The Civil Servant Who Concealed Their True Strength Turns Out to be a Master of Possession - Chapter 208
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A Civil Servant Who Hides His Strength Is Exceptionally Good at Possession – Episode 208
The Hunter Church.
That very same religion that had caused such an uproar demanding Choi Jun-gu’s release.
The one that reveres Hunters and believes they are saviors.
Somehow, I felt like I’d seen those priestly robes somewhere before.
Those overlapping concentric circles on the shoulders of the vestments too.
That’s the Hunter Church’s symbol.
The fact that I’m only recognizing it now shows how scattered my mind has been.
“It’s a secret holy site. To be precise.”
Lee Seong-sim answered my question.
Then she asked sharply.
“You didn’t come here knowing that?”
Ha.
Was I really that obvious with my questioning tone?
I paused to consider, then made my choice.
In situations like this, it’s dangerous to pretend to know something poorly.
“No. To be honest, I came here without knowing this was a Hunter Church facility.”
At my words, both Kang Han-geul and Kwon Ik-seong looked at me.
With slightly bewildered expressions.
“Then what kind of tip….”
“I only came here based on a tip that an unregistered dungeon was being operated here.”
A tip I received from the Quest window, not from Choi Woo-jin or any actual informant.
“And you can’t tell us who that informant is?”
Kang Han-geul spoke as if exasperated.
“That’s correct. I cannot.”
I really can’t tell you, you bastard. Because it’s not a person!
“Then there’s no information to share with us. You’re not helping—you’re just causing trouble.”
Kang Han-geul looked at me and Kwon Ik-seong as if exhausted.
“Just head back up then. We’ll let you live.”
Wait.
Just leave like this?
That’s exclusion from the investigation.
‘That’s going to be a problem.’
I need to understand exactly how the traces of twisted causality affect this space.
‘Only then can I get clues about how that twisted causality actually operates.’
This was why I decided I needed to track down the twisted causality.
When Han Seong-ye handed over the protagonist role to Choi Woo-jin to correct the twisted causality, this insane world inserted Han Su-eop into the spot where Team Leader Han Seong-ye died.
And that forcibly reconciled plausibility never surfaced because Team 5 was wiped out.
However, after I possessed someone, Team 5 survived, and the deaths of Officer Han Seong-ye, Detective Lee Do-young, and Han Su-eop will all resurface.
Then the twisted causality of this world will become a problem again.
‘Then how am I supposed to fill that causal debt this time?’
Could it be… that the way to fill that causal debt is the destruction of the world itself?
Just end everything in a mass extinction ending, dismiss all narrative coherence, and call it a day—this world is doomed anyway?
‘It’s genuinely insane, but…’
This mad world might actually do exactly that.
‘Look at the kind of Quests it’s giving out.’
Then there’s only one way to stop it.
I need to find and eliminate the ‘twisted causality.’
Whether it’s through physical removal or some kind of ‘narrative’ intervention, I’m not sure.
‘Or maybe approaching this space will trigger a new Quest…’
Either way, I need to access the spaces where twisted causality exists.
This Sky Orphanage is where the causality of my mother, father, and Han Su-eop intertwines.
So traces of twisted causality must have appeared here…
The problem is there’s more than one.
That clear ‘(1)’ marked after the words ‘traces of twisted causality.’
‘There are more traces of twisted causality out there.’
And among the remaining traces, there’s a high probability one is connected to me.
Because I’m part of the twisted causality that shook this world again.
Me. Lee Yu-ji.
The possessor who disrupted the narrative coherence of this world.
Where could that be?
Inside the Heon Su-guk building? Or—
‘Do I need to clear this place like a Quest to access (2)?’
If the status window works in a user-friendly way, that’s likely the case.
Which means I absolutely have to be included in this investigation!
With that thought, I opened my mouth.
“When I was young, my parents told me stories about this place.”
At those words, Lee Seong-sim looked at me.
“Sky Orphanage.”
Lee Seong-sim’s expression hardened.
“Did you come here knowing this was Sky Orphanage?”
“Yes. I came knowing. When I heard a dungeon had appeared and learned this address, I suspected it was the same place.”
I hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“My parents grew up here.”
I cast out my bait—
“Then surely you’ve also heard the name Seol Ok-gyun?”
Lee Seong-sim took the bait.
