Chapter 45
Cult Leader Ji Seongwi (2)
The emergence of rifts had undeniably been a catastrophe.
Nowadays, hunters and governments worked together to respond systematically, and all kinds of protocols had been established. But when the phenomenon first began, the world had descended into unprecedented chaos.
Unexpected disasters were terrifying.
A flood or earthquake striking a single region was enough to cause tremendous upheaval, yet holes connected to alien worlds had suddenly opened simultaneously across the globe. Naturally, fear had spread like wildfire.
“I lost my family during the Rift Crisis.”
Ji Seongwi, the leader of the Church of Lee Shin’s Salvation, was one of its countless victims.
“I still dream about that day. If they had died in a car accident or been caught in a natural disaster like an earthquake or typhoon, I might at least have been able to understand it. But what happened was truly horrifying.”
Ji Seongwi spoke calmly.
“Young people nowadays consider rifts a natural part of the world. I suppose that’s understandable. After all, it has already been more than twenty years since rifts first appeared in the human world.”
“But people from my generation still aren’t accustomed to them. They’re simply too surreal. Even scenes from Stephen Chow’s movies feel more realistic by comparison.”
Ji Seongwi seemed to have lowered his guard somewhat.
“I understand that concepts like aliens, other worlds, and people with supernatural powers have become reality. After all, they’ve already happened. But none of it ever truly felt real to me.”
“When those surreal things destroyed my everyday life and took away my family, I thought I was dreaming. Things that weren’t real had completely stolen away the things that were most real to me.”
Steam rose from the green tea.
“When something you cannot understand takes something away from you, it leaves you feeling powerless. It gives you an immense sense of helplessness that cannot be explained or even put into words.”
“…”
“I lived with that feeling for a very long time without ever resolving it.”
Ji Seongwi slowly raised his head.
“I lived a perfectly ordinary life—until you appeared.”
“Until I appeared?”
“Yes.”
Ji Seongwi grinned.
“I saw it on television. A rift had been closed.”
“An intangible disaster had been seized and destroyed. Do you know what that sounded like to me?”
Ji Seongwi’s eyes gleamed.
“Someone waved his hand and stopped the pouring rain. Someone shouted, and a mountain collapsed while the sea split apart. Someone shook his head, and a typhoon died out while an earthquake came to a halt.”
Lee Shin had never truly realized it, but that was what “rifts” had always been to humanity—natural disasters that could not be understood, could not be prevented, and would never cease.
“What would you call a being capable of such things?”
“I’m not sure.”
“A god.”
Ji Seongwi answered without hesitation.
“Of course, you… Lord Lee Shin, may not actually be such a being. This changed world is filled with far too many Awakened possessing supernatural abilities, and things that people like me could never comprehend happen all the time.”
“Perhaps you’re a person just like me. Perhaps you’re merely a human who happened to acquire special abilities befitting this changed world—a human capable of closing rifts and doing more than anyone else.”
Lee Shin was reflected in Ji Seongwi’s eyes.
“But to me, you felt like a god.”
“That disaster destroyed my world as if it were nothing, and you erased that disaster just as effortlessly. To me, that made you a god. Neither the teachings of Jesus nor those of Buddha—nor the teachings of any other religion in existence—had ever sent such a thrill through me. Not even once.”
The sincerity in Ji Seongwi’s voice was unmistakable.
Lee Shin asked,
“Is that why you founded the Church of Lee Shin’s Salvation?”
“Ah, about that…”
Ji Seongwi hesitated briefly before answering.
“The others told me not to say this… My role here was actually just to praise you enthusiastically and then leave. They said it would be better to look like a fanatical cultist than to let you discover my pathetic ulterior motives.”
“A fanatical cultist…”
“I didn’t really care how I appeared, either. Coming here was a burden, but my admiration for you was sincere, so I was also deeply moved by the chance to see you in person. For some reason, though, I feel like being honest now.”
Ji Seongwi chuckled.
“The truth is… I’m rather fond of the internet.”
“The internet?”
“It might seem ridiculous for someone my age, but I’ve always enjoyed receiving attention. At the same time, I dislike standing in front of people, so I used to be extremely active in various online communities and occasionally created and uploaded videos.”
It was a discrepancy born from his innate destiny clashing with his natural personality.
A passive, introverted man who had been born with the destiny of an agitator capable of shaking the world? It was contradictory.
Fortunately, this was the digital age, with the internet available to everyone. It was a world where even a contradictory person like him could shine as brightly as he wished.
“At first, I researched you alone, almost as if I were indulging in a hobby. Like a fan following a celebrity. But once someone becomes famous, they inevitably attract criticism, don’t they? While browsing the internet, I came across negative comments about you.”
Negative comments.
“People said things like, ‘If he has that kind of power, shouldn’t he travel the world without taking a single day off and close every rift?’ Or, ‘How many people are dying from Rift Crises on the other side of the world even now? Why is he hiding away?’ And, ‘He should sacrifice himself for humanity.’ There were some truly vicious people.”
