episode_0123

Expo (1) ― One Mind Salvation Church Paradise

The protective shield of the religious stone statue that encompasses paradise.

White dots were gathered at the edges of the orange semicircle.

[Latecomer protection period: (00:00:00:57)]

Finally, the protection period is less than a minute left.

I smiled as I looked at Yeongdeungpo-gu, which was blocked by an opaque protective shield.

“Finally, we can check whether the gate to the National Assembly building is open or not.”

“… … What gate?”

I was just saying it to myself, but Soyoung Shim, who was right next to me, reacted like a ghost.

Looking back at her, I saw that the other awakened people were busy managing the vigilante group.

“Today we will prove our faith in the most glorious place!”

“Don’t back down! The one who walks first will be the first to reach the leader!”

Shim So-young is next to me, a little away from those who are boosting the morale of the vigilantes.

“Since when have you been so close?”

“… … You told me not to fall on you, you cult leader!”

I must have flipped a switch again, and I laughed as I saw her giggling.

He was an executive who really enjoyed teasing people.

“Don’t laugh, you fucking cult leader!”

Still, I must have gotten quite used to the life of the Salvation Church by now, so I kept my voice quiet as much as possible and grunted in a voice that only I could hear.

I looked back and forth between her face and the vigilante burning with the fervor of faith, and nodded.

Well, considering her current powerlessness, it didn’t make sense for her to be in there.

She was not yet at the stage where armed groups could be subdivided, so she was a vigilante. In effect, she had reserved the position of head of another armed group.

So, the other awakened vigilantes are also probably being considerate, not considerate, of her.

Especially because of my characteristic of having a beautiful woman right next to me, Shim So-young was my favorite awakened person.

In itself, she is already in a position where no one but me can touch her.

[Latecomer protection period: (00:00:00:10)]

System message counting down.

I stopped teasing Soyoung Sim and looked ahead again.

There are a total of five districts that are intertwined with Paradise, which was Guro-gu.

Among them, there was no particular reason why Yeongdeungpo-gu was chosen as the first occupation site.

The distribution of information is currently blocked anyway.

Outside was literally a dark, black land.

This means that there was no reason to choose somewhere in particular as the first destination.

Of course, I wanted to attack Gangnam-gu right away, but

‘It’s not like you just eat Yeongdeungpo-gu and stop.’

Perhaps because I had a satisfying interaction with Seong Ga-eul, I didn’t feel in much of a hurry.

“As soon as the door opens, we head straight to Yeouido.”

“Haaa― You really are a pervert like a dog.”

Of course, Yeongdeungpo-gu was not selected among the five districts without any reason.

There was a broadcasting station in Yeouido that sang that song.

‘ah. ‘I can’t stand picking celebrities.’

All broadcasters who made a living based on their looks were determined to have me become their maid.

[Latecomer protection period: (00:00:00:01)]

[Latecomer protection period: ( 00:00:00:00 )]

The countdown ended and the black curtain surrounding Seoul melted away.

Another district of Seoul in front of paradise that comes into view at once.

Kiiing—!

As I was boosting my mana, I tilted my head at the strangeness.

“… … what. Why is it a forest?”

As Soyoung Shim said, the view of Yeongdeungpo-gu was full of green.

Vegetation growing abnormally around roads and buildings.

I raised my hand to stop the deployment of the vigilante group and carefully scanned Yeongdeungpo-gu.

Just looking at the dense urban forest gave me a strong feeling.

‘Shall we start by plugging in Meteor first?’

While I was seriously thinking about it, a ray of fire rose up between the tall trees.

Soon, numerous fireworks followed, cutting through the green light and rising splendidly in the air.

Just by looking at it, I could immediately tell whose work it was.

‘This bastard of a system is setting off fireworks in the morning.’

Colorful particles that stand out strangely even in the blue sky.

[‘Seoul Night’ ends today!]

A system message appeared before the eyes of the awakened people.

Fireworks blooming next to the sun, as if reminiscing about the past or cheering for a beginning.

[‘Morning in Seoul’ is here!]

[Zombie colonies no longer roam the nights of Seoul!]

[warning! Multiple city-level colonies roam the Republic of Korea!]

As I was reading the message, a black dot was getting closer and closer to my vision.

Something that was approaching Yeongdeungpo-gu passed us by and raced through paradise.

Sooo!

Shim So-young muttered absentmindedly as the strong wind shook her bangs.

“… … Is that a train?”

