Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: End of the Prophet
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I approached the intercom and looked at the screen.
"You got here fast."
It was Cha Jin-hyuk.
I opened the door.
"I'm here, friend! Hahaha!"
A man who could laugh even in this situation stood there.
"Keep it down and get in quick. No need to spread rumors around the neighborhood, right?"
"Was I that loud?"
Cha Jin-hyuk quickly shut the door behind him and came in.
"Huh? Jeong Sia?"
He spotted Jeong Sia the moment he entered and blinked in surprise.
True to his guild master status, he recognized her at a glance.
"What are you doing here?"
I answered Cha Jin-hyuk's question for her.
"It's her place."
"Her place? Your last names are different. Half-siblings or something?"
"...No. She's just a close big sis."
"Got it. Then she's my big sis too! Nice to meet you. I'm Cha Jin-hyuk."
Cha Jin-hyuk pulled a business card from his pocket, bowed slightly, and offered it to Jeong Sia politely with both hands.
Completely different from Cha Mu-hyuk.
Who would think this guy was from the arrogant Sun Group owner's family?
"I'm Lee Han's one and only friend. Hahaha."
Always the funny guy, past and present.
"Why do you say you're my only friend?"
"With your personality, who else would be your friend?"
Sharper than I thought.
Nothing to say to that.
Cha Jin-hyuk looked back at Jeong Sia.
"By the way, Miss Jeong Sia. I tried contacting you through your manager several times, but she kept turning us down."
Turning down the Sun Guild's offers.
The thorny guild we'd agreed to meet today that I'd never even heard of. Park Jeong-hwa must have deliberately selected places with worse conditions than the Resurrection Church from the start.
Jeong Sia spoke up.
"It seems like the manager decided without telling me anything."
"What? Why would your manager make decisions without even asking you?"
It wouldn't make sense to Cha Jin-hyuk. The manager was supposed to assist, not take charge.
I answered for Jeong Sia.
"That's why she's lying over there."
I pointed to the three corpses piled up in the kitchen corner.
"What? You killed her just for deciding on her own?"
"Not exactly."
Cha Jin-hyuk slowly walked to the kitchen to check the bodies.
"Real cops too. Even a headless one. But Lee Han."
"Didn't you say you were a necromancer type?"
"Yeah."
"Then why are these bodies burned?"
Cha Jin-hyuk didn't know about my skeletons' power.
A natural question.
"It couldn't have been Miss Jeong Sia, so you must have done it, right?"
Instead of answering, I looked at Jeong Sia.
"Sis. You can explain it to him properly without me, right?"
Time better spent meeting Lee Si-woo.
"Yeah. Just tell him the truth."
"Exactly. Tell him everything you know. Even stuff about me."
Anything Jeong Sia knew about me was fine for Cha Jin-hyuk to hear anyway.
"You're dumping this on me all of a sudden and heading out?"
Cha Jin-hyuk stared at me like I was unbelievable.
I got where he was coming from, but the most important task remained.
"To wrap this up."
I needed to see Lee Si-woo's face.
"Wrap it up?"
"Going to kill someone else?"
Cha Jin-hyuk looked at me like he was fed up.
"Yeah. So handle things here, then come find me. Looks like cleanup needed there too."
"Huh?"
Cha Jin-hyuk let out a hollow laugh.
"Lee Han. Even if I suggested being friends first, don't cross the line. I'm not your cleanup guy."
Anyone would feel offended, sure.
"Next time something like this comes up, I'll tell you ahead. Deal?"
"...Really?"
"Hahaha! You just erased all lines between us."
What he really meant was he wanted to join in on the fun stuff.
Cha Jin-hyuk was the type who enjoyed danger.
That's probably why he accepted Cha Mu-hyuk's suggestion to kill Cha Jin-su in my previous life, despite the blackmail.
"Then I'm trusting you."
"Yeah. Go on. I'll sort things out nicely with our Sia sis. Oh? Since she's Lee Han's sis, sis works for me too, right?"
Already calling her sis after one glance.
Quick on the uptake.
He seemed to have figured out the gift I was giving her from the moment he handed over the business card.
"Sis. I'm heading out."
"Okay. Be back before dinner."
"Oh? Can I join for dinner too then, sis?"
I left the house without a worry, leaving the two of them.
Cha Jin-hyuk would handle it fine.
I started walking to catch a taxi.
Someone called my name.
I turned to see a sturdy man in a black suit standing there.
"Master Cha Jin-hyuk sent me. I'll drive you."
My phone buzzed at the same time.
The name on the screen.
"Lee Han. Take his car. Makes cleanup easier later. You get what I mean?"
"Got it."
He meant he'd erase my movements from CCTV and handle the murder scene right away.
In other words.
'Cha Jin-hyuk's most trusted man.'
This guy in front of me was Cha Jin-hyuk's right-hand man.
"Shall we go?"
"Yes. I'll drive."
