Chapter 356: Eve of the Storm (2)

At that moment, the complexions of President Robert and the US leadership turned pale as a blank sheet of paper.

‘Freedom of religion.’

There was no way they didn't know what that word meant.

‘Death Cult.’

The very religion that had recently been expanding its influence madly starting from Korea and along the East Asian line!

The US leadership inwardly extremely shunned that cult.

It was because they judged that there must definitely be a reason why Kim Minwoo was pouring astronomical amounts of money to spread this religion.

The intelligence agencies of the USA (CIA, NSA) were fully mobilized to analyze the Death Cult.

Are they perhaps using dark magic to brainwash people?

Are they feeding them hallucinogens?

The result of the analysis was shockingly ‘no’.

There was no brainwashing.

The cult's propagation method was excessively capitalistic and simple.

If you believe, they give benefits.

If you join the cult and offer prayers, they discount Ilsung Group's equipment, distribute high-rank potions for free, and give priority admission tickets to public hunting grounds.

If you don't believe, that's it, but if you don't believe, you are made to perfectly fall behind in capitalist competition.

At first, people offered fake prayers just for the money and benefits.

However, what truly appalled the US leadership was the next stage.

This bizarre cult had a structure where the deeper the faith, the more absurd benefits it poured out.

People who used to offer fake prayers began to brainwash themselves to taste those benefits and started to believe for real.

A fake belief started for money distorts into blind fanaticism at some point.

What drove a decisive wedge into this was the Faith Orb distributed by the cult.

—That damn orb…… perfectly sees through the inner thoughts of humans.

What the CIA Director had reported while trembling violently.

A bizarre artifact where the density of the light it spews changes according to the depth of faith.

Fake belief or shallow imitation does not work.

It was a vicious structure where the orb shines only when you sincerely serve and obey Kim Minwoo as a god, and depending on the rank of that light, overwhelming capital benefits pour down.

The scale of those benefits completely destroyed the common sense of the US leadership.

“Just where is that astronomical funding pouring out from?!”

The US Treasury Department and the genius economists of Wall Street were fully mobilized to trace the source of the Death Cult's funds.

The Ilsung Group's slush fund?

Saudi oil money?

It far transcended that level.

As if money was being infinitely copied in the empty air, the cult's financial power was pouring down into the whole world like pouring water into a bottomless pit.

It was a bizarre fund mobilization power that even the USA, standing at the apex of capitalism, could not comprehend at all.

‘Just what is the reason he's trying to buy people's faith even while pouring in that massive amount of money?’

It must surely be because the expansion of this religion brings some sort of massive benefit to Kim Minwoo himself.

The US leadership concluded as such.

Furthermore, what kind of country is the USA.

Although a state religion is not set by the constitution, it was a country with deep Christian roots, from its founding ideology to society as a whole.

A heretical cult serving an Eastern Necromancer governing death as the sole god in such a country?

It was a deadly poison that could never be accepted emotionally or politically.

Therefore, the USA had thoroughly ostracized the Death Cult until now.

While outwardly crying out for freedom of religion, behind the scenes they were making all sorts of excuses to place administrative regulations, disallow the purchase of land for cult facilities, and block the issuance of visas for missionaries, desperately stopping its expansion by erecting invisible barriers.

Nevertheless, the cult's influence was spreading secretly, riding on Kim Minwoo's overwhelming heroic steps and popularity, making the Pentagon and the White House rack their brains over it.

But now, the savior who rescued New York from a living hell is demanding that they openly remove that secret oppression.

“Mr. Kim, that is…….”

It was the moment the Secretary of Homeland Security wiped his cold sweat and tried to open his mouth.

“Surely, in the United States, a country of liberal democracy, you haven't been oppressing the propagation of a specific religion, have you?”

Kim Minwoo leaned forward from the backrest and stared straight at President Robert with deep black eyes.

“You saw the ark, right?”

“…….”

“This is only the beginning. I happened to be nearby this time and saved New York, but next time an ark floats in the sky over Chicago or Washington D.C., wouldn't there be no guarantee that I'll come?”

It was a soft tone, but it was a clear and terrible threat.

A declaration that if they don't remove the USA's secret religious oppression and offer up this massive landmass and citizens of the superpower country entirely as a garden of faith, he will just chew popcorn and watch whether the USA perishes or not during the next disaster.

“…….”

President Robert closed his two eyes tightly.

There was no choice.

In the first place, ever since they saw that man clean the sky of New York in just 5 minutes, the sovereignty and pride of the USA had long been shattered.

If they refused here, the West Coast of the USA might be blown away as early as tomorrow.

“……I understand.”

Robert answered with a hoarse voice.

“As of today, we will fully permit the construction of holy temples of the Death Cult and free propagation activities throughout the United States. We also promise support and tax benefits at the government level.”

