Surviving Among the Entities

A massive explosion occurred right before me.
Fortunately, including myself, no one at the airport was harmed.

“Whew, I’m glad I prepared.”

Right before the explosion, I took off the coat I was wearing and used it to create a wall.
Originally a bulletproof vest, the enhanced ‘Defensive Coat’ managed to block the explosion splendidly.

‘The experiment results showed it could withstand up to 1 ton of TNT, right?’

The Anti-Christ’s suicide attack did not reach the power of 1 ton of TNT.
A bit of knowledge gained.

‘Fortunately it was in a corner.’

There was only me in the smoking room I had gone to for a smoke, and the smoking room itself was in a corner, so there were no other casualties.

“Get Down!”

Of course, being mistaken for a terrorist was the natural course.
Clearing up the misunderstanding was easy. Simply showing my business card printed in English and identifying myself as a ‘Resolver’ instantly resolved everything.

“Oh, my apologies. You’re a Resolver.”

If that didn’t work, I could have just contacted the Foundation.

“Isn’t it the police’s job to preemptively block dangers? I’m alright.”

The Australian accent was quite burdensome, but I quickly adapted and could converse.

‘A bomb terror attack right after arriving.’

The Anti-Christs.
Quite dangerous seeds.

‘They knew I would interfere with their plans.’

Since information could not have leaked from either the Eastern Hell or Lucifer Company, it meant they had prior knowledge of my approach.

“The representative existence of the Anti-Christs is the second beast, referred to as the false prophet.”

How could an existence that falsely prophesies, falsely proclaims itself the savior, and deceives people with false resurrections truly prophesy the future?

‘It must be the power of an entity.’

Objects the Lucifer Company created, focused solely on functions and output without caring about appearances or post-handling.

Unfortunately, when I asked Baal what objects they had given them, he said it was so long ago that he couldn’t remember.

[I’ll look into it, but most records from that time were discarded due to the sheer shock, or are buried deep in storage, so it will take some time.]
[Can’t you find it through a search?]
[I mentioned before, everything in Hell is done manually.]
[Ah, I see.]

Based on the lack of contact so far, I should not get my hopes up.

“Modern warfare is information warfare; the one with information wins the war.”

Having an information advantage can lead to victory even with insufficient forces.
While I knew nothing about the Anti-Christs, they knew about me, so to overturn this situation, I had no choice but to use methods they could not predict.

“Or receive help.”

I contacted the Foundation.
The person I contacted was Mr. Kim Dong-wook, who immediately agreed to dispatch Foundation personnel upon receiving the call.

-I’ll be right there. We have a portal in Australia too. You said Sydney, right? I’ll arrive within an hour.

I waited at the hotel for the Foundation personnel to arrive.

‘What a beautiful night view.’

My current location was the hotel’s top-floor VIP suite.
Looking out at Sydney’s night view, I made a request to Sarang.

“Sarang, hack all the hotel’s CCTVs.”
[Shall I monitor for any suspicious individuals?]
“Please do.”
[I will begin.]

This would allow me to detect any intruders.
Shortly after, a hotel employee arrived to deliver room service.

“Mr. Seung-hoon? I’ve brought the meal you ordered.”
“Thank you. Here is a tip.”

Do they accept tips in Australia too?
I gave $10, but the employee did not leave and instead smiled at me blankly.

“Hmm.”
“Could it be that?”
“What is it?”
“The Anti-Christs.”

At my words, she laughed.

“You really are as remarkable as the rumors say. Don’t ordinary people not ask about such things and keep it a secret instead?”
“I had no reason to hide it and deceive you, so I asked directly. And in my opinion, conversation is the best way to resolve problems, so I’m rather pleased you opened the door to conversation first like this.”
“Are you letting the previous explosion slide?”
“While I cannot treat the incident as if it never happened, I can be generous and overlook it.”
“You do have quite the temper. But if you wish to converse, I will oblige. It would be easier for us if we could seek your cooperation rather than be hostile toward you.”

She greeted me with an elegant curtsy.

“Hello. I am Jezebel, a holy woman, false prophet, and leader of the Anti-Christs.”

“May I sit?”
“By all means.”

She took a seat across from me.

“Is that your real name?”
“Yes, my real name. Why? Does it seem strange?”

Under the table, she lightly brushed my leg with her toes.

“I’ve heard Jezebel was the name of a wicked queen from the past who worshipped Baal.”
“The former is me. That’s how it was back then. Quite a few people believed in demons in those days, didn’t they? The god of that era was an utterly vile, incompetent omnipotent being.”
“Incompetent omnipotent being?”
“Not a metaphor, but literal. Well, let’s leave that story there. If we start on past stories, it will be endless since I’ve lived for so long.”

Her toes, traveling up my ankle, reached my calf and then my knee.

“But you don’t seem surprised. I admitted to living since that era, don’t you think I’m lying?”
“I believe you. I am aware of your track record.”
“Oh? Really?”
“Existences that have caused calamities throughout human history. You have spilled oceans of blood and corrupted humans, the demons of the present world.”
“Thank you for the praise.”
“As I mentioned earlier, I believe conversation is the key to resolving problems. So tell me, what is your objective, and why do you commit such acts?”

Eventually, I brushed away her fingers trying to venture further up my thigh.

“Enough with the antics and answer my question.”
“……You really are no ordinary person, to not fall for my seduction.”
“I’m not into having sex just because an attractive woman I’ve just met today seduces me.”