I followed the man to the parking lot. A sleek black sedan.
As I went to open the passenger door, he said,
"Better sit in the back. Keeps your face off cameras."
Thorough.
I opened the back door and got in.
"Where to?"
"The Resurrection Church in Yangju."
The building had no sign, but the navigation had the location.
It was well-known enough that even I had seen articles about it online.
In the moving car, I asked the man,
"What's your name?"
"Jin Woo-young."
A name I didn't remember.
"Sun Guild?"
He'd called Cha Jin-hyuk 'master,' so likely guild, not group.
"Yes."
Jin Woo-young kept it short. Total opposite of Cha Jin-hyuk's personality.
Nothing more to say anyway.
We soon arrived at the Resurrection Church parking lot.
"Need any help?"
As I opened the door to get out, Jin Woo-young asked.
"If anyone tries to run out, grab them. You have traits, right?"
He wouldn't send a regular person, surely?
"Yes. I'll catch anyone who comes out."
Confident, no hesitation.
"Got it."
I nodded and entered the church.
It was quiet.
No trap?
I glanced around and climbed the stairs to the second floor.
At the end of the hallway, a door labeled "Pastor’s Office" prominently. I walked there, grabbed the handle, and turned it.
"You've arrived."
Lee Si-woo rose naturally from his chair behind the desk as I opened the door.
Anyone would think we were old acquaintances.
"No special preparations?"
"I told you. I just want to talk."
What did he want to talk about?
Obvious bullshit, but his confidence intrigued me too.
"What about? Speak."
Lee Si-woo, approaching slowly,
"I want to live."
dropped to his knees out of nowhere.
This was a scenario I hadn't imagined.
"...Uh, yeah. So, your future vision is gone?"
Lee Si-woo nodded on his knees at my question.
"Yes."
"Your trait's pretty solid. Must be because you're about to die."
"Then why give up without prep? Why not call your fancy Resurrection Church folks and put up a fight?"
Lee Si-woo responded politely, unfazed by my taunt.
"Because you're special, Mr. Lee Han."
"I know that. Reason I should let you live?"
Lee Si-woo's eyes flickered slightly at my words.
"I can see my own future too."
"Nice. And?"
"I've twisted futures where I die before. But now it's impossible."
"That's why you called? No panic."
"...Yes."
Meaning his foresight stopped working once I decided to kill him.
"Okay, asking again. Reason to spare you?"
"Because I know what makes you special."
"You know something even I don't? Interesting. Go on."
I gestured, and Lee Si-woo smiled with some confidence.
"You're not from this world, are you, Mr. Lee Han?"
Oh. Foresight trait with insight too?
"Not from this world? What, a monster or demon?"
This had some real intrigue.
"Yes. My skill description states clearly: I can see the futures of all beings belonging to this world."
He didn't know about the regression yet.
"So you surrendered to me?"
"Yes. If mere association blocks foresight, you must be something beyond my common sense."
A decent choice.
Discarding pride for survival wasn't shameful.
Though I never would.
I understood Lee Si-woo's situation somewhat. But one thing still bugged me.
"Then why send Park Jeong-hwa and Kim Hyun-seong at me?"
The reason he'd poked me.
"I wanted to see firsthand how you'd act in a hopeless spot."
"Ah, so you tested me?"
Lee Si-woo caught my sarcasm and bowed his head deeply.
"Sorry if it offended you. But it was crucial enough to stake everything, so think of it as caution."
This guy. Way too spineless.
But.
'It also means he's cautious, doesn't screw up from emotions.'
His moderately selfish words and actions so far were decent.
Now for his hand.
I wondered what he'd use to convince me.
I stroked my chin, and Lee Si-woo quickly said, watching my cue,
"I'll use all of the Resurrection Church's power for you, Mr. Lee Han."
"For me? How?"
"You decide. I'll just build the power. You wield it."
Up to me?
Not bad.
On Earth, not Utopia—especially now—their influence would help me.
"Nice preparation. I like it."
Lee Si-woo bowed again.
"But why did Park Jeong-hwa and Kim Hyun-seong know your secret? Jeong Sia's skill too."
Had to clear their connections.
"Because Park Jeong-hwa created the Resurrection Church."
What now?
"Not you, but Park Jeong-hwa made it?"
"Yes. After getting this trait, I contacted the broadcasting station."
"To brag?"
"Similar. It could've made me a fortune back then. Park Jeong-hwa took my call."
"And that's how you met?"
Lee Si-woo nodded and continued.
"I explained my trait to her. Honestly said I wanted to make money with it on TV. She suggested meeting in person."
"And she proposed starting the Resurrection Church first?"
"Yes. She had a niece with a trait to enchant people."
"So she said combining our powers could rule the world. But the niece wouldn't join, so she shared my secret and brought in Kim Hyun-seong. To use drugs."
Her story.
"So you accepted and became a cult leader?"
