Chapter 219: - Beginning
Chapter 219 - Beginning
Somewhere hidden in South Korea, a secretive place bathed in dim light, reminiscent of an empty church.
A man in priest's attire, emanating a faint blue aura, stood before an elderly man who had his back turned, silently gazing out the window.
"...Lord, the experiment has been successful. The missionaries from this world have successfully opened the dimensional portal that connects to the dimension where God resides."
The man in priest's attire, having relayed detailed results and specific figures, bowed his head respectfully to the elderly man.
After the display of the monstrous entities and an explanation about the outer dimensions were concluded on the floating screen, he withdrew.
Then, the elderly man, Wolgwanggyo's leader, who had been quietly listening with his eyes closed, lowered his head again and, with a parting of his hands held in front of him, whispered in a voice that seemed to split the air.
"Yes... The day we've been waiting for is coming."
Wolgwanggyo's leader, Cheon Wolhwang, raised his clenched fist quietly as he spoke.
Finally, the moment when this corrupt world would be purified little by little approaches. A moment when these servants of a deviant deity would face judgment and a new god would descend upon this universe. The world would come to understand who their true god is, and what the meaning of the moonlight truly signifies, deep within their bones.
"Muahahaha... Hahahaha!"
With laughter that resembled dry coughs, the elderly man's maniacal laughter filled the empty church.
"Cough, cough. Yes... The Day of Judgment is approaching. When that time comes, I wonder how the children of this world will struggle and resist. I'm looking forward to it..."
He said with a smile as he parted his hands that had been joined.
One experiment was successful.
For now, there was only one. But soon enough, they would be able to create dimensional gateways connecting to every corner of the world.
And when that moment arrives, everyone will be helpless before the judgment of the outer dimensions. Even those who betrayed him and left, like that priestess, or that damn man who took her away, they would all be swept away in unexpected moments.
Thinking such thoughts, Wolgwanggyo's leader remained alone in the empty church.
Alone, with a sinister smile on his lips.
***
[From the portal that opened in France, the emergence of monsters has become a major topic of discussion. The French Association has stated that they will conduct a thorough investigation into this unusual incident. A post from the British Association regarding this news is also gaining attention...]
"Oh, is that the dimensional gateway that Da-in mentioned?"
At the top floor of the YuSeong Enterprise building, in the CEO's office, Lee Seola, after quickly recognizing Wolgwanggyo's secret weapon, nodded her head in understanding.
"This... is what those Wolgwang bastards have been preparing for."
With her long, sky-blue hair cascading down, Lee Seola calmly commented on the Moonlight Sect's secret weapon, as if it were an ordinary matter. She closed her eyes briefly, lost in thought.
"So, according to Da-in, these things will eventually appear all over the country?"
As Da-in had explained, these were the portals, the so-called dimensional gateways. The images showed an otherworldly scene, as if a child who had just learned to use Photoshop had combined a circular universe with a sky photo, creating an otherworldly landscape. Lee Seola fell into a momentary silence.
'...So, that's why he insisted on increasing the number of heroes.'
According to Da-in, it was necessary to train powerful superpower users because the situation would get more chaotic in the future. Stardus, Shadow Walker, and herself wouldn't be able to handle the onslaught of monsters on their own.
So, that was the purpose behind Da-in's PMC. The initial training was already well underway, and now all that remained was practical training. After that, they would start recruiting the second batch.
Lost in thought, Lee Seola raised her fist briefly as she looked at the enlarged photos of the incident.
Upon hearing that, a faint smile crossed Haru's face, although her expression seemed to cloud slightly. However, it seemed that Lee Seola didn't pick up on it as she continued with her question.
"Speaking of which, Haru, when I saw you after that last terrorist attack at the association, you didn't look too good. Did something happen?"
As if casually in passing, Lee Seola asked, her concern evident in her words.
In response, Haru finally opened her mouth after briefly fiddling with her drink using the straw.
"It's just... nothing, really."
"Just nothing?"
"Just. I had some doubts for a moment back then. I felt a bit frustrated, and negative emotions seemed to well up for no reason..."
After saying this, she stared blankly somewhere for a moment. Then, with a faint smile, she looked back at Lee Seola and continued.
"But now, I've roughly figured out a solution. So, don't worry about it. Thanks."
"Well... I'm glad to hear you found a solution. If you ever have any more doubts, feel free to talk to me."
"Sure."
Haru smiled again and took a sip of her drink as she held her cup. Watching her friend's contented demeanor, Lee Seola quietly lost herself in thought.
...It seemed like she wouldn't mention it anymore. She must have emphasized not to worry. So, there was no need to press further.
Well, for now, she looked fine.
With that in mind, Lee Seola smoothly shifted the conversation to other topics and started chatting about various matters. They discussed everything from small talk to hero-related business.
"You're right. Busan and the surrounding areas didn't have many villains, strangely enough, but Seoul seems to have quite a few. I'm sorry you had to endure all that trouble, Haru."
"It's alright. To be honest, I'm glad. I'd rather have the incidents happen nearby than far away."
Naturally, they continued their conversation, touching on the topic of the PMC.
"That's right. I mentioned it last time, right? I've been gathering some strong superpower users to train."
"Oh... yeah, I think I remember."
"Now, I'm thinking of gradually deploying them to the field. Would you be able to help out when you have time?"
Lee Seola asked, mentioning that the weaker B-class heroes had a hard time dealing with the opponents who were a bit stronger.
"Of course. We're here to protect people, right? I'll help when I have time."
"Really? Thank you."
And as expected, Haru readily accepted. There was no reason to refuse when she was someone who was more dedicated to being a hero and protecting people than anyone else, no matter what anyone said.
After chatting for several more minutes, they finally parted ways when it was well past the scheduled time.
Once again surrounded by security personnel, Lee Seola sat in the back seat of her car.
"Phew..."
She smiled as she reminisced about the conversation they had today.
Meeting Haru after such a long time, laughing, and chatting had been a great relief. There was nothing like relieving stress through a good talk with a friend. On top of that, she had received a promise that Haru would definitely visit the PMC.
However...
"...Hmm."
Lee Seola fell into thought, her expression turning pensive.
Haru had answered that she looked troubled because she had a lot on her mind, especially after the terrorist attack by Egostic, who appeared holding a katana.
But when she mentioned that she had found a solution, Haru had gone back to her cheerful self.
'...What could that solution possibly be?'
Lee Seola didn't even know what Haru's initial problem had been, let alone what the solution might entail. However, the way Haru was talking, she seemed relieved.
"..."
Lee Seola felt a slight sense of unease, but she chose to ignore it. After all, there probably wasn't anything to worry about.