Seo Kang-rim looked at his opponent with a sharp gaze.
‘Who is it? I can’t see your face.’
The opponent had a black veil over his face and was also wearing black clothing.
The attacker immediately drew his sword and struck repeatedly.
-Chae-Ang, Chae-Ang!
The sword was shaped with strange decorations and appeared quite sharp.
Each attack was aimed at a vital point.
Every time I blinked, three or four sword strikes would come rushing in.
For a normal hunter, this would have been a threatening situation… … .
-Kagan!
Seo Kang-rim was only holding a candlestick, but it looked more threatening than most weapons.
The opponent’s sword kept getting blocked and then got caught in the middle of the candlestick with a clank.
Seo Kang-rim twisted the candlestick and broke the sword.
-Clang!
The sword split in two as if it were a needle.
While the opponent is surprised and hesitates.
He quickly stabbed the candlestick into the enemy’s abdomen.
-Phew!
The opponent rolled on the floor without even screaming.
Seo Kang-rim picked up the broken sword and stabbed it into the bastard’s palm.
My hands were pinned to the floor and I couldn’t even run away.
“Don’t hide like a coward, show your face.”
Seo Kang-rim tore away the veil as if tearing it apart.
Beneath the veil there was only darkness, no face.
-Saaaaa… … .
I felt something slipping out from under my clothes, like sand being blown away by the wind.
At that moment, people appeared from downstairs with loud footsteps.
“What, what’s this noise?”
It looks like I just heard the sound of fighting.
Among them were Lee Su-ho and Yohan.
Seo Kang-rim said with a calm face.
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep, so I went out for a bit and got lost.”
“I heard a sharp sound earlier. What was it?”
“I accidentally dropped the candlestick… … .”
The sword had disappeared and the body was gone.
In that situation, when I said that I dropped the candlestick, everyone seemed to think that something was strange, but they also seemed to believe me.
However, Lee Su-ho was staring at Seo Kang-rim fiercely.
“That wasn’t the sound of a candle.”
“Then?”
“… … No. It’s okay.”
Lee Su-ho turned around as if trying to say something.
One of the remaining priests took stock of the situation and spoke to John.
“Please go back and rest for now, Hunter Seo Kang-rim. Father Yohan will guide the guests.”
“Yes, yes. I understand.”
John took Seo Kang-rim back to his room naked.
After closing the door and locking it, Seo Kang-rim explained what had just happened.
John had a rather strange expression on his face.
“Could it be that a demon has come in? A place like a monastery, protected by the gods, shouldn’t be easy for a demon to invade… … .”
“It seems like the one who just attacked me was a supernatural being, but the demons may also be able to enter this monastery at the moment.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
As John said, a monastery is a kind of sanctuary.
Spaces protected by God are not easily influenced by magic.
However, if manipulation is done from within, the story is different.
“I just checked the back of the large cross hanging here. It was painted with blood.”
The smell of iron coming from the cross was none other than the smell of blood.
When Seo Kang-rim checked the back of the cross, he saw that there were sentences and patterns written in dried red blood.
Because it was repainted several times, the exact contents were unknown.
But I could definitely feel the malice there.
“Blood? Who on earth would do something like that… …!”
“It seems like they are trying to diminish the sacredness of this place.”
By removing or insulting the sacred relics imbued with divine power, the sacred power of this place has been weakened.
Even in this room now, there were no relics whatsoever.
“Besides, the moment I checked the back of the cross, something appeared. I think it might have been a trap that would activate when the cross was touched.”
Seo Kang-rim thought of people who had gone missing or suddenly left the monastery.
What if they also examined the cross, or noticed something and removed it?
John said in a bewildered voice.
“There was such a device… … . The number of relics has certainly decreased compared to before. But why did you do such a thing?”
——————
faqwiki.us
Join our Discord for new chapter updates!
https://discord.com/invite/xr7SxG5T6V
——————
“They must have tried to infiltrate this place.”
John’s expression darkened even more at the word “intrusion.”
I can’t believe something like this is happening in the house of God, where I thought I was safe.
He looked at Seo Kang-rim with anxious eyes.
“Who would do this and why?”
Although he could answer the question ‘who’, Seo Kang-rim remained silent.
Instead, he gave me a different answer.
“Well, if we go to the Demon Realm tomorrow, things will become more certain.”
Seo Kang-rim smelled the scent of blood mixed in the dawn air.
The monastery remained silent as if it were an accomplice, and no sound could be heard from around it.
* * *
A dreary wind swept across the tomb.
The demonic realm was created near the cemetery.
A number of priests were seen gathered among the Western-style tombstones.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes. I have prepared both holy water and holy relics.”
Everyone seemed accustomed to entering the Demon Realm, and their expressions were calm and composed without any sign of nervousness.
At first glance, they looked like people attending a funeral.
Although they were not worthy of joining the Gwangmyeong Cross, they were still quite capable Awakened Ones.
Seo Kang-rim was examining them one by one.
A priest approached and greeted Seo Kang-rim.
“Hello, Hunter Seo Kang-rim. Thank you for your help. My name is Father Nam Yoon-gi.”
Father Nam Yoon-gi also seemed to be quite familiar with this kind of thing.
Despite his skinny build, the intimidating aura he exuded was extraordinary.
Seo Kang-rim sensed the energy and greeted him calmly.
