Cult (2)
Inside the elevator of the Lotte Tower.
Two women were riding the elevator as it ascended to the top floor.
One wore a perfectly tailored suit, and the other wore a form-fitting dress.
Their styles were different, but they had a few clear things in common: both were young and exceptionally attractive women.
The one in the dress had her hands clasped and her eyes closed, muttering something under her breath.
The woman in the suit spoke to her.
"Nari."
"Y-Yes?"
"There's no need to be so nervous. We're on our way to hear the Lord's word."
"...Yes."
"You're very fortunate, Nari. Not many are granted the honor of an audience with the Lord."
"I know."
Bae Nari was overcome with emotion.
The being she was about to meet was a god descended to the present world.
In a world overrun with monsters in the time of judgment, the only reason she had survived was because she believed in and followed Him.
The god who came down from the heavens to save humanity had personally summoned her.
It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous.
Ding-♪
"We've arrived."
The elevator doors slowly opened.
"This way."
""
They walked down a corridor adorned with luxurious marble, and at the end of it, a door appeared.
Once they entered, a lavish living room came into view.
Just like the hallway, the floor was covered in pristine white marble, and the tastefully arranged furniture gave off a sense of comfort.
The woman who had guided Bae Nari walked ahead confidently, opened the door to the master bedroom, then stepped aside.
"Please go in."
"Aren't you coming with me, Eunhye?"
"This time is reserved entirely for you, Nari."
"Oh...!"
Overcome with gratitude, Nari bowed her head toward Park Eunhye.
"Thank you."
"Think nothing of it."
With a warm smile from Park Eunhye, Nari smiled back and stepped into the
room.
"May blessings be with you."
Click.
The door shut, and Bae Nari walked deeper into the room.
There he was on the bed in the master bedroom, softly lit with pastel lighting.
Jung Hyunsoo, savior of humanity.
Sitting upright with his eyes closed, he exuded an aura of mystery.
Bae Nari cautiously spoke.
"E-Excuse me..."
Slowly opening his eyes, he silently looked at Nari.
""
"I... I'm Bae Nari. The Lord called for me, so I—"
"I know."
Jung Hyunsoo cut her off as he rose from the bed.
As the blanket that had covered him slipped off, Nari momentarily faltered.
He was completely naked.
Before she could collect her thoughts, Jung Hyunsoo was gently stroking her cheek.
"Um, excuse me..."
"It must have been hard for you."
It was at that moment.
Nari's eyes widened.
The man before her he looked exactly like the one she missed more than anything, the man she loved.
"...Honey?"
That day-
Her husband, who had been brutally killed by a monster right before her eyes, was now standing before her, alive and well.
Wearing a guilty smile, he spoke.
"You've been through a lot, haven't you?"
"Honey!"
Without hesitation, Bae Nari threw herself into her husband's arms and kissed
him.
That moment-
"...Hm?"
Jung Hyunsoo, now disguised as her husband and kissing her, frowned slightly.
Snap!
He flicked his fingers, and Bae Nari collapsed onto the bed, unconscious.
Tsk.
Clicking his tongue as he looked down at her, Jung Hyunsoo muttered in an irritated voice.
"What now?"
Then, from his shadow, a man emerged-his eyes blank, like Nari's moments
ago.
The man reported in a flat tone.
"Heukgyeong is dead."
Jung Hyunsoo looked down at the man poking his head out of the shadow and asked,
"What?"
"Heuk-gyeong is dead."
When the man repeated the same words—
Smack!
Jung Hyun-soo's kick struck the man's cheek.
""
Smack!
"Told you not to-"
Thud!
"Interrupt me "
Smack!
"At this time-"
Thud!
"Didn't I?"
Smack!
"Or did I not?"
Smack!
"Huh?!"
Wham!
The man didn't react, just stood still, expressionless, taking the beating. Jung Hyun-soo, panting, placed his foot on the man's head and pressed down.
"Hoo... Now, report what happened."
"Right as we were about to kill Choi Sang-hyun, some strange people appeared. There were six men and women riding a giant black bird. One of them threw a spear, and he [Heuk-gyeong] was killed by it."
Jung Hyun-soo asked back, clearly not understanding.
"He died in one blow? That Black Whale?"
"Yes."
"Huh..."
It wasn't unthinkable that Black Whale could die.
He was powerful, yes-but there were monsters out there even stronger.
But people who could kill the Black Whale in a single strike? You could count
them on one hand.
As far as Jung Hyun-soo knew, only six individuals in Seoul were capable of such a performance.
There were a few suspects that came to mind.
"A black bird and a spear, huh."
If it was a black bird, it had to be Cha Hyun-seung of Yongsan. And if it was a spear with that kind of power, it had to be Yang Ha-young of Bucheon.
Jung Hyun-soo asked,
"Was the one who threw the spear a woman?"
"I couldn't confirm."
"Tsk. Useless bastard."
He lightly kicked the man in the temple, then walked over to the window.
He picked up a thick cigarette on the table, clipped off the tip, placed the filter end in his mouth, and lit it.
"Ssshh-haa..."
Taking a deep drag and exhaling slowly, he thought:
'They're teaming up to come after me?'
It wasn't impossible.
