Record of a Thousand Lives - Chapter 145

Chapter 145
Reanna was a Templar Knight, and Rekil was a Priest. They both worked for the church despite their shallow faith. However, to think that such people of faith, no matter how superficial, would travel alongside an undead being… It was certain that nobody had ever heard of such a preposterous party composition in the history of the continent.

“Hey, look here, you skeleton. It seems you don’t understand what’s going on right now. We might seem lax and all, but we’re still with the church, you know? Should I burn you to a crisp with divine power? Huh?” Rekil threatened, putting on a menacing expression while swirling divine power gathered at his fingertip.

It was then that Reanna suddenly stopped him.

“Why are you stopping me, noona?” Rekil asked.

However, Rekil’s question fell on deaf ears as his sister completely ignored him. Instead, Reanna asked the skeleton, “Why does an undead being want to go to the cathedral?”

“To regain my memories,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Are you talking about your memories from when you were alive?” Reanna asked.

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied with his usual curtness.

“Hmm…” Reanna pondered for a moment while rubbing her chin.

Rekil was very well aware that his sister had the tendency to make strange decisions in times like this; his gut feeling was spot-on, as his sister made a strange decision once again.

“I suppose you won’t try to pull anything funny on the way to the Cathedral of Repentance, right?” Reanna asked.

“That’s right,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

“Noona! Are you seriously planning on bringing that skeleton to the Cathedral of Repentance?!” Rekil protested loudly.

“It doesn’t seem to be a bad one,” Reanna said with a shrug.

“All undead are bad!” Rekil shot back in response.

“We’re members of the church, but we aren’t good people, are we?” Reanna retorted in defense of her twisted logic.

“I’m against this! Are you really telling me to travel alongside that skeleton? How will we even sleep when we have to worry about that thing backstabbing us in the middle of the night?!” Rekil protested vehemently.

“Then sleep with a shield on your back,” Reanna responded cynically.

“Why are you even thinking of bringing that skeleton with us?” Rekil asked in a whisper with a look of disbelief.

“Have you ever seen a skeleton trying to regain its memories?” Reanna asked.

“No…” Rekil muttered in response.

“What about a skeleton that speaks clearly like a normal human?” Reanna asked again.

“I haven’t…” Rekil muttered again.

“The subjugation of undead has been getting more frequent these days, ever since the moon turned black, and those fellas at the church who research undead have exponentially increased in number as well. Don’t you think they’ll give us quite the merits if we bring them a strange undead being like that skeleton?” Reanna argued convincingly.

However, Rekil seemed to still have a hard time accepting the idea. He began, “But…”

“Also,” Reanna added, cutting him off. She lit a cigarette and took a whiff of it, then puffed out a cloud of smoke and continued, “What was the prime example that people like us should follow?”

“Don’t ignore lambs in need…” Rekil responded.

“Oh, how cute. You remembered what I told you before,” Reanna said while patting her brother’s head.

However, Rekil pushed away her hand, adamantly showing his refusal. He retorted, “Then what about abstinence from alcohol and cigarettes? Don’t you have any plans to keep those oaths?”

“I want to die even a day earlier and meet the god,” Reanna replied with a shrug.

“Ah… Damn it…” Rekil muttered in defeat, then turned and looked at the skeleton. He said, “Hey, skeleton. You’ll burn to death if you try to pull anything funny. I’m sure you saw how I burned that Patchwork Monster a while ago, right?”

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied with a nod.

Rekil did not seem to be satisfied with the answer, but he took out a white robe from his backpack and threw it to Kang Yoon-Soo. He grumbled, “Wear that. I don’t want to announce to the world that I’m traveling with an undead being.”

“Thank you,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied as he put on the white robe.

Rekil, seemingly perturbed by what he had just heard, grumbled, “Who knew an undead being of all things would thank me one day.”

The siblings began walking, and the skeleton swordsman tagged along with them.

“Ah… Damn it… I’m still nervous. Shouldn’t we tie that skeleton up and hide it somewhere?” Rekil asked.

“Try your luck then. You don’t even have a rope to bind it,” Reanna replied.

“I don’t have a hobby of being tied up,” Kang Yoon-Soo interjected.

That was how the journey of the siblings and the skeleton swordsman continued.

***

Kang Yoon-Soo was sluggish during the day, but he was very active at night. That was due to the racial trait of the undead.

‘It’s good that I don’t get fatigued,’ he thought. He did not get tired despite walking day and night, and he did not even have to sleep.

Most people would have been on the edge and cranky if they missed some sleep, but it was different for Kang Yoon-Soo, as he did not like sleeping anyway. He thought, ‘I won’t be having nightmares if I don’t sleep.’

