Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 377

377. A Strand of Sacred Rope

The old monk entered a building inside the temple, slightly smaller than the other temples.

Following him inside, unlike the meticulously organized Buddhist sanctuary that seemed devoid of even a speck of dust, the room felt lived-in and cozy. In the center of the floor, a light pink blanket was crumpled, and next to it was an empty bowl with tangerine peels.

“Don’t steal the monk’s tangerines.”

“What do you take me for?”

“A pig.”

While Lion Youngju and Rembrary bickered, the old monk took out three small brown wooden teacups and placed a disposable tea bag in each.

The old monk, having prepared the tea, offered the teacups to Rembrary and Lion Youngju. Lion Youngju bowed politely and accepted the teacup with both hands. It seemed that her mother’s religion was Buddhism, so she was trying to show some respect in front of the monk.

Rembrary also cautiously blew on his tea before drinking it, then smiled gently.

“The herbal scent is lovely, Monk.”

*It’s fruit tea, you idiot,* Lion Youngju thought to herself, but she didn’t argue, considering it a victory that Rembrary hadn’t asked, ‘Can I eat those tangerines?’

The old monk, instead of correcting Rembrary and embarrassing him, took a sip of his own tea and asked.

“You’re the one who called earlier, correct?”

“Yes, Monk. Now that you’ve confirmed I’m not a monster, please tell me how to pass through the barrier.”

However, instead of immediately providing the method, the old monk paused in thought before asking.

“What makes you want to confirm that the research center won’t let you in?”

“They do let me into the research center. They just won’t show me the people they’re hiding.”

“Why do you think people are being hidden in the research center?”

“Doesn’t the director seem like the type to imprison people for no reason, in your opinion, Monk?”

The old monk smiled faintly at Rembrary’s question.

“How can I judge someone I’ve only met a few times? I simply trust that they are a national institution.”

“Please trust me too, Monk.”

“What about you makes you trustworthy?”

Rembrary activated his halo from behind, startling the old monk, who knocked over his teacup.

As the tea spilled onto the floor, Lion Youngju quickly grabbed tissues and wiped it up.

The old monk, with his heart pounding, placed a hand on his chest and stared at Rembrary, muttering.

“What, what is that?”

“Can’t you trust me even after seeing this?”

“Why would that make me trust you?”

“It’s a halo.”

The monk seemed tempted to check the back of Rembrary’s head or clothes, but he restrained himself, cleared his throat, and asked.

“What you need to show me isn’t that halo…”

“Then what is it?”

“You need to explain why you suspect the director, why you think people are being held captive there.”

*The director captures the monsters that hatch from the eggs instead of killing them, taking them inside. Though not intentionally, when people from other worlds cross dimensions, they are initially indistinguishable from monsters, so they inevitably get caught up in it.*

However, since he couldn’t tell that story, Rembrary thought for a moment and then revealed what he had experienced.

“The director gave me drugs, Monk. He said he wanted to test my abilities.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes. He even locked me in a space with monsters and forced me to fight. Monk, I don’t think he’s only doing that to me.”

The old monk was startled by Rembrary’s serious expression.

However, he still seemed to think it was too risky to lift the barrier based on one person’s word or to help a demon cross it.

Rembrary felt frustrated but couldn’t do anything about it. To the old monk, the director was a reliable public official doing national work and helping people, while Rembrary was a stranger speaking strangely.

Sensing this, Rembrary changed his approach once more.

“Does Gamjae still come here?”

“You… know him?”

“Yes. If you don’t trust me, ask Gamjae. He’ll confirm that I’m trustworthy.”

*If he has any conscience, Gamjae will play along appropriately.*

However, when Rembrary mentioned Sagamjae, the old monk frowned, tilted his head, and muttered.

“He’s doing it again.”

“What is?”

“He’s talking as if he’s been here before. Again. How does he know I know that guy?”

“…….”

“It’s very strange. If I had seen you before, I wouldn’t have forgotten.”

“Do you think I’m handsome, Monk?”

The old monk, having become accustomed to Rembrary’s conversation patterns after only a few exchanges, narrowed his eyes and muttered.

“Only Woo Yeonwoo knows that Gamjae the Messenger frequents this place.”

Rembrary didn’t show it, but he was a little surprised inside. *This monk really has a good sense.* However, he couldn’t reveal, ‘I’m that person,’ so Rembrary simply smiled and asked, “Is that so?”

The old monk, still looking suspiciously at Rembrary, suggested.

“If you know Gamjae the Messenger, why don’t you ask him for help? Gamjae the Messenger can cross my barrier.”

Rembrary considered the possibility of asking Sagamjae to sneak into the research center and check if his people were there.

*That won’t work.*

But it was absolutely impossible. Sagamjae would certainly not do that much, even if it was just to vouch for his identity to the monk. And even if he did, what would happen afterward?

