Chapter 91
[0:01]
I activated Stealth right before being warped.
The location changed. It was deep in the mountains.
I deactivated Stealth and moved while checking the location info on my phone. The direction seemed slightly off.
I quickly climbed to higher ground and looked toward where the location was.
‘...Is that it?’
Something immediately caught my eye.
A clearing is located in the middle of the mountain, connected by an unpaved road.
And in the middle of the clearing was a building that looked like a cathedral.
Vehicles were parked around the building, and I could see people walking around...
That seemed to be the Headquarters of the Cheonin Church.
I made my way down the mountain path and approached the building.
People who looked like guards were standing watch at the Entrance.
Looking closely, the followers had to sign some sort of register and even hand over their phones to the guards before they could enter the building.
I observed for a bit before entering the building myself, while in Stealth, of course.
Would Older Sister Jiwu really be here?
It was time to find out.
A space like a large Chapel.
The followers who entered the building were all gathered in one place.
There was a dais at the front, and since there were no chairs, everyone was standing.
What was slightly shocking was that there were significantly more people than I had expected.
All these people believe in this kind of cult?
It was a deplorable state of affairs.
I walked among the people and examined their faces.
With everyone laughing and chatting, the atmosphere alone made it seem like just an ordinary church.
‘Oh.’
It didn't take long.
I was able to spot the face I was looking for right away.
A woman is laughing and talking with the person next to her.
...It was Older Sister Jiwu.
I had wondered if perhaps she was being threatened by the Cult members or was in some kind of situation like that.
Seeing her looking perfectly fine, I fortunately didn't think it was the case.
Hmm... No. I guess it wasn't fortunate.
In the end, it meant Older Sister Jiwu really had fallen deep into the Cult and cut off all contact with those around her.
Well, anyway, since I confirmed she wasn't in a dangerous situation or anything like that...
I first deactivated Stealth in a place out of people's sight.
There were a lot of people and everyone's attire was ordinary, so I didn't stand out because I blended in.
‘What should I do?’
Now the problem was how to deal with this Cult Organization.
It wouldn't be hard to expose that these guys were Cult scammers.
I figured doing so might make Older Sister Jiwu come to her senses too.
Screech— Thud.
While I was thinking, the Entrance to the Chapel closed.
The guards who closed the doors stood as if guarding both sides of the Entrance.
The surroundings grew quiet.
Looking to the front, a person was stepping up onto the dais.
A Middle-aged man wore a flashy cloak that dragged on the ground.
‘That's the guy.’
Anyone could tell it was he.
The Cult Leader grabbed the microphone.
“Welcome. Thank you all for your hard work in coming this long way.”
His amplified voice echoed out.
“There must be many Prospective Believers here who are seeing me for the first time. I am the proxy of Person123, Cult Leader Shin Du-Rang.”
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap...
People started clapping.
I clapped along and looked toward where Older Sister Jiwu was.
She was staring at the Dais with mesmerized eyes...
Seeing an acquaintance acting like that made me feel truly troubled. How on earth did she end up like that?
“Before we begin the Chancheonje, we will all first offer a prayer to Person123.”
The Cult Leader suddenly knelt down and brought his hands together as if in prayer.
“O our Savior, the light, hope, and guide of a world that will soon collapse. Your servants have gathered in this place today...”
The people all knelt on the floor and began to pray as well.
I had no choice but to follow along for now...
How should I put it—a hard-to-describe sense of disillusionment washed over me.
Fuck, what the hell were they doing.
The prayer continued for several minutes before it finally ended.
The Cult Leader stood up and launched into a lengthy speech this time.
“...The One recently bestowed a revelation upon me. As my proxy, you must strive so that more people can be saved. There is still a long way to go.
Ah, I was deeply moved! I was in awe! Though the end is ultimately predetermined, The One is delaying the time of destruction as much as possible to save even one more person. The role given to this old body is simply to follow The One's will...”
The people listened intently to the Cult Leader's bullshit. Some were even sniffling.
