There are too many non-believers in cyberpunk – Chapter 27

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Simzy
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Amon’s wound healed in a week.

The fact that the wound, starting from his side and covering half of his stomach, could heal so quickly was partly due to healing magic, but Amon’s own regenerative ability played a larger role.

Amon had always recovered remarkably fast, and this time was no different.

‘Well, this too…’

It was probably because of his divine power.

It was a truly convenient power, capable of explaining all phenomena unexplainable by magic or science.

Of course, the heads of divine scholars, who had to unravel its principles, would be splitting, but that wasn’t Amon’s concern.

After completing his discharge procedures, Amon handed the bill over to the paladins.

He had glimpsed a four-digit dollar amount, but none of the paladins reacted.

They nonchalantly swiped their card and paid for Amon’s hospitalization.

Sonia’s face paled at the absurd amount of money exchanging hands, but Amon remained unfazed.

‘Considering how much I’ve done for the Vatican…’

It might be a large sum for her, having lived in an orphanage and barely scraping by on a meager budget, but for Amon, who knew the value of his indirect contributions through the game, ten thousand dollars was nothing.

MegaCorps are massive corporations that stand in for nations. The scale of money they handle is equivalent to national budgets.

Amon had conducted such a national-level transaction with the Vatican.

In that context, ten thousand dollars?

‘They’d pay even if I stayed in the hospital for a year.’

That’s how significant Amon’s contribution to the Vatican was.

Therefore, Amon could present the bill without any feeling of indebtedness.

“Let’s go, Sonia.”

Since it wasn’t an important matter, Amon led her out of the hospital.

The paladins’ escort ended there.

The Higzen Group, which had threatened them, was gone, and the Vatican no longer had a reason to protect them.

Calling it heartless would be unfair; the protection itself was provided due to aligned interests with the Vatican. Expecting any further favors would make the two of them appear presumptuous.

Still, due to the bond formed through the protection, they offered to escort them to the cathedral as a courtesy.

The two declined the offer.

“We have somewhere to stop by before going to the cathedral.”

“Thank you for everything.”

To the paladin’s question about their destination, Amon replied with a sheepish grin.

“Korea town.”

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The two got into a taxi and headed towards Korea town.

It wasn’t the first time they had been to the city where Koreans of Unified Korea descent gathered.

As they ran errands all over the city, they often found themselves in Korea town.

However, it was their first time going there to buy something, and their first time taking a taxi instead of a bus.

Inside the taxi, Sonia looked at Amon.

The corners of Amon’s mouth were turned up, as if he was looking forward to the things he would buy in Korea town.

Watching Amon’s profile, Sonia repeatedly opened and closed her mouth, trying to speak.

Amon noticed her actions.

“Do you have something to say?”

“Ah, no… Just…”

Sonia hesitated before speaking.

“Just… I was wondering if we could buy some meat for the younger kids…”

Amon pondered Sonia’s question before nodding.

“Well, the down payment is pretty generous.”

Even excluding the amount agreed upon for continuous payments, the money deposited immediately upon signing the contract was quite substantial.

Enough to buy a ‘real’ pig in this world and throw a barbecue party.

However, Amon had one concern.

“Will the kids like it?”

Objectively speaking, real meat had a lingering smell compared to insect-based synthetic meat.

Of course, it had much more fat and a richer flavor, but it was still a matter of preference.

Furthermore, real meat was more susceptible to antibiotics and bacteria, giving it a less hygienic image.

Some people even considered real pork unclean and refused to eat it, despite it being perfectly edible.

But such worries were unfounded.

“I thought so too before I tried it, but it’s not like that.”

According to Sonia, once you tried it, you could never go back to cultured meat.

That’s how stark the difference between fake and real was.

“Really? If you say so.”

Amon manipulated his phone, adding an item to today’s shopping list.

Garlic

Ssamjang (Korean dipping sauce)

Leafy vegetables (if available)

Kimchi (if available)

Whole Pig (NEW!)

