Dark Fantasy Normalized-Chapter 81: Cultist (2)
[Title: What the f*ck is this secret location quest?]
Content:
You know that quest where you have to pick the White Shadow Cult's secret hideout out of 7 choices?
I picked wrong 6 times in a row,
and when I looked, only 3 survivors out of 30 were left.
At that point,
what’s the difference between me and a Nazi turning a gas valve?
I reflected on myself deeply and picked my final choice.
But f*ck, it was a dud again?
What is this?
Is there some secret order you're supposed to pick?
Did I f*ck up and get everyone killed?
Reply: Nah nah, the crystal orb deliberately runs you in circles to waste time. That’s how it’s supposed to be.
[Original Poster]:
No but seriously,
is our job seriously just standing around, getting people killed while demons f*ck with us?
Whoever made this game is a sadist.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to just have the survivors resurrected and fight from the start?
Reply:
Nah, that wouldn't be f*cked up enough, lmao.
Reply:
What the hell are you saying, dumbass.
Reply:
"Not f*cked up enough" ← legit the first time in my life hearing that combination of words.
Reply:
You'd have to be someone who spends their whole day imagining ways to make other people miserable to come up with phrasing like that, seriously.
Reply:
This garbage game really does open up a whole new world to players...
[Original Poster]:
Thinking exclusively about how to make other people miserable.
***
White Shadow Cult.
Some call them madmen, ruled by pure insanity.
I think that's a mistake.
What sort of insanity lets you stay so shrewd and calculating?
If there’s a kind of "useful madness" like that,
I'd like to take a bite of it myself.
In short,
they’re not ruled by madness—
they're just too rational.
Rational enough to discard humanity as a useless value.
That’s why they’re so horrifying to face.
They operate from a perspective completely different from ours.
Let’s use an example:
Suppose you have to smuggle an object into a city without getting caught.
What method would you choose?
Wait—before you answer,
let me tell you how they do it.
Ah, just to be clear—this isn’t something I made up.
It’s based on a documented case, okay?
So don’t look at me weirdly.
Anyway.
They approached a group of traveling merchants while they were camping.
While the merchants slept, they slit their bellies open,
hid the object inside their stomachs,
then drugged them so they wouldn’t notice anything wrong with their bodies.
And then... yeah.
Let’s not get too detailed. It’s almost lunchtime, after all.
Right.
It’s ridiculous.
How the hell would anyone even discover something like that?
Guards inspect wagons for contraband,
not merchants' bellies.
That’s the kind of people they are.
They think and act from a completely different viewpoint.
That’s why we’re always dancing in the palm of their hand.
We can't even imagine the world they see—
but to them, imagining the world we see is child’s play.
And then they add black magic on top of it all.
So—
If you ever think you’ve figured out their plan,
you'd better be very careful.
You might already be right where they want you.
Before they carry out any major ritual,
they calculate every possibility and scenario in advance.
It’s almost impossible for us to escape once we’re caught.
After all, we’re decent humans who live by norms and rules.
—From "The Crawling Library Eloran"
***
"What the hell..."
The White Shadow Cult priestess, Goldina, was dumbfounded by the absurdity of the situation.
She had thoroughly controlled all variables related to the plan.
She had accounted for almost every possible complication.
Proof of that was how even Ran, a councilor wielding tremendous authority in Bondales, had been playing right into their hands.
Thus, the ritual was supposed to proceed without interruption,
and even if something unexpected did occur, it was meant to be part of the plan.
...But this was different.
She had thought she had considered every possibility.
But the current situation was completely outside any prediction.
Of course it was.
—You saw it, didn’t you!? I would never lie to you, Jjuinnie!!!
Who the hell plans for the possibility that the main actor in their scheme will betray them?
That wasn’t thoroughness—that was just being an idiot.
"Dan Galeon... What the hell is happening..."
Goldina, cultist of the White Shadow Cult, committed the grave blasphemy of speaking their revered entity’s true name aloud as she demanded an explanation.
Even that was after holding back and restraining herself countless times.
Otherwise, a stream of furious curses would have come pouring out immediately.
It was, indeed, the kind of deranged mental resilience fitting for a member of the notorious White Shadow Cult.
She desperately tried to interpret the current situation in a rational way.
Ah!
Finally, she shouted, as if realizing something:
"You lured them into a trap, didn't you!? Everyone, prepare for battle!"
At her call, the cultists reaffirmed their unwavering faith.
