Eijareu put on the translation artifact again and said.
“My homeland was forsaken by God. That is why I began this service for you.”
The crowd murmured.
“What, what is this supposed to be?”
One person stepped forward, trembling and stammering, and shouted.
“No, how do we know if you’re just acting! Are you not a fraud!”
At those words, Eijareu looked at Hong Juyeon.
“Are the residents ready?”
“Chief. This isn’t what we promised.”
He spoke with a smile.
“It wasn’t going to last long anyway.”
“Haaa.”
She nodded.
She checked her phone and stared to the side.
“They’ve arrived. There they are.”
All eyes were drawn.
A minibus arrived, and the village residents who had been with him got off with disgruntled expressions.
Their unique attire and different appearances, which could not be concealed, made it impossible to deny.
“Uh, uhh?”
Eijareu looked at the dumbfounded people and said.
“As you know, God is cunning. Greedy and selfish.”
At the Chief’s ruthlessly critical words, the people regarded Eijareu strangely.
“A-aren’t you also something like a priest, Chief?”
“No. I am merely a chief. Did we ever demand faith?”
“Ah, no.”
“Did we demand offerings?”
“Ah, no.”
“It is but one thing.”
Eijareu held up one finger.
“Half of what you cherish and possess—that is the only payment plan for this service. Please believe in me, not God. I am an alternative prepared by those betrayed by God to stop Him.”
The people were confused.
The declaration that they did not need to believe in God, even though holy power—the power God bestowed—was what they received.
In the end, one person who could not understand shouted at the Chief.
“No, if God gives it, isn’t it holy power?! What kind of dog-shit nonsense is this?!”
“God, you say?”
The people tilted their heads in confusion but shook them.
“The foundation of this service is your hearts. Please do not deny it. Think of only one thing. As long as the name of this service remains, your holy power will forever be yours.”
The people stared at Eijareu blankly.
Another streamer broadcasting this live streamed it exactly as it was.
“I promise you clearly. Just as we endured and overcame even when God abandoned us. We will not abandon you, and we will not give up on you.”
He smiled benevolently and released holy power. A vast golden sun illuminated the surroundings.
It made everything around them look like suns with a soft light.
“Aujareu is eternal. As long as our precious customers are here.”
He gave a light greeting and moved to meet the residents who had come out for the first time in a while.
“It’s been a while, brothers and sisters?”
“Priest?”
Sinhyeok, who came out late, was speechless at this sight.
“He really caused a massive accident.”
Arin also agreed with those words.
“Mister, if the Commander finds out about this, I think he’ll kill us.”
“Of course.”
Sinhyeok felt someone sneaking forward.
“Who? Ah, Hong Ichan?”
Hong Ichan was looking at the priest.
Eijareu took the residents and moved toward the headquarters.
Ichan met eyes with the priest.
“Brother.”
“Aren’t you afraid?”
“Well. Rather, I feel refreshed. It would have been revealed eventually anyway. I wonder why we hid it. Haha.”
At those words, Hong Ichan fiddled with the necklace hanging around his neck.
“Brother. I will cheer for you. I hope you find peace of mind someday.”
Eijareu said only this and went inside with the residents.
Hong Ichan remained and watched the murmuring protesters.
“Hyung, I want to do an interview now.”
Sinhyeok reached out his hand at the sudden, maddening sense of foreboding.
“Hey?! Hey, hey!”
But it was already too late.
Ichan jumped forward.
“No! Don’t expose that! Hey! You bastard! I didn’t ask for that much!”
Ichan gazed at the people and continued his second revelation.
“Wh-what now?!”
Ichan abruptly ripped off his necklace and shouted.
“I want to denounce those demon bastards!”
Black skin and unusually long ears clearly revealed. The people fell silent.
“Demons… those bastards are the scum of the— mmph mmph!”
Fearful of the cleanup, Sinhyeok and Baek Arin hurriedly clamped their hands over Hong Ichan’s mouth.
“I’m sorry! He’ll talk about it next time!”
“We’ll talk about this next time!”
“Mmph mmph!”
Ichan, finding a tiny opening, suddenly shouted.
“Demons are f**king trash! Because of that bastard, I— mmph mmph!”
Sinhyeok threw him toward the headquarters and said.
“You little brat, I said the timing isn’t right!”
“What! So what! I feel so refreshed!”
At Hong Ichan’s hearty appearance, both Arin and Sinhyeok were lost for words.
“I’m not disguising myself anymore!”
He coolly put away the necklace and laughed refreshingly.
“Hahahaha!”
People chased after that spectacle and took photos.
“Jackpot, jackpot! A demonfolk appeared!”
“I knew it! Those demon bastards have been stringing us along!”
Ichan scurried toward the door and urgently shouted.
“Don’t believe those f**kers, everyone! Mmph!”
Sinhyeok covered his mouth again and quickly bowed politely before exiting.
“Kehyahyahya!”
Sinhyeok clicked his tongue seeing him burst into wild laughter.
“You said you wouldn’t.”
“You’re the one who asked me to do it from the start.”
Hong Ichan, feeling refreshed, grinned slyly.
“That was supposed to be with my face covered.”
“Well, that’s what it is. Ah! So refreshing!”
Baek Arin shook her head side to side.
“That lunatic.”
“Ha! So what!”
Hong Juyeon appeared late and checked that Hong Ichan was a dark elf.
“You! What are you?!”
“Me? Dark Elf, Sergeant Hong Ichan?”
“Damn! What the hell!”
She was greatly flustered at not having confirmed the hidden factor.
The flustered woman looked back and forth between the two bombs.
“Why on earth are you doing this?”
“Just because?”
“Wasn’t it fun?”
