Episode 6

   

   

   3.

   

   To be honest, I didn’t really believe Team Leader Kim when he said he’d send me home quickly.

   I thought, “How can they let me go home so easily when they’ve been called to a National Security Council meeting?

   But it didn’t take long for me to realize that Team Leader Kim was telling the truth.

   “You’re home.”

   It had been exactly three hours and twelve minutes since I had been questioned about my reasons for revealing my power.

   I was allowed to return home without any inhibitions.

Of course, there really wasn’t “nothing” done.

From the moment I stepped out of the luxury limousine a few moments earlier, I had felt the presence of quite a few agents.

They were all disguised as ordinary people, but it wasn’t too difficult to detect them.

   For me, detecting magic is many times easier than lying down and eating rice cakes.

   Eating rice cakes while lying down would choke me, but detecting magic power was as simple as breathing.

   And already, the Minister of Ability Management has personally handed me a temporary ID card and told me about the agents that will be stationed around my house.

   

-For the time being, agents will be stationed around Mr. Shi Yu’s house. I know you must feel bad, but I promise you in my name that no harm will come to you. It’s unprecedented for an Irregular to appear in our country, so please forgive us for our lack of response.

   

   This is coming from a man who is a minister.

Of course, I may have made the Emperor of the Empire, the King of the Dwarves, the Regent of the Elves, and other such high offices tremble in the Otherworld, but that is partly due to my own unique status at the time.

   Back then, I was the Pope of the Order of Limen, the Apostle of Limen, the First Order that saved the continent from destruction.

But on Earth, I’m still just a ticking time bomb whose identity hasn’t been properly confirmed.

   In such a situation, if a minister or someone else bowed down and asked me to do something, why would I refuse?

   Besides, they haven’t done me any harm yet by using their authority.

In this case, it’s all good.

   I’m suspicious of the ridiculous promises that they’d rather leave me alone, but I’m not offended when they’re upfront like that.

   Besides, I have more important things to worry about right now.

   Anyway.

   I walked into the living room, kicking off my shoes, and soon In Wook walked out of the room, his dark circles clearly visible, looking tired.

   “Hey, you’re home so fast. Long training tomorrow?”

“No? I didn’t hear that?”

   “You said it was for a week.”

   “Well, it’s supposed to be a week, but I’m not eligible.”

   “Why.”

   “Because I’m being considered for reclassification.”

   In Wook’s eyes widened at my words.

   “Really? In one day? That’s how easy it is?”

   “You know the Chaos Gate? I’m pretty sure they’ll take care of everything since I single-handedly destroyed that one… and reclassified as an Irregular.”

Irregular, irregular.

It wasn’t a word that just rolled off the tongue, and it was an awkward word for me, so it didn’t feel natural.

But apparently not to In Wook.

   “Say it again, hyung. What grade?”

   “Irregular.”

“……If you mean the Chaos Gate, do you mean the Yeouido Gate that disappeared this morning, the one you walked out of yesterday?”

   “How did you know the gate disappeared?”

My brother sighed as he showed me his cell phone.

   

   “October 12, 11:42 a.m.: The C-42 gate that appeared in Yeouido Hangang Park is now closed as of this time. The evacuation order for Mapo Bridge and surrounding roads will be lifted at 6 p.m.”

   

   I let out a small exclamation as I stared at the text.

   “The world has gotten better. Do they send disaster texts like this nowadays?”

   “Did you really do this?”

   In Wook’s voice filled with disbelief.

   This is what brothers are like, endlessly distrusting each other.

   In fact, I didn’t expect him to believe me all at once.

   Until this morning. I can see the look on In Wook’s face when I told him I was going to be reclassified.

   But before I could explain, In Wook suddenly turned serious and nodded.

   “You don’t look like you’re lying by the look on your face.”

   “What’s wrong with my expression?”

   “Do you know, you look like a kindergartner who can’t wait to show off. It’s exactly the same as when you brought Grandma your first paycheck.”

   “…… Really?”

   Should I swear at him or not?

   I thought about it for a moment, but decided to let it go because it wasn’t important right now.

   Whether I was thinking about it or not, In Wook continued, his expression growing more serious.

   “Actually, if what you said yesterday was true, I thought you’d get an Irregular rating………… Is it true?”

   “Do you even know what an irregular is?”

   “I kind of know. Officially, four in the US. Two in Europe. 2.0 in China. They’re people who have no magic, but have the power of a Disaster-class or higher, and the power of a top-ranked player.”

   “Why are there 2.0 in China?”

   “Oh, that?”

   In Wook nodded in response to my innocent question.

   “The other Irregulars were certified by releasing their power detection process and combat footage, but the returnees who claimed to be Irregulars in China didn’t release their combat footage. They claim to be four, but I’m not sure, so I count them as half a person and call it 2.0. It’s kind of a meme.”

“Hmm. After all. It’s China.”

   “It’s China.”

   Not much different from five years ago.

   By the way, listening to In Wook’s story, it seems like he knows what an Iregular is, but why is he so calm?

   He doesn’t seem to be thrilled that his brother is being recognized as Korea’s first Irregular.

   I wonder if he’s picking up on my thoughts.

   In Wook shrugged and said.

