Chapter 2
In the chancel behind the underground chapel.
“Uncle, what did we say about handing out these things?” I asked after the service had concluded.
“If we don’t do anything, we’ll run out of money soon. Don’t you know that our numbers are going down every day?” he said.
“If you’re going to make flyers, at least make them look good. Why design them like this?”
I picked up one of the many flyers on the ground. The flyer had a gradient rainbow background with words that were painfully hard to make out. It was a devastating design.
“What about it? Isn’t it cool?”
My uncle didn’t seem to see the problem. I clenched my eyes and placed my hands on my throbbing head.
Lee Jin-Sung was my maternal uncle and the high priest of the Voodoo Cult. He was the one who handed me the microphone earlier.
He administrated most of the affairs in the cult and was also a capable information broker. However, although he was blessed with many talents, he lacked, no, he was missing any traces of talent in the field of aesthetics.
“Change the design. Maybe it’d be better to pick another person to oversee the marketing design altogether,” I said.
“Hey, who’s going to pay for these new people? What’s wrong with the rainbow background? Does it not have an elegant look?”
“You know what, never mind.”
I had a feeling that talking to him would be a losing game. I shook my head as I walked past my uncle and entered a room. The room smelled of mold. I would have ventilated it if it had any windows.
I lay down on the bed next to a corner of the room. The blanket was wet from all the built-up moisture.
“Urgh,” I groaned.
[Can’t be helped. We are underground.] The voice suddenly said as I made a complaint. It was the voice of the Loa that was residing in me.
The Loa’s name was Legba. They were the ruler of all Loa. Holding up to their name, Legba’s power and voodoo magic were capable of doing unimaginable tasks. Or at least, that’s what Legba claimed.
[I do not lie. Everything I say is true.]
“Yeah, I believe you,” I said, nodding.
Of course, it must be the truth, although I haven’t seen it.
[I just can’t show my full potential because we don’t have the Altar.]
“I didn’t say anything, did I?” I replied.
[You didn’t seem convinced. Quit complaining and bring back our Altar.]
Legba added with a displeased tone. Ignoring their complaints, I stretched out my right hand and started drawing in the air. Not long after, a purple light started seeping out my fingertips. I used the light to draw many lines and squiggles to manifest a curse array in thin air. The completed magic array spewed an ominous purple mist. It was the curse of greater enchantment, a spell that tampered with the mind.
The Romanicans used divine power, while the Voodooists used voodoo power.
It was possible to cast a curse by drawing a curse array with voodoo magic as the core.
[Spectacular.]
Legba seemed impressed. I was the Voodoo Cult Leader, so I could easily draw a curse array using voodoo essence. I was number one in this business. The problem was I had almost no chance to put this talent to use.
The world had framed the Voodooists as a harmful cult, and Voodooists could not escape immediate imprisonment upon getting found out. If this was how they treated regular attendees, imagine what they would do to me; the Romanicans would burn me alive as they had done with my father, the second Voodoo Cult Leader.
[Do not fret. You just need not get caught. And you won’t.]
“I was never worried,” I said. No one knew how I looked or my name, so I knew that my risk of getting caught was slim. That was why I couldn’t use voodoo essence—I would be immediately found out.
I used my right hand to call off the curse array and used my left hand to draw another image in the air.
My hands lit up again, but this time, with a white light. Instead of using voodoo essence, I was using divine power as I drew a lesser blessing of strength.
[Pathetic.]
Legba clicked their tongue in disappointment at my drawing.
I agreed with them. The blessing array drawn with divine power paled compared to my curse array. The difference in skill was more apparent because the curse array I had just conjured was more complex.
[Don’t be discouraged. It is a fantastic feat to harness both divine power and voodoo essence.]
Legba tried to comfort me, but it failed to lift my spirits. I plopped back onto my bed with a heavy heart.
I couldn’t utilize my strong skills in voodoo essence, yet I was talentless in using divine power. At this rate, I won’t be able to graduate, let alone become a prelate.
[I don’t think you have to become a prelate. Living as the Voodoo Cult Leader doesn’t seem bad at all.]
“But I don’t want that,” I replied.
[Plus, there’s no guarantee that your mother is still alive.]
“No, she is alive.”
My father died seven years ago during the Holy War, and my mother was thrown into the Holy See Headquarters underground prison. The only people who had access to the prisoners were prelates with the rank of cardinal or higher.
I had enrolled in F.A. to become a prelate to meet my mother.
***
I trudged to school the next day with heavy footsteps. I had taken a nap in the underground chapel and returned to my house during the night. My uncle had given me this house as a gift for successfully enrolling into F.A. It would have been suspicious for me to constantly walk back and forth between our chapel and F.A. every day to go to school.
