The Church's Hidden Secret

We can't get caught.

The danger and the trouble aren't even the real problem—I still haven't received the quest.

In the original story, the protagonist's party scatters late at night to secretly search the church interior, all to confirm the truth behind the rumors. In the process, the protagonist Baek Sihyeon witnesses the secret unfolding here, and a quest triggers for the whole group.

Which means I have to witness this church's secret with my own eyes.

But if we get caught now, they'll either try to kill us or at the very least drive us out. Then receiving the quest becomes difficult. Getting back inside the church would be hard, and if we try to force our way through with strength, we'd never uncover the core secret—just end up trading blows with the church people.

I can't attack the witnesses either. Whether I kill them or knock them out, if anything unusual happens, the first ones under suspicion will be us—the newcomers who arrived today.

"Brother, what are you doing here?"

"Ah... well..."

"......"

"......"

What? It wasn't us?

I looked at Yu Eunseol, whom I'd pinned against the wall with my hand over her mouth like a wall-slam, and pressed a finger to my lips. After signaling her to stay quiet, I carefully poked my head around the corner of the corridor bend to assess the situation.

The first thing that caught my eye was a figure with their back turned, draped in a black robe. Then the red sash wrapped around their waist seized my attention.

Black robe alone meant Elder. Red sash around the waist meant Deacon. White sash meant Steward. Those sashes indicated rank.

But why are you here?

Baek Sihyeon.

"I-I'm sorry... I was looking for the bathroom, but the lights in the corridor were out, so I lost my way..."

"I see. Come with me. I'll show you the way."

"Thank you."

Had he been following us? More importantly—did he know?

That the deacon kindly offering to guide him to the bathroom had been holding a sharp knife behind his back just moments ago.

Watching the deacon slip the knife into his sleeve and walk alongside Baek Sihyeon, a slight unease settled over me. Not worry over what might happen to Baek Sihyeon—worry over what he might do.

He can't cause an incident before witnessing the secret.

Tap-tap—

At the light touch on the back of my hand, I pulled my hand away from Yu Eunseol's mouth.

"Stop covering my mouth. I'm not going to scream."

"Sorry."

But isn't this the second time? When we climbed the National Assembly wall, and now. Being this picky over just two times...

"Mmph!!"

"Sorry."

"......"

Make that three.

Someone emerged from the room where they'd been going at it as a group, startling me into clamping my hand over Yu Eunseol's mouth again as I ducked around the corner to hide.

"Hoo.... Getting sick of only doing the same bitches."

"Right? Feels like I'm fucking my own wife at this point."

"Puhaha~ Isn't that your wife? You, fucking kids ten years younger every night?"

"Isn't that your wife?"

"You'd be in deep shit if anyone found out~ But did you see the new bitches who came in?"

"Looked like early twenties at a glance. Skin so plump and firm, looked so damn delicious~ Hehe..!"

"Time for a little rejuvenation after so long~"

"At this rate, aren't we getting younger? Puhahaha~"

"Hahahaha~"

"......"

"......"

Yu Eunseol's eyes, looking up at me with her mouth still covered, trembled wildly. It wasn't shock or fear at the men's filthy talk. It was bewilderment—at something specific in their conversation.

(Wh-what are they talking about...?)

(That's what I was trying to show you. Not them panting like animals.)

(......)

We returned to the spot the two men had left. Through the small window still pouring out bright light, I confirmed once more that several men and women were still tangled together inside.

So startled she looked ready to make a sound, Yu Eunseol covered her own mouth.

Including the two men who'd just left, the men writhing and coupling like beasts inside averaged around forty, at least mid-to-late thirties. In contrast, the women they'd described as "kids ten years younger" looked at least fifty—some well past sixty.

This was the church's secret. Only part of it so far, but still.

The church's fourth floor.

This was a place ordinary believers staying on the first and second floors could not enter. Only those recognized by the cult leader and the elders and selected as stewards or deacons—or members of their families who also met a set of exacting conditions—were allowed to live on the fourth floor.

"Why won't you eat properly these days... You just keep spilling everything... You're breaking Mommy's heart..."

"......"

"Seongyun's mom, little ones always get picky about food at that age. Don't stress over it too much."

"Yes... But Youngji eats so well. I'm really envious of you..."

"Haa... In a world like this, even eating well isn't a good thing... It just burdens the Cult Leader and the elders..."

"Ah... You're right..."

"There, there! I know~ Mommy will feed you, so don't grab at it with your hands~"

"......"

At a glance, it looked like a peaceful gathering of mothers raising infants. But strangely, only the mothers' voices could be heard—not a single cry or laugh from a child.

Because the "children" cradled in the mothers' arms were dolls.

"Oogie-boogie~ Peekaboo~! Knock-knock— peekaboo~!"

"Oh my~ The way she smiles is so adorable~ Anyone would think she was your real daughter~"

"Right? Heehee~"

"......"

Seeing it in person made it even more grotesque. Spooning baby food into the mouth of a doll that couldn't eat, fretting when it "wouldn't eat," delighting when it "ate well," cooing over how prettily it smiled while staring into a face that could never ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠change expression.

