Chapter 53: Mireuk Cult (3)

The masked woman had seized control of the situation, holding the tongue of Makju. Yet, Makju was smiling.Sensing something, the masked woman took a few steps back and assumed a defensive stance. In response, Makju nonchalantly dusted off his suit and spoke.

“To describe someone as an ‘insect’ and that sudden surge of emotion...”

Makju slowly approached the masked woman. However, she continued to retreat.

“I’ve figured out who you are. And I can guess what kind of existence your master is. Wow, your Mireuk Cult is truly a crazy organization. How can you be like this?”

What is the identity of that masked woman?

And why is Mireuk Cult a crazy organization?

Despite the curiosity, Makju didn’t provide any answers.

“If I cared about my pride, I’d tear you to pieces right now, but I don’t want to antagonize your master. Lucky you, to have such a good master. Answer a few questions, and I’ll spare your life.”

The masked woman nodded in agreement.

“Why did you suspect the thing I brought but not those panties?”

“…When blessed by the Great Mireuk, one can recognize traces of her presence.”

“Then why did you ignore me and contact Cheonsu?”

Hearing this, the masked woman in a hanbok bowed her head.

“Cheonsu initiated contact with us first.”

“Oh, really? The lapdog was wagging its tail, wanting to bite the master, so you gave it treats to bite harder. So, shouldn’t you be questioning why I provided the treats?”

“…We had no intention of antagonizing Am-Mak.”

Upon hearing this, Makju laughed again.

It was a laugh flowing in a low tone.

“Do you think I’m a pushover, huh?”

“…”

When the masked woman didn’t respond, Makju looked disappointed. Sensing something, the masked woman suddenly started trembling.

“Ah, this is messed up. Originally, I was going to pretend to be a pushover to figure out who your leader is. But if you’re this scared, you won’t even make me a pushover, let alone an Arahan. Right?”

Makju shook his head and looked at me.

Then he spoke to me.

“Your name is Jin, right?”

“Yes. Why?”

“You’re quite impressive. At your age, I wouldn’t have reached half your level. You’re aiming to become an Arahan, aren’t you?”

What’s this talk about levels all of a sudden?

I don’t even know exactly how the levels of spiritual power are divided. But since it was true that I wanted to become an Arahan, I nodded.

“I heard that if you become an Arahan, you can meet the leader of the Mireuk Cult to receive a blessing. If you find out who the leader is, I’ll open the blackout curtain for you once.”

“You’re saying you’d open the curtain just once?”

“Haha. You think that’s all? You’re quite something. I’m really intrigued now.”

What does it mean to open the curtain once?

But Makju didn’t answer that.

“Anyway, think it over.”

With that, Makju slipped into the darkness of the hallway.

Seconds passed.

It had already been a long time since Makju’s presence disappeared.

After he vanished, I slowly looked around. The situation was dire. Most people were trembling and foaming at the mouth.

What’s this?

Ah, that’s why Makju was talking about levels.

The others were either unconscious or pushed back, but I was just standing still.

Is this something like Conqueror’s Haki?

Just as my delusions about Makju using supreme intimidation grew, a few staggering individuals began to regain their senses and speak up.

“Makju, so he was actually the Supreme Leader of the Evil Sect.”

“They said Am-Mak is an elite group, but he was way beyond just being the third-ranking member of the Evil Sect.”

“This is comparable to the old Kirieon days.”

Judging by their reactions, Makju seemed to be an incredibly powerful figure. To me, he just looked like a bald guy with tattoos.

At that moment, a white hand reached for my sister’s underwear.

I grabbed that hand in horror.

“Are you crazy right now?”

“What? This is a holy relic for offering.”

“The only thing I’m offering is this shirt.”

No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t hand over my sister’s panties to this crazy Lolita-worshipping cult. I put on a stern face and spoke with authority.

“Got a problem with that? You who are being pushed around by just Makju’s power.”

“Ugh.”

Even though I couldn’t see her face, I could tell.

The masked woman was obviously unhappy.

But she was paralyzed, thinking I was some kind of strong figure.

In the end, the masked woman, subdued by my bluff, carefully placed the shirt into a holy relic box. Meanwhile, she kept glancing at the panties in my hand.

Damn, when I leave here, I’m taking that shirt with me. I can’t leave anything related to my sister with these perverts.

The masked woman kept looking at my hand with regret and then slowly spoke.

“There was a bit of a commotion. We will now start the trial.”

As the masked woman formed a seal, the floor opened up, revealing stairs leading down.

Judging by the size of the stairs, the underground facility must be quite large.

“Please proceed to the trial site.”

We followed the masked woman down the stairs. While descending, she continued to speak.

“There are various types of trials. If you pass the most difficult trial, you can meet the leader of our sect and receive a blessing immediately.”

“Meet the leader?”

“Yes. Today, if you pass the trial.”

Who is the leader of the Mireuk Cult?

Obviously, it’s Mireuk.

And judging by these people’s reactions, Mireuk must be Harin.

My heart started to race.

Harin, are you really alive?

My hands trembled, but I controlled myself with extreme patience.

As I had guessed, the underground facility beneath the lodge was enormous.

