You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿

"Are you talking about Pastor Imanbok?"

"Who else would it be? Someone who could gather people like Choi Mi-yeon, who is out there knocking on the door right now."

At those words, the sound of the door being hammered repeatedly started to quiet down.

I hadn't realized it due to the harsh voice, but it seemed that Choi Mi-yeon was one of the people knocking on the door outside.

It was easy to see that what was called a mentor-mentee relationship was, in reality, more like that of a watcher.

"...Hey, Lee Ah-rin. Get a grip. Before anyone else comes in."

With a voice so low it was unrecognizable from the bright one she had earlier when talking about idols, Choi Mi-yeon muttered, almost absentmindedly.

"I've known you since you were little, so if you stop now, I'll let it slide. Open the door and come out."

"Get a grip yourself, Choi Mi-yeon."

Lee Ah-rin retorted sharply.

"Do you think we're that different? No, you're worse. You don't even have the slightest clue what's happening to your own father."

For a moment, there was silence outside the door.

"...What did you say? Why is my father being mentioned here?"

"You’re the only one who doesn’t know that your father’s been used as a punching bag for the higher-ups, you idiot."

She said what she wanted bluntly.

"What? What did you say?"

"The good people next to you know it too. Why don’t you ask them?"

"You're talking nonsense. Just because you say that, I..."

At first, Choi Mi-yeon snorted, but her words began to trail off, and I could sense the uncomfortable silence even though we were separated by the door.

"...What’s going on? Why is everyone so quiet?"

Everyone had been loud outside the door just moments ago, but now no one was saying anything.

And sometimes, silence is the answer.

It seemed the fact that Choi Mi-yeon’s father, Choi Seong-hoon, was being abused by the higher-ups was no secret after all.

As Choi Mi-yeon went quiet in shock, I looked at the blood that was blocking the door, which swirled like a living snake near the doorknob.

I could control my own blood until it dried, huh.

'It's a form of telekinesis... but can she control just a part of her body?'

Telekinesis, in the end, is a supernatural ability that moves magic energy unconsciously.

But in the end, a unique skill is just a natural power, and if you don’t have the capability, the range of that power is very limited. It’s common, for example, for someone like Lee Ah-rin to be able to control only her own body.

Although, it's rare for someone to take control of their own blood like this.

Anyway, the skill can only block the door for a short time.

Right now, Choi Mi-yeon was shocked, and others were uncomfortable, so things had calmed down for now, but if they decided to break in, it wouldn't hold for long. Maybe just a few minutes.

"Let's get to the point since time's running out. Did the True Light Church import a smoke item developed in the U.S...? Is that true?"

"Yes."

"How did you know?"

"I was personally a test subject for that item."

At those words, Lee Ah-rin’s eyes glinted with a sharp light. This time, another woman's angry voice was heard.

"Hey, test subject? Watch your words! As members of the True Light Church, we are making a rightful contribution..."

"Where’s the laboratory?"

"The prayer hall. It’s called a prayer hall, but it’s actually an illegal building expanded down to the sixth floor. The whole building is basically a laboratory."

As expected.

Even though it was a cult, was there really a need for a blood contract to enter a regular prayer hall?

But if human experiments were taking place, it made sense that the barriers surrounding the prayer hall were in place.

"They said they had to check if the unique skills really disappear. Because of that, after inhaling the smoke, all the blood vessels in my body burst, and they forced me to use my abilities."

"Is that why you don’t have much time left to live? Because of the experiment?"

"Yes."

Lee Ah-rin rolled up her sleeve and showed it.

There were numerous bruises on her arm from needle injections.

"Hunters in the Water Balloon State are much weaker than ordinary people, and being forced to use their abilities in that state was a natural consequence."

"Then why was Lee Ah-rin chosen for that experiment? During the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break, S-rank Hunters like Yoo Han-ul and Han Jae-young were the targets, so if the True Light Church really did this, why would they choose someone like you, who’s in the Water Balloon State?"

"...Jung Da-on Hunter really has the personality they say you do."

Lee Ah-rin chuckled at my question, but she didn’t hesitate to answer.

"That’s not the point, is it? What I know is that the smoke item was smuggled, and it was sent back out somewhere else. But that item appeared during the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break. Doesn’t that make the True Light Church look the most suspicious?"

"How do you know the item was used in the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break? It hasn’t even been reported yet."

"That’s just media talk. The prosecution's already been talking about it openly, and the True Light Church has connections with the prosecution. And no one speaks carefully in front of a lab rat."

"...I see."

This information didn’t seem like a lie.

If Lee Ah-rin had confidently claimed that the True Light Church caused the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break, I would have questioned the truthfulness of it.

I might have thought they intentionally targeted me and sent a spy.

But looking at the hatred and animosity in her words, it seemed that the True Light Church definitely smuggled the smoke item.

And they were certainly conducting inhumane human experiments.

So now the remaining issue was whether the True Light Church really caused the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break.

'The prayer hall... no, if I go to the laboratory, I’ll find traces of related research.'

If there’s any evidence of the item being used, it would likely have been erased, but if they forcibly opened a Dungeon Break, there should be traces in the laboratory.

I could also analyze the barrier near the prayer hall and see if there’s any trace of 'enemy of mankind' in the magic circles.

"Then right now..."

As I immediately reached for my phone, Lee Ah-rin shook her head.

"It’s useless to report it to the police. There are many True Light Church members in the police around here, and they won’t act on mere suspicions."

"I wasn’t planning to call the police."

