Underground Cult

"Infiltrate? Don't tell me you want us to steal their clothes."

"Yep."

I piled the corpses in one spot, then wiped the beads of sweat from my forehead.

Ha Hui-ryeong clearly wasn't thrilled with my proposal. She frowned, skeptical.

"Not exactly eager to wear a dead guy's clothes."

"Then take hers."

I jerked my chin toward the unconscious woman.

Her whole body was a wreck, but at least she wasn't dead. Well, if we left her like this, she might die anyway.

"Will it... actually work?"

"We're wearing masks and the outfits are all uniform, so why wouldn't it? Honestly, it's better than walking in as we are."

There's nowhere to hide underground. If we waltzed in wearing completely different clothes, we'd stand out like a sore thumb.

"Half-assed plans have a funny way of working out."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then we improvise on the fly, same as always. What else?"

Kim Ha-yoon let out a sigh of sheer disbelief. But since she couldn't come up with a better alternative, she started stripping the dead woman's clothes off piece by piece.

"Wait, you're actually going to wear that?"

"I have to. Besides, it's not a completely ridiculous idea."

"Just trust me on this one. Stealing the enemy's uniform and wearing it is a tried and true tactic throughout history."

I stripped the robe off the priest too, shaking off the dust with a few firm pats.

Ha Hui-ryeong still looked unconvinced, but eventually shrugged in resignation and changed clothes with us. I sent our original outfits to Angelica through the bulletin board.

"Ugh, it's a little tight."

"Deal with it. It's not like you can't wear it at all, right?"

"Tch."

Ha Hui-ryeong clicked her tongue. She kept grumbling with her lips poked out, clearly uncomfortable in the tight-fitting robes. She wasn't quite Angelica's height, but she was still pretty tall for a woman, so the size didn't fit right. She was definitely 175cm... wasn't she? That's what I remembered, anyway.

"...Mine's a bit big."

"Pfft! Hey, you look like a kid who raided her mom's closet!"

"...Unnie."

"Alright, alright, little missy. Can't even take a joke around here."

On the other hand, it was huge on Kim Ha-yoon. The sleeves were so long they practically swallowed her hands. Sorry, Ha-yoon. I honestly had the exact same thought as Hui-ryeong. Seeing you like this, you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠really do look like a kid in her mom's clothes.

"C-cute. It's not too uncomfortable, right?"

"...It drags on the floor a little, but it's fine."

She didn't look fine at all, but Kim Ha-yoon forced the words out anyway. A truly pitiful bluff.

"What about you?"

"Me?"

I spun around once, checking the fit. Thankfully, it was just right. The only minor annoyance was the shoes being a bit too big.

"Everything fits except the shoes. By the way, isn't this outfit kind of weird?"

"What is?"

"No, look. When you stabbed me in the side earlier, it made a hole. But now that I look, it's gone. Same with Ha-yoon. Hers had a lot of blood on it, but now it's perfectly clean."

Ha Hui-ryeong's eyes went wide and she walked up to me. She peered intently at the spot she'd punctured, then tilted her head in puzzlement.

"You're right. I definitely messed this part up. How is it fine?"

"It's strange. I could see the bloodstains just a moment ago, but they vanished as soon as I put it on."

Kim Ha-yoon nodded in agreement. The bloodstains had disappeared in an instant, as if they'd been a mirage. It was undeniably something like magic.

"Plus, these people are just ordinary folks. When we killed them, the message said... non-player."

"Come to think of it, yeah. This guy was the same. He only gave 10 coins."

What...? Then what the hell were those abilities from earlier? That golden wave similar to Kang Ha-rin's barrier, and that massive golden greatsword. That was definitely a supernatural ability.

"Wait... is this golden bell and rosary the medium?"

On a hunch, I gave the rosary a gentle shake. To my amazement, countless tiny orbs of light floated up around me like fireflies.

"Looks... that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way."

This time, Kim Ha-yoon rang the bell. Just as before, the golden wave we'd witnessed earlier surrounded us.

'So there's someone down here who manufactures artifacts.'

These robes were probably a similar type of item. That would explain the self-repair function.

"This sort of feels similar to an Attribute Imbuing Scroll, doesn't it?"

"Like your crowbar?"

"Yeah. The feel is a little different, but... it's similar."

Ha Hui-ryeong ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠folded her arms and let out a thoughtful "Hmm..."

"Be that as it may, what was that greatsword earlier? Like you said, I don't see any obvious object that could be the medium."

"I don't know either. Maybe they have some secret method of their own?"

"This whole thing is seriously suspect. These masks are weird, too. Animals...? No? Anyway, they're carved with all these strange symbols. Are you sure it's safe to wear these?"

Why ask me...?

With a wry expression, I flipped the mask over, examining it front and back. But nothing unusual happened. I didn't feel some sudden urge to transcend humanity, like in some manga.

"Wearing this won't... hypnotize us or something, will it?"

"Don't jinx us, Ha-yoon...."

Since the theme was a cult, the possibility wasn't zero. Brainwashing, hypnosis. Wasn't using those kinds of underhanded powers to control people a classic cult pattern?

'Not that someone who uses enslavement scrolls has any room to talk.'

