How to Replace Your Dad - Chapter 66

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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How to Replace Your Dad

 

Chapter 66

 

What emerged from the black mist was a man.

 

Hair as dark blue as the night sky.

 

Mysteriously glowing, transparent violet eyes.

 

Pale skin.

 

It was difficult to guess his age.

 

He seemed closer to being called a boy rather than a man, yet the atmosphere and aura he exuded was more intense than any adult male.

 

However, what was certain was that he had an incredibly handsome appearance.

 

And I knew this man.

 

‘The cult leader, Abel.’

 

He was the monster who had single-handedly defeated a thousand soldiers.

 

‘He wasn’t outside after all.’

 

Everyone had been deceived.

 

He had been coiled up in this castle basement all along.

 

Abel’s languid gaze touched various parts of the experimental lab.

 

The goblin-like man rushed toward him frantically.

 

“Ma, Master, it, it’s not my fault. The, the fact that the lab was discovered is because of that da, damned bitch.”

 

The goblin-like man pointed at Carmen, who was trembling and gasping in pain, his hands shaking violently.

 

And he clung to Abel.

 

“The, the intruders are th, those people. Th, that one is a saint, so I, I’ll catch her and ma, make her into a meal, so pl, please forgive, forgive me…!”

 

“….”

 

“I, I’ve been doing we, well, haven’t I? All the me, meals I’ve prepared until now were because I, I caught hu, humans myself.”

 

The goblin-like man made squeaking, screeching sounds as he laughed despicably.

 

“Wh, what kind of ingredient do you li, like? Babies? He, hehe, I st, still prefer the scr, screams of young ones—.”

 

The goblin-like man, who had been speaking as if trying to curry favor, suddenly stopped.

 

“Ah…?”

 

It was at that moment that blood poured from the goblin-like man’s eyes.

 

The bleeding started like that, with blood flowing down through every opening in his body.

 

Abel spoke in a monotone voice.

 

“I hate talkative things.”

 

“Master… Ma, Master…! Kiiaaaak—!”

 

His body contorted with a bone-chilling scream.

 

The goblin-like man collapsed limply without even being able to close his eyes.

 

Abel looked at me.

 

“…A saint?”

 

It wasn’t me who answered.

 

It was Antonio.

 

“She’s a young lady.”

 

“Isn’t that young lady a saint?”

 

“What are you planning to do with that knowledge?”

 

“If I need her, I’ll take her.”

 

“Bullshit.”

 

A menacing aura emanated from Antonio’s body.

 

The languid violet eyes met the beast-like black pupils.

 

It was at that moment that the two auras collided.

 

Antonio immediately leaped and lunged at Abel.

 

Abel’s barrier blocked Antonio.

 

Antonio threw his fist.

 

Clang! Clang! Claang—!

 

Cracks appeared in the barrier.

 

‘Cracks from a bare-handed punch?’

 

Even in my extreme tension, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

 

Now I understood why Antonio was called the strongest in close combat.

 

Without any weapons at all, he was more powerful and sharp than any spear or sword.

 

Finally, with a crack—! sound, part of the barrier ruptured.

 

He had shattered Abel’s tremendous barrier, which could even provide physical defense, as if it were a glass window.

 

Antonio thrust his arm through and grabbed Abel by the collar.

 

“Let’s have some fun. Stop this petty hide-and-seek.”

 

It was the moment he was about to pull Abel’s body toward him.

 

Crash—!

 

The barrier shattered.

 

It wasn’t because of Antonio.

 

Abel had eliminated the barrier himself.

 

Antonio lost his footing.

 

“Antonio!”

 

If he fell, it would be over.

 

The moment he dropped, the impact would create an opening.

 

Abel would target that opening to strike Antonio directly.

 

I immediately drew up my mana.

 

‘The moment an attack lands, I’ll heal him immediately.’

 

It was when I was about to step forward.

 

Antonio changed his posture in mid-air.

 

It wasn’t an easy feat.

