Chapter 275

Chapter 275

Despite the sudden appearance of an evil god, the world was peaceful.

“Uh... I’m just glad everything ended well, right?”

“I guess so, probably...?”

Because ordinary citizens had almost nothing they could see or experience.

The only serious thing they knew was that “there were unusually many people addicted to dreams.” And no one died from it. If there were injuries, it would be cases of taking too many sleeping pills.

People of the world did not see that much as “damage.”

“Didn’t they say the evil god was the final boss of this dungeon break?”

“I heard that too, but maybe it was just a somewhat strong monster pretending to be an evil god...?”

“Otherwise there’s no way there would be this little damage.”

“They said nobody even died in the dungeon.”

“Come on, isn’t that a lie? How do you run a dungeon and nobody dies?”

“Well, honestly, I only heard it from someone I know, so I’m not sure...”

More than the citizens, the hunters had their own sense of caution.

“They’ll only come to their senses after the evil god gobbles them up from head to toe while they’re this relaxed. Isn’t that right?”

“Guild Master’s words are correct.”

“...But was it really the evil god’s dungeon?”

But even among them, most who didn’t participate directly in the battle couldn’t easily believe it.

“Seeing as two Symbols of Eternity stepped in, it really does seem it was a dangerous dungeon, but even so—how could there be this little damage when fighting an evil god?”

The thing that made them believe the dungeon’s danger wasn’t a fabricated lie was the name value of the “Symbols of Eternity.” They didn’t step out for just anything. Because they knew the weight of their names.

But why was the evil god’s infamy so high? Any hunter with some age knew how dangerous an evil god was. If humans were unlucky, they could be exterminated by nothing more than a single glance—not even their breath.

“Compared to what happened before, it didn’t really feel like that... did it? I mean, I do think all those people aren’t colluding and lying together, but...”

“I hear conspiracy theories are definitely coming up in some circles.”

“What? Honestly, they sure talk big for people who don’t know how scary the Association President is.”

“Doesn’t that just mean it’s an exceptional situation? It’s nearly impossible for something tied up with divinity to end this peacefully. Even traditional divinity causes minor calamities...”

“Right. And it wasn’t just anything—it was the evil god’s affair. You know too, don’t you? The kind of hatred they have for humans, those creatures of providence...”

“How could I not?”

“...Mm...”

So most people could only realize the direction things were taking. There had been only one case in which the damage caused by a being called an evil god was this small.

“...Like Death?”

“You mean the god of Death, right? I think so too.”

“Well, rage isn’t only bad.”

That mystery felt negative within human values, so it was called an “evil god.” If they weren’t a simple traitor, such a situation could happen. Very rarely, there had been such a case.

Evil that simply exists, without hatred or corruption.

“But didn’t the shared information say it was a fallen dragon?”

“It seems there are more circumstances we still don’t know.”

“Tch, this is why the Association President is scary. She doesn’t tell us everything.”

“If it’s all right, shall we ask the Association for cooperation? I’ll request it politely.”

“No, no. It could bring pointless trouble to us.”

So the quick-witted people reached their own conclusions.

“Seems this was the evil god’s prank.”

“They said we almost all could have died—wouldn’t it be better to call it a trial...?”

“Does that change the essence? It’s closer to being doted on than a trial. Good thing it was an evil god with a nice personality. I heard the divinities of various religions also added a word each...”

“...I can understand the god of Death, but I never thought the Sun Church’s divinity would go along with the evil god’s prank.”

“That’s what’s scary about an evil god—he makes even the traditional gods who love providence speak lies. Well, the atrocities the evil god was said to have committed being things that truly deserved condemnation also played a part.”

“Well, at that level it’s hard to call it a lie... Hmm, I thought they looked rather passive considering they each said a word, though.”

“Humans were played with in god’s palm, but the miracle is that it stopped at this. When an evil god plays a prank, it’s hard for there not to be casualties. If it’s fortunate, it’s fortunate.”

It wasn’t something to be grateful for at all, but it was something to be grateful for anyway.

“...At this point, can you even call it a prank?”

A guild master narrowed his eyes at the scene below, visible beyond a glass wall.

“Do you see that?”

“Yes, I heard it’s a protest related to amending the labor law.”

Most office workers went to work at 7 a.m. and got off at 9 p.m. Among them, people doing overtime were countless. For this “Dream Amusement Park” incident, claims began to arise that this kind of work environment with no breathing room also had a major influence.

And a protest not just anywhere, but coming all the way to the government complex and the Korea Hunters Association headquarters. Many were afraid of direct expression of will, but many also sympathized. With this dungeon incident, it was like a beehive had been smashed open.

“I haven’t seen that in ages.”

“You mean protests, sir?”

“Protests or whatever, just people saying what they want to say.”

The guild master guffawed.

“Now the way the world turns will feel less suffocating.”

“Trying to make everyone else like that just because the Guild Master has a lot of anger is...”

“Tsk, you’re young, that’s why. Back in my day, everyone lived like that! People ought to live while getting angry sometimes!”

“You only ever get angry, Guild Master.”

And in fact, the labor law was revised.

The government and the Association accepted the citizens’ demands as if they had been waiting. They drastically reduced the maximum weekly work hours. In summary: the main content was 9 a.m. start, 6 p.m. end.

