Becoming a Mage of the Special Unit in Another World

Chapter 13 – It’s Too Late To Do This

Sunal was growing tired.
His eyes were getting droopy, as if he might collapse into bed at any moment.
He hadn’t failed to notice the strange atmosphere in the hospital.
It was easy to spot the angry nurses and security guards, especially now.
“Please leave!”
A woman’s voice echoed from near the reception desk.
“Can’t you see the patients are uncomfortable right now?”
Following the voice of the woman, who appeared to be the head nurse, other nurses raised their voices as well.
All of them were wearing masks.
“If you’re not going to check in for treatment, please leave immediately! You’re disturbing the other patients.”
Hissssss.
The masked nurses, each holding a spray bottle, were now spraying something into the air.
At first, Sunal wasn’t sure what they were doing, but from the magical energy that spread around, he guessed it must be a magic tool to neutralize the power of enchantment that had filled the hospital.
‘That thing is a scam.’
Sunal, familiar with the magic tool that neutralized enchantment to a mere fraction, couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
He took out his measuring device and checked the levels again.
Beep. Beep.
The reading was 49.
‘…Sigh.’
Sunal exhaled softly.
‘They sprayed that stuff, so it should have at least decreased the enchantment, even just a little… but it hasn’t.’
At this point, it was deliberate—someone had definitely tampered with the measuring device.
‘I thought I might be getting off work early, but it looks like this just got annoying.’
His face remained as drowsy as ever.
Using magic here would draw too much attention, so Sunal moved his mana to his eyes instead.
Soon, faint flows of mana became visible here and there.
It wasn’t as clear as when he cast a spell, but it was enough to identify what kind of magic was being used.
‘Still, there are an absurd number of magic tools around.’
It had been like this when he was Lineal, but even here, magic tools were everywhere. In fact, they seemed even more integrated into daily life.
Sunal’s gaze landed on an air purifier.
His brow furrowed.
‘This is why I hate the Wizards’ Association.’
He had never seen a proper item made by the Wizards’ Association.
And the air purifier in front of him was no different.
Seeing how old magic was mixed with new magic, Sunal walked over to the purifier and used magic.
[Explore.]
A faint light flashed in Sunal’s right eye, but he kept his head lowered.
The air purifier had three distinct spells applied to it:
A spell to assess the air quality.
A spell that automatically circulated the air based on the first spell.
A spell that gathered various impurities into a solid form.
And there was one more, an uninvited spell wedged between the purifier’s systems.
‘Originally, there were probably only supposed to be three spells.’
The uninvited spell worked alongside the second circulation spell, disrupting the signals of various measuring devices.
Normally, new spells wouldn’t have space to interfere in an established magic system, but there were many gaps in the current magic circle.
The basic circles forming the magic were unnecessarily large, meaning that even those three spells couldn’t fully utilize the entire system.
Clinging to such outdated methods—it was no wonder progress was so slow.
It was inefficient, difficult to learn, and incapable of accommodating the desired effects. It was the kind of magic that even during his time as Lineal, people pointed at and called foolish.
‘Still, whoever added this spell is bold.’
Sunal committed the mana mixed with the intruding spell to memory as he walked toward the reception desk.
‘It was probably a mage who did this, but the area affected is far too wide.’
Although it was possible to modify magic tools, abusing such modified tools was illegal.
He recalled seeing a morning news report once, where the Wizards’ Association boasted about developing a spell that could safely park a car in the event of drowsy driving. It was supposed to stop the vehicle automatically once it reached a safe location.
The idea itself was great, but Sunal had found it tragic that they had spent years on a spell that could have been done in less than 30 minutes.
If they only took a different direction, the world could be a better place.
“Hello.”
Sunal addressed one of the nurses.
“Are you here for a consultation?”
The nurse’s tone was rather curt, which seemed understandable given the situation.
“No. I’m from the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit.”
He pulled out his official ID.
The moment he mentioned the Special Unit, not only the nurse he spoke to but several others nearby looked visibly flustered.
“I’d like to see the director.”
Sunal adjusted his glasses, a faint smile—the kind born of capitalism—appearing on his face.
“I’d appreciate your cooperation.”

Sip.
The director nervously sipped tea, glancing warily at Sunal.
A mask, similar to the ones worn by the nurses and staff, rested beside him.
Unlike the Wizards’ Association’s shoddy items, this mask was truly well-made.