 

It required tremendous strength.

 

Antonio, who landed on the ground, moved again without pause.

 

He immediately lunged at Abel.

 

“How annoying.”

 

When Abel clicked his tongue, a small barrier formed where Antonio threw his punch.

 

Because of that, Antonio’s fist never reached Abel.

 

Antonio’s attacks weren’t working at all.

 

“Cunning bastard.”

 

Antonio spoke as if grinding his teeth.

 

‘This is disadvantageous.’

 

He was at a disadvantage against Abel in terms of compatibility, and Antonio lacked proper weapons.

 

Above all, the black mist surrounding Abel seemed to possess some strange power.

 

‘Antonio’s aura isn’t manifesting properly.’

 

But this was strange.

 

I had never seen Abel wielding such mist in the game.

 

‘Is it because of this space?’

 

Just in case, I activated purification.

 

If it was due to alchemy, I should be able to purify it.

 

But there was no change in the mist.

 

‘Then what is it? Where exactly is that mist coming from…?’

 

Wait a minute.

 

They said Abel eats meals.

 

Was there a setting that he eats people?

 

‘No, there wasn’t.’

 

Suddenly, I recalled what the goblin-like man had said.

 

“Wh, what kind of ingredient do you li, like? Babies? He, hehe, I st, still prefer the scr, screams of young ones—.”

 

‘Screams.’

 

It feeds on terror!

 

I definitely heard it when I was hiding at the entrance of the laboratory.

 

The tremendous screams that burst forth.

 

‘It’s here. Somewhere here for sure…!’

 

I frantically looked around.

 

An iron door caught my eye.

 

‘Is it there?’

 

I quickly ran toward the iron door.

 

The door was incredibly heavy.

 

I desperately pulled at the door.

 

Then…

 

“Kyaaaah!”

 

“Ah, no… no…!”

 

“Saint. Saint, please protect us. Ah, Saint…!”

 

“Ahhhhh!”

 

Desperate screams flowed out.

 

The mist surrounding Abel grew even thicker.

 

‘This is it after all.’

 

Inside the large room.

 

People prayed to empty air as if they were drugged.

 

I looked at the center of the room.

 

In the center was a stone emitting multicolored light.

 

Nightmare Stone

 

A gemstone formed from the essence of nightmares hardened over a very long time.

 

It shows terrible illusions.

 

The pain felt within them is no different from reality.

 

If one wanted to inflict more terrible pain than being cut down in one stroke, this gemstone would be the most appropriate choice.

 

It was such a deadly item.

 

The people’s condition was not intact.

 

Those who had scratched their entire bodies bloody with their fingernails.

 

Those who had torn off parts of their own bodies.

 

Those whose eyes had rolled back and only foamed at the mouth.

 

“P-please save me… Saint, please save me…”

 

A small grandmother curled up in a ball was rubbing her wrinkled hands together.

 

I immediately rushed into the room.

 

And grabbed the Nightmare Stone.

 

My hand hurt as if it were burning in acid.

 

My skin melted away starting from where it touched the Nightmare Stone.

 

But I threw the Nightmare Stone without mercy.

 

Crash—!

 

The Nightmare Stone shattered.

 

Instantly, clarity returned to people’s eyes.

 

“Uh…”

 

“Ah… uh…”

 

Though they regained consciousness, people trembled with fear.

 

Just being in this space made them recall the pain that had been brutally imprinted on them.

 

‘This alone isn’t enough.’

 

I shouted.

 

“The Saint is here! I will save you all!”

 

And I desperately squeezed out mana to heal my melted skin.

 

‘I don’t have enough mana.’

 

I had already used purification once to extract information from Carmen as peacefully as possible.

 

It was meant to make her aware of my existence and break her will to resist.

 

‘It would have been good if I had Botella.’

 

They might not believe me with just this level of healing.

 

There are priests who can do light healing even if they’re not saints.

 

I could have healed everyone and made them believe instantly that I was the Saint.