And the old monk, seeing Rembrary’s serious expression, thought, *As I thought, he’s a somewhat unsettling person.*

Lion Youngju, unable to find a trash can, didn’t know what to do with the tissues she had used to wipe up the tea and just watched the monk and Rembrary.

At that moment, Rembrary thought of someone else and asked.

“Is your son still sick?”

“How do you know that…?”

“Then let’s do this. I’ll heal your son, and you help my tiger cross the barrier.”

“How can I trust your words?”

Rembrary took out his phone and searched the internet.

“There are many articles there. Show him any of them.”

“I don’t like the photos.”

“They all look good. Just show him roughly.”

“Just a moment… I still want to show him the one that looks the most like me…”

“You’ve already shown him how great you are, so just show him anything.”

Rembrary reluctantly handed over his phone, and the old monk took it and checked the screen.

The screen was filled with news articles about Rembrary.

The second healer to appear. Currently the only healer.

In particular, an article stood out about Rembrary breaking into the hospital and instantly healing Im Yoohan’s unconscious younger sibling.

The old monk’s eyelids fluttered.

Rembrary smiled brightly and smoothly took the phone back from the old monk’s hand, asking.

“Are you willing to make a deal now?”

* * *

Rembrary and Lion Youngju followed the old monk out of the room once more. The old monk left the building altogether, leading them deeper inside.

After passing various temples, a secluded building appeared, slightly larger than the building where the old monk had been staying but still smaller than the other buildings.

What was unusual was that a thick sacred rope was wrapped tightly around the building.

“Come without cutting it.”

The old monk bent down and passed under the sacred rope, urging them.

Lion Youngju and Rembrary carefully bent down and followed the old monk inside.

After passing through the sacred rope and opening the door, they entered and saw a young man lying inside.

The room contained only a small refrigerator, a television, and an audio player. The television was off, and classical music was playing softly from the audio player.

Rembrary clicked his tongue inwardly at the young man’s condition.

The young man was extremely thin, as if he had skin stretched over bones. But the worst part was his complexion; his skin was yellowish as if he had jaundice, and his lips had no color at all.

The old monk sat next to the young man, put his hand inside the blanket, took the young man’s hand, held it tightly, and muttered in a hoarse voice.

“A couple abandoned him in front of the temple. His body was too weak from the moment we found him. I thought he might have a disease, but that wasn’t it either. When we do blood tests, some values are significantly higher than healthy people’s, and some are significantly lower, but there’s no specific diagnosis.”

The old monk’s eyes reddened, and he dabbed at his eyes with his sleeve.

Lion Youngju’s eyes also turned red at the sight.

But Rembrary smiled gently and quietly raised one hand.

“I don’t need to know the diagnosis.”

The old monk looked at him in bewilderment as Rembrary suddenly used the tone he used when talking on the phone.

Instead of giving a long explanation, Rembrary sat closer to the young man and placed one hand on the young man’s forehead, infusing him with divine power.

Surprisingly, from the moment Rembrary’s hand touched him, the young man’s stiff face gradually regained its color. His yellowish face regained its vitality, and his pale lips also turned slightly red.

After some time passed, the young man, who had been lying there without noticing that three people had come in and sat next to him, suddenly opened his eyes wide.

Rembrary took his hand away and stepped back. The young man blinked and looked around, then looked at the old monk sitting next to him, squeezed the hand the old monk was holding, and muttered weakly.

“Father. I’m hungry.”

* * *

While the old monk hurriedly made porridge to feed the young man, Rembrary wandered around the temple, looking around.

Lion Youngju followed Rembrary a few steps behind, thinking he was a truly strange person.

“You’re really weird.”

“What do you mean?”

“I can’t imagine you without your abilities. Everyone else gained superpowers during the Cataclysm.”

“?”

“So I can imagine what they were like before they got their abilities, but not you. I can’t imagine you without abilities and not arrogant.”

“You’re perceptive.”

As Lion Youngju was about to ask Rembrary something, the old monk approached Rembrary. His wrinkled eyes were red, as if he had been crying in the room.

“Come here.”

The old monk said that to Rembrary and Lion Youngju, then walked back to the building where the young man had been lying.

Then he grabbed the knotted part of the sacred rope surrounding the building and plucked a strand from it.

“What are you doing?”

Rembrary asked, puzzled, but instead of answering, the old monk twisted the sacred rope and tied it into a circle, making it into a bracelet, and handed it to Rembrary.

“Why this?”

“If you have this, even that gentle tiger will be able to pass through the barrier.”

Rembrary looked back and forth between the bracelet made of sacred rope and the old monk, then smiled brightly. Finally, he would be able to investigate the basement of that research center.