Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 37

Head Hunting

It wasn’t just the Republic of Korea that was in chaos.

Gate-related and various other dangerous situations occurred simultaneously all over the world, including China and Japan.

We mainly see news about China and Japan because, naturally, their situations are directly related to our security.

Especially in the case of China, it was serious.

In the midst of dealing with abnormal phenomena occurring in various regions matching their vast territory, the monster wave heading towards Korea suddenly did a 180-degree turn.

You could say it’s a chain effect from my actions in a way.

So just as I was feeling a bit guilty, thanks to Team Leader Kim’s kind explanation, I was able to somewhat suppress that guilt.

“You don’t need to worry too much about it. It’s not like you anticipated this situation, right?”

“That’s true.”

“When things settle down, China may raise issues, but you don’t need to be concerned about that either. Even if they do, it will only backfire on them.”

Team Leader Kim said that and told me about something that happened 2 years ago.

Apparently, 2 years ago, an Abyss Dungeon that formed in the city of Shenyang, China went berserk and a huge demon-type monster called ‘Behemoth’ appeared.

China was preoccupied with the super-large gate that appeared in Shanghai at the time, so instead of raiding the Behemoth, they tried to lure it away as much as possible.

And of course, that other place wasn’t their own territory and happened to be an ownerless land.

“They lured it to the Lost Land? And the Behemoth obediently followed? Demons aren’t the type to listen to humans.”

“Among China’s Irregulars, there seems to be one related to demons.”

“What a nasty Irregular.”

If I have time one day, I’d like to meet him face to face.

An Irregular who can tame demons… Doesn’t give me good vibes.

“In the end, the Behemoth crossed the Yalu River into the Lost Land, and the precarious balance in the Lost Land collapsed as a result. A large number of monsters began moving south to escape from the Behemoth. We had no choice but to suffer major damage near the ceasefire line because of that.”

The organization that suffered the most damage at the time was the Minstry of Ability Management, and after that, the balance of power was greatly disrupted.

Anyway.

To summarize what Team Leader Kim said.

“You’re telling me not to feel guilty.”

“You can turn back the same logic China used at the time. We did our best to stop it but unfortunately failed. That’s all there is to it. This time, we’re the ones who are not unfortunate.”

“You seem to really dislike that country too, Team Leader Kim.”

“I just can’t bring myself to like them no matter what. I’d like them if they did likable things, but everything they do is detestable.”

“I agree.”

If there’s one thing that has remained the same since before I went to Eden, it’s probably “that country.”

I originally felt a bit sorry, but hearing this makes it all go away.

I lightly nodded and said, while stretching,

“Seeing the orcs suddenly acting like this, it seems like something happened up north, so the Ministry of Ability Management should pay some attention to it.”

I have a feeling the orcs’ northward movement wasn’t simply because of the Great Monarch.

Just the fact that they’re avoiding Pyongyang, their original base, and moving north is suspicious.

In a situation where modern reconnaissance methods like reconnaissance satellites were neutralized five years ago, the only way to gather intel is for players to check directly.

I wanted to go right away to find out the reason, but I couldn’t just do that.

Because there was something just as important as figuring out what being was lurking near Pyongyang.

“There are more players who awakened divinity than I expected?”

I narrowed my eyes while slightly examining the people gathered in the wide auditorium.

This is the auditorium of the Southern Branch of the Ministry of Ability Management located in Guro-gu, Seoul.

In the huge auditorium that can accommodate at least 500 people, about 40 people had entered, and among them, there were a few who stood out with distinct personalities.

From a person wearing a Catholic priest’s robe to someone praying while wearing a cross necklace.

“Amen.”

“Lord.”

That’s not all.

“Namu Amitabha…”

From monks in Buddhist robes to people wearing ceremonial attire I’ve never seen before in my life.

It’s my first time seeing such a chaotic scene since I was born.

If this isn’t the site of a grand religious unification, then what is?

“Among the new Awakeners presumed to have awakened divinity, these are the ones confirmed to have divinity through the sacred stones you provided. Currently, testing is ongoing at the Ability Management Department branches in each region, so the number will increase further.”

“We will provide additional sacred stones as they become available.”

“Thank you so much for your cooperation.”

If people with divinity or the seed of divinity touch a sacred stone, the stone resonates.

When Minister Yoo Seon-ho asked me yesterday about how to identify divinity, I readily provided sacred stones.

Because for now, the top priority was to first identify players of the divine class.

We need to identify as many divine class players as possible so we can bring them into our denomination, right?

“I feel more nervous than when I went to crush the orc Great Monarch’s head.”

“Please relax. We will ensure you have sufficient time.”

This is the authority we received in exchange for handing over some sacred stones.

First meeting rights.

The right to be the first to meet the divine class players secured by the Ministry of Ability Management.

Today, we must take advantage of this opportunity to secure as many people as possible.

“Then I will take my leave now. I pray that you achieve your desired goals.”

“We’ll see you in a bit.”

“Please contact me when you’re done.”

