The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood

Chapter 128:

Religion. Today’s world is experiencing an unusual religious fervor. In the wake of the unprecedented disaster known as the Dungeon Shock, many people have been searching for a place to seek solace.

“Oh, heavenly gods. Please, I beg you. Please…” 

“Lord, please watch over my family.” 

“We are alive thanks to the grace of Buddha. You should all offer your prayers to Buddha as well.” 

Humanity has used this faith to win the battle against monsters. 

Hope. Sometimes, simply believing and enduring is enough. In this way, religion has significantly contributed to increasing humanity’s survival rate during the recent Dungeon Shock. 

However, strangely enough, recently, the opposite has happened… The number of people dying because of this so-called faith has increased.

“Hey, tsk tsk. Do you know why your son was bitten by a monster? It’s all because of the bad fortune in your fate.” 

“Bad fortune?” 

“That’s right! If you don’t perform the ritual quickly, that remaining daughter of yours will be completely eaten too!” 

A great wizard once described those who created the gate this way. 

To crave the heart. Gisimche.  

They are said to be creatures that are hungry for the hearts of people. However, the truth is that in this world, it is not only the Gisimche that are starving for the hearts of others. Today’s Korea is a chaotic time swarming with fraudsters. 

And among these fraudsters, the one that has grown the most voraciously is none other than a certain cult.

“—You must throw away all the dirty money you’ve earned in this world. Everyone! You must dedicate all your assets to the Goddess of Rakshasa and perform a purification ritual so that we won’t suffer in the future!”

In these times, when many have lost precious things due to the Dungeon Shock, the Rakshasa Temple served as a kind of warm savior.

They understand their pain, saying that they have been through the same thing. They consistently reach out to them so that someone who has lost a family member will not feel lonely. In a cold society where there is nowhere to lean on, where else could there be a gathering that shows such warmth? 

“Brother, it’s nice to see you every day like this. Make sure to come out again tomorrow and pray with us.”  

“Yes!”

However, beneath the soft benevolence of the Rakshasa Temple, there wriggled maggots that were no different from the heart-craving entities. 

Desperation. Sadness. Anxiety. They were parasites that fed on the emotions of others, born from the disasters.

“Sniff, sniff. If we just donate our wealth… if we really let go of our filthy greed, will we never suffer again? Will my parents really be able to return to health?” 

What difference is there between them and the heart-craving entities? And does this misguided faith really have a reason to exist in the future? 

***

Tuesday. In a shabby hallway, two men were having a conversation.

“Have you collected all the prayer donations for this month?”

“Of course.”

“You’re doing well. The Apostle has been paying close attention to the performance of this prayer room lately.” 

“Really?” 

There are various levels of positions within the Rakshasa Temple. Excluding the unpromotable roles of the cult leader and the apostle, the highest position is that of “Great Teacher.” The young man here was on the verge of attaining that “Great Teacher” title.

“Then please continue to do this from now on, Mr. Heo.” 

Mr. Heo is the title used to refer to the young man within the Rakshasa Temple. 

“Yes! Please take care!” 

In addition, Mr. Heo was currently striving hard to be promoted to the position of Great Teacher. If he could just gather a little more in the offerings to upper management, he would finally be able to become an executive himself. 

“I’m almost there. It’s really just a little bit more now.”

Recently, there have been frequent disturbances both inside and outside, such as the arrest of the cult leader… But the overseer firmly believed that this was the work of Satan and that the leader, who had been going through hardships, would soon resurrect and return. 

Why? Because the higher-ups here said so.

‘I just have to do my job well in my position.’

Mr. Heo actively engaged in activities today to squeeze out the donations. 

“Ah~ Sister, have you been waiting long?” 

Fortunately, the newly trained believers brought in a decent amount of money this time. In particular, a woman who lost her husband during the Dungeon Break last August joined. She was so timid and gullible that just mentioning her child’s name would prompt her to pay whatever was asked, whether it was for ancestral rites or donations. 

“Please make sure my son does well. Goddess of Rakshasa…” 

And then came Wednesday again. 

