Chapter 180: Third Apostle Seat
Wisdom said, “But that would mean Hwee-Kyung still hasn’t abandoned her faith.”
AR1026 asked, “What does that mean?
"Nebula talked about the leakage issue. If there was any kind of leakage, that would be because Hwee-Kyung still believes in Nebula. That's the only way Hwee-Kyung could have had a connection with Nebula… Nebula, does Hwee-Kyung also have the apostle class?"
Sung-Woon nodded.
“Yes, she had it.”
"Then she must still be alive somewhere. She’s surviving somewhere and using the faith of the Pantheon as she pleases. And we haven't found her because she's not within our territory, and we can't control her."
Sung-Woon said, "That’s likely true."
The current Afterlife was quite systematically managed. If she exists, there was no way they would be unable to find her.
Sung-Woon said, "I don't think all the leakage problems are because of Hwee-Kyung; the amount of leakage is too significant for that to be true. There are probably more cases like Hwee-Kyung that we haven't recognized."
Then AR1026 asked, "But Nebula, why is Hwee-Kyung still maintaining her faith? She probably doesn’t like you that much.”
"To be honest, I can't be exactly sure about that part either. But based on our assumption, I have a guess of what kind of case it is."
"Which is?"
Sung-Woon replied, "A modified belief system."
"Hm.”
AR1026 nodded.
The other players seemed to somewhat understand as well. Modified belief systems were common in The Lost World. One of the simplest examples was when the Astacideas in the Southern Archipelago worshiped Hillove—the white spider which was one of Sung-Woon’s creations—as a god when Black Scale occupied only a small peninsula.
Unlike apostles who were treated as quasi-gods, the fact that Hillove, a creation, was worshiped didn't mean Hillove received Faith points. Instead, it was through Hillove that Sung-Woon gained Faith points. Ultimately, the Astacideas believed in Sung-Woon, and the process of conversion for the Astacideas to believe in Sung-Woon easily happened.
A similar event occurred during the exploration of the fourth continent. In The Lost World, these were called modified belief systems, and there were builds that actively utilized them.
"Modified belief systems usually lead to integration, but it's also possible for integration not to happen. If the player didn't intend it, then they may not find out about it until the end."
Then Wisdom said, "Nebula, this isn't your own idea, right? I think I've seen a related post somewhere."
"Yes, you're right. It was a speculative post about why leakage problems occur."
Crampus asked, "Explain the mechanism more accurately. We understand the cause of the leakage, but in that case, wouldn’t more Faith points be generated?"
Wisdom's head began to spin.
"Yes, it’s only one possibility. According to that post, if a player fails to monitor an individual with the class of a chief priest or priest, that individual could become subject to gaining Faith points in other regions. In this case, their priest level would naturally rise. The problem is that over time, the amount of Faith points consumed would become greater than the amount of Faith points generated because as the priest’s level rises, they could use more power according to the rules the player had set."
"Is the opposite not possible?"
Sung-Woon replied instead of Wisdom, "It's not impossible, but if that happens, it means there are a noticeable number of believers. In that case, they would die at the hands of the god ruling that territory. To be honest, at this point..."
Lunda slapped Sung-Woon on the back.
"No. Don't say that. Don't say bad things."
"...What was I trying to say?"
"Weren’t you going to say you wish she would die?"
"Exactly."
Lunda furrowed her eyebrows because he ended up saying the words she was trying to prevent from coming out of his mouth.
Sung-Woon said, "But in my opinion, Hwee-Kyung is intelligent and won't let it come to that. Even with a rough calculation, she’s lived for over 200 years. She surely knows where the gods are paying attention to and how to avoid them."
Wisdom said, "Then we need to find Hwee-Kyung first. And the community that Hwee-Kyung would be leading...is probably a Vampire clan. We should find them and kill them, or…”
When Lunda gave Wisdom a look meaning that he shouldn’t say what he was going to say, Wisdom’s head stopped spinning, and he said, "We just have to subdue her again. But I don't know how we're supposed to find her. If we haven't found her until now, it seems difficult to find her going forward too."
Sung-Woon shook his head.
"No, that's not it. First, we have Hwee-Kyung's Vampire descendant with us, and we also know about the bloodline born with antlers that came from Automation. Geographically, Ramin will guide us, and if we get close enough, the antlers, or I should say, the spirit of Demonic Magic that transferred to her descendants, would sense her."
"The spirit of Demonic Magic will sense her?"
"I asked Pzzt. Apparently, spirits embedded in the body like that can recognize the body they originated from before transferring."
Lim Chun-Sik, who had been quietly listening until now, then said, "Hey, everyone seems to have missed the most important issue."
"What is it?"
"If Hwee-Kyung is on the second continent, doesn't that mean those two would have to enter Hegemonia's territory directly? Is there any chance they can even survive before finding her?”
"That’s an important point,” Sung-Woon replied, and then he raised three fingers.
“Three?”
“I’m thinking of sending the third apostle.”
Currently, there were nine apostles in total in the Pantheon. Each of them were a significant force on their own.
Eldar said, "But isn’t the third apostle part of the forces on the eastern front?"
