Please Stop The Pope

Chapter 89

The staff to manage the porters was assigned 10 minutes later.

“Is it seven people today? Fewer people gathered than expected. I’ll be the supervisor in charge of you today.”

The man wearing black horn-rimmed glasses scrutinized the faces of the porters, including mine, and frowned.

He was already unpleasant to look at, and now with his frown, his unlikability sharply increased.

He took a small device out of his pocket. It was a portable magic meter I had seen before in the Ability Management Division.

“Step forward one by one for measurements. This is a process to filter out any potential troublemakers, so I hope you cooperate willingly.”

The measurement procedure was completed very quickly.

As I had heard from Jin Seo-jun, most of the temporary porters had no combat abilities at all.

Four had much lower magic levels than Jin Seo-jun.

Two were ordinary people.

Players who could enhance their physical abilities using magic typically worked for professional companies, not as temporary porters, so this was a common phenomenon.

“Today, there are three ordinary people?”

I, of course, was classified as an ordinary person.

The magic meter could not detect divine power. This was also the reason why Manager Kim had suggested I infiltrate in this manner.

Anyway, after this simple inspection process was over, the supervisor handed out yellow name tags.

“In 10 minutes, the first zone will be ready, and you’ll be deployed then. If you don’t meet your quota, your pay will be deducted, as you were informed beforehand. Well then, warm up a bit.”

The supervisor said this, then took out a cigarette from his pocket and walked away, distancing himself from us.

Once we were far enough that he couldn’t hear us, complaints erupted among the porters.

“Those bastards.”

“They didn’t even mention anything about pay cuts…sigh.”

But it was only for a moment.

A hierarchy quickly emerged among the porters. The awakened and the ordinary people formed two distinct groups.

It seemed that the awakened porters had already been talking before I arrived, as they started chatting noisily among themselves.

Not long after, the most unpleasant-looking middle-aged man among the awakened porters approached me.

Though he had put on a submissive expression in front of the supervisor, his face now radiated blatant contempt and mockery.

“You’re an ordinary person, right?”

“So what?”

“So what? Heh, look at this bastard.”

The man raised his hand as if to threaten me.

It seemed like he was ready to slap me at any moment.

I looked at his hand indifferently without saying a word. Then, thinking he had established dominance, he pressed his hand against my forehead and said,

“Heh, damn. Don’t talk. You ordinary bastard, this is how it is, right? Hey, go over there and tell Park to handle your equipment. The ordinary people are responsible for getting their own gear when entering the dungeon. Hah! Spit!”

He said that and spat at my feet before returning to his group.

Being weak doesn’t necessarily make you a good person.

There are bad people even among the weak.

It was the same in Eden, and the same on Earth.

Humans can’t be easily categorized as good or bad, with strong people being evil and weak people being good. That kind of black-and-white thinking is far too simplistic.

But that doesn’t mean you have to view the world pessimistically.

After all, there are also people like this.

“Are you alright?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Here, have some water. You must have been tired from climbing the mountain.”

There are also people like this man who offer kindness, handing me a water bottle.

I quietly examined the calluses on his hand. I took the water bottle with a smile.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Everyone gets a little sensitive before entering the dungeon, so don’t take what that guy said too seriously. It’s a D-rank dungeon, so there won’t be much gear, so you don’t need to worry.”

“Ah, the person named Park?”

“My name is Park Jeong-su.”

He smiled and extended his hand, and I shook it while responding.

“My name is Kim In-wook.”

Since I was using my younger brother’s name, I didn’t feel any guilt. More importantly, when I shook his hand, a familiar feeling came over me.

It wasn’t magic, nor divine power.

This man was definitely an ordinary person who hadn’t awakened as a player.

‘This is fate.’

I could feel ‘faith’ coming from his body.

It was faith directed towards Limen.

Before I shook his hand, I had some doubts, but after the handshake, I could feel it clearly.

However, I didn’t make it obvious.