It looked like a grand underground church.

The masked woman stood at the entrance, explaining the facility.

“There are five main types of trials. The first trial, the trial of hunger and thirst, requires you to survive 30 days without eating anything. It’s the easiest trial, but the blessing and truth you receive are lower.”

I see.

The easiest trial is surviving 30 days without food.

Basically, they’re saying you’ll die.

The other trials were just as ridiculous. Surviving a week without showing any lust in a room full of prostitutes, reading the entire secret version of the Mireuk Scriptures in one day and memorizing it perfectly, and so on.

All impossible tasks for me.

So, I cautiously asked.

“What happens if I fail the trial?”

“You won’t fail the trial. Everyone here has already proven their eligibility to become an Arahan in the material and spiritual worlds through their wealth and relics.”

The masked woman let out a sinister laugh.

“But I must inform you that if you fail the trial, you won’t leave here alive.”

The masked woman in a hanbok continued speaking.

“Let me explain the final trial. The last trial tests your knowledge about the Great Mireuk who has come in this era. It’s the most difficult and important trial. If you pass this trial, you will rise to the highest rank among the Arahans and immediately meet our leader.”

“Knowledge about the Great Mireuk?”

“Yes. You must answer questions about her likes, dislikes, and even her birthday.”

Harin’s birthday?

Harin’s likes and dislikes?

Who am I? Harin’s brother.

This trial is practically made for me.

Then the masked woman said,

“Now, please choose your trial.”

Everyone present chose different trials.

Of course, I chose the quiz trial.

Others gave me strange looks.

“Even those who become Arahans often die trying to take that test to become high-ranking Arahans.”

“Knowledge about the Great Mireuk? They say it’s all top-secret information.”

“He’s the man who withstood Makju’s presence, he must have a plan.”

I didn’t have much of a plan.

I just got nervous because they were all murmuring suddenly.

What if they ask about Mireuk’s powers or something? What if they ask about Mireuk’s faith from a thousand years ago?

If that happens, I have no choice.

I’ll just have to run away.

I clutched the black Sheath hidden in my pocket and walked to the trial site.

***

And so, the Mireuk quiz began.

It was a simple format where a question would appear on a giant screen and I would speak my answer.

It was just like a quiz show, minus the cameras.

Fortunately, the questions were as I had expected.

They were all about Harin.

Like this:

“Third question: What is the Great Mireuk’s favorite food?”

Harin’s favorite food?

This was an easy question.

One time, I made cheese kimchi pancakes for dinner after finding the recipe in a book. Harin ate it and simply said, “Delicious.”

She would eat things like chicken or jokbal without a word, but this time she reacted differently, which surprised me a bit.

So, whenever Harin seemed upset, I would make cheese kimchi pancakes to cheer her up.

She would eat it with a blank face, even burning her tongue a bit, which was so cute. Thinking of those times, I answered,

“Cheese kimchi pancakes.”

“Correct.”

The Mireuk Cult followers behind me went wild.

They were the ones managing this facility.

“Quick, write it down! The Great Mireuk’s favorite food is cheese kimchi pancakes.”

“From today, I’ll become the best cheese kimchi pancake chef.”

“From now on, cheese kimchi pancakes are divine food. No objections.”

These people are truly insane.

I was speechless as I waited for the next question.

“Fourth question: What kind of weather did the Great Mireuk like the most?”

Harin’s favorite weather.

I wasn’t quite sure.

No, actually, I think I knew.

I often engaged in outdoor activities, so whenever it rained, I would come home early. That day, it was pouring, and I returned home earlier than expected.

How long had she been waiting for me?

Harin, waiting by the door, handed me a towel. As I dried my hair with it, I said,

“Rain is so annoying. It’s the rainy season now, so I can’t play outside.”

“…I like the rain.”

“Why? It’s humid, and getting wet is annoying.”

But Harin didn’t answer.

Why did she like the rain?

Only now do I think I understand.

When it rained, I mostly stayed home. With a bitter feeling, I gave my answer.

“Rainy weather.”

“Correct.” S~ᴇaʀᴄh the n0vᴇl(ꜰ)ire.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of nøvels early and in the highest quality.

And the next question began.

“Fifth question: What time of day did the Great Mireuk dislike the most?”

“The time he disliked the most?”

I closed my eyes and thought.

What time did Harin dislike the most?

When did it start?

Harin seemed to particularly dislike school time. Especially when the bus separated for elementary and middle school.

There was even a time like this. On the morning I was leaving for a school trip, Harin grabbed my sleeve as I was about to get off. I still can’t forget the image of her expressionless face pulling on my sleeve.

“Morning school time.”

“Correct.”

I kept answering correctly.

Then the twelfth question began.

“Twelfth question: What did the Great Mireuk love the most?”

Who did Harin love the most?

Mom? Grandma?

Or an imaginary boyfriend?

Yoo Hajin, you idiot. You already know the answer.

Feeling a slight pang in my heart, I gave my answer.

“Her older brother.”

“Correct.”

And the questions didn’t continue.

The voice that was asking the questions spoke something else instead.

“Why did the person who knows that abandon his younger sister?”

– – – The End of The Chapter – – –

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