26. Enigmatic Civilization of Dinosaurs and Magic
Starting November 2023, The Korea Daily is excited to publish the fantasy novel series “Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years” on our website. This new captivating series follows a trio of young adventurers on their quest to uncover the mysteries of ancient civilizations, including the Maya and Inca. In an exciting development, Netflix is currently adapting the novel’s storyline into a film.
The ‘Sword of Malta – Lightning in 72 Years’ is the latest novel authored by Jeeyoon Ha, who created the “Pangaea series.” Ha’s debut novel, “The Pangaea: Finding Xibalba,” was selected by the Korea Creative Content Agency in 2022 as part of their initiative to support the global export of fantasy literature.
Readers can eagerly anticipate the online publication of two installments each month, with new chapters appearing bi-weekly, offering a regular escape into this magical realm. *Mark Oh translated the Korean novel into English.
At that moment, Suri’s voice echoed from somewhere.
“Suri… Suri… It sounds like Suri is calling me. Suri, where are you?”
Suri’s mother held onto Ms.Goli’s necklace and wept. Sabi and Maru’s mothers began to cry again.
“Mom… Mom… Why do I keep wanting to call for my mom?”
Suddenly, Suri remembered his mother. They had fought every time they met, but now he missed her so much. He wanted to show her this bizarre city and civilization.
“Dinosaurs! There are dinosaurs… Does this even make sense?”
Various dinosaurs, known to have gone extinct during the late Cretaceous period 65 million years ago, were leisurely roaming on the other side of the city. These creatures blended seamlessly with the gleaming Altima Tower and its architectural marvels. No one feared the dinosaurs; children waved joyfully at them, and the dinosaurs smiled back. Remarkably, they could even manage to grin with their tiny facial muscles.
Magical markets sprang up all over the streets, where various wizards showcased their new spells and recruited students. Among the most popular potions was love potion, which intriguingly came with a buy one gets one free deal on heartbreak potion.
In the alleys between towering megalithic temples, children flitted about, showcasing their rudimentary magic spells and playing together.
At that moment, a tremendous sound echoed through the sky. The sky of the Midnight Blue city was ablaze like molten lava.
Distant lightning raced across the sky. The Altima Tower was the very tower that absorbed lightning. All the lightning converging from the universe was being drawn into the Altima Tower.
The Altima Tower served as a storage place for lightning.
“Lightning can be considered a type of weapon. You capture and contain it, then release various forms of magic into that lightning.”
Whispered Marblem, who had already become one with Suri just like Asura.
It wasn’t just dinosaurs that were here.
Aliens, resembling the creatures we often see in books or movies, also inhabited this place. They all wore helmets that shone brightly with the light of their home planets.
They bore a resemblance to the Black Panther that Suri had encountered.
“Oh no… Look over there…”
Suri gasped in horror at the sight of a creature known as Sliver.
In the outskirts of the city lay the Sliver Forest, where this bizarre creature was hiding. At first glance, it appeared weak. It moved like a large, plump caterpillar, undulating as it crawled forward. It primarily stole Stardust Carrots from the farms on the outskirts, where few people roamed. Sliver would ravage the Stardust Carrot fields and escape, causing destruction wherever it went.
Aside from the issue of losing the Stardust Carrots, the sticky, acidic slime that oozed from Sliver’s body not only spoiled the carrots but also damaged the soil.
Whenever anyone tried to chase it away, Sliver would burrow into the ground and hide. It camouflaged itself with the earth, making it hard to distinguish, and if someone accidentally stepped on it, that person would experience excruciating pain.
Stepping on Sliver would gradually pull one into a swamp, burning one’s flesh.
Its acidic slime could dissolve bones, consuming any prey it seized.
So, Sliver didn’t really eat the Stardust Carrots. Sliver would swallow the carrots and then regurgitate them. Sliver particularly enjoyed targeting children as prey, hence luring kids who loved Stardust Carrots.
No matter how skilled the adventurers were, capturing Sliver was an arduous task. Sliver had a magical resistance, and many adventurers who ventured into its forest to hunt it down often never returned.
Strangely, Sliver never attacked dinosaurs. The people of Sirius enjoyed a special Stardust Soup filled with starlight. This soup harnessed the light and energy of various celestial bodies, enhancing the powers of wizards.
They also preferred fruits and vegetables infused with magic, such as apples that emitted flames or rainbow-colored bananas, which were all the rage.
The snacks made from starlight came in various colors and flavors, refreshing the spirits of wizards.
On special occasions, they set a magical banquet table, stacked high with various dishes, where wizards gathered to dine and prayed to the Sirius deity.
“This is a civilization unlike anything I’ve ever seen. It’s a civilization that cannot be defined. The birth of civilization, its history—none of that holds any value… It’s as if humanity didn’t evolve step by step. The same logic applies to civilization; it hasn’t evolved progressively either.”
Suri felt his understanding of civilization shatter.
Inside the megalithic temples, circular rooms clustered like clover leaves.
In the rooms, families gathered around a warm light.
One family sat around their grandfather.
The grandfather was nearing death.
“So, time has passed like this. It doesn’t feel like I’ve lived… I just want to lie down.”
The grandfather lay down on the bed. The family held his hand. The grandfather closed his eyes.
“Stay focused, Suri.”
[To be continued…]