“…”
“So I merely created a meme to reduce that sort of criticism.”
“A meme?”
Ji Seongwi nodded.
“I combined the facts I had uncovered with plausible-sounding details I had made up and tried to create a meme that worshipped you like a god. Things like, ‘How could a mere human possibly stop such natural disasters?’ ‘He is a savior who descended from the heavens.’ ‘He came to quell the chaos of the world.’”
“The response was surprisingly enthusiastic. People even donated money as offerings, but how could I possibly use that money for myself? So I distributed it among people who were struggling as I once had and sent aid supplies to disaster zones that needed them. And then, somehow, I gained followers.”
Ji Seongwi spoke with an embarrassed expression.
“Then people began appearing and offering to help me. They provided us with a church and suggested that we hold worship services… I should have refused, but I couldn’t.”
“Why couldn’t you refuse?”
“Because they were all suffering.”
Suffering people.
Ji Seongwi scratched his head as he spoke.
“They were people who had lost something precious, just as I had. People who could find no comfort in existing religions.”
People who could find no comfort.
Lee Shin knew about them.
Even now, he continued to hear their countless prayers.
“Those people needed something—anything—to cling to. I knew it was wrong, but… that was how I ended up playing the role of a cult leader. I told them that if they believed in you, they would eventually be saved. That none of the things happening to them were their fault…”
“Therefore, they shouldn’t blame themselves. The world was what had gone wrong. Lord Lee Shin, our savior, would correct this broken world, save us, and bring us peace.”
Ji Seongwi smiled awkwardly.
“You may hate me for it. In the end, I exploited your fame without permission. You might be offended that people were deifying you elsewhere even though you never asked for it.”
Ji Seongwi lowered his head.
A brief silence followed.
“So…”
Then Lee Shin spoke.
“Did those people find salvation?”
“…”
“Did they stop hating themselves? Did they find a reason to keep living and discover light within the darkness? Were those who had fallen into the abyss able to climb back onto solid ground?”
“…”
“Did more people become capable of continuing to live?”
Ji Seongwi could not answer for a moment.
For some reason, his expression went blank. He stared at Lee Shin with his mouth slightly open.
Then he murmured,
“…Yes.”
Upon hearing his answer, Lee Shin smiled with satisfaction.
“Then that is enough.”
At that moment, Ji Seongwi felt an emotion he could not put into words.
All the unverified and preposterous information he had fabricated, along with the portrayals of “gods” found throughout various religions, flashed through his mind.
It felt as though the outline of a certain being—one worshipped by countless people throughout the long course of history yet whose existence had never once been proven—was becoming unmistakably clear.
He remembered the sermons he had delivered to believers desperate for even the thinnest lifeline… the vague image of a savior he had fashioned by adding flesh to a bare framework.
That savior, whom he had described using grandiose and mythological words, was now revealing his true essence without displaying a single mysterious miracle.
And then—
“Rejoice, brother.”
The unfamiliar woman seated beside Lee Shin suddenly spoke.
“For the God of Small Things has seen you.”
Her words made no sense to him.
And yet—
「A connection has been formed between you.」
Ji Seongwi felt complete.
「Ji Seongwi has become an official believer.」
His heart swelled with a burning sense of fulfillment.
And then—
「The unofficial religion, the Church of Lee Shin’s Salvation, has been recognized as an official religion. All unofficial believers will now be recognized as official believers.」
「You are not the new master of Earth No. 1.」
「The amount of divine power you can collect from the official believers of Earth No. 1 is limited.」
「The penalty has been reduced following their conversion from unofficial believers to official believers. You can now collect considerably more divine power than before.」
Lee Shin also felt fulfilled.
「TIP: Jackpot!」
「TIP: (·い·n)”♡」
It truly was a jackpot.
“So this lady is a saintess from a place called the small world, and there are two other worlds besides that?”
Having formed a connection with Lee Shin and become an official believer, Cult Leader Ji Seongwi was given a general explanation of the situation.
“So you can’t focus exclusively on closing the rifts in our world. There are other worlds facing more urgent crises, and above all, there’s no guarantee that you can close every rift.”
“That’s right.”
Ji Seongwi was correct.
When Lee Shin destroyed the Cheorwon Rift, he had personally driven out the demon. Even before the rift was closed, a status window had appeared stating, “The demon’s influence has disappeared from this rift.”
He didn’t know what the other rifts would be like, but if the demons concealed themselves completely and refused to appear, closing them might not be as easy as closing the Cheorwon Rift.
“Demons… It’s an unfamiliar concept, but to be honest, if monsters can pour into our world from other worlds, there’s no reason demons couldn’t exist as well.”
“Mm-hmm! I like your willingness to believe!”
Eve kept interjecting.
Lee Shin said,
“Anyway, Cult Leader Ji Seongwi, you’ve been a tremendous help. The more believers I have, the greater the influence I can exert. I would appreciate your continued efforts.”