 

Then, as followers of the Saint, their fear would have disappeared.

 

I was thinking that when.

 

“Saint…”

 

The small grandmother crawled toward me.

 

She was desperate even though she couldn’t even walk from exhaustion.

 

“You really came to save us…”

 

The other people also looked at me with dazed faces.

 

“Ah, Saint…”

 

“I believe… I believe…”

 

I tilted my head in confusion.

 

‘…They believe me right away with just this level of healing?’

 

Why?

 

While thinking that, I looked at the clothes they were wearing and realized.

 

‘Ah right, they were cult members.’

 

Belief comes easily to them.

 

It’s fortunate that they’re easy… no, innocent people.

 

‘No, this isn’t the issue.’

 

“Get up. We need to leave quickly.”

 

“Yes, yes!”

 

“We’ll go!”

 

“I believe, I believe!”

 

I led the people who were chanting prayers of faith with both hands raised to the sky out in a line.

 

Just as I was about to exit the door.

 

Crack—!

 

The beautiful sound of bone hitting bone rang out.

 

As the fear lessened, the cult leader’s black mist dissipated and Antonio’s attack landed.

 

Antonio raised the corner of his mouth as he looked at Abel pushed against the wall.

 

“Your busted face looks even better.”

 

“…”

 

A chilling murderous intent swirled in Abel’s eyes.

 

Antonio raised his fist again.

 

I shouted.

 

“Retreat!”

 

“Already? It’s just getting fun?”

 

I dragged Antonio away.

 

“That’s where phase 2 starts.”

 

“Phase… what?”

 

“Berserk mode.”

 

Abel has a face detached from worldly affairs, but he actually really hates losing.

 

“Carry grandmother. Quickly.”

 

I entrusted the grandmother, who couldn’t run properly due to her age, to Antonio.

 

When Antonio lifted the grandmother like a princess, she smiled brightly.

 

“Thank you, young man. Those biceps are incredible.”

 

“Grandmother, you’ll bite your tongue if you keep talking.”

 

That’s how I got them all to rush out.

 

And I ran up last to say to the cult leader.

 

“This ship can also take passengers.”

 

“….”

 

Abel’s eyebrows twitched.

 

I waved my hand.

 

“See you again.”

 

* * *

 

We escaped from the warehouse.

 

Outside the door, unit members were blocking the priests who had come running after receiving abnormal signals from the experimental lab.

 

Antonio shouted at me.

 

“How do we get out?”

 

“Young man, over there.”

 

It wasn’t me who spoke.

 

It was Grandmother, smiling brightly as she said it.

 

“Over there?”

 

“There’s a secret passage over there.”

 

“How do you know?”

 

“When I was young, I worked as a maid in this castle. Young man, those biceps are incredible.”

 

Wow.

 

This was unexpected good fortune.

 

I said to the unit members.

 

“Clear the way.”

 

“Yes, Young Lady.”

 

“Yes.”

 

I had the unit members deal with the priests and followed Grandmother’s guidance.

 

“Over there, young man.”

 

“That’s right, young man. Turn the clock. To 9:30.”

 

“Young man, you came the wrong way. You need to go back that way.”

 

Grandmother knew the geography of this castle incredibly well, so even though priests and soldiers kept increasing, we could move without trouble.

 

But that didn’t last long either.

 

Soon disciples appeared from both directions.

 

But at that moment.

 

Piiik—!

 

A horn flute sound came from somewhere.

 

It wasn’t just once.

 

Piik, piik—!

 

Three times in succession, then boom, boom, drums sounded.

 

The startled disciples panicked in confusion.

 

Then one of the disciples shouted.

 

“Retreat!”

 

And they scattered in haste.

 

The Irregulars and I were bewildered, wondering what this was about.

 

Grandmother said.

 

“That sound. It’s an emergency signal meaning the military has entered the holy site, so gather and resist to the death.”

 

“The military entered? That can’t be.”

 

Then Antonio asked with a puzzled expression.

