“Father! It’s dangerous!”
The executive, who had been standing between Choi Miyeon and the leader, suddenly shoved Choi Miyeon’s father, Choi Seonghun, who had been closest to the leader’s back.
The sword Lee Arin had thrown stabbed straight into the chest of the now-pushed Choi Seonghun. Struck by the blade, Choi Seonghun collapsed on the spot. A wet cough escaped his lips, and blood spilled out.
Choi Miyeon stared at the scene in a daze. What on earth…just happened?
“You crazy bitch!”
The moment Lee Arin realized her carefully planned assassination attempt had failed, she immediately pulled back and retreated.
“You—!”
Grinding his teeth, one of the guards swung his sword at Lee Arin. The blade passed her by, missing her by barely the thickness of a sheet of paper.
No matter how one looked at it, the situation was unfavorable. Although she had once been evaluated as having potential A-rank stats, her current physical condition was far from normal. On top of that, only a few hours earlier she had escaped with Jeong Daon while fleeing from a surge of cultists, and she had just forcibly pushed her body beyond its limits. Her stamina was already badly depleted.
Still, as if she had no intention of being captured just yet, Lee Arin pulled the handgun holstered at her waist and fired.
Bang!
At such close range, her aim wasn’t bad…
“Aaagh!”
…but another Hunter stepped in front of the leader and took the bullet with his own body. Lee Manbok, the cult leader, remained standing there unharmed.
The white-haired, bearded old man let out a hearty laugh. “How laughable. Do you know how many hardships I’ve overcome to reach this point?”
And that was where Lee Arin’s luck ran out. Before she could fire another shot, one of the guards closed the distance.
“Got her!”
Thud! The long mace-like blunt weapon swung by the guard grazed Lee Arin’s shoulder. Her already precarious body lacked the durability to withstand such an attack. The instant she faltered from the pain in her shoulder, it was over.
“Don’t kill her! Take her alive!”
“You think you can pull this off, you water-balloon?!”
The guards, who had been keeping their distance because of the gun, rushed in all at once. Despite the attempted assassination, Lee Arin was subdued in the blink of an eye.
Lee Manbok chuckled and stroked his beard. “Well, that was a rather feeble attack.”
“My apologies, Father.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. As long as we caught the culprit.”
“Still, we shouldn’t let our guard down. Until the sniper upstairs is dealt with—ah.” A guard wearing an in-ear communicator nodded. “They say the sniper has been neutralized. You may rest easy now.”
“Good. It’s reassuring to have such reliable people. As for the sniper, handle it appropriately…and let’s head inside quickly. We don’t have much time. And even if we’re indoors, too much noise never does any good.”
“Y-yes, sir. Then which of the two shall we take with us?”
“Hmm… how unfortunate.”
“K-kh—!”
None of Lee Manbok’s words reached Choi Miyeon’s ears. All she could see was her father, Choi Seonghun, dying after being struck by the sword Lee Arin had thrown. She couldn’t even scream. The situation felt far too unreal.
A sound like the cry of a wounded animal spilled from Choi Miyeon’s mouth. “Uuugh…! Dad, Dad!” What is this situation, really? Why did her dad get stabbed?
“You showed excellent presence of mind. It was only the briefest opening.”
“You flatter me!”
While Choi Miyeon wailed, unable to form proper words, the executive bowed deeply in gratitude for Lee Manbok’s praise. Their face flushed red with pride.
Seeing that, Choi Miyeon felt as though she’d been slapped across the face. Her vision seemed to turn white with rage, but first, with trembling hands, she fumbled for her phone.
A-an ambulance…!
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Her attempt was thwarted. One of the guards snatched the phone from her hand.
“P-please, give it back! We need to call an ambu—an ambulance…!”
“That won’t do. If we call an ambulance, people will see the Father and cause unnecessary commotion—”
“Hehe, our sister here has such a kind heart. Yes, yes. A life should be saved.” Lee Manbok spoke as though bestowing mercy. “However, wouldn’t our guild’s healers be faster than an ambulance? I’ll call the healers. Or better yet, how about you go with your father to the prayer room? The healers should be on standby right now…”
As he spoke, Lee Manbok cast a subtle glance toward the guards.
