You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿

"I can't believe the plan turned out like this."

Imanbok's face, looking out at the vast desert in front of him, also twisted in frustration.

"What is this?! We should have been more careful!"

"I-I'm sorry! I never expected a Dungeon Break would occur..."

"This is completely out of the blue!"

Imanbok swallowed the rising fury as he looked at the guards, who were desperately offering excuses.

After all, he had only told them that they needed to take Choi Mi-yeon and Lee Ah-rin to the lab, but he hadn’t given them any specific information about the Soul Core. Even if they had tried to prepare, they wouldn’t have been able to.

‘In a rush to gather people, I only brought B-rank hunters… and look at this mess.’

It wasn’t like he had been imprisoned, but given the excuse of a branch event, he had rushed out to collect Soul Cores, and as a result, he hadn’t been able to properly prepare.

Now, the plan had gone awry, and they were caught in a Dungeon Break.

Imanbok clicked his tongue.

Still, the only silver lining was that, despite being in a desert, the place they were dropped off had water and lush grass, an oasis, if you will.

‘I am truly blessed.’

This was the one thing he could be satisfied with.

The age of mythology.

It was something he often spoke of during his speeches, but Imanbok sincerely believed it.

In this chaotic era, filled with ancient monsters like those in the Bible, he was the only one who could push forward.

So, he couldn’t die here.

“…Enough with the excuses. First, let’s get out of here. We should be able to clear it, right?”

His voice softened as he scolded the hunters, who were both his followers and his guards, because, after entering the dungeon, he would have to coax them into finding a way out.

If he treated them too harshly, they might betray him inside the dungeon and make things even worse.

"Of course! Even though it's a dungeon, if we find the clearing conditions, we should be able to leave quickly!"

"We'll solve this soon. Don't worry, Pastor!"

"It is an honor to serve you!"

Their loyalty was something to commend.

Even though they had just been scolded for something beyond their control, they wagged their tails the moment he spoke more gently.

‘Heh, like little puppies.’

Imanbok stroked his beard as he watched the hunters scurrying around, offering to set up a seat for the Pastor, fetch water, and make a fuss.

It wasn’t too surprising.

These people, raised as True Light Church followers and trained by the True Light Guild from childhood, had no choice but to revere Imanbok as a god.

Of course, since he was the one who fed, clothed, and raised them, Imanbok truly believed he was their god.

Imanbok sat comfortably, observing the dungeon as his guards moved around. Though he was an awakened hunter using Soul Cores, he had never properly raided a dungeon, so the scenery was rather fascinating.

He watched the rising heat over the endless desert with interest.

It almost felt like he was indulging in divine play.

"Pastor, you should drink some water!"

Another person who got caught up in the dungeon was present too.

Earlier, one of the True Light Church's leaders, who had admirably blocked a sword coming towards Imanbok, was now offering him water.

"Thanks. I was just getting thirsty."

With a sly face, he accepted the water brought from the leaves, and his heart softened just a little.

‘Yeah, this is the adversity I must overcome.’

It seemed like another piece of rhetoric to add to his speech for the New Year’s event.

Thinking this way made it more bearable.

Imanbok noticed the anxiety flickering across his guards' faces, but he remained calm.

- System Guide: The current dungeon is B-rank.

- It appears that the user's level is not suitable for this dungeon.

Of course, considering the dungeon's B-rank status, it was understandable that the guards were anxious.

A B-rank dungeon usually required a solid group of B-rank hunters, with at least a couple of A-rank hunters, to be tackled properly. But now, Imanbok and his guards, all of whom were B-rank at best, were only five in total.

Without proper preparation, there was no guarantee they could successfully tackle such a dungeon.

Yet, Imanbok was relaxed.

He had a backup plan.

‘If things get worse, I can always use the items that person gave me.’

Having led the church for a long time, Imanbok was sensitive about his safety.

Unlike the usual preparations, today, he hadn’t met with Mi-yeon without any plan, especially when there had been a traitor in the church earlier that day.

On his wrist, a bracelet with a snake-like shape was wrapped.

The snake’s eyes sparkled with embedded jadeite.

It had been a gift he received recently from someone.

- May you become the protagonist of the age of mythology.

‘It’s truly fascinating.’

Imanbok stroked his beard.

Although he was used to receiving gifts, this one was different.

Just like how that person taught him the method for creating Soul Cores, they seemed to know exactly what Imanbok needed, as if they could read his palm.

This time, they gave him the item as a protection charm, knowing exactly when he would be caught up in a Dungeon Break.

Imanbok had once doubted the intent behind the gift, but lately, he wondered if it was sent by the gods themselves.

‘Heh, well, maybe this is an opportunity.’

Though his plan had gone wrong and he was caught in the Dungeon Break, he might be able to use this excuse to extend his special leave or even shorten his remaining prison sentence.

While he had been staying in the best medical rooms rather than a prison, his restricted mobility was still inconvenient.

So, in a way, this might have turned out well.

Of course, it was a shame that he missed out on the A-rank hunters’ Soul Cores, but that was something he could rectify by finding a suitable candidate later...

