The initiation ceremony consists of three stages.

“The first is the pre-introduction, the second is the pre-education, and the third is the main ceremony.”

“…….”

“…I think it is.”

Chi-i-ik―

While flipping the pork belly, Yoo Seong-woon asked.

“Is that right?”

“Oh, yes, that is right.”

Cha Eun-hyeok, the guardian of the prospective priest who had been distracted by the meat for a moment, nodded.

Under Yoo Seong-woon’s command, who had decided that they needed a place to talk right after meeting at the station, they sat in a pork belly restaurant. The room, which was blocked on all sides, was quite quiet and cozy.

“What we will be hearing today is the pre-introduction session. It is said to be a place where they will learn about the characteristics of the priesthood, what kind of education they will receive in the future, and what kind of priest they can become.”

“The pre-education is where the prospective priests receive separate education before the main ceremony, right?”

“It would be hard to conduct the main ceremony right away for young children who don’t know anything. They teach them the manners and roles they should follow during the main ceremony… I think that’s what it was.”

Cha Eun-hyeok asked his younger brother, Chae So-ri.

“You said that we’d go into the temporary dormitory right after the pre-introduction session and learn the main ceremony etiquette?”

“Yeah, you said it would take about a day.”

Chae So-ri looked back at Yoo Seong-woon and Sergio and smiled bashfully.

“…yeah.”

“Ahaha, if it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to use formal speech.”

“I use formal speech well.”

“Really? That’s great.”

Yoo Seong-woon laughed along.

“Then it’s a two-day event?”

“No. They said that it takes three days in total, one day for the pre-introduction session and pre-education, and two days for the main ceremony.”

“The main ceremony takes two days? I didn’t know because it’s not my field, but it’s been going on for quite some time.”

“I think it’s because in order to receive the gaze of the god, the main ceremony has to be as long as possible to be advantageous.”

“Then I understand. Well, it seems that the initiation ceremonies of famous religious groups were generally long.”

Jio, who had been quiet for a while, asked.

“Is the gaze of the god really necessary?”

“…That’s because priests can’t do much if they aren’t chosen by the god.”

Cha Ara, who had been constantly checking the situation of eating pork belly with Geo, who was either a monster or something else, continued speaking.

“Just because you become a priest doesn’t mean you always get a chance to receive the gaze of the god. The biggest chance is when you are first recognized as a priest, and the rest… What did they say?”

“Anyway, when there’s an event. Or, if you gain a chance in a dungeon or prove your abilities as a priest, your chances of receiving the gaze of the god increase.”

“That’s what they said.”

While the older sister and brother were talking back and forth, Chae Sol, who had fluffy hair like a puppy, stuffed meat into his mouth.

“This is Mahita.”

“Eat a lot.”

Yoo Seong-woon smiled as if he found it cute. Local residents probably eat so deliciously because they rarely come to restaurants, but even considering that, Chae Sol ate quite happily.

‘Everyone who sees it feels good.’

Perhaps Geo felt the same way, because he was putting meat in front of Chae Sol.

“Thank you.”

“You eat well.”

“I eat well.”

“That’s amazing.”

“Eeeeeee.”

The three adults who knew Geo’s true identity were watching the scene with a strange feeling. The two Chas in particular were like that.

‘Oh my, Lee Sol… .’

‘What should I do with that friendliness?’

We definitely talked about ‘Black Cloak’ while eating dinner before coming up to Seoul, but my younger brother probably didn’t realize that ‘Sergio’ and ‘Black Cloak’ in front of him were the same person.

“…….”

“…….”

Cha Ara, Cha Eunhyuk, and Yoo Seongwoon exchanged glances at Black Cloak blatantly taking care of Chae Sol.

‘Do you like kids?’

‘I don’t know.’

Yoo Seongwoon shook his head, but thinking about it, Geo said that he was also obsessed with feeding Cha Ara when he met her. He always gave Yoo Seongwoon and others food as gifts.

Considering that, it seemed like he was just interested in filling someone’s stomach.

“Hmm….”

Of course, good things are good things.

“Geo, «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» what do you want to do?”

“Are you asking about the initiation ceremony?”

“It seems to take longer than I thought. Are you okay?”

Geo looked like he was having a hard time when he was outside the frame.

‘I’m killing my stats to the level of an ordinary human, so how could it not be hard?’

The current Geo was also maintaining the level of an A-class hunter while killing his usual stats. It must have taken a hit to his soul or something essential, but he didn’t know if he could last three days.

“I thought it wouldn’t be hard.”

“That’s okay.”

“Then that’s fortunate.”

