Chapter 104
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: New Daily Life
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The moment death struck, he woke from the dream, just as always. Woojin's eyes snapped open.
"...I still can't get used to it every time."
He glimpsed another person's memories in his dreams. Though he'd gone through it countless times now...
it was such an bizarre experience that he still hadn't grown accustomed to it.
Woojin fiddled with the nape of his neck before slowly rising. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he replayed the memories of the Dark Cultist he'd just experienced.
Then...
A clamor of bells rang out from beyond the door. The sound of a bronze bell being struck with a hammer. It was the alarm signaling wake-up time.
"Guess I need to get ready to head out."
He carefully adjusted his robes. One slip-up could expose his identity.
Woojin's arms, legs, and face were covered in dragon scales. Getting caught like that would put him in a tough spot, but fortunately, the Dark Cultists hid their entire bodies under robes, masks, and wrist gloves.
Why did they insist on dressing like that? Woojin had a rough guess.
"Wearing masks and always covering their bodies... eventually, they lose their humanity."
Living without revealing themselves dulled their emotions and eroded their sense of self as humans. They became mere tools, following orders blindly.
"I think this is where it was."
He felt around inside the robe's sleeve and found a hidden inner pocket. Inside lay a wavy dagger and a single brooch.
A brooch engraved with the number 308.
It was the boy's name and rank. Dark Cultists wore these badges on their chests at gatherings to distinguish themselves.
After pinning it firmly to his robe, he stepped outside without delay.
"A little late."
Most of the followers had already lined up. Like during the previous night patrol, the Dark Cultists stood in five neat rows. Woojin slipped quietly into the group.
Soon, the front ranks began to move. The followers marched in unison, military-style.
Their destination was the massive cathedral at the city's center. A building the Dark Cultists of this region held in especially high regard. He entered alongside the other followers.
Woojin could guess what was coming next.
"Morning prayer time."
The tedious ritual they endured every morning.
As he sat in his chair, yawning widely, the High Priest in his golden mask took the podium.
The recitation began.
"Behold the law that came from beyond the crack. And the great beings! We beseech you to entrust our fates beneath their radiant shadows..."
The High Priest droned on for a good while.
For a moment, Woojin wondered if there might be some meaningful information hidden in the prayer. He forced himself to focus and listen closely.
But his concentration didn't last.
"This is boring as hell."
What was the point of dragging everyone out at the crack of dawn for this?
Were the other followers actually taking it seriously? He glanced around sidelong, but with everyone masked, he couldn't read their expressions.
Woojin closed his eyes and dozed lightly. Time passed surprisingly quickly that way.
"...He is always by our side."
As the High Priest spoke those words, the seated followers echoed them in unison.
"""He is always by our side!"""
Their shouts echoed thunderously through the cathedral. Woojin's eyes flew open.
He looked around.
The followers were rising from their seats in a mass exodus. Morning prayer must be over. Woojin stood too, shaking off his grogginess.
He thought they'd head straight outside, but...
The followers were filing down the stairs. Stairs leading to an underground space. Woojin sniffed the air.
"Smells like food."
Prayer had run a bit long today, so they were serving breakfast right away.
Descending into the underground chamber, thick shadows greeted the followers. Torches flickered in alcoves here and there. They navigated by their dim light.
One by one, starting from the front, they received their morning rations. The line shrank quickly, and soon it was Woojin's turn.
Swipe.
The Dark Cultist at the serving station silently handed over a wooden bowl. Woojin took it and inspected the contents.
A few thin slices of meat, purple leaves, and a lump of dark red bread. It was bread made from grains grown in the Demonic Realm.
"Doesn't look too appetizing."
It wasn't much to look at.
Even after receiving the food, they couldn't eat right away. Tradition dictated that all followers get their rations first, then eat together.
Those who'd been served early sat waiting for the rest to finish receiving theirs.
"Nothing here sits right with me."
Woojin grumbled inwardly, leaning against the wall as he waited for distribution to end.
After a short wait...
"...Lights out."
The distributing Dark Cultist spoke. Instantly, all the torches snuffed out, plunging the space into pitch blackness.
"Begin eating."
The same voice rang out again. At the command, the followers started their meal.
A meal in the dark.
To eat, they had to remove their masks, which would expose their faces to each other—a violation of their rules.
That's why they ate in the dim underground, ensuring no one could see.
"Might as well try it."
He bit into the blood-red bread first. He chewed several times, savoring the taste.
The texture reminded him of cold steamed buns. The food had cooled while waiting. And since the grains were nourished by blood, each bite carried a fishy, metallic tang.
