Chapter 454
Chapter 454
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 454
Chapter Title: Level Up System
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Over two thousand believers had gathered in the auditorium.
Standing proudly at the front on the platform were Shim Jong-pil and me. I stood tall and confident, while he hung from a cross, his limbs severed. He'd been reduced to a brainwashing totem.
"Our Cult Leader sacrificed his own arms and legs to lift the devil's curse! Thanks to the Cult Leader's heroism, even if a new demon appears, we'll never fall victim to that curse!"
"Woooah! Thank you, Cult Leader!"
"The Cult Leader is currently unable to lead us due to the curse's aftereffects! As a fellow Apostle, I will take command of the Crimson Sea Church for the time being! Cult Leader, please say a few words to the congregation!"
The Archbishop brought the microphone to Shim Jong-pil's lips as he dangled from the cross.
"Ugh... That's right. Apostle Sung Yu-jin will lead the believers..."
Under hypnosis, Shim Jong-pil was now my subordinate. It wasn't perfect yet, but it was only a matter of time.
"In the Cult Leader's stead, I shall lead the prayer! All believers, disrobe!"
I took the lead, stripping naked first. The bishops and believers followed suit, baring it all.
'Fuck. I don't want to look at these disgusting male bodies. I'd love to wipe them out right now, but I need their manpower, so I'll hold back.'
I made sure to only glance toward the female believers. No interest in the men's bodies.
"Everyone! Kneel and pray!"
Kneel...
The believers dropped to their knees and began praying.
Once the prayer ended, just like yesterday, I gathered the beautiful female believers for a wild orgy.
'Heh. The day I dominate Korea isn't far off.'
???
As the Crimson Sea Church's supreme leader, I traveled the length and breadth of the country.
The church's current forces were still too weak. With fewer than ten thousand believers, it wasn't enough for me.
'I need at least a hundred thousand.'
For smooth missionary work and to boost the believers' faith, Shim Jong-pil and I had to take direct action.
I performed shows walking on water in the provinces, while Shim Jong-pil served as the brainwashing totem. Even those without a shred of faith shed tears and praised me upon witnessing my miracles.
"Mmm~ Jeolla Province pussy!"
Whenever I spotted a beauty, I immediately hypnotized her into a slave for my cock and inducted her into the Crimson Sea Church.
The synergy between my hypnosis and brainwashing abilities was impressive.
After devoting a full month to missionary work, the Crimson Sea Church was featured on national broadcast TV.
The trigger was my video walking on water going viral online. People captivated by the miracle joined the Crimson Sea Church—not just in Korea, but overseas as well.
'Good thing. It'll help when I conquer foreign countries later.'
The annoying part was the reporters swarming me.
"Mr. Sung Yu-jin! Are you truly a saint sent from heaven?!"
"I saw the video! You walk on water and summon lightning! Is it magic?! Show us since we can't believe it!"
"Do you really believe the Crimson Sea Church's doctrine? The moon falling and the seas turning red? You actually believe that nonsense?!"
I obliged the reporters, demonstrating my powers right in front of their cameras. I planned to publicize my abilities far and wide to swell our ranks.
The government kidnapping me? I had over thirty thousand believers now, with numbers still climbing steadily.
"It's real! Real superpowers!"
"Oh, ohhh...! Is the world really ending? Guide me to the paradise beyond the Crimson Sea!"
"It's a trick! Magic fooling our eyes!"
Some reporters refused to believe even after seeing it firsthand.
'Guess I have to force you. Sugelra!'
"I was an idiot! The Apostle's powers are real!"
"Do you believe me now?"
"I do! Absolutely!"
"Then prove your faith with an offering. Your donation will support the Crimson Sea Church."
"I'll donate my entire fortune of 200 million won!"
The reporters became my allies. In other words, we now had media outlets defending the Crimson Sea Church. Our influence grew accordingly.
'Should I reach into the entertainment industry next?'
I stormed into a major agency that had produced world-famous idols.
"What brings the Apostle of the Crimson Sea Church here?"
The agency president eyed me warily, gripping his smartphone tightly—as if ready to call the cops any second.
"Sugelra!"
Respect filled the president's eyes as he looked at me.
These were my current stats.
Most people couldn't resist my hypnosis at all.
"Who are the celebrities in the agency right now?"
"No celebrities, but the trainees preparing for debut are practicing."
"Heh... I'll personally bestow my grace upon those trainees. Lead the way."
"Thank you! The trainees will be thrilled by the Apostle's grace!"
My plan to conquer Korea was proceeding smoothly.
???
After dominating over half the Korean entertainment industry and swelling our believers to more than three hundred thousand, members of Elpis arrived at the Crimson Sea Church's headquarters—where I was.
There were three of them.
Park Hae-jun.
A hooded man, 180 cm tall with a sturdy build. He didn't recognize me, but we'd met before. Back when I was messing around the Ho family as Red Light.