“Please take good care of me, Father.”
“You came at Father John’s request, right? You’re close friends with Father John, and it seems like you owe him a favor.”
Judging from the way they called each other without hesitation, it seemed like they were really close.
John’s face was slightly hardened.
Seo Kang-rim looked at the people and said to Nam Yoon-gi.
“Not all the priests from the monastery came.”
“Yes. Not all priests can awaken. Those who are not awakened are handling the affairs of the monastery.”
While he was explaining, another priest came looking for Nam Yoon-ki.
He bowed his head slightly and stepped back.
“Then we will finish preparing and come back. See you later.”
When Nam Yoon-gi left, Yohan finally let out a sigh of relief.
Seo Kang-rim looked at Nam Yoon-gi’s back and asked.
“Among the priests who changed, there was also Father Nam Yoon-gi, right?”
“yes…….”
On the surface, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly unusual.
John’s claim that people had changed was likely to be dismissed.
Seo Kang-rim glanced at the other priests and said.
“Among those who went to the Demon Realm today, is there anyone who has changed?”
“For now, among those participating today, the only one is Father Nam Yoon-gi.”
The number of priests gathered is about 10.
While he was carefully examining the priests, someone approached Seo Kang-rim.
“Are you going to participate in the end?”
The person who approached was Lee Su-ho.
He still had a reluctant look on his face.
“This is the business of the church. There is no need for outsiders to get involved.”
“As I said last time, I came here at the request of the head priest. If you have any complaints, you should tell him.”
Lee Su-ho did not respond to Seo Kang-rim’s words.
I see you talked to the head priest, but it didn’t seem to get much results.
Meanwhile, Nam Yoon-ki announced his departure, saying that all preparations were complete.
“Okay, then let’s get going! Everyone, please get ready.”
A large door appears in the middle of the graveyard.
The door was decorated with reliefs of grapevines and skulls.
As soon as Nam Yoon-gi opened the door and entered, a notification sound went off.
[Entering the Demon Realm ‘The Tomb of the Saint’!]
It was a magic mirror with a rather ominous name.
But contrary to the name, when I stepped inside, I saw the interior of a fancy, old building.
Judging from the atmosphere, it felt like an old monastery.
[Objective: Find the forgotten weapon.]
[Period: None.]
The condition for conquering this magical realm is to recover the item.
Nam Yoon-gi said with an awkward smile.
“Because the Demon Realm is so vast and complex, we’ve been searching for months without any progress. For now, I’ll share a map with you.”
Nam Yoon-ki handed them a map made based on the places they searched.
Seo Kang-rim received it and examined it, and as he had said, its scale was quite large.
Lee Su-ho also looked at the map and immediately started moving.
“Let’s find the item today. I’ll take action first.”
People looked relieved at Lee Su-ho’s words.
Since he was a priest from the Gwangmyeong Cross Society, everyone seemed to believe him.
Among all the trustworthy gazes from everyone, there is only one person.
Seo Kang-rim was the only one standing with an unchanging face.
Lee Su-ho stared at him for a moment and then stepped into the magic realm.
As he was leaving the starting point, he spoke to the priest accompanying him.
“I don’t know why I asked Seo Kang-rim for help.”
“Isn’t Seo Kang-rim quite famous? When I actually met him, he seemed like a very skilled person… … .”
“Yes. I acknowledge his skills. But he is a villain.”
He is also a wicked man who shows no signs of repentance.
If he was someone who wanted to repent for his sins, I don’t think I could feel that kind of vibe from Seo Kang-rim.
Another priest spoke.
“Are you talking about the story that he killed people and stole their powers? But I think it’s most likely a rumor.”
“No. It’s not a rumor.”
Lee Su-ho stopped for a moment and looked at the bride who accompanied him.
“He smells like blood.”
Although you can’t see the four pillars of destiny, there is a special aura that comes from someone who has committed numerous sins.
Lee Su-ho could smell the blood flowing from Seo Kang-rim.
“No matter how strong he is, it’s not right to ask for help from someone like that. He must have come here for some reason.”
“Could it have something to do with the disappearance of the brides?”
As Seo Kang-rim had expected, their visit here was not a coincidence.
Just as John sensed changes in the monastery, the other priests also sensed that something was wrong.
And he consulted with an apostle of the Gwangmyeong Cross Society, whom he knew well, about his worries.
“Yes. Since they went missing at the time of the report, there are many suspicious aspects. Let’s split up and search for them first. If you see anything suspicious, contact me immediately.”
“Yes, Father Lee Su-ho.”
If the missing person was still alive, the key was to find him as quickly as possible.
Lee Su-ho quickly searched the inside of the magic mirror.
Even so, many thoughts were going through my head.
‘What is the purpose of Seo Kang-rim’s coming here? He says he came to help Father John, but… … .’
I felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Did he really come here with pure intentions?
‘They may have come to target the powers of the awakened apostles. Wouldn’t it have been better to tail Seo Kang-rim instead?’
It was a situation where Seo Kang-rim was concerned in many ways.
First, we decided to find him and keep an eye on him.
At that moment, Lee Su-ho turned around and tried to chase after Seo Kang-rim.
“Eww!”
A scream full of pain.
Lee Su-ho stopped dead in his tracks when he heard a sharp scream.
‘Seo Kang-rim, has he already revealed his true colors… …!’