It wasn't just those two-he had long known that all six of them looked at him with disdain.
'Could it be all six of them have joined forces?'
The number matched, by coincidence or not.
'Hmm...'
After a brief thought, a smile spread across Jung Hyun-soo's wrinkled face.
'No way.'
Maybe Cha Hyun-seung and Yang Ha-young. But all six? Impossible.
Some of the six were outright enemies with one another.
Given the complicated entanglements between them, two-maybe three-teaming up was the limit.
Six? That just meant each brought a follower or two along.
'Whatever the reason, this works out for me.'
This was his domain.
And they walked right into it.
He should be welcoming them with open arms.
'Idiots.'
Their plan was obvious.
'They're hoping to sneak in as a small elite force and take my head.'
Had they launched a surprise attack from the very start, they might have had a sliver of a chance.
But no-they stupidly hunted the Black Whale first, revealing themselves.
Once you're exposed, a surprise attack stops being a surprise.
'Time to prepare a warm welcome.'
****
Moon Byung-ho teleported silently, still invisible, into the observatory at the top of Lotte Tower.
'It's really high up.'
The view from the observatory was dizzying.
The city lights faded into the distance, swallowed by darkness, but thanks to the glow from Lotte Tower, Seokchon Lake and the surrounding buildings were clearly visible.
Born and raised in Busan, and never having left the city before, this was Moon Byung-ho's first time here.
Which is why-
'Didn't he say it was on the top floor?'
He had no idea that when Choi Sang-hyun said "top floor," he meant the 70th floor.
And so, he wandered around the observatory for quite a while.
'Is it higher than this?'
As he was thinking that, Kim Jae-hyun's voice came through in his ear.
[He's on the 70th floor.]
It was Kim Jaehyun, who had sensed that something was off, asking Choi Sanghyun a question.
"I'll go down right away."
Shoosh-
Using teleportation, Moon Byungho moved outside the building and slid down the outer wall, reaching the 70th floor in an instant.
Shoosh!
The moment he teleported inside through the glass-
'Ugh?'
He suddenly had to clutch his head from a wave of dizziness.
'What the...?'
He had experienced motion sickness while teleporting before.
But to feel this level of nausea after moving barely a meter? That hadn't happened since long ago.
It was a sensation he only used to get when he was much weaker and less skilled at using his abilities.
'Why now?'
He was so shaken that even his invisibility, which he had been maintaining all along, was canceled.
And then-
'Huh...?'
Moon Byungho felt a strange sense of incongruity at the sight in front of him.
'Something's wrong.'
A long hallway.
Doors were placed at regular intervals on both sides in a symmetrical fashion.
It looked like a typical hotel corridor-nothing unusual at first glance. But something felt off.
And the answer came from Kim Jaehyun, who was watching him through the Eyes of the Absolute.
[...Byungho, turn around.]
Moon Byungho slowly turned his head.
And there-
"Huh?"
Behind him was the exact same hallway that had been in front of him.
"This is...?"
Normally, there should've been a glass window showing the outside world behind him.
He had just teleported through that window after all.
'So why...?'
Now he was somehow standing in the middle of a never-ending corridor.
"Jaehyun, what is this...?"
[It's okay. Let's start exploring slowly. First, we should figure out what floor we're on.]
"Got it."
***
I was just as shocked.
'What's going on?'
The moment Moon Byungho used teleportation to enter the building, the surrounding space changed.
From the outside, the 70th floor looked like a regular apartment.
But now, he had suddenly ended up in a long corridor.
'Did he mess up?'
No way.
Moon Byungho had never made a mistake while using his skill before.
Then-
'Is this someone's ability?'
It would be more reasonable to assume this phenomenon was caused by an enemy's power.
'Could it be a trap-type ability?'
It might have been an automatic countermeasure against unauthorized intruders.
But-
'If that were the case, why wasn't there any reaction at the observatory earlier? Is it because this is the 70th floor, where Jang Hyunsoo is?'
That made it even more suspicious.
If such a strong ability had been triggered, it meant there was something here that absolutely needed to be hidden.
Which lent more weight to what Choi Sanghyun had said.
And considering the nature of this situation-
'There are probably multiple victims.'
Unforgivable.
They had to eliminate the enemy to prevent further harm.
'Looks like they've noticed us too...'
A bad feeling crept in.
The enemy was someone who wouldn't hesitate to harm children or throw people into monster zones.
It was obvious how such a person would treat an intruder who had come near his darkest secrets.
"Jaehyun."
[Yes, go ahead.]
"There's something wrong here."
[Wrong? In what way?]
"It feels like this corridor just keeps going."
Now that he mentioned it, the layout was strange.
So far, the hallway had turned three times to the right and five times to the left.
Could there be a more inefficient corridor?
There hadn't been a single elevator or emergency exit in sight.
Moon Byungho's walking pace quickened, and soon he began running.
But the hallway showed no signs of ending.
I gave Moon Byungho an instruction.
[Try opening one of the doors.]
Moon Byungho stopped and opened a nearby door.
Click.
Behind it-
'Damn.'
Another hallway stretched on endlessly.
[T/L: Read extra chapters on my ko-fi page "Pokemon1920" : https://ko-fi.com/pokemon1920 ]