Holy Idol [EN]: Chapter 705

◈ 705. Never Just Take It

The Hunter heard the sound as he was being dragged into the water by the man-eating fish that had grabbed his leg.

The Hunter kicked at the fish and managed to bring his head above the surface.

Seeing Rembrary standing with his hands behind his back, the Hunter almost reflexively cursed.

Although he was a follower of Rembrary, his instinct presented him with a string of curses when his life was on the line.

“XXXX!”

However, Rembrary didn’t lose his gentle smile even after hearing the curse right in front of him. The Hunter, distracted by this, ended up getting his ankle bitten by the man-eating fish.

“Ugh!”

The Hunter focused his mind, stabbing the knife between the scales of the fish, which was half his size.

Regaining his focus, which had been constantly drawn to Rembrary, he was able to manipulate the water to push the fish away.

*No, if Rembrary hadn’t appeared from the water droplets in the first place, he wouldn’t have been careless and dragged into the water,* he thought.

After getting rid of the fish, the Hunter quickly climbed onto the land and forcefully threw the water in the direction of the monster fish, slamming it against the rock wall.

After dealing with the monster, the Hunter sat down and barely managed to pull up his water-soaked pants.

He could see the scratches left by the sharp teeth all over his ankle, looking gruesome.

“Damn it.”

It was at that moment, when the Hunter was distracted by his injury, that a slender hand seemed to touch his wound. Before the Hunter could grasp the situation, the wound healed in an instant.

“Huh?”

Surprised, the Hunter widened his eyes and looked up, seeing Rembrary squatting next to him, touching his wound.

When their eyes met, Rembrary smiled kindly and asked.

“It’s healed. Are you alright now?”

By now, everyone knew about the one-month side effect of Rembrary’s healing.

The Hunter realized this and tried to pull his foot away, but the wound had already healed.

Rembrary didn’t look at the Hunter with any displeasure and calmly stood up.

The Hunter also stood up, took two or three steps back, and opened his mouth to protest why he was healed without permission.

“Thank you!”

However, what came out of his mouth was a hearty greeting.

“You saved my life!”

The viewers watching the scene clicked their tongues.

―Looks like the side effect appeared

―I’m seeing Rembrary’s healing side effect for the first time ㅋㅋㅋ [Korean slang for laughing]

―It’s not that big of a deal?

―Still, it’s a relief that Rembrary is there

―But why was Rembrary in the water in the first place?

The viewers didn’t find it too strange, as being healed was the priority for now, seeing the Hunter treat Rembrary like a savior.

However, that evening, everyone started whispering when the Hunter, who had been diligently hunting, didn’t go hunting today and was instead carrying food next to Rembrary while he was having dinner.

―Why is that Hunter serving there all alone?

―He’s not even serving ㅋㅋㅋㅋ He’s only serving Rembrary

―Why is he like that?

ㄴIsn’t it because he’s grateful?

ㄴHe’d be grateful, but is it to the point of overdoing it like that? It wasn’t a life-threatening injury. It was just a scraped ankle

ㄴMaybe he’s just a person who repays gratitude well

The whispers grew louder the next morning when Hunter 1, who had received Rembrary’s healing, didn’t go hunting and stayed by Rembrary’s side, brewing tea.

Those who were watching Rembrary’s healing vlog disliked the intruder on the screen, and those who had come to watch the fight after hearing the news disliked how the passionate Hunter had suddenly become submissive only to Rembrary.

―Shouldn’t he inform them of the side effects and ask if they want to receive treatment before healing them?

―The side effect is more severe than I thought? He has no personal life and just follows Rembrary around?

―He’s going to be like that for a month?

―That’s a tame Ardor [intense devotion or enthusiasm] ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

―If the side effect is that severe, isn’t it wrong to just use the healing ability so freely? How is that different from brainwashing?

Rembrary’s image had improved a lot since it was revealed that he had sacrificed himself to seal the Demon King and disappeared, but there were still many people who disliked him, treating him as one of the main culprits of the upheaval.

Therefore, even with such a small matter, those who originally disliked Rembrary started to drive him away as if they had seized an opportunity.

However, the Worldboom secretariat didn’t just stand by and watch. As soon as they grasped the situation, they quickly began to build a defense.

―Didn’t they say that Hunter was originally affiliated with Black Rain?

―If he’s affiliated with Black Rain, then……ㅎㅎ; [implying something negative or suspicious]

―Black Rain Hunters are all like that, aren’t they?

―Brainwashing ㅋㅋㅋ That’s funny ㅋㅋㅋ Aren’t they famous for being like that?

When you think about it, the Worldboom employees weren’t making up stories, so people soon came to believe that it was true.

Once the mainstream opinion became ‘Black Rain is originally like that, and Rembrary saved him, so he became even more moved,’ the Worldboom employees finally breathed a sigh of relief and high-fived.

However, they were also curious.

“Why did Rembrary heal that Hunter when the injury wasn’t even that big?”

“Isn’t it because he’s his follower?”

“They’re just people who use his name. The boss said that Rembrary also dislikes those guys, right?”

The Worldboom employees whispered while eating in the company cafeteria, but in the end, they couldn’t know the truth.

Meanwhile, Rembrary, who had made everyone whisper with a single action, took Hunter 1 with him as he became more obedient, looking for an opportunity. He took Hunter 1 to a place where cameras weren’t installed and asked.