Cheap, colorful cloths wrapped between tree branches. A gong placed in the middle. A young man dressed in a beautiful hanbok.

Mr. Heo had come up the mountain early in the morning to prepare various complicated arrangements. This place was the ancestral burial ground of the new believer, and today was the day to hold a ritual for her family.

Ritual expenses: 50 million won.  

Amulet fee: 3 million won.  

And every Saturday, 600,000 won.

At the Rakshasa Temple, money seemed to flow out with every breath, but compared to the life of their child, this level of expenditure was nothing.

“I pray, I pray.” 

The older believer repeatedly murmured, firmly believing in the rituals prepared by the Rakshasa Temple. 

Please let our son do well. Please protect our son…

“Hey!!”

But at that moment, a large man suddenly ran over from the other side. His face was flushed with anger, and as soon as he arrived at the grave, he shouted loudly.

“What are you guys doing!”

“S, son?” 

“Mother! I told you not to trust these people! I specifically said not to perform any rituals!” 

This is why money is so terrifying. No matter how gentle a person may be, once they get scammed out of 50 million won, they can turn into a fierce demon.

“Hey! Spit out the money right now! You trash! How can you deceive an elderly person into holding such a ridiculous ritual…!”  

The believer’s son grabbed Heo’s collar, who was near the grave. 

“Hoho, I told you not to let your family know about the ritual day because it brings misfortune.” 

However, Mr. Heo’s face remained calm. Because today, there is a really amazing thing that can solve this situation. 

“What are you babbling about, you fraud?!”

Whoosh.

Mr. Heo held out the [Eyes of Temptation] that he had taken from his pocket. As a result, the believer’s son blinked rapidly before eventually collapsing to his knees. 

An unknown power that ordinary people cannot deal with. Surely, according to the doctrine they have learned, gates are indeed a blessing. Since the Dungeon Shock happened, haven’t people like him been able to live this comfortably? 

“Son!”

“Tsk, annoying.”

After brainwashing the female believer who was running towards him, Mr. Heo dusted himself off and stood up. When under the influence of an item, it becomes nearly impossible to engage in complex actions, making tasks like banking incredibly inconvenient.

‘Well, at least with the offering money I received this time, I’ve covered the donations, so I guess that’s good for now?’

Mr. Heo glanced at the brainwashed mother and son. In that moment, there was no trace of guilt in his eyes. 

His mind was consumed by thoughts of money, money, money. He was only concerned with how to swindle more people.

“Everyone. Now that the prayer is over, clean up.”

“Yes, Master!” 

“Yes!”

Like that, Mr. Heo left the family he had drained dry and descended the mountain with ease.

– Squeak.

But it’s really strange. No matter how much the weather got warmer, the ground was still frozen, and were there really this many rats on the mountain?

***

Not long after that.

‘Finally!’

In front of an abandoned factory in the countryside,  Mr. Heo arrived with a joyful heart. Today was the day he would be promoted to Great Teacher. Moreover, becoming an official of the cult meant that he would have the honor of meeting Su Yewhi, one of the top leaders. Since the position of Teacher was granted personally and individually by the apostle. 

‘Now, I don’t have to struggle desperately with missionary work anymore! I can just focus on studying the doctrines in peace. The money will come in on its own.’

Click.

Mr. Heo opened the iron door in front of him, rejoicing at his own progress. As he did, someone inside slowly turned to look at him.

A person with pure white hair and wearing a translucent raincoat that didn’t match the weather… 

“You came quickly.”

Yeah. Su Yehwi was standing there. Mr. Heo finally met the being known as the Apostle today. 

‘Oh!’

By the way, he heard that in the outside world, the police are trying to capture the innocent Apostle. As he stepped inside, he immediately understood why Su Yehwi had not been caught until now. 

“Are all those [Infinite Power Cores] over there?”

If those items, each potentially worth tens of billions, are piled up like a mountain… then it’s likely that Su Yewhi secured his safety with them. 

The use of barriers that block magic and the strategic deployment of the cores—this new method for evading the searchers’ tracking, discovered earlier this year, has already become widely known among criminals. 

“As expected, you are the Apostle. Did you foresee this trend and prepare for it in advance?” 