 

“Why? Quaron could have sent them.”

 

“Carmen used sacrificial alchemy earlier. That’s alchemy for deploying barriers. Since she used her life as a medium, it’s an incredibly powerful technique.”

 

Breaking it would take time.

 

At least 2-3 days until the barrier was lifted.

 

Then Grandmother muttered “Oh my” as if realizing something.

 

“It must be Rene.”

 

“Rene?”

 

“That child blows the horn flute. She probably sent a fake signal to help because the Saint seemed to be in danger.”

 

“….”

 

“Rene is a good child, isn’t she?”

 

“….”

 

Hearing that, I groaned.

 

“Ugh….”

 

“Why?”

 

Antonio asked.

 

I sighed.

 

“I was trying to do this slowly and safely, but now it seems I’ll have to resolve it with lightning speed.”

 

If they find out Rene sent the signal, she’ll be captured.

 

She’ll probably be used as waste material.

 

So I can’t leave her for long.

 

“Let’s go.”

 

“Right, we need to get out quickly.”

 

“No. I mean let’s go back.”

 

“What?”

 

“Change of plans.”

 

The Irregulars looked at me as if asking what that meant.

 

I raised an eyebrow.

 

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

 

“Fight cult with cult.”

 

We’re going to proselytize too.

 

To the real ‘Church of the Holy Maiden’.

 

* * *

 

The High Priest asked urgently.

 

“So you’re saying you let them escape?”

 

The high-ranking priests prostrated themselves with expressions of defeat.

 

The High Priest swept the objects on his desk aside and shouted.

 

“You idiots! How could you let the Saint infiltrate—!”

 

The cult leader said.

 

The infiltrator was the Saint, and the one who fought him was Antonio, the Saint’s guard.

 

Though the cult leader had a personality that found everything bothersome, he didn’t lie.

 

No, he didn’t lie because it was bothersome.

 

He considered killing to be simple, requiring no need to use his brain.

 

“Do the disciples know the news too?”

 

“No. The disciples don’t know. They just gathered due to the alarm bell from the experimental lab and tried to capture them, judging them to be inspectors.”

 

“What about the girl who sent the fake emergency signal?”

 

“We immediately captured her and put her in the experimental lab. But the nightmare stone was destroyed….”

 

“What? Did you forget how much the nightmare stone cost!”

 

“We, we’re sorry. We’ll immediately look into repairs. We’ll torture the girl and turn her into a ‘meal’, so please leave her disposal to us.”

 

Bang!

 

The High Priest slammed the desk.

 

Then he turned his head.

 

“Cult Leader.”

 

Abel, who was sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, gave no response.

 

The High Priest hurriedly approached him.

 

“Please perform a miracle. We must hurry and capture the Saint. If the Saint comes leading the military, we’ll all die…!”

 

Abel only closed his eyes with an annoyed expression.

 

‘Damn bastard.’

 

Who was it that made you the cult leader?

 

And who was it that stopped your rampages every time?

 

Though Yemyeongoe was born 10 years ago, if you count the preparation period to create Yemyeongoe, it’s been over 20 years.

 

During that time, they bought children and repeated experiments to create the perfect cult leader.

 

He was nothing more than a test subject.

 

But now I have to bow my head to that kind of test subject.

 

Even to proceed with a single task, I had to pack loads of sweets that monster liked and go begging.

 

A murderous chill flowed through the High Priest’s eyes.

 

“If you want to continue eating sweets, that is.”

 

Don’t forget that without my care, you’ll go berserk and won’t be able to enjoy any human pleasures.

 

But that’s when it happened.

 

Knock knock.

 

The sound of knocking was heard.

 

“Hello. It’s the Saint.”

 

What?

 

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the doorway at once.

 

A voice was heard once more from outside the door.

 

“I’ve come to deliver good words to the Cult Leader. I even baked a cake as a gift.”

 

Cake?

 

The cult leader’s half-closed eyes slowly opened.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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