Did his shrinking body nerf his intelligence or something, for real? Had he really ended up at the level of an actual cat? He was even purring contentedly in Choi Miyeon’s arms, clearly quite satisfied. I mean, I did tell him that there wasn’t much to do for the time being and to go explore the building on his own… but I never expected him to be dangling comfortably in the arms of one of the cult’s believers.
Seeing my awkward expression, Choi Miyeon must have misunderstood something and continued speaking, “Ah, are you upset because I already knew about you? I’m sorry. But these days, is there really any Korean who doesn’t know you, Sister Daon? Videos of Sister Jeong Daon have been ranked first or second among trending videos for the entire month.”
“…Ah, yes. But, um… that cat…”
“Meow!” Leo, who had been purring away in Choi Miyeon’s arms without realizing his owner was there, lifted his head. When his eyes met mine, they went wide. “It’s a misunderstanding! A misunderstanding!”
A misunderstanding, my foot. Maybe he’d only come to his senses after having his body ground down once for real… Being found in someone else’s arms? Yeah, he didn’t even qualify as a mascot.
Meanwhile, Choi Miyeon hugged Leo closer, as if afraid someone might take him away. “Oh, do you not like cats? I’m sorry. I found it in the garden inside the building, but my appointment time was just about up, so I ended up carrying it along.”
“Ah, yes. I don’t really like them.”
"Prrr…”
“Not my fault!”
“Oh dear, kitty. Just stay still for a moment. I’ll let you out soon.”
“Hahaha, please understand. Actually, Sister Choi Miyeon is also an awakened Hunter, and she has a skill called Animal Affinity.” The executive, who hadn’t left yet, joined the conversation.
Only then did I understand.
Animal Affinity.
Sometimes unique skills manifest separately.
Hunters are broadly divided into swordsmen and mages, but aside from those, there are cases where so-called psychic abilities—unique skills—manifest upon awakening. You could call them innate supernatural talents. One might think that having a unique skill would be far more advantageous, but that isn’t always the case.
Animal Affinity… that’s a subtly useless ability.
What good is getting along with animals when it comes to dealing with monsters in a dungeon? Unless you could tame monsters by treating them like animals, having enough animal affinity to empathize with monsters would only get in the way of killing them, wouldn’t it? Even I, who can understand monsters because the system categorizes us as the same kind of “enemy,” get headaches from it sometimes.
“Since you’re both Hunters, I think the two of you will get along very well!”
What did animal affinity have to do with getting along with me?
While I was momentarily taken aback, Choi Miyeon spoke with an uncomfortable expression. “Oh, come on. I’ve only awakened; that’s all. I can’t even be compared to a Hunter with S-rank abilities. I only came out today because it’s my day off.”
“What are you saying, Sister Choi Miyeon? And the two of you are about the same age as well. Then I’ll leave things to you.”
After the executive, who had claimed to be busy preparing for events yet still gave Choi Miyeon repeated reminders, finally disappeared, Choi Miyeon turned to me.
“Then, before we attend the doctrine class… have you eaten?”
“…No.”
Now that I thought about it, I was hungry. Han Jaeyeong had come to pick me up at the crack of dawn, and between that and the morning meeting with the executive, I’d inevitably skipped breakfast.
“Then shall we go get lunch first?”
I’d heard that their method of proselytizing started with building rapport with the target, and sure enough. Still, I really was hungry, so I nodded.
“But seriously, these days there are just so many videos of Sister Jeong Daon being uploaded on YouTube.”
“Ah, yes. You must watch a lot of videos.”
“Thanks to that, the idol group I like is making a comeback, but all their buzz got stolen and their mentions dropped.”
“…Is that something I should apologize for?”
“Hahaha, I’m just trying to think of it as bad luck. Well, for the first week of a comeback, first place really depends on initial sales, so it doesn’t matter that much. But for longevity, public appeal is important, so I was hoping the music video would chart…”
I have no idea what she’s talking about, but it seems like she has plenty of things she enjoys in life. From what I heard, Choi Miyeon was five years older than me—twenty-four. It was indeed the age when people tend to be really into idols.
Following Choi Miyeon’s lead, we headed to the cafeteria inside the building, and I could feel people’s gazes on us.
For the record, even in the cafeteria, she was still holding Leo.
“Is it okay to bring an animal in here?”
“Ah, it’s fine. Everyone knows I have high animal affinity. And everyone likes animals, too.”
“Meow…” Leo, who had tried and failed to run away after noticing me, let out a weak cry from Choi Miyeon’s lap.
Well, who told you to get caught by a Hunter with animal affinity? Serves you right.
Anyway, the food was good. The stares I got while eating were still intense, but well, whatever.
There really are a lot of people.
Did they say there were over a thousand members just at this branch? It might be even worse because the New Year event was approaching, but even though lunchtime was already a bit past, the cafeteria was crowded. Seeing how everyone was looking at me, it seemed safe to say that word had already spread within the sect that Jeong Daon was here. If I’d shown my face this much, that internal informant would pick up the information too.
“I heard there’s an event coming up. Is that why there are so many people?”
“Oh, you know already? Did the executive tell you? That’s right. We do a January 1st countdown together. And since the leader is coming as well, even more people have gathered.”
“…The, uh, leader.”
“Ah, yes. Right. He’s currently in prison unfairly…”
Unfair, my ass. She looked like an ordinary woman in her twenties who liked idols, but moments like this really made it clear she was part of a cult.
“January 1st is the biggest event for Truelight Church. If the temporary leave procedures are followed during incarceration, it should be possible.”
