Liam and I wandered into a building in the mountains, which turned out to be the headquarters of the Burning Association’s Korean Branch.
It hadn’t even been a month since the Korean Branch began operations, but the facilities were impressive, as if preparations had been underway long before.
“Here.”
We arrived at the Branch Director’s Room on the top floor, guided by Zhang Yao, a bodyguard who had proven his innocence.
The Branch Director’s Room didn’t look like an office at all.
It was filled with the latest TV, computers, gaming consoles, a pool table, and even building blocks. The room was packed with amusement.
“This would be perfect as a broadcasting studio.”
Even amidst tireless work, the thought of broadcasting popped into my mind. I must be turning into quite the broadcaster.
“Sit there. It’s comfortable.”
“Sure thing.”
Zhang Yao and I sat down around the guest table.
Meanwhile, Liam walked over to the left wall where an expensive-looking refrigerator stood.
He opened the fridge, peeked inside, and brought out three cans of cola—all lime-flavored zero cola.
“Here.”
“Thanks!”
Zero cola, of course. I was really thirsty after sweating a lot, so I popped the can open and gulped it down.
“Thanks to you too.”
Zhang Yao, who had been observing quietly, also extended his hands to express gratitude.
However, Liam tilted his head, not handing over a cola.
“Grateful? You should be fetching it yourself.”
“…You brought three cans.”
“Two are for my wife, and one is mine.”
“……”
Zhang Yao, experiencing Liam’s sharp wit for the first time, blinked in surprise and eventually fetched a drink from the fridge himself.
But to his shock, it was mango-flavored zero cola. Seeing that, Liam slammed the table and narrowed his brows.
“What are you doing? Why did you bring that?”
“I think it tastes better.”
“Oh, so you’re one of those people who can’t tell good flavor.”
“I don’t know what that means, but I’ll take it as a compliment. Thanks, flavor-impaired.”
It’s been a while since I’ve seen someone stand up to Liam like that. Zhang Yao’s earnest attempts at retorting in clumsy Korean were quite impressive.
I watched their bickering like a drama unfolding and finally spoke up.
“Let’s stop the small talk and discuss something constructive.”
At my words, both of them turned to me at once. The first to respond was Zhang Yao.
“Got it, Pope. I’m ready to spill everything.”
It seemed like he was willing to reveal even the secrets of the cult leader if I requested it. I found that attitude quite appealing.
Now, what should we talk about first? After a brief moment of contemplation, I answered.
“Then please tell me how you came to work under the leader of the Burning Association.”
“…Alright.”
With the mention of the cult leader, the neutral expression on his face cracked slightly, as if he didn’t want to bring it up.
Still, he didn’t refuse to testify and soon opened up.
“First, I should mention this. You might have noticed, but I’m a returnee. It’s been about a year since I returned.”
“What kind of world was it?”
Zhang Yao had been using powers that, within my knowledge, I couldn’t quite decipher.
The only certain thing was that it was a mana-based ability, but I couldn’t grasp any other details.
Naturally, I was curious about which world he had come from. This was a chance to broaden my horizons.
“The world I was in was a mobile game whose main income came from what you call ‘random draws.'”
“Random draws? What’s that?”
Liam, who had shown signs of boredom just three seconds into the conversation, asked me.
Fortunately, it was a subject I could talk about, so I shrugged my shoulders slightly and explained.
“It’s what you youngsters refer to nowadays as ‘gacha.’ In simple terms, it’s a system where you pay a certain amount of money to draw characters.”
My answer was undeniably that of a recent trend-savvy member of the MZ generation. Satisfied, I smiled slightly and added more.
“Nowadays, many mobile games incorporate the ‘gacha’ system.”
“Why?”
“Because that’s how they make more money. Gamers keep charging money until the character they want pops up, they can’t help but rake in the dough.”
“Aha.”
Liam nodded, as if he finally understood.
His reaction was almost identical to the one I’d shown after hearing Seo-yoon explain it a week ago.
‘Thank you, Seo-yoon.’
I felt like I was becoming an expert, having simply repeated what I’d heard. Is this what they call ‘small but certain happiness?’
“You really are smart.”
“Just the basics.”
As the couple chatted jovially, a blunt voice interrupted.
“You two sound like an old couple trying to catch up on the latest trends.”
“…….”
The first part was fine, but the second was a bit much. An old couple? Where would you find a young, handsome, and beautiful old couple like us?
“Quit with the nonsense and continue with what you were saying.”
“Got it.”
Zhang Yao quickly bowed his head and continued.
“Skipping the detailed circumstances and what I’ve experienced… I eventually figured out how to return to Earth and managed to come back safely. But another problem awaited me.”
“Is that the Burning Association and Haoran?”
“Exactly. That fatherless cult spread into my once-peaceful hometown…”
As Zhang Yao trailed off, he clenched his fists tightly. So tightly that blood flowed from his palms.
Just seeing his anguished expression gave me a hint as to how much the Burning Association had twisted his peaceful hometown.
“I was planning to rescue my family at all costs. As you’ve witnessed firsthand, hiding and disguising is my specialty.”