It was then.

- Kkiuuk?

"Ugh!"

As Imanbok was lost in his thoughts, something emerged from the sand before him.

As Imanbok fell back in shock, a text appeared in front of the hunters, signaling the arrival of a monster.

- A monster has appeared.

- Monster: Sand Mole (E-rank)

"What is that?!"

A bloated creature tilted its head.

It resembled a mole, its color similar to the yellow sand of the desert.

Imanbok screamed in shock.

"Guard! Guard! What is that?!"

"Pastor! Please calm down!"

One of the guards, who had been quickly scanning the area, rushed back to Imanbok’s side, confirmed the monster’s identity, and let out a sigh of relief.

"Ah, it's nothing. Just a Sand Mole. It's a very docile creature. Since this is an oasis, it must be stopping by to drink and rest..."

Thwack!

Imanbok slapped the guard across the face, cutting him off.

The stunned guard collapsed to the ground.

For a moment, the guard’s eyes flashed with confusion and resentment, but Imanbok didn’t notice.

"I-I'm sorry! I’m so sorry!"

"You’re supposed to be guarding properly! How could you fail so miserably?!"

Imanbok, filled with anger, shouted.

Though he had always acted like a great mage, mastering all magic within the church, that had only been a theatrical performance using Soul Cores.

In reality, Imanbok was barely even a D-rank hunter.

This was the first time he had ever seen a proper monster, and his heart raced.

"How useless!"

He had momentarily forgotten about trying to treat his guards kindly, and now he shouted furiously.

"Get that monster out of my sight!"

"Yes, yes! Understood!"

"What are you waiting for? Move!"

The guards, who had been scanning the area, rushed to attack the Sand Mole with their swords.

But the Sand Mole, as if playing a game, retreated into the sand, only to pop its head up again from a distance.

- Kkiuuk?

Its wide, sparkling eyes eerily watched Imanbok and the others.

As one of the hunters, panting from the chase, caught his breath, he furrowed his brow.

"Wait, why is a Sand Mole here?"

"What are you talking about? It's a desert, so..."

"No, the thing is, Sand Moles are typically scared of people and stay far away."@@novelbin@@

The guard's expression grew serious as he recalled this knowledge.

"They live deep underground, so why would one come up to the surface..."

At that moment.

Thud, thud, thud!

The ground began to tremble.

The guards tensed up and readied their weapons.

Imanbok, too, looked nervously toward the horizon.

The desert, which had seemed endless just a moment ago, began to blur.

It didn’t take long to realize that it was a massive sandstorm.

"Something's coming!"

"I-It’s a monster!"

"Everyone, don’t panic. Cast shields first! It’s still a B-rank dungeon. We can handle it if we stay calm!"**

The captain pointed to Imanbok.

"And, remember, the Pastor is right behind us!"

"Hmph."

Imanbok cleared his throat and straightened up.

"Right. If things get too dangerous, I’ll step in, so don’t worry and fight on. You are the true heroes of this age of mythology!"

"Yes!"

"Yes, Pastor!"

At Imanbok’s booming declaration, the guards stood tall, ready to face the monster.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The ground shook violently.

And from far off, they heard what sounded like a scream.

"Aaaah!"

And the sound grew louder, approaching rapidly.

A scream that seemed to tear through the air.

The guard who had been standing next to Imanbok tilted his head.

"Huh, that voice sounds..."

The identity of the source soon became clear.

"Help, please! Help!"

A woman, crying out for help, appeared.

She seemed oddly suspended in mid-air, floating towards them as if she were swimming through the air. She looked like a puppet suspended by invisible strings, flying rapidly toward them.

The moment the guard recognized her face, he gasped.

"Jeong Soo-yeon!"

As they got closer, the face of Jeong Soo-yeon, covered in tears and sand, became visible.

Boom!

From the sand, something rose up.

It was as if a mountain was emerging.

Something so massive that it could blot out the sun, it rose into the air, defying imagination.

- Pwwwoooo!

A sound, inaudible to human ears, spread across the entire desert.

- A Boss Monster has appeared.

- Boss Monster: Sand Whale (A-rank)

- System Guide: This monster appears too difficult for you to clear.

The first scream came from the guards.

"It’s a Sand Whale!"

"What the hell, why is an A-rank monster here?!"

"This is supposed to be a B-rank dungeon!"

The enormous whale that had risen high into the air slowly descended toward the ground.

The distance that had seemed so vast was nothing to the giant creature.

The shields the guards had hastily prepared were already shattered.

In an instant, the Sand Whale swept through the oasis, its mouth wide open.

Watching this, Imanbok recalled a verse from the Bible that he hadn’t thought of in a long time.

"The Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights."

‘God.’

His buried faith, something he hadn’t even realized he still possessed, surged up.

Imanbok, in awe, unconsciously folded his hands in prayer.

But at that moment, as he watched the whale's mouth open, Imanbok noticed something on the whale’s back under the sunlight.

It was a person.

With eyes burning with terrible hatred, not those of a god.

Bleeding, Choi Mi-yeon shouted.

"Die!"