Ch.6767. Divine Mandate

In the past, Amon sold his country to the Three Dollar Group and was promised royalties.

Though it sounds strange, the Higgjen Group that Amon sold was comparable to a nation in scale, so it wasn’t entirely inaccurate.

The royalties generated from that were substantial.

With just a small fraction of it, an entire district could be redeveloped.

Whether it was a hospital or a school.

If Amon wanted, he could have redeveloped the area near the orphanage.

But he didn’t.

Because the world wasn’t kind.

In a world where even ordinary citizens struggled to survive, where many couldn’t afford proper schools or hospitals, what would happen if someone built such facilities specifically for orphans?

The answer was simple.

More parents would abandon their children.

While Amon believed in human goodness, he was also keenly aware of human wickedness.

That’s why Amon decided to be content with just repairing the orphanage.

…forgetting that the person he was asking was the president of a Megacorp.

“Uh… um…”

Amon stared up at the magnificent building in bewilderment.

The first thing that came to his mind was worry.

How many orphans would be created because of this building?

How many parents would abandon their children after seeing this building, and how many children would be hurt?

Such concerns came first.

But his worries disappeared after meeting the Mother Superior in her office on the 10th floor.

“Amon. Don’t worry, the things you’re concerned about won’t happen.”

The Mother Superior’s office remained as modest as it was before he left the orphanage.

The only thing that had changed was the chair, as the Mother Superior said with a kind smile.

“Since you left, far fewer children are being abandoned at the orphanage. In fact, many more are being adopted. It’s all thanks to you.”

The Mother Superior sipped instant black tea, the most expensive beverage in her office.

She had considered Amon’s concerns, as had the construction company.

But Amon’s budget was too large to just repair the orphanage, and the Mother Superior knew a better solution.

“Only the 8th and 9th floors of this building are for the orphanage. The rest of the floors serve as a daycare center.”

This entire massive structure wasn’t just an orphanage.

It was a “Child Welfare Center.”

It cared for orphans until they could live independently, but it didn’t only care for orphans.

It also took in children with parents during the day or evening.

When parents left their children, the center took care of everything from meals to baths to education.

It wasn’t free, but the price was very low.

“This way, there’s no need to abandon children at the orphanage under the pretense of their happiness.”

Parents could leave their children while they worked and pick them up when they finished.

There was no need to endure the sadness of separation, nor feel relative deprivation thinking orphans lived better than their own children.

In fact, this approach had another advantage.

“When children with parents become friends with orphans, many parents end up adopting those orphans.”

In the past, adoptions from orphanages were rare.

People were too busy with their own problems, and prejudice kept them from approaching orphanages.

But after the welfare center was established, things changed.

Parents felt less burdened knowing they could still leave adopted children at the center, and frequent contact with orphans increased the likelihood of adoption.

As a result, the current welfare center had fewer residents than when Amon left.

Fewer children were abandoned, and more were adopted.

The orphanage became much brighter.

Because there was hope of being adopted, because children who received love from outside came back and taught love to others.

Unlike the past, there was no dark atmosphere at all.

“Thank you so much, Amon. You truly are an angel sent to me by the Goddess. Even though I sinned…”

Tears formed in the corners of the smiling Mother Superior’s eyes.

It was strange.

Clearly only a year had passed since then, and she hadn’t even changed her makeup.

Yet the Mother Superior seemed to have fewer wrinkles.

A warmth spread through Amon’s chest.

Amon replied shyly.

“An angel? It’s nothing so grand. I just had a fortunate opportunity, and anyone in my position would have done the same.”

He sincerely believed he had just been lucky and had used the opportunity that came his way to help the orphanage.

But at Amon’s statement, the Mother Superior’s expression hardened.

“Amon. I can overlook many things, but I cannot let you belittle your own achievements.”

Why had all the companies and gangs never invested in the orphanage?

Because it wasn’t profitable.

An orphanage wasn’t a facility that produced anything on its own.

It was a facility that relied purely on external support.

In principle, the government should support it, but in a situation where the government was controlled by corporate people, they had no reason to provide welfare that didn’t generate profit.

Talent?

Companies didn’t even expect orphans to become potential talent.

Even if talented individuals emerged, they would come to the companies on their own, so there was no need for excessive investment.

“We can enjoy all this because you gave up rights that you should have enjoyed.”

“But…”

“Shh. Don’t say it was just a small portion of what you received.”

If Amon hadn’t invested in the orphanage, he could have bought resorts and supercars and lived a life without envy for the rest of his life.

