37. Religious Gathering (2)

As I entered the adjacent room, I saw a man vigorously thrusting his hips and a woman pinned beneath him, motionless except for being shaken.

As expected, all these rooms seem to be confession chambers.

But these bastards are confessing with their dicks. Disgusting and filthy.

They’re enjoying acts I can’t even perform.

I’m so angry I can’t stand it. They must die. Let’s purify them all cleanly. Yes, that’s what must be done.

“Hey.”

“Huh? You, what the-GAAAHHH!!!!”

Only when I called out did the man notice the door had opened and turned to look back.

I buried my axe right in the center of his face. With all my strength, as if splitting firewood.

THWACK!!

The blade sank halfway into his face, shattering his eyeballs, nose, lips, and teeth.

The axe was stuck in his facial bones and wouldn’t come out easily.

Eventually, I grabbed the man’s head, yanked it back, and forcibly pulled the axe free.

“Ugh… Disgusting fuck.”

The blade was smeared thick with saliva, snot, and blood.

Feeling grossed out, I wiped the snot off the axe on the man’s body and tossed his bleeding head under the bed.

His corpse rolled across the floor like a sack full of garbage.

It made a squelching sound as it tumbled across the ground.

His still-erect groin twitched. Disgusting.

[15 Points Acquired]

I got 15 points.

Another non-Awakened?

Why is everyone I kill a non-Awakened?

This pisses me off a little. I have dreams of earning more points, but these bastards are getting in my way.

Bring me some Awakened ones.

“Huu.”

“Huuuh… H-help… Haaah…”

I grabbed the woman’s neck-her mouth hanging open in a dazed state, gasping for breath-and twisted.

CRACK.

The sound of her cervical spine twisting echoed as her body went limp. Another 15 points came in.

Watching lives vanish so meaninglessly, I offered both bodies. The two naked corpses disappeared somewhere.

Probably sucked into the Hunting God’s maw.

I hope he eats well and bestows me with power.

-SCREECH.

-GAAH!! What the hell is this?!

Just then, a man outside screamed in shock.

He must have noticed the bloodstains of the victims scattered across the floor.

-AAH!! EMERGENCY!!!

The man tried to call for his comrades while shouting. I immediately rushed out and fired a Lightning Strike at him as he took a deep breath to scream properly this time.

ZZZAP-!!!!

“Ugh!!!!”

The man convulsed as if electrocuted and collapsed onto the bloodstained floor.

He twitched weakly and looked up at me with difficulty.

I didn’t even have time to meet his gaze before bringing my axe down and splitting his head open.

-CLUNK.

“What the… what?!”

Because of the earlier bastard’s emergency shout, a pot-bellied middle-aged man peeked his head out the door, barely dressed.

Thanks to that, the old man locked eyes with me as I was offering the corpse.

The commotion is growing. This won’t do.

But that old man… seems like an Awakened?

“You fucking bitch!!!”

“Hup!!!”

I quickly reached into my cross bag to summon a shikigami and use the Exorcism Method, but the old man fired a magic arrow at me first.

WHOOSH!!

“Ugh!!”

Over ten magic arrows flew toward where I had been standing in an instant. If I’d been even slightly slower, a few would have pierced my arms or legs, but thankfully, I dodged them all.

Well, my arm was grazed by an arrow, but a healing potion will fix that right up. No time to fuss over minor wounds-just ignore it.

I’ll heal after the fight ends.

‘That old man’s spellcasting speed is no joke.’

This won’t do-he’s not giving me a chance to summon a shikigami.

In the end, I charged at the old man who had stepped out of the room.

He fired more magic arrows at me while simultaneously drawing a sword, preparing for combat.

I dodged the magic arrow aimed at my face by turning my head and kept rushing at him without stopping.

Luckily, he must have run out of magic because he couldn’t fire any more arrows.

BANG!!!

“GGRRAAHHH!!!!”

The Awakened old man was incredibly strong.

He blocked my axe strike with his sword.

Just this much showed that his strength far surpassed that of an average adult male.

“Die…!!”

I can’t let this stalemate drag on. It’s better to finish him quickly and clear the 4th floor before the commotion grows.

I immediately channeled magic into Stun Fist and unleashed a shockwave while still gripping the axe.

THUD-!

Like hammering a nail, the axe shattered the sword blocking it and embedded itself in the old man’s shoulder.

“AAARGHHH!!!!!”

I punched the old man in the mouth as he screamed in pain and used Stun Fist again to blast a shockwave into his skull.

-SPLAT!!

The back of his head burst open, spraying torn scalp and flesh backward as he collapsed.

[30 Points Acquired]

“Huu.”

With his magic arrows, I had no chance to use the Exorcism Method. If I hadn’t closed the distance and slit his throat, I’d have been overwhelmed by his pace.

I finished off a woman flailing in the room, trying to escape, by slashing her throat.

[15 Points Acquired]

Every little bit counts-the points are adding up nicely as I keep killing.

Next, I should check the room at the end of the hallway where I hear bustling activity.

******

“G-Graa… Graaant…”

“….”

A devotee of the Youngsaenghwaranggyo cult crawled across the floor.

I stomped on him and swung my axe down.

SCHLUCK!

Another life taken.