Although the room was close to F.A., It felt hard to go to school because I found it quite lonely. I dragged on my heavy feet one step at a time and, soon after, was greeted by a mystical and magnificent scenery that never ceased to amaze me.
Green trees and lively sprouts filled the walls. Behind those walls lay the numerous buildings stretching out from the main building, built in a Gothic style. The sun was high in the sky, and its rays seemed to bless the area it kissed. I was on the F.A. campus grounds.
[Look at how good their facility looks when they’re the reason why we breathe moldy air during our services.]
I easily ignored Legba’s grumbling. I slowly walked down the luscious pathway toward the first-year building.
I finally reached my classroom. On the front of the door was a doorplate reading ‘1st year, Charity.’
Without hesitation, I opened the door and walked into the class. I sat in the empty seat in the back next to the windows.
Drrrk—!
Soon after, someone opened the door firmly. The person walked in with an attendance folder and a beaming smile that radiated happiness. She walked towards the teacher’s table at the front of the room.
“Good morning. It seems that everyone’s here.”
It looked like she was the homeroom teacher for the Class of Charity.
Tak, tak!
The teacher taped the stick in her right hand onto the desk. All students looked up from their books at once.
“Nice to meet everyone. My name is Ha Ye-Jin, and I am the homeroom teacher for the Class of Charity. I hope we have a great year together. Are any students planning to apply to the Department of Priests?”
About a third of the students hesitantly raised their hands.
“I’m glad to see more of you than I expected. I teach ‘Utilization of the Divine Power’ and supervise the Department of Priests. I hope to see some of you in my classes,” Ha Ye-Jin said, her dimples deepening as her smile widened.
“Anyways, welcome to F.A. Things will be different from middle school. You’ll have harder content to learn and more practical classes as well. Although it’ll be hard to adapt to the new environment, once you do, it’ll be less stressful than you might think.” Ha Ye-Jin continued with a soft smile on her face.
“I understand that you’ll feel nervous and excited. However, I want you to embrace that feeling. It is the privilege of being a freshman, after all.” Rather than scaring the students of the upcoming school year, Ha Ye-Jin encouraged them. She spoke with a smooth tone and was always smiling. She was gorgeous and made a great first impression. The year seemed like it would go smoothly with her as our homeroom teacher.
“Oh, by the way, I have some traits that I do not tolerate.” I was finishing my last thought when Ha Ye-Jin’s face suddenly turned stoic. The sudden change in expression sent chills through my bones.
“These qualities include blasphemy, not following the teachers’ orders, committing any of the seven deadly sins, idol worship, and believers in heresy. If I find anyone with these traits, I will take matters into my own hands and make sure they get expelled.” Ha Ye-Jin smiled as she finished her comment.
“Of course, if this doesn’t apply to you, I will always treat you with love. I hope no one disappoints me.”
I gulped. Idol worship and believing in heresy? That was me.
[Worshiping Idols? You worship the true god, us Loa.]
That was precisely the problem. Believing and worshiping the Loa was idol worship and heresy. That’s how it was after the Holy War. But, of course, our noble Legba would not understand.
[Don’t be sarcastic.]
“That concludes our homeroom meeting. Oh, and Bae Sung-Hyun?”
“Yes, ma’am.” One male student answered as he got up from his seat.
It was Bae Sung-Hyun, one of the seven student representatives and the holder of the Holy Name of Charity. He was tall and handsome, and without a blemish on his face.
“Sung-Hyun will be the class president. In F.A., we give this position to those who hold the holy names. Therefore, the position will rarely be subject to change. Well then, I trust you will work hard for this class,” Ha Ye-Jin commented.
“Yes, ma’am,” Bae Sung-Hyun said as he bowed his head and sat back down.
Ha Ye-Jin gave Bae Sung-Hyun a beaming smile and left the room with her attendance folder. The room started to stir up with life as soon as she left. Everyone was talking to their friends to relieve each other of the new semester anxiety.
Everyone except me.
I didn’t have any friends. Some people walked around, trying to make new friends, but unfortunately, no one came to talk to me. Most of them went to talk to the class president and holder of the Holy Name of Charity, Bae Sung-Hyun.
“How did you get the Holy Name of Charity?” one of them asked.
“I did well on the entrance exam and had experience following my father around for charity work. I think that’s what gave me the edge.”
“Dang...” the students said in awe as they adoringly looked at Bae Sung-Hyun.
Bae Sung-Hyun had a smug look on his face from all the attention he was getting.
Although I had not planned to eavesdrop, I overheard their conversations as I stooped over my desk. I pitied the state I was in, stooping low enough to listen to the discussion of others.
[Don’t feel lonely.] Legba said in consolation.
