< 76. Hell of Disbelief (4) >
***
After reading the long message that Cassie had sent, Minjun put his phone back in his pocket.
‘That’s quite detailed information. Who told you this?’
Cash had mentioned at the end that it wasn’t 100% accurate information, but Minjun knew it was all true.
The reason I didn’t mention such trivial information in front of her was because I was worried that it would seem awkward for me to know something that wasn’t even in the immigration database.
‘Have you recruited any new alien informants? I guess I’ll have to ask who they are.’
It was probably a mistake, but it was uncharacteristic of Cash to report to her superior without citing the source of the information. It bothered her.
Minjun, who had been lost in thought for a moment, noticed the gaze and turned his head. Joachim was looking at him.
When I asked with my eyes what his business was, he answered with a faint smile.
“Agent, are you religious?”
Are you proselytizing in this situation? Religious people can’t help it.
“doesn’t exist.”
“Would you be willing to take some time to listen to the teachings of the truth?”
He shook his head.
“I have no intention of becoming religious right now. And even if I were to worship God, an apocalyptic worldview is not my style.”
“Why?”
Despite being a high-ranking priest of the church, he had not only kept his promise to refrain from worship for several days, but had also shown an attitude that was completely different from what he had seen in Lair. If he had not witnessed the wild party, he might have been mistaken for a ‘pretty nice guy’.
So Minjun agreed to small talk. Even if it was a topic he had no interest in, it was perfect for killing time.
“If everything is going to end in failure, doesn’t all your efforts to survive feel like a waste?”
“That’s right. If we know that the end is set, everything can become fleeting. However, our doctrine does not focus on the futility before the end. On the contrary. Our purpose is to prepare for the aftermath.”
Minjun couldn’t understand.
“Are you saying that this world is a dream that someone is dreaming? An illusion that will disappear when they wake up? Then why should we live in such a hurry? I think that the very premise that everything is a lie is an insult to existence and life.”
“How about thinking about it this way? Isn’t reality and falsehood different depending on where you look from? From the perspective of the dreaming god, we are false. But that doesn’t mean that we, who live in this world, need to treat each other as false and see each other lightly and vainly. From our perspective, this world is real. As long as reality doesn’t interfere with the virtual, the virtual is real. Until the gods wake up.”
The priest added.
They say that the reason they teach their followers to live their daily lives to the best of their ability instead of encouraging mass suicide or destruction of social order is because they respect the values in dreams.
Using drugs during worship, but then completely eliminating addiction symptoms through divine magic afterward was also part of this teaching.
‘What, this is a more productive doctrine than I thought?’
Except for one thing.
“Then what are these strange rituals?”
The word ‘bizarre’ was also a moderate word that Minjun had chosen after making concessions several times.
“If you want to live well, why do you resort to drugs and do such things…”
“There are two reasons. You cannot hear the voice of God unless you are in ecstasy. And, unless you are in ecstasy… you cannot do such things. With your mind clear.”
“?”
It sounded like they weren’t performing such horrible sacrifices because they liked it.
When I pointed that out, Joachim readily admitted it.
“Again, this is our reality right now. But what if God wakes up?”
They thought that moment could be tomorrow, or it could be tens of thousands of years later.
“When that happens, everything will collapse and disappear. Agent Ye Min-jun, do you remember all the dreams you had while you were asleep until the next day?”
“···No, I mostly forget.”
“What if the awakened god also completely forgets what he saw in his dream? We are virtual beings that bloomed in his mind. If we are forgotten by him when he returns to reality, we will be completely annihilated. But what if he remembers us?”
“Is this a sentimental approach that says that if there is someone who remembers you even after you die, you are not dead?”
“It is not a metaphor. If we were born by the thought and unconscious imagination of God, then as long as we remain in that memory, our existence will continue. Whether in the form of the flesh or in the form of the spirit. And this realization leads to one question: How can we make God remember us when he wakes up?”
“It must be an incredibly impressive dream.”
For example, a nightmare where you wake up screaming and your whole body is drenched in sweat.
A terrible dream that remains vividly in your mind even after you open your eyes.
“God’s dreams are global and dimensional. They are very elaborate and extensive. In such a vast dream, you have to do something impressive to be remembered by him. However, if you commit a massacre or a war every time, the dream world will be devastated.”
“But is it okay to kill snakes, rats, and sheep?”
“We have always searched for the optimal form. The method of coexisting with the inhabitants of that world while simultaneously attracting the ‘eyes’ of God has been established through long experience, trial and error, and has solidified into the current regular order and form of worship.”
“But what if the dream is so terrible that God wakes up from his sleep?”
“Fortunately or unfortunately, it seems that no believer has yet succeeded in doing so.”
“Well, that sounds like a very dangerous doctrine to me. You say you want to remain in the memory of God, while at the same time trying not to harm the inhabitants of the dream world.”
“Yes.”