Of course, it wasn’t applied immediately. They said, what do you mean, when society is already built by grinding down humans as one of its resources? In a way, it was as if they had legally forbidden the use of one of the available resources.

“No matter how I think about it, isn’t this a bit much? At this rate, companies might find ways to replace manpower.”

“Then there’ll be fewer jobs, won’t there? Even now the population is bursting, so it’s hard to get hired...”

So the Labor Standards Act was only revised, and first they decided to go through a pilot application period. Some companies supported by the government and the Association would try it out.

After that, they would expand the scope of application gradually through review. So in a sense, nothing had changed right away, but for citizens it was different. They were dumbfounded.

“...This worked...?”

“...Really? No way.”

They couldn’t believe the first-class citizens had listened to them.

But the government and the Association did not change their words. The companies that sensed their intent kept their heads down on their own. In Korea, if you earned the hatred of those two, there was nowhere you could even emigrate to.

“Whoa, then can’t we try protesting this too?”

“Hey, since we got one thing, maybe it’d be good to lie low...”

“I- is that so... Well, if we offend them, our throats might get slit on a dark road.”

“...What were you going to say?”

“Reinstating compulsory education... I heard there was something like that before the Great Calamity.”

“...Ah...”

It was a fairly reasonable opinion, so an old man who had been one of the protesters nodded. He was from the era when compulsory education existed. Even if he didn’t know everything, he at least knew it was better when there were schools than when there weren’t.

But perhaps because they had just won guaranteed rest, people worried before they got angry. They had acted up enough, and if they raised their voices again, they feared they might be hated.

“...Then how about this?”

“Huh? What?”

“Y- you know, it’s not like protesting is the only way to let those high-ups know what we want.”

“...Ah, you’re right. That’s true.”

They had used protest because they thought they would never listen. It also mattered that after going through a huge disaster where the world nearly flipped upside down, their anger had reached the top of their heads. But they had gotten as angry as they needed to, and they needed practical compensation.

And one day, Association President Dan Haera smiled.

“My.”

She fluttered the paper she received from her secretary.

“This time it’s not a protest?”

“Yes, it’s simply a proposal in a pure sense.”

“It’s about time we revived the national petition system. I should push it in the next meeting.”

“I’ll add it to the schedule.”

“Still, what a relief. I worried they might get excited after tasting the sweetness of protesting once...”

Dan Haera neatly set down the citizens’ proposal. As if handling a precious gift.

“Is it okay for people to expect at least this much now?”

Saying that, Dan Haera—rarely—wore a gentle smile, holding laughter on her lips for a very long time. The secretary was sincerely happy at the sight. Days when his superior was in such a good mood were rare.

“It seems the Black Cloak followers’ help was great as well.”

“Right. They’re a group with tremendous drive and capital. And their direction is plausible too.”

Quite a lot of the so-called “Black Cloak enthusiasts” were first-class citizens. Most had approached for the hobby of appreciating mysterious works and then had their eyes opened to community service.

They worked with one heart and one mind to cherish Earth, which the Black Cloak loved. The same was true in the outskirts outside the city. Perhaps thanks to that, citizens gradually began to recognize one another as “neighbors.”

“We got a lot of help even when things were chaotic because of the dungeon...”

The government and the Association also used carrots and sticks to pull people out of their dreams. But a big reason they shook off the temptation of dreams and returned to reality was their ties in reality.

No matter how good a dream was, they couldn’t throw away their real family, friends, or lovers. With trust in neighbors revived through the enthusiasts’ activities, they returned to their daily lives for the sake of those real ties.

“At this point, it’d be better to acknowledge the Black Cloak as an official religion.”

“Will measures be necessary?”

“Adjust it so it can be like it was with the god of Death.”

“Yes, Association President.”

“If they build a temple, then... hmm...”

Dan Haera tilted her head.

“Guild Master Visabel will handle it on his own.”

It seemed better not to meddle.

* * *

The Moon Church closed its temple doors, keeping only a small number of people.

“For an indefinite period, the Moon Church will not accept new brothers. Instead, we have decided to focus on internal cleanup. When the Moon Church can present itself before everyone as priests worthy of the name, we will show our faces again.”

The bishop came out to an official gathering with a gaunt face and announced the Moon Church’s situation. The atrocities that had occurred, and what happened in this dungeon.

But people couldn’t easily get a grasp on it. Whether they should be angry, afraid, or simply let it pass because it wasn’t their problem.

“I hope we can become Earth’s cautionary example.”

The Moon Church truly locked its doors like that. From the start, it was a place run by taking research commissions from the government and the Association, or elsewhere, so there would be no problem even if it went into hiding for a long time.

Of course, that was only the official situation.

“─Teacher!!”

“Aram.”

Aram visited Collection unofficially.

“Are you all right?!”

“I’m always healthy.”

“Even after causing... causing something like that?”

“Doing big things with a healthy body and mind is this teacher’s specialty.”

“That makes it a little scary when you say it like that.”

“And what about you?”

Hunter Seo Gio’s platinum-blond hair was dyed a deep red.

“But, yes.”

He smiled, brushing Aram’s cheek.

“It was worth doing, wasn’t it?”

“...”

Soon after, Aram’s scream rang out.

(To be continued in the next chapter)