[The Expert of Torture]
There is a difference in the speed of learning, but in any field, humans eventually build up skill. Just as muscles grow with exercise and knowledge accumulates with study, proficiency is achieved even in the most immoral of realms. Even if that realm is the art of breaking a person without letting them die.
‘I suppose people really do need to learn.’
The experience of judging tens of thousands of criminals in the other world was paying off. Beating someone to the exact brink of death—I was a master of torture. Of course, there had been a lot of trial and error to reach this level, but regardless.
I spoke to ease my younger sister’s worries.
“Jina, your brother is an expert in this field. Torturing someone without killing them is nothing, so just sit back and watch.”
Since Jina didn't know I was an expert, it was natural for her to be worried. “Just trust your brother.”
“H-hic.”
“Jina?”
However, my sister’s complexion didn't brighten at all. No, if anything, she looked even paler. Was she in pain? I had been too thoughtless. How could I neglect a patient?
“Sorry, healing comes first.”
After briefly reflecting on my own carelessness, I focused my power onto the wounds on my sister’s body.
“O Light, gather the pain of the wounded.”
The golden radiance poured down like a waterfall, and as it covered Jina’s body, the traces of her wounds melted away into the air as if they had never existed.
“I’ve healed everything for now. You’re okay now, right?”
“U-uh?”
Jina, who had been staring blankly at the light, let out a shallow breath. As I suspected, the reason her complexion was poor must have been because of the pain. Anyway, the treatment was over, so it was time to return to being an expert.
“Even if it’s a bit uncomfortable, just sit there. Your legs will hurt if you stand and watch.”
I looked at the bloody messes sprawled on the floor. The guys crawling on the ground had broken leg bones protruding grotesquely, and their faces were ruptured, placing them right at the threshold of death. I had a burning desire to push them right over that threshold, but.
“Can’t do that. No, no.”
I wasn't some ruffian who forgot his duty, so I used the miracle of healing on them as well.
The broken legs and ruptured faces were restored in an instant. However, it was a miracle limited to the physical body. The hellish memory of flesh tearing and bones breaking remained vivid in their minds without a single flaw.
“Aaaaaaah!”
“P-please, save me!”
“I, I was wrong. That, that bastard made me do it. Please...”
“N-no, I didn't do it.”
“J-Jina. I was just jealous because you were so pretty. I never meant to bully you. Okay? We’re friends, right? Jina, Jina!”
Look at them, sinners wailing after a single judgment. But when the pain is forgotten, one must inflict it again. The core of judgment is for the sake of repentance.
“Tsk. None of these guys have truly repented for their sins; they’re just trying to avoid the pain in front of them.”
I sighed and clenched my fist again.
“I said I was wrong! I said I was wrong, you fucking bastard!”
Crunch!
“Ugh!”
“Do you think the power of a god is the name of some stray dog?”
Thwack, thwack!
I kneaded the guys who bullied Jina back into a mushy pile of blood. If I hadn't gone to the other world, I might have become a famous bakery owner in the distant future.
“Miracles are much better than yeast.”
I repeated the judgment with all my heart, keeping my unrealized dream of being a baker deep inside, and then manifested healing again. Eventually, they began to stare into the distance with faces as blank as idiots. In professional terms, this is called ‘breaking.’ A breakdown caused by beating can be fixed by beating again. It’s not for nothing that a broken TV gets fixed with a tap. It’s proof that the wisdom of our ancestors is embedded in life.
Thwack, thwack!
“Ugh, h-hic... I was wrong. I committed a sin worthy of death.”
See? After my efforts, a sinner who finally repented for their sins had appeared.
“You, sinner. What is your fault?”
I grabbed the sinner’s hair roughly and met her gaze. Her eyes were hollow, as if her soul had been destroyed.
“The person I like likes Kang Jina... so I bullied her. I was wrong.”
“Good. You have finally repented for your sins.”
“T-then?”
What do you mean, ‘then’?
“Sinner who has repented for your sins. Do you think your sins will truly be forgiven just by repenting?”
I don't know what she expected, but her eyes went dead the moment she heard my words. “No, is repentance that hard? You just have to repent for your sins, ask for forgiveness sincerely, and have the victim accept that forgiveness, right?”
I truly couldn't understand. What on earth was so difficult about this? The system of judgment is simple and straightforward, as I said before. The sinner repents for their sins in pain, asks the victim for sincere forgiveness, and if the victim accepts it, it’s over. Only then is the forgiveness of sins established. A right solely for the victim. This was the judgment defined by Oranis. But perhaps it was too difficult for these ignorant fools to understand.
“I said, repent for your sins sincerely and ask for forgiveness!”
“Ugh...! Who decides that! Do it by the law!”
Even after I explained it kindly, she was screaming and lashing out. Crunch!
“Argh!”
“Do you think judgment in the name of God is child’s play?”
After breaking her legs, I focused my power into my eyes. Then, letters appeared before me.