I wasn’t Kim Siwoo right now; I was Kim In-wook.

Instead, I said sincerely.

“It’s nice to meet you.”

How could I not be happy to meet a believer of our church in a place like this?

I smiled again.

The work began quickly.

As soon as we entered the dungeon, a number of message windows appeared in front of us, one of which was related to a quest.

[D-class dungeon “Mud Golem’s Cave” has been entered.]

[The dungeon has not yet been cleared. Monster respawn continues throughout the dungeon.]

[The content of quest has been updated.]

[Unclosed Door]

Type: Sub – DLC

Description: A door leading to another place is hidden inside this dungeon. Find the door and enter.

Completion Condition: ???

Reward: ???

So far, there was nothing special about the quest window.

“Today, what you need to collect are the Mud Golem’s cores and the lowest-grade magical stones. If you have any thoughts about stealing the magical stones, it would be better to give up. You all know well what happens to those who try to pocket the loot,” the supervisor said with a threatening tone, and the collection work officially began.

The collection work wasn’t anything special.

It was just about finding the cores and magical stones from the wreckage of the broken Mud Golems and putting them into our bags.

Since one supervisor was managing the collection work, I thought I could sneak off to the side later at the right time.

“Shit, this is heavy.”

“Haah…Haah…”

“Ugh!”

The collection work was simple, but groans came from everywhere. The weight of the magical stones wasn’t a big problem, but the Golem’s cores were no small matter.

The size of a fist weighed about 10kg.

After all, the Golem’s core was magically compressed, so it was naturally heavy.

Well, that was based on the standards of ordinary people, and there’s no way a weight like that would feel heavy to me.

To be honest, I could fill the entire military double bag given by the Seolhwa Guild with Golem’s cores without any trouble, but I was currently disguised as an ordinary person.

“Ugh, this is tough.”

So, I had no choice but to act like it was hard.

After placing a Golem core that was lying on the floor into my double bag, I patted my waist.

“It’s not easy, is it, In-wook?”

“So far, it’s manageable.”

“Be careful with your back. The Golem’s core is heavy for its size. Your health always comes first. People like us can’t afford to get injured.”

Mr. Park Jeong-su had been giving me various pieces of advice as we worked together.

From how to prevent injuries to things to be cautious of when in dungeons with Golems, he shared all the experiences he had gained as a porter for two years.

Normally, it would be unusual to share such valuable know-how with someone you just met, but Mr. Park freely shared them without asking for anything in return.

Another thing I learned was that Mr. Park Jeong-su was 47 years old this year and had started working as a day labor porter two years ago. That’s about it.

I didn’t ask him why he started this work on purpose.

It was a dangerous job, one that could kill you in an instant.

Anyone who had been doing that for two years must have a reason, and it was certainly an unhappy one.

And I didn’t have any sick curiosity about delving into someone else’s misfortunes.

“You shouldn’t be greedy. Do it safely, as safely as possible. Rather than trying to carry everything at once, it’s better to make two trips with an appropriate amount.”

Even though he was struggling, Mr. Park didn’t hesitate to give me advice.

Who could dislike someone who was considerate?

And since he had faith in Limen, I was just grateful.

So, I secretly cast a blessing on Mr. Park Jeong-su earlier.

It was a blessing that enhanced physical abilities and reduced fatigue, which would definitely be helpful in many ways.

As I continued talking and working with Mr. Park, that’s when it happened.

Bang-!

The guy who had spit at my feet earlier came up to us.

He threw the double bag he was holding in front of me and said,

“Hey, carry it and follow me.”

“Mr. Yoon Tae-hwan. This person is new today, so I’m just teaching him the ropes.”

Mr. Park Jeong-su stepped in to handle the situation before I could even respond.

But the guy named Yoon Tae-hwan was persistent.

He looked at me and grinned slyly.