“Ah, yes. That’s right. They should all be waiting.”
“Excellent. Now then, hurry and move him.”
Choi Miyeon felt tears welling up in her eyes. “Th-thank you!”
Yes, maybe having a healer administer emergency treatment right away would be better than calling an ambulance. Who was he, after all? Wasn’t he the resurrected body of the Savior? Surely he could save someone with just a wave of his hand!
That was when Lee Arin’s voice stabbed into Choi Miyeon’s ears, “Get a grip, Choi Miyeon.”
Choi Miyeon glared with hatred at Lee Arin, who was pinned to the floor and restrained. “What did you say? How dare you; who do you think you’re talking to…?!”
“Think for yourself.”
They say that when something is too absurd, you’re left speechless, and this was exactly that. Rage surged up at Lee Arin’s shamelessness.
“You’re the one who stabbed my dad…!”
“I was trying to stab Lee Manbok. It was that executive bastard who shoved your dad in between and used him as a meat shield.”
“You—!”
“Shut up!” The guard restraining Lee Arin slapped her across the cheek with a loud crack, but Lee Arin showed no sign of agitation.
Lee Arin spat blood-tinged saliva onto the ground. “Don’t rationalize things however you like. Question it. Think about why that executive hit your dad so casually, and why they used him so naturally as a meat shield.”
“Meat shield…”
It was a crude term.
But it wasn’t wrong.
Choi Miyeon had clearly seen what had happened. The sword Lee Arin threw hadn’t been aimed at Choi Seonghun. A powerless civilian couldn’t have reacted to the speed of that blade and thrown himself in front of it.
“What are you talking about? The Father was in danger, so Choi Seonghun did what he had to do—he, uh, sacrificed himself!” the executive, catching Choi Miyeon’s gaze, snapped irritably. There wasn’t a trace of guilt or gratitude on their face. “Why are you letting that ungrateful apostate spout nonsense? Drag her away already!”
“Choi Miyeon, think about why they’re taking me to a lab instead of reporting me to the police.”
As Lee Arin said this, she looked utterly miserable.
She had dared to attack the Father, even roping in Hunter Jeong Daon to escape, only to fail the assassination and end up crushed into the dirt, restrained. Serves her right.
…And yet, how was that any different from Choi Miyeon right now?
Choi Miyeon looked at Choi Seonghun. Her father, slung over a guard’s back like a piece of luggage. She thought she could no longer hear him breathing.
And she looked at the Savior, who showed not the slightest interest in her dying father, saying, “Haha, she really does spout all kinds of nonsense.”
That executive, grinning from ear to ear as they flattered the leader, too, saying, “I should have weeded out such ungrateful apostates earlier. My apologies.”
If that bastard hadn’t shoved her father aside to the front…
Suddenly, Choi Miyeon remembered the bruises she had seen on her father’s wrist earlier. The executive had pushed Choi Seonghun into the path of a flying sword without hesitation. How long had this violence been going on? Why hadn’t she thought to ask what her father was going through at work?
No… she had deliberately avoided asking. She had noticed her father’s complexion growing darker by the day, yet she hadn’t asked. Because she wasn’t confident she could handle it if her father suggested leaving Truelight Church.
Because in her current physical condition, she couldn’t survive outside Truelight Church…!
Then Lee Arin spoke to Choi Miyeon. “You remember Choi Bom, right?”
Of course she remembered. There was nothing about Truelight Church, the place she had been born and raised in, that Choi Miyeon didn’t know.
Choi Bom was the small girl who had constantly hung around with Lee Arin. She had received a decent rating in the ability assessment and worked as a Hunter for the guild, then one day simply stopped showing up. People whispered that she had defected and secretly moved to another guild.
“Bom is dead.”
"What?"
“She died in the lab you and I are about to be taken to.”
Strangely enough, it felt as though time itself had slowed down.
“Such a coincidence, isn’t it? Bom was a healer. And do you remember the miracle Lee Manbok performed on January 1st last year?”
Of course she did. That was when Lee Manbok healed a patient who had suffered full-body burns. The image of believers, overwhelmed with emotion, bowing their heads and prostrating themselves had left a deep impression. She didn’t understand a single word of what Lee Arin was saying, yet at the same time, every word felt like it was piercing her ears.