Nevertheless, Amon gave up that life, was content with a frugal existence, and donated to the orphanage.

In the Mother Superior’s eyes, that was enough to see him as an adult.

Moreover…

“Daddy Long Legs. That’s you, isn’t it?”

Amon’s shoulders flinched.

The Mother Superior’s smile deepened.

“Anonymous donations have been coming in for children about to graduate from the orphanage. Start-up funds, independence support, tuition… all under the name of someone called ‘Daddy Long Legs.'”

Amon’s eyes rolled around.

It was essentially an admission.

Seeing this, the Mother Superior stroked Amon’s head.

Like looking at the child who had warmed a corner of her heart since he was 10 years old.

With an affectionate touch.

“How could I not love you?”

The Mother Superior smiled with moist eyes.

Amon could only scratch his cheek in embarrassment.

*

After the meeting with the Mother Superior.

Amon and Sonia spent the night at the orphanage for the first time in a long while…

Actually, they didn’t.

They originally wanted to, but the orphanage was a space for children, not a place with guest rooms for two grown adults.

Besides, Sonia seemed uncomfortable.

So they headed to a nearby motel.

In a double room, after showering and preparing for bed.

Before falling asleep, Sonia called out to Amon.

“I wondered why you wouldn’t tell me the details of the contract. So this is why.”

Amon avoided her gaze, not for the first time today.

Whatever Sonia made of his reaction, she smiled.

She couldn’t help but hug him from behind, finding his embarrassment cute.

Then she whispered in his ear.

“Don’t be sorry. I’m not upset. Am I the kind of woman who would be satisfied with 100,000 dollars a year like you?”

Then she kissed his cheek with a smack.

Amon felt Sonia lying down behind him.

When he turned around, he smiled at the sight of Sonia wearing an eye mask as she tried to sleep.

He smiled and replied to her cheek.

“We really are meant for each other.”

Sonia responded with a broad smile.

Soon, Amon turned off the mood light and lay down on the bed.

Before his consciousness drifted to the realm of dreams,

He silently repeated words no one would hear.

‘Sorry. Actually, what I donated to the orphanage was just a portion too.’

*

The next day, the two headed to the dungeon.

White Dawn.

A dungeon Amon had created himself.

The exterior walls of what was once the largest distribution company building in the area were covered with moss and vines.

Many explorers were preparing to enter at the entrance.

Looking at the massive crowd already made him feel tired.

The two lined up to enter the dungeon.

They didn’t bother forming a party at the guild because they judged that the two of them were sufficient.

It wasn’t arrogance.

Thanks to recent equipment upgrades with Kathy’s help, both of them had skills just below the security chief’s level.

Moreover, this was a dungeon they both knew well.

Considering these two factors, finding new party members would only get in the way.

– “You two are more than enough to clear it anyway.”

Although Kathy’s foresight only revealed that future Amon would clear the dungeon with ease,

In other words, it meant Amon and Sonia together would be more than enough.

The two entered the dungeon without hesitation.

All the monsters in the dungeon took the form of angels.

At the entrance, small angels flapped their dove-like wings and preached to the explorers.

Their sermons were directed at Amon and Sonia as well.

Naturally, Amon had only one response.

– “Holy— blasphemyyy!”

Amon cut off wings, severed limbs, and decapitated the angels.

Other explorers gradually distanced themselves from Amon as they watched him exude intense killing intent toward the fake angels.

There were no other special events.

The two cleared the dungeon relentlessly and handled the mid-boss with ease.

During this, Sonia raised a question.

“This dungeon doesn’t seem to be regularly cleared, but the monsters aren’t overflowing?”

After passing the mid-boss, the number of people noticeably decreased.

At the point where much of Higgjen Transport’s technology had been transferred to Three Dollar, there wasn’t much merit in searching every corner of the company.

Most explorers were interested in essence, so human traces became sparse after the mid-boss.

In such cases, monster density typically increases as one goes deeper, but this dungeon showed no such signs.

Moreover, this wasn’t the only strange thing.

“Come to think of it, I’ve never heard of monsters overflowing from here.”

Usually, dungeons are managed by explorers.

Popular dungeons get cleaned out naturally, while unpopular ones are periodically cleared through government requests.

Otherwise, monsters would pour out.

If the government found the cost too high or if the dungeon was located in a slum, they often just abandoned it.

But this place showed no signs of being cleaned, yet there were no problems.

So Sonia’s curiosity continued to grow.

Fortunately, right beside her was someone who could answer her questions.

