Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: I Am Your God - 4
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This is astonishing.
A lunatic offering humans as sacrifices.
This world really is messed up.
I hurriedly pulled out my phone and checked the gallery.
Ahem. I prefer small breasts...
— Wind's Scar: Isn't that killing two birds with one stone?
You've crossed the line...
Bro.
With Jiggly leading the charge, the gallery flooded with porn pics.
Look at this world go.
In a normal world, the useful Romance of the Three Kingdoms teaser I posted earlier—good for daily life and peace of mind—would've dominated the gallery.
Seeing it buried under porn made even Judak cry, Padak cry, and me cry.
"Uh. Um. I don't think that's right..."
By the way, that Jiggly is Leraje.
This is all because of those bastards messing with the rift on their own whim.
Unforgivable.
"Human sacrifice? None of the people who went to the prayer meeting failed to return, though?"
-It's not them. I saw it. The cult leader brought in people who looked like homeless folks...
He took them underground somewhere, and I saw him kill them.
Then monsters were summoned through the rift.
"That's all?"
-Um... Ah. There were more like me.
"More living spirits?"
Why bother with living spirits?
I opened Secrets of Light and Shadow.
I wondered what you could gain from turning people into living spirits.
"Here it is."
Sure enough, there was a related spell.
A person's soul resides in their body.
Upon death, the soul departs.
But what if you forcibly extract the soul via astral projection?
It generates negative energy, the text said.
"The problem is, that negative energy is supposed to go to hell."
I could understand using it to summon demons.
But this incident involves rifts and monsters.
Does that even make sense?
"Guess I have to check it out. Guide me."
-You're going there?
"Yeah. Why? Problem?"
-It's dangerous. So many monsters there.
"I'm a hunter too."
-More like a shaman...
"Hey now."
Want a taste of Saint Martha's Staff?
The young living spirit finally nodded.
.
.
.
The prayer hall was near Yeongwol's Yeongha Cave.
Not many people came here, no proper roads either, so no cars around.
"Thanks for the ride."
"Huh? Getting off here? Kid, not my place after bringing you, but isn't this spot dangerous?"
The taxi driver didn't hide his unease.
He tried talking me out of it several times, saying he didn't want to see someone die, but no way.
-You sure you're okay?
"Ah, quit worrying. Arthur. Come out."
-Grrrrr!!
-Wh-what!!
The living spirit freaked out at Arthur.
Ghosts freaking out at a shadow knight—hilarious, even if it's an astral-projected one.
"Scared of this, but you went to a cult prayer hall?"
-Th-there was this super pretty girl.
This is why dicks are trouble.
-She's not like that! She's pure and kind...
"Sure she is."
Cults' sex evangelism is infamous, and he fell for it.
"Anyway? Which way?"
-Over there.
He pointed to a pathless mountain.
Mountain hike at night.
Good exercise.
I climbed the steep slope.
No path made it tough, but doable.
"Kyarr!!"
"Kyaak!!"
The problem was the monsters.
Goblins swarming the mountain like they owned it.
"Arthur."
But no match for him.
One sword swing, one goblin down.
Their attacks barely scratched him.
"Weird they haven't hit populated areas with this many goblins."
-Heard the cult leader controls them.
"Whoa. Monster control?"
Why be a cult leader with that power?
Could be a celebrity rivaling idols in the light.
-Grrrk?!
About an hour after climbing, slicing goblin necks...
A large building appeared in the distance.
"That used to be a public training center, I think."
-Yeah. Truth Society bought it.
"Loaded, huh."
Give that money to me.
I'd use it well.
-Guards there. What now?
"What do you mean?"
I pulled out the radio.
While the spirit looked puzzled, I cast a spell with some ingredients.
"Let life dwell in you, and grant these weary souls the end of their day."
-Zzzt...!!
A faint sound from the radio.
I triggered the magic in sync.
"Midnight Music Hour, starting now. Today's request is from amateurs. It's mellow and sleepy, but please enjoy, everyone."
I played a song on my phone.
The one sung by the ghosts who visited my place recently.
Soft, soothing voices with great tone filled the air.
-Can you play that now?
"Just watch."
The guards didn't react to the song.
Just closed their eyes, savoring it quietly.
"Great song. You all worked hard today. Tough, right? But a bright tomorrow awaits. Well then, everyone."
I turned off the radio, ending the spell.