By the way, this guy was locked in a back room making drugs all day.

Before dying, he told me that just giving the raw bodily fluids would be too addictive to control the cultists, so a refining process was necessary.

“That makes…”

I’ve killed fifteen more people on the 5th floor. Seven were women high on drugs, five were cultists making the drugs, and the remaining three were cultists who came up from the lower floors to move supplies.

Out of these fifteen, only two were Awakened. The rest were all non-Awakened.

Disappointing. Way too disappointing.

Well, maybe it’s too much to expect many Awakened in a civilian organization.

[Quest: Kill 100 People Within 3 Days (60/100)]

[Reward: 1000P, Random Weapon]

I’ve already killed twenty-eight people in this cult building. In less than thirty minutes, I’ve hunted quite a lot.

This much makes the trip worthwhile. Just forty more kills, and the quest is complete.

“Heh heh.”

Anyway, after finishing the offerings, the 5th floor is now clean, so it’s time to head down to the 4th.

The commotion caused by the shikigami has died down, and it’s about time they’d start wondering why the ones I sent upstairs haven’t returned.

‘The cult leader should be giving a speech right now.’

So the 4th floor will be quieter than expected. The cult leader is probably doing something with devotees in the combined 2nd and 3rd-floor hall.

‘But what could they possibly be doing with devotees when the world has ended?’

Before the apocalypse, they could have extorted money, but what are they taking from believers now?

In novels, the most notorious cults would eventually sacrifice devotees to summon something.

‘Surely not… right?’

They wouldn’t actually summon a demon or some external entity, would they?

Maybe they’re performing forbidden rituals using the devotees.

In a world where laws and morals are gone, anything goes as long as they can sell their conscience.

‘Youngsaenghwaranggyo.’

Their doctrine was roughly about elevating the soul’s rank through spiritual ascension to attain eternal happiness.

“Eternally. Hmm.”

I don’t like this. They’re actively recruiting devotees, even Awakened ones, to expand their cult.

I can’t shake the feeling they’ll use those devotees for something vile.

With that thought, I descended to the 4th floor and immediately ran into someone.

“Huh? Who are you?”

“Me?”

“What’s that on your fa-?”

A large, suited man I encountered right after descending to the 4th floor.

Judging by his muscular build and the knuckle duster on his fist, he’s definitely Awakened.

Probably has some kind of striking ability.

Not that it matters now.

“GRRHHH….”

The man collapsed. The moment he spoke, I stabbed a needle into his chest and immediately used Stun Fist, piercing his heart with the needle.

With a gaping hole where his heart should be, what choice does he have? He has to die.

THUMP!

“30 points.”

As expected, he was Awakened. The moment he fell, 30 points came in.

Now, in this state, I’ll clear the 4th floor…

BOOOOM!!!!

“GAAAHHH!!!!”

As I tried to offer the dead man’s corpse, his abdomen suddenly swelled and exploded.

Simultaneously, all the doors on the 4th-floor hallway burst open, and devotees rushed out.

“Hey!!! Brother Jinho!!!”

“What?! What’s happening?!”

“Over there!!! Brother is-!!”

Did he have something rigged to explode when he died, drawing everyone here? No idea.

He definitely used some trick.

Probably set it up so his corpse would explode when a subordinate died, alerting everyone nearby.

I’ve been completely exposed. And contrary to my expectations, the 4th floor has more people than the 5th. Mostly the cult leader’s personal guards, I assume. Can I take them all on?

“Well, well.”

The cultists started shooting at me. If I stood there dumbfounded, I’d get shot to death, so I dodged frantically.

The sound of bullets embedding into the concrete walls echoed. This situation is really bad. I didn’t expect to get caught so soon.

‘My magic…’

Only about 200 left.

More people are gathering at the sound of gunfire.

‘Damn… Should I jump out the window?’

Maybe that’s the best option.

I came here to kill people, so if I can escape after getting my fill…

-Hello? We’re from the Blue Cross Group. We’d like to inspect the premises briefly.

But what’s this?

When I opened the window to jump, I saw the Blue Cross Group’s fanatics causing chaos on the 1st floor.

They must have come here while hunting down cults.

“Hey!!!! Help me!!!! The cult leader is sacrificing devotees to summon a demon inside!!!!”

I shouted at the top of my lungs toward the 1st floor.

I don’t know if they’re actually summoning a demon, but I just gave the Blue Cross fanatics a justification.

A reason to break down the entrance and slaughter the cultists.

What else can I do? The pie is too big for me alone, so I’ll have to share. Not that these 15-coin lives are worth much anyway. I just need forty more kills to complete the quest and break even.

Why risk trouble trying to hog all these worthless lives that only give 30 points at most?

“What?! Demon summoning?!”

“Breach and enter!!!”

-BOOOOM!!!!

Anyway, the Blue Cross fanatics, perfectly baited by my provocation, blew open the Youngsaenghwaranggyo’s 1st-floor entrance. Simultaneously, the Blue Cross fanatics, clad in armor like Space Marines, stormed inside.

“Now it’s worth fighting.”

Apocalypse Survival Rule.

If there are too many enemies, bring in another enemy.

The building grew even more chaotic.

The perfect environment for a three-way brawl between cultists, cult executioners, and a human hunter.