While Cha Eun-hyeok and Cha A-ra made expressions as if they understood what was going on between the two, Cha Sol, who was diligently eating the meat, asked with a questioning face.

“Hyung, you can’t stay outside for long?”

“…….”

“Are you weak?”

Cha Eun-hyeok and Cha A-ra were silently shocked, but Yoo Seong-woon was only slightly surprised and decided to watch the situation. It was because he was curious about how Geo would respond to the young human’s question.

Geo answered after a brief pause.

“I don’t think my body is weak.”

“Really?”

“In my case, I think my mind is weak.”

“I don’t think so.”

“I’m trying to look like there’s no problem.”

This answer was surprising even to Yoo Seong-woon.

‘… I’m not sure if Geo’s mind is weak…’

He seemed to understand why he blamed his mind and not his body.

Lowering his status would cause more mental pain than physical pain. However, by human standards, it would be like enduring pain at the level of cutting off a limb and being beaten, and he couldn’t express that as ‘weak.’

Judging by that, Geo seemed to not consider himself strong, unlike other beings of origin.

‘No, maybe it’s closer to being unable to do something.’

He often showed signs of having a disorganized personality and memories, so it was natural that he had a hard time objectifying himself. Like an elephant with poor eyesight who doesn’t know how big it is.

“What god do you worship, hyung?”

“God?”

“Yes, I feel something warm….”

Yoo Seong-woon’s eyes widened at Chae Sol’s words, as if he was estimating something while staring at Geo.

“Can you feel it?”

“Yes? Um, yes. It’s incredibly warm.”

“Oh….”

“Can’t you feel something like this?”

“No, but it’s rare for a priest to sense another person’s power.”

Yoo Seong-woon wiggled his chopsticks.

“Especially for a young priest like you who doesn’t belong to a deity.”

Geo muttered at those words.

“When you say you belong to a deity, it feels like a party.”

“Probably similar. Even gods fight for power or fight for territory. As the number of believers increases, the power of the god increases, so it becomes more active….”

“It seems like they are not treated as sacred as they are supposed to be, even though they are gods in name only.”

“I think they have recently developed a slightly secular image since the Great Disaster.”

As he said that, Yoo Seong-woon lightly clapped his chopsticks.

“Congratulations, guardians. If Chae-sol does well, he will be chosen by the gods at this initiation ceremony.”

“Uh… Really?”

“Any god covets good talent. I’m not a priest, so I can’t guarantee it, but you seem talented.”

Yoo Seong-woon added an explanation.

“In the first place, holy power is a power borrowed from gods, so unlike magic, it’s hard for others to sense.”

“Ah….”

“Look, I’m an A-class hunter, but I didn’t know Geo could use his powers, and I didn’t know what kind of energy it was.”

“Oh, I see….”

Cha Ara looked at Geo with subtle eyes.

‘I don’t know if it makes sense for a monster to use his powers…’

Yoo Seong-woon nodded as if he understood what Cha Ara was thinking. However, he couldn’t say it out loud in front of Geo, who thought he was human, so he just let it go.

Even in the midst of all that, Chae Sol was firm.

“So who is the god you worship?”

“I don’t worship any gods separately.”

Yoo Seong-woon whispered with a stern face and an awkward smile.

“Geo.”

“Yes.”

“It would be better to say there is.”

“Why do you say there is something when there isn’t?”

“Usually there is.”

Whether a chosen believer or a faithful priest, handling the sacred power meant being chosen by the gods in the first place. It didn’t make sense that Cha Eun-hyeok had no god to serve when he had already treated him with the sacred power.

From the perspective of humans.

“…….”

“…….”

“If you use the sacred power when there is no god to serve, then that’s just….”

“Shut up, pig.”

“I’m sorry.”

Cha Ara shut her mouth at her brother’s wise advice.

The only beings who could handle the sacred power when there was no god to serve were gods. At least they were beings of a similar level.

‘Your mouth is a joke.’

He was so controlled in front of other hunters, but why was his tongue so free in front of Black Cloak?

While Cha Ara quietly watched his pupils open, Cha Eun-hyeok also tried to gather his wits.

‘… It was completely different from the image and atmosphere of the existence called God that I knew, so I thought that it couldn’t be this side… At this point, wasn’t it too blasphemous for them to introduce the Black Cloak to Cha Ara as a monster that could talk?’

Was his suspicion, which was close to delusional last night, right? Cha Eun-hyeok was shocked and skeptical at the world that was just going on as it was.

‘There was no need for me to know the truth about this incredible existence.’

Although he was extremely tired, Cha Sol, the youngest here, was cheerful anyway.

