Above Your Head

Vol 2. Chapter 67: The Salvation of God (4)

Seok Jeong-in.

He was one of the most famous broadcasters in Korea. He was the head of a broadcasting station, and even though he was over 60 years old, he had a fit body and good looks that landed him spots in magazines. Those watching TV lamented as if they were astonished by his appearance.

“What? Even Seok Jeong-in is like that? He’s one of the most famous and trusted broadcasters.”

“I used to respect him…”

His nose was over 50 centimeters long. It was long enough that he would have trouble with his daily activities. It also meant that he was a terrible liar.

His entire face was covered with countless tattoos – so many that his entire face appeared smudged. Thick and distinct tattoos meant that he had committed a considerable number of sins.

“…Well Seok Jeong-in wasn’t always in the light. There've been a couple of litigations too.”

“Still… I didn’t know it was to this degree.”

People’s eyes fixated on the screen. I was deeply impressed by Jeong-in’s actions.

‘How amazing.’

It was no exaggeration to say that the whole of Korea was watching him right now. His sins and lies were being revealed to the whole world, yet he appeared before the camera.

A firm determination was revealed in his eyes.

I thought myself to be righteous. I was confident that I had lived justly until now.

When he closed his eyes for a moment, a tattoo of himself speaking in front of TV rose above his eyelids. As he opened his eyes, the tattoo quickly relocated to his check.

That is not all. I thought I was quite a sincere and truthful person. I believed that I fought with all my heart to make the world a truer place.

He patted his nose as he spoke. The nose was now too long, and he could no longer touch the tip.

But I realized that I was working to my own sense of justice. I was no different from those that I despised and reviled for their evil. I was just a liar and a bully.

“What is he doing? Why is he confessing on the news? Does he think that this is the penitentiary?”

Jeong-in’s confession was pretty interesting at first glance, but the viewers’ complaints were justified. Why was he atoning for his sins on television? However, he did not stop despite the complaints of the people. The broadcasting station kept the video rolling as well.

This tattoo was caused by my narrow-minded judgement and broadcasting the accusation of a fake victim. This tattoo was made when I condemned a false accused victim through broadcasting. This tattoo was caused when I purposefully reduced the media coverage on Chunha Enterprise after receiving money. This tattoo was created when I manipulated public opinion based on the opinions of the people, rather than basing it on truth or falsehood. And this tattoo…

Jeon-in pointed out his tattoos one by one and revealed the story behind every single one. That was not all.

I lied. I manipulated the informant to reach the subject I wanted to discuss. The beginning and cause of the incident was…

He recounted a series of lies he had told. As time passed, even those who watched with interest at first began to take on uncomfortable expressions.

“Why is he using the news for telling personal stories when the stage is only a few hours away? Does he think he can do whatever he wants because he’s the boss?”

“If you’re such a big sinner, then go to the police instead!”

“Excuse me, could you change the channel? I have to go to the stage after dinner. This seems…”

As the complaints began to grow louder, Jeong-in suddenly changed his posture.

However.

“How~ever? Are you really going to pull that card out now?”

Someone gave a mocking laughter. Jeong-in continued in a somber voice.

It is also true that I worked hard for justice and struggled to tell the truth.

“What bullshit is he spouting? Does he want us to forgive him because he did good things too?”

“Why is he saying such words on the news?!”

“Turn the channel!”

“I’m trying to turn the channel, but it won’t work!”

People reacted with appalment outrage. Jeong-in would surely know that the public was reacting in such a manner, but he did not stop.

And so… I can hide all these sins. I’m telling you that I could have appeared on TV without such a horrific appearance. I can make my nose smaller or remove my tattoos.

“What?”

“What is he talking about?”

The grumbling crowd began to focus on the TV once again. Jeong-in continued.

The three gods that humanity came to face. Justice, Truth, and Honor have given humanity more than just a punishment. First, Justice has provided us with a weapon. Come, Sword of Righteousness.

A dagger appeared at his calling and rested on his palm. The 20-centimeter-long dagger was adorned with diamonds, and it was exuding a mysterious energy.

Sword of Righteousness, devour this sin.

Jeong-in pulled the dagger close to his face after speaking.

Wooong--!

The tattoos plastered all over his face began to be sucked into the dagger. Even though the tattoos had persistently made their appearance regardless of how hard one tried to hide them, they disappeared with no effort. As the Sword of Righteousness absorbed the tattoos, it transformed. The diamonds decorating the blade disappeared and the entire sword burned bright. It was now scattering a silver-white gloss as a platinum blade.

