Into the Creations 2413

Chapter 2413 – 2413. Eternal Eden

I asked the awakened member of the Imperial Guard,

“What is your awakened ability?”

Awakened individuals instinctively knew their abilities upon awakening. Though, of course, they wouldn’t know their specific traits.

“My ability is earth manipulation. I can manipulate earth as I wish.”

“Earth manipulation? I need to see it for myself. Someone go out and bring some earth.”

One of the Imperial Guards, who had been standing stiffly behind me, went outside. He was probably the lowest-ranking member of the Imperial Guard.

He returned with a cup filled with earth. The awakened Imperial Guard used his ability. The earth floated upwards and moved around.

“Can you use it offensively? Like shooting a gun. Try to launch the earth as fast as you can.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

He launched the earth into the air. It wasn’t as fast as a bullet, of course. Still, it was at a level that would be difficult for an ordinary person to avoid. The problem was its power, which was less than half of half of a bullet’s.

He was sweating profusely. He wasn’t used to using his ability.

“Try using it defensively. Like creating a shield.”

The earth clumped together to form a small shield. Since the amount of earth was small to begin with, the shield was also small.

I took a dagger from a nearby Imperial Guard and swung it at the earth shield. Clang! The dagger bounced off. The earth shield shook, but it blocked my attack. My attack, which was from one of the strongest among the awakened.

‘It’s an ability more suited for defense than offense. And this is after just awakening. It’s probably because he was trained as an Imperial Guard, but he’ll be more useful once he’s skilled.’

There was something more important than that.

His faith in me. There’s a big difference between having power and not having it. There’s a saying that if you want to know a person’s true nature, give them power.

“Do not be loyal to Kim Jihee.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

The Imperial Guard said without hesitation. The earth shield floating in the air fell weakly to the ground. The imposing aura he had exuded also diminished.

I looked at Kim Jihee. She was genuinely flustered.

“To abandon loyalty so easily… Isn’t loyalty supposed to be different from this?”

“It depends on how you think about it. A soldier doesn’t abandon their beliefs just because they’re loyal to the country. Be loyal to Kim Jihee again.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

His loyalty turned back to Kim Jihee. Kim Jihee looked at me and the Imperial Guard with a wry smile, as if she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

“Kim Jihee, what happened? Is this guy a Guardian?”

“No. He became a non-awakened the moment he abandoned his loyalty. Guardians awaken in exchange for being loyal to me.”

“Can you reappoint him as a Guardian?”

“Yes. No problem.”

His body flashed. He had become a Guardian again and awakened. His awakened ability was the same earth manipulation ability as before. It seemed that awakening again didn’t change the ability.

“Is appointing Guardians your free will? Can you release them without conditions?”

“Yes. However, in that case, their original loyalty usually decreases… but I don’t think that will happen with this person.”

That was probably because the reason for his loyalty was different. The Imperial Guard wasn’t the type to be fascinated by Kim Jihee or to be loyal to her because he wanted power. He was just a guy who would die if I told him to, and he was loyal to Kim Jihee because I told him to be.

‘Good.’

The corners of my mouth curled up.

Being able to awaken them easily meant that I could also learn the abilities of the non-awakened. It meant that I could learn the potential awakened abilities of the non-awakened.

‘It’s limited to the Imperial Guard for now, but I think it’ll be similar for other fanatics.’

“What are the potential and traits of the awakened guy?”

Players could learn the abilities, traits, and potential of awakened individuals by making physical contact with them. It was a common ability of players, regardless of their class.

「Individual Name: Ma Taehong
Potential: ★★
Awakened Ability: Earth Manipulation.
Traits: Fanaticism, Dexterity.」

Overall, it wasn’t bad.

The abilities of the traits were also ones I knew.

Fanaticism. Mental resistance +70%. It reduces mental breakdowns caused by mental abilities, seduction, or emotions. However, it’s difficult to handle because they react very easily to things related to the object of their fanaticism. Of course, this was Na Chaeyoung’s assessment.

‘A fanatic needs fanaticism. It’s actually good since they follow my orders unconditionally.’

Dexterity. Efficiency of all actions performed by hand +30%.

