Into the Creations 2408

Chapter 2408 – 2408. Eternal Eden

With her resolve firm, Yu Seo-jeong sought out Seong Yu-jin the next morning. She headed to the control room on the 4th floor of the main building, but Seong Yu-jin wasn’t there.

Eventually, she made her way to the research lab on the 3rd floor. Yu Seo-jeong’s steps were cautious. Even at the Daemado Secret Research Institute, one couldn’t just barge into someone else’s lab. She herself became edgy if anyone entered her lab.

‘I should at least knock first…’

But before she could knock, the door opened.

“Come in.”

Entering the lab, she saw Na Chae-yeong turning her chair around. She was a beautiful woman with neatly styled long black hair and a pristine white gown.

“What’s the matter?”

“I came to see Yu-jin. He wasn’t in the control room. Is he not here?”

“He went to restore the Sacred Guard.”

“…Restore?”

“Something like that. Anyway, you can’t see him right now. Maybe around evening? Seeing as you’re looking for Yu-jin, it seems you’ve decided to accept the offer.”

“…Did you happen to hear our conversation yesterday?”

“No. But it’s obvious what he’d propose. I have many questions for you regarding work, but it’s too early for that. I’ll have Choi Hye-jin and Irina stick with you, so take a look around Seongak Elementary School. It’s where you’ll be staying, so you should know how the system works, right?”

She was right. She was curious about Seongak Elementary School.

“Is that alright? I’m still an outsider.”

“I’ve assigned Choi Hye-jin and Irina to you. They might seem a bit dim, but they get things done when they need to. It’s best not to think about escaping.”

“They’re Awakened, right? Yes, I know.”

“…You might not understand this place. You might feel repulsed. But you’ll eventually adapt. Just remember one thing. This world is different from what it used to be.”

A world different from what it used to be.

Although she had been confined in a secret research institute, she knew that fact to her core.

“Thank you for the advice. But… what kind of person is Seong Yu-jin?”

“Why? You’ve seen him yourself.”

“Even if I did, it was just a brief conversation… I’d like to hear your opinion as his colleague.”

Na Chae-yeong pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Seong Yu-jin is a king. In both good and bad ways.”

• • •

Choi Hye-jin and Irina came to find Yu Seo-jeong. Seeing their faces without their combat helmets, Yu Seo-jeong felt a strange sense of warmth. It was probably because they were around the same age as her daughter, Kim Ji-hee.

“Try to wear your name tag when you leave the main building. We’re already somewhat famous, so it’s okay for us, but you’re new. Without a name tag, you might get caught up in unnecessary trouble.”

“Okay.”

Yu Seo-jeong accepted the golden name tag that Choi Hye-jin offered and hung it around her neck. It felt a bit uncomfortable on her chest, but she would soon get used to it.

“Um, where should we go first?”

Irina asked. She had bright blonde hair and blue eyes. She had a large chest, almost an H-cup. Despite her glamorous appearance, her voice was small and lacked confidence.

“Let’s start with the main building. You know the 5th floor, right? You slept in the dorm on the 5th floor, didn’t you?”

“No. My daughter is in the hospital room on the 1st floor… I stayed in the hospital room yesterday.”

“Oh, really? Then let’s go to the 5th floor.”

The entire 5th floor of the main building had been converted into dormitories. As it was the main building of the school, the 5th floor was spacious. That meant there were quite a few empty rooms.

“Since you’re an executive, you’ll be staying with us on the 5th floor. Just pick any empty room you like. The end room is Irina’s. She’s a weirdo who likes secluded places. Like a cockroach, isn’t she?”

“You always have to say it like that… Please say I’m like a cat, not a cockroach.”

“See? Even the way she talks is weird.”

“N-No, it’s Hye-jin unnie who’s weird.”

“Oh, really?”

Choi Hye-jin moved behind Irina. She was so fast, like an animal, that Irina couldn’t react. Choi Hye-jin’s hands firmly grasped Irina’s chest.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

“That’s the punishment for talking back to your unnie. Take it sweetly.”

“Kyaaaaaaaaaak!”

Yu Seo-jeong smiled faintly at their antics. If Kim Ji-hee recovered and became healthy, could she hang out with them? That would be a wonderful sight.

After the commotion, Yu Seo-jeong was able to enter her room. It was like a high-end studio apartment. There were two rooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen. She could also see the park through the window. The view was quite nice, as it was open and unobstructed.

“…It’s better than my room at the research institute. That place felt like a prison.”

“Seong Yu-jin’s room is even better than this. He always gets the best room.”

Choi Hye-jin grumbled briefly and continued the tour.

The 4th floor was the control room. All the CCTV cameras installed in Seongak Elementary School could be monitored from there. They could also issue commands to the combat AI.

The 3rd floor was the research lab. The electrical room and break room were also on the 3rd floor.

The 2nd floor was the armory, and the 1st floor was the workshop and medical room. Kim Ji-hee’s hospital room was also on the 1st floor.

Yu Seo-jeong looked at the decomposer on the 1st floor. The basic skill decomposer for Technologists and Bionics.

When items were placed in this decomposer, they would be broken down into waste and resources. Resources were essential for Technologists and Bionics. They could use resources to create metals, parts, or medicines.

“Is that… a robot?”

Robots were working. They were placing items on the conveyor belt or sorting the waste and resources from the decomposer.