"...Still, it's edible enough."
For all its flaws, scrounging even this in the Demonic Realm's depths wasn't easy.
He finished up roughly, then waited for everyone else. It wasn't tasty enough to savor slowly, so the others wolfed it down too.
Soon, breakfast wrapped up. Torches reignited, and the followers ascended back to the surface.
After that, it was time for individual duties.
The Dark Cultists dispersed throughout the city for their tasks. Woojin took over the mission assigned to number 308.
"Slave oversight."
Whipping the slaves into forced labor. It was tedious and bothersome, but 308 had enjoyed it.
He headed straight to the work site.
Mountains of iron ore. The slaves sitting before it enjoying a brief break shot to their feet at the sight of him approaching.
The slaves tensed, watching him warily. He felt no pity.
"These guys aren't exactly saints themselves."
The slaves had once been follower candidates. Dosed with multiple beast cores, they possessed far greater strength than ordinary people—and equally vicious natures.
The weak aren't always innocent.
They'd simply fallen behind due to lacking power or skill. Give them an inch, and they'd murder or cannibalize without hesitation.
"Enough lounging. Get to work."
At Woojin's command from his seat, the slaves snatched up their hammers.
Clang!! Kaang!
They smashed the iron ore with all their might. To smelt it into iron, it first had to be hammered into smaller pieces.
Crush the ore, sift out worthless stones, wash the rest to remove impurities. Then transport it to the large furnaces.
This city was a key stronghold built for mass weapon production.
"Preparing for holy war."
The High Priest mentioned it often.
Just as the Church Alliance readied an expedition for their northern campaign, the Dark Cultists were gearing up for war, producing troops and steel weapons.
But things weren't going smoothly. Recent accidents had set them back.
"The dragon abomination dealt a huge blow."
Fanatics had tried resurrecting the dragon, causing a massive disaster. It wrecked all the Dark Cultists' outposts.
Meanwhile, the Church Alliance clashed with the orc tribe but reconciled and formed an alliance.
That smoothed their preparations like a tailwind. An unexpected setback left the Dark Cultists reeling.
"But they're not just going to take it lying down."
They were surely plotting something.
To uncover the secret blade the Dark Cultists hid, Woojin planned to linger in the city and gather intel.
The method was simple.
"Climb the ranks."
Higher positions meant more information and privileges. He'd impersonate 308 and infiltrate their core.
Overseeing slaves was a step in that process.
"Hey."
Woojin spoke up suddenly. The working slaves turned toward him.
"Stop playing it smart and work fair. I've been spotting guys cherry-picking the easy jobs like rats since earlier."
"Y-yes, sir!"
The slaves hurriedly switched off. They snatched hammers half by force. The ones who'd been toiling nonstop finally caught a break.
There's always someone lower, as they say...
Even among slaves, they had their pecking order, dumping the hard, dirty work on the weak. Woojin watched but intervened now and then.
"Should I crack the whip too?"
To seem more natural, maybe swing it—but he'd never used one before.
He gave it a practice swing in the air.
...Piiiing!!
The whip tip blurred for an instant, then the air exploded a beat later. The phenomenon commonly called a sonic boom. The whip was the first weapon to break the sound barrier.
In Woojin's hands, it transformed into a lethal instrument of devastating power.
"Can't use this on slaves."
One hit would kill.
With that thought, he tucked the whip back at his waist. He worried briefly what he'd do if the slaves rebelled, but it was needless.
"Eek, heeek..."
The slaves who'd witnessed the terrifying swing were properly terrified. Their pace visibly quickened. Even rivals cooperated to speed things up.
Woojin nodded in approval.
"They'll handle it themselves."
No need to get involved.
Sitting on a large chunk of ore like a chair, he rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a strip of wild boar jerky to chew. This would fill the downtime.
He organized his plans mentally.
"Hierarchy battles in two days."
They happened weekly. He'd topple a higher-ranked follower there to climb the ladder.
"Can't win too overwhelmingly or it'll raise flags... gotta moderate my strength."
Better practice ahead of time.
As he flexed his hand repeatedly to practice control, he felt eyes on him and looked up.
Atop a distant spire's roof. A flying squirrel gazed down.
"That one's sneaked into the city too."
He waved once. The squirrel startled and ducked behind the roof.
Probably thought the distance hid it from notice. It was so cute Woojin chuckled.
"What name should I give it?"
He'd brainstorm during downtime. Seemed like they'd be seeing a lot of each other.