Chapter 33: Habitual Worship (4)

Inside the transparent glass cup was a ruby-like, shimmering, deep purple liquid.

ST’s golden eyes gleamed strangely as she carefully observed it.

“……”

After a moment, ST cautiously picked up the glass.

She lightly swirled it to mix the contents with air and checked the viscosity as it slid down the glass.

Then, she brought it closer to her nose to take in the aroma.

Finally, she tilted the glass and took a tiny sip.

“……..”

She closed her eyes, savoring the taste for a long time before finally speaking.

“According to my taste sensor analysis… it appears to be wine.”

“As I thought…”

As I nodded, ST added,

“However, I cannot conclusively determine that on my own. I’ve never actually tasted real wine before.”

Surprised, I asked,

“Huh? Really?”

With her sophisticated image and skills, I had assumed she would be knowledgeable in such areas.

But ST calmly shook her head.

“Real wine is a rare and luxurious item in this city.”

The meaning behind her words quickly came to mind.

In the world of [Neo Front Cyber City], climate change had long since turned most of the earth into barren wastelands.

As a result, most edible crops were artificially produced in hydroponic towers controlled by major corporations.

However, grapes were an inefficient and demanding crop in such production systems.

Grapes require several years of growth before they can be harvested, needing vast cultivation areas, long growing periods, ample sunlight, and meticulous care.

Factoring in facility investments and operational costs, the crop’s economic viability plummeted.

Thus, rather than being a staple food, grapes were considered a luxury product for the wealthy, grown in small quantities in specialized facilities.

Naturally, the price skyrocketed.

In fact, most fresh produce in this era faced similar circumstances.

Humanity’s primary diet had long been replaced by factory-processed synthetic food, and fresh fruits had become exceedingly rare.

While everyone knew the flavors of strawberry, grape, and orange from artificial flavoring, few had ever actually tasted the real fruit.

Due to the high cost of using genuine grapes, “real wine” was treated as an extraordinary luxury.

Even the lowest quality bottles started at a minimum of ten thousand credits.

I couldn’t help but ask again,

“Huh? That expensive?”

After all, ten thousand credits would be equivalent to over ten million won in Korean currency.

And that was just the starting price.

If it were a high-quality wine, the price would be astronomical.

I wondered just how much the top-quality wines served in the luxurious dining rooms atop skyscrapers would cost.

Just the thought of it made my head spin.

I carefully looked at the ruby-like liquid in the glass in front of me.

“Any idea how much this one would be worth?”

“I’m not sure.”

Even ST couldn’t give a definitive answer to that question.

She had only analyzed the taste and aroma with her sensor, without any practical experience to judge its actual value.

I, too, was clueless about wine, as I had never been much of a drinker.

I hesitantly took another sip from the glass, but… still couldn’t figure it out.

Honestly, it tasted good.

The fragrance gently tickled my nose, and the taste in my mouth was a harmonious blend of multiple fruit flavors without any one dominating.

The texture was smooth, and the pleasant aftertaste lingered on my breath.

‘Honestly, it’s delicious… but what do I know?’

Blind tasting was notoriously difficult, even for experts.

One thing was clear, though.

Just a moment ago, the cup had contained plain water, and it had somehow turned into wine.

This was a new miracle that had manifested.

‘But this ability was never described in the original game.’

I had no idea where it had come from.

The only clue was that it appeared right after the baptism ceremony.

“……..”

I gently traced the rim of the glass on the table.

Acquiring a new power itself wasn’t a bad thing.

But if asked what practical use it had right now… I couldn’t give an answer.

The current extent of this ability was merely transforming one glass of water per day.

Unlike [Radiance of Healing], which I could control almost perfectly from the start, this new power had a clear limitation.

‘Maybe if the number of baptized followers increases, this miracle will become stronger?’

I wasn’t sure yet.

Even if that were the case, increasing the number of followers right now was not feasible.

The “Church of Radiance” was still in its early stages, and there was a mountain of internal work to deal with.

There was also a limit to how many new followers we could handle.

Accepting too many at once would make management difficult.

‘Besides, gathering followers isn’t something that just happens because you want it to.’

For now, we were focusing on charitable activities under the church’s name.

Our plan was to gradually introduce ourselves to the neighborhood, building familiarity before starting any missionary work.

Winning people’s hearts couldn’t be achieved simply by throwing money or giving gifts.

However, that assumption was completely overturned in just a few days.

“What do you mean, a request to build a new church? What about this building?”

I couldn’t hide my confusion at Yoanna’s report.

Scratching her cheek awkwardly, Yoanna replied,

“Well, the number of people wanting to attend worship has exploded. This one place can’t accommodate everyone anymore. We might need to build additional churches in each district.”

“What…?”

I couldn’t comprehend what I was hearing.

“Wait a minute, haven’t we just started with charity work? We haven’t even begun missionary activities yet.”