“What if there is a believer who disagrees with that? I think the most memorable way is to give him a nightmare that will wake him up. What if there is someone who wants to wake God from his sleep right now?”
“that···.”
“If that cultist has the power to put his plan into action, then I think a disaster beyond anything I’ve ever witnessed at Lair will strike. Get ready. I’ll be here in less than a minute.”
The last sentence had little change in tone compared to what had been said before. That was why Joachim’s reaction was a little late.
Minjun noticed that the Patriarch was approaching.
The priest asked.
“······Would it be possible for you to do as you requested?”
“I understand. The risk is yours, priest.”
The agent disappeared from the hotel room where he had been talking to him.
It was also something Joachim had asked for in advance. It was because if Minjun was around, the enemy would be on guard and might not attack.
And Minjun said that he wanted to see him for a moment before killing the Patriarch to see if he was completely crazy. It seemed like he couldn’t give up the slim hope.
The priest, left alone in the room, glared warily at the door, waiting for the leader of the sect to come and kill him.
A telepathic message was sharply pierced into his mind. It was a warning.
=Not you! Against!=
The moment I turned around abruptly.
——————
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Joachim saw a black figure clinging to the outside of the window. The gigantic body, comparable to a troll, covered more than half of the floor-to-ceiling glass. Its bright eyes shone through the transparent glass.
Clang!
The glass shattered with a sharp sound.
The giant came trudging in, stepping on the shattered debris. Contrary to expectations, the opponent did not rush to kill Joachim. Instead, he stood in front and quietly looked down at him.
He opened his mouth.
“Joachim.”
“Your Highness.”
The priest glared at him.
The Patriarch was one of the largest natives of dimension #77-102. He would have been able to subdue the troll and skin it alive, an act that required not only divine power but also tremendous physical strength.
The intruder removes his hood, revealing pale skin. Unlike the two eyes that hold a gleaming madness, the third eye in the center of his forehead is closed.
Joachim shot back.
“Please stop this madness!”
“Joachim.”
“You have brutally murdered Archbishop Müller, Archbishop Schmidt, and Bishop Raganathan. Now what? What’s next? If you don’t give up, do you plan to kill dozens, hundreds, and even every priest who has even the slightest hint of divine power?”
“······I must go back, Joachim.”
“Stop talking nonsense! Even if you kill a priest and perform a ritual, do you think the god will send you to your home dimension? The answer to us is the unconsciousness of the sleeping god. The divine power only works miracles within the priest’s capabilities! And no priest has ever been witnessed to have traveled through dimensions without a jump line!”
“It’s already too late. I have to go before it gets any later. I can’t miss this cycle.”
“Why are you so obsessed with your hometown now? Is it so important that you would personally kill the bishops you personally took in and raised like your own children? What were we to you?!”
“Joachim, I’m sorry. I… have to go back home. And to do that, this is the only way….”
The Patriarch stopped talking and rolled his eyes. A faint convulsion occurred throughout his entire body, and the third eyelid on his forehead, which had been tightly shut until then, opened.
There was neither white nor black inside. Instead, a red, swollen mass of flesh was writhing. Inside was a protrusion that resembled a tongue that was rolled up and thrust in.
Minjun, who was hiding, knew that this was the phenomenon that appeared when that race was in a state of ecstasy. They were trying to draw out divine power by immersing themselves in a state of trance.
‘No need to look any further!’
Phishing!
Joachim, who was at the end of the orbit at the moment when the alien tore the air with its sharp claws, stood frozen, unable to even think of resisting.
Because of Minjun’s restraint, he was unable to enter a state of hallucination and was unable to exert his full power.
The moment it seemed as if the alien’s giant hand was about to separate his head from his shoulders.
Kyaaaaah!
Minjun flew into the air with the shadow monster on his back.
His arm, enveloped in black vapor, collides with the alien’s claws.
I had already tried cursing in the dark like a check, but after confirming that it didn’t work, I decided to use a primitive method.
bang!
Body collided with body, but the sound of metal clashing with metal rang out.
Meanwhile, Joachim, who was pushed by the gust of wind caused by Minjun, fell on his butt.
The moment he blinked, the agent had already unleashed several attacks on the Patriarch.
Black trajectories cut through the air like whips. The shadows grew stronger as the angry monster roared above Minjun’s head. The holy power the priest summoned did not work on the summoned dark spirit.
Joachim sat there dumbfounded, watching. The two arms that had reached out to him as a child wandering the streets were torn off, and the two legs that had walked tens of thousands of steps a day to lead many people to the truth were being hammered to pieces.
And finally, the alien, with only its torso left, fell to the ground.
Although he is revered as a great priest in the church, he was no match for Minjun. Even if he can control the drugs in his brain, it is only a standard he has set for himself in order to demonstrate this ability.
The outcome of the fight was obvious.
“Ah …
Minjun saw blood bubbles flowing from the third eye of the Patriarch lying down looking up at the sky. This was proof that he had reached a state of extreme excitement at this moment.
