abcnovels
Chapter 165 (Part 1)
Chapter 165 (Part 1)
Chapter 165: Jeffrey Bishop (Part 1)
Jeffrey Bishop, who grew up in an ordinary family, became an orphan at the age of eleven.
He lost his parents due to a shooting incident by a deranged neighbor.
With no relatives, he endured severe stress as he approached youth and drifted into homelessness.
He lost his will to live and survived by scavenging food left by customers at various establishments.
“There is no god in this world.”
He blamed god for taking his parents away.
He thought it was because the world was not perfect.
Angry at god, he went to the most famous temple nearby and challenged with a question.
“Why do I have to suffer like this? Why did god take my parents?”
The answer from the clergyman, Nathan, was clear.
“We are the ones who think god is right. How can I know god’s will? If you really want to know, go and ask god yourself.”
Though the statement was baffling, Jeffrey mulled over the last part.
“Question god? If I’m curious, I should ask directly?”
He was indeed curious.
What answer would god give?
It felt like finding a path in the vast ocean.
From that day on, Jeffrey sought refuge in the temple.
Under Nathan, he studied the scriptures and hoped to meet and question god.
“I will definitely meet god and ask him.”
For the first time, he felt a drive in life.
He used his anger as a driving force to continue living.
Throughout this journey, Nathan, who nurtured and cared for him, became a father figure, a mentor, and a guiding light in his life.
This was why 28-year-old Jeffrey still obeyed Nathan’s commands unconditionally.
He owed him a debt of gratitude that he could never repay.
Therefore, he treated Nathan’s daughter, Christine, with utmost respect.
However, the human heart is indeed deceitful.
Was it because his life had become more comfortable?
Christine, whom he had known for over 17 years, suddenly began to appear as a woman to him.
‘I shouldn’t, I must not…’
Despite self-reproach and even slapping himself, he couldn’t help his feelings.
He merely kept them deeply hidden.
‘I must never reveal my feelings for Christine. It would be a betrayal to Nathan, who is like a father to me.’
Even as the world fell into chaos and angels appeared, Jeffrey continued to conceal his unrequited love.
Even now, under Nathan’s command, it was the same.
“Christine is going to Korea to meet her fiancé. I told her that you would accompany her, but she firmly declined.”
“She probably feels it would be awkward with me there.”
“Do you think Christine likes her fiancé? She’s not going there to meet him. She wants to meet a prophet.”
“Now that you mention it… It’s the fateful 11th round.”
Jeffrey muttered as if he just remembered.
He had decided to protect Christine at all costs during the 11th round.
“Yes. She wants to meet the prophet for that reason. So, Jeffrey, you should also go to Korea. Of course, keep it a secret from Christine.”
“You want me to follow her secretly?”
“Yes. Keep an eye on Christine from a distance and report everything to me, including her conversation with the prophet.”
“By god’s name, I shall carry out your command.”
*
Later, Jeffrey followed Christine to Korea.
He listened to their conversation from a bench, maintaining a distance of about 30 meters to avoid detection.
Despite the distance, the quiet surroundings made it easy to overhear their conversation.
But should he have listened?
Watching the prophet repeatedly refuse Christine’s requests filled Jeffrey with rage.
‘Just how much can a single word change the future that he keeps such information hidden?’
His emotions were particularly intense because it involved his unrequited love.
‘Whew. I must calm down. And think of something I can do to help.’
How could he assist Christine?
He intended to protect her life during the 11th round, but that alone was not enough.
Information about the attacker would be beneficial, but the prophet was unyieldingly secretive.
‘Forgot? He must be lying not to give information.’
Why, really?
Is he afraid that the future might change?
‘Well, he would lose the trust of those who believed in him if the future turned out differently.’
Now that he thought about it, it was infuriating.
With murderous intent in his eyes, Jeffrey glared at the prophet entering the company.
Then he made up his mind.
He would extract the information from the prophet, even if it meant using force.
*
“Thank you for the information about the 11th round.”
“Thank you, prophet.”
Ma Kyung-rok and Christine, the couple, expressed their gratitude to Ryu Min.
“Let’s all survive the 11th round.”
Ryu Min waved back as he left the company.
He was supposed to attend a meeting but decided to take the day off.
‘I’m being followed.’
He didn’t look directly, but Ryu Min was well aware of the tail behind him.
‘The guy following me now is the same one who was watching Christine and me from the bench.’
Thanks to a rune from his rune bundle, he could avoid detection.
[Rune of Sensibility]
– Effect: Doubles the range of presence detection, allowing the user to hear and smell everything within that range.
What he picked out of the rune bandle was a rune he had never seen before called the rune of sensibility.
A rune-enhancing presence detection had emerged from the rune bundle.
‘It’s a very useful rune.’
With the range doubled, there was no way he could miss the follower.
Moreover, he could even hear the follower muttering in English.
– How can he keep such information hidden? How can one word change the future so much?
Ryu Min realized that he was the one being followed
‘From his muttering, it’s clear he has a complaint against me.’
He spoke English and seemed to harbor ill will towards him as a prophet.
‘I have a rough idea who it might be, but I need to draw him out to be sure.’
Even though he drove there, Ryu Min deliberately walked.
He then lured the follower into a deserted alley.
Once they reached a secluded place, the follower took the bait.
“Prophet sir.”
As Ryu Min turned around at the sound of an English man behind him.
Thump!
The follower grabbed his throat and slammed him against the wall.