Chapter 523 – Room 207, Gate Room – Fourth Trial: ‘Fallen King’ (9)
– Han Kain
Living life, you inevitably face moments where you have to grit your teeth and hang on.
Studying for college entrance exams or job hunting is a prime example.
No matter how torturous it is, you have to endure the pain of memorizing English vocabulary and solving math problems to reap the rewards.
After recovering the Kingdom of Dreams and wrapping up various tasks, I find myself at church right now.
This is precisely the time for me to endure and hang on.
“Long ago, Horus said: ‘You, small and young, do not hold back love for your neighbor. The love you spread today will become the rock that supports you in heaven.’”
It’s nice to hear about loving your neighbors and helping each other…
But who said that?
Could it be me?
“From the Book of Sophia, chapter 8, verse 7: As the dam collapses and the water leaks, Horus said, ‘Duties vary with position. Those in lower positions should give their all to daily labor, but those in power must have a broader perspective.’”
Did I really say that?
“Therefore, devout faithful must act per their roles. If you run even a small business, don’t get fixated on immediate profits; you need to cultivate a long-term vision—”
I’m turning red with embarrassment.
“From the Missa Manual, chapter 22, verse 7: Jealousy is the greatest seed of misfortune. With everyone having different possessions, if you start envying one by one what you lack, it leads to a lifetime of sorrow. Reflect on what you have and be thankful.”
What exactly is Horus doing to be spouting all this?
Feels like I’ve lived about 30 lifetimes and think I’ve figured out all the worldly truths!
By the halfway point, I couldn’t help but chuckle silently at it all.
Looking back, it seems Minah in the back row was already half asleep.
Given the context, Horus must have been summoned by Miro during his summons, but think about it.
He could only be summoned for an hour max, and that’s under some crisis.
Would that Horus have had time to galavant around Egypt and Europe blathering like a sage?
I’d bet it’s just the later priests collecting words that seemed plausible to them and starting the scriptures with ‘Horus said—’
Anyway, since every good word is being attributed to me, I just chuckled starting from midway.
“Eun-ho, fix your attitude.”
“… Sorry.”
“Don’t laugh too much.”
“Got it.”
It seems my giggles during the sermon made things awkward for the faithful in the adjacent seats.
Minah also chimed in.
What am I now?
The first deity in human history to apologize to a believer?
Let’s get serious.
I’m currently in the process of recovering the magical book and the divine sun, but this is only preparation.
What exactly is the real disaster of the fourth trial?
It’s that unidentified light coming down from the sky, bringing instantaneous destruction.
The essence of that light and how to block it is the crux of the trial.
“Hmm…”
The moment that light descends could be viewed as a sort of time attack.
Of course, there’s a chance it could be mitigated using an hourglass to hold off the light for a moment and then reverting to Grandpa’s one more chance…
But, I still couldn’t find that hourglass.
“…”
I believe I still have time to spare.
If they were planning to kick this off at the hotel right now, they wouldn’t have done so without claiming the inheritance and blessings.
How much time exactly remains is still uncertain.
If it’s a week, it’s too tight; a month would be pushing it, but doable.
With about six months or so, I could even take a holiday in between according to hotel standards.
Returning to the issue of recovering the divine sun, that leads to the primary concern of where it’s located.
I’d heard that the ‘mysterious items’ owned by the Horus congregation are mostly in America, so do I need to go all the way there?
This part requires a bit more contemplation—
“About 120 years ago, a very prominent incident occurred in Spain. Have you heard of the Spanish tragedy?”
Huh?
“The exact cause of the tragedy remains unknown; however, it’s certain that the incident dealt a significant blow to the Vatican. It was a time when the Vatican seemed like it would swallow the whole world, and it shrank back for nearly 50 years.”
So far, what he’s said is something I could find on the internet.
“Now, now! Faithful members, please maintain security from this point on!”
At this moment, the sermon took a turn to become more intense.
Since it was among believers, the atmosphere suggested that some words could be spoken without consequence.
“As you know, those bastards at the Vatican can be pretty nasty, right? They only consider the deity they worship to be a god and label all other great beings as demons! Those morons!”
