In that brief mont, Roy’s mind raced.
‘Should I subdue him?’
He wondered if he could use Godslighting sohow. But what if he failed? There were two of them. If it were one, he might dare attack, but facing both at once, he lacked confidence. And he had no idea whether they were ordinary researchers or Awakeners. Best to stay still and wait for one to leave their post—that was his only chance.
“Who put him in here like this?”
“Oh! Co to think of it, I heard the subjects fought, one got an eye gouged out, the other lost a nose.”
Ugh. Roy clenched his teeth to keep from retching at the thought.
“That’s why we turned them over when moving them.”
“Well, you still need to cover him. Damn, I almost lost my eye.”
The man tossed the body bag to the rookie researcher beside him and jerked his head at the fridge.
“Cover it.”
“Got it.”
Screech— the tal tray Roy lay on slid as the researcher draped a white sheet over his back. He’d worried they might flip his body, but thankfully felt only fabric settling down. In this cult’s world, his personal color might as well be coffin white.
‘I feel like I woke up under a shroud like this...’
Relieved to be hidden, Roy peeked with one eye. He saw the cultists moving around under the sheet.
‘I’ll play dead and slip away at the first opening.’
Avenging Hojin and striking at Chaos Evil mattered, but his life was most important. If he survived, his teammates could too—maybe even the wild plains. He resolved to slip away quietly, but then heard:
“We’re moving everything in here, right?”
“Yeah. The elevator’s small—two fridges at a ti. Wheel two down and co right back. Get a cart.”
“On it.”
Almost at once, the tray shuddered.
Clatter— a wheeled stainless cart rolled toward him.
“Ugh.”
Clunk— he felt himself lifted.
The tray slid onto the cart.
‘Screwed.’
Cold sweat ran down his back. He’d co to purge the cult, not infiltrate so deeply. He was all about maximum efficiency: minimal work, maximum results. That was Roy’s way. He didn’t know this building, either; dragging them outside to fight would be suicide.
‘But now...’
Maximum labor, minimal results—and the shadow of death lood overhead.
‘Should I attack now?’
If they headed down, it might be irreversible. Should he strike or hold back? But before he could decide, the cart carrying him was already in the elevator.
“Hand it off and co back up.”
“Right. I’ll be back soon.”
The doors closed.
Damn it...
How could he not swear? His life was never dull.
“Ugh!”
“Eeek!”
Roy sprang up in annoyance. The researcher, who’d been tinkering with the panel overhead, jumped and nearly fell. As the researcher reached for the ergency bell, Roy snapped his wrist and pinned the arm. Their eyes t—Roy’s glowed red.
“Shut up and listen to .”
【Skill “Godslighting” activated.】
Under the skill’s sway, the researcher nodded blankly, obedient. Piece of cake—Roy had mastered Godslighting.
[4▼]
The elevator was just passing the fourth floor. Only four buttons were lit—Fifth, B1, B2, B3. The researcher had pressed B3. As Roy surveyed the panel, the display ticked down to “3.”
‘I need to stop it imdiately.’
But hitting the bell would be suicide. He needed another way to halt the car. His eyes landed on the corner-mounted CCTV. As he glared, thinking how troubleso it would be, ZAP! Sparks flew like a short circuit and the cara exploded.
“Ugh.”
Shrapnel sprayed; Roy reflexively shielded his face. The researcher huddled, but didn’t scream—still under Godslighting.
‘Did my proficiency just increase?’
Even without casting a fla, the CCTV self-destructed. Yet there was no ti to marvel as the fire alarm blared:
[Fire detected. Please exit imdiately and evacuate safely.]
Rattle! The elevator jolted to a stop. The doors slid open—but the walls had been installed on all four levels, so there was no exit. Once the elevator moved again, it would head down to the basent.
Roy grabbed the researcher, hauled him up, and stripped off his clothes.
“Why—what are you doing?”
“Undress. Glasses off, too.”
Clad in the researcher’s lab coat and specs, Roy smirked, speaking to the trembling man in casual tones. He wasn’t gracious enough to use polite speech for cultists.
“Where are we headed?”
“To—incineration...”
“Incineration? Why?”
“Wednesday is disposal day for the subjects. We can’t just dump them.”
Roy glanced at another cart holding a corpse—soone who’d beco a cold, stiff body.
“Who carries that out?”
“Well, um, probably the New Sky Lord...?”
At Roy’s glare, the researcher stamred:
“I—I don’t know details. I just leave them there and they’re gone by morning.”
It sounded like Chaos Evil handled it directly, but the thod couldn’t be normal. Too much web-novel thinking? Why did it feel so likely they’d be eaten?
“...damn.”
Roy, who once only saw Starlight concerts, felt a wave of disillusionnt facing these otherworldly cannibals. He pinched his forehead and sighed, then sharpened his plan:
“Where’s that bastard now?”
“That bastard...? Are you referring to the New Sky Lord—?”
“Enough. Where is he?”
Roy’s sudden S-rank aura cowed the researcher into silence, and he whispered:
“He’s—probably in his chamber. He only appears when bestowing grace.”
Grace, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) my ass. Roy wanted to punch that chattering mouth.
“And you don’t know why he never cos out?”
“No.”
“If you’re withholding info you know, you’ll die. Do you want Powerping too?”
“Eek!”
After a few threats, Roy found intimidation suited him. His verbal prowess improved daily; the researcher couldn’t even retort. The man parted his lips, then answered in a trembling voice:
“I heard his health is poor. He needs recovery... But who is he, really?”
“? I’m your colleague.”
“That can’t be... I would rember that face.”
“I’m new.”
“I’m new too, but I’ve never seen you—”
“You have a problem with what I say?”
“...!”
Maximum boss energy. Roy recalled being bullied by senior artists back in his trainee days—and now used those lessons to tornt this cult lackey even more cruelly.
He tapped the researcher’s shoulder and issued new orders:
“I’ll say this once. I hate mistakes.”
“Yes, sir.”
“When we get off, it goes to the incinerator?”
“Yes—but I have to move other subjects; soone else usually handles the incineration—”
“You. Do it yourself.”
“Huh?”
“I’m having you move . Problem?”
【Skill “Godslighting” activated.】
Roy’s eyes flared red again. The researcher imdiately dropped his gaze and nodded repeatedly.
“Yes. Of course I’ll do it.”
“Before we leave, stop by a safe spot. That’s where I’ll get off.”
Having turned the researcher into an ally, Roy climbed back onto the cart. Now that things had co to this, he figured it couldn’t hurt to try anything. If the Sky Lord refused to leave his chamber, he clearly wasn’t ready for the world.
Just then, the alarm ceased and the elevator moved again.
Rattle! To gather intel before arrival.
“Hey, Cultist One.”
“Cu—cultist?”
The shocking nickna left the researcher speechless.
“Tell in one second what’s on each basent floor from B1 to B3. Go.”
It was like buying two three-thousand-won buns with five thousand and being told to bring back the change. Roy had endured worse from senior idols—he’d learned evil fast.
“Um, B1 has labs and researcher quarters; B2 stores the test subjects; B3 holds the incinerator and the New Sky Lord’s chamber.”
The research spat facts like rap lyrics.
“So the only way up from the basent to ground level is this elevator?”
“No—there’s a stairway to the worship hall, but it has security locks, so it’s hard to find. I can show you.”
“Good. Cultist One, don’t ss up.”
“Yes.”
The panel lit “B3” and the elevator halted. Roy pulled the sheet fully over his head, hiding under the corpse bag.
Here lay Chaos Evil’s first soul.
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