Is that really a prison? What a mess.
Still, if it’s an actual system that exists, there’s nothing I can say. I don’t know how someone like Lee Manbok qualified for it, but it really did seem like he had connections within public authority.
“We’re full now. Shall we take a walk?”
“Is there somewhere to walk around nearby?” I asked even though I already knew the answer.
Choi Miyeon replied with a bright smile, “Yes, there’s a small garden inside the building. I’ll show you around.”
Thanks to that, I was finally able to step outside and look around the garden.
There were quite a few people gathered there. Some were even praying in front of a statue of the leader. Seeing the statue in person after only viewing it through Leo’s eyes before…was even more grotesque.
As I stared at the statue, Choi Miyeon spoke to me in a low voice. “Jeong Daon, honestly, you’re not really interested in Truelight Church, are you?”
I flinched, but immediately denied it, “That’s not true. What makes you think that?”
“Oh, you can be honest with me. Still, you said you were interested enough to even attend the doctrine classes. That’s more than enough for now.”
I had absolutely no intention of joining. But no matter what, I couldn’t say that outright, so I kept my mouth shut and listened quietly.
“I’ve been a Truelight believer since birth. My mom was a very devoted follower, and my dad was just a regular office worker who got a job at the guild. Apparently, they met here. After marrying my mom, he joined Truelight Church too. So among ourselves, we jokingly call people like me ‘purebloods.’”
Choi Miyeon seemed genuinely proud of that fact.
Being born into a cult, by most people’s standards, sounded utterly horrific.
“Then did you come straight to the Truelight Guild after finishing mandatory service?” She said she was twenty-four, so if she had started mandatory service right after awakening, the timing would line up.
Of course, she didn’t look particularly strong at a glance, but with animal affinity, she might have learned summoning-type magic.
Choi Miyeon smiled as she answered, “Ah, no, not exactly. I was discharged in the middle of my mandatory service.”
“What? How?”
“Hahaha, have you ever heard of something called a ‘water balloon’?”
Sometimes, cases like this happen. After awakening, while honing one’s abilities, some people experience extreme pain once they surpass a certain level. Even after medical examinations, the patient complains of symptoms, but no clear diagnosis usually comes out. In such cases, they don’t feel pain as long as they don’t use their abilities, but the moment they do, they’re hit with excruciating pain. Their body simply can’t withstand the power contained in their soul.
“I’ve heard that in the past, there were Hunters who continued using their abilities while being injected with morphine, but the outcome was…”
I nodded. There was a reason the term “water balloon” was so widely used. Like the name implies, if you so much as prick it with a needle, it bursts instantly.
“…That must have been really hard.”
“It was, at first. My potential stats were… not as high as yours, Daon, but they were A-rank. People had high expectations of me. I did too.”
That made sense. An A-rank rating on the aptitude test would have marked her as a highly promising talent. And then to have it all collapse, ending up like this—living almost like a patient, doing nothing but rehabilitation training. It was a situation bound to bring not just a sense of loss, but deep deprivation.
“Of course, it’d be a lie to say I didn’t wander for a while… but I’m fine now. It would’ve been much harder if I weren’t a believer.” As she said that, Choi Miyeon stroked Leo’s back.
I’d wondered why people were so understanding about her bringing a cat into the cafeteria. Perhaps sympathy for Choi Miyeon played a part. An innate unique skill like animal affinity manifests by default even without actively using one’s abilities, so it was probably one of the few powers Choi Miyeon could still use in her current state. Judging by how she’d managed to charm Leo, her affinity itself seemed quite high.
“So you’re saying you got through the crisis with a religious mindset?”
“Huh? Ahaha, I’m not that saintly. It’s not that. Hunters in a water-balloon state… people who can’t even complete their mandatory service have a hard time making a living. Back then, the Truelight Guild accepted me without hesitation.”
“Oh, so you’re a member of the guild now?”
“Yes. I can’t go into actual combat, but I’m training while looking for rehabilitation methods. The Truelight Guild actively takes in people like me.”
“Actively… why?”
When I voiced my doubt, Choi Miyeon laughed. “Hunter Jeong Daon, you’re very straightforward.”
“…Sorry if I offended you.”
But it was a perfectly natural question. Guilds exist, fundamentally, to clear dungeons.
If they were drawing people into the church, that would be one thing, but actively recruiting them into the guild? Hunters in a water-balloon state can’t even participate in raids. What were they planning to do with a group of them?
“Well, they might not be useful right away. But this also aligns with our doctrine. Every person has a purpose. If someone awakens but can’t use their power, it’s only because their soul’s energy is too strong for their body to bear. But if God grants an answer, even a body like this will surely have a time when it fulfills its purpose.”
“…Is that the Truelight Guild’s policy?”
“Yes, that’s right. They say the mythological age has returned. If you can be born human and become a myth… if even a defective product like me can become one, then is there any life more meaningful or beautiful as a human being?”
Eyes that sparkled. Lips that spoke of hope.
But considering where we were, everything about it felt absurd.
“Isn’t it truly a wonderful place, full of good people?”
“…Ah, yes.” Even if I pointed it out, there was no way I could snap this cult follower back to reality right now. I decided to let it slide.
And then, at that moment, just as we finished our walk and were about to head back inside, someone called out.
“Hey, Miyeon!”
Recognizing the familiar voice, Choi Miyeon responded with a smile, “Dad!”
…If a god truly existed, this felt like a scene that would make one question their intentions.
The man who had been brutally beaten by the executive in Leo’s view earlier was now waving at Choi Miyeon as he ran toward her.