[Neutral Power ‘Train’ passes through ‘Paradise’!]

In an instant, the train, which was running on tracks laid at a fairly high level, slowly slowed down.

We stopped at the new platform right above the Gate of Salvation and opened the door.

───.

A train that was waiting with its doors open closed its doors with no one coming out and made an electronic sound.

Uuuu!

After a brief tremor, the train speeds up again and leaves paradise.

While looking at the back of the train, particles of light gathered in paradise.

Kiiing—!

As I stretched out my hand and waited, just in case, I saw particles gathering together to form a single shape.

[Neutral Power ‘Broadcast’ will be sent to ‘Paradise’!]

A large screen, like a billboard, towered over paradise.

White text was printed on the billboard, which had previously displayed only a pitch-black screen.

[We are recruiting advertisers and talented broadcasters. Please contact us right now!]

pop-! pop-!

After the endless fireworks exploded, the messages listed slowly faded away.

Tiring—!

And with a notification sound, a letter appeared in my field of vision.

I turned my head as I was watching the white envelope closely.

“… … .”

Shim So-young blinked and waited for my order.

I could tell right away from those innocent eyes.

‘This is a letter sent only to me.’

As I nodded, the envelope of the letter was opened.

[You are invited to the ‘Seoul Expo’!]

[‘Seoul Expo’ is a valuable opportunity to introduce exciting events that will take place in Seoul in advance to awakened people.]

[As soon as you touch the ‘letter’, you will be transported to the neutral city of ‘Jung-gu’.]

[A maximum of 1 person is allowed, and please hold hands before moving.]

[The invitation sent to the awakened person disappears after 5 minutes, so please choose quickly!]

Fair?

I perused the message again and stroked my chin.

It’s the Seoul Expo… … .

I especially paid attention to the part where fun events that will happen in Seoul are introduced in advance.

‘It’s definitely bait.’

It was a bait that explicitly lured me to the Seoul Expo, but it was a bait that was a bit too delicious.

information.

In modern times, there are few people who do not know the importance of information.

Now the system was urging me to make a choice using information as bait.

‘… … me?’

no.

There’s no way the system guy would show this kind of exhibition to just me.

It was expected that invitations were probably sent to the heads of the organization.

‘Information and Yeongdeungpo-gu.’

I stared at the letter and the dense forest in front of me, then stopped looking at the letter.

You can’t just let your competitors get the information.

“Vigilante leader!”

“Yes, leader!”

I said this to Seo Taesan, who immediately ran towards me.

“Return to the temple.”

“… … Huh?”

“Yes, leader!”

Unlike Sim So-young, who was embarrassed, Seo Tae-san quickly bowed and returned to the vigilantes.

“Organize your ranks! Return to the temple!”

Shim So-young, who was watching the vigilantes returning to the temple without any questions, approached me.

“What does that mean all of a sudden? Why don’t you invade that strange forest?”

The dense forest where her finger points.

Tsk-.

I also followed her gaze and looked at the forest, then clicked my tongue and nodded.

There was no need to split the number of people and put too much effort into it.

The vigilante was not raised with care for the purpose of exploring the meaningless forest.

From the beginning, I planned to check the level of awakened people in Yeongdeungpo-gu first and then divide them into groups.

“Ha- You really don’t even know. oh my god? Should I go back too?”

she asked, gesturing with her chin at the vigilantes returning to the temple.

I looked back at the vibrant paradise and shook my head.

Now in Korea, no, not on Earth.

Is there really a city more developed than paradise?

I could even risk my life for something that didn’t exist.

In today’s world, the One Mind Salvation Church is a complete top dog.

It was okay to not overdo the irrational moves that underdogs would do.

The road I had to walk now was not a thorny road marked by gambling, but a royal road with a distinct red carpet.

“… … Or are you just sparring?”

Shim So-young asks in a strangely bright voice.

I shook my head, thinking of her and the assistant priest who must have passed out in the temple by now.

‘I can’t take Ga Eul with me.’

Shim So-young’s expression of not knowing what was going on became more serious when she saw my outstretched hand.

“Catch.”

“What… , What!”

Her hand, completely embarrassed, automatically popped out, guided by telekinesis.

Shim So-young, who soon joined hands, blushed and muttered.

“Dae, I heard you don’t spar… I was teasing you again.”

I calmly raised my hand and touched the sparkling letter in front of my eyes.

Pot!

For a moment there was a flash of light and the place where we were standing changed.

It was a hotel designed as a hanok, not the edge of paradise.

