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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 138: First Apostle Meeting (2)
A massive building near the Hunter Association.
This is the headquarters of the Daehyun Guild, led by Kang Shia.
“Impressive.”
Is it because they’re such a successful guild?
Owning an entire skyscraper in the heart of Gangnam…
Well, Daehyun was originally a major corporation anyway.
Looking at the floors, it seems the Daehyun Guild doesn’t use the whole building—some floors are occupied by Daehyun’s subsidiaries.
As I reached the 43rd floor, a group of burly men blocked my way.
“How may we help you?”
They were standing in my way, preventing me from passing.
This is the 43rd floor, right?
As I stared at them blankly, one of the men next to me seemed to recognize my face and quickly spoke up.
“Oh. This is today’s guest.”
“My apologies. Please, come this way.”
The guards stepped aside.
One of them bowed deeply to me.
“My apologies for the inconvenience. You must be Kim Jiho?”
“Yes.”
“Kang Shia has instructed us to escort you to the conference room. Please follow me.”
I followed him into the conference room.
A massive space, capable of accommodating over a hundred people.
Yet inside, only three people were waiting.
Kang Shia stood in the center of the room.
Beside her was Lee Hyeju, looking grim.
A short distance away, arms crossed and eyes closed, stood Lee Jinseong.
As I entered, all three turned to look at me, visibly startled.
“Oh, Kim Jiho?”
“Wow…”
The two women stared at me, utterly mesmerized.
Even Lee Jinseong’s mouth hung open before he snapped out of it.
“Damn. You really awakened? You look even more incredible than before. I seriously considered kneeling.”
“Huh. Normal people don’t react like this, but it seems apostles do.”
“Ah… Please, sit here, Guardian.”
Kang Shia personally pulled out a chair for me and offered me a seat.
As I sank into it, I noticed the women’s faces turning as red as ripe persimmons.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Gulp.
Their heartbeats were loud.
Even the sound of them swallowing was clear.
Being this sensitive is a hassle.
Lee Hyeju avoided my gaze and whispered to Kang Shia.
“This is a bit much… Expanding the number of apostles might not be a good idea.”
“Ugh… My heart is racing.”
This reaction—it’s similar to what happened with Diana.
They can’t even meet my gaze, their faces flushed red.
It makes sense for Kang Shia since we had a prior connection, but Lee Hyeju?
Curious, I asked.
“Hyeju, how do you feel when you look at me? Does your heart race?”
Even as I spoke, I realized how ridiculous the question sounded.
A normal response would be, ‘What the hell is wrong with you?’
But instead, Lee Hyeju’s face turned even redder.
She avoided my gaze and hesitated.
“Uh, well…”
“I’m genuinely curious. Why do my female apostles react this way?”
As I leaned slightly toward her, Lee Jinseong stepped between us.
“Ahem! Hey, cut it out!”
Ah.
This guy.
Seems like he has some feelings for her.
Daring to defy the Guardian?
A true man.
“Alright, alright.”
Respecting his loyalty to his friend, I stepped back.
Then, I looked him over.
“Hey, you don’t seem all that different from last time.”
“Hmm. You still shine brilliantly, but the first time was the most shocking.”
“Huh. I’ve actually improved a lot since then. If your reaction is only at this level, something must be off.”
I’ve gone from a half-baked god to a full-fledged one.
Back then, even the spirit of Guan Yu within him disappeared.
But now, this guy is standing his ground.
Love power?
That’s one explanation, but we’re barely at the ‘crush’ stage.
Could it be something else?
“Oh, I adjusted the restrictions on apostles before. Maybe that has something to do with it?”
“I should test it.”
I adjusted the restrictions on Kang Shia and Lee Hyeju, changing them from maximum to minimal.
Their gazes gradually returned to normal.
Lee Hyeju, in particular, quickly regained her composure.
“Phew. This is much better.”
“Earlier was really…”
Kang Shia trailed off.
She took a deep breath and met my eyes again.
“Guardian, thank you for accepting my invitation.”
She bowed deeply.
Click. Clack.
Her heels echoed as she stepped up onto the stage in the conference room.
As she did, a massive screen appeared behind her.
[Apostle Progress Report]
Kang Shia suddenly began a presentation.
It was a clear and concise summary of the apostle situation in South Korea and the benefits provided by various divine realms.
“Currently, about 5% of South Korea’s population—approximately 2.5 million people—have successfully awakened.”
5%?
2.5 million is a massive number.
“In the past, less than 1% of the population awakened and became hunters. Now, that number has increased fivefold.”
“I see.”
“Guardian, please don’t use honorifics with me. It feels like blasphemy…”
Kang Shia made the request cautiously.
At that, Lee Hyeju shot me a sharp glare before quickly turning away, her face flushed again.
Even with the restrictions loosened, they’re still affected, huh?
“Got it.”
“Thank you.”
Oddly, she looked relieved that I was speaking casually.
She continued with her explanation.
“The most popular divine realms in South Korea are Christianity and Buddhism. Their benefits aren’t particularly overwhelming, just slightly better than those of regular awakened individuals.”
Major religions grant about 2-3 times the benefits of regular awakened beings.
Christianity focuses more on magic and healing, while Buddhism, likely influenced by Asura, emphasizes warrior abilities.
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As for Asgard, another major divine faction, they’ve recently increased their benefits, specializing in agility-based archers.
However, compared to minor religions, their benefits are relatively modest.
Still, people choose major religions for their stability.
“There are other advantages to major religions. For example, the major factions were the first to reach out to us with a method to heal Lee Jaehyun.”
At that, Lee Hyeju glanced at me.
"How did that matter go? Has he recovered?"
"He’s still... undergoing treatment, as far as I know."
