Side Story Chapter 177 - Paradise (7)

Luceo Pure was rapidly engulfed by desire like adding a drop of black ink in a cup of water. They were tempted all too easily by the whispers of the demon— it was only natural since they had a taste of desire and greed they never knew about.

“Hahaha!! Another fruitful day as always!” shouted the people who came back from work as usual.

However, only a few of them had gone to the Temple of Light to be given work. Most of them hid in an alleyway to laze around and nap and then came home when it was time to. The residents of this world, who only knew how to tell the truth, gradually began to lie. They had fallen so easily like Adam and Eve who ate the forbidden fruit.

‘Of course.’

Oh Kang-Woo shrugged as he looked down at the shining city— no, the city which used to shine purely, from above. The result was only inevitable.

‘It’s always easier to lie than tell the truth.’

Imagine there was a person who could lie in a world where everyone could only tell the truth— that person’s life would be beyond easy. Everyone would believe his lies and do as he directed. Those who knew how to lie in a world where no one knew such a thing existed would feel like gods.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect it to spread this quickly.”

Kang-Woo snickered as he looked around the desolate Temple of Light. He and his party members had kidnapped people heading to the Temple of Light every morning and forced them to break a rule.

The rest was as one would expect; they fell into a panic from breaking a rule and were enticed by the sweet words of a demon. The ones who experienced lying for the first time drowned in their new sense of omnipotence, unable to escape it.

‘White clothes tend to get dirtier more easily.’

It was like a car driving through an untouched snowy road— it could never return to how it was before.

“No one can stop this now.”

Kang-Woo cackled, the corners of his mouth tearing up to his earlobes. The unstoppable black ink that was desire would engulf Luceo Pure whole.

“Akart,” Kang-Woo said to himself as he clicked his tongue. “You know nothing about humans.”

The world Akart had created, a sex toy made of ideals and fantasies, was misbuilt at a fundamental level.

‘Desire can’t be suppressed with rules.’

Dale had mentioned he wanted to eat more meat— in other words, the people of Luceo Pure had desires. Hence, suppressing those desires with rules was impossible. Desire was simple and pure; therefore, it couldn’t be stopped by anything.

‘The reason is simple.’

Not working was more comfortable than working. People preferred things easier than harder. People wanted to enjoy rather than suffer. Four pieces of meat were better than three. There was no reason simple and more pure than this.

“The thoughts were just being suppressed by their conditioning that the rules were absolute.”

However, it was game over the moment they could lie. Realizing they could say things as if they were the truth eliminated their obligation to follow rules. They had figured out how to avoid punishment despite breaking the rules.

- How are things going, my king?

Lilith’s seductive voice echoed in Kang-Woo’s head. He looked down and saw Lilith sitting on the roof of a cubic house and waving at him. The way she had one leg over the other radiated sexiness despite being so far away.

“Swimmingly, thanks to you,” Kang-Woo said as he dropped down to the rooftop and sat next to Lilith.

She had been the keystone of this operation. She kidnapped the residents of Luceo Pure using illusion magic and taught them how to lie. The ability to lie spread throughout the residents far quicker than Kang-Woo could by enticing them with words, even if he had used the Authority of Clones.

“Fufu. These kinds of things are my specialty.”

“Hehehe. It sure is nice to have you in times like this.”

Kang-Woo wrapped his arm around Lilith’s waist and softly embraced her.

“Oh, my.” Lilith feigned surprise and dug deeper into his embrace. “Hoho. Seol-Ah would scold us if she saw.”

“Oh, that’d be bad.”

Kang-Woo quickly tried to distance himself from Lilith but her black hair wrapped around him.

“No. I worked hard, so I want a reward.”

Lilith snorted softly and rested her head on Kang-Woo’s shoulder.

“What’s up? This isn’t like you,” Kang-Woo asked.

“I’m at the age where I want to be spoiled like Seol-Ah and Yeon-Joo too.”

“Eh...?”

‘But she’s thousands... no, maybe even tens of thousands of years older than m—’

“Master Kang-Woo. You’re not thinking about anything weird, are you?”

Lilith giggled as she looked up at him with a wide smile but her eyes were as cold as ice.