Park Hae-jun had restrained me with telekinesis then. If not for Split Second, I might've died.
'He could've burst my body with telekinesis and killed me outright.'
I knew why he hadn't. Despite his appearance, Park Hae-jun lacked strong mental fortitude. He didn't have the resolve to kill directly with his powers.
I also recognized the muscular thirty-something slab next to Park Hae-jun.
'...Kang Tae-seong. Just like the description in the original work.'
This guy had a system ability too, as expected from Elpis: clones. Arguably more annoying than Park Hae-jun's power.
Park Hae-jun and Kang Tae-seong flanked a third person like bodyguards.
The last one was a woman.
"Mr. Sung Yu-jin. We're members of Elpis, a global organization. We're currently cooperating with the Korean government. We don't like beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to the point: disband the Crimson Sea Church."
She was a black-haired woman in a sharp suit. Her straight brows framed keen, unwavering eyes that sparkled.
Looking at her stirred excitement in me. Imagining a proud, upright woman like her beneath me, wearing a bitch's expression, made my lips twitch upward.
"...Mr. Sung Yu-jin? Are you listening?"
"Ah, yes, I am. But what's your name? We've met, so we should at least exchange names, right?"
"...I'm Lim Yu-na, head of Elpis's Korean branch."
Elpis's Korean branch was just these three. There were fewer than three hundred system ability users worldwide.
And I knew Lim Yu-na's system ability.
X-ray vision.
The power to see through walls, clothes—naked bodies and even organs.
It might seem useless compared to others, but at higher levels, it gained extras: seeing far away or glimpsing about ten seconds into the future.
'At this point, she can probably see the future.'
Just ten seconds ahead wasn't much.
"Heh heh..."
I let out a deliberate chuckle to unsettle them. My mind was solely on how to fuck Lim Yu-na. Once I had her, dominating Korea would be easy.
"I don't know much about Elpis, but I get that you're from the government. Disband the Crimson Sea Church out of nowhere? Are you kidding?"
"This isn't our opinion—it's a government order. They view the Crimson Sea Church as highly dangerous. If needed, they'll use force to disband it."
"...Force? Did I hear that right?"
"You heard correctly. Mr. Sung Yu-jin, the government knows you're the real power behind the Crimson Sea Church. Let's end this amicably. If you do, they won't pursue you over the church."
Lim Yu-na stared straight at me. The government sensing danger made sense. The church had tentacles in media and entertainment, packed with fanatical cultists who might do anything.
"Hmm. But why did Elpis send you? Shouldn't it be a government official—at least vice-minister level? Do you have that authority?"
"...We're government affiliates too. No vice-minister authority, but..."
"Then why are you here? If it's just to say that, leave."
I pretended ignorance of why Lim Yu-na had come.
"Elpis manages system ability users like you. You're problematic, Mr. Sung Yu-jin, but you still have a chance. Disband the church and join Elpis."
I straightened up in mock surprise. Pure acting, of course.
"...You have system abilities too. 'Still a chance' means... you could arrest or kill me?"
"Yes. We can arrest you. Even if we kill you, there'll be no backlash or trial."
"Because I have a system ability? But do you know what mine is?"
"...We assume lightning system ability. Isn't that why they call you the Apostle of Lightning?"
"I can walk on water, though."
"We think that's a trick using lightning powers."
"What if I refuse your offer right here?"
"We'll arrest you on the spot. We've prepared a special prison just for you. You'll live there for life—hope you like it."
"..."
Lim Yu-na threatened without flinching. She fully believed it was the right thing.
I stared at her, grinning creepily.
"Lim Yu-na. If you become my woman... joining Elpis wouldn't be out of the question."
"You bastard!!"
Park Hae-jun exploded, not her. Lim Yu-na blocked him with one arm.
"Branch Chief, he's asking for it—shall we just take him?"
Kang Tae-seong drawled casually, though his eyes gleamed murderously.
"Haha... You really underestimate me."
I let out a dry laugh and raised my right hand. Crackle. Blue lightning familiarly danced around it.
"Stop!!!"
Lim Yu-na suddenly shouted.
All eyes turned to her. Her face was drenched in cold sweat, eyes trembling. Park Hae-jun and Kang Tae-seong shielded her, hostility veiled.
'...She saw the future. Don't know what, but probably me overwhelming them.'
If it favored them, she wouldn't have intervened.
One worry: did the future she saw include me using hypnosis? I had no plans to now, but impulse was possible.
Lim Yu-na bit her lip lightly, then spoke.
"...Mr. Sung Yu-jin. We'll withdraw for now, but please consider our words seriously. Here's my card. Contact me if you're interested in joining Elpis."
I took her card readily. A beauty's card—no reason not to.
As they turned to leave...
"Too late."
Lim Yu-na froze. She looked back at me.
"Even if I ordered disbandment, the believers wouldn't follow."
"...Mr. Sung Yu-jin, that excuse won't fly. You're responsible for the Crimson Sea Church."
They left.