Chapter 162

Before long, Taewoon moved his residence to Mokpo, where he encountered some welcome faces.

They were none other than Taegil and Hyeeun, the Level 5-rank Hunters who had raided the Separation-type Dungeon with him.

“I didn’t expect to see you here… Are you here because of the Gwangseong Church as well?”

“Yes, that’s correct. The Baran Guild, which I belong to, has been put in charge of the Mokpo area.”

The Guild Oracle, to which Taegil and Hyeeun belonged, was tasked with the Muan and Yeongam areas. Because of this, they met with the members of the Baran Guild, who were handling the adjacent regions, before officially commencing their missions.

What left an impression on him was the aura of a formidable powerhouse emanating from a grey-haired man standing behind them.

‘With that appearance and the bow on his back… is that Choi Heosu, the Level 6-rank Hunter from Oracle?’

Of course, he was incomparable to the current Taewoon, but Taewoon felt that he might put up a good fight even against Kalliedu.

In any case, as someone who would have to trust him with his back, he was a very reassuring ally.

“Nice to meet you. I am Choi Heosu, the Vice Guild Master of Oracle.”

“I’m Seo Taewoon of Baran. I look forward to working with you for a while.”

After exchanging brief greetings and establishing minimum guidelines, the members of Baran and Oracle scattered to their respective assigned areas to patrol the surroundings and set up checkpoints for monitoring.

Taewoon was also put in charge of a fairly extensive area centered around the Yeonsan-dong and Daeyang-dong districts. Although there was one Gwangseong Church branch that had extended into the provinces, the atmosphere suggested that no fatal problems had occurred yet.

“Wow… this is truly disgusting. I mean, how long has it even been since the Gwangseong Church entered South Korea? Now it’s harder to find a place where they aren’t.”

As Yerin said, their expansion of power through massive capital, manpower, and fanatical followers resembled a plague with extreme contagion.

Regardless of how it looked from the inside, to an outsider, their behavior seemed completely abnormal.

While it was true that there hadn’t been any large-scale issues, the Mokpo area was also gradually becoming sickened by the aftermath.

‘It seems they aren’t repeating blatant brainwashing like last time here, but…’

He didn’t know what other hidden problems might exist.

The Gwangseong Church that Taewoon had witnessed was composed of people who were simply beyond redemption.

“Did you find anything particularly unusual over there?”

“Nope. Same here. There are branches scattered about, but no noticeable problems. Maybe the whole of Mokpo feels like this.”

Should he say it was better compared to some areas in the metropolitan region where the problems had become severe?

However, the unfortunate reality was that he couldn’t simply be happy about that.

‘…’

Before he knew it, it was Monday.

Two of the Fingers of the Gwangseong Church had already set foot on South Korean soil, and from now on, it wouldn’t be strange if anything happened.

The members of Baran, including Taewoon, gathered one last time for a final rest, and from the next day, they began full-scale regional management.

“Excuse me, Baran Guild member? I heard it was an instruction from the Association… but exactly what kind of work are you doing?”

“It’s nothing major; we’re just looking into a few things for regional management. You don’t need to worry too much about it.”

On the surface, the matter regarding the two Fingers was known as an Association project to reorganize the Hunter management system between regions.

Some people who had heard news from somewhere showed signs of tension, but the majority of Hunters had received no specific word.

‘The high-ranking officials of each guild would have been notified for future cooperation, but…’

As such, most ordinary Hunters were unaware of the exact current situation.

This meant that the responsibility placed upon Taewoon and his party was immense.

“You’re working hard. Here, take this at least.”

“Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Watching the woman walk away, Taewoon suddenly fell into reminiscence, briefly reviewing the events that had transpired so far in his mind.

At that level, was she a Level 2 or Level 3 Hunter?

Taewoon had certainly gone through those times himself, but it felt as if a vast amount of time had passed, making it seem like a very distant memory.

‘Well, considering everything I’ve been through… I suppose it’s only natural.’

Taking time to calmly organize his thoughts for the first time in a long while, Taewoon repeated the observation and recording of anomalies within his assigned area for a day or two.

And soon, information worth noting finally flew in from guilds in other regions.

“So… you’re saying that crops that aren’t even in harvest season suddenly bore fruit, and the forest became twice as lush in a single day?”

Looking at the photos laid out before them, the gathered members of Baran wore expressions of utter disbelief.

For the first few days after arriving in Mokpo, the days had passed quietly without incident.