The abilities he had that distorted his presence and the technique of transforming into someone else’s appearance were definitely extraordinary. Just not effective against demigods.
“So, were you caught during the rescue?”
“Indeed. My ‘Omnipotence,’ honed through rigorous training, was no match for that immortal, Haoran.”
And so, Zhang Yao’s family was taken hostage, and he became a hunting dog, following Haoran’s orders.
The reason he entered Korea as Hwang In-goo’s bodyguard was due to Haoran’s command.
The actual mission was to turn Pope Clitia Eluke into a massacre artist…
That mission had already failed miserably. I took care of that myself.
“If the cult leader finds out, he will purge all the members here. I might be an exception due to my usefulness.”
As Zhang Yao concluded his tale, he grimaced while gulping his cola. Not content with just that, he also munched on some chocolate snacks that had been placed on the table.
Even while feeling down, he was still eating heartily.
I stared at Zhang Yao’s demeanor, lost in thought. Several plans and strategies came to mind, all of which were positive.
‘Isn’t the situation not so bad?’
Returnee Zhang Yao was never on the cult leader’s side. In fact, it seemed he loathed him.
The remaining cult members were more or less abandoned too. They were alive but would be purged upon returning.
Among them, especially Hwang In-goo, who had most diligently undergone “flame treatment,” had now become someone who would faithfully follow my words. At least, that’s how it seemed on the surface.
In other words, the members of the Burning Association’s Korean Branch were practically my subordinates, willing to be used.
Thinking this way gave me a solid grip on what to do next.
“Did a good idea strike you?”
At that moment, Liam, who had been looking solely at me, tapped my arm lightly. I gently grasped his finger and nodded.
“It seems the Sun is shining down on me.”
Haoran, you’re dead.
*
After formulating my plans in my head, I first instructed Zhang Yao to bring Hwang In-goo.
“You called for me!”
Hwang In-goo dashed into the Branch Director’s Room and immediately prostrated himself on the floor.
It felt more like flattering than being sincere. He even tried to lick my shoes, which made me freak out and ask him to get up.
“Are you a fanatic? It seems you’ve forgotten all about the cult leader already.”
As Liam watched, astonished, Zhang Yao furrowed his brows.
“That one is the lowest-ranked among the ‘lamp-bearers’ close to Haoran. The reason is just as you see. His faith is strong, but he lacks grit and determination.”
So while his feelings towards the cult leader were genuine, it seemed he was more terrified of my holy flames and thus was bowing down. It wasn’t a lack of flexibility, just a simple strategy.
“Hwang In-goo, I’ll be giving you instructions from now on.”
“Please, tell me anything. I’ll persuade the others to carry out your instructions to the best of my ability.”
“That’s a great attitude.”
Frankly, I didn’t care much for people who pledged such overwhelming loyalty, but it couldn’t be helped. I was going to use him once and then send him to prison anyway.
“So what should I do?”
“A clarification video. Create a video discrediting the contents from the video where you attacked me.”
In situations where someone was falsely accused, any words would feel like pitiful excuses. So, I decided not to do it myself.
Instead, I’d have the person who shot at me do the explaining. I’d sprinkle in some seasoning.
“Make sure to include that the previous video was coerced under threats that had Haoran hold his family, relatives, and friends hostage.”
With deception, I would respond with deception. They had shot arrows at me first, so now it was my turn.
“You can even cry if you want. In public opinion warfare, the one who cries first has the advantage.”
“A… ah, understood.”
Hwang In-goo hesitated for a moment but then bowed deeply.
Maybe he wasn’t your average zealot. It seemed he still had some loyalty left towards the cult leader.
This indicated that his treatment was not yet complete.
“I’ll mention this just in case—if you do anything strange, you’ll get burned again. Make sure to pass that message on to the others.”
“I understand!”
Finally, his senses seemed to have returned, and the hesitation vanished from this middle-aged man’s demeanor and actions.
After the tense Hwang In-goo hurried off to create the rebuttal video, I next gave Zhang Yao some orders.
“You mentioned you have a disguise ability.”
“That’s right.”
Zhang Yao’s Omnipotence resembled a natural phenomenon rather than an artificially induced power.
I heard that the characters he’d inhabited in the game ‘Cheona’ were candidates training to become kings of nature.
Hence, he wielded powers that surpassed magic. In simple terms, he was tapping into the divine realm.
Though it was incredibly challenging to handle, it was still impressive regardless.
“How long can that ability last? Can others easily see through it?”
“It lasts at least ten days. And unless it’s someone like your husband or that freak, Haoran, they will never see through it.”
“Can you possibly use it on someone else?”
“Yes, but it takes some time.”
“I see.”
With that, I felt confident I could plan something. I was quite satisfied.
“Alright, in a bit, Liam will conjure up the images of a male and female couple in mid-air, so please disguise us as them.”
“Understood. But why the need for that disguise?”
“Simple.”
I said with a smile stretching across my face.
“From now on, the couple causing chaos against the Burning Association in China will no longer be ‘Eluke’ and ‘Liam.'”
In any case, they certainly wouldn’t be.
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