Please Stop The Pope

Limen had promised to send a missionary herself, and we thought that would solve everything.

But the problem came from an unexpected source.

   “Mr. Shi Yu. The gate here has already been bid on, so…… it’s a bit difficult for us to actively help you.”

   “That’s a shame.”

   “We can send a letter asking for their cooperation. But the ownership has already been transferred to a private party, and on top of that, they’ve already paid for it.”

This is the same cafe in our neighborhood where we talked about the Baek Myeong churchdge last time.

   Here, Team Leader Kim was looking at his tablet PC with a puzzled expression on his face.

   “This C-51 gate in Anyang has already been auctioned off five days ago, so we can’t just take it back now, or the National Association for Awakening People might react strongly.”

   “Can’t I just clear the gate by myself and give you all the by-products?”

“As you know, small, C-rated Chaos Gates are a great growth engine for Awakened, which is why large guilds with deep pockets are actively bidding for them.”

   In other words, they’re bidding to level up.

   There was no concept of “level” as an overarching system, but there were “skill levels” and “stat levels”.

   This didn’t make too much sense to me, as I’d leveled up naturally in Eden by killing demons and fiends.

   I nodded and took a sip of water.

   “I’m in trouble.”

   “If Shi Yu’s reason is simply that you want to take down a Gate, we can give you the right to take down a Gate that hasn’t been auctioned yet.”

“So this is…… haha.”

   It was nice of Limen to send an Eden missionary to this side of the world for me.

   I needed someone to preach for me, too.

   But why was the delivery coming through a gate that belonged to the owner?

   “The winning bidder for Gate C-51, the Goblin Guild, is a large guild, ranked fourth in power in Korea. They have an international reputation and are often sent overseas, and they have a major sponsor, Wired Group, so they have a lot of money.”

   To summarize Kim’s explanation, it’s a guild with a lot of power.

   I’ve already heard enough from In Wook about guilds.

   A player-driven interest group that plays a key role in the new social structure reorganized around players.

   Of course, guilds aren’t just for Hunters.

   There are guilds with various personalities, starting with guilds of production players who can craft equipment used by Hunters.

   It’s not that I don’t understand that there are guilds in this world.

The question is, why is it that the fourth-ranked guild in the world, the one I’m supposed to be going to, won the gate?

That’s just bad luck.

   “Well, the Goblin Guild just got some new recruits through a recruitment drive, so I’m guessing they’re planning to train them through Gate C-51.”

   Team Leader Kim quickly gave me a quick summary of the current situation, then asked me in a cautious voice.

   “Do you mind if I ask, why does it have to be the C-51 gate?”

   I answered Kim’s question straightforwardly.

   “There’s someone who needs to come through that gate.”

“Someone ……? Another returnee?”

   “He’s not a returnee, but an alien, an alien, I guess you could call him that.”

   Team Leader Kim seems at a loss for words.

   He stares at me, eyes narrowed, and only after draining the espresso in front of him does he speak.

“If I’m not mistaken, aliens arrive on Earth through a gate. Is that correct?”

   “You heard me right, a missionary is being sent from Eden to do missionary work on Earth.”

   “And what about the race of ……, are they not human?”

   “I don’t know. The person I serve says it’s a secret.”

   “Oh.”

Once again, Team Leader Kim was at a loss for words.

   How can you say something you don’t really know?

   At a loss for words, I asked Kim a blunt question.

   “Do you think there are other species on Earth?”

   He nodded his head and pointed his finger upward.

   “If you jump in the car right now and drive two hours, you can meet them.”

   “Where?”

   “Just cross the Demilitarized Zone and you’ll find us.”

   “Oh, is it in North Korea?”

   “Technically, it’s in ‘what used to be North Korea’. We like to call it the ‘Lost Land’, because it’s already been taken over by a lot of different alien tribes, and technically, they’re aliens too, aren’t they?”

   You’re right.

   Even if they weren’t necessarily extraterrestrial humans, I think it’s fair to call them extraterrestrials if they came from another world.

   “The problem is that all of the personalities that appeared on Earth through the Gate have shown enmity towards humanity, so we treat them as monsters. In other words, those ‘missionaries’ that Shi Yu mentioned are…….”

   “Does that mean that if our friends from the Demon Guild or something see them, there will be a battle?”

   “That’s right, especially the humanoid monsters, because the experience and rewards are huge.”

   At this point, a question reared its head.

   With a slight frown, I turn to Team Leader Kim.

   “The Returnees are technically individuals from the Chaos Gate.”

“That’s a special case. When returnees come back, a special wavelength is detected by the Gate, which is why we were able to go and get Shi Yu.”

   In other words, there was an indication.

   Afterward, Team Leader Kim and I talked for a while.

   We wondered if there were indeed aliens crossing over, and if so, if they would be favorable to us.

   There was a clear difference between me, an Earthling and a Korean, coming back to the gate, and an alien coming to Earth.

   How long did we talk about it?

Finally, we came to a conclusion.

   “I’ll go to the demon guild myself, but can you contact them?”

   “Of course I can.”

   When things get complicated, keep it simple.

A thirsty man digs a well first.

   I suppose I could just show up tomorrow and force my way in, but this is a gate that has been duly bid on.

   If we force our way in, the Limen Order will no longer be a religious organization, but a gang.

   Team Leader Kim nodded for a moment, then made a phone call somewhere.

   They talked for maybe a minute.

   Kim asked me, looking away from the phone for a moment.

   “If you don’t mind, he wants you to come to the site right away.”

“Who is it?”