I already knew how much influence the True Light Church had over public authorities.

Even if I reported it, who knows how long it would take for the police to get a warrant? And whether they would even be able to obtain one is uncertain. Meanwhile, the True Light Church could erase all evidence and escape.

"I was planning to call Yoo Han-ul."

If I contacted him directly, I could break into the laboratory and seize the evidence. Sure, it would be illegal, but considering the cult and Yoo Han-ul, the winner was clear. Especially if I had Lee Ah-rin’s testimony. Han Jae-young was also there.

They must have been waiting for this moment, so calling him right now would solve everything.

"Then, right now, contact..."

But that’s when the problem occurred.

No matter how many times I pressed the call button, there was no dial tone.

"...What’s going on? Did my phone break down all of a sudden?"

Bang! Bang!

"Hey, open up! Hurry up and open it!"

With the loud shouts to open the door, Lee Ah-rin forced a smile.

"Did Choi Mi-yeon touch your phone while showing you idol videos?"

"...No way..."

"When they do the entrance education, they usually take phones, but they couldn’t take yours because you’re a hunter, so they must have installed a backdoor to disable the call function."

"But I was just on the phone with my family!"

"They must have been listening from the next room. If there was any suspicious movement, they would have activated the backdoor right away."

I was left speechless for a moment.

It’s true that cults often sever communication with the outside world, and when I came in, I was surprised that they hadn’t taken my phone. But I never expected they’d plant a backdoor.

A bitter laugh escaped me.

"Still, what a lie about liking idols..."

"That’s actually true. Choi Mi-yeon has been following that idol since middle school."

"Oh, dear."

Claiming to like idols and planting a backdoor on someone’s phone, isn’t that the ultimate betrayal of a fan?

I turned to Lee Ah-rin.

"If I were to ask you to overlook the True Light Church’s secrets and let me go, what do you think would happen?"

"Ha, do you think that would work? You’ve already made contact with me, and heard the story about the True Light Church being behind the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break."

"Guess so…"

After hearing the secrets of the True Light Church in front of the members, I was now an enemy.

From the church's point of view, they’d have to silence me.

Lee Ah-rin shrugged.

"Sorry, but that’s exactly why I came. I knew if I contacted you secretly and asked for help to kill Pastor Imanbok, you wouldn’t listen."

"...That’s true."

If Lee Ah-rin had secretly contacted me, asked for help in killing Imanbok, and handed over this information, I would have refused and just analyzed the magic circles before leaving.

-You will be blessed if you do good deeds? Quest in progress.

-User 'Jung Da-on' will face limitations in stats when engaging in actions against social norms.

Since this quest exists, I’m bound to have limitations.

Even though they are a cult, it’s hard to think of privately killing someone as righteous, at least in modern society.

"Still, this situation feels... doomed, doesn’t it?"

Outside, at least five cult members were knocking like mad, and even if I escaped, getting out of this building with over a thousand people packed in here seemed impossible. I couldn’t just call Yoo Han-ul or Han Jae-young either.

The real issue was that I couldn’t contact Jung Da-jeong until I got out of here.

Declaring an overnight stay and cutting contact—no matter how much Jung Da-jeong is a saint, this crossed the line.

I’d been thinking too easily, forgetting that I, too, was now one of the insignificant ones.

Crack!

As I reflected briefly, the hammerhead of a thick wooden door smashed through the door.

It seemed they had decided to stop persuading and just break the door down. That was definitely quicker.

"We can’t hold out any longer. Follow me."

Clunk!

Lee Ah-rin opened the window in the room.

"Even if you’re an S-rank hunter, you must have enhanced your physical strength, right?"

She really doesn’t seem to have a backup plan.

Climbing out through the window seems more viable than breaking through the mob outside the door, though.

"It’s not like I’ll fall from the 8th floor."@@novelbin@@

"It’s not falling. It’s the opposite."

With a creepy squeak, Lee Ah-rin opened the old window and sprinkled something powdery outside.

The powder turned murky in the air and completely obscured the view.

She must be trying to hide where we’re going from others.

Although, it seems like climbing out the window inside the building would end up in the same place.

"Follow me."

Whoosh!

Lee Ah-rin jumped through the window, grabbing a drainpipe outside and started to climb up.

It seems she plans to escape via the building’s outer wall.

"Ugh."

I looked down from the window and saw how far the drop was. If I fell, my fragile body would shatter immediately.

But…

Crack!

The door started to break open more violently.

Climbing the outer wall and escaping is looking more reasonable than facing a bunch of cult members with hammers at close range.

I sighed and set Leo, who had been in my arms the whole time, down.

Leo stared up at me, his eyes wide with excitement.

"You run wild and catch up."

"Meow."

-Hunting!

Watching Leo lick his front paws and eagerly anticipate, it seemed like this situation was actually fun for him.

Despite his smaller size, Leo wouldn’t be scared of regular humans.

I gave him the order and immediately rummaged through my inventory for an item.

Even though I was a mage who favored physical training, there was no way I could climb a building without help.

-Wearing item, 'Spider’s Hand.'

-Wearing item, 'Sylphid Boots.'

-Effects apply immediately.

-I must watch my mana usage as it will steadily drain while wearing these items.

I was glad I looted Han Jae-young’s inventory.

Sticky gloves and translucent silver boots were placed over my feet. I took a deep breath and stretched out my foot toward the window.

If this keeps up, I might just end up being an S-rank swordsman, as Han Jae-young mockingly said.