“……What did you just say?”
While Yang Eunho’s mind went completely blank, Kim Sibaek was dead serious.
Technically, they had Director Noh’s blessing to proselytize—but that didn’t mean it was going to be easy. On Earth, where gods didn’t manifest before humans, things like this were complicated. Not to mention, it wasn’t exactly polite for a god from another realm to barge into someone else’s territory uninvited. One wrong move, and it could trigger a full-blown divine turf war.
There was also the matter of Biendeoé eventually needing to return to Mak Slechth. No god would be happy leaving behind beloved followers with no intention of coming back.
So, putting Biendeoé at the forefront wasn’t ideal. Instead, they had to go with Plan B: raise people’s reverence for the Apostle and the Paladin. Since they were beings directly blessed by the deity, their fame would indirectly serve the god’s purpose.
It was a tried-and-true method for smaller cults looking to spread their influence—evangelizing through the fame of chosen believers rather than the god’s name itself. It was less efficient, sure, but it worked.
In short, Kim Sibaek needed to get famous. And if people mistook Biendeoé for a cute pet crow, even better—it’d boost her visibility too.
So Kim Sibaek raised Biendeoé high with both hands.
“She is the symbol of our faith.”
The baby crow lifted her right wing to her forehead in a strangely familiar salute. Yang Eunho froze. Oh shit, he’s for real. His instincts—and the memory of dealing with a former Awakener who tried to start a cult in Tae Woon’s name—screamed in warning.
Tongue-tied and unable to respond, Yang Eunho eventually gave in. If this caused problems, Tae Woon would fix it somehow. Worst case, he’d threaten the government with another bomb. They were, after all, close enough to literally feed each other.
Steeling himself with a mental conditioning mantra he’d learned from Seo Gaeun, Yang Eunho tried to spin this lunacy into something that sounded halfway reasonable.
“A crow as a mascot… well… I mean, it’s way better than playing the reincarnated Jesus and pretending to be a cult leader. No matter how persuasive Mentor is, surely no one’s actually going to worship a crow.”
Kim Sibaek, who sincerely did, just smiled.
While calming Biendeoé—who was now demanding a bandage for her wing—they began discussing the messaging for the official announcement.
***
New S-rank Hunters appeared now and then, but usually they were well-known A-ranks who got promoted. People would cheer, sure, but it wasn’t the kind of news that made waves for long. Kim Sibaek, on the other hand, was a complete unknown. Add in his impossibly young, striking looks, Gwak Yoonsang’s dramatic lore dump, and most importantly, his ties to Tae Woon—and the internet wouldn’t stop talking.
[What even are they to each other? Seriouslyㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
Didn’t Tae Woon never have any close Hunter friends besides the ones from the orphanage?
└ They’re literally in a princess-carry kind of relationship
└ They call each other “Hyung♡” and “Woonie♡” with heart emojis
└ They feed each other
└ Like, one feeds the other and then eats from the same spoon
└ They’re officially registered as family—adopted, even
└└ Bro. Chill. They’re both guys
└└└ No seriously, if the Mad Dog wanted a partner, he should’ve brought an actual dog instead
└└└ Still, Tae Woon bringing a human to a family meeting is wild
Then the 7777 Guild dropped another bombshell: he was the world’s first healing-type S-rank. Right on cue, the Paranormal Phenomena Response Agency released footage from the MA Department Store raid. People were already impressed by how he sliced through beasts with just one sword—but the moment he erased the Portal Keeper in an instant? The hype exploded.
[This can’t be real lol. A secret NIS agent hiding his name, turns out he’s S-rank, fights like a top-tier combat type, his real power is healing, one-shots monsters, and he looks barely twenty? No one would buy this even in a drama.]
But it wasn’t fiction. The fiction got steamrolled.
└ You forgot the best part: >The Power of Faith<
└└ “Power of faith” lmao I’m crying ㅠㅠㅠㅠ my stocks are in a cult—a cult!!
[Damn, it’s been forever since we had a same-age team charging into the field together. I’m so hyped lol]
That Portal Keeper one-shot left the rest in the dustㅠㅠㅠㅠAnd the monster turned out to be Guildmaster merch?! That bedsheet with his face on it was already rare after someone rage-quit the fandom when he joined Seven… Wonder if there’s any scraps left…
└ How does joining a guild make someone leave the fandom? Shouldn’t that make you an even bigger fan?
