Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 91

The Door That Wouldn’t Close

1.

The reason Baek Seolhwa was able to recognize me was as follows:

“Someone who couldn’t officially request cooperation from our guild, yet cares enough about public opinion to avoid outright seizing a dungeon. At the same time, someone immune to magic detection and capable of instantly destroying a monster even I couldn’t handle. How many people in this country meet all those conditions?”

“You figured that out in such a short moment?”

“It wasn’t hard at all. Plus, when you turned that monster to ashes, I briefly detected Kang Chae-ah’s magic. Who else but Kim Siwoo would collaborate with a government-affiliated Awakened like Kang Chae-ah and come here?”

It was a remarkably logical deduction, befitting a mage.

To think she could draw such a logical conclusion in such a brief time.

It seems I let my guard down—far too much.

Indeed, I did use up a considerable amount of divine power to eliminate that black monster. That’s because those creatures weren’t composed of demonic energy, but rather distorted divine power.

While the divine powers clashed, the necklace’s concealment briefly deactivated. To think she could catch that fleeting moment.

I have to give her credit where it’s due.

“But I wasn’t completely sure either. I just bluffed—and you fell for it. You’re surprisingly less sharp than your reputation suggests.”

“That was a bluff?”

“It’s basic psychological warfare. Don’t you even know that?”

This is why I hate mages. Honestly, dealing with lunatics like Lee Se-hee last time is easier.

Back in Eden, most of the mages were just like this. Apparently, Earth is no different.

I stared at Baek Seolhwa with a reluctant expression.

Seeing her up close, her beauty became even more apparent.

From her flawless white skin to her face that seemed smaller than Leo’s fist. The delicate, well-defined features clustered on her tiny face, topped off with her long, silky silver hair cascading softly.

Her visuals made it easy to understand why she had so many fans.

Unlike the glamorous Luna, she exuded a cooler, more aloof aura.

Of course, no matter how you put it, she couldn’t compare to Limen.

Come to think of it, Limen really did set my standards high, didn’t she?

“I’ve moved the porters from Zone 1 here too. I sent a separate escort team, so they should arrive without issue.”

“Surprising. I heard you treated porters so poorly that they reported you, but you’re more considerate than I thought.”

“Me? Treat porters poorly?”

“That’s what I heard.”

“…Think whatever you like. It’s not even worth responding to.”

Her reaction was more underwhelming than expected.

Brushing the dust off her clothes, Baek Seolhwa continued speaking.

“So, you’re here to explore this dungeon?”

“I’m here to find something. I think it’s related to that black slime we saw earlier.”

“Those strange things started appearing from the direction our search team came from. You should head that way.”

She pointed toward a tunnel on one side of the chamber.

Although I’d been wary of her because of her association with the Guild Coalition, once we started talking, she didn’t seem as bad as I’d thought.

The fact that —a skill that activates against clear villains—remained dormant proved that Baek Seolhwa wasn’t an evil person.

Humans generally carry both good and evil within them. Unless someone is rotten to their core, doesn’t activate.

The skill only works against those who are truly deserving of death.

“Kim Siwoo, if you’re here, then this anomaly is definitely related to divine power. I had a hunch.”

“You didn’t contact the Baegmyeong Church, did you?”

“Of course I did. When things like this happen, they’re the experts on our side. Calling them in is the right thing to do.”

“Unfortunate.”

Just thinking about the Baegmyeong Church arrival made me feel pressed for time.

I let out a sigh and quickly started moving forward. I wanted to clean up the situation and leave before they got here.

But Baek Seolhwa blocked my path and said:

“Take me with you.”

The moment she said that, I was convinced—this woman was insane.

It was a completely unexpected request.

“What?”

“I won’t feel satisfied until I see the bastard who did this to my subordinates with my own eyes. If I can skewer them with a few ice spears, even better. According to the contract, you don’t have the authority to refuse my request. It explicitly states that I hold command, doesn’t it?”

So this is what they call digging your own grave.

I frowned as I looked at Baek Seolhwa. All she had to do was sit and rest, but for some reason, she insisted on following me.

I didn’t know her true intentions, but I couldn’t waste time arguing over something like this.

“If you’re that determined to follow, I won’t stop—”

“What are you waiting for? Let’s go!”

Before I could finish, Baek Seolhwa was already ahead, shrugging her shoulders at me.

I let out a small sigh as I stared after her.

I’d anticipated things would get annoying once she figured out who I was, but…

‘This is way more annoying than I thought.’

I’d better wrap this up as quickly as possible.

2.

The ‘door,’ which seemed to be the cause of the problem, wasn’t too far away.

About 15 minutes of walking alongside Baek Seolhwa brought us to the location.

There stood a door, smeared and covered in black slime.

It was, literally, a door.

A massive door so tall that you had to crane your neck to see its top.

It was a door completely out of place in a dungeon called the Cave of Mud Golems. The locations we’d passed through thus far looked naturally formed, but this door was unmistakably artificial.

“It looks suspicious, no question about it. How do we open it?”

“You think I’d know the answer if you ask me?”

“You came in here expecting to find something like this. Naturally, I figured you’d know how to open it. I mean, it’s just common sense. Who moves without any plan?”

There seemed to be a vast difference between her version of common sense and mine.

I raised my middle finger toward Baek Seolhwa, who was glaring at me with contempt. Then, I asked her a question that had been bugging me.