Bell Peppers (NEW!)

Potatoes (NEW!)

Tomatoes (NEW!)

“Let’s call Old Man Johnson from the mercenary agency. He used to grill some mean barbecue back in the day. We can invite those we’re indebted to as well.”

A whole pig would yield almost 260 servings.

It was an amount the orphanage children couldn’t finish on their own, so Amon intended to invite everyone who had helped them, especially those soon to graduate from the orphanage.

Amon, beaming, contacted the orphanage director.

Sonia quietly watched his profile before turning her head towards the window.

Her eyelashes fluttered.

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That evening, a joyous feast was held at the orphanage, which was under renovation.

Old Man Johnson, a saltwater merman from the mercenary agency, cheerfully rotated the barbecue, soot staining his goat beard.

“Haha! I never thought I’d be doing this again in my lifetime!”

He, who had been the leader of a somewhat renowned mercenary group in his prime, often recounted his exploits when drunk.

As the stories always ended with barbecue cooking, anyone could tell the old man missed the past.

Perhaps that was why.

It felt as if the emotion of longing was transmitted from within the merman’s mechanical eyes.

“Mehehe… The smoke is messing with my eyes. My waterproofing fluid is leaking.”

The old man turned his head, lest the liquid leaking from his eyes should splash onto the food.

His wife wiped the liquid with a handkerchief for her hard-working husband.

Thanks to the old man’s efforts, many people were able to taste real pork.

Thanks to the devastated environment and the scarcity of meat, there were plenty of people who had never tasted it before.

Of course, one could taste real meat if they were determined, but since a single meal would cost almost a month’s salary, no one could even consider it.

Therefore, Amon’s invitation was deeply appreciated.

The merchants who gave the orphans work,
The housewives who occasionally donated goods to the orphanage,

The priests and paladins of the cathedral to whom the orphanage was indebted,

The workers who were repairing the orphanage,

It was a day for everyone to enjoy a feast.

Faced with such food, people could easily become uncivilized, but the adults maintained their composure until the end.

“Would you like to try this?”

“You’re eating so well.”

“Eat a lot.”

They knew the children were the protagonists of the day, so they yielded the meat to them.

It became an unspoken agreement among the guests to enjoy the food only enough to please their palates.

“Eat this and gain strength.”

“Thank you. We’ll make this place a palace for you.”

Watching a worker gratefully receive a bowl from an orphan, the orphanage director wiped away tears.

‘To think I’d witness such a sight in my lifetime. I never imagined I’d see such a wonderful scene.’

As she wiped away her tears, people shouted towards her.

“Thank you, Director!”

“Thank you, Director!”

If it was known that Amon had bought the pig, the source of the funds would inevitably be questioned, so they borrowed the orphanage director’s name.

The director, receiving thanks for something she hadn’t done, felt awkward and glanced in Amon’s direction.

Amon and Sonia were enjoying a private meal in a corner of the orphanage.

Amon was enthusiastically eating the pork belly part of the barbecue with wraps.

In contrast, Sonia was only poking at the meat with her fork.

Only after his obsession with the pork belly subsided did Amon lift his head and notice Sonia’s plate.

“Aren’t you eating!?”

Because his voice kept getting drowned out by the voices of the people, Amon raised his voice.

Then, meeting her eyes, Amon flinched.

Sonia’s eyes were filled with sadness.

Just as he was about to ask what was wrong, she snapped her fingers.

Snap!

Simultaneously, the party venue was enveloped in silence.

Amon looked around in confusion before quickly grasping the situation.

‘No. This is…’

Looking closely, it wasn’t that the party had fallen silent.

The space where the two of them were and the space where the others were had been separated.

Amon recognized this feeling.

“Did you learn that from the priest?”

Nod.

Sonia nodded.

It was the same silent barrier that had been cast in the office when Amon had a private conversation with the priest.