└└ Would you want to fangirl over your boss?
└└└ …Fair point
└ Wait, isn’t Seo Gaeun a year younger? Why is she in the same-age squad?
└└ She’s not an early grad or anything, but her birthday’s January 1st. They just round it up. Plus, the top three hang out together, and the bottom two are kinda their own thing.
[If his power really comes from some divine religious high, no wonder he gives off cult vibes even when he’s doing backflips.]
My brain says he’s in a cult, but then he smiles and talks so gently that I start thinking maybe it’s not that crazy… If he’d joined an MLM, he’d be a billionaire by now. Why the hell is he wasting that charisma being a Hunter?
└ His voice is soft and clingy in that “right by your ear” way. He should totally record an ASMR audiobook.
└ Bet he was secretly spreading cults abroad when he was still with the NIS or something.
[It doesn’t feel like a real cult.]
I actually went to one of those gatherings once—the ones run by that guy who used to play cult leader before Tae Woon took him down. Got lured in by accident. But this? It feels totally different. There’s none of that “only I can save you” nonsense, no talk about the end of the world, no fear-mongering, and absolutely no demands for money.
└ Exactly. He even said that people with genuine faith—no matter their religion—might awaken healing abilities if they really nurture that belief. If this were a true cult, he’d be claiming healing powers were a divine gift that only he possessed, or that people needed to believe in him to awaken anything.
└ Honestly, he just seems like a devout believer. Super devout. Maybe a little off course, but not malicious.
└ Okay, but how are y’all glossing over the fact that he’s calling a crow his religious symbol? That’s not normal.
└└ To be fair, he never told anyone to worship the crow.
└└└ That’s how cults start, you idiots. This is textbook pre-cult behavior. Just go buy a jade mattress or something, it’s safer.
└ Even the god’s name sounds fake as hell. Isn’t this just some elaborate roleplay?
└ Still… after the Cataclysm, loads of people dropped religion entirely. So hearing someone talk about pure, genuine faith again—it was oddly refreshing.
└└ Same. I’ve been completely indifferent for years, but now… I’m kinda thinking about going back to church…
***
[Now that you’re officially registered as a Hunter, your basics are covered! Time to enjoy life a little! +_+)/]
[Quest 03]
[Take a one-day class (0/1)]
Biendeoé, as usual, handled all the searching and found a workshop with one last spot open for this morning’s session. In return, Kim Sibaek wrapped a bandage around her left wing—“to seal away the Dark Flame Dragon.”
As he walked toward the subway, he couldn’t help but worry. Just like when the quest to register as a Hunter appeared—was something going to attack him again?
It’d been a while, so he checked his status window. His Divine Power had increased. Compared to the early days in Mak Slechth when they were desperately trying to grow the faith, the progress felt painfully slow, but it was still something.
[“Death and Beauty” acknowledges the increase in Divine Power but questions whether sneaking out without telling your younger brother is really okay.]
“Hmm…”
Kim Sibaek let out a quiet groan. Just yesterday, he’d practically sweat bullets dodging Tae Woon’s questions about new quests. Today, he’d waited until Tae Woon left for work before sneaking out the door.
He felt guilty about lying, but… he had no choice. He was desperate.
Last time, he barely managed to stop that kiss. If something like that happened again… he wasn’t sure he could stop it.
What the hell is wrong with me? I’ve never been like this before.
Back in Mak Slechth, even as the Apostle of a lesser god, people admired him. His title, his foreign origins, his warm personality, his good looks—they all drew attention. Plenty had confessed to him, but none of them ever left him feeling like this.
Turning down a marriage proposal from an emperor? Easy.
But Tae Woon? Even after saying no, it felt impossible to push him away.
And it was just a kiss. A kiss—and yet his heart had been completely shaken.
Kim Sibaek covered his face with his hand. He could still feel the heat of their lips, the slick pressure of their tongues, the overwhelming intimacy of that moment. The longing he’d nursed all alone during those quiet summers in another world—it came rushing back in vivid, burning color.
That thudding heartbeat? He’d felt it even before the kiss. Had he been chasing that old desire all along—hidden in the grown-up version of the boy who once admired him?
…No. This couldn’t go on. Before things spiraled even further, he needed to make a decision. Now.
