-4 . The Three Commandments-
Jinwoo shouted towards the other Hunters .
“Everyone!”
They turned their heads toward his voice .
“You have to bow before the Statue of God!”
The Hunters tilted their heads in confusion .
“Bow…?”
“Bow to that thing?”
The Hunters who were looking at each other started cursing at Jinwoo,
“Fuck… What the hell are you saying?!”
“Is this a situation where you could say something like that?!”
“Have you gone crazy, Sung Jinwoo?!”
Mr . Kim flared his nostrils .
“Looks like I judged you wrong! If I could get up from this spot, I’d sock you right in the nose!”
Jinwoo bit his lips . After all, 6 of their comrades had fallen to the Statue of God . To think that he’d ask the others to bow before it understandably invited their ire .
‘More importantly…’
There was no solid proof to his guesses . Only a gut feeling . One could not easily explain or put to words what they felt through instinct .
While he was lost for words, someone spoke up: “I’ll do it . ”
The voice came from behind Jinwoo . The Hunters’ eyes turned toward the Raid leader who had spoken .
“Mr . Song…?”
“You’re going to bow before that goddamn statue?”
As the Hunters spoke out in confusion, Mr . Song turned and met Jinwoo’s eyes .
“What have you discovered?”
Jinwoo shook his head .
“Just a gut feeling?”
“…Yes, for now . ”
“I see . ”
Jinwoo’s instincts resulted in 11 of them being still alive, well, 10 after Mr . Joo’s death . As such, was it not worth it to try and put some faith in him? This was what Mr . Song believed . As the Raid leader bowed before the Statue of God, the mood in the air became somber .
“You’re really going to do it?”
Taking advantage of the opportunity Mr . Song had provided, Jinwoo spoke up,
“Please! Bow before the Statue of God . This might be our only way to leave here alive!”
Alive .
To leave here alive .
That phrase reached the others’ ears with a great weight .
‘Leave here alive?’
‘We can get out of here?’
‘Just by bowing before that thing?’
One by one, the hesitant Hunters started bowing before the Statue, imitating a scene of worship . Eventually, even the angry Mr . Kim also took his place bowing before the Statue . However, there was no response from the Statue of God . Its two eyes still glowed with the terrifying crimson light . Jinwoo felt his heart sinking to his stomach .
‘Was I wrong?’
And his gaze turned to Juhee at his side . Lying completely prone on the ground with her hands covering her head, it was hard to say that she was in a position of bowing before the Statue .
‘Ah…’
Jinwoo gently grabbed Juhee’s wrists . Startled, Juhee looked up at him like a terrified prey . He wordlessly nodded at her, then released his hand . Slowly, Jinwoo helped Juhee assumed the position of worship before the Statue of God .
‘This should do it . ’
And then there was one . Himself .
Jinwoo faced the Statue, kneeling, then put his hands on the ground and slowly bowed his head .
And a change occurred .
“Oh, ooh?”
The Hunters who noticed started making noise .
“The Statue of God? Everyone, look at the Statue of God!”
“Its eyes!”
The crimson light that adorned the Statue’s eyes were fading away .
“What? You mean this really is working?”
And just like that, the lights completely disappeared from the Statue’s eyes .
The Hunters cheered in unison .
“The light disappeared!”
“We’re alive!”
The excited Hunters rose from their spots and cheered, but the Statue of God did not react . Jinwoo, who followed suit, sighed with relief .
“Phew-“
As he had guessed . This room was operating accordingly to a set of rules and conditions, just like a game .
‘If that’s true,’
The game was not over yet . There were two more Commandments .
Second: Praise the Lord; Third: Prove your Faith
Suddenly, with a deep rumbling, the entire room started to shake . Jinwoo’s expression hardened .
‘As I thought…’
His guesses were correct . This was not over .
The Statue of God’s enormous body was slowly rising from its seat .
“Eh, eh?!”
The Hunters who were celebrating together with tears of joy froze .
“W-what?! Wasn’t it all over?!”
“No, it can’t be!”
Frozen in fear, the Hunters could not say much more . Their faces were filled with terror and despair .
“No… no…”
The Statue of God assumed a standing position . It looked around, taking in the surrounding, then started walking towards the Hunters .
BOOM!
With each step it took, the Statue of God shook the earth .
BOOM!
Its massive figure was such that its head almost reached the ceiling .
BOOM!
As its sheer size put pressure on the Hunters, it slowly closed the gap between it and them .
“Hey, Mr . Sung! Mr . Sung Jinwoo!”
“What should we do?!”
The Hunters who were cursing Jinwoo only moments ago now looked towards him for hope .