   “The head of the Goblin Guild.”

   Well, he’s got quite the personality, huh?

   I nodded in response to Team Leader Kim’s question.

   “Tell him I’m on my way.”

   6.

   Thanks to the Ministry of Ability Management’s help, I was able to arrive at the scheduled area of the C-51 Gate in Anyang-si, Gyeonggi-do, where the Goblin Guild was preparing for the raid.

   The sky was violet, a precursor to the Chaos Gate.

   The violet sky against the backdrop of a high school gave off quite an apocalyptic atmosphere.

   In the background, dozens of people are running around.

   Some are checking equipment, others are training what appears to be subordinates.

   The scene looks not unlike preparations for war.

   I sat in a chair brought to me by an employee of the Demon Guild and stared at the scene for quite some time.

   I wondered how much time had passed.

   “You must have been waiting a long time, I’m sorry I’m late, I’ve been teaching our new recruits some simple tricks.”

   A man smiled and walked over to where I was.

   Short cut hair and a heavily muscled build.

   And a not-so-small scar that peeked out over the nape of his shirt.

   The man reminded me of an athletic sergeant from my time as an active duty soldier long ago.

   “I’m Choi Seo-jin, the head of the Demon Guild.”

“It’s my pleasure to meet you, Kim Shi Yu.”

   This was the head of the Demon Guild, the organization in charge of the C-51 Gate.

   First of all, Choi Seo-jin’s first impression was quite refreshing.

   When I think of a representative, I think of a gentle and intelligent person, but this guy is like the very definition of macho.

   He’s in his late 30s.

   Well over six feet tall and muscular in a way that felt like he was wearing a suit of armor.

   But that’s not all.

In addition to his extremely developed body, the amount of magic power that could be felt in the air was the most outstanding of any Earth player I’ve ever seen.

   Did I mention that he was a top ranked S-class Hunter?

   I greeted him with a slight smile.

   “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice.”

“The Holy Dark Saint himself has offered to visit us, and we can’t pass up such an opportunity. On the contrary, we are honored.”

   “The Holy Dark Saint, haha…… I’m embarrassed.”

   That’s one of the nicknames I’ve been called on the internet, and I’m embarrassed beyond words to actually hear it.

   By the way, this guy, Seo Jin Choi, is a very funny guy.

   It looks like he’s joking around like this.

   //System Message//

   [Your opponent’s magic power is pressuring you].

[But due to your high resistance, nothing happens].

   He subtly releases his magic, provoking me.

   I take back my earlier assessment of him as a soldier. He’s more like a beast than a soldier.

   The corners of my mouth twitch upward as I return his blatant outpouring of energy.

   “Well, that’s quite a welcome.”

   “From the looks of it, you’re not a religious man, but one of my kind. I’m intrigued. Do you accept new members? I’ve been feeling like I need a place to turn to lately.”

   “New members are always welcome. Especially if they’re rich and famous.”

   “Haha! You’re a witty priest, aren’t you? Come on, let’s make ourselves comfortable. I’ve been talking to the little chicks too much, and I’ve got a sore throat.”

   Mr. Choi gestured with his hand, and the staff who had been waiting for him quickly pulled out a chair for him to sit in.

   A staff member then brought a bottle of orange liquid and two glasses on a tray, which was clearly alcohol.

   Mr. Choi deftly lifted the bottle and poured alcohol into the crystal glasses. He then looked at me and asked.

“What would you prefer me to call you, Mr. Shi Yu or the Holy Dark Saint?”

   “You can just call me Mr. Shi Yu at your convenience.”

   “Would you like a drink, Mr. Shi Yu? It’s pretty good, even if it looks like this. Oh, you don’t drink for religious reasons?”

   “I don’t really have a doctrine to abstain from alcohol, but I have to hang out with my brother tonight, so I’m okay with drinking.”

“I’m liking your doctrine more and more.”

   He said, and downed the half-full glass in one gulp.

   It’s a funny picture.

   A sky tinged with purple. And down below, on the high school playground, the wearer of an impossibly tight suit drinking in broad daylight.

   It’s the height of incongruity.

   “Ugh.”

After downing his drink in one swift gulp, Choi looked at me and continued.

   “I’ve heard stories on the way here, and you have a purpose at this gate.”

   “There are some things I need to find here.”

   “The man who showed me the miracle in Kuroku is looking for it himself…… I don’t know what it is, but it must be something very precious.”

I don’t have a good feeling about this.

   From the beginning, this man’s words don’t sound like a favor. Instead, it’s something else.

   To be precise, it’s probably from the moment I bounced my magic off of him.

   Unpleasantness.

   Yes, it was definitely an unpleasant feeling.

   And it took me a moment to realize what it was.

“Well, good. If the first Irregular of Korea wants it, there’s nothing I can’t do. It’s only a Class C gate.”

   Mr. Choi nodded and smiled deeply.

   And then he said.

   Crackle!

   Suddenly, he crushed the crystal cup in his hand, and it shattered into powder and spilled onto the floor.

   “But I feel a little bad. We’re one of the few guilds in Korea, and you thought you could just come to us and ask for something and we’d give it to you?”

   I suddenly remembered the advice Team Leader Kim had given me before I came here.

   “CEO Choi Seo-jin is quite impulsive, so be careful of his rashness.”

   I thought it was just a phrase, but I didn’t think he’d actually do it.

   I thought about it for a moment, then turned to Mr. Choi, who was glaring at me like he was going to eat me.

   “If you don’t like it, I have another option.”

   I’m a sucker for a thrill.