Kang Yoon-Soo carried the siblings’ luggage at all times and did not speak much during their travels. Just like that, four days passed.

Rekil stared at the campfire and said, “I respect you, noona.”

“What are you talking about?” Reanna asked.

“I respect your abundant compassion and understanding. What kind of clergywoman drinks with a skeleton?” Rekil said.

“Just as there are no boundaries for love, there are no racial divides for alcohol. Don’t you agree?” Reanna asked.

“Yes,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied as he clinked his cup against Reanna’s.

Reanna was a strange woman. She had short hair that barely reached her shoulders, and she was larger than most adult men. However, she was not bulky or muscular to the point of looking hideous. In fact, her healthy build actually attracted men’s attention and seemed all the more seductive to them.

On the other hand, Rekil was the exact opposite of his sister. He was slightly shorter than an average adult man. His shoulders were quite narrow, and his skin was quite fair for a man. He could be considered pretty even compared to women.

“I have no idea why you’re even being friendly with that skeleton,” Rekil grumbled.

“Oh, my dear, jealous little brother. Sometimes, a quiet skeleton is more charming than a man who tries too hard but has nothing to show for it,” Reanna replied. She casually sipped her alcohol while leaning on Kang Yoon-Soo, her arms wrapped around his bony arms. She did not show any signs of being repulsed by the undead being, even though she was a Templar Knight.

Kang Yoon-Soo tried to shake her off, but her grip was too tight. Reanna then whispered in his nonexistent ears, “I need something to hug tightly while I sleep tonight.”

“Hey, skeleton. I’m really grateful to you. That thing that’s neither a man nor a woman would have hugged me all night if not for you,” Rekil said.

“I’m sleeping alone,” Kang Yoon-Soo said in a low voice.

The siblings burst out in laughter.

“Well, it really is more fun than just the two of us traveling. Is it because this skeleton has a strange personality?” Rekil wondered.

“We always end up fighting when it’s just the two of us. It’s good that we won’t end up fighting,” Reanna remarked.

At that moment, Kang Yoon-Soo suddenly remembered something and spoke up, asking, “The two of you belong to the Sylphia denomination, right?”

“Hmm? How did you know?” Rekil asked.

“I could tell from the color of the light,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

The divine powers of Priests differed based on the god they served, and the symbol of goddess Sylphia was the white light her followers emanated. Priests who served different gods would emanate red, green, or some other color of light.

Color was not the only difference when it came to the gods a Priest served, however, as the strength and abilities conferred by their divine power differed as well. For example, a Priest who served the god of swords could use their divine power to enhance their sword.

‘Of course, Sylphia is the only god on the continent,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

In that case, how could there be numerous religions out there that granted Priests divine power? In truth, it was because the mechanism behind divine power was misunderstood.

‘The divine power of those who serve goddess Sylphia comes from the goddess herself, but the divine powers of the other religions come from their faith alone,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought.

An individual would unlock faith and divine powers after changing classes into a Priest, and they were usually able to unleash stronger divine powers the higher their levels were or the stronger their faith was. However, it would be more appropriate to say that the reason behind the differences between divine powers had more to do with the traits of the ones using them, rather than the religions themselves. That fact would only be revealed ten years after the trial’s setting, but there was no particular reason for Kang Yoon-Soo to reveal that to them.

“I’ve met goddess Sylphia,” Kang Yoon-Soo said brazenly.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Rekil asked with an annoyed expression.

Kang Yoon-Soo was unfazed as he replied, “I’m an undead being. I met the goddess when I died.”

“It’s hard to believe, but it’s interesting. Tell me more,” Reanna said, pushing her face closer to Kang Yoon-Soo’s own.

Kang Yoon-Soo replied, “She disliked the misconception we have of believing that a god is omnipotent.”

“That makes sense. The goddess only made the continent, after all,” Reanna said.

“Also, the goddess told me something. She said to find and kill ‘the one who should not exist on this continent’,” Kang Yoon-Soo added. He explained the goddess’ request in depth, but he excluded the part where he had regressed, as it would be difficult to explain.

The siblings were deep in thought for quite a while. Eventually, Reanna said, “We’re actually members of the fallen church.”

“Noona!” Rekil quickly exclaimed in protest.

“It’s fine,” Reanna said, calming him down before continuing, “The Cathedral of Repentance that you’re trying to go to right now was run by our parents at one point in time. It’s a small place, but it was a warm and cozy home for us. However, we had to move to the church of Sylphia after our church fell.” She paused for a moment and added, “Do you know why we follow the church of Sylphia? It’s because it lets us have a comfortable life. The head of the church gives us missions, and we receive a reward if we complete those missions.”

