The Sacred Manager Life - Chapter 17

I followed the trail of black smoke, and the spirit explained why they had called it that.

[The kids on the internet joke about it like that, and honestly, they’re not entirely wrong.]

Apparently, there was some truth to it.

[Since he came down to Earth, He wanted to try building muscle, so he chose to work as a carpenter. In Palestine, there weren’t many trees, so even carpenters had to handle stone. The lids of tombs could weigh over two tons.]

That was something new to learn.

So, the Savior was a gym rat?

[If you think about it in modern terms, He would put UFC fighters to shame.

Do you know how incredible he was when he drove out the merchants defiling the temple?

Those guys always had guards because they dealt in cash, but he

single-handedly took them all down.

His fists were no joke.]

So there was that kind of backstory behind that episode in the scriptures.

[This is the “Grace of Superhuman Strength.” Now, even if a mob of fanatics rushes you, you can knock them away like threshing rice stalks.]

‘But what if they come at me in numbers? A few I could handle, but what if there are hundreds of them?’

If Sera was being held where the gathering was happening, I might have to face hundreds of them.

No matter how strong I was, I’d be overwhelmed if I was outnumbered.

And I had to rescue Sera in the middle of all that, making the difficulty skyrocket.

[There was a warrior in ancient times named Samson. He also received the Grace of Superhuman Strength and killed 1,000 Philistine thugs with just a donkey’s jawbone. There’s no way they have more than 1,000 people, right?]

‘W-Well, that’s true.’

Surely, they wouldn’t have over 1,000 guards… right?

[And I’m not telling you to fight barehanded. I’ll give you a weapon when you get there, so don’t worry.]

Oh, a weapon too.

That made it sound doable.

I stared at the black smoke in front of me and slammed my foot on the gas.

*

I sighed when I saw the sign that read “Gijanggun.”

I had somehow driven all the way down to Busan.

[You’ve been driving for about four hours.]

‘I didn’t realize it was this far.’

After traveling down a barely passable dirt road, I arrived at the entrance of a private property.

A sign was posted at the entrance.

“This is private property. Unauthorized entry is prohibited. Trespassers may be prosecuted according to relevant laws.”

Barbed wire was strung up everywhere, and the entrance was tightly secured with a metal gate taller than a person.

I didn’t know what was inside, but from the outside, it looked like a prisoner-of-war camp.

‘It says private property.’

[There are no surveillance cameras here. I’ll unlock the gate, so go in quietly.]

The thick iron chains wrapped around the gate crumbled like grains of sand.

‘You really can open any lock.’

[No time to be impressed. Go in quickly.]

Inside, a long path stretched forward, resembling a walking trail.

Unlike the overgrown dirt road outside, the interior was neatly maintained.

[It’s filled with an evil aura. And look at that—this ridiculous thing is even set up here.]

I saw a massive stone monument beside the path.

“Jinsaenggyo Heavenly Palace”.

‘Are they saying there’s a palace inside?’

[No idea. But there’s no sign of people out here, so they must all be gathered somewhere. Keep going.]

I moved forward, keeping to the trees so I wouldn’t be seen.

After a while, the path ended, revealing a large lake.

‘Wow, how does private property have something like this?’

It was landscaped like a famous artificial lake in Gyeonggi-do.

[Don’t go to the dock or the bridge entrance. There are guards and surveillance cameras. You’ll be spotted immediately.]

I spotted a small dock.

There was a temporary building there, probably with someone inside.

At the far end of the lake, an arched bridge led to a luxurious mansion-like building.

‘That must be the Heavenly Palace.’

Tendrils of black smoke writhed in various spots.

Now, I could sense the ominous energy the spirit had mentioned.

[Go down the opposite side of the dock. There are no surveillance cameras at the end of the lake.]

‘Can’t I just take out the guards and run across the bridge? It wouldn’t take long if I sprinted.’

[No. Look at that building again, but focus your vision this time.]

I concentrated on the mansion across the lake.

Earlier, I had only seen black smoke, but now I noticed streaks of white smoke as well.

‘I see white smoke.’

[You’re still getting used to the Grace of Discernment, so your vision will fluctuate. But it’s good that you can see the white smoke.]

The black smoke was a mark of false belief.

Then, what was this white smoke?

[Those are pure souls who haven’t been tainted by the false faith.

They were likely brought here against their will.

And judging by the numbers, Sera isn’t the only one.

If you charge in recklessly, those people could be in danger.

Who knows what a crazed fanatic might do?]

I hadn’t thought of that.

I assumed only Sera had been taken.

Just who were these bastards?

*

I followed the spirit’s directions and reached the end of the lake.

