The Saint Wants to Rest - vanish into fiction

The horrific atrocities that unfolded in Russia were not broadcast on regular programming. To be more precise, the Russian government realized the severity of the situation and hastily seized control of all communication networks and broadcasts.

However, even fear could not be perfectly suppressed. A single short video, filmed on a smartphone by a refugee at the scene and uploaded to NewTube, was the beginning of it all.

The video was deleted by NewTube just ten minutes after being posted, but it had already begun to spread like wildfire across the globe via social media and dark channels by the countless people who had viewed it.

“Ian. Have you seen this?”

Yoon Tae-gyeom handed a tablet PC screen to Ian with a face turned pale blue.

The video on the screen was shaking violently. The setting was near a military tent in a snow-covered shelter. In the center of the frame, two ordinary Russian soldiers were captured sharing a conversation while warming their frozen hands over a campfire.

Up to that point, it seemed like just a snippet of a devastating disaster site. However, in the next moment, something horrifying occurred.

The hand of one of the soldiers, who had been smiling while handing over a cup of coffee, suddenly swelled grotesquely. In an instant, it transformed into a sharp talon and pierced through the chest of the comrade sitting opposite him.

*Puk—*

The terrible sound of tearing flesh and a scream echoed through the video. Had a human just killed another human? No.

The body of the soldier who had ripped out his comrade’s heart began to twist bizarrely as bones started to protrude. The ordinary human skin peeled away as if being shredded, and from within, a hideous monster with beastly horns revealed itself.

It wasn’t that a human had turned into a monster. A monster had perfectly mimicked a human form and had been blending in among the people.

The video cut off abruptly after the monster suddenly snapped its head toward the person holding the camera and exhaled a black, poisonous energy.

The most fundamental trust that constitutes a society was shattered. The unimaginable fear that one’s family or colleagues might be monsters wearing nothing but a shell. Unlike the physical terror of a demonic beast smashing a city, this fear gnawed away at the mind.

Ian stared into the void with cold eyes, his chin resting on his hand.

‘I expected something like this, which is why I planned to reveal the mimicry of the Demon Race a bit later even if I went public about Divine Power, but it seems that was a useless effort.’

Would the damage have been reduced if he had informed them earlier? No, since the members of the Demon Race are crafty bastards, it wouldn’t have changed much.

The problem now was how to deal with the mimicking Demon Race. Using Holy Water was the best method, but Holy Water is not a product that can be manufactured indefinitely. He needed a Holy Relic—an object infused with Divine Power that people could carry around daily.

However, it was still too early to mass-produce Holy Relics of Regnasia for that purpose.

‘Still, I can’t just sit back and watch them get slaughtered.’

Ian stood up from his seat and spoke.

“Tae-gyeom hyung. Do you happen to know any workshops?”

“I know plenty of workshops. But why there?”

“Because I have something to make.”

“How many are you planning to make?”

“A lot, as many as possible. So, get me the largest workshop. Or we could increase the number of workshops. Tell them to make badges out of silver or minerals with high mana conductivity.”

“Will that be enough?”

“No, all the badges must have this crest engraved on them.”

Ian pointed toward the crest of Regnasia hanging on one side of the gym.

“What effect does engraving the crest have?”

“By itself, it’s just a slightly expensive badge. But what if I imbue it with Divine Power?”

Ian tapped the hideous monster on the tablet screen.

“I’ll gather those badges in one place and coat them with Divine Power by bestowing a wide-area blessing. While it won’t be strong enough to kill a demon directly, it can function perfectly as a ‘radar’ that grows hot or emits light when it gets near a demon. Once the mimicry is identified, the Hunters can just beat them down.”

Hearing those words, Yoon Tae-gyeom’s eyes widened.

“That’s a great idea. If you make them, I’ll sell them to other places at a high price for you.”

“Is a Management Bureau Hunter allowed to do that?”

“1) Labor costs and your personal service fees are included anyway. Is there anything to be careful about?”

“There is. Since they are temporary Holy Relics, the effect will only last about two weeks. They’ll need to receive a baptism of Divine Power again or be replaced every time that happens.”