Episode 23 – As soon as he saw it, the shaman shouted. It was an exclamation filled with intense emotion that had never been expressed before.
“It’s light!!! The light has appeared! Light! Light! Light!”
Charles felt a strange burden in his hand, as if he was holding hundreds of souls. And his spirituality told him that this judgment was true.
“This contains the souls of your species.”
“Our perished race wandered in search of that light. But no one could find it. By the time those who believed there was light inside the box disappeared, a lost bird discovered it. Thank you for your luck.”
“I have completed the request.”
“The reward has been given. You can now draw out destiny.”
An odd light emitted from the end of the shaman’s ankh and enveloped Charles. At that moment, he felt a ticklish sensation inside his body and opened his status window.
〔Prognostication of Afterimage〕 – A power given by the shaman of the Urg Plateau. He can use any tool to divine with the remaining afterimage. If the opponent’s spirituality is too strong or has defenses against divination, the results can be hindered.
Feeling that the precise reward had been deposited, Charles handed over the round orb. Inside it were the souls of numerous races. Charles could guess what he was going to do.
“Shaman, you’re trying to revive your race.”
“If there is light… it is possible.”
Charles nodded. Now that the reward had been given, Charles’ task was done. Whether it succeeded or failed was the shaman’s responsibility.
The shaman began to fade, disappearing like the ghostly figure he had initially appeared as.
“Thank you. I can now fulfill my duty.”
As he disappeared, Charles felt the flame of passion within him begin to die out. The time he could stay in the other world was quickly diminishing.
When he looked up at the sky, stars were sparkling. At the end of the countdown, Charles was flung back to reality as if someone had thrown him.
In this city, there are several factions.
The largest faction.
The Church of Light. This church had a significant influence on the world. The god of the other world, the Luminant, is their deity. Currently, the Luminant has suffered a fatal injury for some unknown reason, and the remaining four evil gods have awakened.
The main force of the Church of Light is the Paladins who carry out tasks in the secret world.
Among the four gods that rule the sect, the Dark Evangelion is the largest. It had significant control over the eastern part of the city.
The Dark Evangelion didn’t do much at first, but steadily expanded their influence. Like a bulldozer slowly plowing through fields, they crushed everything with enormous force.
If no one stopped them, the Dark Evangelion would continue to grow.
At the beginning, the faction stirring things up was the Fragmented Salvationists. Just from the glimpse Charles saw, he could tell they were planning something, and it seemed something unusual was about to happen soon.
There was also a neutral faction.
The Sealing Foundation was an organization that managed powerful artifacts. If they discovered a dangerous artifact that could destroy the world, they would immediately designate it as a seal and use all their resources to contain it.
They existed solely for this purpose and dedicated themselves to it, holding significant influence in both the secret and physical worlds. In some ways, they could be more dangerous than the Dark Evangelion or the Church of Light.
Another faction was the occult-specialized detectives handling the occult. Though they hadn’t appeared yet, it was only a matter of time.
No one knew which detective would come. Every game, the detective varied, but they were all equally dangerous. Except for ‘one,’ all were dangerous. We don’t know if we’ll see that one this time.
In such a complex situation, Charles found himself in a hardcore state with a faction as small as a minor church, armed with only a few personal spells and one artifact.
This game, which had now become his world, was progressing with a mix of intertwined complicated scenarios. He had marveled at the diversity of story branches since his gaming days.
While other games might have two or three branches, this one had over hundreds. However, as in all games, there were points of convergence throughout the story.
Gamers called this convergence “fixed history.” Events that must inevitably happen. At the end of this fixed history was the “ending,” which ultimately led to destruction.
Whether it was the annihilation of humanity, transformation into something monstrous, or colonization, the ending always brought destruction. Therefore, Charles sought a happy ending. It was to survive.
Although there was no immediate threat to his life, Charles figuratively felt there was always a knife at his throat. Just because he was comfortable now didn’t mean he could prevent the ending; the future of death was assured.
“The first fixed history is already determined.”
It was Professor Carlton opening the dimensional gate. This would happen in every world without fail. But just because fixed history was predetermined didn’t mean he could ignore it.
Since it was inevitable, it was easier to consider it a given and think about dealing with the aftermath. The most immediate danger after Charles fell into this place was the rise of the Fragmented Salvationists.
“The Fragmented Salvationists are moving too fast. Faster than I anticipated. Their leader should be asleep, yet they move so quickly. Clearly, there’s a variable.”
For now, Charles had to move alone. Despite this, the Salvationists’ actions indicated they were the biggest variable. Charles’ first objective was to find and kill the Puppet Master.
By now, the Puppet Master must have recognized Charles’ presence. Charles had no intention of revealing his identity to lure him out and eliminate him.
Not knowing the difference in power between them, the Puppet Master must have considered Charles a significant threat, trying to stay hidden.
After Vincent’s basement incident, something had changed within the police department. The first was the paid leave for Rudolf and other officers. They were the ones who directly discovered the basement and all suffered from mental aftereffects.