Sonia had reproduced it here with a snap of her fingers.

Seeing this, Amon clapped.

“Congratulations. I knew you were talented.”

Amon sincerely celebrated Sonia’s achievement.

Normally, Sonia would puff out her chest with a proud look, but today was different.

The more Amon praised her, the darker her expression became.

Seeing her expression, Amon finally understood the atmosphere.

“…What’s wrong?”

To Amon’s question, Sonia responded with a shocking statement.

“I think… we need to be apart for a while.”

Amon froze at Sonia’s shocking words.

It took about a minute for Amon to process the situation.

“Apart, what do you…”

“Amon. You’re thinking of becoming a mercenary, right?”

Amon nodded.

He had received the Vatican’s help under the condition of becoming a paladin, but he had realized something while disrupting the Higzen Group.

He wasn’t cut out for organizational life.

A free spirit, he couldn’t stand being under someone’s authority.

Besides, he didn’t think he could suppress his temper in the Vatican.

He was the one who had charged at the boss with dual swords the moment he heard an insult towards the goddess.

If he witnessed the corruption of priests and nuns in the Vatican, a genocide wouldn’t be surprising.

Considering all this, it was beneficial for everyone if he didn’t go to the Vatican.

He had discussed this with Sonia while hospitalized.

Back then, Sonia boasted that she would also live as a mercenary.

But now she was saying they needed to be apart.

Amon combined this fact with Sonia’s earlier performance and interpreted the meaning of her words.

He could understand what she wanted to say without her explicitly stating it.

“Don’t tell me…”

“Yes… I want to go to the seminary.”

The option of going to the Vatican was already off the table.

Since they were dating, the vow of chastity was impossible from the start.

Sonia couldn’t become a nun.

But regardless, Sonia wanted to go to seminary.

Not because she was particularly devout.

“The priest told me I have an aptitude for divine magic.”

Divine magic.

Magic invoked by carefully combining divine power and magical power.

A technique born to broaden tactical options by formalizing divine power like magic.

The problem was that this magic, regardless of the era, belonged to higher learning.

Scientifically knowing which substances to react with,

Skillfully incorporating mathematics to calculate speed and trajectory,

And expressing all this in the form of an incantation – that was magic.

It meant having to know science, mathematics, engineering, and coding.

There was a reason why mages’ stats in games were intelligence-based.

Naturally, higher learning was impossible to self-teach.

Exceptional talent required an exceptional teacher.

The priest, not wanting to let the talent go to waste, made Sonia an offer.

“He said he could recommend me to a seminary for divine magic.”

This far, it was something to be happy about.

The problem was that the seminary was in California.

Quite a distance from the state they were currently in.

According to Amon’s knowledge, the distance between Colorado and California was roughly the length of South Korea.

It was by no means a commutable distance.

Having heard the explanation up to this point, Amon’s expression darkened.

“We… can’t go together, right?”

Amon nodded.

Objectively, Amon had no talent for magic.

His brain wasn’t that high-performing.

Sonia didn’t want to break up, and Amon didn’t want to let her go either.

But both of them knew well.

If they missed this rare opportunity, they would regret it for the rest of their lives.

Sonia would forever regret not learning magic, and Amon would forever regret holding her back.

It wasn’t because dreams were more important than love.

Because they loved each other, because they knew how beautiful the other person looked when dreaming, they had no choice but to let go.

Silence filled the space between them.

Sonia tried to say something, but her throat tightened, preventing her from speaking.

Amon broke the silence.

“Sonia.”

“…”

“Sonia. Give me your arm.”

Hesitantly, Sonia extended her arm at Amon’s request.

Click.

A bracelet was fastened around her wrist.

She was involuntarily captivated by the beautiful, silver-shining ornament.

Meanwhile, Amon took out a golden bead and placed it on her bracelet.

Crack.

The bead shattered, and a golden aura permeated the bracelet.