Amon shrugged and said.

“Well, there’s still a lot we don’t know about dungeons created by Divine Power.”

There’s still much unknown about Divine Power.

If they had known about divine punishment, the president wouldn’t have conducted self-destructive experiments.

Amon tapped the dungeon wall and said.

“This place was created by divine punishment. And the monsters are humans who have been denied death.”

Unlike ordinary dungeons, those created by divine punishment cannot be explained by scientific principles.

Even if walls break, they soon return, and even if monsters are killed, they resurrect.

Because this place is a prison created by the Goddess to confine them.

Even if their bodies are shattered and souls torn apart, their existence remains bound to this place.

“In other words, they can’t leave their designated places.”

Like prisoners in shackles, the monsters here cannot escape.

No matter how neglected, monsters would never overflow from the dungeon.

After Amon finished his explanation, Sonia asked.

“Is that also part of your Divine Power ability?”

He couldn’t mention his past life,

So Amon playfully tapped Sonia’s lips and said.

“Don’t tell anyone else.”

Sonia accepted that and moved on.

The two went deeper.

As they went deeper, the angels grew larger.

Whether they simply increased in size or grew from child to adult.

Either way, they grew.

The duo continued to handle the consistently appearing angels without difficulty.

Throughout this process, they didn’t forget their mission.

“Anything special?”

“I don’t feel anything.”

They fought the monsters while comparing them to those recorded in the database, but there were no noticeable differences.

Giant baby angels cried loudly, adult male angels wielded cold weapons, and adult female angels used bows or magic.

It matched what had been reported before.

Eventually, the two reached the boss room entrance, which was the purpose of visiting this dungeon.

“We’ve made it here.”

Amon looked at the boss room door with nostalgic eyes.

Beyond it would be the room where he had faced the false saint in the past.

His reminiscence was brief.

It wasn’t particularly nostalgic or a good memory.

Amon opened the door without hesitation.

As soon as he opened it, he made eye contact with the figure inside.

A human with completely white skin and red eyes.

This matched the false saint so far.

But the rest was different.

‘It has fewer wings.’

The false saint had much larger and more numerous wings than this boss.

Not only that…

‘The face is different.’

The saint was beautiful, except during phase 2.

But this boss’s face was… that of an old man.

And a familiar one at that.

‘I was wondering where the president was, and here he is.’

It was the head of the former Higgjen Group president.

Seeing this, Amon was certain.

This boss was different from the false saint.

Of course, only Amon had witnessed the false saint, and few people knew about it, so no one else would know it had changed.

Amon quietly drew his sword.

Sonia calmly loaded her gun.

The boss seemed unaware of the two who hadn’t yet entered the room, staring into space.

Amon’s foot touched a thin membrane like a barrier spread at the entrance.

As the membrane rippled and Amon’s foot slightly passed through, the boss turned its neck toward the two with a creaking sound.

Then, with a grotesque smile, it said:

[Oh. Young man full of potential. Would you like to- discuss evolution with me?]

Just as a question mark appeared above Amon’s head,

The angel with the president’s head trembled, and suddenly

Crack!

Its head rotated 180 degrees.

And from behind the president’s head appeared another face Amon recognized.

‘Dr. N.N!’

The president’s partner, the doctor, smiled showing his yellowed gold teeth.

He too looked at Amon and Sonia and shouted:

[You. Your fingers look very tempting. How about it? Would you like to sell them to our company?]

Sonia stepped back in disgust.

Amon also stepped back.

Since they were still outside the boss room, no attacks came from the boss.

As the two moved outside, the boss seemed to lose interest again and stared blankly into space.

Sonia caught her breath.

Then she realized Amon was quiet.

Could he have gone berserk again?

Sonia looked at Amon with concern.

But Amon’s expression was calm.

There wasn’t a trace of anger.

‘Why?’

While Sonia wondered, he asked her:

“Sonia. I’m sorry, but could I face this boss alone?”

Sonia instinctively wanted to say no, but after seeing Amon’s eyes, she closed her mouth.

His eyes were shining.

Reading something in that gaze, she answered his question with another:

“Is there something you need to confirm?”

“Yes. In many ways.”

She couldn’t refuse those curious eyes that showed even a hint of joy.

“Don’t get hurt, okay?”

“I got it!”

As soon as Sonia gave permission, Amon jumped into the boss room with glee.

Amon’s eyes were fixed on the boss as he leaped into the room.

In his vision, the boss was crumbling like glass in a dreamlike world.