Chapter 2607 – 2607. Eternal Eden

The South Korean soldiers stationed in Mokpo for cleanup were very wary of the Knights.

They had appeared on the faltering front lines, advanced rapidly, and beheaded the Variants. The Variant that even bombing couldn’t finish had fallen in less than an hour.

To the soldiers, the Knights were heroes who had suddenly appeared. The soldiers whispered about the Knights whenever they had a chance.

“I heard from the squad leader that they’re mercenaries made up of Awakened?”

“Are they really ability users? Most of the Awakened I know are just cocky guys with useless abilities. They’d die from a single bullet.”

“Damn it. Are you insulting Sung Yu-jin right now?”

“No, no. Not her. Who in South Korea would insult her? She’s already beyond a normal Awakened.”

No one in their right mind in South Korea could insult Sung Yu-jin. She volunteered once or twice a week, and recently, two or three times a week. Patients with incurable diseases, critically ill patients, and soldiers seriously injured in battle. There were countless people who had survived thanks to Sung Yu-jin’s help.

In particular, Sung Yu-jin favored soldiers. She often volunteered at military hospitals more than other hospitals.

Not only the soldiers who had met her after being injured, but also those who had never been hurt did not insult Sung Yu-jin. Even if they were lucky enough not to be injured, there was no guarantee that their luck would last forever. When their lives were in danger someday, Sung Yu-jin would be the one they could trust.

“The guys in the next company say they’re a special unit secretly raised by the government.”

“Then they’d be called a special unit, not the Knights. They’re mercenaries, I’m telling you.”

“No, they’re a special unit. Listen. They weren’t just trained. You know about human experiments? They’re the result of secret human experiments conducted by the government. Their mercenary activities are just an excuse to gather combat data.”

“Dude, you’ve watched too many movies.”

“Cut him some slack. He can’t get discharged and he’s stuck here. Especially him, he should have been discharged half a year ago. Ugh. Damn it.”

The soldiers became depressed.

They knew that South Korea was a mess. That’s why they couldn’t complain to the Ministry of National Defense even though their discharge had been postponed indefinitely. If the soldiers were discharged now? South Korea could be destroyed. Not only the soldiers but also their families would be screwed.

“…The Knights. How do you get into the Knights?”

“Go give them cigarettes and ask. The price of cigarettes is going crazy these days. We can still buy them at a lower price… but in the city, a pack of cigarettes costs at least 100,000 won.”

The strength of the Thunderbolt Knights was the kind that made a man’s heart race. There was no man who didn’t admire strength in the first place.

It was a messed-up era to begin with. In this era, power was the most valuable asset.

The soldiers cautiously approached the Knights. They offered cigarettes first, but the Knights refused, saying that cigarettes were bad for the body. The soldiers were shocked by this.

‘They’re refusing cigarettes? Even if they don’t smoke, they’re valuable currency? Honestly, in this situation, cigarettes are more valuable than dollars or won!’

‘They’re the Knights, and their discipline is no joke.’

‘……They really won’t take it? Are they not greedy?’

Anyway, the soldiers asked a Thunderbolt Knight.

“How are you so strong? What kind of training did you receive?”

“We fight believing in the Holy One. Faith is everything. With faith, we can overcome any difficulty and hardship.”

The soldiers were speechless for a moment at the Knight’s words.

‘What’s with the faith talk.’

‘The Holy One? Where have I heard that before?’

‘……The Sungjin Church. Those cultists called Sung Yu-jin the Holy One.’

The Sungjin Church.

A new religious group that was making a fuss, worshipping Sung Yu-jin as a god. People who didn’t know much about them called them a cult. In the first place, in Korea, any religion that wasn’t a major religion was treated as a cult.

‘Sung Yu-jin said in an official statement that she had nothing to do with the Sungjin Church. A religious group that unilaterally treats Sung Yu-jin as a god. Well, it’s not that I don’t understand. She cures incurable diseases. That’s practically a god.’

Go online. It’s all posts praising Sung Yu-jin.

