### Chapter 392 – A Midsummer Night’s Dream (8)
—
– Han Kain
How fleeting are words?
Is there anything in this world more meaningless than promises?
Villains deceive for their selfish desires, while sages deceive for the greater good.
Thus, every human is skilled in lying, and changing the word “human” to “god or devil” wouldn’t make much of a difference.
I, too, am not an exception to this law.
Then, should I blindly distrust and antagonize every being I encounter?
Doing so would only turn the whole world against me.
One must discern when promises can be kept and when they cannot.
The criterion for such judgment is the alignment of interests.
If A and B’s interests align, there’s a high chance the promise between them will be kept without coercion.
If A and B’s interests collide, the only remaining question is who betrays first.
Before me lay two promises.
The devil that Icthus serves, Apollyon, promised to help me find my body falling from the sky.
The Bureau promised not to interfere until the devil finds my body.
I can trust the Bureau’s promise.
Their goal is to obtain the power to save the world from the hotel.
My return to the hotel and assistance to the two agents will likely increase the chances of fulfilling that purpose.
They keep their promise not because they are a good group, but because their interests align with mine.
What about Apollyon?
His goal is to control the mystical parrot, and this can be achieved without necessarily finding my body.
He could simply dominate the parrot’s mind with evil power instead.
In fact, using effort to find my body might attract the Bureau’s attention and endanger him.
…
If the interests of A and B clash, how can one ensure the promise is kept?
I learned this answer from the hotel as well.
You must align interests.
*
After Cain joined Icthus’s sect, faith took root in the heart of the mystical parrot.
This, indeed, was yet another miracle brought forth by the Great Father.
Icthus believed so.
“Icthus, may I offer some advice?”
“Haha! Cain, my friend, wise advice is my favorite. Don’t hesitate to share.”
The content of the advice was unexpected for Icthus.
Cain emphasized that the sect’s operational methods were overly outdated and shabby.
“Icthus, how about shaving your head and beard?”
“Friend, my appearance can leave a strong impression on the public—”
“And it leaves a strong impression on the Bureau too.”
“…”
“During gatherings, there are only about 150 attendees; isn’t that too few? According to the books, the total number of believers seems to be around 500.”
“There were many casualties when I was captured…”
“It’s more because their operational methods are too old-fashioned.”
That evening, Cain insisted on teaching “new generation evangelism” and took a few high-ranking believers on a trip to Seoul.
Two days later, the believers returned unexpectedly alongside several suit-clad individuals, passionately ranting.
After listening to the suit-wearers for a while, Icthus finally spoke up.
“So, what you’re saying is, the new believers are involved in multi-level marketing—”
“It’s not multi-level marketing; it’s network marketing!”
“Alright, network marketing. I understand, but why suddenly bring such people to the sect—”
The parrot, with a mystical appearance but the most mundane thoughts, chimed in.
“Icthus, assuming we should establish a church to worship the divine is a prejudice.”
Cain’s advice was straightforward.
Icthus often claims, “I am the son of a god,” leading the Bureau to send troops.
So first, gather as many people and money as you can through “network marketing.”
“No, it’s multi-level marketing—”
“Network marketing!”
“With our lack of capital and manpower, how do you propose running such a business…”
“Icthus, what’s there to worry about? With me around, we easily take over an existing business that’s already operational.”
“…”
Time passed as if possessed by a ghost.
By the time Icthus regained his senses, the sect’s believers were already deeply enchanted by ‘Legway’, their ‘network marketing’ scheme.
As Cain pointed out, if they made too much noise, the Bureau would notice.
Those who pointed this out were generally wise believers with social status and knowledge of the world.
However, Cain managed to sway them all in just a day, and it seemed the badge of rank had played a significant role.
“What’s that badge, Believer Park Jinsol?”
“Th-this is it, Icthus! This is the Diamond Rank, you know? From Legway—”
Cain began categorizing the believers.
The higher-ranked and skeptical believers received high ranks.
“Cain!”
“What is it when I’m incredibly busy?”
“What exactly is going on? Are you planning to turn the sect into a complete multi-level marketing company? That’s an act of breaking our unity!”
“Icthus, to grow an organization, you need to create ranks.”
“What do you mean?”
“Let’s calmly hear this out. What’s the plan? Disguise as a legal business to grow in scale?”
“…”
“But someone needs to know about the sect, right? We should set a standard for who that someone will be.”
Cain’s words sounded ridiculous yet strangely persuasive.
Just as Icthus was beginning to panic, the parrot who had transformed into a multi-level marketer handed over a small badge.
“What’s this?”
“Golden Triple Diamond. It’s the only one! I’m a Double Diamond, by the way.”
“…”
“It’s a rank that only you, Icthus, can obtain.”
Icthus’s eyes widened at the sight of three ‘real’ diamonds embedded in the golden badge.
Strangely, Cain’s plan began to seem trustworthy.
It wasn’t just because of the badge.
*
The next day, the believers gathered for the parrot’s speech.
The talking parrot, a miraculous being in itself, effortlessly captivated the audience.
“Who are we? The faithful sheep chosen by the great Apollyon?!”
…
“How have you lived until now? Trembling in fear every day? Flattened down, terrified of the wicked Bureau’s scoundrels?”
…
“It comes. The time has come! The moment of glory is here. Now, do you all see the badge on your chests? You all know you’re at least Platinum rank, right?”
