Resurrection Chapter 97 - There’s a Strange Scent

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At the entrance to the grand temple that served the White Goddess, Park Sikyung hunched his shoulders.

The grand temple of the White Goddess in Yongin City was built as a modern reinterpretation of an ancient Greek temple. Originally, they had used a leased building in Sejong City as the grand temple, but they completed and moved into this new building last year.

Designed by a famous architect, the building had won several awards and been selected as a model for optimal new energy efficiency. Its exterior alone was magnificent. The unusually high pillars and ceiling, and the giant statue of the goddess in the middle of the lobby, exuded an overwhelming presence that made one feel intimidated to even step inside.

Park Sikyung forced himself to calm his shrinking heart and crossed the lobby. He then went to the information desk located in the inner part of the lobby and opened his mouth.

“Hello. I would like to see the High Priest, Mr. Heo Gyomu. I am Second-Rank Apostle Park Sikyung.”

“Do you have an appointment?”

“Ah, no. I wasn’t able to make one.”

“Could you please wait a moment?”

The receptionist, who had contacted the High Priest’s office via the internal phone, finished the call and spoke.

“You can go right up.”

Park Sikyung bowed his head with a sense of relief.

He too had once been on a good path, so to speak. He had been confident that the position of General Affairs Director, which oversaw the Order’s administration, would one day be his.

But after Mr. Heesoo left the Order and he directly confronted the apostles who criticized him, he fell completely out of the Order’s favor. Now, he was in a position where even stepping into the grand temple was awkward, so he was afraid to ask for the White Goddess’s divine object.

Kim Yitae had said that the Order would grant the request since he wasn’t asking for ownership, just to borrow it, but it was difficult for Park Sikyung to think so. Many people had coveted Gemma, the White Goddess’s only divine object, even when Mr. Heesoo had it.

In particular, the First-Rank Apostle, Moon Iseon, had been drooling over it, so there was a high possibility he had it now. Could he really bring it back to Mr. Heesoo?

But he had to bring Gemma for Mr. Heesoo to accept him as a comrade. It seemed he still didn’t trust him. That must be why he had interrogated and frighteningly intimidated him about the conversation he had with Kim Yitae before.

Thinking about that incident still made him feel sorrowful. He had never seen Mr. Heesoo like that before, so he was extremely shocked. It was as if he wasn’t Mr. Heesoo, but a different person, and he had been completely terrified.

But even though Mr. Heesoo seemed to have changed, he didn’t want to betray him like the other apostles. He had been a noble holy warrior and was now a berserker, so it might be natural for his words and actions to change.

First, he intended to find Gemma, return it to Mr. Heesoo, and build trust. Only then could he try to persuade him to return to the White Goddess.

Park Sikyung solidified his resolve, got on the elevator, and went up to the General Administration Office. When he knocked on the closed door, knock, knock, a voice answered from inside.

“Come in.”

Park Sikyung carefully opened the door, entered the spacious office, and bowed.

“Mr. Heo Gyomu, thank you for agreeing to see me even though I came so suddenly.”

He expressed his gratitude first and then raised his eyes, but Mr. Heo Gyomu was not alone in the office. Troublesomely, Moon Iseon was sitting there, occupying one of the guest sofas.

Moon Iseon, who had always borne some resemblance to Mr. Heesoo, was now a complete look-alike. Not only was he equipped with gear similar to the holy warrior’s regalia Mr. Heesoo had worn, but he also had Gemma on the center of his forehead.

Above all, his hair was cut short, close to a buzz cut, imitating the past Mr. Heesoo. Knowing that Moon Iseon loved to dress up more than anyone, Park Sikyung was inwardly surprised.

Was this his own doing? Or was it due to pressure from the Order, which wanted a second holy warrior?

“Come and sit here.”

At Mr. Heo Gyomu’s words, Park Sikyung approached them and sat on the sofa. Mr. Heo Gyomu asked after his well-being, as if to be polite. It was surprising for Park Sikyung, who had expected to face a sharp reaction.

After a brief exchange of trivial updates, Park Sikyung decided it was the right time and got to the main point.

“Sir, actually, I’ve become a comrade of Mr. Heesoo, who has returned as a berserker.”

“Hmm, I see. Congratulations.”

Mr. Heo Gyomu showed not even a speck of surprise, which astonished Park Sikyung.

“Ah, you knew?”

“Of course I knew. The White Goddess gave a revelation to Mr. Iseon a while ago. She told him to actively assist you in bringing Seo Heesoo back to the Order.”

At those words, Park Sikyung glanced at Moon Iseon and then lowered his head.

“Ye-es, I see.”

“Since you became his comrade, I thought you would come looking for Gemma soon.”

Park Sikyung said with inward relief.

“That’s right. I’m not asking for ownership. Even if Mr. Heesoo uses it, it will still be the Order’s divine object. If it’s alright with you, I would like to take it.”

As Park Sikyung said that, Mr. Heo Gyomu gestured to Moon Iseon with his eyes. Moon Iseon, receiving the glance, furrowed his brow, but perhaps because there had been a message from the White Goddess, he offered no particular protest. He immediately brought his hand to his forehead, pulled out Gemma, and tossed it.

Catching it unexpectedly, Park Sikyung gave Moon Iseon a bow. Instead of accepting the greeting, Moon Iseon abruptly stood up and walked out of the office.