It was a secluded area that wasn’t easily noticeable.

‘So… what now? There’s nothing here. Don’t tell me… I have to swim across?’

[Why swim when you can walk?]

What?

[Walking on water is one of the most basic Graces. This lake is way smaller than the Sea of Galilee.]

‘Wait, are you saying I can walk across this lake?’

[Stop asking and just try it. It’s right in front of you.]

The excitement outweighed the fear of falling in.

I mean, I could walk on water!

Heart pounding, I took my first step onto the lake.

SPLASH.

‘Whoa! Whoa! I-It’s working!’

My foot didn’t sink.

The calm surface of the water felt as solid as dry land.

I took another step.

SPLASH.

‘Look! I’m not sinking! I’m really not sinking!’

[Now keep walking.]

I began moving toward the other side.

It felt similar to walking through the forest earlier, except I was surrounded by water.

I paused for a moment, crouched down, and dipped my hand into the lake.

Unlike my feet, my hand sank into the water.

‘Holy crap… I’m actually walking on water. This is a miracle, right?’

[Stop getting emotional and hurry up. You don’t know what’s happening inside.]

‘Oh, right. Sorry.’

Even though I was far from the dock, I made sure not to make any noise as I walked.

Once I reached the opposite shore, I moved toward the building’s entrance.

As I got closer, I heard a murmuring sound—was it singing?

Praying?

[There’s someone at the entrance. I’ll open a window at the far end of the building. Go in through there.]

I climbed through the window and found a small staircase.

The murmuring grew louder as I ascended.

[Stop before the entrance. I’ll give you a weapon.]

The second floor was empty, with only a guard at the front entrance.

‘The security is pretty lax.’

[While you were walking on water, I listened in on the building. The cult leader is preparing a ritual inside. That’s why everyone is gathered.]

‘So that chanting earlier was part of it?’

[Yes. Since they’re all in one place, taking them down will be much easier.]

‘Not thinking about how much work this will be for me, huh?’

[That’s why I’m giving you this weapon.]

Before I knew it, I was holding a blade in my right hand.

It was about the length of my forearm and had a slight curve, giving it an intimidating look.

“What… what is this?!”

[It’s a kukri. The Gurkha mercenaries use it to slit their enemies’ throats. It was originally a tool, but it works just as well as a weapon.]

“You want me to cut their throats with this?”

[I’d love to, but I can’t turn you into a mass murderer, so I modified it. Look closely.]

Upon closer inspection, the blade had no edge.

It was essentially just a curved metal pipe designed for easy swinging.

“If you were going to remove the edge, why make it in the shape of a blade? You should’ve just given me a baseball bat.”

[This resembles the donkey’s jawbone Samson used. The one he used to kill 1,000 men.]

Oh.

[I’ve adjusted its strength so that getting hit will only knock them out.

If you aim for the head, it’s a guaranteed one-shot knockout.

Swing it as much as you want.

It won’t kill them, but it will hurt like hell.]

I was worried about killing someone, but the spirit had already taken care of that.

If it only caused unbearable pain without actually killing, then it was perfect for delivering punishment.

[Don’t hit the cult leader in the head. You need to break something else.]

“What do you mean?”

[From what I heard in the building, that bastard used my warning to his advantage. You remember how I burned the cross and the chair at the Songpa branch?]

“Yeah.”

[I did that as a warning, but he told his followers it was a sign of the apocalypse. He’s using that to conduct a ‘ritual’ to prepare for the end times. That’s why young women were kidnapped.]

“What? Are they planning some kind of human sacrifice?”

[No. After the ritual, the cult leader will be exhausted, so he needs young, beautiful women to replenish his energy.]

I was at a loss for words.

So that’s why they took Sera.

[You’re thinking exactly what I am. Once the ritual ends, that bastard is going to do unspeakable things to them.]

“That… that son of a bitch….”

I couldn’t even finish my sentence.

Maybe it was because of the Gift of Superhuman Strength, but my whole body was burning with rage.

At this moment, I felt like I really could slaughter a thousand men like Samson.

[Step back. I’ll make sure you can start this with a bang.]

“But didn’t you tell me to be quiet so the kids wouldn’t be in danger?”

[Now we need to be loud to draw attention. If all the fanatics focus on you, the kids will be safe.]

I took a few steps back from the door.

With a loud crack, several fractures spread across the massive door.

Screams erupted from inside.

[Here we go!!]

With an earth-shattering explosion, the door was blown to pieces.

Shards flew in every direction, leaving no trace of the door behind.

The guards stationed at the entrance were the first to rush out.

I adjusted my grip on the kukri.

“You bastards are all dead today!!”