Soon, a certain knowledge and bond connected with her soul.

“This is…”

“This bracelet is yours now.”

Even without Amon saying it, she seemed to understand.

The bracelet was bound to her.

Whenever and wherever she wanted, it would be on her wrist.

Even if it broke, it would be recreated through her soul.

In other words, this bracelet would be with her forever.

But the bracelet’s effect wasn’t just that.

The binding effect was merely a basic option of the legendary essences Amon had used.

The true effect of the essence he had used…

“My divine power… is recovering.”

The divine power that had been draining to maintain the barrier was being replenished.

It was the effect of the bracelet.

The means of recovering divine power were very limited.

Meditating, or sleeping.

Unlike magical power, there were no potions, so one had to be cautious in utilizing divine power.

In such a world, those who possessed divine power tried all sorts of methods to find ways to quickly recover their divine power.

It was so much so that when an essence related to divine power recovery appeared at auction, the price would skyrocket to the cost of a building.

Sonia, also aware of its value, couldn’t speak properly.

“But this… you also…”

“You know it suits you better than me.”

Sonia couldn’t answer.

Amon was right.

As expected of a legendary essence, the essence had an additional effect.

Recover a fixed amount of divine power upon consumption.

The important part here wasn’t a fixed percentage, but a fixed ‘amount’.

When divine power was quantified, it recovered by 5, whether 1 or 100 was used.

In other words, it was an effect suited for someone who frequently used divine power.

This effect suited Sonia much better than Amon.

After all…

“Now your divine power will recover every time you shoot.”

This was because her divine power was consumed little by little as it absorbed recoil.

This ability, combined with the bracelet, meant that even if her divine power was completely depleted, emptying a magazine would fill her divine power back up, creating a bug-like synergy.

“What do you think?”

At Amon’s gift, tears welled up in her eyes.

“With this… how can I be apart from you…”

“That’s why I gave it to you.”

“So I don’t have to leave?”

Shake shake.

“No. So you’ll remember me even when we’re apart.”

At Amon’s answer, Sonia finally burst into tears.

Embracing him, she cried against his chest.

“I won’t forget! We’ll video call every night!”

“Okay.”

“Don’t take any requests during vacation!”

“Got it.”

“Come visit me at school sometimes.”

“Okay.”

“And… and…”

Her promises continued.

Amon patted her, barely holding back his own tears.

Within the barrier, completely cut off from the outside,

The two exchanged countless promises.

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And the next day.

“Are you two idiots?”

Despite the priest’s rude remark, the two couldn’t lift their heads.

They had visited the priest to thank him for the recommendation.

Amon’s eyes were moist as he asked the priest to take care of Sonia.

Sonia, too, seemed to not have fully accepted the separation, repeatedly lifting her head and wiping away her tears.

The priest, finding the two strange, listened to their story,

And that led to the remark above.

The reason for the priest’s reaction was simple.

“Why can’t Amon just follow you and live together?”

“…”

“Sonia, is the seminary a boarding school?”

“…No.”

The seminary was an ordinary university.

Whether attending a dormitory or living off-campus,

Once classes were over, the seminary didn’t care what the students did or where they went.

“Then is there any reason Amon can’t go to California?”

“…No.”

Mercenaries were free.

It was the profession he chose for its freedom.

There was no reason Amon couldn’t operate in California.

“Then why did you two think you had to separate?”

At the priest’s words, the two couldn’t raise their heads.

Indeed.

Why did they think that?

Looking into each other’s eyes, they couldn’t figure out the reason no matter how much they thought about it.

The priest, watching the idiotic couple, sighed.

“They say love is stronger than medicine… how can it make someone this stupid?”

Though devoid of profanity, the effect of piercing their hearts was tremendous.

That evening, the sound of something being kicked could be heard from Amon and Sonia’s room, and the fact that the blanket was shredded the next day remained a secret known only to the director and the priest.

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