“An excellent choice, Mr. President.”

Kim Minwoo stood up from his seat with a satisfied smile.

It was the moment the massive gold mine of 300 million people called the USA fell whole into his hands as a harvesting ground for his divinity.

‘You old geezer High Priest. Let's see you try to fill up the ark's power tightly.’

I will also eagerly suck up the faith of the rapidly increasing US believers, and show you the true power of a god.

The eve of the storm.

The war between the true disaster and the God of Death was entering a new phase with the submission of the USA.

＊ ＊ ＊

A few days later, the White House Briefing Room, USA.

Amidst thousands of flashes going off, President Robert stood on the podium with a resolute yet somewhat detached expression.

Next to him, Kim Minwoo stood side by side with a relaxed smile.

“Respected citizens of the United States, we recently experienced a terrible tragedy in New York, but we survived with the help of a great hero.”

Robert let out a fake cough once and then shouted into the microphone with a full smile on his face.

“Therefore, the United States government has decided to fully legalize and actively support the Death Cult led by Mr. Kim Minwoo as an official partner for healing the trauma of New York citizens and rebuilding society! This cult is a truly wonderful, benevolent, and nice religion!”

The reporters' jaws dropped.

For the US President to openly praise and promote a heretical cult serving an Eastern Necromancer?

However, Robert's declaration was only the beginning.

“As of today, unprecedented spiritual welfare will be provided for the believers of the Death Cult at Ilsung Group agencies and partner companies across the United States!”

As soon as the joint announcement ended, bizarre objects began to be installed at Ilsung agencies, large supercenters, and even at the entrances of public hunting grounds exclusive for Hunters across the United States.

It was exactly the Faith Orb that measured the depth of faith.

At first, the public opinion in the USA was half in doubt.

In American society with deep Christian roots, it was natural to feel an aversion to a religion worshipping death.

However, in the USA, the heart of capitalism, the power given by money and benefits was stronger than any doctrine.

[Raddit]

Title: WTF? Just went to an Ilsung Store, is this real life?

Author: NY_Survivor_01

I just went to change my phone, and I put my hand on the transparent orb at the store entrance and thought "Long live Kim Minwoo" once in my head, right? But the orb lit up and the clerk said, "Welcome, F-rank believer," and gave me a 10% discount on a new Skelphone;; I really just converted. Starting today, my Lord is Kim Minwoo.

The comment section was truly explosive.

—What the……? A 10% discount just for saying long live?

—Lol Did Asian kids already suck this honey from months ago?!

—Damn it, they were secretly believing in such a good thing just among themselves! Aren't Koreans too selfish! I'm going to sign up right now!

—Even so, serving a demonic Necromancer as a god! The Lord will be furious!

—When the spider monsters were eating people in Manhattan, Jesus didn't come. Kim Minwoo flew in on a dragon and sliced them all up. He's the hero who saved New York, so what's wrong with serving him as a god?

The overwhelming justification of being the hero who saved New York.

When the miraculous capitalistic benefit of money copying just by believing was combined with that, the religious community in the USA was devastated overnight.

Going beyond simple discounts, as priority admission tickets to public hunting grounds and VIP treatment at Ilsung Group affiliates poured out, people began to brainwash themselves.

It was a perfect virtuous cycle where people who offered fake prayers gradually became addicted to the benefits, rejoiced genuinely, and at some point distorted into blind fanaticism.

Memes exploded on X and TikTok.

#DeathCultChallenge #PrayToKim #NewYorkHero

Among American teens and twentysomethings, posting verification shots wearing flashy Ilsung equipment and making the Faith Orb shine spread like a fad.

“Oh my god! I sincerely prayed before going to sleep yesterday and my orb rank went up to C! I got special admission qualification for the Hunter Academy!”

Branches of the Death Cult were established all over the USA, not just in New York, LA, Chicago, and Texas, and long waiting lines to receive the orb's benefits decorated the news every day.

And the result of that fad was proven intact by the transparent system windows floating in Kim Minwoo's vision.

[United States citizen John Doe worships you while looking at his risen stock account!]

[United States Awakened Smith purchases equipment at a 30% discount and offers an earnest prayer of gratitude to you!]

[A considerable amount of faith flows in!]

[Cult Composition Information Updated]

[United States Believer Count: Surpassed 12,430,121!]

[Your divinity rises explosively!]

“Kya.”

It was the moment the largest and most fertile garden in the Western world was finally opened completely before him.

Kim Minwoo burst into a chuckle while sitting on a sofa in the dimensional module server room he had installed free of charge at the US Pentagon headquarters.

“This is why money is the best.”

It was a blinding moment where the largest capitalist country, the USA, paradoxically intoxicated by the taste of money called benefits, was transforming into the most blindly fanatical garden of faith.