Chapter 12
Chapter 12
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: God's Brilliant Move
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The church and the nursery were truly God's masterstroke.
"Going to church again?"
Shin Su-kyung said to Go Yohan with a look of concern.
"It's more like volunteering at the nursery."
The strange stories that had started around the time Go Yohan began reading books.
It was because of his past, when as a child he had read not only the Bible but also Buddhist scriptures, the ancient Indian Vedas, and even books from fringe religions.
"...I think I should check it out once."
Religion was a matter of free choice, but she worried that young Go Yohan might get drawn into some weird cult not by his own will, but by someone else's influence.
"No. Uncle Jae-kyung isn't the type."
"Still..."
"And if Mom or others show up, it'll be a problem. It's a quiet, small place, but it'd get noisy with talk of Sanctuary sponsorship and all that."
"R-right?"
Only then did Shin Su-kyung nod repeatedly and stroke Go Yohan's head.
"Our son, so mature already."
He let out a sigh of relief.
"Still, I should go see it once. Let's go together later."
"Later! Much later!"
And so Go Yohan hurriedly left with Lee Jae-kyung toward the church.
Even though it was on the outskirts of Seoul, the surroundings were nothing but mountains, and they weren't accepting new believers, so it was quiet.
That was when it happened.
Boom!
A loud explosion came from the church, and Lee Jae-kyung's eyes narrowed.
"Hey, I told you to go easy."
He didn't look worried about some church raid.
Go Yohan felt the same.
By then, they had parked.
"Welcome?"
Kang In, now dressed as a guard, approached with a bow.
He was the player who had lost his leg.
"There was an explosion."
At Lee Jae-kyung's words, Kang In gave an awkward smile.
"I told them to be careful... Sorry."
The church looked very different from before.
The rundown exterior had been repaired multiple times and was now neat and tidy, and the interior renovations were ongoing.
Following Kang In, Go Yohan and Lee Jae-kyung soon stopped in front of the elevator.
Ding.
The elevator doors opened.
Without pressing any buttons.
Vrrr.
The doors closed, and the elevator began descending underground.
"Every time I see it, it makes me proud."
Lee Jae-kyung smiled in satisfaction.
Lee Jae-kyung had been a player even before Go Yohan was born.
Moreover, as a ranker active in Sanctuary, his wealth was beyond imagination.
And that was not all.
Ding.
The other four players were also former rankers with considerable fortunes.
It wouldn't compare to a giant guild like Sanctuary, but it was enough to rival a small guild.
Vrrr.
All their fortunes had gone into this church.
That was when the elevator doors opened.
Whoosh!
Pitch-black flames surged toward Go Yohan and Lee Jae-kyung.
Lee Jae-kyung, with his sharp eyes, moved first.
Slash.
A long sword was in his hand, drawn before anyone noticed.
Pop!
The incoming fireball split into dozens and scattered.
"Hey, I told you to be careful!"
Lee Jae-kyung shouted irritably.
"Sorry."
Yun Seung-ah's voice came then.
"Who'd go easy on Seung-ah?"
Lee Jae-kyung shook his head.
"Can't even handle one Seung-ah, and look at this mess?"
The revealed underground space was impressive enough to rival a decent guild headquarters.
The inner walls made of rare metal that could block ranker-level skills, training weapons of exceptional quality.
"...Don't say it like it's easy."
Shin Seol-hye appeared.
"Pfft."
Lee Jae-kyung burst out laughing at the sight.
Shin Seol-hye, known as the Moon Hunter and famous for her sharp yet pretty face.
To see her covered in soot, hair singed black.
Rustle.
Park Do-young and Choi Byung-su rose from where they had collapsed.
"Welcome?"
Their appearances were no different.
*
*
*
"We should replace the inner walls with mithril."
Lee Jae-kyung said.
"Doing well in Sanctuary?"
"......"
His face soured at the words.
Sanctuary offered the industry's top salaries, and gate raids brought in tens of billions of won each time.
A good item drop meant a jackpot.
"What's the point of high pay when it all goes to repairs."
All that money went into the underground repairs.
In one corner.
"How was school?"
Yun Seung-ah cautiously asked Go Yohan.
"......"
Seeing him silent, Yun Seung-ah smiled faintly.
Go Yohan grimaced.
"...Seung-ah, you prepare to go to school too."
"......Pardon?"
"The paperwork's mostly done. No issues."
"......"
Yun Seung-ah's face stiffened.
She looked like an abandoned puppy.
"...Am I no longer useful...?"
"What are you talking about?"
Go Yohan said.
"Anyway..."
