Paju is overflowing with foul water tainted by the Abyssal Curse. I can’t bring myself to touch it. I cast [Water Walking] and strode atop the filth.
“Let me go! Let me go!”
“Do not interfere with our love!”
“We love you! Hyun-deok-nim! We love you!”
The cultists, proclaiming their love for Jang Hyun-deok, would destroy anything that stood between them and their beloved.
“Ugh, meddling in someone else’s romance never ends well!”
What’s the best way to snap these fools out of it? A cold splash of reality. I cast [Surging Waves].
Kwa-rrrrr-ruk—
Water surged in every direction, swallowing cultists in its embrace.
“Go ride the Gongneung Stream all the way to the Han River!” I shouted. Gongneung Stream runs through Paju into the Han.
Kwa-rrrrr—
“Gyaaaargh!”
“Arrrgh!”
“Heave ho!”
These aren’t ordinary cultists. Among them are those who tank waves with raw strength, leap with superhuman agility, swim against the current with monstrous endurance, and even repel water with arcane rites or unknown abilities.
“They’re from the Hwanglim Church, right? Didn’t know they were this strong.” They look in better shape than the Fomalhaut descendants did.
“Move aside!”
“You demon!”
“I will kill you!”
They surged toward me. At least I drew their attention. I glanced up at Jang Hyun-deok.
“Aaaargh—Mage! They’re coming from that side too! Over there!” he cried, pointing. Stronger cultists practically flew toward us. No safe spot in sky—he floated as bait.
Time for complex thinking is gone. I need spells capable of neutralizing mid-tier exterminators safely.
[Adhesive Sludge]
[Exhaustion Shackles]
[Nausea]
[Orbiting]
A rapid volley of seldom-used spells: High-viscosity gel ensnared some; others lost all stamina; some collapsed from severe vertigo; a few spun in dizzy circles. I felt like a superhero renowned for nonlethal takedowns.
‘Hmph, at least they can be beaten with fists.’ But those with magic resistance won’t be stopped by this.
“So I came prepared!”
[Rope Manipulation]
My backpack opened, flinging ropes of every length, even scavenged hoses from the warehouse.
Shhhrrrk—
“Kraaaagh!”
Cultists wrapped in rope and hose barriers. I shouted at them:
“Keep moving! Hellish drills don’t stop!”
[Surging Waves]
Kwa-rrrrruk— Kwa-aaaaang!
Those who froze were swept away. Simple pattern, hard to break? Some still withstand with brute force. I stamped the air and channeled another spell—though it was water underfoot, my mana pierced downward.
[Rolling Quake]
Kwooom! Kruu-rrrung!!
“Aaaargh!!”
My level is now 48. Max is 100, but most endings can be reached at level sixty to eighty. True endgame foes demand max level, but these fanatics can be subdued even with nonlethal penalties.
‘At least for these guys.’
Far beyond the stream’s banks, an ominous quartet of fourteen figures lurked—each wearing a bizarre mask. They avoided the sewage as well, perching on poles and streetlamps.
‘No ’90s anime villain pose is this elaborate.’
All radiated potent mana; one seemed especially formidable. He waved to me—big frame, distinctive mask with three awkwardly placed eye holes.
‘The Three-Eyed Left-Handed Pitcher kid.’
Unlike the frenzied cultists, he showed no intent to attack. ‘A typical commander letting subordinates fight while he observes?’ Yet the mood felt different. He waved again, touching his ear.
“Huh? You think I’m crazy?”
A classic finger-to-ear gesture. Could he be...? He tossed something at me—a headset radio. He wants me to listen?
[Invisible Hand]
Even distracted, the situation never changed: the cultists kept charging. I donned the headset.
—Mr. Sang-hyeon. I’ve missed you. You look so different from last time.
A voice beautiful enough to sting.
“What is this? Hey, Three-Eyes—did you give me this just to say hello?”
He looked quite changed. I sent a shockwave to repel the nearby cultists and studied him.
‘He’s at least five times stronger than before.’
Maybe he’s been feeding on something potent, or using forbidden rites. Behind him stood thirteen acolytes—last time, he was one of them, now their de facto leader. Must’ve usurped the relic of Judgment he served.
—I have a proposal. And my name is Hyiin.
“A proposal, or Hyiin? Never mind—aren’t these your people? Can’t you manage them?”
—Not so easy. They’re freshly recruited.
He sounds irritatingly calm. I’ve been through hell for days, thought I’d get a break, then this overtime. A conversation like this is cruel.
“Quit the riddles—just spit it out. And if the ending is ‘you’re hopeless—die!’ then don’t waste my time; come rage-scream at me already.”
Hyiin laughed—pleasant, unfazed. Now I wasn’t even angry.