Jeong-in explained.

A Diamond-Rank Sword of Righteousness has been downgraded to Platinum Rank. Ah, for your information, I decided to call it the Sword of Righteousness. Whether it’s Justice Sword or Justice Weapon, if you imagine a weapon bestowed on you by Justice, it will appear.

Woong-!

After a while, all the tattoos on Jeong-in’s face had disappeared. His smudged face was not back to its original pristine form. By that time, the dagger had turned gold.

Now it has fallen down to the Gold Rank. Naturally, the power of the weapon bestowed by Justice is different for each rank. One could even say that there is a heaven-and-earth difference between each rank. Absorbing the sins does not result in a permanent decline, so it would be best to proceed with the stage after releasing the absorbed sins.

Jeong-in paused for a moment and collected his breath. He seemed to be quite nervous even if he was putting up a bold front.

Next is Truth. I decided to call the blessing of Truth as True Command, because it is a power that builds up as you continue to speak the truth. The usage is as follows.

Jeong-in touched his nose and spoke in a calm voice.

I would like my nose to go back to its original state as much as possible.

As he spoke, his long nose began to grow shorter as if by magic. It did not return completely to its original state and was still a little long, but it was barely noticeable unless one looked at it really closely. One of the Lee Family’s warriors groaned while watching the scene unfold.

“Then that means he could have looked normal from the very beginning.”

“He would have done so if he was trying to hide his sins and lies…”

The heated atmosphere of Gyeonghoeru began to subside. Many of the people around me were taking out their smartphones and texting their close friends who had locked themselves in their residences.

Jeong-in continued to speak.

The current time is 5:30 P.M. There is only an hour and a half left until the next stage. I tried to kill myself this morning, but… I accidentally succeeded in activating True Command and survived.

Jeong-in raised his wrist while speaking. A sharp scar was engraved on his wrist.

Other people may mock me and laugh at me, but I felt a sense of duty in that moment. I felt that I had a mission to increase the number of survivors by spreading this information to as many people as possible. Maybe even this is my own arrogance… Even so, I sincerely pray that those who are more righteous and honorable than me don’t suffer a vain death in the stage.

Jeong-in had been speaking while standing so far. He sat down on a chair prepared in the studio.

To maintain societal order, there is a need to adapt to God’s blessings as fast as possible.

Pat!

The chair turned gold as Jeong-in sat down.

This one is a system that is known to be compulsory, so everyone is most likely aware of it already. A person who is revered will have their chairs transformed into a different form, or a chair will appear out of thin air where they sit. It is commonly called a Throne.

Suddenly, Jeong-in’s golden throne changed color. The gold slowly morphed into a silver-white, platinum color, then became more colorful as diamonds began to decorate it. But Jeong-in was unaware of the phenomenon from where he was sitting, so he continued without hesitating.

The Throne isn’t just a fancy chair. Sitting on it will improve the rate that stamina and mental strength recovers, and it can even heal injuries. And although not widely known, there is an even more significant function to the throne. This function works when one is sitting on a throne in front of a table, or if there is something similar to a table in front of them.

Jeon-in dragged his chair closer to a desk in the studio.

I would like to eat cheesecake.

Pat!

A cheesecake appeared on the desk at his words.

“What!?”

I was so surprised that I jumped to my feet. This was a tremendous development.

“Food is appearing!? Really?”

“Don’t tell me that it works in the stage!?”

“What the hell!?”

People shouted and jumped up in appalment. It was only natural. The ability of the throne was on a completely different level from the previous two. The weapon provided by Justice, of course, was powerful, but it could sufficiently be replaced by a magic weapon from the vending machine. The power of True Command was also certainly a great power, but wasn’t it just a power of words?

In contrast, the throne’s ability to restore physical and mental strength while providing food was a game-changer. It was an ability that upset the directionality of the stage.

‘Since there’s a skill like Meal of Madness in the stage as well.’

Why would there be a need for such a crazy skill, where eating a part of one’s body increases the effect of eating by tenfold? Eating was essential. Paradoxically, it meant that there was not enough food provided in the stage. The bodies of the monsters rotted and disappeared as soon as they were killed, and the streams dried up with just a sip. In addition, hunting and gathering were prohibited in the stage.

‘This is nothing short of completely crushing one axis of the stage’s difficulty.’

This new addition could not be considered a characteristic or a skill of a game character. There was no way that the End Project would design an ability to ruin the stage. It could be considered an external program rather than a skill or an ability – something similar to a Game Modification.

Would the End Project tolerate such an act?