Besides the Cult Leader, there were a few more people in ridiculous outfits on the Dais.
It seemed they were the High Priests who were supposedly next in line after the Cult Leader.
‘Those guys...’
That was one thing.
But the Cult Leader, and a few others, seemed to be Climbers.
Just as I could somewhat determine an opponent's strength with Sixth Sense, there was a subtle difference between the General Public and a Climber.
The Cult Leader and two of the High Priests were definitely Climbers.
Of course, they weren't high levels. At most, they wouldn't even be Level 10.
“Haaap!”
The Cult Leader, who had been giving his speech, put on another bizarre display.
He raised his hands high with a shout and stood frozen like that for a long time...
Fwoosh!
Light flashed above the Cult Leader's head.
People let out gasps of awe.
I was dumbfounded.
‘Bullshit.’
That's a Magic-type Skill.
It was an unfunny farce and people were going wild over it.
But right then.
“Wh-why? Let go of me!”
Suddenly, there was a commotion on one side. People's attention focused there.
The guards were holding onto a man.
When they searched the resisting man's body, a small camera popped out.
What's with that guy?
By the looks of it, he seemed to have been caught filming with a hidden camera.
The Cult Leader subtly frowned and spoke.
“It seems a nonbeliever trying to interfere with our ritual was hiding among us. Please escort him out.”
One of the High Priests on the Dais, the one who was a Climber, dragged the man away along with the guards.
“Please come to your senses, everyone! Do you really believe that bullshit about being Person123's proxy?! You Cult bastards...!”
The man shouted as if throwing a fit, but there wasn't really any atmosphere of agitation.
The followers quickly focused back on the Cult Leader.
Hmm...
I watched the man being dragged away before going back into Stealth.
“Huh?”
“What's wrong?”
“No, just now a person... Did I see it wrong?”
I followed them while in Stealth.
* * *
Lee Tae-Seong is a prosecutor.
It was by chance that he learned about the Cheonin Church.
While investigating a corruption case involving a small-to-medium enterprise, he discovered a strange flow of funds.
It wasn't directly related to the corruption, but it bothered him, and as he dug into it, this very Cult Organization popped up.
“That thing you're doing right now, stop there and cover it up.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean? Just looking at this...”
“I'm telling you to just do what you're supposed to do, Tae-Seong. Don't pay attention to useless things.”
The Chief Prosecutor hushed him and quietly advised him not to dig into that side.
Lee Tae-Seong couldn't possibly be unaware that pressure had come down from above.
He didn't listen and continued his investigation.
The more he dug, the more he couldn't tell just how far this Cheonin Church thing was entangled.
“Didn't I tell you to stop digging into this?”
“Isn't this enough evidence? We need to request a warrant right away and start a proper investigation...”
“Hey, you punk, this isn't a case you and I can handle! Do you want to get me fired?!”
However, no matter how much he pursued them and tried to investigate, he was constantly blocked.
Still, Lee Tae-Seong did not give up.
Out of frustration, he directly entered the Cheonin Church to find some more concrete evidence.
He waited for months while acting as a Prospective Believer, and participated in this thing called Chancheonje where all the core figures of the church supposedly showed their faces...
“Let, let go of me!”
But he got caught like a dog.
Dragged to a dark place like a Warehouse, Lee Tae-Seong was forced to his knees with both arms restrained by the guards.
Not only his camera but even his hidden phone had been caught.
The High Priest grabbed Lee Tae-Seong's wrist and forcefully pressed it against the phone's fingerprint sensor.
Lee Tae-Seong tried to resist, but he couldn't budge against a grip strength that didn't seem human.
The High Priest, who unlocked the screen and looked through Lee Tae-Seong's phone, opened his mouth.
“So you were a prosecutor? Prosecutor Lee Tae-Seong of the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors' Office.”
Lee Tae-Seong spoke without losing his nerve.
“...You punk, you're a Climber, aren't you?”
When he dug into the Cheonin Church, shockingly, he was able to discover circumstances where even the Climber's Association was entangled.
