You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿

Choi Mi-yeon stared at the dagger that Lee Ah-rin had brought almost to her neck with trembling eyes.

“Lee Ah-rin.”

Just moments ago, Lee Ah-rin’s dagger had nearly cut her down.

If it had been just a bit quicker, it would have succeeded.

If only Lee Ah-rin hadn’t taken the sword for her that had been aimed at her from behind by Imanbok.

Mi-yeon had been so surprised that her mana outburst had temporarily stopped.

She asked Lee Ah-rin.

“What... what are you doing?”

“...Damn. Shut up.”

Lee Ah-rin, covering Mi-yeon and taking a blow to her shoulder, cursed and glared at Imanbok.

The dagger she hadn’t used was still in Lee Ah-rin’s hand.

“What the hell are you doing? You’re one of my followers!”

“Unbelievable.”

Imanbok clicked his tongue.

“I really don’t get it. Just a moment ago, weren’t you trying to kill Sister Mi-yeon?”

“This is really...!”

“I was just trying to stop a hunter who was on the brink of a mana explosion. What would have happened if Sister Mi-yeon had gone berserk here, huh?”

“Don’t make me laugh. You were planning to kill Mi-yeon and take her soul core.”

“Oh?”

Imanbok’s eyes gleamed with a sinister light.

“How did you know that? Seems like the security in the lab wasn’t tight enough.”

“There’s no researcher who knows enough to keep their mouth shut about the test subject.”

“Heh, looks like I’ll have to deal with all the researchers.”

Imanbok laughed carelessly, as if it didn’t matter that the followers dedicated to him didn’t know about the horrors he orchestrated.

“So, what are you trying to do? You’re covering the woman you were trying to kill a moment ago and took a blow for her, so now you’re going to try killing me again?”

“...”

Lee Ah-rin spat blood mixed with saliva onto the floor.

She felt a searing pain in her shoulder, yet her mind was clearer than ever.

So, she realized what she had just been about to do.

“...I went a little crazy there. Why would I kill Mi-yeon?”

Of course, Lee Ah-rin hated Mi-yeon.

Since she had been born into this damn cult, every time she had doubts about the teachings of the True Light Church as she became an adult, her words were always dismissed.

"You don’t understand, don’t question the True Light Church, there’s no better place than this..."

Those words continued until Lee Ah-rin was no longer useful as a hunter.

‘Who would accept useless hunters like us if it weren’t for this place?’

What Mi-yeon had said was true.

The True Light Church was the only place that would feed and care for those like them, who had become nothing but money-hungry, nearly hopeless souls.

But that fact not only saved Lee Ah-rin but also made her powerless.

Her world had been confined to this cult, and no matter what happened, it had to be resolved within the cult. No matter how much she became a test subject for torturous experiments, it was the only task she could do to survive in this group.

She might have even been a little proud of it.

She still had value, she thought.

Of course, all that faded away the moment Choi Bom, whom she had cherished like a sister, died in the experiments.

"Ah, this is bad. The magic circle on the quartz wasn’t even fixed properly, and she died already."
"There’s a slight loss in mana, but it can’t be helped. As long as the Leader can use it for the New Year's event."

From that moment on, Lee Ah-rin’s world had completely changed.

The world she thought she had to belong to in order to survive was the very place that was pushing her towards death.

But even realizing that, nothing changed.

She had to take expensive enhancement drugs every six hours, and in that broken body, there was nothing she could do.

Even if she left the True Light Church, she had no way to afford a place to live or a single meal.

Even if she reported it to the police, from an outside perspective, she would still be seen as part of a cult. Even if she reported the cruel actions in the lab, it would be easily covered up by Imanbok’s power.

No one in this world would help Lee Ah-rin.

That brutal truth had sent Lee Ah-rin into a severe depression.

It was just at that time.

“Still, we’re quite fortunate, aren’t we?”

Mi-yeon said those words.