Hong Ichan and Eijareu spoke while smiling.
“I’m going crazy.”
The existence of another race officially revealed for the first time.
This was quite a shock.
Buzz.
Her phone began ringing like crazy.
When she stealthily checked, it was her superior.
In a daze, she flung her phone.
“I don’t know.”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t know! Don’t talk to me! I’m quitting this damned job!”
* * *
As the shocking facts spread, the Association President, who witnessed them, trembled.
“Hoo, it’s just a video. This much information isn’t a problem.”
A secretary entered to report on this.
But seeing him trembling, she changed her words.
“Have you checked?”
“Ah, this is fine. Anyway, as long as that potion disappears, it’s settled. Did you find it?”
She nodded.
“Not long ago, I Gang-yeol appeared at the Hanha Group warehouse and slathered it in magic before leaving, or so they say.”
The Association President immediately got a feeling.
“Find it! Send everyone immediately and raid the place!”
“Yes sir.”
The Association President deliberately ignored the changing flow of the media.
“It’s just a petty trick.”
He bit his nails, ignoring it in an attempt to suppress his rising anxiety.
“I have to do this. Before that damned demon comes, I have to prepare in advance.”
Within his impatient heart, the Association President expected good news.
* * *
The Novasis Guild, which had been wandering the provinces for a while, received secret orders from the Association.
“Yes yes. We will handle it swiftly.”
The Guild Chief held the phone and bowed repeatedly.
“Yes~ I’ll handle it immediately and report back.”
The guild members all watched his suspiciously submissive appearance.
“What is it, Guild Chief?”
He looked at the guild members with a meaningful smile.
“What else could it be! It’s a lifeline from above! Hey! Turn the bus around!”
The Guild Chief shared the orders he had received.
“We’re disposing of Aujareu’s Awakening Potion.”
Everyone’s eyes sparkled at the hot topic of late.
“What’s in it for us if we dispose of it?”
The Guild Chief immediately told them.
“Guarantee of at least B~A rank Gates.”
“Damn.”
These were Gates where the money involved was on an entirely different scale.
They all smirked and took on greedy expressions.
“If you understand, let’s go immediately. Everyone wear your suits and don’t forget stealth mode.”
He checked the contents continuously shared via text.
‘There are two more groups besides us? Tch.’
“They’ll be divvying it up.”
The bus arrived at the designated location and the Guild Chief got out and stretched.
“Kkeu-eung. The weather is really nice.”
While he was stretching, the window of a black SUV beside him smoothly rolled down.
A woman in tough attire looked at the Guild Chief.
The Guild Chief flinched at her armed appearance.
“Hey. Ugly guy.”
The Guild Chief was slightly intimidated by the fluent English.
“Wh-what?”
She smirked and spoke to him in clumsy Korean.
“Scared?”
“Why you! Do you want to die?! Who do you think you’re talking to right now?!”
As he was about to flare up in anger, she playfully raised both arms in surrender.
“Sorry sorry~ We were also sent by the Association. Together kill? Okay?”
She pointed to the vehicle behind as well.
“They’re together too.”
Visible through the front windshield, they were Black people.
Everyone got out of the car and began putting on equipment.
“Well, that kills the mood.”
The Guild Chief urgently knocked on the bus at the intimidating momentum.
Heavily armed guild members got off, and everyone looked with subtle gazes.
“How’s that. Our class.”
“Good. But is the battery for that sufficient?”
Cha-chak.
She checked her firearm and placed two swords at her waist.
“Ha. Very sufficient.”
After waiting a moment, the other guilds mentioned by the Association arrived.
“Hey mister. Is this some kind of meeting plaza?”
The Novasis Guild Chief checked those who arrived after.
“Hongyeom?”
“Yeah. I heard there was delicious dessert, so I came.”
“Tch. Who else is coming?”
“The Black Wolf is coming too~”
Not long after those words, another bus arrived.
“Everyone’s here.”
The Novasis Guild Chief pointed at the factory and warehouse 3km away.
“You all know, right? It’s over there.”
He pointed to the factory location that the Association had identified.
“They said it doesn’t matter whether you destroy the goods or take them, so handle it as you please, and they said don’t get caught and deal with it properly, so everyone do as you please, okay?”
Everyone nodded.
Dozens of personnel targeted just one of Aujareu’s potions.
Everyone checked the time and waited appropriately.
“The sun will set soon.”
The guild chiefs chatted idly with each other as they waited for it to get dark.
“But does Novasis with all its experience need this kind of grunt work?”
The Novasis Guild Chief spoke irritably at the Hongyeom Guild Chief’s question.
“Damn. Are you mocking me? The Association President scolded me, saying I messed up last time. Damn bastard.”
“Kekekeup. Then you should do better!”
“Ah yes. Quiet down before I smash your head in.”
“Kihkihkih.”
The Black Wolf Guild Chief spoke to the two while thinking about this mission.
“But even though we’re Association directors, I wonder if we need to do this kind of thing too. Is it really necessary? Aren’t we already on the rise?”
At those words, the Novasis Guild Chief looked at him as if pitiful.
“On the rise, my ass. It looks that way on the outside. But you know if you scratch the surface. The slice they’re taking is still considerable.”
“Ahh.”
“Look. Same with clearance rights. No matter how many C-ranks you close. Leveling up? That? It gets solved after a few B-rank raids. Even farming goes better. The army still holds the mother lode.”
Everyone nodded at his explanation.
“The Association President hates seeing that. So everyone, let’s put in some effort. The Association has to do well for us to live well too.”
Everyone nodded.
“I think we can go now.”
It had gotten quite dark.
Everyone looked at the darkened surroundings and slowly got ready.
“Kids. Turn on stealth.”