By Zephyria They headed straight for the assembly point. Lee Chan-ha’s ability was truly useful at times like these. It was perfect for sneaking out while avoiding the eyes of reporters always stationed outside the guild. However, illusion abilities aren’t a panacea.
‘It blinds human eyes, but it can’t blind mechanical eyes.’
Besides, if it’s useful as an ally’s ability, it’s also a headache when it’s an enemy’s. You only need to look at the Parasitic Polluters moving among civilians while hiding their bodies.
Arriving quickly near the assembly point, they hid on the rooftop of a nearby building. To Yohan, it looked like an ordinary street. Someone who had once, with their own ability, plunged countless colleagues into the Flood, said to Yohan.
“Yohan-ssi, I will show you the original appearance of this place.”
“The original appearance of this place?”
Lee Chan-ha soon showed Yohan and the others the appearance that should have been visible with her illusion ability. Yohan let out a small gasp. Looking down from the rooftop, Yoon Seung-ryong clicked his tongue.
“What a mess…”
Corrupted individuals walked around the building, exuding a foul odor. As if that weren’t enough, they handed out flyers with contaminant sticking thickly to their hands to people nearby. Even as they received the flyers, so black that the writing was unrecognizable, the pedestrians didn’t notice anything strange, just like Yohan moments before.
“Aw, a, ke, ning, oooh. Heh. Come, oooh. Heh.”
“Awakening… is this real?”
“Reaaal, yes, it’s real. Hehehehe. Look at me. I’ve, awakened. Heh!”
It seemed her ability wasn’t just about showing illusions; the pedestrians who took the flyers from the Corrupted soon had vacant stares. Then, forgetting their original destinations and purposes, they walked into the building as if entranced. Yohan, worried about them, focused on the building.
He understood why Lee Chan-ha called it a trace of the Flood. It felt like the foam escaping when you slightly open the lid of a shaken bottle of soda. And even at that level, the Flood was sufficiently dangerous to living beings. Lee Hyun-muk, seemingly having observed enough, nodded and gave instructions.
“Let’s wait for the event now. I want to see what they plan to do.”
A sense of tension filled everyone for the first time since escaping the Abyss. Staring at the building, which gave him an unsettling and unpleasant feeling as a Purifier, Yohan said to Yoon Seung-ryong.
“Hyung, could you get my spear?”
“Oh, sure. There’s no harm in being well-prepared.”
Yoon Seung-ryong reached into the air, rummaged around, and pulled out the spear he had entrusted. The weapon, seen after a long time, seemed to welcome him. Yohan stroked the weapon, easing his tension. Unpleasant thoughts crept in, but he firmly believed that even if the Flood appeared, they would be fine, just as they had endured the worst environment of the Abyss.
As Yohan resolved his will, a cluster of light flickered above his head. Seeing it, his teammates focused so intently that they didn’t realize they were relaxing their bodies.
A short while later, as the sun began to set, people poured out of the building. There were more Corrupted than expected. Anyone who entered and exited the building had to be considered at least mildly contaminated.
“There’s Park Seung-min and Go Jae-won over there.”
Yohan whispered in a small voice. Among the crowd, Park Seung-min was looking around with a somewhat anxious expression. Though a low-grade, low-grade Purifier, he must have been feeling the unpleasant, irritating sensation. However, the fact that he didn’t run away upon seeing the Corrupted meant he was clearly under an illusion. Go Jae-won, on the other hand, had a face so bright it seemed he was grinning about something joyful. Perhaps because his contamination level was quite high, to the point of his skin being mottled, it seemed to affect his mind as well.
“There are too many people…”
Yohan muttered worriedly. People were pouring out endlessly from what was a rather ordinary, not-so-large commercial building. It looked like they were forcefully expelling something that had been crammed inside. As the streets began to fill with people, nearby pedestrians stopped, murmuring. At that moment, Joo Ho-young, who had been observing the people intently, spoke.
“Huh? Isn’t that a National Assembly member? Near the pharmacy building.”
“That’s right. It’s National Assembly member Kim Jae-hoon.”
Lee Hyun-muk confirmed the face and nodded. An assembly that even a National Assembly member was participating in felt far more dangerous than they had imagined. A moment later, people surrounded the commercial building. As they watched to see what would happen, a Corrupted individual crawled out of the building. The Corrupted, struggling to stand up with a body that seemed to have turned into liquid and kept flowing down, held up a megaphone.
— Welcome, welcome, welcome, everyone. Come in. Come in today. Today, we will establish a great cause. Let all people! Become Awakened! Let us shout together.