"Yes. I'd been prepping for civil service for 10 years, living off family. No reason to refuse big money."
Dumber than expected.
Letting Park Jeong-hwa call the shots with such a versatile trait?
"So she's your benefactor? Turned nothing into this."
"Yes. Honestly, she is. Even on TV, I wouldn't have this life."
'Damn it. This idiot was the cult leader.'
Explained why the Resurrection Church didn't last in previous rounds.
Park Jeong-hwa failed to fully tame Hyeon A-rin, and puppet Lee Si-woo got eaten by her eventually.
No limited foresight beats overwhelming violence.
"Benefactor, huh. Yeah, you'd have been someone's dog forever, not leading an organization."
A foresight trait publicized? Greedy humans wouldn't let him live.
"Yes. I was just a naive civil service hopeful back then."
"What achievement gives a foresight trait?"
"[Eyes to See the Future from Small Things]. Around year 10, I started seeing civil service exam questions vaguely, then got the achievement."
...Foresight from that crap achievement?
Two possibilities. Lucked into constellation interest that moment.
'Or he's lying.'
"Listening more, you let your benefactor die?"
Lee Si-woo answered promptly, like reading a prepared script.
"All for you, Mr. Lee Han. Park Jeong-hwa would never give up this power. Alive, she'd block you to the end."
Bullshit. Just betting on the stronger side.
Park wins: status quo. I win: his current playbook.
"Lee Si-woo."
I looked down at him kneeling, hand in my pocket.
"I get discarding pride to survive. Shows effort."
The cold dagger hilt touched my fingers.
"But betraying your benefactor? Can't stomach snake scum like you."
Lee Si-woo looked up in shock. In that instant, I drew the dagger and plunged it into his throat.
Red blood spurted from his neck.
He glared at me, eyes disbelieving his death.
"If you hadn't sent Park Jeong-hwa, I might've spared you. Shame."
I'd have killed him anyway.
No partnering with a backstabber type.
Moments later, Lee Si-woo's head lolled sideways. He was dead.
'Done.'
Thought about skeletonizing him briefly, but his ability had too many limits.
'Can't see futures tied to me anyway?'
No way I'd ditch leveled Kkaebi or legendary healer Sia—even with slots—for him.
Not final list material either.
I needed immediate overwhelming power for fast growth, not 3-day futures.
'I know enough futures already.'
Wrapped up all Jeong Sia matters simpler than expected.
I checked my phone time.
1 PM.
'Cha Jin-hyuk handles cleanup. Ended too quick?'
6 hours till dinner with Jeong Sia.
'My time now. Gotta keep getting stronger without rest.'
After 6 hours hunting in Utopia, I returned to Jeong Sia's place.
What greeted me:
"Hahaha! Sis, this is seriously delicious!"
Cha Jin-hyuk laughing and chatting right in front.
"Right? Han cried eating this braised ribs."
"Lee Han cried? Hahaha! Must've been a sight."
What the hell.
This crazy conversation.
"Enough chit-chat. All sorted?"
The food was damn good, so ribs stayed in my mouth as I asked Cha Jin-hyuk.
"Of course. Wiped all CCTV and dashcams, checked dead cop and Park Jeong-hwa's phones. Found their boss."
"Police chief, right?"
"Half right. Above Chief Choi Do-ha is Assemblyman Jeong Woo-young."
I'd assumed chief was top.
"Tomorrow, both Choi Do-ha and Jeong Woo-young resign voluntarily."
This Sun power? Broke and slaving in Utopia before—new feelings.
"In one day?"
"We have dirt on those types ready. Want a human life? Step down quietly."
Good call not killing Cha Jin-hyuk on spotting Jeong Ji-un.
"Good work."
"Nah."
Cha Jin-hyuk grinned.
"Thanks for introducing our sis."
Jeong Sia joined Sun Guild.
"She decides herself."
"But you knew she'd pick Sun Guild."
"You had the power to give her what she wants."
Any org strong enough to create her ideal environment worked.
Of course, led by someone with that refined mindset.
"Lee Han. You have an eye for people. Saw my potential. Hahaha! What I promised our sis is..."
I let Cha Jin-hyuk's excited ramble go in one ear out the other.
Didn't care about their contract details.
"If anything happens to sis, you're dead. Cha Jin-hyuk."
I just wanted Jeong Sia safe in Sun's arms through demon realm wars.
"Wait. I'm bragging and you drop that?"
"No wonder Han's looked at me weird lately. 6-year gap okay?"
"Sis, you look so young, age gap invisible. No issue."
"Our guild master's got vision. Like carrot juice?"
Recognizing their own kind?
That close in such short time.
Affectionate psycho and pure psycho.
Fun combo.
Then my pocket phone buzzed with a text.
I pulled it out, ribs still in hand, and opened it.
-Contact me when you can talk.
Kim Tae-hyun.
High-level necromancer.
The guy who'd suggested hitting the hidden dungeon together.