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Episode 56
The initiation ceremony consists of three stages.
“The first is the pre-introduction, the second is the pre-training, and the third is the main course.”
“… … .”
“I thought it was….”
Chiiik―
Yoo Seong-un asked while turning over the pork belly.
“Is that right?”
“Oh, yes, that’s right.”
Cha Eun-hyeok, the guardian of the prospective priest who had been momentarily distracted by the meat, nodded.
Under the leadership of Yoo Seong-un, who decided that they needed a place to talk right after meeting at the station, they sat down at a pork belly restaurant. The room, which was blocked off on all sides, was quite quiet and cozy.
“What we will hear today is a preliminary briefing session. It is said to be an event that will tell us about the characteristics of the priesthood, the type of education we will receive in the future, and the type of priest we can become.”
“Pre-ordained training would be a place where prospective priests receive separate training before the main ceremony?”
“It would be difficult to proceed with the main ceremony right away for young children who don’t know anything. I think it was probably about learning the etiquette and roles that should be followed during the main ceremony.”
Cha Eun-hyeok asked his younger sister, Chae Sol.
“You said that right after the pre-introduction session, we would go into the temporary dormitory and learn formal etiquette?”
“Yeah, he said it would take about a day.”
Chae Sol, who said that, looked back at Yoo Seong-un and Sergio and smiled bashfully.
“…yo. this.”
“Hahaha, if it makes you uncomfortable, you don’t have to use formal language.”
“I use polite language a lot.”
“Really? That’s great.”
Yoo Seong-un laughed and clapped his hands together.
“So, it’s a two-day event then?”
“No. They say it takes a total of three days, one day for the pre-briefing and pre-training, and two days for the main event.”
“It takes two days to prepare the main course? I didn’t know because it’s not my field, but it’s been going on for quite some time.”
“I think it’s because in order to receive God’s gaze, it’s advantageous to have the main meal as long as possible.”
“Then I understand. Well, it seems like the initiation ceremonies for famous religious groups were generally long.”
Geo, who had been quiet for a while, asked.
“Do we really need God’s gaze?”
“… That’s because priests cannot do much if they are not chosen by God.”
Cha Ara, who had been keeping an eye on the unusual situation of eating pork belly with Geo, who was not sure if he was a monster or not, continued speaking.
“Becoming a priest does not always give you the opportunity to receive God’s gaze. The biggest opportunity, if any, is during the initiation ceremony when you are first recognized as a priest, and the rest… what did you say?”
“Anyway, when there’s an event, or if you gain a chance in a dungeon, or if you prove your abilities as a priest, the chances of getting the god’s attention increase.”
“That’s what they said.”
Even while the older sister and brother were talking back and forth, Chae Sol, who had hair as fluffy as a puppy, stuffed meat into his mouth.
“This is Mahita.”
“Eat a lot.”
Yoo Seong-un smiled as if he found the food cute. Local residents probably eat so deliciously because they rarely come to restaurants, but even considering that, Chae Sol ate quite happily.
‘Everyone who sees it feels good.’
Perhaps because Geo felt the same way, he placed meat in front of Chaisol.
“Thank you.”
“You eat well.”
“I eat well.”
“That’s wonderful.”
“Hehe.”
The three adults who knew Geo’s true identity were watching the scene with a strange feeling, especially the two Chas.
‘Oh my, Isola… .’
‘What should I do with that friendliness?’
I’m sure we had talked about ‘Black Cloak’ over dinner before coming up to Seoul, but looking at him like that, it seemed like my brother didn’t realize that ‘Sergio’ and ‘Black Cloak’ in front of him were the same person.
“… … .”
“… … .”
Cha Ara, Cha Eunhyuk, and Yoo Seongwoon exchanged glances at the sight of Black Cloak blatantly taking care of Cha Sol.
‘Do you like kids originally?’
‘I don’t know either.’
Yoo Seong-un shook his head, but thinking about it, Geo said that he was also obsessed with feeding Cha Ara when he met her. He always gave food as gifts to Yoo Seong-un and others.
Considering that, it seems like he just has a strong interest in filling someone’s stomach.
“Hmm….”
Of course, what’s good is good.
“Geo, what do you want to do?”
“Are you asking about the initiation ceremony?”
“It seems like it’s taking longer than I thought. Is that okay?”
Geo seemed to have a hard time being outside the frame.
‘How could it not be difficult to kill someone at the level of a normal human?’
The current Geo was maintaining the level of an A-class hunter while killing his usual temperament. It must have taken a hit to his soul or something essential, but I don’t know if he can last three days.
“I thought it might be difficult.”
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“That much is okay.”
“Then that’s good.”