At this point, we had only been providing charity services.

That was the plan, for sure.

But to hear that people were already flocking to the church?

‘I haven’t even used any abilities publicly yet.’

Why was this happening?

I was utterly dumbfounded.

=============

Even in the original world, charitable work was rarely done purely out of goodwill.

Often, it was a way for influential people to present a positive image to the public or to exploit tax loopholes.

However, in Omega Detroit, even such superficial gestures were nearly nonexistent.

In this hyper-capitalist society, corporations wielding enormous wealth were the true rulers.

There were virtually no regulations on business practices, so companies had no need to consider public perception.

They didn’t even treat their own employees or subcontractors properly, so it was unthinkable for them to spend money helping impoverished people who had no purchasing power.

As a result, the concept of “charity” itself had practically disappeared.

In a world where no one would give away their possessions to help others without some hidden agenda or ulterior motive, this was the harsh reality of the city.

That’s why we approached the idea of starting charitable activities with caution and thorough planning.

To ease people’s wariness, we began by simply helping the residents of the streets without any conditions.

We handed out blankets to the homeless and served warm meals to the hungry.

Most importantly, I repeatedly emphasized to Yoanna and the other followers not to utter a single word suggesting they join the church.

But there was one thing I hadn’t realized.

Sometimes, what drives people’s actions is not goodwill…

But curiosity about an incomprehensible situation.

=============

 

A shabby square in the back alleys.

Normally, it would be a place where drug addicts or homeless people sprawled about, but today, an unfamiliar sense of liveliness filled the area.

People in clean clothes introduced themselves as believers from a new religious organization and handed out warm food unconditionally to passing vagrants.

They approached a gaunt man and offered him a bag of bread with a smile.

“Here, take this! Don’t skip meals, and stay strong!”

The man looked suspiciously at the items they handed him.

“…You’re saying I don’t have to follow you to get this? You didn’t put drugs in it, did you?”

When he asked cautiously, the believer just smiled more brightly and answered,

“Oh, come on, that’s a joke, right? We made this ourselves with care!”

Still skeptical, the man hesitated to take the bag of bread and questioned again.

“I haven’t signed any membership papers or pledged to join, but you’re saying I can just take this?”

“Yes! You can take it without any obligation.”

Someone who had hesitated even after receiving the food suddenly asked,

“…Why? Why are you doing this?”

“Because the Radiance loves you! We’re just sharing that love on behalf of the Radiance!”

The man looked down at the bread bag in his hands, still stunned.

‘God’s love?’

It was a ridiculous notion.

He walked away absentmindedly, forgetting to even say thank you.

Sharing God’s love?

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

But throughout that day, for some reason, that strange nonsense kept lingering in his head.

“Hey, Marco. What’s got you so deep in thought?”

Back at the old factory dormitory, a coworker handed him a cigarette and asked.

Marco recounted what had happened earlier: free bread, the strange religious group, and talk of God’s love…

The coworker burst out laughing, clutching his stomach.

“Pfft! Handing out free bread to anyone? Really?”

Then, clicking his tongue, he added,

“Crazy bastards. Nothing in this world is free. They’re definitely scammers. Stop worrying about it and just get some sleep.”

After saying that, the coworker quickly lost interest.

However, Marco couldn’t shake off the uneasy feeling.

If they were con artists, they should’ve asked for something, but those people had just spent their own money and didn’t demand a single thing.

They kept repeating some incomprehensible phrase about “God’s love.”

Out of sheer curiosity, he took a small bite of the bread and found that it was perfectly fine.

“………”

The next day, Marco couldn’t resist his curiosity and asked one of the believers who was handing out bread for the location of the church.

The building looked rundown from the outside, but there was an inexplicable vibrancy within.

To be honest, Marco didn’t plan to join any church.

He was just too curious about the intentions of those strange people he had seen the day before.

However, as soon as Marco arrived, a priest appeared out of nowhere and politely blocked his path at the entrance.

“Sorry. It’s worship time right now, so non-believers can’t come in. Recently, so many people have been wanting to see the Radiance that we’re short on space.”

Caught off guard by the unexpected figure, Marco instinctively tensed up, but the man only looked apologetic as he handed Marco another bag of bread and a small bottle of juice.

“Sorry for the inconvenience. Please take this while you wait, or come back another time. I promise to personally guide you then.”

Even as he had been on guard the entire way, expecting talks of donations or recruitment, none of that came up. The priest only apologized and gave him more food.

“……..”

Marco left with the bag in hand, more confused than before.

As he walked back home, his mind grew even more tangled.

‘Who the hell are those people? Why are they just giving things away without asking for anything?’

If they were a typical cult, they would have pounced on him as soon as he approached, trying to ensnare him.

But instead, he was politely turned away—completely unexpected.

Marco’s doubts gradually transformed from suspicion to a relentless sense of curiosity.