-Faith: 29,108,334
When Dohyuk first opened the status window, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was unlike any amount he had ever been able to collect.
"It's not a prison, but I have few things to discuss regarding the laws."
"Law? You mean the rules?" Giwon shook his head. "Is the rule you speak of about the one you told me before? The one where you use the faith you have to change the city's rule…"
"Yeah."
If he had enough faith, Dohyuk could shape the rules of the city to suit his taste.
"I gave some thought to it. These people inside the city have already been sorted out through the rule for the entrance. They, except me, have not killed anyone nor do they intend on doing so."
He was right, but that didn't mean Dohyuk was going to let the city stay that way without any laws. People will not live in an orderly fashion just because they admired and feared Dohyuk.
"I don't think I have such charisma."
Dohyuk wasn't the type to be arrogant or overestimate himself. It was common for people to feel doubtful and have complaints even if they had leaders to follow.
"I agree… not about the charisma part." Giwon smiled and continued, "We have a lot of people here, and we need laws to govern them. Human beings are far from being orderly. You don't need to do that by wasting your faith."
Dohyuk then realized what Giwon was trying to say. It was the choice that Dohyuk thought was impossible to achieve by himself.
"So, you propose on writing laws to govern people?"
Forming a society was not an easy thing, and having people accept it was much harder than fighting a monster.
"It might be pointless now…" Giwon spoke hesitantly. "But I was a judge of a court."
"…A judge?"
"It was a long time ago," Giwon replied. Dohyuk looked at him in shock. It was a very old memory to Giwon, but to Dohyuk, who had no memory of his previous life, it was amazing to see a man in his late 20s or early 30s as a judge.
"You… were smart?"
It was pointless for him to actually say that, but it was still astonishing.
"I only worked for 2 years. The illumination started right about the time I had adjusted to the work."
"Oh… that's a shame," Dohyuk sighed. "So, you wish to become a judge in this city?"
"It's more like…"
This wasn't the Republic of Korea. It had been a long time, and although Giwon's knowledge was intact, there was no way to apply it to the city in the same way.
"Jung Ilgyu was far from the rules."
He even refused a few basic rules that could be created easily because he was annoyed. That's why Giwon felt like he would control things better if he took the wheel.
"Honestly, I wanted to drive Ilgyu out and take control, but I couldn't do it so I only thought about it."
Even now, Giwon was not in charge. Unlike Jung Ilgyu's case, Giwon trusted Dohyuk and followed him wholeheartedly. The concept of right and wrong was also different as Dohyuk agreed to have order.
"Of course, this is your city. There will be no law that is set in place that you do not like. Every law will be approved by you."
Four floors down later, Dohyuk brought the topic back up.
"How long do you think it will take? To have… the basics? To set them in place."
"For basic peacekeeping and executive orders set in place, we can have it all ready by tomorrow."
"…What?"
"I worked on some investigations with Heeyun's help while you were asleep."
Among those 30 thousand people, most of them had jobs in the old world and some worked for the federal government, like the police, firemen, or politicians.
"I've finished interviewing everyone already. They were very passionate about the work even when nothing had been decided yet."
All of them had zero ability to fight. That's why they did not last too long in the previous life, but that worked out well in this case. Since they didn't live too long in the previous life, they were happy to be involved in the jobs they used to have before.
"If you allow me to do so, I will do my best to achieve it."
It didn't take long for Dohyuk to give him an answer.
Sounds of astonishment were heard. The person of interest was Dohyuk of course.
As he walked across the city to go outside, he heard all sorts of astonished gasps everywhere. He understood why, but it was still hard to get used to it.
"Didn't know you were such a shy boy," Yuri said to him. "You can just enjoy it. I mean, it might be a bit awkward at first, but it'll feel good soon."
"…I'll think about it."
Yuri was still outside the city. She wasn't allowed into the city like Giwon, but even if she was allowed, she wouldn't spend much time inside anyway.