The believers clapped as if they had been waiting for this moment.
The more devoutly religious seemed to have substantial grievances against the Vatican.
It appeared those who had just joined were somewhat taken aback but quickly started to adapt.
After all, anyone attending the newly established Horus church likely held some resentment towards established religions, right?
“But those bastards received their comeuppance, right? Let’s just say they got their karma! After 50 years of silence, a chance came knocking for our holy leader, Pope Sophia.”
Pope Sophia…
“Then, in the 1960s, the Vatican, which had been humble against its will, began to stretch its influence again. Thanks to that, emerging religions flourishing in Europe were wiped out in less than 20 years.”
If Europe is pushed out, then Asia is next in line, naturally.
“Sometimes frontal attacks, other times stealth! The Vatican continuously schemed for the downfall of all religions. Terror against high-ranking officials and plots to bury famous believers in society were just the beginning.”
Listening to the priest’s clear fury unsettled my mind.
No matter how much we were trying to resolve the issue, in the end, the Horus church is a congregation made by our comrades.
These people were those who looked up to me as a great presence as well.
“Eventually, seven years ago, a major incident occurred where Pope Sophia went missing!”
Pope Sophia has been the infallible leader in the church since the Horus congregation began its rejuvenation 120 years ago.
To the believers, this supernatural longevity was seen as ‘evidence of divinity,’ while to the Vatican, it was ‘proof of heresy.’
Within the congregation, her status was beyond anyone else’s reach except Horus.
Her overwhelming authority became problematic after her disappearance.
No one could take her place.
Thanks to that, the position of the Holy Pope has remained vacant for the past seven years.
Though unstated, the priests seemed convinced that it was the Vatican who made Pope Sophia vanish.
“Well, priest, today of all days, why are you talking about this nonsense?”
“Right?”
Because the story was so dreary, some believers began to feel uncomfortable.
It seemed to be common knowledge among the believers, and I felt like I was tripping down a familiar road.
However, this information was quite useful for me—
“… Huh?”
A sermon that was inconvenient for everyone but useful for me?
This particular sermon just happened to pop up while I was in attendance?
Could it be that someone in the congregation intervened for my sake—
— Rumble!
Suddenly, a thunderous clap shook the heavens!
Everyone turned their heads toward the window in surprise; ominous clouds filled the sky, making it dark even though it was morning.
“Ugh… What was that sound?”
“Sounds like thunder, but interestingly, there was no mention of rain in the forecast.”
“Haha, Mrs. Park, those weather folks never get it right, do they? You just watch—”
— Rumble!
Once more, the enormous roar seemed like it would explode the world awake.
This time, it was not just thunder.
Beep, beep!
You’ve got a call~!
Let it go~!
Cellphone ringtones rang out from all directions.
I sensed it.
This kind of call during such a situation couldn’t possibly be a normal chat!
“What the hell? I told you not to call while we’re at church—”
— Slap!
As a middle-aged lady next to me reached for her phone, I instantly slapped it out of her hand.
“Yikes! W-What are you doing, student?”
“Don’t answer!”
I immediately stood up and yelled around.
“Don’t answer! Hang up!”
As if they couldn’t hear me, people around began to rummage through their phones.
“Hello? What? Come outside?”
“Dong-sik, why are you calling so much—get out here, right now?”
“Don’t forget I said I was going to church this morning! So, huh? You want me to look at the sky?”
The content of the calls was all exactly the same.
Come outside.
Look at the sky.
Is this normal?
This looks like an apocalyptic scene!
— Crash!
Minah, sitting behind, hopped onto her chair and yelled like she’s lost it.
“Everyone, shut your phones! Something strange is happening, and we shouldn’t go out!”
This time, it didn’t do a thing.
Lost in a bit of a trance, it seemed like the teenagers joining the congregation were ignored.
“Can’t you move? I need to get out!”
“Please, everyone! Have a seat! Doesn’t something feel off about this situation?”
With a desperate expression, a priest blocked the exit.
Thank goodness there are others who are still maintaining their senses aside from me and Minah.
