RG 55

Following Eun Woojeong, we ventured deeper into Zone B-37.

After walking for about ten minutes past cracked roads and broken streetlights, the church building came into view.

We climbed up a tree close to the church’s wall to survey the interior. From the outside, the dark church seemed abandoned, but the occasional noises and footsteps confirmed that people were inside, just as Eun Woojeong had said.

“What do you want to do?”

Listening to Eun Woojeong, I calmly assessed the situation. Though the distance made it hard to be certain, there appeared to be about six people inside.

‘They’re all Awakened, but none seem to be S-class.’

Six Awakened individuals. Sneaking in was impossible.

However, leaving empty-handed after coming this far felt like a waste. Moreover, if they were connected to the research lab, as Eun Woojeong suggested, this was not something to ignore.

‘There must be a reason why six of them are gathered here.’

An old church in an abandoned neighborhood with six suspicious individuals inside—it was too fishy.

After some thought, I proposed to Eun Woojeong, “Let’s go in.”

“Head-on?”

“Both of us are wearing masks anyway. Sneaking in is impossible, and we can’t just leave them be. There’s only one option left.”

“True enough.”

Having made my decision, I jumped over the wall. Eun Woojeong followed suit, landing lightly behind me. There was no one outside the church. Although I was prepared for a confrontation, there was no need to cause a commotion just yet.

“Let’s go in quietly.”

“What about going in through the second floor?” Eun Woojeong pointed to a window on the second floor. It was reachable by climbing the decorations and bricks on the church’s exterior wall.

“Not a bad idea.” Agreeing with his suggestion, I leaped up once more.

I stepped on the first-floor window decoration and grabbed a protruding brick. Using my arm strength, I pulled myself up and grabbed the second-floor window decoration.

Seated on the second-floor window decoration, I checked inside. The room was empty, with no lights on.

Minimizing noise, I lightly punched near the window lock. Reaching through the broken glass, I unlocked the window and opened it.

“Come up.” I gestured to Eun Woojeong to follow me through the open window.

Instead of climbing like me, he pulled out a white chain from thin air, seemingly mocking my effort.

Clink!

The chain shot past me and wrapped around a drawer inside the room.

With the hook at the end of the chain secured, Eun Woojeong grabbed the chain and swiftly flew up. He landed gracefully in the room, his movements precise and smooth.

“…”

Unlike my struggle to climb up, Eun Woojeong had effortlessly ascended using a skill. It was incredibly annoying. If he could do that, couldn’t he have told me sooner? 

Seeing my irritated expression, Eun Woojeong nonchalantly shrugged. “What?”

“Never mind…” Talking to him would only irritate me more.

I sighed and turned away from him. The quicker I resolved this, the better it would be for my mental health.

Standing in front of the closed door, I listened closely. I could faintly hear footsteps in the distance, but it was clear that no one was on the second floor. Carefully, I opened the door and stepped into the hallway.

“This is…”

As soon as the door opened, a metallic smell hit my nose.

I instinctively wrinkled my nose at the foul odor seeping through my mask. Following me into the hallway, Eun Woojeong also remarked with displeasure, “It’s the smell of blood. A lot of it.”

“This isn’t just the smell of a simple injury. It’s much more…”

The stench was so thick and putrid that it made my stomach churn. It was the smell of decomposing bodies.

“This is definitely not a smell you’d expect in a regular church.”

“Let’s check it out.”

We moved silently down the hallway towards the light seeping out from the end. As we got closer, the sounds of conversation and footsteps became clearer.

Crouching, we slipped out of the hallway and into the church’s interior. We were on the second-floor outer corridor, looking down into the main worship hall on the first floor.

The hall was lined with long pews, and at the front, a pulpit was set up. A cross with dried bloodstains was prominently displayed above the pulpit.

Seeing the flickering candlelight reflecting off the bloodstains made my skin crawl. What on earth had happened here?

I was about to examine the place further when the sound of a door opening and approaching footsteps made me freeze.

“Hide.”

I quickly pulled Eun Woojeong behind a pillar. Moments later, several people filed into the worship hall.

Fortunately, they were too engrossed in their conversation to notice us.

“Is the offering safely transported?”

“Yes. The convert who arrived two days ago confirmed the successful transfer.”

Two days ago… that must be the man Eun Woojeong mentioned, Kim Sangmin. So he really was involved with these people.

The man who seemed to be the leader muttered in a low voice, “We need more offerings.”

Given that he was the only one in a black ceremonial robe, he might be the pastor. If so, this church could be under his control.

“The day is approaching. We mustn’t fall behind others if we want to serve Him closely.”

“But… there aren’t many places left to find offerings.”

“Then go outside the Zone and hunt. The world is chaotic, and there are plenty of wanderers. We need to find healthy offerings to pray… wait.” The pastor abruptly stopped talking and snapped his head up. My eyes met his as I leaned against the pillar, observing the situation. 

“An offering has walked right in.” Grinning widely, the pastor pointed at us and shouted, “A new offering. Capture them immediately!” His pitch-black eyes gleamed eerily in the candlelight. “If they resist, kill them and bring their bodies.”

The men around him followed his orders, looking up at us in unison. I gave a bitter smile.

‘I expected a fight, but I didn’t anticipate dealing with some cult-like maniacs.’

In any case, I had no other choice. To find out if they were connected to the research lab, I had to subdue them all and search the church. As I drew my sword from the inventory, Eun Woojeong unexpectedly spoke first.

“Need some help?”

“What were you planning to do if not helping?”

“I don’t know. Watch?”

“As a decent human being, shouldn’t you help a bit?”

“Should I?”

After ending the pointless conversation with Eun Woojeong, I leaped down the hallway. Thud, as I landed on the first floor, several murderous intents were directed at me.

The men standing in front of the pastor pulled something from inside their jackets: rusty kitchen knives and hand axes. Quite the variety of weapons.

No matter how messed up the world is, I had never heard of a religion that sacrificed sane people. As I raised my sword, taking a deep breath, the pastor spoke, “Don’t waste your strength. Humble yourself. The end is the same anyway.”

“What?”

“We’re offering you a quicker path to peace.”

What kind of nonsense is this? I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

“Of all the recruitment pitches I’ve heard, this is the worst.”

With my response, the man at the front screamed and charged at me.

“Raaah!”

Clang!

His sloppy swing with the bloodstained kitchen knife was easy to deflect. As soon as I knocked it aside, the man charged at me again.

“Grrr, argh!”

More than their lack of skill, what bothered me was their behavior. They should have realized I was stronger, yet there wasn’t a hint of hesitation in their attacks.

Clang!

Through the crossed blades, I could see the man’s wide-open, bloodshot eyes filled only with rage and hatred. His obsessive intent to kill me and offer me as a sacrifice was clearly abnormal.

Could they have been brainwashed? The pastor’s obsession with sacrifices was bizarre, but the men’s blind obedience to his commands was equally disturbing.

‘Yeah, this is…’

These men were more like monsters, driven purely by instinct to hunt prey, rather than rational humans.