Well. With this, I have released all the information I have found. I hope you survive the ongoing stage and… I just want to say something to the staff.

Jeong-in spoke with a lighter expression. It appeared that he had lightened the load off his chest.

When I came to the broadcasting station today, nothing was working. It was no wonder, since less than 10% of the employees came to work. But look at me. Your sins, your lies. They can be compensated by performing acts of justice and telling the truth!

His eyes shook for a moment as he leaned back on the chair. He had finally realized that his throne was decorated with diamonds. But he shook his head and collected himself before staring at the camera.

So come back, all of you. As a journalist, and as a human being, perform your duties!

The broadcast finished and the stage guides began playing once more. But my attention was already ripped away from the TV. It wasn’t just me either.

“I want to eat a roll cake!”

Pat!

A roll cake appeared in front of Kyung-eun. Including Kyung-eun, the people around her let loose shouts of astonishment.

“Wow!!! It really works!”

“My lady! Try a bite of… No, I will try it first just in case!”

“No way! How could matter be created from nothing!?!”

With countless gazes focused on her, Kyung-eun cut a piece of the roll cake and put it in her mouth. Her eyes opened wide with delight.

“Delicious! This is real!”

“Oh my God!”

“Ah! Why do I have no honor! I was a pretty decent guy!”

“Justice Sword! Oh!! Ah! It appeared!”

People were shouting from all over the place. Everyone was trying to identify the blessings of the three intermediate gods that they had received.

“Roll cake! Roll cake! Roll cake! Ah, and milk! Milk!”

Kyung-eun continued to shout from her Iron Throne. Roll cakes and glasses of milk magically appeared in front of her and began piling up. After a short while.

Pat!

Her Iron Throne returned to a normal dining chair. It had ranked down after using up all of its power.

“Wow! Five roll cakes and three bottles of milk! They’re pretty big too! Plus, I can feel the cool time. It’s only 24 hours! We basically don’t have to worry about food anymore!”

Kyung-eun’s eyes glimmered with excitement. I became even more puzzled.

“Even though it’s only ranked Iron, it gives you that much food?”

“What do you mean only? Well, I guess it’s right after unranked, so it is at the bottom…”

I thought to myself while listening to her whines.

“Will it work?”

Would this work? Could food be summoned in the stage? Really?

Fortunately, I could confirm it in a short while. There was only an hour and thirty minutes before the stage began.

- Level 10. Difficulty has been set at easy.

- Defeat the enemies within 3 hours.

- Stage will begin in 10 seconds.

- 10. 9. 8. 7…

- 3. 2. 1. Initiating battle.

Kiing--!

As soon as I entered the stage, the enemy approached me with red, glowing eyes. It appeared to be a mixture of an alien and machine, and it emitted a weird, whirring sound. But that was important.

Rumble!!

The enemy was flung in the air with a flash of blue. Of course, it didn’t die in a single blow, but it was rendered immobile for a while after being struck with my attack head-on.

I immediately took out my Iron Mask and put it on. Then, I sat down.

Pat!

The surroundings brightened momentarily. I had sat on the bare floor, but a spectacular throne adorned with gold, silver, and all sorts of jewels was supporting my back.

- You are ranked Grand Master.

But rank was not important right now. I pulled out a pre-built table from my Unique World and shouted.

“I want a B set of Zinger Double Burger!”

It appeared as I cried out.

Thick chicken patties instead of bread, bacon and cheese dancing with the stimulating sauce in an irresistible harmony! French fries were next to it! Even coke! [1]

I had no choice but to admit it.

“Wow, this is crazy. Juan. You’re amazing.”

Kiing--!

As I expressed my admiration, the mysterious creature approached me once again. It was a steel, bipedal monster, but it walked differently from humans. If I had to name it, then it looked closer to an alien. The monster took out a long sword as it approached.

Wooong--!!

Its long sword began to emit strange noises. I became stiff at the unexpected sight.

“Huh? Don’t tell me that’s…?”

…I know. What are the chances? That guy. It’s ‘that’.

Ares expressed his bewilderment. Genie chimed in.

That’s right, Captain-nim.

Her voice was mixed with a hint of laughter.

It’s an Ultra-Vibration Blade.

I started to laugh my head off.

The entire human race had been granted the Sword of Righteousness and the power of True Command. The throne was providing assistance to correct the factor of starvation and destroying the stage’s difficulty.

And.

“What? Ultra! Vibration! Blade!?”

An idiotic, pushover enemy.

I finally realized.

The completion of my build was approaching.

1. is this PPL? LMAO