You Will Be Blessed If You Do Good Deeds¿

Even Demons Need Training

Breaking News) A bomb exploded in a building in Anyang, resulting in casualties

• What's going on at the end of the year?

• Why is it so tense these days?

• I live nearby, and I heard the explosion.

• Is there a military factory nearby or something? ㄴAs far as I know, that place is a notorious cult building. ㄴYeah, I was dragged there when I first entered college. Someone came up to me while I was sitting in a cafe, saying they were doing a psychological test. That was the start. ㄴㅋㅋㅋㅋ That method is famous in that neighborhood. They share the same building with the True Light Guild. ㄴIt’s not that they share the building, it’s that they’re the same place. True Light Church = True Light Guild = Cult.

• What, the True Light Guild was a cult?

• Isn’t that a pretty famous mid-tier guild? That’s scary. ㄴIt’s actually pretty famous for being a cult-based guild, but strangely, a lot of people don’t know. ㄴIf you mess up your video algorithm, you’ll get flooded with videos of the cult leader’s speeches.

• But why would a bomb go off at the guild? ㄴMaybe it was an accident while researching items?

• Damn, another breaking news update says over ten casualties.

• This is a huge disaster.

• Rest in peace to the victims ▶◀

• Breaking News) True Light Church leader 'Imanbok' confirmed dead

• What? The leader is dead? ㄴㅇㄱ

• Wait, wasn’t this guy under arrest? ㄴSpecial leave? Maybe he was out on a temporary release. ㄴIsn’t that something they give to people who’ve lost family or are sick? ㄴYeah, probably. He probably bribed his way out and ended up dead.

• Still, a person’s dead, and this is how people are reacting? ㄴGuess you don’t know much about True Light Church. There have been lots of exposé programs about them. They exploit their followers and commit violence, etc. ㄴThat’s right. The cult leader is completely insane, but he keeps getting reduced sentences in court. ㄴHe goes to court in a wheelchair and appeals for mercy by claiming old age. ㄴDid he bribe the judge or something? His sentences are always light. You should watch some documentaries.

• A good hunter got caught up in the incident and died? That would’ve been a big deal… but a cult leader died? Who cares? ㅋㅋ

• Honestly, you could see it as justice being served.

• The justice that the Korean court couldn’t deliver.

“What are you staring at?”

At Jeong Da-jeong’s words, I turned off my phone screen.

“Oh, just an article.”

I was just briefly curious about how the news about the True Light Church was being reported.

‘There’s surprisingly little coverage considering the scale of the incident.’

It felt odd compared to the flood of news articles I had seen over the past few days about the Dungeon Break and the results of my special skills tests.

What was even stranger was how people were reacting to Imanbok’s death. They were treating it like a refreshing story. And even though dozens of people had died, no one seemed to care about the incident itself.

‘My name didn’t even come up.’

Of course, the sudden appearance of Yoo Han-ul and Han Jae-young had been completely erased from the reports.

I had expected that some witness reports might leak out, considering the number of True Light Church followers, but it looked like the silence had been maintained pretty effectively.

Han Jae-young had already mentioned something about this.

“There won’t be much detailed reporting in the media. It’s a very sensitive issue.”

True, the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break had happened in such a way that it naturally attracted attention, but in general, it wasn’t common for S-rank Hunters to be publicly reported on.

Each one of them is a significant figure, both in terms of wealth and power, making them not easily ignored.

Moreover, the Gwanghwamun Dungeon Break was largely viewed as an attack on the Hunter Management Bureau, so that would also explain why this specific case was under such tight control.

And on top of that, the incident with True Light Church, involving human experimentation and Soul Core theft, was extremely provocative information, so it’s no wonder they were cautious about spreading it to the public.

Particularly the fact that they had intentionally created “Water Balloon State” hunters and stole their Soul Cores. If that got out, it could spark quite a reaction.

However, when Imanbok mentioned the Central Management Bureau, the intention behind this media control was something that needed further consideration.

‘I hope that’s not the case.’

If the enemy in this situation was indeed one of the highest powers in the state, wouldn’t I be fighting an extremely disadvantageous battle?

