Chapter 337 – Hongcheon (4)
“That’s the right call.”
Hochi had to think again about what was so satisfying with seeing Lee Ho-jae appear with a wide grin.
He wondered if he made the wrong judgment instead.
He questioned whether calling Lee Ho-jae was too harsh of a punishment for the priests.
Even in the eyes of his family, Lee Ho-jae, who appeared through a tear in s.p.a.ce, looked like a demon.
‘Maybe I should have just punished them myself.’’
Obviously, from the point of view of the priests, it would have been better for Hochi to give the punishment himself.
However, Hochi took the crimes of the priests very seriously, and he brought up the highest punishment method allowed to him.
“Well done. You did better than I thought. So much more.”
As soon as he appeared through the s.p.a.ce, Lee Ho-jae quickly grasped what had happened in the denomination, and started by praising Hochi.
“… really?”
“Of course.”
* * *
When I praised Hochi, he looked around.
I could see his face had reddened a bit.
He looks quite happy and embarra.s.sed.
In the past, I used to get irritated when he did that.
Of course, I still feel a little awkward, but I was more satisfied with the fact that Hochi was happy.
“h.e.l.lo, Lee Hojae. I’m in charge of the denomination, my name is Lim Seong….Heuk…… Ukh…….”
“Yes, shut up.”
I was talking in a good mood, but some garbage interrupted me without notice.
If you’re trash, you should be aware of it.
“You did really well.”
I praised Hochi again.
I wasn’t just saying it.
I wasn’t just praising him because I wanted Hochi to show more enthusiasm to the management.
Hochi did really well.
Religion is a relationship of exchanges made up of false advertising and hype.
The believers wanted a gift, but the G.o.ds didn’t have to give a good product, so they only sold an empty box wrapped in luxurious wrapping paper.
But who would refuse the opportunity to get a real gift?
Hochi’s idea was a great sales strategy that would catch the attention of countless consumers at once in a world full of people thirsty for salvation and desire more than ever.
It was a market that was overly saturated
Although I didn’t want any of those shares to begin with.
“That’s a relief. I thought you might not like it.”
No way.
Hochi did so well.
And I would have still praised him even if Hochi had blown up everyone on Earth.
“Then, what about those?”
Hochi asked, looking at the priests gathered on the side of the banquet hall.
There was Lim Seong-hyun, who fell on the floor and was groaning, and the priests who surrounded him.
Why is that guy overreacting like that?
I only blocked his ability to speak, but he is struggling as if he had a mortal disease.
Oh, was it a big shock that he didn’t have a voice?
He’s a scammer after all.
If a man who lives with his tongue cannot speak, he will starve.
I understood what Hochi meant by asking me.
I guess the pseudo-religion’s inner workings were bothering him.
“Your judgment is correct.”
I saw the women huddled in the corner.
It was reminiscent of a group of mackerel that united and protected each other.
It wasn’t intentional, but anyway, they were harmed under my name.
I felt uncomfortable.
“Seong-hyun, stop groaning and come here.”
Lim Seong-hyun, who was struggling in a frenzy, began to crawl at my word.
It was a desperate struggle.
I didn’t mean to make him crawl.
But it looks like his knees aren’t working well.
“Pl, please save me.”
As soon as Lim Seong-hyun opened his mouth, he immediately begged for his life.
It must have been quite a shock that his mouth was blocked.
Or did he notice that I was going to kill him myself?
“Seung-hyun.”
“Yes, yes. I was stupid. I should have cracked down on more people. I shouldn’t have let those old men run free. I should’ve rebuked them using my influence…… I…… .”
He was lying as soon as he opened his mouth.
Just looking at the priests who were shocked and struggling with betrayal over there, I could easily tell that Lim Seong-hyun’s words were false.
“Seung-hyun, your mom told you not to lie or beg for food before she died.”
Lim Seong-hyun continued to act as a scammer, ignoring even the words of his parents who had been upset all their lives because of him.
He was a very neat piece of trash with no room for rehabilitation.
“That…… that’s…… how… … .”
How did I find out about it?
“I, I will be useful, Lee Ho-jae! I am managing the denomination alone! I’m doing it all alone! Well, those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds are just multilevel cheaters! Without me, the denomination wouldn’t work! I’m definitely useful! Yes! If you let me live, I will rebuild and I… … .”
What a fool.
Is it because he’s a scammer?
The force that was now being poured out on Lim Seong-hyun is not the type of pressure that humans can just endure.
Under ordinary circ.u.mstances, humans would usually submit and be overwhelmed with the power I am pouring out, but this guy is trying to scam his way out to the end.
“You can’t do this. I founded this denomination! I pulled people together! I built this! With my own hands!”
Now he even raised his voice.
At this point, it’s funny.
“Please……Please give me one more chance. Just one more…”
“Seong-hyun.”
“Yes, yes. Please tell me what you need.”
“Who am I?”
Lim Seong-hyun, who kept on talking, paused.
I asked again, slowly this time.
“Tell me, who am I?”
“… You are Lee Ho-jae.”
“And…?”
Tearing s.p.a.ce and appearing out of thin air.
Manipulating a person’s body and will with a single word.