“Is there anything else we have to do?!”
“Say something!”
Even as grown adults, the Hunters’ faces were on the verge of breaking down in tears . Yet they looked at Jinwoo as their only remaining hope . Jinwoo carefully helped Juhee, frozen in fear, to her feet, and he explained the Second Commandment .
“It said, ‘Praise the Lord’, that’s our clue . ”
“Ah, that’s!” Mr . Kim spoke knowingly, “It was written on the tablet, right?”
“That’s right, ‘Praise the Lord’, ‘Prove your Faith’, we have to fulfill all three Commandments . ”
Jinwoo’s words were filled with urgency .
BOOM~!
With one last step, the Statue of God had already arrived before their group . Its massive shadows covered the Hunters, whose faces became pale .
“I, I’ll try . ”
One of the Hunters, normally a shy, youthful man, stepped forward .
“Hey! What are you going to try?!”
“I’m part of my church’s choir . If it’s ‘praise’, I’m confident in it . ”
The young man answered Mr . Kim and walked towards the Statue of God . As he neared the Statue, he took a deep breath and started singing,
“ ~As I walk to the Lord~ ” His youthful voice rang throughout the room .
“ ~Please renew me and provide me with your blessing . ~ ”
The Statue of God stopped before him .
The Hunters gasped in surprise and awe . As if it was satisfied by the song, the Statue of God stood motionless . All other sounds of the room disappeared, only the youth’s voice was heard in the room . Gaining courage from the apparent result, the Hunter strengthened his voice and continued to sing,
“ ~All my weaknesses will be washed away by the grace of my Lord~ ”
Amidst the hopeful Hunters, Jinwoo could not shake the feeling of uneasiness . The feeling that they were missing something .
‘No… this is all wrong . ’
He kept repeating the thought to himself . This room had its own set of rules . Right now, the youthful Hunter was following the rule of Christianity, not this room . But thankfully, the Statue of God was not moving . Maybe this was enough to satisfy the conditions?
Jinwoo tilted his head . The reason why he had not stopped the singing was because he could not think of any other way to stop the Statue of God .
Suddenly,
BOOM!
A loud crash broke through the singing, followed by a scream,
“Kiyaaaaaaah!”
As the Statue of God raised its foot again, the mangled remains of the singing Hunter fell from its sole .
The other Hunters started screaming as well .
“Ahhhh!”
“Uwaaaaak!”
The previously emotionless face of the Statue of God was now filled with an incredible rage .
“It’s angry!”
“R-run!”
The Hunters quickly ran away from the Statue .
“Kiyaaaaah!!!”
Having lost all thought and reason after seeing the youthful man be crushed beneath the Statue of God’s foot, a female Hunter simply stood in place and screamed .
‘Shit…!’
Jinwoo, who was running with Juhee in his arms, quickly turned to try and help her . But he was blocked by Mr . Song .
“Ahjussi…?”
“It’s too late!”
Like swatting a fly, the Statue of God slammed its hand on top of the female Hunter .
BANG!
Jinwoo turned away . It was a gruesome scene which he could not bear to witness .
“We can’t dilly dally here! Are you trying to get that young lady killed as well?!”
At Mr . Song’s rebuke, Jinwoo snapped back to attention . Mr . Song was right .
BOOM!
“Uwaaaak!”
BOOM!
BOOM!
“Help me!”
No longer walking, the Statue of God ran from Hunter to Hunter, crushing them beneath his feet . With each step, he shook the entire temple .
BOOM!
BOOM!
Jinwoo ran with his teeth clenched . With her eyes closed, Juhee held on to Jinwoo as they ran .
“Let’s split apart!”
“Okay!”
Knowing that running together made them a better target, Jinwoo and Mr . Song separated away from each other . Trying to maintain the largest distance between himself and the Statue of God, Jinwoo ran towards a spot at the walls . He saw that Mr . Park was already there, having ran with all his might, knowing there was more on the line to him than just his own life . The image of his family reflected over his teary eyes .
His son, who looked just like his father . His wife, with his second child . Mr . Park could not afford to die in a place like this . Pulling forth every ounce of his strength, Mr . Park was able to reach the walls faster than the other Hunters .
“Huff… Huff…”
Suddenly, Mr . Kim, who was friends with the man, shouted at the panting Mr . Park .
“Mr . Park!”
At the familiar voice, Mr . Park turned towards Mr . Kim,
“Hmm?”
Mr . Kim gestured towards Mr . Park’s back and yelled,
“Turn! Turn around!”
And something sharp flashed from behind Mr . Park .
“Huh…?”
slash-
Mr . Park was split cleanly from the top of his head to the base of his crotch . The evenly separated sides of his body fell in different directions on to the ground .
