Chapter 75
Bang─!
With a sudden burst of energy, my head was torn apart.
My consciousness faded away and was instead replaced by pitch-black darkness. Within that darkness, there was a faint, ominous glow tinged with a familiar purple hue. I was sinking endlessly within that darkness.
I died.
Well, I wasn’t truly dead, I had merely died inside an illusion. However, the vividness of that death was so intense that I thought that I had died for real.
"The Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit─"
"The knight that appears when the first seal is removed─"
"Aaaah─!"
A bizarre landscape rushed past me as I plummeted into the darkness. There were endless blazing pits of fire, the sound of impending doom echoing from the sky, and people screaming and fleeing in panic before the impending disaster.
All these scenes swiftly passed by within a few seconds, like a fleeting dream. The sound of invoking the Holy Name, the foreboding sound of impending doom, screams, hooves thundering, and the crackling sound of flames.
Everything blended into a cacophony of eerie sounds that echoed in my ears.
Bounce.
In the midst of my endless descent, I soon gently landed on a soft floor. The boundless darkness and illusions vanished, replaced by a refreshing, warm light that filled my vision.
Within the light, I sensed a subtle warmth. The chilling embrace of death, which was vividly present moments ago, had long dissipated. I turned my head around, surveying my surroundings within the light. Within the light, there was another light and warmth, but nothing else.
"So, you eventually arrived."
After looking around my surroundings for a while, a voice resonated through the empty light.
The voice, like the warmth emanating from the light, was soothing. Within the soothing warmth was an indescribable sense of familiarity. The manner of speech and tone of the voice felt somewhat familiar.
"...Noah?"
"Yes, it's Noah. Obviously. No one else but I, the ark's administrator, can freely roam within this amount of space."
This amount of space?
Why did Noah use the expression ‘this amount of space’ to describe where I currently was? Noah's words often had a cryptic nature, similar to Baron Samedi's prophecies.
"You died just now. Well, not a real death, of course! Hahaha. After saying that, I feel like I’ve become a reaper.”
As I was gazing into the light in befuddlement without responding, Noah’s voice reached me once again. At the same time, someone cut through the radiant light and began walking briskly toward me.
With each step, the blue cloak that was reminiscent of the sea shimmered. It was Noah.
When Noah approached me with unwavering and measured steps, his appearance was so exceedingly dream-like that I was reminded of the fact that the place I was currently in was an illusion.
"So, what did it feel like to die?" Noah asked after approaching right in front of my face. There was a simple smile playing on his lips. It was such a nonchalant smile that it made me feel embarrassed, even though I was serious just a few moments ago. After seeing his smile, laughter involuntarily escaped from my mouth.
“I feel like I’m going to puke.”
"Hahaha. Everyone says the same thing, but the way you handled it was not too bad."
Noah laughed heartily and reached out his hand beyond the light. As his touch met the empty air, a tree began to grow. In an instant, it grew to an enormous size. At the tip of its branches, numerous small olives hung in clusters.
Snap.
Noah picked a few olives from the branches, giving one to me and eating one for himself. As I took a bite, an intense and pungent taste filled my mouth. It was a taste so overwhelmingly bitter and spicy that it made my facial muscles involuntarily contort.
"Wild olives don’t taste very good. That's why they're usually pickled or extracted for their oil," Noah said as he smiled after observing my reaction. However, I didn’t have the luxury to respond. I was too busy spitting out the lingering bitterness that remained in my mouth.
If he knew that it was going to taste bad, why did he bother to give me the olive? A vague sense of resentment emerged within me. Noah, as if mocking my resentment, ate the wild olives with an expression that seemed to indicate that they were incredibly delicious.
“My rambling extended for too long. I have a habit of rambling and doing long introductions. It’s a bad habit, but I still find it to be a satisfying habit... Ah, it seems I rambled again just now. Anyway...”
"..."
"You died, and in the second checkpoint, Jun-Hyuk emerged victorious. I assume there are no objections on this matter?" Noah spoke calmly.
I could only nod my head in response. Regardless of the process, the outcome was clear. I lost, and Jun-Hyuk won. In the re-election test, Jun-Hyuk ultimately emerged as the victor. It was such an unequivocal defeat that it left no room for objections. Therefore, I had no intention of disputing the result. However, I was curious about one thing.
"What were the undisclosed conditions?” I asked.
There were two undisclosed conditions that were not revealed, even until the end. Jun-Hyuk killed me at the second checkpoint, and in terms of the result, I was just a loser. But I believed I had the qualifications to know at least this much.