"Sleep well till tomorrow."
The guards collapsed.
-What was that?!
"Radio-mediated magic."
Like with Blue Guild before.
Play ghost song to mesmerize, final line seals it.
Cleanest, quietest spell handy now.
-So that song was part of the magic?
"There's something called a curse song."
Songs can be magic if used right.
Might as well use what I got.
Ghost song, no less.
"Alright. Let's go."
-Okay...
With guards asleep, sneaking in was easy.
"So many guards?"
Two at the entrance.
Three inside.
Three more at the building door.
All asleep, though.
-To prevent escapes...
"Not a forced labor camp... What do they even do here?"
-Just pray. Pray after breakfast, after lunch, after dinner.
"Just praying?"
-Yes.
"No orgies, murder festivals, or fights to the death...?"
-Not that I know.
"Then how'd living spirits happen?"
-Well... You meet the leader after joining. Then whenever you sleep, this happens. Probably something then...
"They notice when they wake?"
-They mostly forget. Like a dream. Might even forget meeting you, mage-nim.
"Gotta take out the leader first."
I opened the building door.
Nothing special.
On the surface.
-Mage-nim?
The building itself was a rift.
Like the officetel one.
"Where'd you sleep?"
-Third floor.
"Let's go."
Up the stairs with the spirit.
Passed second, hit third: corridors crawling with living spirits.
"Only truth is justice..."
"Only the leader can guide us..."
"Great and solemn truth protects us... We must truly follow..."
Most lost their minds.
Praying aimlessly, huddled in corners.
-What... is this?
"What else?"
-...Extra prayer?
Sheesh.
"They're performing a ritual with living spirits. Neither dead nor alive. Strictly, they shouldn't exist here. And their prayers lack direction."
-What does that mean?
"Prayer is asking a greater being for stuff."
-Right?
"But they're praying to vague 'truth.'"
Where do those stray wishes go?
Absorbed by something in this rift.
"Feeding them just to pray nonstop makes sense now."
Brainwashing.
Make living spirits keep praying like before.
Feel like it's just a dream.
-Then why me?
"You cared more about pussy than prayers?"
Guy came for a girl, what'd you expect.
"Hm?"
At the corridor's end, before a huge iron door, a woman knelt praying.
The only non-living spirit here.
-Her! That's her!!
"No way. You thought she was human?"
-Huh?
"No face. Shoo."
-W-what? She's gorgeous!!
Head bowed, but I saw.
No face.
-Her face is the prettiest I've seen. Totally smitten. Prettier than any celeb talked to me. Gotta repay her.
"Quiet!"
Whacked his head with Saint Martha's Staff.
He groaned on the floor, slowly lifting his head.
-Gasp! Wh-what is that?!
Faceless.
A monster from rifts that appears as your ideal form.
"Basically, the 'type' you crave wrapped in a monster."
Heard us?
Faceless looked up.
"Gya... Aaa..."
-Grrrr!!
Arthur drew his sword at the eerie cry.
Tense standoff. I moved first.
"Know thyself. You who covet others without self-confidence. Seek your own approval before others'."
Tossed a mirror from my bag.
Faceless, wary of Arthur, caught it in panic, stared.
-What'd you do?
Per Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, a guy once got mesmerized by his reflection, stared at mirrors till death.
Magic based on that legend.
"Let it chase its ideal self forever."
-Can't just kill it?
"Takes too long. It's strong."
Hardest foe if you fight, they say.
No need; rift gone, it'll vanish.
I passed Faceless, opened the door.
A passage inside.
"Huh. What's this bastard?"
"Someone still awake... Huh? Who're you?"
Armed monsters inside.
Talking, so intelligent—like the priest orcs from the tower.
"Here to see the leader."
"Hmph."
"Crazy fuck. Kill him."
They approached, tools raised.
Guess force it is.
Regrettable as a pacifist.
-Grrrr!!
Arthur lunged.
Shadow sword rampaging, heads rolling.
I called the Tooth Fairy.
"Toothy."
-Pterolong!!
"Take all their teeth. After Arthur downs 'em..."
Before I finished, Tooth Fairy zipped excitedly.
And.
-Pwaaack!!
Socked an approaching orc's jaw clean.
"Kweeeek!!"
Three teeth in one punch.
One-punch three corn!
"That one's going places."
Teach it boxing?