“How old are you?”

“Twenty-six.”

“Then why are you speaking informally?”

“You started talking informally first.”

“Well, yeah…but doesn’t it seem obvious to anyone that I’m older than you?”

“Must be nice to look so mature. Impressive.”

For the first time since returning to Earth, I met a true nemesis.

She could stand there and make those shameless remarks, undeterred.

I should’ve called for Luna, my ultimate secret weapon for handling women, and kept her on standby.

Clenching my fist lightly, I walked toward the door and said, “If there isn’t a way, we just make one. Watch this.”

I infused holy power into my fist, increased my speed, and punched the door with all my might.

KWA-AAAAANG!

A massive explosion-like sound followed, leaving a gaping hole in the door.

The door was sturdier than the cave walls I’d broken earlier, so the hole was smaller than those I’d made before. But it was still big enough for an elephant to pass through.

“See? You don’t find solutions; you make them.”

“Oh, wow. Truly amazing.”

She must have a natural gift for getting under people’s skin.

I’d thought I was the best at that, but seeing Baek Seolhwa made me realize that the saying, “There’s always someone better,” exists for a reason.

I glared at Baek Seolhwa with a wary expression.

As I did, she walked forward and said in a frosty tone, “Keep staring, and my face will wear out.”

“…Forget it. Not worth the words.”

She really carried herself like a popular influencer, fully aware of her self-worth.

In situations like this, people usually say she’s living up to her looks.

In any case, resolving the quest came first, so I quietly followed her into the door.

[You have entered the final room of the dungeon – the Boss Room.]
[The room is filled with an unfamiliar energy.]

Based on the messages appearing before my eyes, we’d clearly arrived in the right place.

If this dungeon primarily consisted of mud golems, it would be logical to expect a giant mud golem as the final boss—or maybe an alchemist who created them. That would make sense.

But instead, what awaited us in the room was a glowing purple mirror and a massive mass of slime.

The creature resembled a tar golem, more than anything.

At that moment, a new message popped up.

[The quest has been updated!]

Type: Sub – DLC

Description: You have discovered a door connected to another dimension. Corrupted holy energy seeping through the door seeks to devour the world. It’s evident that a deity from the other dimension is reaching through. Destroy the door and thwart their plans.

Completion Condition: Destruction of

Reward: ???

Clink. Clink.

The looked grotesque and horrifying, hardly worthy of being called a “door.”

It was coated in black slime, with fine, tooth-like protrusions wriggling across its surface.

Its appearance alone was enough to evoke revulsion, but holy power radiated from it nonetheless.

This meant the grotesque, abhorrent creation was a direct product of some divine entity.

“This is disgusting as hell.”

That such filth contained holy power…

It felt like an insult to Limen.

Limen always sought to make the world a little better.

A bit warmer, a bit happier.

But the thing in front of me represented none of Limen’s desires. If anything, it seemed capable of consuming and destroying everything she hoped for.

【Void… Corruption… Control… Domination…】

A voice, laced with foreign power, emanated from the door, seeping into my ears and echoing in my mind.

The voice carried not only holy energy but also a sinister will.

I lightly touched Baek Seolhwa’s back and let holy power flow into her as I spoke.

“You okay?”

“It was an unpleasant voice. It felt like it echoed inside my head…”

“So you’ve got some resistance, huh? Guess that’s what comes with being an S-rank hunter. Still, you shouldn’t have tagged along. This was something I could’ve handled alone.”

“Well, at least I’ve figured out what I need to do.”

CRACKLE!

Without a word, Baek Seolhwa used her magic to seal the hole we’d entered through with ice.

I cast a light holy barrier over her icy wall and smirked slightly.

“You’re earning your keep.”

“Ice magic is better for defense than offense. It might not fully neutralize that black slime, but I can suppress it. Still…what is that massive lump supposed to be?”

She gestured toward the giant, writhing mass of slime.

The room was so tall that its ceiling wasn’t visible, but the mass’s size rivaled the door we’d entered through.

Pulling my gloves tight, I responded.

“What else? It’s probably what used to be the boss.”

“For a D-rank dungeon boss, though…”

“It’s a common cliché for black slime to boost a creature’s rank. At least it’s smaller than that Yamata-no-Orochi I fought last time…Wait, hold up. Is it still growing?”

GLOOP. GLOOP.

Even as we talked, the monster kept growing.

The grotesque door behind it appeared to serve as an umbilical cord, continuously pumping black slime into it.

Let’s see. If I destroy a monster of this size, how will causality be affected?

I’d already been caught by it once recently, so I was a bit worried…

[Warning! Due to , the causality of this location is severely distorted.]
[The system requests you to restore the causality of this area.]

…Guess I don’t need to worry.

This so-called “system” always seems lenient when it comes to dimensional anomalies. Just like it was in the Busan Abyss Dungeon.

At least now I could destroy the creature without restraint. In hindsight, bringing Baek Seolhwa along was a good idea.

“Can your magic keep the walls from collapsing?”

“If I coat the walls with magic-infused ice, it’ll reinforce their strength, though not perfectly. Worst case, I can erect ice walls as supports. Why?”

She had a knack for giving TMI (too much information), but whatever.

“That’s your job.”

“What?”

“Other people’s lives rest on your shoulders now. Got it?”

With those words, I dashed toward the tar golem.