[Sinner Identification: Park Geonwoo]
[Charge: School Violence (Habitual assault, extortion, mental torture)]
[Soul State: Contempt and desire for revenge (Planning future revenge)]
[Repentance Rate: 0.05% (Will to avoid pain)]
[Possibility of Forgiveness: 0% (Victim feels threat to life)]
[Characteristics: False repentance, pleasure-seeking perpetrator]
This ability is Insight, a power Oranis created for me. Most of my power had been lost, so Insight was merely a remnant, but it was still enough.
“You, sinner Park Geonwoo. Do you think you can hide from my eyes? You, whose roots are rotten, finding pleasure in inflicting pain on others.”
At my words, Park Geonwoo’s eyes trembled madly. She must not have expected her dark desires to be discovered. “I can see the very bottom of you that you don't even know. Do you think I don't know you’re going to lay a hand on Jina again?”
However, because my power was almost gone, I couldn't escape the cycle of time. “Ugh...”
“It’s getting late, so let’s stop here for today.”
I left the regret behind, manifested the miracle of healing, and perfectly healed their injured bodies once more. “Jina, let’s go home. It’s almost time for our parents to get off work.”
***
On the way home. “How should I explain this to Mom and Dad?”
At a glance, miracles look like they can do anything, but in reality, that’s not the case. Just look at my clothes, which were covered in blood. “Should I say I fell down hard?”
Just as I was looking for a suitable excuse, “O-oppa.”
I heard Jina’s small voice. I turned my head and saw her looking down at her hand. “Ah.”
I pulled my hand away, startled. I had realized I was gripping my younger sister’s hand tightly. “You’re all grown up now, so holding hands is a bit much, right?”
“...”
Instead of answering, Jina bowed her head and took a step back. She didn't show it on the outside, but the look in her eyes when they briefly met mine was filled with fear of me.
‘She’s following me cautiously.’
Perhaps because of that, Jina followed behind me, maintaining a certain distance as if there were a wall between us. Of course, I had already expected this to happen. Think about it. Even if we’re family, she saw me turn people into mush, heal them, and then turn them into mush again—how could she not be scared? ‘If I were Jina, I would have been the same.’
I can't guarantee I didn't feel a bit sad, but it wasn't that I didn't understand. However, my sister, Kang Jina, might be a slightly special person. By the time we were almost home,
“...Oppa.”
Jina stopped walking, took a deep breath, and opened her mouth. “W-what on earth is this? Who are you? You’re not our oppa, are you?”
The look in her eyes as she glared at me was serious. She was stuttering so much, showing how nervous she was. I approached her playfully to ease the tension, but,
“Hmm, this is why I hate people who are quick-witted. Who do you think I am?”
“...Hic.”
My joke must have gone too far, as Jina’s eyes welled up with tears. I messed up.
“Hey, hey! Don't cry. It’s a joke, a joke.”
“L-let go of this! You’re really not our oppa!”
I reached out to wipe Jina’s tears, but she avoided my hand. It seems that while I was learning the technique of beating people, I forgot how to comfort a crying sister in return. If Oranis had seen me like this, wouldn't she have slapped her own forehead?
“I’m really your oppa, okay? Do you remember Wooju? When we were in kindergarten, you sang every day that you were going to marry him.”
“S-stop it.”
“Who else was it? Seung-hoon? You liked someone different every day, so I can't even remember the names.”
“Stop it! I’ll believe you, so stop!”
After many twists and turns, Jina finally stopped crying, but she still looked at me with suspicious eyes. “...Then, what was that earlier?”
I pondered for a moment on how to answer that. I had already decided to tell my sister the truth from the moment I manifested the miracle. The problem was where to start and how much to say. After all, the 10 years I spent in the other world were not ordinary, so I couldn't summarize them in a single word. It would take at least a few days to tell my grand life story in the other world.
‘How should I tell the story of Kang Jinwoo’s awesome salvation of the other world... Hmm?’
But then, a thought occurred to me. It had already been a month since I returned to Earth. Thinking about it, our family had never eaten a meal together. It was because Jina avoided the table every time. We weren't exactly a broken family.
“Jina. I’ll tell you everything you’re curious about. But there’s something more important than that.”
“...What is it?”
Jina looked up at me as if she were puzzled.
“When Mom and Dad get home, let’s have a simple dinner as a family of four. That comes first.”
Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, as Jina looked at me with confused eyes. But perhaps she realized something from my words.
“...Okay. I’ll go change my clothes first.”
Jina whispered quietly, putting her questions aside, and stepped into the house. Time passed.
“Let’s eat dinner first.”
“No. Jina said to wait until Mom and Dad get home, so we were waiting.”
“...Jina? Haha, I see. We’re eating together for the first time in a while. Eat a lot, our daughter.”
Having returned to Earth, I ate a meal with my family for the first time in 10 years. The late-night dining table was simple, but as if trying to fill the hunger of 10 years, it felt more satisfying to me than any delicacy.
“I knew it, food tastes best when eaten with family.”
I emptied my bowl down to the last grain of rice. Mom and Dad looked at me with satisfaction, and Jina, though she kept glancing at me, must have been hungry as she emptied her bowl clean as well. Everyone finished their meal, and Mom and Dad went straight to their room to sleep, tired. And I,
“Jina, come here and sit down. I’m going to tell you the story of my awesome life in the other world.”
I faced my younger sister, more excited than ever.