However, Rudolf insisted on returning to work and eventually did.
“I told you not to come out.”
“No, I’m okay. It was just a few searches in the basement.”
“Bernard said he’s fine? Not even going to church.”
The one in the worst condition was Bernard. A devout believer of the Church of Light, he had stopped going to church altogether.
“…He’ll be okay.”
Rudolf knew Bernard was still attending church, just a different one from the usual Light Church. As he thought about Charles Hexen.
That glittering light. Rudolf couldn’t figure him out. Although he wasn’t as enchanted by him as Bernard was, Charles’ deeds were inexplicable. Therefore, he kept it a secret from his colleagues.
While Lewis and Rudolf were talking, a middle-aged mustached officer with a slightly protruding belly walked by. Rudolf had never seen him before.
“Who’s that?”
“Huh? That guy? Forget it. Just ignore him.”
“Pardon?”
Lewis’ nonchalant reply puzzled Rudolf. He rarely spoke so evasively.
“He’s not from our department. A new guy, but he seems unmotivated.”
“I see.”
Rudolf followed Lewis’ lead and ignored him.
The officer who walked past was named Douglas Hench. He had just been assigned the day before. Yesterday, he had a long conversation with Chief Kane.
“Hmm…”
His chubby build looked like a typical middle-aged man in his 40s. He wasn’t particularly handsome or unique, except for his slightly long Pringles moustache, there was nothing special about him.
The only thing unique about him was his assignment to an unusual department.
“Here it is.”
– Occult Crime Investigation Headquarters –
Seeing the hastily set-up desks in the basement, Douglas sighed. After his conversation with Chief Kane, this was what he got.
“So demotivating.”
Despite looking like an average cop, he was skilled enough to join MI7. In his younger days, he solved numerous major murder cases, earning him a spot in MI7.
But there, he met real “geniuses.” Investigators with such extraordinary skills that they seemed inhuman.
Because of this, Douglas lost all motivation. MI7 became grueling for him. His skills, once soaring, had regressed after joining.
He spent a lot of time on the bench until he was placed on hold. He thought, “Now I’m really screwed. Maybe I’ll open a bakery after MI7,” but then he met Luminous.
Luminous was among the geniuses in the Deputy Chief’s line. Douglas was surprised when she said she’d use him, but never thought it meant a local assignment.
Though Metropol was the second capital with a booming economy, it couldn’t compare to the primary capital, Insignia.
“Occult Department? Damn it.”
The task given to him was the Occult Department. He asked Luminous why she assigned him this, and her answer was outrageous.
– You have an opportunity. Your future is in your hands. Here’s some data to study there.
– What do you mean, Chief?
– Hehe. I hope you survive.
Hearing such ominous words from Luminous, Douglas thought he was really screwed.
“If it weren’t for my rabbit-like wife and fox-like kids, I would have quit MI7 long ago. Sigh.”
Douglas set down his stuff and organized his desk. People from the telegraph office were bustling around outside the open office. Being underground had one advantage; it was easy to send telegrams since the telegraph station was nearby.
Demotivated, Douglas received the materials handed over by Chief Kane. While slightly surprised at the photos, that was all.
“It looks like they just connected the basement to an existing cave and modified it. What’s occult about this? It’s not like I have supernatural powers to investigate this. Damn you, Luminous!”
Swearing at his boss was futile. So, Douglas decided to go investigate the basement. He pulled out the materials given by Luminous.
“Hmm. Something about a ‘cult’ subtly spreading around Metropol. These city folks must have nothing better to do.”
A cult, often called a pseudo-religion, was spreading around Metropol. Figuring he should at least do some work for his pay, Douglas decided to investigate the basement first and then the cult.
“Sigh. So demotivated.”
He added a word to himself as he moved.
“Ugh. So demotivated.”
Since returning from the other world, Charles had been suffering from demotivation. Like a zombie, he lay there unable to move for a while. After exhausting his “passion” in the other world, he had become lethargic, as if he’d smoked marijuana in reality.
After regaining some energy, he wandered around unsteadily, eventually recovering. But he never wanted to experience such terrible lethargy again.
Once feeling somewhat better, Charles sat in his study to organize his tasks. Discovering the Oracle Auction House had given him a way to make immense money illicitly (definitely not illegally).
However, suddenly coming into such money could attract tax-hunting hyenas. His professor’s salary wouldn’t cover the huge sum.
Didn’t they say taxes and death were unavoidable? Moreover, Metropol’s public officials were known for being efficient. So, he thought about how to launder and manage these illicit funds.
“First, I need to set up a company.”
We’ve Moved!
If you notice any missing, empty, or incorrect chapters, please leave a comment below, and we’ll fix it as soon as possible. Regular updates will resume on June 10th. Thank you for your patience!
I became a cult leader in a game: Chapter 23
? Views, Released on June 17, 2024
We’ve Moved!
If you notice any missing, empty, or incorrect chapters, please leave a comment below, and we’ll fix it as soon as possible. Regular updates will resume on June 10th. Thank you for your patience!
