A story about awakening one’s Fortune Window.

It was intriguing, but the text itself wasn’t particularly surprising.

That was because ‘Fortune Window scams’ were quite common occurrences.

A Fortune Window scam was exactly what it sounded like—someone promising to awaken your Fortune Window, taking your money, and then disappearing.

It was a tactic that ran rampant among religious organizations and shamans.

[Try this talisman. Carry it with you and make offerings for a hundred days, and your Fortune Window will awaken!]

[Get a shamanic ritual performed. Then you can awaken your Fortune Window.]

[Your ancestors are angry, which is why your Fortune Window hasn’t awakened!]

Many people sought out these scammers at relatively low prices, desperate to clutch at any straw they could find.

Kim Jeneung had fallen victim to such petty scams a few times himself.

Because of that, he hadn’t believed the post made by the Holy Grace Cult at first.

It’s just another common scam.

However, he could occasionally find testimonies from people who claimed to have actually joined the Holy Grace Cult and awakened their Fortune Windows.

‘You never know. They might actually awaken it for real. And it didn’t look like a dangerous place…’

Upon investigating the Holy Grace Cult, he found it was a relatively obscure, small religious organization.

Before the Day of Awakening, it was a religion focused on volunteer work and spiritual cultivation.

It seemed more like a group centered around meditation and ki training rather than a proper religious organization.

“You’re really… going to awaken it, right?”

Kim Jeneung asked again in an anxious voice.

The people around him looked at him with expressions of understanding.

“That’s right. I was skeptical at first too, but quite a few people have awakened here.”

“Even you, sir?”

“Not yet, but I’m scheduled to receive Holy Grace tomorrow!”

The man holding the steering wheel spoke in an excited voice.

To think he would become an awakener in just one day.

Kim Jeneung felt incredibly envious of the driver.

The people chattered noisily.

“What grade do you think you’ll get? Insect Grade?”

“Ahem, Insect Grade? Don’t jinx it, man. Don’t say things like that.”

“I’d be happy just to get Human Grade.”

Listening to their conversation, Kim Jeneung began to feel a flutter of anticipation.

What grade would he get?

‘It won’t be Insect Grade. I heard Insect Grade is for the dirt-poor. At the very least, Human Grade, or maybe even Ghost Grade…!’

-Deolkeong!

Just as he was lost in happy fantasies.

The van jolted violently with a loud clatter.

The people inside the van let out short yelps.

“Ah! What was that?”

“I-I think there’s a problem with the wheel.”

When the people got out to check, they found the wheel stuck in a pit.

They tried to push the vehicle out together, but it was no use.

The driver made a phone call somewhere and then spoke.

“They said they’ll send someone soon. If we wait, they’ll be here shortly.”

Those words brought a sense of relief to the people.

It was fortunate that the problem occurred near their destination, at least.

The driver spoke with irritated eyes.

“But why is there a pit in a place like this? That’s strange…”

The pit was indeed in a subtle spot.

As if someone had dug it on purpose.

While the others were inspecting the pit, Kim Jeneung took a step back and spoke.

“Excuse me, I need to use the restroom.”

“Sure. Don’t go too far.”

Kim Jeneung just gave a brief nod before moving his feet.

As he stepped deeper into the thicket, his expression soured.

‘I need to get into the Holy Grace Cult as quickly as possible right now!’

His friends had all become hunters and were already running Demon Realms.

They kept asking him if he had awakened yet and what grade he was.

It was a situation where his pride was too wounded to say anything.

He wanted to awaken his Fortune Window quickly so he could join them.

‘No. Don’t get anxious over a little accident. There’s not much left.’

Now, all he had to do was enter the Holy Grace Cult, and he could become a hunter too.

Becoming a hunter, making big money, joining a famous sect, and making a name for himself as a hunter—no, a Manshin.

Thinking about it, the corners of his mouth twitched up involuntarily.

‘Yeah. Just a little bit more…’

-Kkwaak!

At that moment, someone clamped a hand over Kim Jeneung’s mouth.

He had no time to react.

Kim Jeneung tried to struggle in panic, but he was already pinned down, his face pressed into the dirt.

“Mmph!”

“Quiet. Don’t make a sound.”

A cold voice came from behind him.

Seo Kangrim looked down at Kim Jeneung as he pinned him to the ground.

He examined Kim Jeneung and spoke.

“A new recruit trying to join the Holy Grace Cult? I haven’t seen your face before.”

“Mmph…”

“Trying to join that cult. You must have been pretty desperate.”

Cult?

The word ‘cult’ made Kim Jeneung flinch for a moment.

There was a part of him that had wondered if it really was a cult, but…

“You’re better off not going in there.”

Seo Kangrim slowly released the hand covering his mouth.

Although he still had him pinned down with his other hand.

Kim Jeneung, still staring at the ground, spoke.

“W-Who are you…?”

“You don’t need to know that. I came to rescue someone who’s trapped here. So I need a little help.”

“Help…?”

“Tell me your name, how you ended up coming here, and some basic personal information.”

Kim Jeneung didn’t understand why he was asking such things, but he answered honestly for now.

Seo Kangrim listened in silence and then opened his mouth.

“That’s enough. I’ll ask you for one more favor.”

“What…”

-Puk!

As soon as he finished speaking, Seo Kangrim struck the back of Kim Jeneung’s neck.