It didn’t help. To be exact, I didn’t need any consolation. I wasn’t sad that I didn’t have friends. I rarely felt lonely. I was just glad that I wasn’t getting bullied.
A student from my middle school crossed my mind. Their parents were Satanists who had been arrested and put in jail. The student had fallen victim to terrible bullying. Although a School Violence Countermeasure Committee was opened for their case, it ended with the antagonist being let off with a mild punishment while the victim had to change schools.
If I hadn’t hidden my identity, I knew I would share the same fate as that student. I was using a fake identity fabricated by my uncle; my mother was a paladin who had been a casualty of the Holy War, and my father was a clergyman dispatched overseas. Thanks to this identity, I could safely enroll in F.A. and avoid unwanted attention through guilt by association.
I guess my problem with befriending friends was not because of my fake identity.
[Not relevant.]
As Legba said, it wasn’t relevant.
I had come to F.A. to become a prelate to see my mother. I had no time or space to make friends to reach my goals. Using all my time to practice harnessing my divine power might not be enough to reach my goals.
To become a prelate, I would have to stand out from the crowd in the upcoming physical test.
***
Most of the classes that day were orientations.
The teachers were trying to gain the favor of the students in preparation for ‘the day,’ coming in a month. They tried to avoid gaining resentment from the students by leading the first class off with material. So, a teacher would have to be mad to start off the year with a full-fledged class.
At least, that was what I thought.
“Hello. My name is Kim Bok-Dong, and I am your teacher for Practical Physical Education. I am also one of the instructors in the Department of Paladins. Today we will start with some training exercises. I will not be taking any complaints.”
Surprisingly, such a mad teacher existed.
The teacher who introduced himself as Kim Bok-Dong dragged everyone out to the field, even the ones who had yet to purchase the gym uniform.
Amidst the dust-filled field, Kim Bok-Dong carried on his explanation.
“Practical Physical Education might sound like an unfamiliar course. You guys might have heard that clergymen do not have to pay attention to their generic degree of fitness. Or to be exact, they do not have to focus ‘only’ on their general fitness levels. Does anyone know why this is the case?”
An awkward silence followed. Everyone, including myself, was gauging the room and avoided answering the question.
A few moments later, a tall male student confidently raised his hands.
“What’s your name?” asked the teacher.
“It’s Bae Sung-Hyun,” he replied.
It was Bae Sung-Hyun, the holder of the Holy Name of Charity.
“It’s because you can use different body-enhancing blessings to increase the physical capabilities of the body briefly,” he answered.
“You are correct. Most clergymen can enhance their physical capabilities through blessings. So, does this mean they do not have to focus on improving their general fitness?”
I shook my head. It was more important to exercise because they were clergymen.
Kim Bok-Dong picked up one of the kettlebell-shaped weights off the ground.
“The answer is no. You have to focus more on physical training to maximize the efficiency of the blessings,” Kim Bok-Dong said, throwing the weight with ease. The term ‘flying’ was the most accurate word to describe the path of the weight.
Bang—-!
The weight landed in the middle of the field. White dust sprung up and clouded around the center of impact.
The distance traveled by the weight looked over two hundred meters. It landed so far away that it was hard to gauge correctly.
“Just now, I threw a weight with my physical strength without any blessings. It seems to have gone around 250 meters. What do you think would happen if I used blessings this time?” Kim Bok-Dong asked.
Kim Bok-Dong expelled some divine power and drew an array for a lesser blessing of strength.
Light spilled from the blessing array and wrapped around Kim Bok-Dong's right arm. He threw the weight once again. This time, the weight did not land on the field. Instead, it sailed through the air and over the school walls. I was awestruck watching the scene fold in front of my eyes. Kim Bok-Dong was a monster.
“The lesser blessing of strength increases the user's strength by fifty percent. However, through training, you can increase this multiplier threefold. This is why you have to train in practical physical skills. It will also help in increasing the mastery of your blessings.” Kim Bok-Dong explained as he picked up another weight from the ground.
“It seems I have talked too much. Today we will test your strength through a general fitness test. The student who throws the weight the farthest will score the most points. The person who gets the second longest distance will score lower than the first, and so forth. You are free to use whatever blessing you want. Any questions?”
A student raised his hand. As expected, it was Bae Sung-Hyun.
“Forgive me if I’m wrong, but I heard there is a way to get full marks regardless of the distance thrown?” he asked.
“Ah yes, I forgot. There probably aren’t any of you who can accomplish it, but I guess there is no harm in explaining,” Kim Bok-Dong said as he tapped his finger on the weight he was holding.
Some students' eyes lit up at the mention of full marks.
“First, throw the weight past the fifty-meter mark. Then estimate the landing point of the weight and catch it. If you can do this, I will give you full marks regardless of the distance traveled by the weight. I guess you could call it a special case.”