"Ugh..!!"

The sheer wrongness of it must have turned her stomach—Yu Eunseol clamped a hand over her mouth and dry-heaved.

"You okay?"

"Haa...! Haa...! What... what even is this..?"

"The cult leader's ability. No—his skill."

"What kind of skill would make people..."

"......"

I still couldn't say it. Not that I wouldn't—my voice simply wouldn't come out. But after seeing this much, shouldn't she be able to piece it together ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠herself?

"Think of it as a mental-type skill."

There. That worked.

"A mental type..?"

"Hypnosis, brainwashing—that sort of thing. Though this one's far stronger than either."

"That's right. It's the power of that skill. In a way, you could call it the most broken skill in this entire world."

"That's impossible.. Even so, for people to..."

"This way."

"......"

We still hadn't confirmed everything. The most important secret remained.

Dodging a baby-mom dragging a doll by the arm toward the bathroom, we climbed to the final fifth floor.

This space belonged solely to the cult leader and the elders.

And damn, they really were pure scum.

"Haang!! Haung!!"

"P-please stop..! Please.. please... Augh!!"

"Hic..! Hic... please... let me go... hic...."

Compared to the women over fifty—aunties and grandmothers—handed out to men of deacon ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠or steward rank, young girls' voices echoed from every direction, voices so young you could tell just by hearing them.

"Let go of her. Right now."

"Follow me. That's not it."

"Let go of—!!"

"I'll save them all. But not right now."

"Why..!!"

Because I haven't received the quest yet.

First, I need the quest. Helping people? Fine by me. But I'm not some free-service justice hero. For all the hell I'm about to go through, I am absolutely collecting my reward.

Thud— thud— thud—

Unlike the other floors, there was no need to wander around searching. The quietest place. The deepest place. That was where it would be.

Right here.

Moving to the innermost section of the fifth floor, a massive door reminiscent of a chapel came into view.

"Hoo..."

Open this door, and the odds of getting caught were extremely high. Baek Sihyeon had been caught while fleeing after confirming the secret, after all.

But if I didn't open it, coming this far meant nothing—and I wouldn't receive the quest.

Sss—

I carefully eased the handle downward, bit by bit. Just until the door made a sound of opening.

Click—

I held still for a moment, not moving. After confirming there was no reaction, I gently pulled the lowered handle and opened the door.

Ssssss—

Bright light poured through the widening gap. I opened it just wide enough to fit my head and slowly pushed my face inside.

To witness this church's secret.

"Aaaah...!!"

"Shhhh.... Just endure a little longer. Then you'll meet your friends in heaven soon."

"M-Mommy...! Daddyyy..!!"

"Don't you worry. Your mommy and daddy will be following right after."

Elder Choi, hood of his robe thrown back to bare his hideous face, clamped a hand over a young child's mouth. Then he drove the sharp, pointed knife in his other hand into the child's belly.

Thunk!!!

The child's body convulsed, then went limp as all strength left it. Elder Choi dragged the blade downward and split the belly open.

In the webtoon, it had been depicted as nothing more than a strange blood-drawn pattern on the floor with Elder Choi muttering over it. The scene unfolding before my eyes was far more horrific and grotesque.

But it wasn't over.

Squelch— squelch—

The Fake Cult Leader shoved his hand into the child's belly, blood and entrails spilling out, thrust his arm in deep, and yanked something free with all his strength.

Crack!!

A heart.

A child's heart.

And the Fake Cult Leader tore into that heart as blood gushed from it in thick pulses.

Crunch!!

Chew— chew—

These fucking lunatics..!!

"Urgh!!"

"......"

I get it. I absolutely get it. No one could watch that and not dry-heave. Hell, vomiting until your organs came up wouldn't even be strange.

But you can't do this right now, Yu Eunseol!!

"Who's there?!!"

At Elder Choi's shout, I slammed the door shut at once.

I'd already received the quest.

But Blood Awakening?

What the hell is this thing I've never even heard of?!!

The quest had changed.

But this one thing would never change.

Bang!!

Just as the Fake Cult Leader had seized the fleeing Baek Sihyeon, he would throw open this door and come after me and Yu Eunseol as we ran. That much was certain.

"You..."

"You crazy bastard."

My fist was already swinging, smashing through the red quest window floating in midair and driving clean into the Fake Cult Leader's face.

CRUNCH!!!!!

That bought us time to run. Now all we had to do was hurry and regroup with the others, pull the gun I'd stashed in Nari's inventory, and put a bullet in this insane bastard's head. Then it would be over.

It should have been over....

.

.

.

.

.

.

As if a red quest would ever end that easily..!!

"No!! Don't shoot!!!!!"

I shouted desperately, but it was useless. My voice wouldn't reach them now.

TATATATATATATATATANG!!!!!!

TATATATATATANG!!!!!!

TATATATATATATANG!!!!!!

TATATATATATATATATATANG!!!!!!