"I asked RD. RD said it would be okay for the time being."
Lim Chun-Sik replied, "Is it worth it?"
"If we can get to the middle of Danly, there's no rule saying we can’t do anything else other than solving the leakage issue."
Now, everyone seemed to be in agreement.
Sung-Woon looked down at Vaseniol. The third apostle was on the move.
***
Ramin Solost Muel said, "So when are you sending me home? Is the interrogation or hearing not finished?"
"Well, that's beyond my authority... It seems you'll have to spend the night here today."
Ramin asked incredulously, “Pardon?”
“We have a night-duty room, so things shouldn't be too uncomfortable."
"That’s not what I’m worried about.”
"Well, let me show you where it is since it came up. Are you planning to have a meal…?"
"Can you provide me with a meal?"
"...I shouldn’t have said that. Anyway, let’s go."
As Gorgota stood up, Ramin sighed and also got up.
That's when it happened.
Bang!
A massive explosion shook the intelligence department. The windows shattered from the impact, and both Gorgota and Ramin lowered themselves to the ground at the same time.
"Are you alright?"
"Yes, I guess. But what's going on..."
Before Ramin could finish her sentence, various sounds of gunfire, shouts, and fighting were heard from outside the window.
Amidst the chaos, there were words that could be discerned.
"It's an attack!"
Gorgota peered out the window for a moment, then pulled a revolver from their holster and spun the cylinder to check the bullets.
"The guard post has been blown away. After that, about a hundred of those Fang bastards came in."
"What? Is the intelligence agency really that lax?"
"It seems they packed a car with explosives and detonated it before the inspection started."
"They committed suicide?"
"Yes. There’s no measure in place to respond to such a tactic, and there’s nothing we can do when we’re targeted like that… These are the kind of enemies we face."
Ramin said, "But why is the intelligence agency under attack?"
Gorgota looked at her as if asking what she meant.
"It's an intelligence agency, what reason would there be for it not to be attacked? We're in the middle of a war right now. It's not strange no matter what the reason is."
"...Hm."
"Of course, I know what they're aiming for. We moved the Zombie epidemic that those Fang Bastards kept to the basement of the intelligence agency building. After realizing it was gone, they must be planning to retrieve it and proceed with the event today."
Ramin also briefly glanced out the window and said, "Isn't that dangerous?"
"They'll manage it well on their own. This is Vaseniol. The moment those guys cause trouble, they're as good as dead."
Gorgota crouched and walked down the corridor with quick steps, looking upwards. It sounded like footsteps were coming. Soon after, a gunshot was heard.
"It seems like something's coming down from the rooftop."
“What?”
"They seem to be using Helix Wings."
Gorgota quickly scanned the corridor in both directions and said, "My task is to keep you here, but this time, I'll use my discretion and try to escape from here with you. It would be great if the intelligence agency can hold things down, but currently, there are many undercover agents posing as intelligence agency staff, so..."
"Undercover agents?"
"The intelligence agency is more complex than it appears. About half of them don't even know they're undercover agents themselves."
"What about the other half?"
"They believe they're not undercover agents."
Ramin thought Gorgota was probably telling an intelligence agency joke.
They passed through the corridor and the central staircase.
"Let's head for the iron staircase outside. It's on the opposite side from where the attack is coming from, and since the guys coming down from the rooftop will prioritize clearing the interior..."
However, Gorgota then heard the sound of people running down the iron staircase.
Gorgota pressed against the wall and said, "Stay behind me. I'll handle this. When the door opens, lower yourself and..."
But before Gorgota could finish speaking, Ramin opened the door first.
Armed with a gun, a Fang agent wearing all black with a goblin mask saw Ramin and stopped for a moment at the unexpected situation. Ramin then pulled out the sword from the agent's hip and kicked the pit of their stomach.
Thud!
The Fang agent couldn't even let out a scream before falling to the ground. The agent behind the first one reflexively raised their gun, but Ramin's sword was faster. The hand holding the gun flew through the air.
Then a third agent raised their gun and aimed at Ramin.
Ramin jumped to the armless agent, using their body as cover, and then Gorgota appeared for their role. Two quick shots struck the head of the third and fourth agents, and the final shot went into the head of the armless agent.
Ramin pushed the slumped body off the staircase and let it fall to the floor.
Then she said, "I have another idea."
"What is it?”
"Since the rooftop is probably empty now, we could go up and use the Helix Wings they flew here with to escape. How does that sound?"
The Frogman, Gorgota, replied, "But for that, both of us need to know how to operate Helix Wings."
"You don't know how?"
"No."
"Then let's go up."
The two of them passed through the building where gunfire was ongoing and climbed to the rooftop through the exterior staircase. As expected, there were several Helix Wings on the rooftop. Then just when they were about to get on the Helix Wings, Ramin pointed to the sky.
"What's that?"
Something was descending toward the rooftop.
"It looks like a bird."
"No, that is… That person is..."
Before Gorgota could finish speaking, the winged figure lightly touched down.
It was a Garuda. He naturally walked over to the two of them.
Then Gorgota saluted.
"Intelligence Agent No. 15, Gorgota Falu, greets the third apostle, Mazdari."
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