The Devouring Genius of a Destroyed World

Chapter 19

"Ugh!"

Seongho wrapped his arm around the man's neck and tightened his grip.

*Thud, thud!*

The man, startled by the sudden attack, struggled and beat on Seongho’s arm, but Seongho’s strength was not something an ordinary civilian could shake off.

Before coming to this place, Seongho had increased his physical stats to level 7 with the abilities he had gained.

Seongho, gauging his newfound strength, applied more pressure to his arm.

“Cough, cough...!”

The man’s breathing stopped, his eyes rolled back as he passed out.

Seongho laid the man down on the floor and turned his attention to the person still standing by the door.

*‘Not even a glance in my direction, huh?’*

The man didn’t look around at all, instead staring directly at the fire burning inside the room.

Seongho observed the man’s actions, recalling the words of the man he had just knocked out.

“Puppet bastard...”

The term was unfamiliar to him, but he had encountered it multiple times in writings.

In the original story, Go Ji-hoon used the term “puppet” to refer to those he controlled with his powers.

Seongho decided to close the door and head toward the source of the fire.

The flames, fueled by oil, were hard to extinguish, but after stamping the ignition point a few times with his foot, the flames died out.

Now, with a sigh of relief, Seongho walked back toward the person who was still standing motionless.

He waved his hand in front of the man’s face, grabbed his arm, even tugged at his cheek, but the man showed no reaction at all.

He had clearly fallen under the puppet ability.

*‘I can’t touch him now.’*

The puppet ability worked by connecting threads of this unique power to the head of the target, issuing commands. If Seongho were to kill the man or break the control, Go Ji-hoon would immediately notice something had happened to his puppet.

It was safe to assume that Go Ji-hoon had full control over anyone he was commanding.

Truly, it was an incredibly troublesome ability.

Seongho sighed inwardly, leaving the man as he grabbed a sleeping bag.

Without hesitation, he tore the sleeping bag into pieces.

It was to bind the unconscious man in case he regained consciousness, and also to be ready in case the one giving the orders woke up.

Seongho made sure to stuff a piece of the cloth into the man’s mouth, securing it tightly as a gag.

*‘No need to let him babble if he regains consciousness.’*

It was obvious the man would ask the puppet to help him once he woke up.

Seongho double-checked the knots, ensuring the gag wouldn’t come undone.

Then, he picked up the bundle of keys the unconscious man had dropped when he entered the room.

Upon closer inspection, Seongho noticed that all the keys had stickers on them.

*‘They’re all priest quarters keys.’*

Priest quarters were small individual spaces where priests typically resided.

*‘These spaces are perfect for isolating the newly arrived survivors.’*

Seongho considered the survivors who would be locked away in these quarters.

Even if he opened the doors with these keys, would they actually leave?

*‘Highly unlikely.’*

With a warm heater, a cozy sleeping bag, and delicious food at every meal, how willing would these survivors, weary from all their struggles, be to listen to Seongho’s words when they first met him?

*‘I’ll just stick to my original plan and leave these quarters untouched.’*

Seongho gathered the keys, the torn sleeping bag, and the portable heater with oil and headed toward the door.

Before leaving, he glanced back at the motionless man.

Although he couldn’t help him while he was under control, Seongho muttered under his breath,

“Wait until dawn. Then you won’t have to stay like this anymore.”

It wasn’t clear if the words were meant for the man who would be left behind or for Seongho, who had to leave him behind despite having a way to help him.

With that, Seongho shut the door and locked it. The sound of the lock echoed, and soon, his footsteps faded away.

The silence in the room deepened.

A single drop of water fell from the eyes of the man, standing motionless like a broken puppet.

No one saw it, but it was there.

* * *

The priest’s quarters were off-limits to outsiders.

But Seongho vaguely knew the layout of these quarters.

*‘The head priest certainly took good care of me.’*

As a curious child, Seongho had been shown around the building by a priest before.

A disturbance he had never anticipated suddenly appeared.

*Flap!*

*Caaw!*

A crow flew from a nearby tree and

headed straight for Seongho.

“Ah...!”

Startled, Seongho almost shouted, but quickly shut his mouth.

He swatted at the crow, knocking it down with his hand.

But the crow quickly recovered, flying up again and attacking him.

*Caaw! Caaw!*

The crow screeched loudly, causing chaos.

The once silent church was now filled with noise.

Seongho grabbed the crow by the beak, muffling its protest.

Although the crow continued to squawk in protest, it wasn’t as loud as before.

The surroundings grew quiet once again.

Seongho, still on edge, scanned the area.

The dark night offered no sign of movement.

There were no lights or people approaching.

Only then did Seongho let out a quiet sigh of relief, his gaze turning sharp again.

He stared at the crow, still held in his grip, as a memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.

*‘Follow the black beast, and you’ll find an easier path.’*

The fortune cookie’s words that had occasionally clouded Seongho’s mind on his way to the church.

*‘The black beast...’*

Could it be related to this situation now?

The thought felt improbable, but there was still a nagging feeling.

Seongho was torn, unable to resolve the confusion in his mind.

Then, he felt the crow struggling in his grip and snapped out of his thoughts.

For a brief moment, he glanced between the crow and the path ahead.

*‘Given the setting of this world, there aren’t many living beasts.’*

The likelihood of encountering the black beast again seemed low.

However, it was worth checking.

Seongho, having hurried from the priest’s quarters, still had time before dawn.

He murmured to the crow in his hand.

“If you make noise again, I’ll snap your neck.”

Although he felt a little ridiculous talking to the crow, he couldn’t help himself, and instinctively spoke the words.

After that, Seongho cautiously loosened his grip, letting the crow go.

The crow tilted its head, seeming to think for a moment.

*‘At least it didn’t make as much noise as before.’*

Seongho’s tense feelings gradually eased.

With a silent sigh of relief, Seongho looked down at the crow standing at his feet.

*‘If it’s going to follow, it needs to move first.’*

Should he urge it to go?

Before he could finish the thought, the crow hopped forward.

Seongho watched the crow’s back, following its lead.

A short time later, the crow stopped in front of a building—the morgue's back entrance.

*Creek, creak.*

The sound of something being dragged on the floor.

Thud, thud.

It sounded like something was being struck.

Was someone inside the building?

*‘Why didn’t anyone come out when the crow was causing a ruckus earlier?’*

There were no lights visible from the outside.

What was this sound?

Seongho’s confusion grew, and as he tilted his head to figure it out, the crow stopped by a corner of the building.

A faint light was leaking from inside.