It’s a tier 1 trait because it affects most actions, both combat and production.

I had Kim Jihee awaken all the Imperial Guards and learned their abilities and traits. All of them had the fanaticism trait. Fanaticism was a trait that developed later, so it was possible.

‘Unfortunately, there aren’t any other Imperial Guards with useful abilities.’

I wasn’t disappointed. The Imperial Guard wasn’t just the people here. And there were many fanatics, even if they weren’t Imperial Guards.

The important thing was that Kim Jihee had proven her usefulness.

I declared in front of the Imperial Guard,

“Kim Jihee is my apostle, who acts on my behalf and spreads my words. She is also the sole leader of the Seongjin Church and the saintess of the Seongjin Church. All members of the Seongjin Church must be loyal to Kim Jihee. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Holiness. We will be loyal to Leader Kim Jihee.”

All the Imperial Guards knelt before Kim Jihee.

I watched Kim Jihee’s reaction. I thought she would dislike it or feel burdened, but I noticed that the corners of her mouth were slightly raised.

‘Does she like being above others? It seems she didn’t choose the Lord class for no reason.’

I hadn’t originally planned to create a leader for the Seongjin Church, but… it was different if there was a totem like Kim Jihee. Kim Jihee would give the Seongjin Church a wide-area buff in exchange for becoming the leader.

“Kim Jihee, you can stop if you think it’s too much.”

“…No. I can do it. I’ll show you. Please believe in me, Your Holiness.”

Her eyes were sparkling as she clenched her fists. It was a relief that she seemed motivated.

‘Let’s watch for now.’

It didn’t matter if she was incompetent as a leader. I could have Son Taehyung handle the minor tasks, and Kim Jihee could work as a figurehead.

• • •

A few hours later.

A guest came to Seongak Elementary School. They were from the National Intelligence Service. It wasn’t surprising that NIS agents came. Lee Yeonhee had also visited Seongak Elementary School several times. But the people who came today were all new faces.

I met them in the reception room.

“Nice to meet you, Seong Yoojin. I am Shin Youngsoo, the First Deputy Director of the NIS.”

He was a stern-looking middle-aged man. I didn’t like the way he wore rimless glasses either.

“…First Deputy Director? Where did Lee Yeonhee go, and why are you here?”

Shin Youngsoo’s eyebrows twitched for a moment. It was a very short and subtle reaction, but I could notice it right away since I was watching closely. He seemed displeased that I had suddenly spoken informally.

“Fourth Deputy Director Lee Yeonhee is currently on vacation. She’s probably at her family home right now.”

His voice was calm. As expected of a Deputy Director of the NIS, his poker face was excellent.

“Lee Yeonhee is on vacation? Without even telling me?”

“Haha. It’s a personal matter for the Fourth Deputy Director. The work that the Fourth Deputy Director was in charge of has been passed on to me, so… there won’t be any problems in terms of work.”

It was suspicious no matter how I looked at it.

Lee Yeonhee was a woman who was thorough with her work. She wasn’t the type to suddenly pass her work to someone else and go on vacation. At least, she would have told me. It wasn’t difficult to contact me for a moment.

‘It might not be a vacation, but a disciplinary action. Or a situation where she can’t contact me.’

Did Lee Yeonhee do something wrong? No, in that case, she would have received a disciplinary action, not just a vacation. I didn’t know the details, but it was certain that something had happened at the NIS.

I immediately took out my smartphone and contacted Lee Yeonhee.

“Are you contacting the Fourth Deputy Director? There’s no need to do that…”

“Shut up and watch.”

“……”

His eyes twitched.

At that moment, a woman behind Shin Youngsoo popped out. She was short, about 150 cm, and had a face like a steamed bun. She was ugly by my standards, but she was ordinary by normal standards.

“Wait! Oppa! What are you doing being rude since earlier? And what’s with pretending you didn’t see me since earlier?!”

“Oppa. When did this bitch become so familiar with me? Wait a minute. That voice… weren’t you the voice phishing scammer who called a few hours ago? I’m glad I found you, you bitch. Let’s start with a slap.”

It was the moment I raised my hand. Lee Yeonhee answered the phone.