[You have entered the neutral city ‘Jung-gu’. In neutral cities, all awakened people are prohibited from using their abilities and engaging in disputes.]

“Welcome to the Seoul Expo, VVIP No. 1.”

“Who are you!”

Soyoung Sim blocked my path and shouted.

The woman, who had been overly polite, straightened her back, paying no heed to Shim So-young, who was in a fighting stance with her fists clenched.

“… … Oh.”

A woman in a suit easily passes the maid cutoff line.

In the lobby, where soft music was playing, she bowed her head again.

“No threat can harm you in a neutral city, so please rest assured, companion.”

“Are you an awakened person too?”

She slightly raised her head at my question.

“Do you mind if I dare refer to VVIP number 1 as number 1?”

He nodded, subtly scanning her overly polite body.

A smooth body line that retains the unique lines of a suit.

She seemed unfazed by my gaze, as if she had been trained, and spoke again.

“I am not an awakened person, number 1.”

“What is your name?”

“I don’t have a name, Number 1.”

“Why?”

“Because you don’t need a name to guide number 1.”

With a euphemistic smile, she carefully handed me two masks.

“Please wear a mask for your personal protection.”

“Is it recommended? Is it essential?”

“Required, number 1.”

Seeing her with a smile meant to greet customers, she clicks her tongue slightly and someone stops her from putting the mask on her face.

Shim So-young blocked my hand and placed the mask on her face first.

Even though no special measures were taken, the mask stuck to me and my vision was open.

Shim So-young nodded, smiled as if she was amazed, and placed the mask on her face.

When she saw us with our faces completely covered, she politely opened her mouth.

“Then, we will go straight to the auction house. Please feel free to follow me.”

Togak- Togak-

Her backside gently undulated as she guided us.

While climbing the stairs, Soyoung Shim tapped my arm while I was admiring her round butt.

‘Be alert! boundary!’

The white mask covering her face let out a soft mouth.

‘You’re going to do it.’

‘Ugh—!’

I smiled at Shim So-young, who sighed and looked around, and admired her butt in front of me again.

The moment I entered the hotel, I had already finished exploring.

There were only three moving objects here now.

She climbed a few more flights of stairs and began walking down a long hallway.

The glossy brown floor and walls appealed to both antiquity and luxury.

After passing through a passage that felt distant, she reached a huge door and opened it with a little force.

It’s a profit –

A shallow, dark auction house with warm lighting.

“Number 1’s seat is over there.”

She pointed to one of the seats spaced evenly apart.

It was the rightmost seat in the last row.

Maybe that means ‘number 1’.

“Then.”

After showing us to our seats, she bowed her head slightly and started walking back down the hallway.

“Where are we going?”

At my question, she suddenly stopped and looked at me again.

“I’m heading back to the lobby to guide VVIP number 2, number 1.”

I felt a certain sense of discomfort from the fluid answer.

It was too mechanical, and there was too little emotion.

A nameless woman who is not an awakened person.

“Are you human?”

“… … .”

She smiled softly at my question without saying anything.

“I hope you have a fun fair, Number 1.”

Togak- Togak-

I muttered as I watched her slowly walking away.

“She was truly the perfect servant girl for the Church of Salvation.”

“Haaa―”

I walked to the seat assigned to me and sat down, listening to Soyoung Shim’s deep sigh.

As I leaned back on the soft chair, Soyoung Shim naturally settled down behind me.

I thought as I tapped my temple with my hand on the handle.

Fair.

And a woman who doesn’t seem to be human.

The auction house that the woman guided us to.

A stage with spotlights in the center and seats arranged at regular intervals.

‘… … ‘What are you thinking?’

While I was thinking about the system guy’s intentions, a sound rang from behind.

Good!

With the sound of the door opening, a man and a woman entered the auction house.

Maybe that’s the number 2 VVIP she was talking about.

“Oh?”

As I carefully glanced at the woman coming in, I couldn’t help but exhale admiration.

The woman who heard what I said stared at me with a masked face.

I couldn’t see her face, but the sacred radiance slowly emanated from her body.

Just looking at the rising breasts made me feel warm, like a mother’s embrace.

Rather, the woman with a body that we wanted to defile even more took her eyes off us and sat down in her assigned seat.

‘Now that I think about it, you didn’t want to get dirty, but you thought that because your clothes were dirty?’

The clothes of the man, who appeared to be quite well-groomed compared to the atmosphere he gave off, and the woman, who had a sacred air, were dirty.