Given the sight of the Cult Leader and these Climbers here, it seemed certain after all.
“What were you trying to do, sneaking in here like a rat? How annoying.”
Thinking he might die, Lee Tae-Seong spoke urgently.
“I-if you kill me, you guys won't be safe either. I told all my Comrades that I was coming here.”
The High Priest burst into laughter.
“Did you think we'd actually kill you? Of course we have to send you back with all your limbs intact.”
Crouching down, he met Lee Tae-Seong at eye level.
“Still, I'll give you my first and last warning, Mr. Prosecutor.”
“...”
“This isn't a board you can handle, so just turn off your attention and live your life. If you try to do something stupid again, who knows what might happen to you, Mr. Prosecutor, and to your family as well?”
At the threat, Lee Tae-Seong's eyes wavered.
The High Priest raised the corners of his mouth.
“You can't even imagine how many high-ranking people are involved here. Getting rid of one Prosecutor is nothing. If you're curious, go ahead and keep trying.”
Just then, a voice suddenly cut in.
“Which high-ranking people?”
The High Priest and the guards turned their heads in surprise.
A person was standing behind them.
A man is wearing a hood and a mask.
* * *
I followed the man being dragged away.
He was being threatened in a room like a warehouse right next to the Chapel.
The man's identity seemed to be that of a prosecutor.
I silently listened to the conversation before deactivating Stealth and revealing myself.
“Which high-ranking people?”
Everyone looked at me in surprise.
The High Priest asked.
“...What are you?”
I didn't answer.
The flustered guards lunged at me.
I subdued them with a few light taps.
The moment all the guards collapsed, the High Priest also rushed at me.
It seemed he used the Leap Skill.
Bang!
I grabbed the High Priest's forehead and sent him flying into the wall, gently, just enough so he wouldn't die.
“Keuhuk...!”
Subjugation complete.
I turned my gaze to the Prosecutor.
He was looking at me with wide, round eyes.
“Are you a prosecutor?”
“...Y-yes, I am.”
“I'm on the same side, so rest easy.”
The Prosecutor nodded in a daze.
I turned my gaze back to the High Priest, who had collapsed and was writhing in pain.
From what this guy was saying, it seemed it wasn't just a simple Cult Organization, but something more was entangled...
Whatever, now.
There was nothing more to see.
I should just clean this all up and hear directly from the Cult Leader what and how much was entangled.
I took out a mask from my Subspace.
A mask with a built-in voice modulation microphone, which I usually kept stored in my Subspace just in case since the Wang Kai Incident.
I took off my Hood and hat and put the mask completely over my head.
“Follow me this way.”
Then I left the Warehouse and entered the Chapel again.
Bang!
As I opened the door and entered, all eyes focused on me.
I walked toward the dais where the Cult Leader was.
I was casually knocking down all the guards who tried to stop me.
“Wh-what is it? Stop him!”
The Cult Leader pointed a Finger at me.
The other Climber High Priest also lunged at me.
I grabbed him and tossed him away just the same.
With all the guards down and no one left to stop me, the Cult Leader looked extremely flustered.
I approached the Cult Leader closely.
“You... Who are you? Why are you doing this?”
The Cult Leader hesitantly backed away.
“D-do you know who I am? I am the proxy of Person123! What are all the followers doing? Hurry up and stop this guy...!”
I raised my hand and fired the Line of Destruction.
A large hole was pierced through the ceiling of the chapel.
Crumble...
The murmuring atmosphere from just a moment ago fell dead silent like a lie.
The Cult Leader, who had been screaming right in front of me, also stared at me with a face as if he had seen a ghost.
I heard someone muttering.
“P... Person123?”
One person suddenly dropped to his or her knees and began to bow.
At that, people urgently bowed their heads one after another.
I let out a small chuckle and turned my gaze back to the Cult Leader.
“H-hiik...!”
The Cult Leader turned pale and fell flat on his ass.
Looking down at the Cult Leader, whose face looked as if his soul had been drained, I spoke.
“I've never had a guy like you as my proxy.”