-Is that you, Seong Yoojin? The fact that you called me means… is First Deputy Director Shin Youngsoo there?

“Yeah, he is. Just a moment.”

I had to do what I had to do. I swung my hand at the steamed bun woman.

“Kyaaaaaaak!”

Slap!

The steamed bun woman, who had been slapped on the cheek, fell to the ground. Shin Youngsoo was shocked and checked on the steamed bun woman’s condition.

“Ms. Seong Ahjin! Are you alright?!”

Ignoring them, I focused on the phone call.

“Oh, sorry. I was educating a voice phishing scammer. You said you were on vacation? Is that true?”

-…Yes. That’s true.

“Until when?”

-Unfortunately, I don’t know when it will end. It’s a vacation given by the President himself.

Was it possible to have an indefinite vacation? No way. A vacation without a time limit wasn’t a vacation.

‘The President? Did that bastard put Lee Yeonhee on disciplinary action? And sent that guy to me instead of Lee Yeonhee? Is he trying to pick a fight?’

He sent a dark middle-aged man instead of the beautiful female agent who was in charge. That alone was enough to piss me off.

“Can’t you be my agent again?”

-I’m sorry. That’s beyond my authority. Oh, I heard the name Seong Ahjin earlier. It seems the First Deputy Director brought your younger sister with him.

“…My younger sister? Ah.”

Come to think of it, I had a family in this world. Not only a younger sister, but also parents. I had forgotten about them because I had deleted the numbers saved on my smartphone and deleted the family photos as soon as I came to this world.

“Hic, hiiiic, h-how could you do this to me…?”

Seong Ahjin sat on the floor, crying with a nosebleed. This is my younger sister?

-My agents were quietly protecting your family, but it seems the First Deputy Director made direct contact with your family. I apologize for not informing you in advance.

“It’s okay. I wasn’t interested anyway. I’ll hang up now and contact you later.”

After hanging up the phone, I watched the situation. Three NIS agents were panicking in the back. My younger sister was sobbing, and First Deputy Director Shin Youngsoo was trying to comfort her. And there were two Imperial Guards behind me. The eyes of the two Imperial Guards were shaking. I could feel a slight confusion.

There was only one reason. It was because Seong Ahjin was my sister. The family of a god is a god.

“Ms. Seong Ahjin! P-Please calm down!”

“Hic, hic! I’m going to tell Mom and Dad! I’m going to tell them everything!”

My sister suddenly appears and tries to get a piece of the Seongjin Church that I’ve built? Absolutely not.

“You bitch. You’ve been so loud since earlier. Ah, I can hear it. My younger sister. My fallen younger sister. The satanic devil inside you is screaming! I will save you! Holy Thunder Kick!”

Pzzzzzt!

A kick imbued with the power of lightning struck Seong Ahjin’s head.

Thud!

Seong Ahjin’s head exploded.

The NIS agents looked at me in shock. The Imperial Guards looked at me with unwavering faith.

I spoke to them solemnly,

“Listen, everyone. There will be times when those who are not allowed to call themselves family will do so. They are not my family. My family refers to my women… Physical blood relations are meaningless. I only distinguish family by their souls. If those who are not my family call themselves my family, they are just satanic devils. Kill them as soon as you see them.”

“Your Holiness’s holy words. We will never forget them.”

The confusion disappeared from the eyes of the Imperial Guards.

What remained were the NIS agents. I wanted to kill them all and eliminate the witnesses, but… there was no way they would have appeared in front of me without any insurance. Killing NIS agents would mean a full-scale war with the government. It would be difficult to fight the military.

I decided to be brazen. The NIS probably already knew about the Seongjin Church to some extent anyway. The scale of the Seongjin Church had grown too large to operate secretly.

“Oh dear. There was a minor incident. Well, it’s not important, so let’s talk among ourselves. Clean up the body of that satanic devil.”

“Yes, Your Holiness.”

An Imperial Guard collected Seong Ahjin’s body. I should keep my younger sister’s body for now. There might be something special about my bloodline. Maybe recovery is a bloodline ability.

“First Deputy Director Shin Youngsoo. Take a seat.”

“…Yes.”

Shin Youngsoo sat across from me with a more cautious attitude than before.