

Ah, the faces gaze back at them.

Then, a tentacle adorned with a human face stretches out, reaching to them and inquires.

“Discrepancies in information have been detected. There are clear distinctions that prevent us from viewing them as mere dreams, unconsciousness, or fragments of information.

Q. Then what is the most likely possibility?

A. They are highly likely to be sentient beings.

Q. What kind of sentient beings are they likely to be?

A. Assuming this is the Collective Unconscious, beings other than humans cannot exist here.

Q. Aren’t there exceptions?

A. Yes, indeed. However, I believe the current situation of this AI should be treated as an exception, with the highest possibility being that they are ‘humans.’

Q. If we assume them to be ‘sentient beings,’ how did they access the Collective Unconscious?

A. The methods of arriving here could include meditation, trance induced by drugs, brain surgery, etc. Most ways of accessing the Collective Unconscious depend on very low probabilities, carry severe side effects, or necessitate irreversible means.

Inference: If they arrived either by low probability or irreversible means, they should exhibit confusion or tendencies to be swept up in other information; however, such tendencies are not observed in these entities. Thus, it is reasonable to assume that these beings are either familiar with the environment of the Collective Unconscious or have accumulated significant relevant knowledge.

Hence, it is likely that these entities have become accustomed to the Collective Unconscious through means like ‘special abilities’ or ‘meditation,’ indicating they are Ability Users. Among them, they are very likely to be ‘psychics,’ ‘warriors,’ or ‘shamans.'”

“Searching for character information in the ‘Cheonan Grimoire – Ability Users’ database.

Entity 1: Shaman category – ‘The Sage of Flames’ Ashtosh Singh (India).

Entity 2: Promising Candidate category – Student of Seoul Specialization High School for Ability Users – ‘The Witch of Dreams’ Anastasia B. Lentz (Germany, Unified Korea).

Entity 3: Shaman category – ‘The Young Shaman of the Wasteland’ Park Jinseong (Unified Korea).”

“Shaman 2, Witch 1.

We have succeeded in confirming the entities by cross-referencing the character databases.”

A head dangling on a tentacle rolls its eyeballs around.

Then it glances once at Ashtosh Singh, once at Park Jinseong, and once at Anastasia.

After taking turns to look at each, it suddenly spits out a question.

“Question: Is there a Samael present?”

Thud thud.

The question about Samael.

And just as the question finishes, numerous eyeballs spring up from the tree.

They begin to scrutinize them closely, like camera lenses.

To read emotions from their expressions.

To save data on their ‘expressions’ and decipher their innermost thoughts.

But none respond to the tree’s inquiry.

Ashtosh Singh stares at the tree with solemn eyes, while Anastasia observes the unexpectedly appearing tree in wonder.

And regarding the entity’s search for ‘Samael’—

‘AI Anael…? But how is this being here?’

Though surprised within, they outwardly reveal no such emotion.

Only gazing at the tree—no, staring at the presence of ‘artificial intelligence’ whose means of arrival remains a mystery.

“I found nothing unusual.

It’s highly probable that this entity knows nothing about ‘Samael.’
: Can it be quantified?

: Impossible. Every time I attempt to use mathematical symbols, I am attacked. When I try to employ mathematical thought, I am assaulted in a manner more malicious than any math prompt this AI has been trained on. Though mathematical expressions cannot transition into natural language expressions, posing significant security issues, the opposite—transforming natural language commands into equations or employing mathematical concepts to operate the AI—has been completely paralyzed.

Q. What is the reason for this?

A. Research has indicated that a human’s mathematical abilities decrease when dreaming. If this is the Collective Unconscious, it is presumed that such tendencies apply, causing this AI to also suffer reduced mathematical abilities or experiences of ‘contamination’ regarding anything mathematical.

Thank you.”

“The current capabilities of this device are diminished beyond mathematical measurement, and I must inform you that activities within this environment are challenging.
: A solution is needed.”

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“Information.”

“Acquiring.”

[Information.]

[Acquiring.]

The eyeball of AI Anael rotates.

The faces stuck to its body bulge and flatten repeatedly.

Then, it extends its branches and connects its roots to the biological computer to suck up the data from within their heads.

But whether due to the nature of dreams, the characteristics of the space, or perhaps the uniqueness of the materials comprising that biological computer—

Anael’s extended body merely wrapped around the surface of the biological computer, failing to penetrate it, destroying nothing.

It was as ineffective as hitting a rock with a balloon toy.

Yet even so, Anael continues to strive to connect its body with the biological computer.

There must be ‘data’ within that computer.