“Really? Then I’ll personally train him. What could a porter who hasn’t even awakened teach? I told you earlier, I used to be in charge of the new recruits at my old guild, right? Just trust me.”

“But this person…”

“Park, I’m still showing you some leniency because of your experience, but if you keep acting like this, it’s going to get boring.”

The conversation between Mr. Park Jeong-su and Yoon Tae-hwan was loud enough that the supervisor from the Seolhwa Guild, who had been resting on the side, came over to us.

“What’s all this commotion?”

“Ah, Supervisor! It’s nothing. This person is new and I’m just teaching him a few things. We’ll finish the training quickly so that it doesn’t interfere with the work.”

The aggressive look on Yoon Tae-hwan’s face disappeared in just two seconds.

He immediately began sucking up to the supervisor.

It was a surprisingly fast change of attitude.

The supervisor slowly nodded as he looked at Yoon Tae-hwan.

“There’s still some time, so I’ll let it slide. But make sure you train him properly. You know we’re short on hands today, right?”

“Yes, yes. Of course, I’ll make sure the training is thorough. I’m the seventh porter from the Seolhwa Guild, so trust me.”

This guy, Yoon Tae-hwan, really knows how to be a lackey. He must have been quite the traitor in his past life, right?

With that smooth voice and constantly rubbing his palms.

It was a voice that didn’t fit the bulky, hairy figure he had.

“Hmm, I understand.”

“Thank you for trusting me! I’ll definitely live up to your expectations.”

The supervisor patted Yoon Tae-hwan’s back a few times before returning to his position.

As soon as the supervisor left, Yoon Tae-hwan tried to shift back into his true form.

“Did you see that? I’m someone who’s trusted here. So don’t question me. And Park, just do your job. Don’t fail your quota like last time and get your pay docked. Got it?”

Mr. Park Jeong-su was about to respond, but I grabbed his shoulder and shook my head.

“It’s okay. Thank you for your consideration. I’ll go ahead and learn the job properly.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Do you think he’s going to eat me? Mr. Yoon Tae-hwan. Should I just carry this double bag?”

Yoon Tae-hwan, looking a bit startled, nodded.

It seemed he didn’t expect me to go along so easily.

“Huh? Uh, yeah.”

“Got it.”

I easily picked up the double bag that had been lying on the floor with both arms. Both Mr. Park and Yoon Tae-hwan were shocked at the sight.

“…That’s over 100 kilograms, you know?”

“Oh, I usually work out a lot. I trust my body more than anything. Haha! Mr. Yoon Tae-hwan! Let’s go! I’ll learn a lot.”

“R-right!”

Yoon Tae-hwan looked at me with a bitter expression. But perhaps because he was aware of the surrounding eyes, he soon started leading me toward the entrance.

It took about 10 minutes to walk from the work site to the entrance.

After walking for about 2 minutes, the two of us were finally alone.

An uncomfortable silence followed, but I was the one who broke it first.

“Senior, I noticed that you seem very close to the supervisor. You must be really impressive.”

Was he surprised that I started with flattery?

Yoon Tae-hwan, caught off guard by the sudden grooming, smiled slyly.

“What’s this? You’re a bit sharper than I thought? Hehe, yeah. This is my seventh raid with the Seolhwa Guild. Not just the supervisor, I’ve got connections with most of the Hunters here.”

“Really?”

“Of course. I’m going to be hired as a regular soon.”

“Wow, that’s really impressive.”

A typical opportunist.

He’s weak to the strong and strong to the weak, a style that’s easy to figure out.

Once you play along, the stories flow naturally.

“So, when do we move to our next work area?”

“Well, I heard it’s going to take at least an hour. Once we finish Zone 1, we’ll have some time to rest.”

“Oh, that’s great to hear.”

Whoooosh-!

As soon as I heard that, I threw the double bags. Then, with a deadly smile, I said,

“Just what I needed. I thought I was going to die of frustration, Senior.”

“What?”

“Shall we start the training now?”