Sunal recognized it immediately.
It was a mask filled with materials designed to block not only fine dust but also mana itself.
‘Ah! That mask was called the Tichia Mask!’
Sunal finally remembered the name, Tichia.
It had been plastered everywhere in advertisements, boasting its mana-blocking properties.
There was a time when he had looked into it, more out of curiosity about the mechanics than the patent or trivial claims.
It hadn’t been anything special. After all, there was no material in the world capable of blocking mana.
Instead, the outer layer of the mask was coated with a substance that allowed mana to linger for an extended period. That was all.
‘What was it again? That substance called “Eom,” right?’
The Eom coating allowed mana to remain suspended, so technically, it did act as a barrier.
But it was only a temporary effect.
Sunal wasn’t particularly interested in the unfamiliar name “Eom.” What he found more fascinating was that the person who invented the Tichia Mask was the grandfather of a pair of fraternal twin vampires.
“Uh… Mr. Ha Sunal?”
The director finally opened his mouth, speaking cautiously. It wasn’t that he found the public servant’s sleepy expression frightening—it was the fact that Sunal hadn’t spoken a word for quite some time that unnerved him.
“Director.”
As soon as Sunal spoke, the director stammered in response.
“Y-yes.”
“The enchantment force spreading through this place hasn’t exceeded the regulated threshold. Are you aware of that?”
“I am.”
“However, there are numerous people here showing symptoms of being under the influence of enchantment. Isn’t that true?”
“…That’s correct.”
The director awkwardly took another sip of tea.
What was Sunal trying to say? What did he expect him to say? The director felt suffocated by the weight of dealing with the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit. It was no ordinary group of civil servants—this was an elite team.
“I just finished checking.”
Sunal’s gaze shifted to the director’s head.
“Checking what, exactly?”
Nervously, the director’s hand instinctively reached for his head, his anxious eyes searching Sunal’s face. Sunal, however, had no interest in whether the director’s hair was a wig or not.
“I just found a spell on the air purifier that disrupts the readings on measuring devices.”
“…W-wait a second!”
Finally realizing the gravity of the situation, the director lowered his hand and spoke hurriedly.
“That wasn’t something I did! The air purifier is a magic tool, so we outsourced it to a company. And— I-I even reported it once!”
The heightened pitch of his voice betrayed just how nervous the director had become.
“And of course, the police couldn’t do anything about it because the readings didn’t exceed 50, right?”
“Exactly! That’s what I’ve been saying. I’m just as frustrated. There’s nothing I could do… But to hear there’s a spell on the purifier that disrupts the measuring devices? Is that for real?”
The director rambled on, but his eyes widened in shock when Sunal hit him with that revelation.
“It’s true.”
With Sunal’s confirmation, the director’s jaw dropped even wider. The situation was becoming more complicated than he’d anticipated.
“Director.”
“Y-yes. Please, go on.”
“First, secure the CCTV footage. I’ll review it shortly. Also, let me know the whereabouts of any doctors, nurses, or patients of the succubus species. If there are any suspicious individuals, it would be even better if you could point them out first.”
There were ways to scan the entire hospital, but Sunal chose not to use them.
Exposing people to intense mana wasn’t advisable—especially not in a hospital. A more delicate approach was necessary.
“Hold on a minute. You’re asking me to hand over information not just on the staff but on the patients too? You just show up and demand an investigation out of nowhere, and while I understand the seriousness of the situation, this is too abrupt—”
“I’m not asking for personal information. All I want is their current location. That should be acceptable, don’t you think?”
“Yes, but… As the director, you have to understand I find such a request a bit sensitive. No matter how important the Special Unit is… it feels like a bit much.”
“We’re called the Special Unit for a reason.”
At that moment, the smile Sunal had been wearing slowly faded.
“The official name is the Interethnic Grievance Resolution Special Unit. We possess investigative authority, and citizens are obligated to cooperate.”
Sunal recited the words he had memorized countless times.
Unlike the police, who often found themselves limited by thresholds and the need for solid evidence, the Special Unit responded immediately to complaints and had far more freedom in their actions. This was why law enforcement often sought their cooperation.
“When the Special Unit was established, wasn’t there a large-scale declaration by the government? You were taught this during your training, were you not?”
As Sunal’s smile vanished, his expression became noticeably cold.
“I need your cooperation, Director.”
Even through his glasses, the sharp glint in Sunal’s eyes was piercing.
