We followed Eun Woojeong deeper into Zone B-37.
After about ten minutes of walking—past cracked roads and broken streetlamps—the church building finally came into view.
We climbed up a tree near the church wall to observe the interior.
At first glance, the unlit church looked abandoned, but occasional noises—soft footsteps, shuffling—confirmed what Eun Woojeong had said. There were people inside.
“What’s the plan?”
I quietly focused, trying to sense the presence within. We were a bit far, so I couldn’t be certain, but I estimated around six individuals inside the building.
‘All Awakeners... but none of them feel like S-ranks.’
Six Awakeners in total. Sneaking in unnoticed was out of the question.
But going back empty-handed after coming this far didn’t sit right with me either. Especially if, as Eun Woojeong claimed, they were connected to the lab. That made this more than just a suspicious gathering.
‘There’s definitely something going on here. Otherwise, why would six of them be holed up in an abandoned church like this?’
A rundown church in a district no one visits. Six Awakeners gathered in secret. The whole thing reeked of trouble.
After a moment of thought, I offered a suggestion.
“Let’s go in.”
“Just like that?”
“Neither of us has our face showing. We won’t be able to sneak in anyway, and we can’t just let them be. That leaves only one option.”
“Fair enough.”
With my decision made, I vaulted over the wall.
Thud—I landed lightly on the ground, and Eun Woojeong followed suit without hesitation. The church exterior was empty. I had braced myself for a fight, but there was no need to stir things up unnecessarily right away.
“Let’s keep it quiet.”
“How about going in from the second floor?”
Eun Woojeong pointed at a second-floor window. It was high up but reachable by climbing the decorative bricks and ornaments lining the wall.
“Not a bad idea.”
Agreeing with his suggestion, I leapt again.
I stepped on the ledge of a first-floor window and grabbed a protruding brick, using my arms to pull myself up until I could reach the second-floor ornamentation. I perched there and peeked through the window—no one inside.
To minimize noise, I tapped lightly on the window latch with my fist. Clink. Sliding my hand through the broken glass, I undid the latch and opened the window.
“Come up.”
I slipped into the room and gestured toward Eun Woojeong, who was watching me from below.
I figured he’d follow the same path up. Instead, as if mocking me, he casually summoned a gleaming white chain from thin air.
Clink—whip!
The chain shot past me like an arrow and wrapped itself around a drawer inside the room.
As soon as the hooked end latched in place, Eun Woojeong grabbed the chain and flew upward, reeling himself in with a smooth motion. In one move, he swung into the room and landed without a sound.
“...”
Unlike me, who had to struggle up brick by brick, he soared in effortlessly with one skill. It was infuriating.
If he had this trick up his sleeve, couldn’t he have told me earlier? Fully aware of the annoyed look I gave him, Eun Woojeong just shrugged with his usual smugness.
“What?”
“...Tch.”
No point arguing. It’d only piss me off more.
I sighed and turned away from him. The sooner we got this over with, the better it’d be for my mental health.
Standing before the door, I pressed my ear to it. I could hear faint footsteps in the distance—no one seemed to be on the second floor. Carefully, I opened the door and stepped into the hallway.
“Ugh...”
The moment the door creaked open, a foul stench hit me.
It seeped in even through my mask, making me reflexively wrinkle my nose. Behind me, Eun Woojeong emerged into the hallway, looking equally displeased.
“Smells like blood. A lot of it.”
“This isn’t just the scent of injury. It’s... worse.”
It wasn’t just iron—it was a heavy, nauseating odor. The smell of rot. Of decomposing corpses.
“Definitely not something you’d expect from an ordinary church.”
“Let’s go.”
We moved toward the end of the hallway, where a ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) faint light spilled out. The closer we got, the clearer the voices and footsteps became.
We crouched low and peered around the corridor, finally catching sight of the church interior. We were on an upper walkway overlooking the main hall below.
The hall was filled with long pews, and a raised altar stood at the front. On that altar, a wooden cross stained with dried blood glinted in the flickering candlelight.
Seeing those dark red smears under candlelight gave me chills. What the hell had happened here?
I narrowed my eyes, trying to scan the rest of the room. That’s when it happened—creeaak—a door opened nearby, and footsteps approached fast.
“Hide.”
I grabbed Eun Woojeong by the arm and pulled him behind one of the hallway pillars. Just in time.
Several figures emerged from below, spilling into the hall.
Thankfully, they were too engrossed in their conversation to notice us.
“Was the offering transferred safely?”
“Yes. The follower who arrived two days ago confirmed the handover.”
Two days ago... That must be Kim Sangmin—the man Eun Woojeong mentioned. So he really was involved with this group.
“We need more offerings.”
The man who appeared to be the leader spoke in a low, solemn tone.
He was the only one dressed in a black ceremonial robe—probably the priest. This might actually be his church.
“The day is approaching. We must not fall behind the others if we want to remain close to Him.”
“But... there’s no suitable source of sacrifices nearby.”
“Then go beyond the zone. Hunt them. The world is in chaos. Wanderers are everywhere. Bring back healthy offerings and present your prayers. Now hold on—”
The priest paused mid-sentence. He suddenly lifted his head and stared directly up at us.
Our eyes locked.
“Well, well... A new offering has walked right in.”
A wide, twisted grin split across his face. He pointed straight at us and shouted,
“Bring them to me! A new offering has arrived!”
His pitch-black eyes shimmered eerily in the candlelight.
“If they resist, kill them and drag them in.”
The men surrounding him looked up in unison, and I let out a bitter smile.
‘I expected a fight... but I didn’t think it’d be against some fucked-up cult.’
Regardless, I had no choice. If I wanted to find out their connection to the lab, I had to take them all down and search the church.
I reached into my inventory and drew my sword—but Eun Woojeong spoke up first, surprisingly.
“Need a hand?”
“What were you planning to do if I said no?”
“Dunno. Watch?”
“As a fellow human being, maybe help out a little?”
“Sure, why not.”
I ended that pointless exchange and launched myself down from the balcony.
Thud—as I landed on the first floor, a wave of hostility surged toward me.
The men protecting the priest reached inside their jackets and pulled out weapons—rusty kitchen knives and hand axes. Great. What variety.
I’d seen the world fall apart in all kinds of ways, but human sacrifice to a god? That was new.
I raised my sword slowly, taking a deep breath. The priest spoke again.
“Don’t waste your strength. Submit. Your end will be the same regardless.”
“What?”
“We are merely delivering you a quicker salvation.”
What the fuck was this guy talking about?
I snorted in disbelief.
“Out of all the recruitment pitches I’ve ever heard, this is the worst.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, the man at the front screamed and lunged.
“Raaaagh!”
Clang!
He swung his blood-stained cleaver with pathetic form. I knocked it aside easily, but he came at me again without hesitation.
“Graaah...!”
More than his lack of skill, what disturbed me was his behavior.
He had to know I was stronger than him. And yet—there wasn’t even a flicker of hesitation in the way he charged.
Clash!
Our blades clashed again. Through the gap, I could clearly see his face.
His eyes were bloodshot and bulging, filled with nothing but fury and hate. It wasn’t just fanaticism—it was obsession. He truly believed he had to kill me and offer me as a sacrifice.
Had they been brainwashed?
The priest’s obsession with offerings was insane, but the way these men followed orders without thought was just as bizarre.
‘This isn’t...’
They didn’t move like people. Their minds were gone—like monsters driven by instinct to devour.
The ones standing before me weren’t human anymore. They were monsters.

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