His pronunciation slurred excessively, likely due to his overly large lips. The crowd gathered below the building cheered and shouted. Let all people become Awakened! Let all people become Awakened! Become!
— Let us live well! Become a magnificent, Awakened! Being! That’s right! Everyone, come here! Everyone, come here!
Even though the speech was close to rambling, the people marveled and gathered closer to the building, murmuring. Yohan, watching this bizarre assembly scene, felt sweat on his palms. Sirens wailed in the distance, likely from a report. The slowly dripping Corrupted individual gestured.
— Come out, Park Seung-min! Come out, come out!
Park Seung-min, captivated by the illusion, pushed through the crowd and stepped forward.
— Do you see? A Purifier. A Purifier!
“Hello, I am Purifier Park Seung-min.”
At Park Seung-min’s words, the crowd erupted in enthusiastic cheers. They vomited foul-smelling things, screamed, and wailed. They stomped their feet and cursed with joy. Park Seung-min, lost in the illusion, watched this disgusting spectacle with satisfaction, as if seeing fans gathered to see him.
— If we are contaminated! And then! Purified! We can become stronger! Do you understand? I will, try it once. Come out, come out!
With everyone’s encouragement, someone stepped forward. The Corrupted clapped and shouted.
— Receive the Holy Body! The Holy Body!
He vomited a lump from his mouth. He offered the lump, which looked like it was made of sewage, mud, and flesh, to a citizen who wanted to become Awakened. Yohan, watching this, turned pale. Lee Chan-ha squeezed her eyes shut, and Seo Yakrin recoiled.
“Ugh! They’re doing something crazy.”
The citizen, lost in the illusion, ate the lump as if it were delicious. Their contamination level instantly soared, and their body began to twist. The Corrupted shouted to Park Seung-min.
— Receive the Baptism! The Baptism!
Park Seung-min approached majestically and purified the person who had just eaten the ‘Holy Body.’ A faint spark of light seeped into the other person. The crowd cheered as if they had seen a great light, but Yohan, on the contrary, confirmed that Park Seung-min’s purification power had completely run out.
“I’ve become stronger! I’ve awakened! I’m an Awakened now! Mom! Dad! I’ll make you proud! Kya ha ha!”
The citizen, deeply immersed in the illusion, jumped for joy. However, strange flesh began to grow on the citizen’s back as they spoke, and their clothes expanded, adorned with dangling growths.
Park Seung-min purified, emitting a spark-like light. Even in his illusory state, he sweated and tried hard. A faint, flickering, meager light, less than that of a lightbulb… Yohan watched Park Seung-min’s efforts with cold eyes.
People cheered, calling themselves Awakened or Re-awakened, each contaminated. They were ecstatic and wept. The stench of decay grew stronger. The onlookers from afar, instinctively sensing an ominous atmosphere, began to flee.
“Haha! Yes, I am the Purifier! The High-rank Purifier of our country!”
Park Seung-min, intoxicated, spread his arms wide. He looked incredibly happy. Surrounded by the Corrupted, he smiled brightly at the fleeting, false happiness. Clumsy, out-of-sync applause came from all directions. They cackled and screamed in agony. Soon, the Corrupted individual acting as the MC shouted.
— Today’s! Event’s! Highlight! Is! Clap! Clap! Clap!
The fervor intensified, and the crowd unanimously clapped and stomped their feet. What on earth was going to happen? Amidst the tension, the building’s windows all creaked open. And from within, a disgusting purplish-black mist billowed out. Then, from the windows, the Corrupted began to throw things. Thud, thud, thud… They were wriggling, mushroom-like creatures.
— Receive the Holy Body! The Holy Body!
— Let’s all awaken by receiving the Holy Body!
— Eat the delicious Holy Body! It’s delicious!
Whoosh, an enormous amount of black, mist-like mushroom spores rained down. It was like a horrific downpour of black confetti. Screams of pain and cheers of joy erupted. On people’s bodies, clusters of grotesque black tentacles began to sprout.
As the purplish-black spore mist settled thickly on the ground, the passersby watching from a distance screamed and fled, only to be drawn back, entranced. Yohan, momentarily stunned by the sight before him, could no longer stand it and leaped to his feet.
Until now, he had hidden his identity to avoid becoming a target of the government, to get revenge on Park Seung-min, and to evade the attention of the Parasitic Polluters. But he had no intention of stepping aside even from this unprecedented disaster.
The terribly harmful fog spread rapidly in all directions. If this situation were left unchecked, an immense number of victims would emerge. Moreover, it was about time to reveal his identity anyway, so Yohan’s actions were without hesitation.