“But of course! You’re also at the age where you deserve to be spoiled!”

“Thank you for understanding, Kang-Woo... oppa? Is that the right way to use it?”

“No.”

‘Oppa is a bit of a stretch. Think of our age gap.’

“No...?” Lilith asked.

“No, I’m so goddamn happy.”

‘Wow, my heart can’t stop pounding!’

“Hmm...” Lilith stared at Kang-Woo with narrowed eyes and slowly turned away. “Right, let us start with the results of my investigation on Luceo Pure.”

“Sure.”

“There are twelve districts in Luceo Pure and each has a [Temple of Light].”

Kang-Woo nodded and listened closely.

“And beyond the [Sun Stairs] at the eastern edge of the town is a place known as the [Temple of Truth]. It is in the direction where the residents face to pray.”

“And is that where Akart is?” Kang-Woo asked.

“Most likely.”

Kang-Woo nodded and looked east to where the Temple of Truth was. He couldn’t see the temple despite being so high up because a massive pillar of light known as the [Sun Stairs] was blocking his view.

“It sure is massive.”

Kang-Woo couldn’t see the end of the light pillar no matter how high he flew.

“I would guess it is dimensionally isolated,” Lilith remarked.

“Yeah, probably.”

He didn’t know if it was because they decided it was best not to meddle directly with

Paradise

or they were just too lazy to, but Akart and his retainers never came out from the Temple of Truth beyond the Sun Stairs.

‘Well, even if they don’t want to come out, I’ll make them.’

“Right then, we should get ready soon.”

Kang-Woo narrowed his eyes and scanned Luceo Pure. Spreading the ability to lie was not enough. He needed a decisive blow that could fully unleash their suppressed desire at once.

Lilith covered her mouth and giggled. “Fufufu. Who do you think I am? I have already dispatched the others to the temples.”

“Oh, for real?”

Kang-Woo had been wondering where everyone was. Lilith seemed to have dispatched each of them to one of the Temples of Light.

“Hehehe! You’re the best wife I could have, Lilith.”

“Hmph, you’d say the same thing about Seol-Ah when you’re with her.”

“All my wives are the best. You’re all equal in my eyes.”

“Fufu. Oh, but a few temples are unaccounted for.”

Since there were twelve Temples of Light in Luceo Pure and seven of them, there would naturally be a few that were left unmanned.

“It’s okay. Darling and Si-Hun can each take three.”

“Oh? Are you not going to take part, my king?”

“Yup.” Kang-Woo nodded and continued, “That guy might take action if I were to step up.”

𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

“Oh... I see.” Lilith nodded in understanding.

There was no need to think about who Kang-Woo was referring to. Kang-Woo would only be wary of one being in this world.

“Up we go.” Kang-Woo stood up and lightly stretched. “Right, then.”

He narrowed his eyes and focused on his ears. It was almost six— when the residents’ blessing before meals would simultaneously echo throughout Luceo Pure.

‘Three, two, one.’

- Oh Great Akart, protect us with the Light of Truth. Guide us with your sacred wisdom and set alight our paths filled with darkness so that we are not led astray.

The prayer echoed throughout the town. It was considerably quieter than how it was a few days ago.

“BWEHEHEHEHEHEHE!!” Kang-Woo laughed vulgarly as he clenched his stomach.

‘Yeah, this was all there was to it.’

Akart’s pure paradise was shabby enough to be dirtied so easily.

“Huuu.”

Kang-Woo looked up and saw the sun was setting.

‘Soon.’

The entities who protected the pure paradise and made sure the rules were kept would begin to take action.

Whoooom!!!

“Oh, speak of the devil.”

Twelve pillars of light surged within the town growing dark. Akart’s retainers, those who worshiped and followed the light, had descended to stop the corruption of their paradise.

Kang-Woo raised a communication orb and called Kim Si-Hun.

“Can you hear me, Si-Hun?” he called.

[Yes. What shall we do, hyung-nim?]

The voice of his proud little brother flowed out from the orb.

“What else?”

Kang-Woo cackled as he stuck out his tongue. The corners of his mouth tore open to his earlobes and sharp teeth protruded between his lips.

“Kill them all.”