“Think about it. Did you never once find it strange?”
She never had. Truelight Church was a place she had belonged to since birth. It wasn’t just a religion; it was her entire world. Her family, her friends, everything was here. Lee Manbok’s actions were the truth. No, if she believed that, then everything was guaranteed.
“Think about it. The miracles Lee Manbok performs every January 1st and the people who disappeared without a trace before each one.”
That was the devil’s whisper.
“Just shut her mouth already. That damn bitch.”
“Take them both away, quickly! Before people start gathering.”
She had no idea what was happening anymore. Choi Miyeon let out a hollow laugh.
“…Hahaha.”
No. That wasn’t right. She needed to stop pretending not to know.
This very place she had believed was where she belonged…was hell.
Fssss— The sand near Choi Miyeon began to dance grotesquely.
“Aaaaaaah…!” Choi Miyeon screamed, clutching her face with both hands. It was a sound somewhere between sobbing and a shriek. As her mind completely collapsed, the mana she had consciously suppressed until now ran wild.
A storm-like current swept through the small indoor garden. The guards, who had thought it was all over, panicked.
“What is this?”
“Is she going berserk?”
As Lee Arin watched Choi Miyeon, a strange glint flashed through her eyes. She recalled the devil’s whisper.
“Provoke Choi Miyeon and make her mana go out of control.”
“What? If that happens, Choi Miyeon will—!”
“The soul core will be completed.”
Choi Miyeon already possessed the quartz that would form the core of a soul core. If her mana ran wild, the quartz would absorb it. At the same time, when a Hunter whose body had become extremely weak went berserk, the vessel breaking down was the natural outcome.
In other words, the soul core would be completed through death.
“The stability and longevity will be a bit lacking, but it won’t be unusable.”
“Are you telling me to kill Choi Miyeon?”
“You said you could do anything. Was that a lie?”
“That’s…” Lee Arin bit down hard on her hesitating lip.
Ever since the friend she had cherished like a younger sibling died and since realizing her own body was falling apart, there hadn’t been a single day she hadn’t dreamed of revenge.
“Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a happy ending where nothing is sacrificed.” The young girl, her still-youthful face paired with eerily pitch-black eyes filled with an indescribable regret, whispered softly, “If you want revenge on Lee Manbok, this is the only way.”
Strangely enough, her words felt convincing, like the whispers of a witch from a fairy tale she had read as a child. A demon that demands your soul in exchange for granting your wish.
When she was younger, she thought the lesson was clear: don’t fall for the devil’s temptation and commit evil deeds. She believed evil would always be punished, and good would always be rewarded. But not anymore. Lee Manbok would never be punished, and she herself was not good.
Then, if an impossible-seeming wish could be fulfilled with a worthless soul…
“Aah… aaaaah…!”
Choi Miyeon’s rampaging mana began to spiral uncontrollably out of her body. She was completely overwhelmed by the reality she had been avoiding, by her guilt. It couldn't be helped. She, too, was nothing more than a bystander, far from innocent.
“Wh-what’s wrong with her?!”
“You said she was a water balloon! Isn’t this thing about to burst?!”
The guards recoiled in shock, trying to distance themselves from Choi Miyeon. In that moment, the Hunter restraining Lee Arin loosened his grip slightly in his confusion. Lee Arin didn’t miss the chance. She slammed her elbow hard into the Hunter’s abdomen and slipped free from his grasp. She had only let herself be captured in the first place to buy time to talk to Choi Miyeon. She could feel her body, already unable to bear her stats, falling apart. But once she resolved herself to die, everything became easier. She charged straight toward Choi Miyeon.
“And after the soul core is completed, break it.”
She didn’t ask how Jeong Daon, who hadn’t even been awakened for long, knew such things. She didn’t need useless information like that. What Lee Arin needed was only revenge. Revenge was the sole wick still keeping her life burning.
“Then this entire area will be dragged into a Dungeon Break.”
From within Lee Arin’s sleeve as she ran toward Choi Miyeon, the blade of a hidden dagger slid out, glinting.
“You’ll be able to kill Lee Manbok for sure.”