“MR . PARK!!!”
The statue that had cleaved Mr . Park in twain with its sword simply returned and assumed its position on the walls, as if nothing had happened .
Mr . Kim held back tears as he witnessed the death of his friend .
“These fucking pieces of-!”
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Behind him, the giant Statue of God was going from Hunter to Hunter, crushing them with his feet . Those that fled to the walls were attacked by the statues .
“Ahhhhh!”
“My arm! My arm!”
The interior of the temple had turned into a scene of terror and carnage .
Jinwoo panted wildly as he ran, his forehead dripping with cold sweat . His legs getting heavier and heavier; his breath getting shallower and shallower . But his head was filled with a single thought, repeated over and over again:
‘Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord . ’
The Second Commandment that swam through his head . The key to solving the meaning of the Commandments must be hidden in this room .
‘There must be something in here that we’re supposed to use!’
But when the Hunters initially entered the temple and looked around, they found no tools or mechanisms .
‘The only thing here are those damned statues . ’
‘Wait . ’
A thought appeared in Jinwoo’s head .
‘The only thing that’s here are those statues?’
Jinwoo’s eyes widened .
“Why didn’t I think of that?!”
If the statues were the only thing in this room . Then the statues must be the key to solving the mystery . The statues only moved when someone entered their proximity; this must have been the key to using them somehow .
‘If that’s correct…!’
Gathering what energy he had left, Jinwoo screamed through his panting breath,
“EVERYONE, HEAD TO THE STATUES WITH INSTRUMENTS!”
Sponsored Content
I Alone Level-up: Chapter 4.
.
-4 . The Three Commandments-.
.
Jinwoo shouted towards the other Hunters . .
.
“Everyone!”.
.
They turned their heads toward his voice . .
.
“You have to bow before the Statue of God!”.
.
The Hunters tilted their heads in confusion . .
.
“Bow…?”.
.
“Bow to that thing?”.
.
The Hunters who were looking at each other started cursing at Jinwoo,.
.
“Fuck… What the hell are you saying?!”.
.
“Is this a situation where you could say something like that?!”.
.
“Have you gone crazy, Sung Jinwoo?!”.
.
Mr . Kim flared his nostrils . .
.
“Looks like I judged you wrong! If I could get up from this spot, I’d sock you right in the nose!”.
.
Jinwoo bit his lips . After all, 6 of their comrades had fallen to the Statue of God . To think that he’d ask the others to bow before it understandably invited their ire . .
.
‘More importantly…’.
.
There was no solid proof to his guesses . Only a gut feeling . One could not easily explain or put to words what they felt through instinct . .
.
While he was lost for words, someone spoke up: “I’ll do it . ”.
.
The voice came from behind Jinwoo . The Hunters’ eyes turned toward the Raid leader who had spoken . .
.
“Mr . Song…?”.
.
“You’re going to bow before that goddamn statue?”.
.
As the Hunters spoke out in confusion, Mr . Song turned and met Jinwoo’s eyes . .
.
“What have you discovered?”.
.
Jinwoo shook his head . .
.
“Just a gut feeling?”.
.
“…Yes, for now . ”.
.
“I see . ”.
.
Jinwoo’s instincts resulted in 11 of them being still alive, well, 10 after Mr . Joo’s death . As such, was it not worth it to try and put some faith in him? This was what Mr . Song believed . As the Raid leader bowed before the Statue of God, the mood in the air became somber . .
.
“You’re really going to do it?”.
.
Taking advantage of the opportunity Mr . Song had provided, Jinwoo spoke up,.
.
“Please! Bow before the Statue of God . This might be our only way to leave here alive!”.
.
Alive . .
.
To leave here alive . .
.
That phrase reached the others’ ears with a great weight . .
.
‘Leave here alive?’.
.
‘We can get out of here?’.
.
‘Just by bowing before that thing?’.
.
One by one, the hesitant Hunters started bowing before the Statue, imitating a scene of worship . Eventually, even the angry Mr . Kim also took his place bowing before the Statue . However, there was no response from the Statue of God . Its two eyes still glowed with the terrifying crimson light . Jinwoo felt his heart sinking to his stomach . .
.
‘Was I wrong?’.
.
And his gaze turned to Juhee at his side . Lying completely prone on the ground with her hands covering her head, it was hard to say that she was in a position of bowing before the Statue . .
.
‘Ah…’.
.
Jinwoo gently grabbed Juhee’s wrists . Startled, Juhee looked up at him like a terrified prey . He wordlessly nodded at her, then released his hand . Slowly, Jinwoo helped Juhee assumed the position of worship before the Statue of God . .