For now, it was just speculation.

Jeong Da-jeong tilted her head while looking at me.

“What article are you reading that has your face so dark?”

She still thought I was at the guild seminar. I decided to come up with an excuse.

“Apparently, throwing all the trash into dungeons is helping restore the earth’s environment.”

“Hmm, that’s why you look upset?”

“They say disposable container usage and trash output have exploded at the same time.”

I had actually seen a related article.

It seems that when pollution starts choking people, they might reflect on it for a moment, but then immediately go back to wasteful habits once there’s a place to throw their trash away. The mentality is just like trash itself, and I didn’t like that.

Honestly, humans are a mess.

“Hmm, I get that you’re upset, but no matter how bad you feel, it’s not going to change anything. You can’t control others. The only one you can control is yourself.”

Surprisingly, Jeong Da-jeong sometimes said things that sounded wise.

As I was about to feel a little impressed, she continued.

“Look, Leo thinks the same way… Ow!”

“Grrr!”

Jeong Da-jeong was waving a cat toy in front of Leo, and almost got her hand swatted by his paw.

Without hesitation, I slapped Leo lightly.

“Meow!”

-That hurts!

“Leo, I told you not to hit Jeong Da-jeong.”

“Meow!”

-You’re annoying!

After Leo was hit, he protested loudly, probably feeling embarrassed about being treated like a real cat.

Honestly, Jeong Da-jeong wasn’t blameless either.

She tried to put a velvet ribbon around his neck, saying he was a black cat, and she kept waving that crinkly toy in front of his face.

Leo might have been an actual cat if he hadn’t been more like a monster, so it’s understandable that he’d get irritated.

...But didn’t he act like a real cat with Choi Mi-yeon?

It seems like he really doesn’t like Jeong Da-jeong.

“Da-on, how could you hit Leo like that!”

Jeong Da-jeong looked sulky when she saw Leo getting upset.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t know he’d hate it this much. I was just trying to get closer to him.”

Even though he was a monster, Leo looked like a cat on the outside, so Jeong Da-jeong probably thought it was okay to try to get close to him.

‘Well, she really does like animals.’

She wasn’t in a position to raise pets like dogs or cats, but I often saw her give stray cats food when she could spare a little money. She even watched animal-related programs on Sundays, tearing up over them.

“Even though he’s a monster, he looks like a cat, so I thought his habits would be similar. But I guess not?”

“Really? Isn’t the thing cats hate the most being annoyed?”

“Ugh... that hurt.”

Jeong Da-jeong pretended to cry and threw all the toys and ribbons into the drawer.

At that, Leo, who had been on edge, let out a purring sound and settled into a corner of the couch.

“I’m glad. We three—no, all four of us—can ring in the new year together.”

Yeah.

Luckily, I was able to avoid Jeong Da-jeong’s nagging and welcome the new year in peace.

Oh, how did we make up, you ask?

Well, Jeong Da-jeong felt bad about hanging up the phone on me for something trivial, so she called to apologize, and that was that.

That way, I didn’t have to hear any complaints.

And somehow, we all ended up back in her house before the new year, so...

Honestly, I still don’t really get what the significance of spending New Year's together is.

“Ah, the countdown started.”

Jeong Da-jeong looked at the big TV screen with a slightly wistful expression.

“Da-on, you’ve grown up. I can’t believe this day has come so soon...”

“Why, is that something to be sad about?”

“Yeah. It feels like time’s passing too quickly.”

I don’t always understand Jeong Da-jeong’s sentiments.

If I were her, I’d be eagerly waiting for my younger sibling to grow up and take care of themselves.

Jeong Da-jeong smiled when she saw my confused expression.

“What’s that look? Well… it’s a lie if I say it wasn’t hard, but I was happy raising you.”

She was definitely a rare kind of human.

If there’s any luck left in this world, it must be the fact that I was reincarnated as Jeong Da-jeong’s sibling.

If I hadn’t been born into this world with my past life’s memories, raised under her protection, I wouldn’t even care about saving this world.

If I think about it, the system probably owes Jeong Da-jeong the reward for saving the world, not Yoo Han-ul.

