Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 543

◈ 543. Celebrity!

Rembrary paused for a moment, then politely declined.

“To be honest, I don’t want to because it’s annoying.”

—You should just fake an illness like Yeonwoo.

“I think I have a bit of a headache.”

—You’re a healer.

“Yeah, let’s just say I don’t want to because it’s annoying.”

—Please think about it, Mr. Rembrary. There are too many people trying to get in just by looking at the 5 billion number. There will be unnecessary sacrifices.

In the place where Rembrary lived, they even gave the job title of adventurer to those who dreamed of a chance to make a fortune and entered dungeons.

Rembrary had a hard time understanding what the problem was.

But Gu Seji sounded quite worried.

Besides, Nakru was currently in a cooperative relationship with Redrine.

Even though ace Woo Sungwoo was caught on Redrine’s CCTV stealing something out of the blue, Nakru would not follow Woo Sungwoo and surrender to the demons.

Rembrary exercised generosity and revised his answer.

“Then, I’ll think about it and call you.”

—When?

“A week?”

—The departure date is tomorrow.

“Okay. By tomorrow.”

—We need to calculate the preparation time. Please contact us within three hours.

After hanging up, Rembrary set a timer and slept for two hours and thirty minutes to clear his head.

Afterward, Rembrary asked Kim Jewoo, the most computer-savvy member of his household.

“Jewoo, find out what this 5 billion project is.”

“Oh? Are you interested in that too, benefactor?”

Perhaps it was quite famous, as Kim Jewoo seemed to already know about the project.

As Rembrary settled in, Kim Jewoo explained the project.

In summary, the project was a survival show that started because people who had been expecting Kim Murok’s dungeon reality program thought, ‘I can’t wait any longer.’

“Five famous hunter YouTubers opened sponsorships, saying, ‘If we raise 5 billion won, we will use it to run a survival game.’ And the amount was actually raised in just one week.”

“So, are they actually doing it?”

“They said they would, so they probably will. They actually raised about 6 billion won, and the five YouTubers took the remaining 1 billion won as production costs.”

People thought the five YouTubers would do a survival show together, but the five YouTubers recruited people to enter ‘with’ them.

The format was that participants would enter together and go through several dungeons, and if the number of participants dropped below five, those people would take the prize money.

If there was one survivor, they could take the entire 5 billion won prize, or they could safely form a team of five and divide 1 billion won each.

It was quite an attractive condition for those who were struggling to live after the Cataclysm.

In addition, the five YouTubers going with them were quite skilled, and if things didn’t work out, they could give up halfway.

“Even if you give up halfway, you won’t be able to leave the dungeon right away.”

“Yes. If you give up, you’ll just follow from the safest location and come out.”

I wonder if that will work out as they say.

Rembrary recalled the fairy tale dungeon where roles were forcibly assigned, or the racing dungeon where only a few could leave.

If you go into a place like that, you won’t be able to get out even if you give up halfway.

Certainly. Just hearing this much, you could tell that this project was quite disorganized.

In any case, as this project was implemented and many people applied to participate, the government tried to stop it.

Even before, there were many people who entered dungeons for fun, but treating people’s deaths as entertainment like this was excessively stimulating and unethical.

Although the government’s power had decreased a lot since the Cataclysm, it still had some control.

The government requested Nakru to stop the people, and Nakru sent agents near the dungeon entrances.

The problem was that the number of participants was too large, and the number of Nakru personnel was limited.

“They tried to stop them, but in the end, they occupied one gate. Area 1, Gate 5.”

Even after carefully selecting, it was Area 1. Rembrary clicked his tongue.

“Team Leader Gu said he’s leaving tomorrow.”

“Yes. They’re accepting applications until tomorrow. You can go to Gate 5.”

Kim Jewoo spoke, then asked in surprise.

“Are you going here too, benefactor?”

“No.”

Rembrary answered firmly, then called Team Leader Gu Seji to convey this decision.

“I’ve thought about it, and I still don’t want to go.”

—You’re not going?

“They say they’re going on an adventure, is there any reason to stop them?”

—The Inside is dangerous, Mr. Rembrary. You know better than anyone.

“If they find out the Inside is dangerous, the nonsense that the demons’ territory is better to live in will subside. The demons’ image will be damaged, not helped.”

—Aren’t you worried about the people in danger?

“If they were forcibly dragged or tricked into going, I would go to save them. But aren’t these people who said they would go themselves?”

The sound of wind was heard over the receiver. It was the sound of Gu Seji sighing.

“Should I hang up?”

Rembrary asked kindly.

When you feel stuffy, it’s better to take a nap than to talk on the phone. Or eat something.

—Just a moment, Mr. Rembrary.

“No matter what you say, I’m too lazy to go in.”

Either way, I would have to go in later to destroy the pillar, but I just wanted to go in and out with the existing members.

Not like this, mixed in with a crowd.

—Actually, there’s a reason why I specifically chose to call Mr. Rembrary.

“It’s because I’m competent.”

—…That’s one reason. There’s another reason.

“You didn’t just make that up, did you?”

—There’s a story that a child is trapped there.

“Really?”

—And there’s a rumor that the child looks like Mr. Rembrary.

“?”

Rembrary tilted his head.

“There’s another person like me? Who said that?”

—I don’t know. It’s a story circulating on the internet.

“Then isn’t it just nonsense?”

Rembrary recalled the numerous rumors that circulated when he was doing idol activities as Woo Yeonwoo.