However, Kang Han-geul, who hadn’t bitten, furrowed his brow at Lee Seong-sim’s words.
Seol Ok-gyun.
I repeated the name as quickly as possible in my mind.
If it was mentioned even slightly in the original work, I could remember it.
And then—
‘I remember!’
“…You’re referring to the cult leader of the Hunter Church.”
“…!”
Lee Seong-sim and Kang Han-geul’s eyes met.
Though Kang Han-geul had changed his face, a familiar expression still shone through.
An expression that said, ‘So you know something after all.’
That was right.
Seol Ok-gyun was the true name of the Hunter Church’s leader, still unrevealed in this world.
But this alone wasn’t enough.
“Is this information about Seol Ok-gyun’s childhood?”
As expected, Kang Han-geul hadn’t let his guard down yet.
Of course—knowing Seol Ok-gyun’s name alone wouldn’t be enough to confirm whether I possessed information beyond what they already knew.
Then I needed to offer something else.
Information about Seol Ok-gyun was quite limited even within the original work, but—
‘It’s not completely absent.’
And among it, there was information that this ravenous predator like Kang Han-geul would absolutely covet.
“That man possessed an unusual skill.”
At my words, Kang Han-geul’s eyes gleamed.
‘He’s taken the bait.’
Perfect.
I avoided being excluded from the investigation….
“Ugh….”
In that moment, I heard a groan from beside me.
When I turned my head, Kwon Ik-seong’s massive body was collapsing forward.
“Team Leader…!”
Thud.
Before I could stop him, Kwon Ik-seong’s body hit the ground hard.
* * *
I had momentarily forgotten that Kwon Ik-seong had only just recovered from his internal injuries.
‘And it seems he hasn’t even received proper treatment since then.’
Ever since he was injured by Choi Jun-gu at the hearing, his physical condition had been deteriorating.
Fortunately, because he retained some level of consciousness, we quickly decided to take him to a Healer affiliated with the military hospital.
Kang Han-geul, disguised as a priest, left the matter in Lee Seong-sim’s hands and carried Kim Seong-cheol, who had fallen into what seemed like a comatose state.
“That car….”
“Lee Seong-sim will handle it.”
Was she going to throw it into the Cheondo River or something?
What exactly is that river?
Is it made of hydrochloric acid or something?
Setting my curiosity aside, I hoisted Kwon Ik-seong onto my back.
Carrying him on my shoulders, he was really… heavy.
No matter how much of an A-rank he is… My stats aren’t actually increasing in weight, so why am I this weak?
“With such a height difference, are you sure you’re alright?”
“Still, this feels much better than carrying Kim Seong-cheol.”
“….”
At my words, Kang Han-geul’s expression showed he understood.
Kim Seong-cheol was said to be a member of the Hunter Church.
He had recently joined this Hunter Church, and while his faith wasn’t particularly strong, he had excellent business acumen.
What kind of business acumen, you ask—
“Water purifier sales.”
…?
It’s so typical I can’t even speak.
“So you’re saying he’s selling water purifiers here?”
“He manufactures and sells water purifiers. And he also sells something called the Water of Salvation. To be precise, he bundles water purifiers with the Water of Salvation… but that’s not the important part….”
“It’s a multi-level marketing scheme, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Multi-level marketing. As people climb the ranks, they’re forced to invest large sums of money, and then among those who can’t recover their investments, faith is enforced, and demand for the Water of Salvation is artificially increased.”
Wow. Perfect.
A collaboration between a cult and multi-level marketing.
Knowing the taste makes it scarier.
It’s typical to extract money through multi-level marketing, and it’s equally typical for faith to spread among those who can’t recover their investments.
Most humans, when the sunk costs they’ve already invested become too large, would rather believe they genuinely trust the company than face the thought that they’ll never recover that money.
Of course, if they hadn’t fallen for it in the first place, none of this would happen.
But this multi-level marketing scheme had a somewhat interesting structure.
“What exactly is this Water of Salvation?”
Is it some kind of spiritual object or something?
Most cults have the cult leader claim that objects blessed through prayer or whatever will heal your body if you touch them, using such lies to empty their followers’ pockets.
I wondered if this was the same thing—
“If you drink the Water of Salvation consistently, you can supposedly awaken.”
Ha.
What kind of ridiculous thing is he saying now?
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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