   “I’m not really surprised that someone I thought was dead came back from the other world, so I’m not surprised that he’s an Irregular. It’s just that it doesn’t feel real.”

   This makes me think In Wook has a strong mind, or maybe he just has a weird mind.

   Anyway.

   That’s when I briefly told him what happened this morning.

   In Wook, who listened to the story in silence, nodded his head and asked me.

   “So, what are you going to do from now on, hyung?”

   “Nothing.”

   I looked at the screen in front of me as I answered In Wook’s question.

   [The DLC update is complete!]

   [Causality approves the application of this update].

   [<DLC: The Pope> content is now live on your system].

   [<Command: Cult> will be added to your permissions……]

   The damn update I’ve been waiting four hours for.

   Let’s see what the hell this guy is.

   “Cult.”

   

   4.

   

   The system I used in Eden has been the same for a decade.

   There were no levels, but instead, skill levels, titles, and stats.

   This made progression a bit easier. It was a good game system, in many ways, both in terms of motivation and convenience.

   It’s a system that hasn’t changed in 10 years.

   Considering Limen’s last words, “It’s from Earth!”, it’s probably not that different from other players’ systems.

   But this was the first system window I’d seen in the ten years since I’d gotten it, and I swear on Limen’s life.

   

   [Cult of Limen]

   ●Goddess: The Goddess of the Beginning – Limen

   Plane of Origin: Eden

   Number of followers: 1

   -Possesses- Traits

   Not applicable

   -Subsidiary Collective

   Not applicable

   

   This is awesome.

   When I look at this, it reminds me of a spare rib.

   You know, the kind of ribs where there’s no flesh attached to it, just a bunch of bones.

   Just as I was about to curse at its hideous ugliness, I saw a couple more message windows pop up in front of me.

   

   [The goal of the <DLC: The Pope> is to gain as many followers as possible. You’ll earn Divinity Points every time you expand your territory or complete a hidden achievement. Earned <Divine Points (DP – hereafter) can be spent in the <DLC Shop>].

[Items available for purchase in the <DLC Store> increase in proportion to the number of followers of your Cult].

   [Currently available items]

   【Talents】

   1. Benevolence Lv.1: Blessed by the benevolent goddess, all members of your cult gain 1% skill experience. If the target is not a player, there is an extremely rare chance that it will awaken as a player.

   *Price: 100DP

   Special Office

   N/A (Purchase limit unlocked: 10,000 followers)

   

   “This is kind of new, you want me to fill in the blanks?”

   It wasn’t that hard to understand the system.

   It seems like the concept is to help me grow on Earth, just as it helped me grow in Eden.

   In addition, the element that can help the Church grow is implemented in the store system.

   It’s a very different system from Eden, so I’m definitely intrigued by it.

   And the most notable part of that system is the <Benevolence> characteristic that you can buy with 100 DP.

   “What’s wrong with you?”

   That’s right. In Wook was in front of me, right?

   I’m curious, so I ask him right away.

   “In Wook, what’s the current player ratio?”

   “I don’t know the exact number, but I heard that there’s one awakening per 1,000 people every year.”

   “So in Korea, about 50,000 people awaken in a year?”

   “Fifty thousand a year.

   That’s not as many as you’d think since a lot of people die at the gate or something.

   “Something like that.”

   “Is there any criteria?”

   “No. It’s really random. Sometimes, a homeless guy in Seoul Station will suddenly awaken; sometimes, the son of a chaebol will awaken. It’s just really random. Scientists and statisticians have tried, but they can’t find a connection.”

   Really?

   In Wook must really be an expert in this area. He’s obviously picked up a lot of knowledge from editing vlogs, and he gives me the answer I want.

   I nodded in satisfaction, then asked In Wook in a low voice.

   “So, what if I told you that I have the ability to turn you into a player?”

   “Are you crazy? If there was such an ability, I’d be drooling all over America or China, and I’d give you my liver, my lungs, my heart, my kidney, my brain. Are you kidding?”

   “I think I can.”

   Isn’t this why I don’t like smart kids?

   As soon as In Wook heard my answer, he suddenly grabbed both of my hands and said.

   “Bro. I’ve always wanted to be a player, so why not? No, I shouldn’t be doing this. With that ability, I could go anywhere in the world…….”

“Listen to the end of my explanation.”

   I restrained an excited In Wook and gave him a brief explanation of what the ability was.

   I must have spent about five minutes doing so.

   In Wook, who had roughly grasped my new system, said, his eyes still shining.

   “I know I’m not a player, so it’s hard for me to relate to the system, but…… is that you can unlock new abilities as you gain more believers.”

   “More or less, right?”

   “Isn’t it possible that as you increase the number of believers and unlock them, you’ll also unlock traits that can definitively awaken you as a player?”

   You’ve already thought ahead.

   In Wook definitely has a point…….

   

   [Congratulations, your cult has a new member!]

   [Quest <Cult Founding> Progress: 2/10,000]

   

   Huh?

   I was staring at the message window with a puzzled expression.

   In Wook, who had been tired and exhausted just a room ago, spoke to me with a voice that was hotter and more enthusiastic than ever.

   “What are you doing, Hyung? I’m already ready.”

   “……ready for what?”

   “Ready to evangelize with fervent faith.”