Reading other people’s thoughts at will.
Worshipped by the members of your new church.
What am I to you, giving you unbearable fear, regret, despair, and hope?
“… G.o.d.”
“Then you were aware. I thought you didn’t even know that.”
The one who volunteered to become the head of my denomination.
If he didn’t know that much, then he shouldn’t lead this denomination, right?
Lim Seong-hyun began to froth at the mouth.
It was natural because he desperately tried to speak even when his lungs were being crushed under pressure.
He was killing himself somehow to survive.
“I…… I’m guilty of death. Really…… I…….”
Now that he had reached his limit, Lim Seong-hyun’s voice began to falter.
“Yes, you sinned.”
How dare you pretend under my name.
You made yourself equal to me and were worshiped by the believers.
You used that position to hurt others and did it under my name.
“Then you should be punished.”
“Ye…… Yes, I’ll accept any punishment…….”
Lim Seong-hyun said while gasping for breath.
Yes, saying that makes my heart lighter.
Although it was already light to begin with.
“Eat.”
At my command, Lim Seong-hyun’s shadow began to cover his body.
At the end of the shadow split into several branches, a toothed mouth appeared, and began to eat Lim Seong-hyun.
Lim Seong-hyun, who had already reached his limit, could not even scream while being eaten alive.
Only the sound of his bones breaking and the sound of breaking flesh and muscles rang silently.
“Please…….”
Even in his last moments, Lim Seong-hyun tried to beg in a faint voice.
I don’t know why all these guys say the same thing before they die.
* * *
“Should you have killed him? Of course, you would kill him.”
Hochi asked me after I killed Lim Seonghyun and sent the women in the banquet hall outside.
Rather than presenting disagreements of my judgment in front of others, it seems that he waited for everyone to leave the hall.
I was pleased.
I thought he would never really grow up.
He had grown really fast since he came out to this world.
“Of course I would kill him. The faith he was holding is a waste. It’s all supposed to be mine.”
Although it hasn’t been that long.
It was, however, the best outcome that could come out of Earth at this point.
I don’t think it’s a bad ending for Lim Seong-hyun himself.
Since he became part of the G.o.d he wished to be.
“Then what about them?”
Hochi asked, pointing to the priests who were quietly huddled together.
When I looked their way, one of the priests prayed with both hands together.
“Please save me. Please don’t kill me…….”
When one of them started to pray, the rest of them followed.
They were saying the same thing
They wanted to be my priest.
“Of course I have to save you. Huh? Did you know how much damage you f.u.c.king b.a.s.t.a.r.ds did to me? It’s just scores, but you won’t die until you pay back all those minuses.”
I am not just saying it, but if they died suddenly, I was willing to revive them.
Not to resurrect or resuscitate, but as undead monsters such as zombies or skeletons.
You might wonder where I would use them, but those things are surprisingly useful.
“Now, be quiet and listen carefully.”
The priests who were trembling calmed down.
There are two promises they must keep in order to become my priest and not food.
“First, don’t tarnish my name.”
This is really important.
Sell my name and I will be able to pretend to be king on Earth.
It wasn’t like a fox with a tiger’s prestige, but a rat on top of a dragon’s head.
It’s none of my business that my priests eat well and live well.
I just can’t get past them smearing my name for self-interest.
“If you tarnish my name, you will become like the one who was eaten earlier. It’s better not to think that I won’t catch you or will just let it pa.s.s.”
If they do, they will be eaten like Lim Seong-Hyun, and their souls will be trapped in my stomach and suffer forever.
The second rule is also important.
“From now on, you can’t be beaten anywhere else.”
It was natural that you shouldn’t be beaten anywhere as a priest.
“Excuse me…….”
“Uh, what.”
“By any chance, what is happening?”
“I’ll make it so that you never get hit again.”
“…….”
As a last resort, I cast curse magic on the priests one by one.
It was a curse where the stigma was engraved on the back of the neck, and from time to time, intense pain will be felt in the area where the stigma was located.
The way to get rid of the curse is to achieve the set goal.
Otherwise, it was a curse that caused a shock from the pain that was directly transmitted to the brain through the back of the neck.
The pain that could lead to death drives a man to the limit of his existence itself.
All desires will be lost, and miscellaneous thoughts will go.
Soon, they will neglect survival and forget even suicide, and try their best to avoid suffering even momentarily
It was a curse I developed a long time ago to whip Hochi who did not want to become strong.
Even that Hochi had tried desperately until he grew enough to break the curse on his own.
Since then, our relationship has been completely different.
Anyway, it had an extremely powerful effect.
“Well, it would be safe to cast that one.”
Hochi said.
As long as all actions are rated as a result of faith and public value, they will not do anything but make their negative scores positive.
“Now. You’ve come this far, but would you like to see the congregation?”
Hochi asked.
I shook my head.
“No, I left the challengers on the 60th floor, I have to go.”
Above all, Hochi was doing so well that I had no need to interfere.
“And I don’t think I have to come out for nothing. You’re doing really well. Please continue what you’re doing.”
“Really?”
Hochi asked back with a childlike smile as usual.
I also smiled and nodded again.
Smiling, I opened the pa.s.sage and returned to the 60th floor.