.
‘This should do it . ’.
.
And then there was one . Himself . .
.
Jinwoo faced the Statue, kneeling, then put his hands on the ground and slowly bowed his head . .
.
And a change occurred . .
.
“Oh, ooh?”.
.
The Hunters who noticed started making noise . .
.
“The Statue of God? Everyone, look at the Statue of God!”.
.
“Its eyes!”.
.
The crimson light that adorned the Statue’s eyes were fading away . .
.
“What? You mean this really is working?”.
.
And just like that, the lights completely disappeared from the Statue’s eyes . .
.
The Hunters cheered in unison . .
.
“The light disappeared!”.
.
“We’re alive!”.
.
The excited Hunters rose from their spots and cheered, but the Statue of God did not react . Jinwoo, who followed suit, sighed with relief . .
.
“Phew-“.
.
As he had guessed . This room was operating accordingly to a set of rules and conditions, just like a game . .
.
‘If that’s true,’.
.
The game was not over yet . There were two more Commandments . .
.
Second: Praise the Lord; Third: Prove your Faith.
.
Suddenly, with a deep rumbling, the entire room started to shake . Jinwoo’s expression hardened . .
.
‘As I thought…’.
.
His guesses were correct . This was not over . .
.
The Statue of God’s enormous body was slowly rising from its seat . .
.
“Eh, eh?!”.
.
The Hunters who were celebrating together with tears of joy froze . .
.
“W-what?! Wasn’t it all over?!”.
.
“No, it can’t be!”.
.
Frozen in fear, the Hunters could not say much more . Their faces were filled with terror and despair . .
.
“No… no…”.
.
The Statue of God assumed a standing position . It looked around, taking in the surrounding, then started walking towards the Hunters . .
.
BOOM!.
.
With each step it took, the Statue of God shook the earth . .
.
BOOM!.
.
Its massive figure was such that its head almost reached the ceiling . .
.
BOOM!.
.
As its sheer size put pressure on the Hunters, it slowly closed the gap between it and them . .
.
“Hey, Mr . Sung! Mr . Sung Jinwoo!”.
.
“What should we do?!”.
.
The Hunters who were cursing Jinwoo only moments ago now looked towards him for hope . .
.
“Is there anything else we have to do?!”.
.
“Say something!”.
.
Even as grown adults, the Hunters’ faces were on the verge of breaking down in tears . Yet they looked at Jinwoo as their only remaining hope . Jinwoo carefully helped Juhee, frozen in fear, to her feet, and he explained the Second Commandment . .
.
“It said, ‘Praise the Lord’, that’s our clue . ”.
.
“Ah, that’s!” Mr . Kim spoke knowingly, “It was written on the tablet, right?”.
.
“That’s right, ‘Praise the Lord’, ‘Prove your Faith’, we have to fulfill all three Commandments . ”.
.
Jinwoo’s words were filled with urgency . .
.
BOOM~!.
.
With one last step, the Statue of God had already arrived before their group . Its massive shadows covered the Hunters, whose faces became pale . .
.
“I, I’ll try . ”.
.
One of the Hunters, normally a shy, youthful man, stepped forward . .
.
“Hey! What are you going to try?!”.
.
“I’m part of my church’s choir . If it’s ‘praise’, I’m confident in it . ”.
.
The young man answered Mr . Kim and walked towards the Statue of God . As he neared the Statue, he took a deep breath and started singing,.
.
“ ~As I walk to the Lord~ ” His youthful voice rang throughout the room . .
.
“ ~Please renew me and provide me with your blessing . ~ ”.
.
The Statue of God stopped before him . .
.
The Hunters gasped in surprise and awe . As if it was satisfied by the song, the Statue of God stood motionless . All other sounds of the room disappeared, only the youth’s voice was heard in the room . Gaining courage from the apparent result, the Hunter strengthened his voice and continued to sing,.
.
“ ~All my weaknesses will be washed away by the grace of my Lord~ ”.
.
Amidst the hopeful Hunters, Jinwoo could not shake the feeling of uneasiness . The feeling that they were missing something . .
.
‘No… this is all wrong . ’.
.
He kept repeating the thought to himself . This room had its own set of rules . Right now, the youthful Hunter was following the rule of Christianity, not this room . But thankfully, the Statue of God was not moving . Maybe this was enough to satisfy the conditions?.
.
Jinwoo tilted his head . The reason why he had not stopped the singing was because he could not think of any other way to stop the Statue of God . .
.
Suddenly,.
.
BOOM!.
.
A loud crash broke through the singing, followed by a scream,.
.