The lit-up eyes of the students quickly turned to despair.
It was hard enough to throw the weight fifty meters to begin with, let alone catch it with one’s own hands. One would need the strength to throw the weight fifty meters and the agility to run at least fifty meters in two to three seconds.
I don’t know about anyone else, but I was sure I wouldn’t be able to do it. At least without ‘their’ help.
“With that said, let's start the test. First up is the holder of the Holy Name of Charity, Bae Sung-Hyun.”
Bae Sung Hyun stepped forward.
He stood in front of the start line, took some deep breaths, and expelled divine power through his fingertips.
[Moderate blessing of strength, lesser blessing of the musculoskeletal system, lesser blessing of recovery... I can’t tell the rest.]
Each one of Bae Sung-Hyun’s blessings boasted high difficulty to cast.
Channeling all his blessings into his right hand, Bae Sung-Hyun threw his weight.
Zoom—!
The weight flew into the air...
Bam—!
And it landed with a disastrous thud.
“212 meters for Bae Sung-Hyun!” Kim Bok-Dong announced. Everyone was speechless at Bae Sung-Hyun's unbelievable record.
The holder of the Holy Name of Charity received a ‘blessing of superhuman strength’ from the Pope. This unique blessing gave the blessed superhuman strength and the ability to share this strength with someone else. It was a blessing well-fitted for the holder of the Holy Name of Charity.
Bae Sung Hyun’s tremendous strength came from this blessing.
“Bae-Sung Hyun.” Kim Bok-Dong called out.
“Yes, sir.”
Kim Bok-Dong had a smile on his face.
“Not only was your basic strength admirable, but I can’t help but applaud your skillful utilization of blessings. You used the blessing of recovery to minimize the possibility of injury, allowing you to use the moderate blessing of strength to its full potential. Outstanding work. I hope you all can learn from this if you can,” he said.
Bae Sung-Hyun’s lips were shaking as if trying to stifle his happiness.
“Thank you, sir!”
“No worries, return to your position.”
Bae Sung-Hyun walked back toward the waiting group of classmates. The students gazed at him with eyes filled with jealousy and awe. Bae Sung-Hyun seemed to enjoy this attention.
“Next, Koo Jun-Hyuk.”
Kim Bok-Dong continued to call forth students.
Many students stepped up to throw their weights, only to step down with faces filled with disappointment. Most were not able to pass the fifty-meter line. However, there were a few students that showcased their talents.
Toward the end of the test, with no surprise, first place was Bae Sung-Hyun, second was Koo Jun-Hyuk at 162 meters, and third place was Jung In-Ah at 143 meters.
“Do Sun-Woo.”
I was the last student called up.
At this point, no one was paying attention to me. Instead, everyone was complaining about their injured shoulder or lying down from the drawbacks of using too much divine power.
The light seeping from my lesser blessing of strength wrapped around my arm. Then, without anybody noticing, I called forth the power of the Loa.
As I positioned myself for my throw, Kim Bok-Dong shook his head skeptically.
“Is that all you are going to do to prepare?”
“Yes, sir,” I replied.
“I said you can use any blessing you want. So why are you only using the lesser blessing of strength?”
“Uh...” I hesitate. Do I have to tell him? I was embarrassed.
“This is the only blessing I can use.”
Kim Bok-Dong gave me an understanding nod.
Pfthahah.
I heard the sounds of students making fun of me throughout the crowd. I knew this would happen!
“Alright, resume with your attempt,” Kim Bok-Dong muttered as he stared at me. His arms were across his chest, and he looked at me with low expectations.
I lifted the weight above my shoulders. The 10.25 kg weight wasn’t heavy but seemed rather light. Both the blessing and power from the Loa helped with the weight, but the Loa’s power seemed to help more.
[Loa Bossou responds to the call of the Prophet.]
Legends say Bossou killed a thousand enemies with their bare hands when they walked the earth. Their symbol was a bull, and living up to his symbol, their power was ‘superhuman strength.’ It was a miraculous strength that surpassed the mere capabilities of man.
Zoom—-!
I threw the weight. It had slipped at the tip of my fingers, so it seemed it would fall short of Bae Sung-Hyun’s record of 212 meters.
That didn’t matter because my goal wasn’t to overtake his record.
Scrruunch.
I lowered my stance and flexed my legs. Bossou’s superhuman strength coursed through my legs, eliciting an eerie sound from my knee joints.
Swoosh—!
I propelled myself forward as I broke into a run. The sound of the wind filled my ears as my body sailed through the dusty wind with explosive power. My goal had been this from the start. I would catch my weight and get full marks.
As I said earlier, Bossou’s symbol was the bull.
And charging was what bulls did best.
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