The director involuntarily swallowed a dry gulp at that gaze.
“P-please cooperate.”
The director couldn’t shake the feeling that what Sunal had said was less of a request and more of a threat.
Despite his thoughts, the director simply nodded in agreement.

‘…Alright, let’s break this down.’
Sunal furrowed his brow as he organized his thoughts.
It all started when a Dullahan client lodged a complaint, prompting the police to request assistance. When Sunal arrived at the hospital, he found that the power of enchantment had indeed taken a serious hold, but the readings were too low for the police to act, which was likely why they turned to the Special Unit for help.
Along the way, Sunal discovered that someone had deliberately tampered with the measuring devices using magic, preventing them from functioning properly.
Things were becoming more complicated, but Sunal knew exactly what he needed to do.
‘First, I have to find the succubus spreading the enchantment.’
He had to address the root of the issue before the situation escalated into further conflict.
Sunal rummaged through his bag and pulled out a piece of paper.
The director had given him a hospital map, marking the relevant locations. Sunal had already committed the layout to memory.
He’d memorized countless mana spells before, so remembering something like this was trivial.
Whistle.
Sunal infused the paper with mana and whistled. The magic embedded in the paper activated, and it floated up to the ceiling, adhering itself to the surface.
The paper rapidly folded itself, forming legs, and began walking across the ceiling. It resembled an upside-down dog of sorts. Sunal had dubbed these creations “spies”—or “Chop-Chop” in his own playful way.
‘Good, it’s working.’
Leaning against the wall, Sunal pulled out his phone. With a flick, he activated the magic circle drawn on the screen, allowing him to see what Chop-Chop was viewing from its ceiling perch.
‘…Ah, I should have brought my tablet.’
It was hard to make out the details on the small phone screen. He cursed his forgetfulness.
But there was no helping it now.
After confirming that the magic linking Chop-Chop to his phone was working correctly, Sunal proceeded to cast another spell.
[Explore.]
The surroundings as seen through Chop-Chop’s eyes began to ripple with mana. It was as if the hospital had been repainted in vivid, swirling colors, similar to a TV commercial.
Since the overwhelming array of colors made it difficult to focus, Sunal adjusted the spell to only detect the mana wavelength associated with the power of enchantment.
[Filter – Enchantment.]
The spell was simple.
All other colors faded, leaving only the crimson mana that flowed with the force of enchantment. With that, Sunal began directing Chop-Chop to explore the area.
The view through his phone showed people split into two groups.
There were those wearing the Tichia masks, designed to protect them from the hospital’s pervasive enchantment, and those who had already fallen under its influence.
As Sunal navigated Chop-Chop through the hospital and saw how many people had been consumed by the enchantment, he started to understand the director’s frustration.
‘Could the threshold regulations be the reason the Wizards’ Association hasn’t stepped in?’
Sunal continued to observe the screen but quickly dismissed his own thought.
The enchantment involved mana, meaning the Wizards’ Association had every reason to be involved. But since the director hadn’t mentioned them, it seemed likely that they had refused to get involved.
‘Typical of the Wizards’ Association.’
Any competent mage would have recognized how difficult this situation was to handle. It wasn’t something the Association could easily deal with, and they probably didn’t want to.
Sunal’s gaze came to a halt.
The crimson aura surrounding the doctor was evident, but it wasn’t strong enough to have overtaken the entire hospital.
‘No, this isn’t it.’
Next, Chop-Chop’s view caught sight of a patient. Once again, the enchantment force was insufficient.
‘It’s not on this floor.’
Chop-Chop moved swiftly. Many people continued to appear on the phone’s screen.
Neither that nurse nor any of the others seemed to be the source.
Sunal clenched his teeth quietly, growing impatient. He needed to find the succubus responsible for the enchantment—and fast.
Just as Chop-Chop was about to explore another area, a door opened.
The moment she stepped out—the succubus—Sunal’s spell wavered intensely.
Bzzzzzz.
‘That’s her.’
The first thing he noticed was her horns, curled like a ram’s, and her curly, bright orange hair, which puffed out like a fluffy mass, shaking wildly as she moved.
She wore round black glasses over her round face, her equally round eyes turning directly toward Chop-Chop.
‘Third floor.’
Without wasting a second, Sunal pocketed his phone and immediately began to move, paying no mind to whether or not the succubus had spotted his little spy.