If you search for Sung Yu-jin’s name in online articles, you’ll only find stories of her good deeds, and just having her name on something is enough to fill the comments with praise.

The soldier didn’t believe in religion, but he understood the Sungjin Church.

The healing ability to cure incurable diseases, make the blind see, and regrow severed limbs. Achievements that couldn’t be denied. Moreover, it was said that Sung Yu-jin was the only one in the world with this healing ability.

Frankly, he was even proud that Sung Yu-jin was in South Korea. South Korea was a country that possessed Sung Yu-jin!

‘…Damn it. I watched a few nationalistic videos at the order of the Minister of National Defense, and this is what happened.’

The military showed nationalistic videos for the sake of morale and motivation. Did that make any sense? But the funny thing was, it was quite effective.

‘Objectively speaking, South Korea is in a better situation than other countries.’

Being a small peninsula country was an advantage. Moreover, Korea was a conscription country. They were quick to respond when something happened. Thanks to millions of reservists, evacuation was also quick.

‘Japan was screwed by natural disasters, and China and India’s large populations worked against them. I heard there’s still civil war going on there.’

Players.

They heard that those guys were a mess. They didn’t know much about the Players.

“Brother.”

The Knight stared at the soldier. The soldier, who had been lost in thought, was startled.

“Yes, yes? Brother?”

“Ah. I made a mistake. You are not yet a believer of the Sungjin Church. This weekend, the believers of the Sungjin Church will come to the military to comfort the soldiers. You should join us. You won’t regret it.”

“Not yet. I’m…, uh, Buddhist.”

In fact, he didn’t believe in Buddha either. But he couldn’t forget the hamburgers and cola that Buddhism had given him. The soldier was a man of loyalty in his own way.

“Oh. You’re a Buddhist. That’s unfortunate. Do you know Lucky Biki?”

“Of course, I do. They’re the most popular girl group these days.”

“Lucky Biki are ardent believers of our Sungjin Church. They also have some free time now, so they’re coming down to volunteer… but since you’re a Buddhist, it can’t be helped.”

“Ah, no! Actually, I don’t believe in Buddhism! I’m thinking of changing my religion this time. South Korea is a country with freedom of religion, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. There is freedom of religion. The Sungjin Church always welcomes believers.”

“Um, but. What kind of food do you give? Buddhism gave hamburgers and cola…”

“There are quite a few companies that cooperate with the Sungjin Church. Hamburgers, pizza, chicken, cola, cider. You can have them all.”

“You mean, all of them…?!”

“Of course. The Sungjin Church doesn’t skimp on money like other religions. Ah, I don’t mean to criticize other religions. I just meant that the Sungjin Church is a bit different. But would you like to participate in the Sungjin Church prayer meeting program?”

“Prayer meeting? That’s a bit…”

“Oh dear. The female believers are looking forward to the participation of new believers… That’s unfortunate.”

“…Female believers? Are female believers coming? Are they all old ladies…?”

“The prayer meeting is a program organized by female believers in their twenties. They’ve prepared various games. Ah, they’ve rented a nearby swimming pool.”

“A prayer meeting in a swimming pool?”

“It’s hot these days, isn’t it? They say they pray in the swimming pool wearing swimsuits. Well, what’s important is not the place or the clothes, but faith.”

“Games in the swimming pool…! How do I go to the prayer meeting?”

“I happen to have an application form. Please fill it out here. Ah, there’s also a lottery that day.”

“What kind of lottery?”

The soldier’s eyes were now sparkling. He was breathing heavily without realizing it. The other soldiers around him were the same. The Knight smiled and said.

“It’s a ticket to experience the miracle of the Holy One. We call it a miracle ticket.”

“A miracle… Could it be…!”

“Yes. You can experience the power of the Holy One. Ah, I’ll tell you in advance. The miracle ticket is only valid for the ticket holder or their family.”

“……!!”

The soldier swallowed hard. He and his family were healthy. But no one knew what would happen in life. There was no guarantee that they would continue to be healthy in the future.

‘They say you can experience the ability to cure incurable diseases and terminal cancer…?’

It was like gaining an extra life.