Team Leader Kim politely bid me farewell and left the auditorium, and only then did Leo, who was beside me, slowly open his mouth.

“There are many brothers with good potential. More than I expected.”

“Of course there are.”

Everyone gathered here were people who stood out immediately after awakening, and I heard some of them even performed simple healing with divinity right after awakening.

It’s extremely rare for someone to heal others without any special training.

In that case, it’s one of two things.

Either they have very devout faith, or they have a definite talent for divinity.

In the former case, it will be difficult to bring them into our denomination, so what we’re aiming for is the latter.

“Let’s start the sales pitch. Leo, you need to find a life with weekends too.”

Have you been having a really hard time lately?

At the word “weekend,” Leo’s stoic expression brightened.

We were quite lucky.

Because compared to the established religions ignorant of divinity, we were able to secure a very advantageous position.

If I were to compare, we’re like the top instructors in the field of divinity.

I’m confident that we have more extensive knowledge about divinity than anyone else on Earth.

And that’s not all.

Before we came here, we were already able to figure out how the system works for divine class players.

[Players who choose divinity will be able to select the faith that will become the foundation of their divinity.]

[Choose the faith you desire and grow your divinity along with your faith. Conversion is possible, but be careful in your choice as all you have built up will disappear upon conversion.]

This was something we learned thanks to Seol Se-myeong awakening as a divine class player.

While it’s not yet clear what criteria determine the opportunity to awaken divinity, one thing is certain: they can choose their own faith.

So that’s why we came directly like this.

Because it would be a headache if established religions like Catholicism, Protestantism, and Buddhism started moving.

“Greetings, our brothers and sisters. I’m Kim Shi Yu, the leader of the Limen Denomination. It’s truly an honor to have this opportunity to speak with you today.”

I spoke gently with the biggest smile I could muster to the 5 people sitting in front of me.

Three men. Two women.

It was a bit disappointing that only 5 out of the 40 people responded to my request, but what can you do?

The rest seemed to have already chosen their religion, so I’ll have to persuade these 5 as much as I can.

They were people who stood out from the first-day divinity appeared.

The fact that they stood out despite having less faith compared to others gathered here means they have considerable potential.

However.

“Wow! Kim Shi Yu! Can I call you hyung-nim? Take a photo with me too. And 10 autographs! I’ll sell them to my friends for money. That was seriously awesome. I can’t believe I’m meeting Kim Shi Yu.”

This kid, who was at most a middle schooler, wasn’t part of my plan.

And at the typical flippancy of a Korean kid, Leo, who was silently beside me, stiffened his expression and said,

“This person is His Holiness the Pope. Such disrespectful words…”

“It’s fine, Archbishop Leo. We don’t need to be so stiff. Our denomination isn’t that rigid, right? Let’s keep it soft, soft.”

“Oh, so I can call you hyung-nim?”

“Our daesung, what is your name?”

“Oh Jae-min.”

This kid, even his name is auspicious. (Jae-min means fortune/talent and sensitive)

“Yes, Brother Jae-min. We don’t know each other well yet, so it’s a bit much right now. Let’s talk about it when we know a bit more about each other.”

“But I want to talk about it now?”

…Patience.

I want to smash his head in right this moment, but despite how he looks, the kid seems to have a definite talent for divinity.

So instead of sternly scolding him, I continued with a smile.

“You can directly check that yourself if you join our denomination, Brother Jae-min.”

“Eh, just like that?”

“…Hm?”

“Before I came here, I heard the Christian Coalition was it? They said they’d support everything from private Awakener academies to everything needed for activities as a player.”

Just as I was about to answer, the other players who had been quietly sitting also cautiously spoke.

“I heard from the Catholics somehow…”

“For me, it was Jogye Order of Korean Buddhism…”

When did they make contact?

Of course, I could easily guess why they brought it up like that.

They may have chosen divinity, but in the end, they are players.

Players ultimately move in the direction that benefits their growth.

If they had religious beliefs they absolutely had to keep, they wouldn’t have come here in the first place.

It may be worldly, but I had no intention of criticizing them for it.

It’s a decision that their lives depend on.

Of course they should consider this and that while deciding.

And.

“Hmm, alright. I fully understand what you want to hear.”

I came anticipating this kind of response too.

Competition with established religions was obviously expected. Objectively speaking, our denomination doesn’t have much to offer compared to established religions at the moment.

From the number of believers to social status and financial power.

The Limen Denomination is a new denomination that has only existed for about a month, so in a way it’s only natural.

That’s why I decided to focus solely on what only our denomination can do.

“We cannot promise you wealth like other religions. But we can promise you something else.”

Something other religions cannot do, and only we can.

“There’s an old saying that it’s better to teach how to fish than to give a fish. If you join our denomination…”

Woooong!

The soccer ball-sized sphere of divinity flowing from my hand beautifully illuminated the surroundings, and I leisurely lifted the corners of my lips and said,

“We will teach you how to use and develop divinity. It means we won’t simply show you miracles, but help you create miracles yourself.”