Rekil nervously watched his sister speak.

“We’re followers of the church only out of necessity, and that’s why we can think about what you just said without any bias. I can’t really tell whether you’re telling us the truth or not, but one thing I’m certain of is that any follower of the church must have thought about this at least once,” Reanna said, before putting a cigarette in her mouth. She then continued, “Is a god a being that can be trusted?”

“What are you trying to say?” Kang Yoon-Soo asked.

“I suspect that you’re being used right now. Maybe all she needs is a hunting dog to do her bidding before she discards you like a pair of old shoes,” Reanna replied.

Kang Yoon-Soo quietly took a sip of his alcohol. The alcohol went down his throat before being absorbed by his bones, despite the fact that he was a skeleton.

“The fact of whether this ‘one who should not exist on the continent’ really exists or not is secondary. The first thing you should think about is whether the goddess can be trusted or not. There’s no law that prevents a god from stabbing you in the back later, you know?” Reanna added.

As the night deepened, the siblings went to sleep. However, Kang Yoon-Soo was still wide awake, and he spent the entire night thinking.

***

On the fifth day, they finally arrived at the Cathedral of Repentance. It was a large, old abandoned building.

Rekil coughed and cleared his throat before saying, “This was our cathedral before, but it’s currently in a very bad state.”

Kang Yoon-Soo walked into the Cathedral of Repentance, then kneeled on the dusty ground and prayed.

[You have prayed at the Cathedral of Repentance.]

[You have performed an action that held great meaning in your previous life.]

[You will regain your memories more quickly the more you pray.]

Kang Yoon-Soo earnestly prayed for a long time, and he felt his mind clear up slowly.

[You have regained your memories.]

[You have discovered your regrets from your previous life.]

[Ekarem Ahilkion.]

[This was your name in your previous life.]

[Ekarem was an evil and greedy person when he was still alive.]

[He was gifted with good looks and a glib tongue since birth, and he used that to commit countless scams and frauds.]

[The most evil deed Ekarem did in his life was the establishment of the Church of Madness.]

[This evil religious organization lured thousands of innocent people in and plundered their assets.]

[Ekarem used his position as the head of the church to commit countless evil deeds.]

[He planned to use his glib tongue and cunning to spread the Church of Madness all over the continent.]

[However, Ekarem failed to achieve his goal, as he was betrayed by his most trusted follower.]

[Ekarem could not cross over to the netherworld as he still had lingering attachments to this world.]

[The only way to make Ekarem ascend is by spreading the Church of Madness all over the continent and uniting all other religions under it.]

[Establish the Church of Madness and declare a holy war!]

[You have obtained new skills due to regaining your memories from your previous life.]

[You have obtained ‘Establish Religion’.]

[You have obtained ‘Glib Tongue’.]

[Your ability to scam and deceive people has increased.]

[The faith of your followers will not easily decline.]

The owner of this body, Ekarem Ahilkion, had been a very evil man.

‘I have to spread his religion all over the continent if I want to complete the third test,’ Kang Yoon-Soo thought before immediately activating his new skill. “Establish Religion.”

[You have activated the top-grade skill only available to those who have reached the pinnacle of the Scammer class.]

[You are establishing a false religion.]

[Please describe the god to be worshiped in detail.]

[The god will greatly affect the religion that is being established.]

Kang Yoon-Soo did not give it much thought, simply making up some random stuff to fill in the details requested. “Mad God Urnokra is a crazy god that spews out fire and ice, and it has the head of a werewolf and the skeletal body of a lich.”

[Please set the most basic doctrine of the religion.]

[The doctrine of the religion will be an important element when it comes to converting people to your religion.]

“There’s no such thing as abstinence from alcohol,” Kang Yoon-Soo said.

[Please set the head of the church.]

[The head of the church has the power to control the direction, funds, and followers of the religion.]

[The ability of the religion to spread will vary greatly depending on the influence and ability of the head.]

“Me,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

[You have successfully established a religion.]

[God Symbol: Mad God Urnokra]

[Doctrine: “There’s no such thing as abstinence from alcohol.”]

[Head of Church: Ekarem Ahilkion]

[Is this correct?]

“Yeah,” Kang Yoon-Soo replied.

[The Church of Madness Urnokra has been established.]

[You may decide on the tithing, management of followers, and construction of a cathedral at a later date when your religion has grown bigger.]

Kang Yoon-Soo had turned into a cult leader.