While Cha Eun-hyeok and Cha A-ra made expressions as if they knew what was going on in their conversation, Cha Sol, who was diligently eating the meat, asked with a questioning face.
“Brother, can’t you stay outside for long?”
“… … .”
“Are you feeling weak?”
While Cha Eun-hyeok and Cha A-ra were silently shocked, Yoo Seong-woon was only slightly surprised and decided to watch the situation. He was curious about how Geo would respond to the young human’s questions.
Geo answered after a brief pause.
“I don’t think I’m physically weak.”
“sure?”
“In my case, I think I have a weak mind.”
“It doesn’t look like that?”
“I’m trying to make it look like there’s no problem.”
This answer was unexpected even for Yoo Seong-un.
‘… I’m not sure if it’s okay to say that Geo’s mind is weak… .’
I thought I knew why he blamed his mind and not his body.
Lowering the level would be more mentally painful than physically painful. However, by human standards, it would be like cutting off a limb and enduring a beating, so it couldn’t be described as ‘weak.’
Looking at that, it seemed that Geo, unlike other beings of origin, did not consider himself a strong being.
‘No, isn’t it closer to not being able to do it?’
It was natural that he had difficulty being objective about himself, as he often appeared to have a disorganized personality and memory. Like an elephant with poor eyesight who doesn’t know how big he is.
“What god do you worship, hyung?”
“god?”
“Yes, I feel something warm….”
Yoo Seong-un’s eyes widened at Chae Sol’s words, which seemed to be assessing something while staring at Geo.
“Can you feel it?”
“Yes? Um, yes. It’s really warm.”
“oh….”
“Isn’t it okay for you to feel this way?”
“That’s not true, but it’s rare to find a priest who can perceive other people’s powers.”
Yoo Seong-un snapped his chopsticks.
“Especially for a young priest like you who has no sacred affiliation.”
Geo muttered at those words.
“When you say ‘affiliated sacred’, it feels like it’s a single party.”
“It’s probably similar. Even gods fight over power and share things. As the number of believers increases, the power of the god in question grows, so it becomes easier to operate…”
“He is a god in name only, but he does not seem to be treated as sacred as he is supposed to be.”
“I think that since the great disaster, it has recently developed a slightly worldly image.”
As he said that, Yoo Seong-un lightly clapped his hands while holding his chopsticks.
“Congratulations, guardians. If Chae Sol does well, he will be chosen by God at this initiation ceremony.”
“Uh… Really?”
“Any god covets good talent. I’m not a priest, so I can’t guarantee, but he seems talented.”
Yoo Seong-un added an explanation.
“In the first place, the power called holy power is a power borrowed from gods, so unlike magic power, it is difficult for others to sense it.”
“ah….”
“Look, I’m an A-class hunter, but I didn’t know Geo could use his powers, and I didn’t know what kind of energy it was.”
“Oh, I see… .”
Chaara looked at Geo with subtle eyes.
‘I don’t know if it makes sense for a monster to use its powers…’
Yoo Seong-woon nodded as if he understood what Cha Ara was thinking. However, since he couldn’t say it out loud in front of Geo, who thought he was human, he let it slide.
Even in the midst of all this, Chaisol remained steadfast.
“So, who is the god you worship, hyung?”
“There is no separate god.”
Yoo Seong-un whispered with an awkward smile and a stiff face.
“Geo.”
“yes.”
“I think it would be better to say that it exists.”
“Why do you say something exists when it doesn’t exist?”
“Usually, there is.”
Whether you were a chosen believer or a faithful priest, handling the power of the Holy Spirit meant that you were chosen by God in the first place. It didn’t make sense that you didn’t have a god to serve when you had already cured Cha Eun-hyeok with the power of the Holy Spirit.
From the human point of view.
“… … .”
“… … .”
“If you use your powers without a god to serve, then that’s just….”
“Shut up, pig.”
“I’m sorry.”
Cha Ara shut her mouth at her brother’s wise advice.
There were no gods to worship, but the only beings that could control the power of the Holy Spirit were gods. At the very least, they were beings of a comparable status.
‘Your mouth is a square.’
I can control myself well in front of other hunters, but I don’t know why my tongue becomes so unruly only in front of Black Cloak.
While Cha Ara was quietly shaking her pupils, Cha Eunhyuk was also trying to gather his wits.
‘… It’s completely different from the image or atmosphere of the god I know, so I thought that no matter what, it couldn’t be this… At this point, wasn’t it too disrespectful for them to introduce the black cloak to Cha Ara as a monster that could talk?’
Was it true that his delusional suspicions last night were correct? Cha Eun-hyeok was greatly shocked and skeptical at the sight of the world going on as it was.
‘There was no need for me to know the truth about this enormous existence.’
Although she was very tired, Chae Sol, the youngest person here, was still cheerful.