Kim Jeneung fainted without even a single scream.

Seo Kangrim looked down at him indifferently and spoke.

“I’ll be taking some of your fingernails.”

* * *

“Jeneung. Took you a while. Must have been a big one?”

When I returned to where the van was, one of the cult members struck up a conversation playfully.

Looking around, there were more people than when I had been watching earlier.

They were probably the people who came to pull the van out.

“Phew, I wonder why there’s a pit here of all places.”

“Thanks to it, we got out though. Let’s hurry up and get in.”

They didn’t seem to notice that I was the one who dug the pit, or that Kim Jeneung had been swapped out.

It was only natural they couldn’t tell, since I had consumed his fingernails and transformed into his appearance.

I nodded appropriately and got back into the van.

“Alright, everyone! Let’s go receive Holy Grace!”

The driver started the van with a spirited air.

The scenery outside was just a continuous forest road, but we finally arrived at our destination.

I got out of the van and looked at the Holy Grace Cult’s building.

It looked somewhat like a closed-down school.

It actually seemed to be one.

It looked like they had remodeled an abandoned school building, but judging by the atmosphere, it didn’t look like a religious facility.

“Alright, Jeneung. Let’s go in.”

A person pulled me and led me inside.

Entering the interior, there were more people than expected.

One of the people inside greeted the person who had dragged me in.

“Oh, a new follower?”

“Yes. I brought him.”

“Good job. Just a few more and you can receive Holy Grace, right?”

“Three more.”

The Holy Grace Cult promised to awaken people’s Fortune Windows, but not everyone could receive that grace.

Those who were diligent in their proselytizing activities could awaken their Fortune Windows first.

In other words, they had to bring in several followers like a pyramid scheme.

I looked around, leaving the chattering people behind.

It was my first time coming inside.

In my past life, only Shin Sooa and others had come here.

In my past life, about a year from now, news of the Holy Grace Cult would reach the Flying Tiger Sect.

The Holy Grace Cult used Fortune Window awakenings as a weapon to rapidly expand its influence.

Actually, the emergence of new religions wasn’t exactly rare after the Day of Awakening.

As various gods bestowed Divine Descent upon people, numerous religions sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

After all, the recognition level of gods increased when religions were formed.

However, the Holy Grace Cult had many suspicious aspects.

First, the Holy Grace Cult had no god.

While there were religions without gods, there was usually a being equivalent to a god.

Furthermore, there were people who entered this place and never returned.

No matter how much their families tried to contact them, there was complete silence.

Then, an acquaintance of one of the victims was a member of the Flying Tiger Sect, and they informed Shin Sooa of the fact.

Upon hearing this, Shin Sooa stepped up to investigate the Holy Grace Cult, and in the process, Yoo Harang was rescued.

Encountering Yoo Harang was something that happened a year later.

The situation might be relatively safe right now.

But the future was changing little by little, and considering the nature of the Holy Grace Cult…

I couldn’t let my guard down just because there was still a year left.

Just then, the follower who brought me spoke.

“Now then, it’s almost time for the sermon, so let’s go in!”

I wanted to investigate, but it was better to just listen for now.

I followed the guide and entered the inner sanctuary.

The sanctuary was a large auditorium.

Several people were already crowded together.

They varied in age and gender.

I was looking around in case Yoo Harang was there when I heard a microphone echo.

“Thank you very much, everyone, for coming to the Holy Grace Cult like this.”

A man who looked to be in his forties was standing at the pulpit.

A gentle impression and a soft voice.

He was a man who gave off the overall impression of a good person, and his name was Yoo Sunmin.

“What I have to say to you today is…”

After that, a calm and boring sermon continued.

The gist of it was that if you lived virtuously, you would eventually receive blessings.

However, strange stories were mixed in here and there.

“The god of the Holy Grace Cult has not yet come to us. He does not even have a name yet, but he will come for us soon.”

Yoo Sunmin’s eyes shone with hope as he said that.

He spread his arms wide toward the empty air and spoke.

“There are many gods in this world right now, but they all seek strong Manshin. They don’t even spare a glance for weak people like us.”

At those words, small sighs of lamentation could be heard from around.

There were unawakened people in the Holy Grace Cult, but there were also quite a few who had awakened.

However, even among the awakened, there were no Manshin.

People who were shunned because they were too weak to receive Divine Descent.

Yoo Sunmin spoke as if to comfort them.

“However, that nameless one who will come soon will become an ally for weak people like us. He will make all of us into Manshin!”

They were words that would easily tempt those who were weak and powerless.

Not only would they awaken their Fortune Windows, but they would also receive Divine Descent.

The people were looking at Yoo Sunmin with pleading eyes.

I kept my head bowed low in that atmosphere.

Because my eyes must have been swirling with rage and killing intent right now.

Knowing what the nameless god meant, I couldn’t contain my fury.

I wanted to rush up onto the stage right then and there and slit Yoo Sunmin’s throat.

While I was struggling to suppress my emotions, Yoo Sunmin’s voice rang out.

“And today, on this occasion, there is someone who will receive a new blessing.”

Suddenly, silence fell.

Wondering what was going on, I raised my head, and Yoo Sunmin had turned his head to look at me.

He looked into my eyes and spoke.

“You, sitting right there. Please come up to the stage.”