Lee Hyeju answered me politely.
I never imagined she would be this respectful to me—how curious.
"Ahem. This time, I'll explain about the minor side."
Kang Shia began her explanation.
She focused her presentation on the benefits of minor religions and the percentage of people choosing them.
Even if they were considered "minor," religions like Islam or Hinduism were major in other countries.
Or even Taoism, which had once dominated the East.
These were treated as quasi-major religions.
Foreign, but still stable—something like that.
"Do minor religions offer that many benefits?"
"Yes."
"Looking at this, it seems like we have the best benefits."
"That's correct. People still don't quite grasp the concept of SP. To be honest, neither do we..."
Kang Shia glanced at me before continuing.
"There is still little information available about SP. So, people don't yet realize the immense advantages granted by the Guardian Deity."
"Hmm. Kang Shia, how much of a benefit difference do you think there is between my apostles and those of minor gods?"
Kang Shia answered as if she had been prepared for the question.
"In terms of Soul Energy Emission and soul barrier, I cannot make an assessment due to my low rank, so I will exclude those aspects from my answer."
"Alright."
"I believe the difference is at least three to five times."
"Really...?"
Soul Energy Emission and soul barrier were newly added abilities.
And since no one had reached even A-rank yet, there hadn’t been much opportunity to use them.
In truth, the core strength of my apostles was their ability to use those two skills.
That was a tremendous advantage.
Especially in battles against gods...
But since the awakened ones on Earth were still at a low level, it wasn’t much use for now.
Everyone was busy leveling up and distributing their stat points, so they probably didn’t even understand what these abilities were.
Even without considering those two skills, if my benefits were three to five times better than those given by minor religions, that was a massive difference.
"So, I have the most benefits, huh?"
"Yes. Based on my research, that seems to be the case. That’s why I have a question for you, Guardian Deity."
"Hmm. Actually, you don’t need to call me ‘Guardian Deity’ anymore. I’ll revoke the Oath of the Divine King. Now that Zeus has reached EX-rank, it seems the world's loop will finally end."
Since she kept calling me "Guardian Deity," I revoked the Oath of the Divine King on the spot.
With just a simple word from me, the oath was undone.
The apostles' contracts remained intact, but the confidentiality clause was effortlessly erased.
"Ah, then... how should I address you?"
"Just call me like you used to—Jiho."
Kang Shia's face lit up as she responded.
"Yes, Jiho-nim."
"I... I mean, I don’t have to call you ‘Guardian Deity’ anymore either, right?"
"Yes, feel free to speak comfortably. But, Hyeju, I don’t think we’ve ever been close, so don’t act like we were."
During the transition from Olympus to Asgard, memories were altered in strange ways, making Lee Hyeju act as if we had been close in the past.
When I pointed that out, she went "Ah..." and nodded.
"Today, as I accompany you, Guardian—no, Jiho-nim—there's something I really wanted to ask."
"What is it?"
"Are you planning to expand the number of apostles?"
That was a fair question.
After accepting Lee Jinseong as an apostle and integrating part of the Daehyun Guild, I hadn’t recruited any more.
"The past and the present are completely different. In the old world, Olympus and Asgard were stuck in an endless cycle, taking turns ruling. Back then, secrecy was essential for everything."
The three of them nodded in agreement.
I continued.
"But now things have changed. The endless loop is over. Zeus has become an EX-rank god, and I have lifted the seals on the gods. Unlike before, there’s no longer a need for strict secrecy when recruiting apostles."
"Yes, now everyone knows."
"In this situation, expanding the number of apostles wouldn't be a problem. Especially since having more apostles would be beneficial for me in gaining SP."
Hearing this, Kang Shia let out a relieved sigh.
"That’s a relief. Since you’ve expressed such intentions, Jiho-nim."
"Really?"
"Yes. That means I don’t have to discard the materials I prepared."
The screen flipped to the next slide.
"Project Title: Guardian Deity's Apostle Expansion Plan."
That was the first thing that caught my eye.
"What the heck is this?"
"I took the liberty of preparing some materials for the prosperity of the Guardian Deity."
When did she even prepare this?
I hadn’t paid much attention to the apostles after appointing them.
To be honest, I thought she had asked to meet today to say something like, ‘I want to transfer to another god’s domain. Please let me leave. Boohoo.’
This was too good to keep to myself.
"Can I summon the other apostles?"
Kang Shia bowed her head deeply before responding.
"Jiho-nim, you are my Guardian Deity. You do not need permission from an apostle."
"Ah, right. Thanks."
I still wasn’t used to being treated like this.
Might as well summon all the apostles.
First, I summoned Diana.
Then I messaged Drakina, telling her to come in human form before summoning her.
Two apostles appeared in the conference room.
"Jiho-nim, you called for me?"
As soon as she was summoned, Diana greeted me with a polite bow.
"Ah, I was just about to take a break... huh?"
Drakina, who had been grumbling, froze as soon as she saw my face.
She hadn’t seen me since I became a god.
"Did you fall for me?"
"Ugh... W-what is this pressure...?"
Hmm.
Instead of being captivated, she seemed more scared.
I weakened my restraints a little, and she let out a relieved sigh.
"Wow. That was some insane pressure. What the hell happened? Did you actually become a god? Damn! The last time I saw you, you were in my lair. How did you get this strong so fast?"
"Show some respect to the Guardian Deity."
"How rude."
The two women snapped at Drakina.
I clapped my hands to calm them down.
"She’s always been like this. Drakina, keep your mouth shut."
"Tch. Is this divine speech or something? It’s even stronger than dragon speech. Fine, fine."
"Alright, I’d like to hear Kang Shia’s explanation now."
"Understood. I will begin the presentation."
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HELHEIM SCANS
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