—Just a moment.

But Gu Seji immediately sent a photo.

—Check it out. It’s a photo taken by a hunter who said they saw a child who looks like Mr. Rembrary.

Feeling intrigued by the unexpected story, Rembrary quickly took the phone away from his ear.

“Does this photo look like a person to Team Leader Gu?”

But the photo that Team Leader Gu Seji sent didn’t look like him at all to Rembrary.

No, it wasn’t just that it didn’t look like Rembrary—

“To my eyes, it looks like someone spilled paint and then smeared it sideways.”

It was a form that was difficult to even see as a person.

—They say the photo is blurry.

“……”

When Rembrary didn’t answer, Gu Seji quickly said.

—They said it looked a lot like you when they actually saw it.

“Who?”

—I don’t know who said it, but it’s definitely a story circulating on hunter-only sites.

Rembrary repeatedly checked the photo that didn’t look like him at all.

Assuming it was a human form, the part where the hair should be was a blurred gold color.

After much deliberation, Rembrary agreed.

“Okay.”

* * *

When Rembrary went to Daeju and told him that he had decided to participate in the Hunter Survival [a survival show for hunters] to save as many people as possible, Daeju immediately worried.

“Will you be okay?”

“I’m not particularly scared.”

The reason Rembrary didn’t want to go in at first was not because he was scared, but because there was no need to follow and stop people who said they wanted to go in.

Of course, Area 1 was quite tricky.

But he was concerned about the child who looked like him in that area.

He didn’t tell Team Leader Gu Seji, but he was also concerned about the person who spread the rumor.

As well as the carelessly blurred photo, the hunter who said he saw the child. They said the child was trapped. How did they take a photo of that?

Besides, usually, when you find someone trapped, you don’t take a photo of it, you help them.

Rembrary thought of the possibility that the child’s story was a deliberately leaked rumor.

And he recalled the demons who always asked him this and that, as if testing him, whenever he entered a dungeon.

Could there be a relationship between them? Maybe the child isn’t real, but an illusion.

“High Priest?”

When Rembrary frowned, lost in thought, Daeju called out softly.

“Ah. I’m listening.”

Rembrary waved his hand.

Daeju continued.

“High Priest. What I’m worried about is that your face is already known everywhere.”

“Why is that?”

“The participants refused to approach because Nakru is in cahoots with the government. The information that Redrine has joined hands with Nakru is also known everywhere. Will they accept you if you go?”

“Then what if they block me from entering from the entrance?”

“That’s a great idea. The people who sponsored the 5 billion won and the participants will resent Redrine.”

When Rembrary looked at him with a ‘then what do you want me to do’ expression, Daeju pondered and suggested.

“Let’s disguise you.”

“Disguise?”

* * *

Rembrary, with the help of Shindo, who used to be a makeup artist in the film industry, dyed his hair brown with a dye that lasts for about a week.

Afterward, he wore large horn-rimmed glasses that covered half of his face, and put on a hat and mask over them.

Mengwooshin was also subjected to that process.

Due to Daeju’s dissuasion that Rembrary should never go alone, Mengwooshin, who had entered Areas 4-6 with him, was dragged out again.

“Daeju! You said we were rotating! I just went right before this!”

“That’s usually the case, Wooshin. But this time, you have to hide your identity. There’s no one else who can go except you, who is good at acting.”

Mengwooshin really didn’t want to go, but it was true that there was no other hunter who could act besides him, so he reluctantly decided to follow.

Mengwooshin didn’t bother to dye his hair or wear a wig, but covered his usual appearance with a hat, sunglasses, and a mask.

But after preparing the two of them, there was a shortage of attack-type hunters this time.

Daeju was worried about Shin Joun, Sagamjae, Mullu, etc., but decided to contact whoever was available first.

But before he could even make contact, Ardor volunteered and came to find him.

Mengwooshin got angry while Ardor was getting makeup and protested to Daeju.

“Daeju! Even if you close your eyes, you know that’s Ardor! Besides, he attacks allies too!”

The answer to that was given directly by Ardor.

“I’ve been away from the High Priest for too long. You said we were rotating, but my turn isn’t coming. I’m going this time no matter what. If you’re not going to take me, kill me and go.”

“Damn, you said kill you! Why is the gun pointed in my direction!”

Mengwooshin wanted to shoot Ardor once and not take him if he could.

However, Ardor said ‘kill me and go’ but acted like ‘I’m going to kill you.’

As Ardor firmly refused to back down, Mengwooshin, who valued his life, had to back down.

“That guy can’t act, Daeju. Hey, Rembrary. He can’t act.”

He grumbled until the end, but this acting problem was glossed over by Ardor simply not talking in front of people.

And so, the three of them put on disguises to hide their identities and went near Area 1-5 early the next morning.

Daeju dropped the three off in a place where there weren’t many people and urged them.

“Since the video is already being released in real-time, you must be careful about what you say. High Priest, don’t use the King’s 말투 [manner of speaking]. Wooshin is good at acting, so he’s okay. Ardor, keep your mouth shut.”

“I will never stand out.”

Rembrary said confidently, closed the car door, and strode toward Area 1-5.

* * *

—Those three look like celebrities

—It’s a celebrity

—The epitome of celebrity fashionㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

—You guys are too bundled upㅠ

—ㅅㅂㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ That makes them stand out moreㅋㅋㅋㅋ

—Who do the celebrities look like?