“Yes, understood. Though I can hardly call it an effort… Even I don’t understand why so many people have gathered around me. Ha ha.”
Ji Seongwi’s embarrassed response left Eve briefly stunned.
“What a show-off…”
On one side was Eve, whose evangelism produced poor results even if she performed a hundred somersaults in the air. On the other was Ji Seongwi, who attracted swarms of people simply by breathing!
Eve had just experienced the insurmountable gulf between talent and hard work.
“Then I’ll become more proactive from now on.”
“More proactive?”
“I’ve been holding back until now. To be honest, I was uncomfortable doing this without your consent. If you ever chose to hold me accountable, I intended to accept whatever punishment you gave me. But if my actions are helping you, then there’s no reason to hold back.”
Worse still, he hadn’t even been serious until now.
“The more people we gather, the more it helps you, correct?”
“Yes, I suppose…”
“Then I’ll expand the church as much as possible.”
Even then, Lee Shin had no idea.
“I would appreciate that.”
He had no idea just how terrifying Ji Seongwi’s talent truly was.
***
“Cult Leader, did your trip go well?”
Ji Seongwi returned to China after completing his schedule.
His close associates immediately crowded around him with questions.
“How was it?”
“What did you think after meeting him in person? Did he really have a halo glowing behind him?”
“When did he say he would visit China?!”
Questions and attention poured in from every direction.
Unlike the ordinary believers, they treated Ji Seongwi more familiarly. They knew that he wasn’t actually the fanatical cult leader portrayed by the public. He was merely playing the part for the sake of people whose hearts had been broken.
“Nothing bad happened, did it?”
“Did Lord Lee Shin say he didn’t like it?”
“What do we do if he did?”
“What else? We disband.”
Of course, their admiration for Lee Shin was completely genuine. Everyone present had suffered because of a Rift Crisis.
They were a group of people who sincerely worshipped Lee Shin like a god because he had closed the rifts that had taken away the things they treasured most.
Lee Shin’s wishes always came first.
“No, nothing bad happened.”
“Then…?”
“He was actually pleased. He asked us to be more proactive from now on and said that the more believers there were, the happier he would be.”
“…!”
“He also entrusted me with a request.”
“What kind of request…?”
“He told us to spread the faith more widely so that more people could continue living—so that we could save more people who had lost the will to live.”
Ji Seongwi relayed what Lee Shin had said.
The response was immediate.
“My goodness.”
“How could he be so…”
People were so overwhelmed that tears streamed from their eyes.
Everyone’s faith soared!
“And…”
Ji Seongwi continued,
“There was one unfortunate incident.”
Ji Seongwi explained what had happened in Korea.
He told them about the shameless act committed by their own country, China.
“What the fuck!”
“How could they do something like that?!”
“I seriously can’t understand them. I really can’t!”
Chinese people generally defended their country no matter what it did. Even when something shameful happened, they habitually found some way to portray it in a favorable light.
But they could not possibly defend this.
“What if Lord Lee Shin had been injured?”
“We can’t let this slide.”
“If you ask me, Zhang Jiang, that immature brat, must have thrown another tantrum. Of course, the government that agreed to such an insane request is equally at fault…”
Countless Rift Crises had occurred since the dawn of the new millennium. The Chinese government had never once compensated the victims. It had provided no welfare support and hadn’t even actively dispatched hunters to most regions outside a handful of favored areas.
And yet they dared threaten Lord Lee Shin’s safety?
“Cult Leader! What are we going to do?”
Someone shouted in agitation.
The timid Ji Seongwi would normally have become flustered and indecisive.
However—
“We’ll take action.”
“…Excuse me?”
“The Korean side has clearly stated that it intends to hold China accountable. But given the difference in national power, there’s a high chance that the matter will be quietly buried. If that happens, we’ll have no choice but to stir things up alongside them.”
“Some of our believers wield considerable influence, don’t they?”
The current Ji Seongwi was different.
“No one will be permitted to touch our savior.”
The cult leader had met a genuine god.
“We will protect our god ourselves.”
Ji Seongwi had been reborn.
「The status of the low-ranking believer Ji Seongwi has been updated. His overflowing faith is influencing his soul.」
「The low-ranking believer Ji Seongwi has awakened as an [Inquisitor].」
「Monitor him closely to ensure that he does not develop into a religious fanatic!」
***
Meanwhile, Lee Shin had returned after completing his schedule.
There had been an unexpected commotion, but his meeting with Ji Seongwi had concluded successfully, and he had handed over all the dwarves’ items to Manager Kim Dongseok for sale.
Kim Dongseok had promised to contact him after the items underwent a thorough appraisal and before they were placed at auction.
For the moment, all the urgent matters in the real world had been more or less settled.
Of course—
“…No need… to come anymore.”
Incidents always erupted without warning.
“Winter… will arrive soon.”
The third world.
The world of the dinosaurs.
“We’re going to hibernate.”
Something unexpected had happened.
“For around… one hundred years.”