“There are a few things I want to ask you.”

“Ask me anything, High Priest. I will answer anything!”

“Is there a green-haired woman in your group?”

“Green hair?”

“She carries a spear.”

However, contrary to Rembrary’s expectations, Hunter 1 had a puzzled expression.

“Well. I haven’t seen her.”

Hunter 1 didn’t seem to be lying. Of course, there are people who can lie naturally without getting caught, but this guy wasn’t one of them.

It wasn’t that Rembrary trusted this guy, but he could trust him because it would be difficult for this guy’s current state of mind to deceive Rembrary.

*Should I check with the others too?*

In the end, Rembrary used the same method to induce Hunter 2, who was definitely included in Black Rain, to get injured, and then healed him without permission this time as well.

And when he asked Hunter 2 the same question, Hunter 2 also didn’t know about the green hair without fail.

When Rembrary showed a disappointed expression, Hunter 2 desperately tried to comfort him, not even knowing why he was disappointed.

“There are no separate gatherings here. Most people work individually, so there aren’t many opportunities to meet face to face. But if it’s someone Rembrary is looking for, you’ll be able to find them soon.”

Ardor, who heard the story, cautiously suggested.

“I don’t think we should look for the leader anymore, Rembrary. How about I become the temporary leader and stay by Rembrary’s side?”

Rembrary pondered for a while and then said.

“Let’s check everyone we can check.”

* * *

Around the time Rembrary was targeting Black Rain Hunters instead of monsters to find Mullu.

Hunter 3, who came from Black Rain, also noticed something strange.

His colleagues, who should be diligently catching monsters to be selected in the finals, had stopped hunting and were just following Rembrary around, so he couldn’t help but notice.

It was so strange that he subtly called them out and asked, and even their answers were absurd.

“I was badly injured when a monster attacked me, but Rembrary saved me. How can I go hunting when that gratitude is still flowing through my blood?”

“This flesh…… do you see it? This flesh was made by Rembrary! I was also attacked by a monster, but Rembrary came right away and healed me!”

Hunter 3 was so dumbfounded by the stories of Hunter 1 and Hunter 2 that he wanted to subtract and take away the blood and flesh that his colleagues had received from Rembrary.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“We can’t hunt if Rembrary isn’t hunting.”

“Me too. Everyone knows that Rembrary is the strongest anyway, right?”

Surprisingly, both of his colleagues had lost all motivation and only said words praising Rembrary.

Hunter 3 was shocked by this situation.

*It’s true that they praise Rembrary, but their life’s purpose isn’t just to praise him. But for his colleagues to change like that……!*

“Get a grip. Everyone knows that there are side effects when you get healed by Rembrary, right? You’re both in that state!”

“This isn’t a side effect.”

“Yeah. I realized it after being healed myself. We’re just witnessing a miracle and accepting it.”

Even when he tried to reason with them, his colleagues didn’t listen and left, so Hunter 3 sat on a wooden box and let out a hollow laugh.

*They must be brainwashed.*

Hunter 3 told this speculation to another Hunter who was hiding that he was Black Rain.

Fortunately, Hunter 4 was in his right mind and immediately agreed with Hunter 3’s story.

“I was thinking it was strange too. It seems like brainwashing is right.”

“What should we do?”

“The side effects will wear off after a month anyway, so there’s not much to worry about. We won’t be able to participate in the selection properly, though. But it’s strange that Rembrary specifically healed the two from Black Rain.”

“Is he targeting us? Why?”

“…….”

Hunter 3 and Hunter 4 put their heads together and pondered, but they couldn’t figure out the reason.

Rembrary was a person who had no revealed actions other than fighting the Demon King and healing people.

There was no particular reason for such a person to target Black Rain.

However, they couldn’t just be depressed here, so Hunter 4 first comforted Hunter 3.

“Surely he’s not targeting us? We’re people who openly follow Rembrary. It must be a coincidence. Anyway, there are only 17 participants left here, excluding him and his colleague.”

Hunter 3 was more relieved than when he was worrying alone, but he didn’t completely let his guard down.

If Rembrary was targeting Black Rain, then the target would definitely be himself, not the hidden Hunter 4. He couldn’t help but be more anxious than Hunter 4.

So, Hunter 3 pondered and decided to set a trap.

*Both of the Hunters who were brainwashed by Rembrary said they were attacked by monsters before being healed. If he’s targeting me, he’ll target me in the same way this time. Even if I get attacked, I shouldn’t just take it.*

His two colleagues can’t come back to their senses within a month.

However, if he proves that he was eliminated because of Rembrary’s trick, he might be able to compete in the finals again like he did in the preliminaries. He had to do that.

For that plan, Hunter 3 went to the empty lot he often visited to show that Rembrary was deliberately inducing injuries, and then spoke to the camera attached to the tree there.

“If I get attacked by a monster and suddenly start following Rembrary, don’t believe me. ……No matter how good it sounds, it’s just because I’m swept away by the side effects.”

The viewers who were watching this quickly brought popcorn.

After that, Hunter 3 had dinner at the dorm and then came to that place and deliberately loitered around.

If Rembrary were to control a monster to attack him, Hunter 3 intended to let everyone see that scene.