No matter what, I wanted to know at least this much. It was simple stubbornness.
Noah contemplated my question and pursed his lips as if he was deep in thought. "Undisclosed conditions... Originally, the principle is to not disclose them, but I think it’ll be okay to give Sun-Woo the ‘special privilege’ to know.”
"Special privilege?" I asked.
"Yes, special privilege, because you are a special person," Noah replied.
Special privilege. Those words felt strangely awkward. It carried an intentional sense of discomfort. It was possible that Noah deliberately made the pronunciation of the words 'special privilege' sound strange.
With a subtle expression on his face, Noah gazed at me and, “The first condition was to stop the construction of the Tower, as the student knows. More precisely, it was to stop the construction of the Tower without harming the ‘natives of the ark.' The student did very well in that regard."
Noah spoke, and if his words were true, I had fulfilled the first condition. Noah had a faint smile on his lips as he continued speaking.
"The second condition was to eliminate the interferer. In this test, Jun-Hyuk took on the role of the interferer. Unfortunately, Sun-Woo did not fulfill that condition."
"...It's regrettable. I had a rough idea, though," I replied.
"It's not regrettable. ‘Having a rough idea' and 'being certain' are different," Noah pointed out sharply.
I nodded my head. It was true. There was a stark difference between having a vague idea and being certain. In hindsight, there was nothing to be regretful about.
"Do you have any more questions?" Noah said as he picked an olive from a branch and offered it to me. I shook my head. I had no desire to eat another bitter and acrid wild olive, nor did I have any more questions.
"Really?" Noah said forcefully as if to try to coax a question out of me.
The smile that was always on his face had disappeared. What remained was an icy coldness. The difference between the smile on his face and the cold expression on his face was like the difference between a hunch and a certainty.
"No, there's nothing," I managed to answer with a gulp. The cold expression still lingered on Noah's face.
"Is that so? Nothing? I understand. There's nothing, then."
"...Should there be something?"
"There should be. Of course, there should be," Noah replied.
Noah's gaze as he looked at me was dry and parched. It felt as if I was looking into the eyes of a doll or a machine. But strangely, I wasn't afraid.
The light that filled the surroundings warmed me and, at the same time, brought me comfort. In this light, I had the confidence to fear nothing.
"Is there really nothing?" Noah asked again. He spoke with a pressing tone as if urging me for an answer. I tilted my head, observing Noah's expressionless face. I wondered why he was asking me this and what he expected as an answer.
...The truth was, it wasn’t entirely true that I was not curious about anything. But the question that I wanted to ask was not about the ‘test,’ but was about the ‘ark’ itself. The question itself was a sensitive one that could potentially be a violation of a taboo. However, precisely because of that, maybe now was the time to ask.
I couldn't explain the exact reason, but somehow I felt that this was the question I should ask right now.
"Did Mr. Sung Yu-Da, ah, Cardinal Sung Yu-Da really create the ark by himself?"
I managed to ask the question. Noah's lips curled into a satisfied smile as if he had finally gotten what he wanted.
"It's impossible for Mr. Sung Yu-Da alone to create this enormous ark. Just as thousands or millions of workers were sacrificed to build the Babel Tower, numerous people's blood, sweat, and tears were sacrificed to create the ark."
"Ah, I see."
"—is what people usually say. However, in this case, it's different. Sun-Woo is special, so it's appropriate to give you a special answer. It is said that depending on who the conversation partner is, the weight of the questions and the words can change."
Noah took a bite of the olive. He adjusted the sleeves on his blue robe and continued explaining.
"So, before I explain, let me ramble on a bit... I am not on anyone's side. I hope you keep this fact in mind while you listen," Noah said, but I couldn't understand what he was trying to say very well. I stared at him blankly, and he nodded before opening his mouth again.
"What I mean is, as much as I respected Sung Yu-Da, ah, Mr.Sung Yu-Da, I also respected Mr. Do Myung-Jun," Noah said, chewing on the olive and savoring its taste.
“The ark was co-created by Mr. Sung Yu-Da and Mr. Do Myung-Jin. Mr. Do Myung-Jun was responsible for creating the illusion and memories, while Mr.Sung Yu-Da improved it to make it usable.”
"...Huh?"
What?
“Was this not the answer that you wanted?” Noah asked. Although it was the answer I was hoping for, it wasn't the answer I expected. I didn't expect him to answer my question so directly.