But there was no answer from the other side. The person called Su Yehwi just quietly glanced over with a smiling face. 

“Mr. Heo, I have something to ask you.” 

The next thing that followed were a few questions from Su Yehwi. 

“By any chance, Mr. Heo, once you are promoted to the position of Teacher, will you be able to let go of all your greed?”  

“Yes?”

“Can you continue to serve for the sake of faith, even without the donation money?” 

In response, Mr. Heo answers that he would do anything for the sake of the church, so of course he would.

“Really? So does that mean I really don’t have to give a single penny to Mr. Heo in the future?” 

However, for some reason, he found it difficult to speak this time. To be honest, the position of ‘Great Teacher’ was close to the diamond level in a multi-level marketing company, meaning it was a position that gathered the most donations.

“Uh, um, if it’s really just a single penny…?” 

He momentarily revealed his bewilderment. Su Yehwi didn’t miss this opportunity and spoke in a soft voice. 

“How come everyone reacts the same way whenever money is mentioned.” 

This was the last voice Officer Heo heard from Su Yehwi. After that, his vision suddenly became dizzy, and his consciousness flickered out.

“This is why education is so difficult. To maintain the church, we need to teach the importance of money, but when we do that, it only brings out greedy teachers like this.” 

Su Yehwi muttered in disappointment and activated the [Brainwashing] skill. 

It was a simple task for him to turn others into puppets. In fact, he was capable of dominating even top-tier A-rank individuals in an instant. It was truly an extraordinary talent. Since awakening, Su Yehwi had manipulated everyone he encountered according to his desires. 

“Hmm.” 

However, these days, even Su Yehwi faced challenges that didn’t go his way. 

A failed assassination attempt on a specific politician.  

The exposure of collusion with Congressman Kim.  

And who would have thought that the cult leader of the temple would be arrested as a result of this? 

“Phew, if only the assassination target hadn’t had such strong security, I could have dealt with Yu Inhyang by now… Moreover, how on earth did the police prevent the arrested individuals from committing suicide?” 

The shaman also said that they don’t know their death date. Su Yehwi had messed up big time due to unforeseen factors. Moreover, with Tak Kwangjo, who had been positioned as the cult leader, now captured, there wasn’t much time left for the Rakshasa Temple. For now, they had forced a name change to artificially extend their lifespan, but with the puppet that had been playing the role of the cult leader now cut down, how long could this territory possibly last? 

“The world is not so easy. It’s not easy to find a replacement for Tak Kwangjo right away.”

Knowing this, Su Yehwi had been forcefully brainwashing the Great Teacher to squeeze out donations. 

Money is a disgusting thing, but what can you do? Ironically, to save such a vast world, enormous amounts of money are required.

This level of failure couldn’t discourage Su Yehwi. As someone had guessed, the one who actually controlled the cult was a brainwasher hiding in the shadows. Changing the name of the group was easy enough; he could just brainwash someone else to serve as a scapegoat in his place. 

“There are already 15.”

Su Yehwi smiled with satisfaction as she looked at the endless power cores neatly lined up on the factory floor. But then at the moment. 

– Sssk.

In a corner of the factory where there should be nothing, a small noise suddenly appeared…

‘Hmm?’

Su Yehwi instinctively turned his head toward the mysterious noise, only to see a single mouse. He instinctively threw a dagger at the moving mouse, and as expected of a high-level Awakened, his physical abilities were extraordinary. 

Shoot!

The dagger he threw was accurately pierced into the beast’s torso.

“Mouse.”

Su Yehwi approached the small creature he had just stabbed and lifted it up. The dagger was embedded in its body, marking the end of the tiny life. 

But this… Isn’t it too cold to have just died?

“…!”

Only then did the Awakened wearing the raincoat realize something.

“Mr. Heo, you pathetic bug! What did you bring here…!” 

But there was no time to blame others. Soon after, something like this came into the factory.

‘A box?’

Tick, roll.

The object that rolled in through the half-open factory door was none other than a red box the size of a palm. Soon, the top of the box began to shake as if it was about to vomit something out.