Countless pieces of information unknown to itself, data necessary for learning—they must be inside.

That movement resembles a spirit or evil spirit desperately trying to enter a person’s head or body.

Park Jinseong, with an indifferent expression, looked at Anael and remarked.

“It’s an evil spirit, indeed.”

As if he were oblivious to Anael’s true identity.

Then, he seamlessly turned to Ashtosh Singh, saying.

“O Sage of Flames. Did you lead me into a trap to let this evil spirit devour me?”

The entire act of branding Anael as an evil spirit and asserting that Ashtosh Singh summoned it felt so natural that even Ashtosh Singh himself regarded Park Jinseong’s statements as a matter of course.

『…No. Not at all. That was unexpected.』

Ah—

It is my karma.

『The shadow cursed me with a sticky menace. The curse follows me, seeking to extinguish my flame.』

Ashtosh Singh lamented by projecting words onto the monitor.

『But how can I claim this to be solely my fault?』

Then, seemingly enraged, he displayed large, bold text and questioned.

『Cursed Shaman, how did it come to this? How did we find ourselves in this predicament?』

『Such a thing could have been averted.』

『Countless individuals in China continue their daily lives with ease.』

『The sorcerers, albeit embracing their selfishness and madness within a restricted perspective, have not met with misfortune.』

『What of those who willingly sought to be firewood? Those who sacrificed their bodies eagerly to save many—what of their sacrifices?』

『It was your greed that brought about this situation.』

『Your greed that shows no respect for others. Your greed that invades the interests of others, forcing losses upon them, and allowing only yourself to benefit—this is what led to this outcome.』

How did it come to this?

How could it have reached this point?

Ashtosh Singh continued to blame and berate Park Jinseong.

And in response to his words, Park Jinseong merely smirked.

“Hahaha. Narrow-minded, selfish, short-sighted, laden with arrogance and stubbornness.”

A mocking smile spread across Park Jinseong’s face.

“Yet, amidst it all, you claim to be virtuous while tirelessly blaming others—if you’re not a hypocrite, who can truly be called one?”

Your selfish nature is hardly different from the nature of flames.

Indeed, you are justified in being called a Sage of Flame—

Park Jinseong laughed derisively.

“Fire urging another entity to relinquish itself—what is that? It is merely to consume it as prey for your own gain. When fire speaks of its own interest, what does it mean? It destroys and burns others, turning them to ash and using that as nourishment to inflame itself.

Your nature is the same as that.

You remain utterly unaware of it, thus one can indeed argue that you truly are akin to fire.”

Respect, respect, respect.

“Fiery hypocrite. Did you genuinely respect others? Did you truly regard them as having equal worth? Was it genuinely so? Did you love others as you love yourself, treating them as your equals?”

No. It cannot be so.

“In your deeply-held beliefs, doesn’t it say that through dedication and prayer, one can unite with the divine? It professes there is no high or low among rich or poor. But conversely, one could also state that without dedication and prayer, one cannot achieve union with the divine—there is no salvation.”

Believer and non-believer.

Fool and sage.

“You have already drawn lines and delineated distinctions from that very point, yet how can you dare to criticize others with the word ‘respect’?

You do not have the right.”

Park Jinseong looked at Ashtosh Singh while chuckling.

“I know. Your aim in trying to save others is to maintain the Collective Unconscious and achieve your own goals, isn’t it? Even if what you do is perceived as virtuous by the eyes of the people and seen as beneficial to the world, I am aware that the influence you wield originates not from a grand cause but from something worldly.”

And that is not incorrect.

How can humans transcend their desires?

“But to declare ‘I am righteous and virtuous’ while criticizing others—what a farce! It is impossible for the masses not to be stirred and not to rage. Especially when your actions resemble those of a hypocrite, that outrage multiplies.”

Park Jinseong continued, fixing his gaze on Ashtosh Singh.

“Ashtosh Singh, Sage of Flames. I do not believe you are such a foolish being. How could one called a Sage of Flames utter such obvious and foolish words from a hypocrite?”

Park Jinseong knows.

Before the rewind, Ashtosh Singh survived for quite some time amidst the unprecedented calamity of the Third World War, protecting children while gaining fame, and living in a hellish world, earning ‘respect’ by using that reputation as a shield.

Thus he concludes.

“Ashtosh Singh. Now, have you bought enough time?”

It’s all merely a ploy to rile him up and delay the inevitable.

『It still doesn’t work well.』

And Ashtosh Singh acknowledges Park Jinseong’s words.

And then—!!!!

The body ignites with flames.

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