I tilted my head as I looked at the woman sitting in the same seat as us and the man standing behind her as if guarding her.

“It’s number 2. Why are you sitting there instead of next to me?”

I wanted to observe it a little closer.

Tap – tap – Soyoung Shim quietly tapped his shoulder, tapped his lips with his index finger and pointed to his ear.

Since I am an awakened person, this probably means that my voice can be heard.

I made a circle with my finger and observed her closely, albeit from a distance.

Covering the face with a mask did not mean that everything about the person could be hidden.

Just as Shim So-young and I were wearing religious attire and believer’s uniform, that woman was also revealing herself in somewhat dirty clothes.

However, the strangely elegant atmosphere bothered me.

Good!

This time, soldiers wearing masks entered with the sound of military boots.

I watched the uniformed soldier who immediately sat down with stiff steps.

‘okay. But the army is still alive, right?’

Good!

The doors continued to open and VVIPs entered.

One by one, awakened people were filling the auction house, but there was a terrible silence in the auction house.

It was an atmosphere where everyone refrained from talking, conscious that each other was an awakened person.

When the sound of the door opening is no longer heard in a somewhat rigid atmosphere.

widely-!

The handle of the chair opened and a keypad with numbers on it popped out.

[Welcome, all awakeners who have finished the night in Seoul.]

At the same time, a hard electronic sound rings out from the stage.

A mechanical sound imitating a woman’s voice continued to speak.

[First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for accepting the invitation to the ‘Seoul Expo’.]

───.

A cold auction house where no one answers.

[I won’t bother dragging the story on. We will start the auction right away.]

widely-!

Jewels floated in the center of the stage where spotlights were gathered.

Fifty black gems floating together in a heap.

[The first auction item is fifty heartstones. The starting price of the auction is 1,000 points. Please enter your bid using the numeric keypad located on each handle.]

My eyes widened slightly as I saw a gem that I had never seen before.

Of course, I occasionally saw it in text during daily missions, but since I chose to rescue all citizens as a reward, this was my first time seeing it with the naked eye.

Apparently, even back then, once it appeared, there were 50 Hearthstones, up from 2 at most.

[No. 2 VVIP 1,001 points.]

Someone’s bidding point was displayed on the stage’s screen.

Tuk-tuk- I tapped my temple and thought for a moment.

What does this auction have to do with the fair that announces the event?

[No. 7 VVIP 1,200 points.]

[No. 2 VVIP 1,201 points.]

Every time I tried to continue my thoughts, the electronic sound broke my words.

ha.

[No. 6 VVIP 1,500 points.]

[No. 2 VVIP 1,501 points.]

Naturally, I finished my thoughts and looked at the race being held by VVIPs.

[No. 7 VVIP 1,600 points.]

[No. 2 VVIP 1,601 points.]

From earlier, whenever someone raised the auction price, number 2 was persistently following suit by increasing the auction price by 1 point.

‘I guess there’s something I need to use a return stone for.’

I looked at Number 2, who looked quite nervous even from a distance, and laughed.

[No. 6 VVIP 1,900 points.]

[No. 2 VVIP 1,901 points.]

‘… … wait for a sec.’

I narrowed my eyes as I watched their fierce competition.

‘Isn’t this a strange range?’

[No. 4 VVIP 5,000 points.]

Huh!

The auction house was buzzing with VVIP No. 4, who appeared like a comet.

Number 2 is startled and looking around as if looking for Number 4.

Tiring—!

[No. 1 VVIP 10,000 points.]

[No. 4 VVIP 11,000 points.]

[No. 1 VVIP 30,000 points.]

Number 2 blinked at the barrage of numbers that suddenly appeared on the screen.

how?

She took a breath and turned her head at the question that immediately came to her mind.

Awakening number 1 looked at himself as he entered the room for the second time.

[I will ask for number 3. 30,000 points.]

A man and a woman dressed in clean white clothes.

[30,000 points.]

Everyone was shaken by the sudden appearance of high-value points.

Those who looked at their status window again looked around and found number 1.

Number 3 looks at number 2, who is staring at something, and number 4 looks in the direction where number 3 and number 2 are looking…

Gradually, all eyes in the auction house gather in one place.

[No. 1 VVIP 30,000 points. Successful bid.]

The shoulders of the pure white man who had been calmly keeping his position shrugged.

The countless tremors stopped, as if I was holding back laughter.

His voice flowed through the silent auction hall.

“… … This is ridiculous.”