She was the overseer of the cross. Her duty was to watch those who were hung up on the crosses so there were no escapees.
"Look at your face — you look sick… but wait a minute…"
Dohyuk ignored Yuri scanning his body in a weird way.
"I have some business with Ilgyu. Can he talk?"
"Probably?" She shrugged and tipped her head over toward Jung Ilgyu's direction.
"I'm not sure if he's going to talk. He's apparently 'not happy'."
The meaning behind her words was obvious. Dohyuk couldn't see it through the window, but after he went down, the area around the crosses was littered with various pieces of trash. The debris consisted of living necessities, foods, and even human waste.
"Who…"
"Probably everyone?" Yuri responded casually.
"Isn't it weird to not feel anything about them? Those new people from the outside probably have a lot of scores to settle."
Scores to settle. The life these people endured was indescribable. They were sentenced to death from the beginning and were both witness and victims of those who had fallen to become a piece of property or a tool.
"I mean, I can't say much about the slave issues, but at least I don't have any slaves here… and I think it would be a different story to be a slave under Jung Ilgyu."
Dohyuk turned. It was easy to figure out where Jung Ilgyu was being held. He just needed to find the place with most filth. Dohyuk moved over.
'Terrible.'
Dohyuk thought he was now an entirely different person other than his face — at least in physical form, but so was Jung Ilgyu. There was no terrifying presence that surrounded him. The body that had been torn and ripped apart was bony and had countless open wounds, with no blood flowing from them.
Dohyuk stopped right in front and Ilgyu's head rose up slowly as he spoke.
"You… better… think… this… straight…"
For all the time he had been hung up, he seemed to have been threatening and snarling against people who scoffed and threw filth at him. It seemed Ilgyu was still his arrogant self.
"You piece of…"
Ilgyu barely looked up and-
"a…"
"A?"
He froze.
"Come on, I'm listening."
Dohyuk spoke with a cold voice, but there was no answer.
"Is he too tired to speak?"
"Uh… I don't think…"
Yuri's voice was shaking. She was half laughing even. It seemed like she was mixed with a feeling of disbelief and something else.
"He's…"
Yuri had seen a countless number of frightened people, but this was one of a kind to witness.
"Afraid of you…"
The Tyrant, who was frozen in place, was looking at Dohyuk in shock.
"W-what are you.. you b*tch…!"
Ilgyu then turned against Yuri and snarled. Yet, he did not turn back to Dohyuk.
"I heard you lost twice before I killed you."
Swordmaster of China and Cactus Bill of Australia. Two super powerful beings allowed Jung Ilgyu to live. For Ilgyu, they were much more terrifying than Dohyuk, who 'killed him luckily'.
"I now see why you tried so hard to go to China."
"What…"
"You are a f*cking coward."
He called himself a tyrant, or the strongest of the south, but in the end, he was a coward.
"You wanted to believe that you are different. After you survived the fight then, you probably tried to justify it. That you weren't afraid. Well… I guess you couldn't lie to yourself."
"Shut up!"
Tyrant screamed with a hoarse voice.
"That b*tch… is talking nonsense… I'm…"
Ilgyu was then forced to stop. Dohyuk's hand had strongly grabbed hold of his cheek.
"Do you know that I learned one thing from you?"
"The way a god earns fear from people isn't only by faith," Dohyuk said as he glanced at the number.
-Faith: 29,358,334
It was the number that increased tremendously ever since he faced Jung Ilgyu.
Fear.
The source of power that granted these gods their power.
"I knew, but it didn't strike me until now. I don't think I can ever be feared, but I think I kind of get it now."
Fear of humans.
Trusting the beasts.
"I'm curious - between the Swordmaster, Cactus Bill, and me, who you fear the most?"
He didn't need the answer. Whatever the current answer was, it was going to be switched with Dohyuk on the top soon enough.
"Look."
Dohyuk put his hand out and gestured across the empty land.
There was the labyrinth of Blass, the structure that would now serve as a prison.