It may have been induced intentionally in a near-death situation, or it may have been due to a surge of substances such as endorphins that were released involuntarily.
The fallen madman whispered softly, speaking an alien language instead of human language.
Minjun frowned when he heard that.
‘Finally… going back?’
But that was only for a moment, as he turned his head to look at Joachim. The priest nodded as if he had made a firm decision. Before he could even raise his chin, which had been lowered, Minjun shot a black flash toward the floor.
The alien’s neck was cut off along with a diagonal line drawn on the hotel carpet.
Minjun confirmed the death of the Patriarch.
It was after Minjun had finished talking to the immigration office to ask them to sort things out that Joachim spoke again.
“······Thank you, you granted my request.”
When signing the contract, Minjun had included a condition that worship was prohibited, and Joachim added a line. It was about trying to keep the ‘head’ of the corpse intact if possible. It seemed as if he knew that he usually preferred to crush the skull of his target.
There was no penalty for not doing so, so Minjun didn’t have to worry about it, but he ended up granting the request.
The agent asked in a dry voice.
“Are you going to retrieve the body from there?”
“Yes, I will. As you can imagine, the Patriarch is greatly respected by the people of Earth. Although we are unable to formally canonize him, he will be revered as a greater saint than any other saint. Until now, and in the future.”
Although he was not a good speaker, he was a leader with symbolic meaning to the congregation here.
So, without informing the congregation of the truth about his death, Joachim seems to have taken his head and embalmed it.
‘Do as you wish. After all, we are not a species that can be resurrected after having our heads cut off.’
Minjun stood beside him, waiting for the immigration officers to arrive. The priest, holding the severed head of the alien who was his religious leader and adoptive father like a memorial tablet, sat there like that until he heard the bell ring.
***
The mission, which was set to last a week, ended sooner than expected.
Since he had received the entire commission fee up front and started the work, there was no need to worry about the aftermath. Joachim returned to Germany right away after collecting the Patriarch’s head, and Minjun was able to focus on his personal affairs again.
And the fragments of the magic circle, a sort of ‘parts’ that had been subcontracted to researchers at large corporations under Jenkinson’s command, began to be completed and delivered one by one.
The shipping destination was the rare from Changcheon that Jenkins had purchased.
The purchase process went smoothly, as no other dragon would have their eyes on such a huge rare.
‘If possible, it would be better to reuse the place where the existing magic circle was installed. It is rare to find a place that is both spacious and magically stable.’
Minjun quickly finished assembling it and then ran a test run to extract the talent. There were some areas that needed to be fixed little by little, as you can’t get full on the first try, but overall, it was a success.
‘I guess I can just do a few more tests and then extract the talent.’
Just thinking about it made me smile. It seemed like I could bring Ha Eun-seong, who was possessed by a dragon, here tomorrow at the earliest, or the day after at the latest.
The moment he was smiling happily and about to finish his work for the day.
Tiring!
A familiar sound rang in my head.
“what?”
I checked right away. Alien letters appeared before my eyes.
There are usually two cases where the committee sends a direct message to your head, such as sending an email with important information like a tax audit notice, saying, “There’s nothing we can do even if you see it late or don’t see it.”
If there is a change related to talent or a change directly related to the mission.
This time it was the latter.
– The list of special missions requested by the agency has been updated. Inmates are requested to check and use it for their work.
I looked through the list below. Sure enough, the number of missions, which had been 444 the last time I checked, had been reduced to 443.
‘What’s missing? Could it be… that another inmate besides me has succeeded and received a talent?!’
I was anxious, wondering if the mission he had his eye on had been cleared.
The higher the amount of talent set as a reward, the lower the success rate, so Minjun scrolled down from mission number 1 and checked.
1. Suggest a solution to the chronic food problem of dimension #31-490: 40,000 talents
2. Find and report the location of the secret base of the Dimension Pirates led by wanted person Pechinog: 45,500 talents
3. Development of vaccine and treatment for the ‘Seger Papineau virus’, a global epidemic that occurs every 260 years: 47,700 talents
.
.
.
Fortunately, the mission he was aiming for was still not cleared.
Nevertheless, Minjun opened his eyes wide.
‘···What, why is this gone?’
There was no way I could make a mistake since I already had the list of 444 tasks memorized.
It was clear. Mission 48 had disappeared from the list, and what used to be mission 49 had been demoted to 48.
Minjun clearly remembers what it was that disappeared.
48. Directly witness and report on what is happening within the self-isolated dimension #77-102: 610,000 talents
Minjun returned to the office, thinking, “No way,” and turned on the computer.
And a few seconds later, I was able to check a mountain of emails sent by prisoners who had witnessed the same phenomenon. In the flood of information, the prisoners spread across each dimension eventually quickly found the answer.
The inhabitants of dimension #77-102, who had voluntarily entered a lockdown, began to lift the quarantine of their own volition and restarted a single terminal.
< 76. Hell of Disbelief (4) > End