“Kiyaaaaaaah!”.
.
As the Statue of God raised its foot again, the mangled remains of the singing Hunter fell from its sole . .
.
The other Hunters started screaming as well . .
.
“Ahhhh!”.
.
“Uwaaaaak!”.
.
The previously emotionless face of the Statue of God was now filled with an incredible rage . .
.
“It’s angry!”.
.
“R-run!”.
.
The Hunters quickly ran away from the Statue . .
.
“Kiyaaaaah!!!”.
.
Having lost all thought and reason after seeing the youthful man be crushed beneath the Statue of God’s foot, a female Hunter simply stood in place and screamed . .
.
‘Shit…!’.
.
Jinwoo, who was running with Juhee in his arms, quickly turned to try and help her . But he was blocked by Mr . Song . .
.
“Ahjussi…?”.
.
“It’s too late!”.
.
Like swatting a fly, the Statue of God slammed its hand on top of the female Hunter . .
.
BANG!.
.
Jinwoo turned away . It was a gruesome scene which he could not bear to witness . .
.
“We can’t dilly dally here! Are you trying to get that young lady killed as well?!”.
.
At Mr . Song’s rebuke, Jinwoo snapped back to attention . Mr . Song was right . .
.
BOOM!.
.
“Uwaaaak!”.
.
BOOM!.
.
BOOM!.
.
“Help me!”.
.
No longer walking, the Statue of God ran from Hunter to Hunter, crushing them beneath his feet . With each step, he shook the entire temple . .
.
BOOM!.
.
BOOM!.
.
Jinwoo ran with his teeth clenched . With her eyes closed, Juhee held on to Jinwoo as they ran . .
.
“Let’s split apart!”.
.
“Okay!”.
.
Knowing that running together made them a better target, Jinwoo and Mr . Song separated away from each other . Trying to maintain the largest distance between himself and the Statue of God, Jinwoo ran towards a spot at the walls . He saw that Mr . Park was already there, having ran with all his might, knowing there was more on the line to him than just his own life . The image of his family reflected over his teary eyes . .
.
His son, who looked just like his father . His wife, with his second child . Mr . Park could not afford to die in a place like this . Pulling forth every ounce of his strength, Mr . Park was able to reach the walls faster than the other Hunters . .
.
“Huff… Huff…”.
.
Suddenly, Mr . Kim, who was friends with the man, shouted at the panting Mr . Park . .
.
“Mr . Park!”.
.
At the familiar voice, Mr . Park turned towards Mr . Kim,.
.
“Hmm?”.
.
Mr . Kim gestured towards Mr . Park’s back and yelled,.
.
“Turn! Turn around!”.
.
And something sharp flashed from behind Mr . Park . .
.
“Huh…?”.
.
slash- .
.
Mr . Park was split cleanly from the top of his head to the base of his crotch . The evenly separated sides of his body fell in different directions on to the ground . .
.
“MR . PARK!!!”.
.
The statue that had cleaved Mr . Park in twain with its sword simply returned and assumed its position on the walls, as if nothing had happened . .
.
Mr . Kim held back tears as he witnessed the death of his friend . .
.
“These fucking pieces of-!”.
.
BOOM!.
.
BOOM!.
.
BOOM!.
.
Behind him, the giant Statue of God was going from Hunter to Hunter, crushing them with his feet . Those that fled to the walls were attacked by the statues . .
.
“Ahhhhh!”.
.
“My arm! My arm!”.
.
The interior of the temple had turned into a scene of terror and carnage . .
.
Jinwoo panted wildly as he ran, his forehead dripping with cold sweat . His legs getting heavier and heavier; his breath getting shallower and shallower . But his head was filled with a single thought, repeated over and over again:.
.
‘Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord . Praise the Lord . ’.
.
The Second Commandment that swam through his head . The key to solving the meaning of the Commandments must be hidden in this room . .
.
‘There must be something in here that we’re supposed to use!’.
.
But when the Hunters initially entered the temple and looked around, they found no tools or mechanisms . .
.
‘The only thing here are those damned statues . ’.
.
‘Wait . ’.
.
A thought appeared in Jinwoo’s head . .
.
‘The only thing that’s here are those statues?’.
.
Jinwoo’s eyes widened . .
.
“Why didn’t I think of that?!”.
.
If the statues were the only thing in this room . Then the statues must be the key to solving the mystery . The statues only moved when someone entered their proximity; this must have been the key to using them somehow . .
.
‘If that’s correct…!’.
.
Gathering what energy he had left, Jinwoo screamed through his panting breath,.
.
“EVERYONE, HEAD TO THE STATUES WITH INSTRUMENTS!”.