Well, anyway. We couldn't just stand around hesitating forever. We needed to make a decision before the sky grew dark.

Who should be the sacrificial lamb first?

The answer was obvious.

'It's gotta be me.'

If there was some curse effect, it was better for me to take it than the other two. My personal combat strength was the weakest here, after all. And besides... if anything went wrong, Ha Hui-ryeong could heal me.

"I'll try it on first."

I handed my crowbar to Ha Hui-ryeong, my tone grim with determination.

Ha Hui-ryeong gulped, her face feigning seriousness.

"You... are you serious?"

"I was always serious. If something goes wrong with me... you know what to do?"

"No! If someone has to sacrifice themselves, then I...! I'd rather it be me...!"

"I'm sorry, Ha Hui-ryeong."

"Stooop~!!!!"

"Um... could you two stop clowning around and just do it?"

Ha Hui-ryeong and I both stared at Kim Ha-yoon with dead, flat eyes. Of course, Kim Ha-yoon glared right back, not about to lose.

"Would it kill you to play along a little?"

"Exactly. If we lighten the mood a bit, she can at least feel comfortable."

"That's not lightening the mood. That's being childish."

"Same difference."

"It's different."

"Ah, okay."

My heart, which had been heating up, instantly cooled at her frosty response.

*Sigh*. Fine. If that's what you want.

Without further delay, I brought the mask straight to my face.

And then, from deep within, a bloodthirsty urge began to boil,

"Guh...! Ugh, urgh! GRAAAHHH!!!!"

A destructive desire reared its—

"Aaaah...?"

Didn't rear its head at all.

"...I don't feel anything?"

Frozen in an awkward pose, I muttered quietly. A mask was just a mask. It was simply a strange mask engraved with odd symbols. I couldn't feel any kind of energy from it.

"Then why did you scream like that just now?"

"I was, you know... going with the mood...?"

I scratched my head, feeling a little sheepish. I never expected such an anticlimactic reaction. I kind of thought they'd be a little worried about me. Felt a bit hurt for no reason.

"Still, your scream was really convincing. Is that thanks to all the beatings you took back in the day?"

Ha Hui-ryeong cracked a tasteless joke, giggling to herself. It left a bad taste in my mouth. I shook my head with a bitter expression.

"Alright, forget it. You two put yours on, quick. Let's get moving."

"Yep~. Thanks for the little show~."

"Let's hurry up before I shove something up your ass, got it?"

"Ah, shit! Hey! Don't touch my butt! I told you, no more today!"

*

After descending the stairs for quite a while, what greeted us wasn't the old subway, but a cavernous space with a pure white backdrop. The structure itself was different. It was nothing like the subway stations we knew.

How should I describe it?

First of all, it was vast. It wasn't a long corridor-like layout. The moment the stairs ended, a wide, expansive space spread out before our eyes. Water mingled with the pure white backdrop, and a massive fountain stood in the center. It was a majestic structure, reminiscent of an ancient Roman bath.

And sacredness? The various sculptures placed here and there emanated a holy aura, like an ancient temple.

...Why the hell was something like this underground? No, how did they even build it in the first place?

I wasn't the only one with these questions.

"Hey, is this for real? There was a facility like this underground?"

"Yeah. What the hell is this?"

"The scale is way bigger than I thought. I don't think we can take this lightly."

As Kim Ha-yoon said, their force was far too prosperous to be mere refugees. Just the number of people in this giant bath alone easily exceeded a hundred. And further inside, there were bound to be even more.

"Still, that's a relief. Looks like your plan is working. Nobody's looking at us weird."

Ha Hui-ryeong sidled up next to me and whispered.

Yes, that was true. In fact, the people here didn't show any particular suspicion toward us. Occasionally, someone would greet us with, "Hello, brother." But no one treated us as intruders.

"It's going smoothly, but... it's making me uneasy for no reason. Are these guys really a cult? At this scale, aren't they just an actual religious order?"

Who is orthodox and who is heretical? Ultimately, power decides that. Building enough infrastructure in this Collapsed World to use water this liberally meant that this group might very well become the Orthodox Church someday. Maybe even surpass that, and become the world's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sole religion.

"It depends on what they believe in. What separates a cult from a religion is the direction of their faith, after all."

But Kim Ha-yoon's opinion seemed to differ slightly from mine. The direction of one's faith was most important, she said. That was a pretty cool thing to say.

"Ha-yoon, did you have a religion?"

"I did. A long time ago."

Aha. Past tense, I see.

We were making our way further inside, chatting about this and that, when it happened.

Clang... Clang....

A majestic tolling, like a cathedral bell, rang out at regular intervals. Wondering what it was, I looked around and saw the people who had been leisurely bathing now slowly heading toward one direction.

'Don't tell me it's mealtime? Isn't it a bit early for dinner?'

"Where's everyone going? Should we go too?"

"We probably... should?"

I trailed off, sounding uncertain in response to Ha Hui-ryeong's question. I felt like we had to go, but... what was this inexplicable sense of foreboding? I wasn't really keen on it.

"Let's go. People are starting to stare since we're the only ones not moving."

Some suspicious glances were being shot our way for remaining rooted in place even after hearing the bell, so we figured we shouldn't delay any longer.