Yun Seung-ah, and kids like her in the future.
They.
"Won't even be able to live properly. So for now, live like normal kids."
Their roles were already set.
A harsh life where one wouldn't even dream of becoming a villain or a demon.
It was consideration.
"I'm fine. I don't care about that."
"What do you mean you don't care?"
Yun Seung-ah smiled wordlessly, and Go Yohan shut his mouth.
Her face seemed to say he didn't want to go to school either.
"Do what you want. If there's something you want to do, tell the others."
"Got it."
Lee Jae-kyung, watching, was smiling.
A nine-year-old kid lecturing a girl who looked about sixteen—it was bizarre.
"By the way."
Go Yohan stood up then.
"There's a bit of a problem."
Everyone tensed at his small remark.
"It's not a big deal. It's inevitable."
Yun Seung-ah's talent was such that she would be taken as an archdemon vessel.
Especially the power she awakened in that process.
'She could handle all these rankers at once without issue.'
Training her in this cramped space was naturally problematic.
They couldn't just let her loose outside either.
'Still unstable.'
Her power was unstable, and at her young age, too much attention would focus on her.
"So here's the thing."
He had thought of a solution.
"We should do gate raids."
Training was already sufficient.
The four players hadn't had proper combat since recovering.
Their eyes lit up at Go Yohan's words.
"But it's still too soon to show ourselves."
Park Do-young said.
"Moving under Sanctuary's name might make them suspicious too easily."
That's why the players held back despite itching for action.
"No need to reveal ourselves."
Go Yohan moved his hand.
The world as seen through Divine Eyes, threads making up everything.
"It's sufficient here."
Twang.
The moment the thread snapped.
"C-crazy..."
"What the... what is..."
A gate generated underground.
*
*
*
It wasn't creating something from nothing.
Through Divine Eyes, he knew how the world changed when gates appeared.
Not a black gate, but inducing a normal gate's spawn nearby was something he had already confirmed through experiments.
"I just activated a gate that was supposed to appear nearby, right here in the church."
They had already entered the gate.
Everyone except Kang In, who had to guard the church.
"Sigh, ha..."
"...This feeling."
Park Do-young and Shin Seol-hye seemed genuinely impressed.
The association wouldn't notice the gate spawn either.
It was an ordinary church, but Go Yohan had already prepared the surroundings.
Just like with the black gate.
"We'll do one real combat per week."
Everyone's faces brightened at Go Yohan's words.
No matter how spacious the underground was, it was better than training there.
"Don't get too excited. The gate rank..."
The place they now stood.
"I'll always activate them a bit difficult."
It was a C-rank gate.
Excluding B-rank and above that required giant guilds, it was the highest rank.
The maximum difficulty for party clears, not raid teams.
With 6 to 12 people in mind, their numbers fell short even for a party.
Shing.
But there was the Sword Ghost, and the rest were rankers at the tail end or just below top-tier.
They were eager to hunt quickly.
Rumble rumble!
As if sensing them, a black shadow loomed in the sky.
"Harpies' nest, huh."
He had intuited from the gate interior, but seeing it made it real.
A single harpy was lacking for C-rank, but they flocked.
"Kieee!"
That's why the flying monsters were rated C-rank.
"First."
That was when.
Go Yohan slowly reached out.
Crunch.
A sound like something gripped in midair.
And when Go Yohan moved his hand again.
Craaaack!
Most of the harpies flying toward them tore apart and fell.
"......!"
Park Do-young and Shin Seol-hye were shocked.
"Wh-what..."
Even if it was getting familiar, they couldn't help but be amazed.
Healing Authority, gate-opening Authority—they thought there was nothing more surprising.
"Doesn't seem like we need to worry."
It was their first time witnessing Go Yohan's power directly.
They expected him to be strong, but this defied common sense.
'What skill is that?'
'Is it even a skill?'
'What level is he?'
Countless questions surged, but they held back.
"Yun Seung-ah."
"Yes."
"You must've felt stuffy. Here, it's fine."
Yun Seung-ah's eyes sparkled at Go Yohan's words.
"Needed to check your full power anyway."
He pointed at the flock of harpies gathering as if summoned.
"Go all out."
The moment he said they needed to confirm her extent.
Roar!
Hot heat surged from behind.
A massive fireball.
Above it.
Roooar!
Dozens, hundreds of small fireballs appeared.
"Burn."
At the single word, the hundred-strong harpy flock turned to ash and fell.
"Not bad."
No one but Go Yohan could speak.
And.
[Sanctuary Middle School]
Time passed, and Go Yohan turned fifteen.