“Yeah, they are. They were recently made, but they can only do simple tasks.”

Choi Hye-jin explained with a nonchalant expression. She wasn’t very interested in robots.

“That’s amazing.”

“Doesn’t Ilwoo Group do this much?”

“Um, not to the extent of using robots for work. If we could have used robots, we could have conducted experiments more easily.”

Afterward, they went outside the main building. Armed soldiers were standing guard around the main building, holding guns. Not just around the main building. Armed soldiers were visible throughout Seongak Elementary School. As soon as they saw them, they saluted.

“Loyalty!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Casually, Choi Hye-jin nodded her head like a veteran soldier and passed by the soldiers.

“…Is this a military?”

“Military? What military? It’s the security team. Like guards.”

Up until this point, Yu Seo-jeong didn’t think much of it. But the more she looked around Seongak Elementary School, the more shocked she became.

Seongak Elementary School was a class-based society that didn’t fit with modern times.

There were a total of five classes.

Class 1 consisted of executives like Na Chae-yeong, Choi Hye-jin, and Irina.

Class 2 consisted of recognized professionals and Seong Yu-jin’s women. The Sacred Guard.

Class 3 consisted of professionals and the security team.

Class 4 consisted of general labor managers.

Class 5 consisted of general laborers.

The treatment they received varied depending on their class. The salaries they received were also different.

‘What’s surprising is that the people here accepted the class system without complaint.’

No, there would be complaints. But in this small society, complaints were not tolerated. Those who complained were expelled from this place. And most of those who were expelled died. That was probably the only reason why the true nature of Seongak Elementary School had not been revealed.

‘This place is completely controlled. It’s a small kingdom within Seoul.’

Why Na Chae-yeong had compared Seong Yu-jin to a king. Yu Seo-jeong immediately understood. As she said, Seong Yu-jin was the king of this small kingdom.

‘But if this is all there is… Seongak Elementary School will collapse.’

Creating a small kingdom within Seoul? Impressive. But that’s all it is. It will eventually reveal its limitations. South Korea would never allow a kingdom.

“Oh, right. We didn’t go there, did we? Shall we go?”

“Hye-jin unnie. Um, this person is an outsider. We shouldn’t take her there carelessly.”

“She’s an outsider for now. She’ll be living with us soon. Since she’ll find out anyway, it doesn’t matter if she knows now.”

Choi Hye-jin led her to a place where access was strictly controlled. These soldiers were a bit different from the security team. They had the ᚼ symbol on their collars and sleeves. There were also more CCTV cameras than in other places, and combat drones patrolled the area regularly.

At first, she thought it was a symbol for a special forces unit. But after entering the annex, she realized that wasn’t the case.

Hundreds of people were kneeling in front of an altar.

The altar was decorated with a full-body portrait of Seong Yu-jin and a banner with the ᚼ symbol.

“Our Lord, Seong Yu-jin, has descended in human form to save us. Do you believe in the Lord?”

“We believe!”

“Do you believe only in the Lord?!”

“We believe only in the Lord!!”

Hundreds of people shouted in unison.

Madness and fanaticism.

They filled the space.

The fanatics rejoiced, calling out Seong Yu-jin’s name, and they begged for salvation, calling out Seong Yu-jin’s name.

Then it happened. A man climbed onto the altar. He was a middle-aged man with a protruding belly.

“Greetings, followers of the Seongjin Church. I am Choi Ji-seok, the head of the Gangseo District Office. I have been blessed by the Lord and have joined the Seongjin Church as a priest. Some of you may doubt my faith. I became a priest as soon as I joined the Seongjin Church. I have come to this altar to prove my faith! Bring the Holy Blade!”

A priest who had been waiting next to the altar brought a knife. It was a small, white knife. The Holy Blade, which Seong Yu-jin had personally blessed.

“Look everyone! Be witnesses and become testaments to my faith!!!”

Choi Ji-seok stretched out his left arm. And with the Holy Blade in his right hand, he mercilessly struck his left arm.

Thud! Thud, thud, thud!

Blood dripped onto the altar. Choi Ji-seok continued to cut his arm, then pressed a button at the end of the hilt. *Fzzzt*. Electricity crackled, and the blade glowed silver. With the sharper blade, he cut off his left arm.

“Lord! I believe! This is my faith!”

“Uooooooo!! We believeeeeeeeeee!!”

Yu Seo-jeong felt suffocated by the people’s madness and had an ominous thought. Seong Yu-jin could order them to wear suicide vests and die. Blinded by fanaticism, they would sacrifice their lives like nothing.

She inadvertently looked at Choi Hye-jin and Irina. Choi Hye-jin was whistling and cheering, while Irina was fiddling with her smartphone, seemingly uninterested. She was playing a game. Neither of them was normal.

‘This place is crazy…’

Yu Seo-jeong retracted all her previous evaluations of Seong Yu-jin.

The king of a small kingdom?

No. Seong Yu-jin was building a religion. He wasn’t ruling as a king, but being revered as a god.

Yu Seo-jeong broke out in a cold sweat. This was dangerous. But there was nothing she could do. Nor did she have the right to.

‘If he successfully treats my daughter… If my daughter can recover and smile…’

She felt a strong temptation.

That night, Yu Seo-jeong knelt before Seong Yu-jin.