…
“First, let’s make sure each household has a BMW! Do you know that the building in Bupyeong will be shared with all of you?”
…
“Loyalty! And more loyalty! To the infinite glory of Apollyon! BMW, Benz, Audi! Let’s goooooo!”
“Let’s goooooo!”
The believers shouted wildly with their eyes nearly rolling back.
Watching this spectacle, Icthus felt pure admiration.
He had never heard such blatantly mundane sermons before.
Yet, this sermon scratched an itch for the hidden desires of the believers.
Thinking back, it was only natural.
Who would want to live their entire life in a small rural village?
Especially when “we” are regarded as great people chosen by a true god?
They were merely huddled in fear of the Bureau’s tyranny.
Thus, the temptation to “grow our power by disguising as a legitimate business” was intensely alluring.
Of course, there were those who remained skeptical until the very end, and Icthus was among them.
Would hiding as a legitimate business really prevent outside intervention?
Such tactics might only work against the government of South Korea.
The Bureau never cared about laws as far as he was aware.
If anything seemed off, they’d shoot everyone down and spin a story of a gas explosion causing the deaths of 300.
But….
For the last five days, the Bureau had truly refrained from intervening.
This fact obliterated the last vestige of doubt within the sect.
“Icthus, it’s only natural.”
“Only natural?”
“It’s a saying; to hide a tree, hide it among the forest. You were easily discovered as you wandered around claiming to be the Second Coming of Jesus in Korea, a place he didn’t even step foot in.”
“…”
“So to establish the sect, network marketing is essential—”
“I could swear you’re saying we should start a business rife with fraud if we’re going to commit fraud.”
Following Cain’s speech, the bright atmosphere within the sect escalated beyond control.
*
Five days after the sect began to dream a new dream, Cain suddenly went berserk.
Suddenly, he stopped communicating.
Suddenly, he transformed into a monster and began throwing believers away.
Suddenly, he let out a bizarre howl during the gathering, causing the believers to flee in fear.
Suddenly, the brainwashing of the multi-level marketing businessmen began to wear off.
And in just a week, they were supposed to hold a presentation in the new building in Bupyeong!
The sect’s new dream required the parrot’s power to manipulate people with just a flap of its wings.
Icthus alone was far too insufficient.
At this moment, Icthus realized.
The sect could no longer turn back to its past.
Everyone’s hearts had been filled with the dream of “becoming rich!”
Though the parking lot in reality only had a tractor, in their hearts, they had all parked a BMW long ago.
Late at night, the believers eagerly clung to Icthus, insisting he must restore Cain.
Icthus could not refuse their request.
“…”
—Cawwwww!
“Cain.”
—Piyo! Clatter!
“I know you’re listening to me.”
“… Huh, Icthus?”
“Phew… Are you saying this chaos was your intent all along?”
“What do you mean intent?”
“Don’t dodge me. You made us reliant on you, didn’t you?”
“…”
“What exactly are you hoping for?”
Cain slightly opened his beak.
Icthus thought this might be Cain’s version of a joke.
“All you need to do is keep the promise we made at the start.”
“A promise?”
“From what I gathered, my body should fall from the sky sometime between dawn and lunchtime tomorrow.”
“…”
“All you need to do is find that.”
“…”
“Why are you acting like this? Isn’t that what we promised from the start? It’s as if you never intended to keep your promise…”
“Honestly. If you reclaim your body, your power would likely increase beyond what it is now.”
Would the sect still be able to control Cain once he became stronger?
Icthus swallowed that thought.
“Well, there’s an easy solution to that.”
“A solution?”
“Why not have Apollyon himself personally handle the body falling from the sky?”
“…”
“If I start thinking ‘irrational thoughts,’ I’m sure Apollyon will take care of it immediately.”
Icthus pondered Cain’s proposal step by step.
No matter how he thought about it, there were no gaps in Cain’s logic.
If Apollyon were to directly ensure the falling body of Cain was retrieved safely…
Then from that day on, Cain could never betray the sect.
If he tried anything funny, Apollyon would just destroy that body.
“I’ll speak to my father again.”
“Thank you.”
“… But calm today’s chaos first.”
“Of course.”
In the early hours of the morning, the mystical parrot apologized to the believers for the chaos caused by “a small mishap” and once again captivated them.
“Let’s goooooo!”
“Let’s goooooo!”
This time, everyone’s inner thoughts included owning their own apartment in Gangnam.
*
[Time: Han Gain]
[Date: Day 18]
[Current Position: —]
[Current Status: —]
– Han Kain
At long last, I retrieved the body I yearned for.
…
The status window was not normal.
Though I could make out the letters, they were jumbled, and above all, hazy.
Could it be because I was too far from the source of blessings?
Just then, as I felt a rush of refreshing clarity, the voice of the red devil echoed.
Are you prepared to serve me once again?
“…”
You will become my greatest devotee alongside Icthus—
The status window remained blurry and did not function normally.
It didn’t matter.
The power I intended to use from now on was only formally included in the status window, as it was not bestowed by the patron.
This power was created from the outset for a certain being to go beyond the hotel.
“Summon: 1 -> 0”
I promise a faithful serialization.
+
I can’t answer your question right away as it includes spoilers, but you’ll soon understand within the next two chapters.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.