It was because stating the name of Do Myung-Jun, my father, was considered forbidden and sinful within the Romanican Church. However, Noah had casually stated his name as if it wasn’t a big deal. He had even added ‘Mr.’ in front of his name as a show of respect.
"Why—?"
Crack!
I couldn't finish my sentence. It was because I suddenly heard a sound as if something was breaking. Looking closely, rifts appeared in the air as the light that filled the surrounding had cracked. The rifts were dense, deep, and dark as if they could swallow me at any moment.
"Unfortunately, we don't have much time. It seems like the situation won’t allow us the luxury of a conversation. To conclude, can I give you just two pieces of advice?"
"No. There's just one more question I want to ask—"
"When reasoning, Sun-Woo always has a habit of coming to conclusions first and then finding evidence to support these conclusions. It's called confirmation bias. It's not a good habit, so it would be helpful if you could fix it."
I had something I wanted to ask him, but Noah didn't give me a chance to ask questions. It was as if the situation didn't allow us the opportunity for conversation. Noah hurriedly added, "And Sun-Woo doesn't need to follow in his father's footsteps. Just following his footsteps won't allow you to fully utilize your talents."
Craaacck—!
After Noah finished his sentence, hundreds of cracks appeared in the light. The cracks grew and multiplied uncontrollably. The darkness seeping through the gaps gradually swallowed the light, and soon the illusion began to crumble.
Even inside the collapsing illusion, Noah smiled calmly.
"Good luck."
***
As soon as I opened my eyes, I stood up from my seat and looked around. I couldn’t see the meadows of the first checkpoint, nor the desert of the second checkpoint, nor the light that I saw after my death. There was nothing. It was as desolate as when I first entered the ark. My mind was hazy as if I had just woken up from sleep.
I ran my hands through my disheveled hair and pondered over the conversation I had with Noah. He told me not to follow in my father's footsteps. It was as if he knew who my father was and what kind of person he was. He even said ‘Do Myung-Jun,’ which was my father's name that was taboo in such a nonchalant manner.
Soon, a belated conviction struck my head.
Noah knew my true identity. He knew that I was the leader of the Voodoo Cult, the son of the second cult leader, Do Myung-Jin. The moment I realized this, a chilling sensation ran down my spine. I trembled with a sense of unease.
Was he an ally or an enemy?
No, perhaps he was neither an ally nor an enemy.
Tap, tap.
Then, someone tapped my shoulder from behind. I frantically turned around in surprise.
"I have a proposal for you."
It was Ha-Yeon, out of the blue. I didn't want to show any signs of surprise, but due to Noah, it was difficult to control my emotions, and it was hard to manage my expression.
I turned my head, slipped past Ha-Yeon, and quickly left the ark. I didn't want to show her my flustered state.
"Just why are you in such a hurry? Wait, wait a second–!"
I ignored Ha-Yeon, who was yelling while following behind me and exited the ark. The sunny sky had gradually turned reddish with the setting sun. It felt like half a day had passed in a blur. Perhaps due to being immersed in an illusion, my sense of time became hazy. The boundaries between hours, minutes, and seconds seemed to crumble.
“Examinees who have completed the test should return their admission tickets and board the bus. Examinees who have completed the test...”
As I gazed at the reddening sky while lost in thought, I could faintly hear the teacher’s voice in the distance. The teacher was shouting loudly while collecting the students’ admission tickets at the front of the bus. I massaged my throbbing head and headed towards the bus with quick steps.
Tap.
However, before I could take another step, someone grabbed my wrist. To my surprise, it was Ha-Yeon.
"Wait a second. A proposal. Haa, ha, ha, phew, um. I have just one proposal. Please don't ignore me," she gasped. It seemed like she was out of breath from running just a few meters.
"..."
I stared at her in silence for a long time, unable to utter a word. I didn’t feel like responding to her. Of course, whether I had the intention to answer or not, she didn’t seem to care. She always prioritized her own interests over others.
Just as she always did, Ha-Yeon opened her mouth with any regard for my feelings.
“You want to become a prelate, right?”
“What?”
I couldn't hide my baffled expression and replied. I couldn't figure out Ha-Yeon's intentions behind asking such a question. If someone asked me whether I wanted to become a prelate, then I would obviously answer yes. However, since it was Ha-Yeon that asked such a question, I couldn’t help but find it somewhat suspicious.
Ha-Yeon took a deep breath to stabilize her breathing and then slowly asked, "What about joining the International Theological Association?"
This content is taken from fr(e)ewebn(o)vel.𝓬𝓸𝓶