“Wow, it is possible to have spiritual powers even without a god to worship!”
No, there isn’t.
‘That person is strange.’
Why are you pretending to be human and standing here like this?
Cha Ara, a porter hunter who has seen everything and never seen before, and Cha Eunhyuk, who has seen strange beings since childhood, swallowed their feelings skillfully.
But that doesn’t mean I was scared and ran away. In the first place, the ‘gods’ of this era were at the level of dragons who enjoyed the entertainment of medieval fantasy. It was thanks to the eccentric gods who enjoyed life on Earth disguised as humans or monsters that they often made the news.
“… … .”
Unlike the two Chas, who somehow accepted this situation, Yoo Seong-un had complicated feelings in his own way.
‘… I knew that Geo was a being with a great connection to the source, but even so, the fact that he had holy powers… .’
Yoo Seong-un swallowed a sigh inwardly.
‘It’s a little strange. Just because you’re of a high rank doesn’t mean you can be considered divine.’
Could this problem also be related to Geo’s personality?
‘I still don’t know what it is.’
Yoo Seong-un scratched his neck.
I’ve known for a long time that Geo is not good at imitating humans. Not only Cha Ara, who was dragged to Geo’s dungeon, but even Cha Eunhyuk seemed to have noticed it, so how could I hide it any further?
“… … .”
As if he noticed the awkward atmosphere in an instant, Black Cloak also seemed to be getting awkward.
‘Don’t be awkward.’
If you do that too, the atmosphere will get worse.
Geo, who had been hesitating, said.
“…I also have a god that I worship.”
“You came now?”
“What does that mean?”
“Oh, no, I just said it once.”
Yoo Seong-un, who had been dealing with the capricious and stubborn children of the origin, smiled neatly and followed Geo’s rhythm. He did not want to upset the unknown being whose identity was still unknown.
“So what kind of god is he?”
“The sun god.”
“Yes, he is the most universal god… .”
The religion that emerged in various parts of the world on Earth was the religion of the sun. In this small country alone, there are over 50 sun temples. Many people even know that it was a religion that existed almost before the great disaster.
And it was perfect for joking around like, ‘Hey, I’m a believer in the sun.’
“Ah, so that’s why it was warm.”
Only Chaisol was fooled by Geo’s words.
“I like the sun god too.”
“thank you.”
Why are you grateful?
‘Are you not planning on hiding your true identity?’
Cha Eun-hyuk almost heard the sound of a slur. It was the first time in his life that he ate at a restaurant, but the food didn’t taste good.
In fact, the reason Geo said thank you was because he was thinking of the old man resting in the inner room of his cabin.
‘Father will like it.’
As he was already feeling sorry for the teddy bear who had become gloomy due to the lack of believers, it was natural for him as a son to feel grateful to Chae Sol who told him that she liked the sun god.
“Can I introduce you to a sun god I know?”
“Just a moment, Geo.”
Yoo Seong-un applied the brakes.
“We need to give Chaisol a chance to catch the eye of other gods as well.”
“I just said I would introduce you….”
“Why did you make that introduction in the first place?”
“Wouldn’t it be nice to have more friends?”
“Can God and Chae Sol become friends?”
“Why can’t I do it?”
“oh….”
Geo had intended to introduce a teddy bear that was growing old alone, but to the adults who didn’t know about his circumstances, it was like saying, ‘I’m like the sun god and I want to be your friend.’
‘You really are so filthy and unbiased.’
This was definitely not the kind of story we should share at a pork belly restaurant.
“… Geo really has a big heart.”
“thank you.”
“Okay, let’s eat.”
I felt like I had to quickly show him the inauguration ceremony and then return it to the frame.
* * *
“… … .”
Bisabyeol blinked at the text message from Yoo Seong-un.
“…the sun god.”
I didn’t really think it would be that way.
‘In the first place, I didn’t feel any divinity in Geo’s portrait. It would be right to say that it’s something that can’t be felt unless he shows it to you directly.’
Moreover, it is too unstable to conclude that Geo’s identity is ‘God’.
“That can’t be all.”
His divinity is just one of Geo’s many qualities.
It was still a confusing entity. It had the characteristics of a monster, had ambiguous aspects like the children of the origin, and, as Yoo Seong-un said, was also a being of divine status.
“At the same time, it resembles a human being.”
Sometimes he becomes a monster. Sometimes he becomes a human. Then sometimes he becomes a god. As if everything in the world were a derivative of him.
‘… But, if you look at it that way… .’
In other words, Geo is the ‘origin’ of everything in the world.
“… … .”
It is the source.
“… Hmm.”
Is it possible that it is a personification?
If Geo had made a bigger mistake, he would have been able to figure it out for sure, but his kindness was just wasted.