Mi-yeon, who had always proudly called herself a devoted follower, sometimes lacked any awareness.

She must have thought Lee Ah-rin’s depression was because of her physical state.

“At times like this, we should pray and overcome it. This is the trial that God has prepared for us…”

Well, is that really true?

If God truly existed, why hasn’t He punished someone like Imanbok, the leader?

And why doesn’t lightning strike Mi-yeon, who speaks so annoyingly without a clue?

Lee Ah-rin was angry at Mi-yeon.

Sometimes, that anger surpassed even her resentment for Imanbok.

It was because Mi-yeon was so much closer and more similar than Imanbok, who was far away.

We’re in the same position, but why is she acting like such an idiot?

Why doesn’t she even try to understand what’s happening to her?

That’s why.

Even though she knew her father, Choi Seong-hoon, was being violently treated by the officers, she hadn’t told Mi-yeon.

She talks like she knows everything, but doesn’t even know what’s happening to her dearest family.

If she had spent even a second looking at her father’s wounds instead of running her mouth...

“…What changed?”

Mi-yeon muttered.

Her mana outburst had stopped, but her voice was still dazed.

“If only I had realized sooner…”

Choi Seong-hoon’s breath had long since stopped.

Both Lee Ah-rin and Mi-yeon knew this fact.

In the end, Mi-yeon had lost her father.

Because of the dagger Lee Ah-rin had thrown at Imanbok. Because of Mi-yeon’s selfish indifference.

“Because of me…”

Mi-yeon’s face twisted in agony.

The temporary stop of the mana outburst didn’t change the fact that she was in a state where another outburst could start at any moment.

Lee Ah-rin clenched her teeth.

“Idiot, get a grip!”

Mi-yeon’s blurry gaze turned toward Lee Ah-rin.

“Lee Ah-rin…”

“Your father’s death was because of that bastard.”

Mi-yeon flinched and pointed at the officer.

It was that man who had not only abused Choi Seong-hoon but also used him as a human shield.

She might not have known or stopped it, but it could never be worse than that man’s crime.

“And the one who gave that bastard power was Imanbok. He’s the one who’s been exploiting us.”

That shabby old man, sitting arrogantly as if he were a god, made Lee Ah-rin grit her teeth as she looked at Imanbok.

“Mi-yeon, I hate you, and honestly, sometimes you piss me off so much I want to kill you. But still, you’re nothing like Imanbok or a piece of shit like you.”

“Heh, such a tearful sisterly bond.”

It was disgusting to hear.

“But what are you going to do about it?”

Imanbok laughed.

He seemed to find this situation amusing.

From the perspective of an absolute powerhouse, it must have been quite entertaining to crush and kill the weak who struggled in vain.

“It seems you overheard something about the soul core and tried to steal Mi-yeon’s soul core to kill me, but just give up. The result is already decided.”

Lee Ah-rin smirked.

She couldn’t believe that she had once believed and followed such a man as her leader.

“But still, I have to be better than someone like you.”

Her hatred remained.

She would do anything to get revenge on Imanbok.

But she still wouldn’t misdirect her anger.

“Hey, Mi-yeon.”@@novelbin@@

Lee Ah-rin looked back at Mi-yeon.

She still hadn’t snapped out of it, still in a pathetic state.

Anger and frustration welled up, but Lee Ah-rin held back and spoke to Mi-yeon’s dazed face.

“From now on, get your act together and live.”

After the soul core is completed, it will be shattered.
Once the soul core is shattered, a Dungeon Break will occur.

Lee Ah-rin believed Jeong Da-on’s words.

And there was another hunter here who could complete the soul core.

‘Yeah, this is it.’

There was only one remaining knife.

This time, Lee Ah-rin didn’t hesitate.

Before ending her life, she simply looked up at the hideout she had made above the True Light Church building, which felt like a prison.

She had promised to help with the revenge. She would keep that promise.