She laughed.
The inverted cross hanging from her neck swayed between her breasts.

“As for why we commit such acts, I will answer that it is to achieve our objective. And if you ask what that objective is, I have one question first.”
“What is it?”
“Are you aware of the threats facing this world?”
“If you are referring to the terrifying hells awaiting in the afterlife, planets that could drive humans insane at any moment, monsters and transcendent beings constantly lurking to prey on humans, and the monstrosities lurking outside the universe, then yes, I am well aware.”

After finishing the steak, I poured the accompanying tea.

“I pride myself on being more aware than anyone else.”
“Yet someone so aware is doing nothing.”
“I think I’m fairly active in my own way.”
“Just that much?”

Her eyes turned slightly red.
Not swollen or anything, but her irises themselves turned red.

“Humanity could be destroyed at any moment. Those called the Foundation were quite decent, but even they ended up in their current state within a thousand years. Humanity has no power to deal with the threats facing this world and could be devoured like a steak at any time.”
“What are you trying to say?”

She eventually calmed down.
Beyond her dark irises like the night sky, her conviction shone.

“Salvation for humanity.”

It was similar to the Chief Justice’s.
But it was far greater and more grandiose, a conviction for an even larger cause.

“Summoning a true transcendent being to protect and watch over humanity in place of the present incompetent and vile Creator.”

God is vile.
A phrase that frequently appears in online discussions about God, especially the Christian God.

[Why is Yahweh so vile? Testing human faith in him by having them sacrifice their own child as an offering?]
[Humans live a bit indulgently and he mercilessly wipes them out with a genocide ending kkk what kind of god is this? An evil god kkk]
[Number of people killed by the devil in the Bible <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< An insurmountable wall <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<< Number of people killed by Yahweh.]

This is because that was the perception of God at that time and era.
Of course, these are stories from the past when God did not actually exist.
In the present world where God does exist, it must be interpreted differently.

“Transcendent beings often cannot be understood by human cognition, right? Wasn’t Yahweh such a case?”
“You’re not one of those free will worshippers, are you? The one that indoctrinates that the Creator wants inherent obedience, not forced obedience, because he’s a deviant?”
“I don’t particularly worship it. I just think free will is what allows humans to be human.”
“I don’t particularly dislike it either.”

Yahweh is a transcendent being.
Not an ordinary transcendent being, but one capable of creating the world.
Since other mythologies exist in this world, it was unclear whether Yahweh alone created the world, if there was a mythological misunderstanding, or if separate worlds were created and then merged.

“But he does nothing. He wants obedience, tests humans for some grand plan, even sent down his own son to remove original sin, but that’s it. He has made no further intervention in the world since then.”
“Isn’t that because of free will?”
“You call that free will? Watching his creations be killed by other transcendent beings and leaving them be?”

It seemed my side of the conversation allowed her to gauge where I stood, as she rose from her seat.

“Then I will summon the Creator through free will. And that day is not far off now.”
“So your objective was the downfall of the Creator and the summoning of a new guardian deity for humanity.”
“Yes, our next master will be one who truly loves humanity.”

Clutching the inverted cross hanging from her neck, she bid farewell.

“It’s a pity you cannot join us. I hope our connection ends here.”

The door closed, leaving me alone in the room.

“Sarang, what’s happening outside?”
[The police are approaching. Following them, individuals who appear to be Foundation personnel are also approaching.]
“So they didn’t just leave, huh.”
[Shall I show you the footage?]
“Yes, please.”

Footage played on my smartphone.
But it was slightly different from what I had expected.

“……Quite a lot of personnel.”

It was practically a special counter-terrorism unit.

‘Not a small-scale ambush via teleportation.’

A scheme by higher-ranking Anti-Christs?
No, since the Sydney police already considered me a Resolver, that was impossible.

[Seung-hoon, the Foundation personnel’s conversation seems concerning.]
“Tell me.”

I heard the voices of Foundation personnel standing by near the hotel’s computer.

[I request a mission to capture the entity known as Seung-hoon. The target’s abilities are currently unknown variables, an entity forcing extremely human-like behavior while referring to itself as human.]
[Additionally, as a peculiarity……]
[Damn! Jamming!]

The Foundation personnel’s voice cut off.
It seemed they had dispatched top-tier personnel, not ordinary personnel.

“A human-like entity, where in the world is there such an entity?”
[Seung-hoon, there is also a reaction from the civilian side.]
“What is it this time?”
[The news.]

Without me even asking, Sarang turned on the news.

[Breaking news! Currently, a criminal named Seunghoon Lee is staying at the top floor of a Sydney hotel! In Korean, it is written as Seung-hoon Lee, with the following montage!]

My passport photo was exposed on Australian public broadcasting like a criminal.
Why did such a thing occur?
I had clearly obtained the status of Resolver through the Great Author’s legacy.

[His identity is that of a dreadful criminal! His crime is being the ‘World’s Greatest Troublemaker’! An existence that causes all sorts of problems, so citizens, please do not approach him under any circumstances!]

Ah.
I see now.

“Not a human, but an entity.”

How the situation has turned.

“Not a Resolver, but a Troublemaker.”

They’ve flipped everything about me in the opposite direction?

“In an instant, I’ve become the enemy of the world.”

Just like the inverted cross she had.