—I’ll be blunt, as you asked.
“Good. Be blunt.” I said, flinging another cultist aside.
—Was it Jang Hyun-deok? I’m not sure of his real name, but what did you feed him?
“You fed him something?”
—Some of our congregation mistook him for our Lord.
“I didn’t feed him anything. Maybe you spiked your cult’s meals?”
—Not entirely, but I doubt that’s the cause.
“Then why is he sane...?”
Wait. You said they’re a sudden force.
Suddenly raised; multiplied.
Strong recruits with zero self-awareness.
All unstoppable—except at the critical moment.
“You used a grimoire to brainwash them, didn’t you?”
—To be honest, Jang Hyun-deok was a target for proselytizing too.
“You showed him the book?”
—It’s our method.
Hwanglim Church has a unique grimoire: [Comedy – Yellow-Clad King]. This evil text contains Abyssal power, a potent conduit that can enslave human minds. And this rain in Paju... it’s infused with Abyssal energy. It amplifies rituals or even triggers wild surges. Now I understand.
“Wait—let me °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° confirm something.” I cast [Rope Manipulation].
Whirr—
“Kraaaagh!”
A cultist bound in rope was hauled before me.
“Release me! I am our Lord’s sacrifice, to become one with him! No demon like you can stop me! Hyun-deok-nim! Hyun-deok-nim! Look at me! Eat me!”
Unbelievable. It reminded me of [The Smiler] using Cheongho’s corpse last time. But that was control through flesh. This is different: they crave divine union, to ascend as gods and survive a doomed world.
I grabbed the fanatic’s face and shouted:
“Shut up! And look me in the eye!”
[Voice of Dominion]
[L-grade accessory “Mask of Carcosa” innate effect, “Yellow Domination” activates.
// Yellow Domination: Adds [Spell Boost: Fear Injection] to certain spells.]
The cultist went pale, convulsed.
『Behold, who stands before you?』
“A-ah! I was blind and deaf—I couldn’t recognize you! Lord! You are my true Lord!”
『I command you, fool! Go home, wash your feet, and sleep!』
“I understand! I understand!”
He exclaimed and ran off. So that’s it. While I’m nearby, my influence suppresses the [Yellow-Clad King]’s residue in Jang Hyun-deok. Once I depart, that trace becomes pheromonal bait for cultists—and the grimoire plus this rain magnify it.
‘And those brainwashed to absolute loyalty were driven mad by this downpour too.’
I looked toward Hyiin.
—What did you just do?
“Simple: you implanted a foreign doctrine into your makeshift believers.”
—How did you...?
He’s dangerous. Better to shift their focus from Jang Hyun-deok to me. I spoke meaningfully.
“I saw an interesting ruin in Tanhyeon.”
—Ah, that’s where the mask came from?
Hyiin’s tone implied she understood. The [Mask of Carcosa] is a relic of the Yellow-Clad King. It’s hard to imagine him possessing a novice like Jang Hyun-deok—but if I claim I found it in Tanhyeon, she’ll assume it’s the source of the chaos.
“Listen closely, and I’ll tell you exactly where the ruin lies.”
—Very well. What must I do?
“Hold off what’s flying this way.”
—Excuse me?
“Kyaaaah!”
Some cultists swept away by the current began to manifest unique abilities. A swarm of colossal hornets approached—no, not hornets: bat-winged, scaly, draconic flyers. Monsters more reptilian than insectoid. Byakhee—they are the Yellow-Clad King’s agent species, surreal Dragon-Horses that sail the cosmos. Seven of them, perhaps.
—I’m sorry, but could we swap roles? Fighting Dragon-Horses conflicts with my faith.
“No.” I’d rather face crazed cultists than Byakhee.
“If you hold them off, I’ll deal with all your followers.”
—Agreed.
An improbable alliance formed. I drew Jang Hyun-deok back to the ground.
“Aaaargh—Mage! Mage!”
“Why are you still conscious? Knocked out would be better!”
“I can hear so well! The world is so clear!”
What drug did they give him?
“Kyaaaah!”
“Hyun-deok-nim! Why won’t you accept us? Hyun-deok-nim! We love you!”
Mired in mud, rain, and filth, they lunged. Jang Hyun-deok, panicked, clung to my back.
“Aaaargh! Mage! What do we do!?”
“Let go, you fool! Trust my solution!”
“No, please don’t—Mage, don’t let me go!”
“You’re taller than me! Stand on your own two feet!”
With [Water Walking], he can’t drown—but he wouldn’t let go. Fine. More contact surface is better.
“The point is to give them something to worship more than Jang Hyun-deok.”
An extension of my earlier tactic. I have something far more direct than the afterglow in his body.