Lee Ah-rin quickly thrust the hidden dagger into her body.

Crack!

The sound of flesh being pierced seemed to ring right next to her ear.

Lee Ah-rin collapsed to the floor, blood pouring from her neck.

Seeing this, Imanbok burst out laughing.

“No way, after so long, you’re just giving up like this? Are you planning to give me a gift?”

“...Ha...”

Mi-yeon let out a hollow laugh.

Why had Lee Ah-rin done such a thing?

Amid everything happening at once, one thing was certain.

Something was shining in Lee Ah-rin’s bloodstained hand.

Mi-yeon realized it was the protective stone that Jeong Su-yeon had given her.

“L-Lee Ah-rin...”

A faint, almost dying voice was heard at that moment.

It seemed that Jeong Su-yeon, who had collapsed during the initial shooting, had regained consciousness.

No one had paid attention to her as she lay on the floor, but now, crawling toward Lee Ah-rin, was she perhaps moved by some sympathy in her last moments, just like Mi-yeon and Lee Ah-rin had felt?

“What is this...?”

Of course, that brief thought was just that—thoughts that never materialized.

Jeong Su-yeon, crawling on the ground, didn’t reach out for Lee Ah-rin’s cold hand but instead grabbed the blood-stained crystal.

The bloodstained protective stone began to glow wildly, absorbing Lee Ah-rin’s mana.

Just as Jeong Su-yeon had told Mi-yeon, this wasn’t just some superstitious protective stone.

It was the soul core.

Jeong Su-yeon’s eyes sparkled with accomplishment as she held Lee Ah-rin’s soul core.

“Okay, okay! The plan’s a little off track, but I... AAH!”

“Let go.”

Crack!

Mi-yeon stomped on Jeong Su-yeon’s wrist, crushing it.

Jeong Su-yeon screamed, but she didn’t let go of the soul core.

If it truly had meant to protect someone, there would be no reason to hold onto it like this.

“AH, IT HURTS! IT HURTS! Mi-yeon, what are you doing?!”

“It’s not your’s.”

This was Lee Ah-rin’s soul core.

Mi-yeon looked down at Lee Ah-rin’s soul core and the dying Lee Ah-rin.

It was the second time she had seen death’s shadow today.

Yet the difference from Choi Seong-hoon’s death was...

The blood on the soul core hadn’t “dried” yet.

Fighting against the pain of almost dying, Lee Ah-rin had tried to destroy her own soul core.

Even in her last moments, she was using her skill to destroy the soul core.

Mi-yeon, who had stopped her outburst, could feel the mana flowing intricately.

“...”

Honestly, thinking of her father, Mi-yeon hated Lee Ah-rin.

She resented her and would never forgive her.

No matter how much the officer had pushed Choi Seong-hoon, the one who stabbed him was still Lee Ah-rin.

Even telling her to get her act together.

How dare she say that, with her shameless face? Mi-yeon wanted to scream in anger.

Still, she could help her friend who took the sword for her.

Imanbok, who had been grinning, stiffened as he saw Mi-yeon focus her mana.

“Wait, Sister Mi-yeon! What do you think you’re—!”

Crack!

“AAAH!”

With a scream, Jeong Su-yeon’s wrist was crushed, and the soul core shattered.

At that moment, a blinding white light engulfed the area.

Mi-yeon had seen this light before.

It was the same light she had witnessed every time they entered a dungeon as hunters.

The system detects an anomaly.

Warning! A Dungeon Break has occurred.

Only then did Mi-yeon finally understand.

‘This is what you wanted to do.’

Throwing her life away to cause a Dungeon Break.

That was how Lee Ah-rin was getting her revenge on Imanbok and the cult.

...Well, if that was the case, it wasn’t bad.

If she was going to die with them...

“Ah, what the hell are you doing?”

At that moment.

The voice of the frustrated girl pierced Mi-yeon’s ears.

“I hate melodramatic moments like this.”