As he disappeared, exuding a chilly air, Park Sikyung sighed. He looked at Mr. Heo Gyomu and said in an apologetic tone.

“It seems Mr. Iseon was using it, so I feel bad for taking it.”

Mr. Heo Gyomu shook his head.

“Don’t worry about it. The most important thing for the Order right now is to bring Seo Heesoo back.”

“Is… Is it that serious?”

“You may not know since you haven’t been at the temple recently, but the atmosphere is grave. The White Goddess has greatly withdrawn her grace, and because of that, everyone is having trouble using their abilities. Moon Iseon is trying to win back the White Goddess’s favor, but as you and I both know, it’s not enough.”

“I see……”

“Since the apostles can’t use their abilities freely, they are becoming increasingly reluctant to perform service. Consequently, not only our income but also donations have decreased, which is a big problem. After Seo Heesoo left the Order, major sponsorships have dropped off significantly, so at this rate, we will go bankrupt.”

“Bankrupt?”

Park Sikyung was greatly surprised. Mr. Heo Gyomu looked up at the high ceiling and sighed.

“We wasted too much money building the grand temple in the name of elevating the White Goddess’s status. We’re already in a mountain of debt, so just maintaining the building is a struggle. If we don’t bring Seo Heesoo back as soon as possible, our Order is finished.”

Listening to the story, Park Sikyung gradually felt anger welling up inside him. He suppressed the sharpness in his voice and spoke as if blaming Mr. Heo Gyomu.

“You should have anticipated this sooner. If we had rescued Mr. Heesoo from the Demon’s Den, it would have been easier to persuade him to come back. We just stood by and did nothing, and now some random person has snatched him up, so what are we supposed to do?”

Mr. Heo Gyomu frowned at Park Sikyung’s rudeness. But rather than pointing out his attitude, he muttered like he was making an excuse.

“Seo Heesoo himself rejected the White Goddess’s grace, so we were all afraid of the goddess’s wrath. How could we have gone to rescue Seo Heesoo, ignoring the goddess’s will? Even if we had rescued him, what if he had insisted on not coming back until the end? The goddess’s anger might have deepened, and she might have left Earth.”

The apostles of the White Goddess, unlike the apostles of other gods, were accustomed to enjoying immense religious power. As one could see from this magnificent grand temple, it was because a vast amount of wealth flowed into the Order.

Their situation was different from that of ordinary Awakened, who could simply find another god if they changed the one they served. Since even a mere Fifth-Rank Apostle received ample support and a considerable salary as a member of the Order, they feared being abandoned by the goddess more than anything.

“Now that you’ve become Seo Heesoo’s comrade, you just have to persuade him from now on.”

“That’s not as easy as it sounds. Mr. Heesoo has not only been reborn as a berserker of Ulfheðinn, but he has also taken on the all-rounder… no, the A-rank magic swordsman Kim Yitae as his partner.”

Park Sikyung swallowed the words that, above all, Kim Yitae had Resurrection. Mr. Heo Gyomu, unaware of that fact, seemed to think nothing of the likes of Kim Yitae.

“Whatever conditions Kim Yitae offered, they can’t be better than what the Order can give. The noble purpose of defeating the Black King and spreading the gods’ grace throughout the world is not something a mere all-rounder can fulfill.”

What the gods promised when they asked humans to defeat the Black King was the prosperity of mankind. Although they never specified what that would be, most people believed it was for all humans to become Awakened.

Once one becomes Awakened, aging stops and one does not get sick. Seeing how Mr. Heesoo survived in the Demon’s Den for several years, it was certain that one didn’t need to eat or drink. Setting aside the abilities received from the gods, just looking at the physical changes alone, it could be called a phenomenal evolution.

Ultimately, all humans might be able to reach the max level and become transcendent beings. Shedding the human body and becoming a god—isn’t that the absolute ideal that humans have dreamed of since time immemorial?

Mr. Heesoo was a person who had taken the lead in making that ideal world a reality. It was natural to think that an all-rounder who was, at best, scrambling to save a few pennies would not satisfy him.

But Park Sikyung, who knew what abilities Kim Yitae possessed and to what extent he could help Mr. Heesoo, could not agree with Mr. Heo Gyomu’s arrogant confidence.

Kim Yitae had the means to make Mr. Heesoo reach the max level, and he shared his beliefs. He didn’t know why Kim Yitae, who was merely a secular human, wanted to defeat the Black King, but Mr. Heesoo had certainly chosen Kim Yitae instead of the Order.

Feeling like he wanted to argue against Mr. Heo Gyomu’s words, Park Sikyung moved his lips and then brought up something he had been curious about for a while.

“What on earth happened in the Demon’s Den?”

Mr. Heo Gyomu frowned in displeasure, but Park Sikyung did not back down. Why did Mr. Heesoo abandon the White Goddess in the first place? If he didn’t clearly know the reason he left the Order, persuading him seemed a distant prospect.

After hearing Park Sikyung’s plea, Mr. Heo Gyomu realized he had no choice but to tell him and sighed as if the ground would collapse.

He demanded that Park Sikyung take an oath of silence before he slowly opened his mouth. Park Sikyung listened intently to his words, and his face slowly began to contort.