It was too good to be true, so it was suspicious.

“Didn’t Sung Yu-jin officially announce that she had nothing to do with the Sungjin Church? But how…”

“That’s old news. We support the Holy One. It’s not just because we’re believers, but as citizens of South Korea, we support politician Sung Yu-jin. The Holy One has received that support.”

“So, that means…!”

“Yes. It’s already been discussed with the Holy One. If you come to the Sungjin Church with the ticket, we will let you meet the Holy One right away. As you know, the Holy One is very busy… but she will make a special short time for those who have this ticket.”

“I will definitely! I will definitely participate!!”

The weekend.

All the soldiers in Mokpo chose the Sungjin Church.

During the day, they burned with passion while watching the sexy dances of the Lucky Biki girl group. The fact that they got erections was a bonus.

“To be born in Korea! It’s totally Lucky Biki~♪”

The lyrics were a bit idiotic… but who cared? They were shaking their bellies and butts so excitedly. Looking at their fair thighs and the bulging breasts that could be seen even through their clothes, nothing else mattered.

Lunch was as the Knight had promised, with secular foods such as hamburgers, pizza, chicken, cider, and cola. With the prices having gone to shit, these were foods that could only be eaten with a lot of determination now.

“Damn it. The cola and cider are domestic!”

“If you’re not going to eat it, give it to me! And cider is the best when it’s domestic, you bastard!”

“I didn’t say I wasn’t going to eat it!”

In the afternoon, there was a prayer meeting in the swimming pool. Prayer meetings were held in various swimming pools. The female believers of the Sungjin Church who appeared there were, frankly, average. But this was the military. Just the fact that they were young women made the soldiers’ hearts beat fast.

Moreover, the female believers were wearing bikinis!

“First, since it’s hot, shall we swim a little and then pray?”

Despite wearing bikinis, they swam very vigorously.

“Kyaaaak! My swimsuit!”

“……!!”

Bikinis coming off due to the female believers’ accidents, soldiers getting nosebleeds and erections.

“Now, let’s pray to the Holy One. All of our encounters today are thanks to the Holy One’s grace.”

“I, I believe! Holy One!”

“Please save us, Holy One!”

“Holy One!!”

And in the evening.

The soldiers were able to taste pork belly for the first time in almost three months. Above all, before the highly anticipated lottery, they watched a video.

It was a video of Sung Yu-jin’s volunteer activities. Sung Yu-jin, using her abilities to heal the sick, was like a god. The soldiers watched it as if they were watching a movie.

“Now, before we draw the miracle tickets, let’s offer a prayer. This prayer will be led by the leader herself. The leader is busy like the Holy One, so she will pray through a video connection.”

What appeared on the large screen was a woman as beautiful as a celebrity.

It was Kim Ji-hee, the leader and saint of the Sungjin Church. The soldiers stared blankly at her in the video, their mouths agape.

Kim Ji-hee was wearing an outfit like a saint from a fantasy game. It was a sacred yet somewhat shameless design.

“Soldiers of the Republic of Korea. Nice to meet you. I’m Kim Ji-hee, the leader and saint of the Sungjin Church. Now, let’s pray together.”

Towards the end of the prayer, she said.

“Believers. Be loyal to me, the Holy One’s representative, and offer your faith to the Holy One. Never forget that faith is above loyalty.”

The soldiers’ happy day came to an end.

That night, some of the soldiers had wet dreams.

The soldier who had a wet dream grabbed a pair of clean underwear and headed to the bathroom. His bunkmate, who was on night duty, frowned.

“You too…”

“Wh…, wh, what?”

“Never mind. Just go to the bathroom.”

There was already someone in the bathroom. It was a relief, so to speak. It was someone from another company. They pretended not to see each other and washed their underwear.

And from the next day, strange rumors began to spread.

Rumors that if you believed in the Sungjin Church, your strength and stamina would improve and your mind would become clear. The soldiers laughed at the rumors, saying they were cult-like, but they didn’t disappear and continued to circulate in the military.

The number of soldiers who believed in the Sungjin Church steadily began to increase.