“Wow, someone can have powers even without a god to serve!”

No, there isn’t.

‘That person is strange.’

Why is he pretending to be human and acting like this here?

Cha Ara, a porter hunter who has seen everything, and Cha Eun-hyeok, who has seen strange existences since childhood, swallowed their feelings skillfully.

But that doesn’t mean he was scared and ran away. In the first place, the ‘gods’ of this era were at the level of dragons who enjoyed the pleasures of medieval fantasy. It was thanks to the eccentric gods who enjoyed life on Earth disguised as humans or monsters that they often made the news.

“…….”

Unlike the two Chas who somehow accepted this situation, Yoo Seong-un did it in his own way.

It was complicated.

‘… I knew that Geo was a being with a great connection to the source, but even so, it’s still… .’

Yoo Seong-woon swallowed a sigh inwardly.

‘It’s a little strange. Just because you’re high-ranking doesn’t mean you can become divine.’

Maybe it’s related to Geo’s personality?

‘I still don’t know what he does.’

Yoo Seong-woon scratched his neck.

I’ve known for a long time that Geo was inexperienced at imitating humans. Not only Cha Ara, who was dragged to Geo’s dungeon, but Cha Eun-hyuk also seemed to have noticed, so how could I hide this any more?

“…….”

Black Cloak seemed to notice the awkward atmosphere in an instant, and he seemed to be awkward as well.

‘Don’t be awkward.’

If you do that too, the atmosphere will get worse.

Geo, who had been hesitating, said.

“…I also have a god that I worship.”

“Now?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh, no, I just said it once.”

Yoo Seong-un, who had been dealing with the capricious and stubborn children of the origin, smiled neatly and played along with Geo. He didn’t want to upset the unknown being whose identity was still unknown.

“So what god is it?”

“The sun god.”

“Yes, it is the most universal god….”

The religion that emerged in various parts of the world on Earth was the solar cult. In this small country alone, there were over 50 sun temples. Many people knew that it was a religion that existed almost before the Great Disaster.

And it was perfect for joking, “Hey, I’m a sun believer.”

“Oh, that’s why it was warm.”

Only Chae Sol was fooled by Geo’s words.

“I like the sun god too.”

“Thank you.”

Why are you grateful?

‘Aren’t you planning on hiding your true identity?’

Cha Eun-hyeok almost heard the sound of a slur. It was the first time in his life that he had eaten at a restaurant and the food didn’t taste good.

In fact, the reason Geo said thank you was because he was thinking of the old man resting in the inner room of his cabin.

‘I bet your father would like it.’

While feeling sorry for the teddy bear who was already gloomy because he didn’t have any followers, it was natural for him to feel grateful to Chae Sol who told him that he liked the sun god.

“Can I introduce you to a sun god I know?”

“Just a moment, Geo.”

Yoo Seong-woon applied the brakes.

“I should give Chae Sol a chance to catch the eye of other gods.”

“I just said I would introduce you….”

“Why are you introducing me in the first place?”

“Wouldn’t it be good to have more friends?”

“Can Shin and Chae Sol be friends?”

“Why can’t they?”

“Oh….”

Geo had planned to introduce the teddy bear that was growing old alone, but for adults who didn’t know about the situation, it was like saying, ‘I’m like the sun god, and I want to be your friend.’

‘You really have no prejudices.’

This was definitely not the kind of conversation to have at a pork belly restaurant.

“…Geo really has a big heart.”

“Thank you.”

“Okay, let’s eat.”

It seemed like he should hurry up and show them the initiation ceremony and then return it to the frame.

“…….”

Bisabyeol blinked at the text message from Yoo Seongwoon.

“…The sun god.”

I didn’t think it would be that.

‘I didn’t feel any divinity in Geo’s portrait to begin with. It is right to think that it is something that cannot be felt unless it is shown directly.’

Furthermore, it is too unstable to conclude that Geo’s identity is a ‘god.’

“That can’t be all.”

His divinity is just one of the many characteristics Geo possesses.

He was still a confusing being. He had the characteristics of a monster, had ambiguous aspects like the children of the origin, and, as Yoo Seong-un said, was a being with divine nature.

“At the same time, he resembles a human.”

Sometimes he becomes a monster. Sometimes he becomes a human. Then, sometimes he could become a god. As if everything in the world were a derivative of him.

‘… But, if you look at it that way… .’

In other words, Geo is the ‘origin’ of everything in the world.

“…….”

The origin.

“… Hmm.”

Is it possible that it could be a person?

If Geo had made a bigger mistake, he would have been able to figure it out for sure, but his kindness was just wasted.