The problem is, there are only three rational people, while over a hundred are acting crazy.
“Come on! It’s urgent!”
“Get out of my way! Move!”
“Father Kim Myunghwan, can’t you listen to reason while we’re still being civil?”
“Please… Everyone, please snap out of it! There must be something weird about that phone call—”
“This freakin’ guy!”
In the flash of chaos, I quickly grabbed Minah.
“Do something! Like back at the café! Snap your fingers—”
“I don’t have the strength to make everyone sit back. Usually, that’s for chasing people away! What can you do?”
No matter how powerful my incarnation is, it’s too much strain to make hundreds of people sit at once!
“…”
Sure, the Horus church has some supernatural powers, but most of the members are regular humans.
If they go out there, surely they’ll face a rough time.
Generally, I wouldn’t care about the safety of NPCs while navigating through the hotel…
But this time, I didn’t want to be so ruthless.
These people had steadfastly believed in ‘Horus’ for many years.
“Minah, go tell the priest to turn off the lights.”
“What?”
It looks like the hypnosis isn’t too strong yet.
With just a minor shock, they can snap out of it temporarily.
— Snap!
With the lights in the vast auditorium switched off, the once agitated believers began to panic.
Some light seeped in through the windows, but the outside was equally dark thanks to the supernatural clouds.
“What? What’s going on? Did the power go out?”
“Oh dear! I need to get outside fast.”
“Father, you think I didn’t see? Turning off the lights like this—”
— Creak!
The sound of a window opening.
“Do not be afraid.”
Somewhat awkwardly, in a voice grating like metal scraping, the being speaking isn’t human.
Thus, this situation was bizarre yet extraordinarily holy.
“Since I have come to this place, do not be swayed by the weak temptations of demons.”
“What is this…?”
The believers were entranced.
The light hypnosis created by the phones had long broken free.
“Stay away from that beguiling voice. Stray from the path of death. I wish to protect you.”
As if they had been waiting, the priest earnestly shouted.
“Everyone, turn off your phones! I beg you!”
All the while, no matter how much Minah, I, and the priest begged, the others were adamant, but like magic, they quietly turned off their phones.
“Sit back down. Pray. The trend of the fallen has filled the heavens, but no matter how wild a storm may be, there comes a time for it to calm down.”
“Let’s pray. Let’s all pray.”
“Let’s pray! Everyone, let’s pray!”
“O Horus, may you protect this unworthy me and my family today…”
Finally calming the atmosphere down, I pulled Minah away.
“Let’s go!”
“Huh? Huh? Are we even allowed to go out? What’s the situation outside?”
“I saw enough.”
“You saw?”
Minah, looking confused, soon understood the situation.
“Oh, the parrot came in from outside? Through the parrot’s eyes—”
“Let’s just shut up and get out.”
Just as I was pondering how to handle the priest blocking the door…
“…”
With an utterly faithful expression, the priest clasped his hands and bowed his head.
“Whatever your will, may it be fulfilled.”
“….”
“To the great one, I bow in reverence. Even if I fail to be saved, may your will be done.”
*
As we dashed outside the church, I said to Minah.
“Get ready to fight!”
“What’s outside that we should be ready for—?”
“Just think of it as a hell full of monsters! Prepare your guns!”
Finally arriving at the main entrance and catching sight of the outside situation—he and Minah were momentarily speechless.
It was dark as if evening had settled in despite it being morning.
Wails of agony echoed from all directions.
A gathering of incomprehensible evils that spread throughout Seoul!
But just as I grimaced, my phone started ringing.
— Buzz!
I didn’t pick up, nor did I even touch my phone.
No need for that, as a familiar voice chimed in.
“How’s it going?”
“… You.”
“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? I still remember meeting you by the statue. I’m deeply sorry for not recognizing you back then.”
“Hong Go-hak.”
“Look at this. This is the reality we must endure. The true appearance of the world hidden by the Vatican’s murky veil.”
“Did you orchestrate this?”
“You’re too late. Tremendously late. Everything has devolved into irreversibility! The end is approaching. The doom of Seoul is just the beginning!”
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