“5, 4, 3, 2, 1!”

The TV announcer shouted out the countdown in a lively voice.

“The new year has begun!”

The bell tolls at midnight.

“Congrats on becoming an adult, Da-on.”

To be honest, I’m not sure whether there’s a big difference between yesterday’s me and today’s me.

But, honestly, my family deserves the praise more than I do.

They raised me until I became an adult.

Jeong Da-jeong smiled brightly.

“And happy new year.”

I’m not sure if a demon deserves a happy new year, but I nodded in agreement.

“You’ll get plenty of blessings this year.”

“You talk like you’re the one giving the blessings?”

“Really? I’m more of a disaster than a blessing.”

• The system has detected traces of the ‘Soul Core.’
• The system is requesting help from the user, ‘Jeong Da-on.’
• The system is offering to unlock part of the user’s stats in exchange for assistance.

I might be able to avoid the disaster that might come because of me, but I’m definitely going to make sure I handle that situation.

I stared at the system message, lost in thought.

‘Traces of the Soul Core…’

It looks like the system finally gave up on getting me involved in that ridiculous quest.

And as long as I don’t have to get tangled up with that hero, Yoo Han-ul, I’ll take the information they’re offering.

Honestly, I’m more eager to find and rip that guy apart than the system is.

‘But no need to show that just yet.’

I’m no hero, and even though I’ve made a bit of a deal with the system, I’m not generous enough to just do free work.

If the system needs my help, I’ll take my time and make sure I get something bigger out of it.

‘The last time, I got way too little in terms of compensation.’

The situation was so urgent back then that I didn’t have the chance to negotiate how much of my stats they’d return. I just dove straight in and got blindsided.

And even though the memories of Yoo Han-ul from that time were so shocking, I never got the chance to demand what was rightfully mine.

‘I have to remember that the system is also keeping an eye on me.’

In this world, the only ones I can trust are Jeong Da-jeong and Leo.

I must always keep that in mind.

Brrr!

At that moment, my phone buzzed.

“Da-on was so ugly when she was first born, but now… huh? What’s this?”

Jeong Da-jeong, who had been reminiscing, stopped mid-sentence.

“…Da-on, your phone is ringing!”

“Is that really something to be surprised about?”

“Of course, I’m surprised! I’m here, but someone’s calling your phone? Oh, maybe it’s a disaster text?”@@novelbin@@

The only one who could contact me at this point was Leo, honestly.

But sure enough, my contacts were limited.

Especially since it was New Year’s Eve.

Curious, I opened the screen, and thankfully, just as Jeong Da-jeong said, it wasn’t a disaster message.

It was a message from someone whose number I had saved yesterday.

• Jeong Da-on, happy new year.
• Just so you know, this is not a hacked message.

It was Choi Mi-yeon.

“Who is it?”

Jeong Da-jeong asked.

Well, what should I say?

I hadn’t known her for long, but I had already seen all the dark sides of her.

She was probably under investigation by the police right now, but somehow, she managed to time this message.

While I was hesitating, Jeong Da-jeong threw out a few guesses.

“Is it Yoo Han-ul the Hunter? Or Han Jae-young the guild leader?”

“Neither.”

I answered like that, then sent a reply.

• I know.
• Happy new year.

I considered adding a reminder to take care of her health, but it seemed pointless, so I left it out.

As soon as I sent the reply, my phone buzzed again.

“Looks like you’re no gentleman.”

Jeong Da-jeong mentioned the two people who had sent New Year’s texts.

• Happy new year. And congratulations on becoming an adult. See you soon.
• Congratulations on becoming a full member of the HP Guild as an adult~ㅎ

Compared to Yoo Han-ul’s clean message, Han Jae-young’s text was filled with messy emojis.

But surprisingly, Jeong Da-jeong liked those emojis.

“These emojis are pretty cute, huh? Send them to me so I can use them for the office people.”

“…You didn’t like Han Jae-young though?”

“Emojis aren’t guilty. Hurry up, send it to me.”

I sighed and handed my phone over to Jeong Da-jeong.

Well, it wasn’t such a bad start to the year.