However, in the dawn transitioning from the third to the fourth day, unbelievable news began to arrive one by one from several guilds in other regions.

Anomalous phenomena, as if witnessing divine grace or a Miracle, had begun to occur in various places.

“It’s absurd, but… does that mean the Third Finger visited the places where those incidents occurred?”

“But is there any reason for her to brazenly reveal her location? It’s an action whose intention is hard to read.”

As the guild members said, Sharliaete’s movements certainly felt accompanied by many question marks.

He didn’t know why she was going around causing Miracle-like events across South Korea, nor could he fathom why she was revealing her location to draw attention and interest.

‘The Association thought the Central Holy Sanctuary in Seoul was the superficial bait, but could the reality be different…’

Everyone could not hide their confusion at the situation that deviated from the original expectation.

Furthermore, Sharliaete’s miracles, the nature of which could not even be guessed, seemed to demonstrate her mysterious and powerful strength, evoking a strange tension.

“Anyway, you all know why I called you to gather during such a busy time, right? Considering the locations of the regions where news has been reported so far, her footsteps might reach this vicinity soon.”

“Hah, really. We’ll have to stay on high alert for the time being.”

At the mention that her next destination might be the Mokpo area, the members of Baran could not hide their stiffened expressions and put strength into their tightly clenched fists.

Soon after returning to his assigned area, Taewoon began to organize his thoughts while checking the key points he had previously marked.

‘The world tends to count the First Finger and Second Finger as Kyurihi’s closest aides, but I wonder how it is in reality…’

Excluding the First Finger, who had earned fame as a Level 7-rank Hunter for a long time, and the Second, whose ascent to Level 7 was practically a given, the general opinion was that the remaining Fingers remained at a lower stage.

However, even the Fifth Finger, Kalliedu, whom Taewoon had faced personally, had completely surpassed previous evaluations.

In that case, would the combat power of the remaining Fingers be as they expected?

Taewoon held a very pessimistic view regarding such opinions.

‘Two Fingers have come to this land. It means the Gwangseong Church is paying attention.’

Their current actions were underpinned by a sense of purpose to achieve definite results, and the power of the two Fingers must never be underestimated.

‘Hm?’

While continuing his thoughts, a remnant of an alien energy, different from the usual, was captured by Taewoon’s Qi Sense as he expanded his Magical Power.

After following it for a while, a massive reservoir large enough to fill his entire field of vision began to appear before him.

The problem was that the entire thing was glowing with a faint golden light.

‘What… is this?’

Without a doubt, it was a miracle performed by Sharliaete.

However, he hadn’t thought she would have arrived in this area so soon after the news had been reported.

Unsure whether to be relieved that she hadn’t caused a particular commotion or disappointed that he hadn’t even been able to track her shadow, Taewoon felt a somewhat complex emotion as he approached the reservoir to examine its interior.

‘It’s an extremely refined aura of Magical Power… but it’s blending too smoothly with the surroundings.’

In fact, the creatures within the reservoir were continuing their life activities without a hint of discomfort; rather, they seemed to be more energetic and move faster than usual.

‘With this level of power, she is definitely not Level 6-rank.’

Taewoon’s intuition, honed by facing countless powerful enemies, was extremely sharp, and he could observe the opponent’s superior level from this simple miracle.

After observing the interior of the reservoir and touching the water to grasp the situation for a while, Taewoon began preparing to return to his residence, organizing the contents of his report and taking a few photos.

Then suddenly, for a brief moment, a strange sensation, different from before, flashed through Taewoon’s mind.

Observing it with a questioning expression, Taewoon, thinking ‘could it be’, approached the reservoir again to check its state in detail.

‘It seems I’m… missing something.’

The sight unfolding before his eyes was certainly as reported, and nothing particularly special was visible.

However, Taewoon, who had become accustomed to that unique sensation by entering and leaving the special space called the Sanctuary in the New Continent, felt a strange sense of incongruity from the reservoir before him that should not be ignored.

Finally making up his mind, Taewoon flared up the powerful Magical Power he had been controlling, took out the Wax Mask, and began to recite the spell that came to mind.

In an instant, he entered the Apostle Transformation State, and as the Crimson Mist flowed out, Taewoon’s existence began to drift away from reality.

And within Taewoon’s vision, which was now able to observe a much higher realm, the true identity of the reservoir before him finally began to be revealed.

‘This is…’