The demon immediately answered their loyalty—
—N-no!! Jjuinnie!! Do not listen to their wicked lies!
I have no intention of deceiving you!!!
Quick, defeat them and stop their evil ritual!
"You bastard son of a bitch!!!"
At last, Goldina couldn’t hold it in anymore and screamed.
"This whole damn ritual was for your sake!
You praised us with your own mouth!
And now you’re pulling this kind of bulls**t at the last second!?"
Ooooh.
Shit.
What the hell is this?
Seriously, what the hell?
Shakan's eyes widened in awe at the once-in-a-lifetime spectacle before her.
The White Shadow Cult.
Never did she imagine she'd live to see these lunatics flustered like this.
Even throwing away all pretense of dignity, brawling pathetically with a demon.
It was the moment the cultists—hidden away in their secret location, performing a vile ritual—were caught.
Both sides, teetering on the brink of exploding.
In a situation where things could have descended into total catastrophe at any moment,
they still chose to maintain the position of meek observers.
Even the other cultists did the same.
The sheer absurdity of what was unfolding before their eyes united them.
"That—! That’s not Dan Galeon!!! Don't panic! Stay calm and prepare for battle!"
At last, Goldina, having completely lost her rationality, drew out all her power.
Someone tried to calm her down.
—Calm yourself! Every one of those three humans over there wields strength equal to yours!
Stop this meaningless resistance!
It was the demon sealed inside the crystal orb, Dan Galeon.
He coolly explained just how formidable Shakan and Maldad were, trying to persuade the cultists.
—From that red magician, I can feel the essence of burning flame!
He carries the fragment of the Red Tower Master I once faced in the past!
Surely he has inherited that spirit!
—And that beastkin woman—Oh-ho!
A descendant of the Thunder Stride!
That idiot once laughed as he bit a sword with his mouth ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ even after losing both arms and legs!
Just thinking about him still makes my blood run cold!
The persuasion was so logical that every cultist—except Goldina—lost their fighting spirit.
—And if you so much as lay a scratch on Jjuinnie,
I swear by the name of the Burning Darkness itself—
I will curse your existence for all eternity!
Finishing with a threat.
As expected of a demon—
the carrot and the stick were masterfully wielded.
"..."
Goldina’s pupils rippled like the surface of boiling water.
She was, at her core, a rational being.
One who had no qualms about discarding human values for the sake of efficiency and profit.
Even now, as her brain seethed with fury,
the fact that she still refused to be ruled by emotion proved that.
Thus, with cold, rational judgment,
Goldina chose the best course of action available to her.
"You pitiful little mongrel of a demon.
My curse will one day devour you whole!"
Thrust.
The dagger—originally intended to desecrate sacrifices in service of her lord—
was driven neatly through her own throat.
And so, cursing him to the end,
Goldina took her own life.
"..."
The remaining low-ranked cultists.
Unlike Goldina, they lacked both the intellect and madness necessary to act.
They did not realize that, even if they survived this place,
what awaited them would be torture followed by death.
Clatter.
The cultists dropped their weapons, raising their hands in surrender.
Clear, unmistakable surrender.
Thus, the situation came to an end.
The priests of the White Shadow Cult were nightmares incarnate.
Facing them demanded more than mere mortal resolve—
even those in the realm of superhuman strength had to be prepared to die.
Yet now, the corpse of one such priest, Goldina,
lay sprawled in the blood-soaked dirt, pitiful and lifeless.
"What the actual hell."
Even the battle-hardened warrior woman couldn't help but mutter, dumbfounded.
It wasn’t just her.
City Councilor Ran, Valrod the Red Tower Master’s disciple, and Demon Hunter Maldad—
even they were at a loss, having never encountered a situation like this before.
Only Lisir, used to such absurd scenes,
calmly stepped forward to begin freeing the people who were still tied up.
Seeing him, the others finally snapped out of it and rushed to assist.
***
City Councilor Ran Pellos—
who had risen to her position before even reaching her thirties—
was the idol of young noble circles in Bondales.
Her immaculate, unshakable public image was her trademark.
"...So... is it over?"
That same Ran Pellos now looked around nervously, voice small and uncertain.
The high priest who led the cultists had taken his own life.
The remaining members had been arrested.
The victims, though still dazed, had at least survived unharmed.
By her standards, it looked like the incident was wrapped up.
"..." "..." "..."
Shakan.
Valrod.
Maldad.
By their standards too, the matter seemed resolved.
But maybe he would see it differently?
They all, almost simultaneously, sneaked side-glances at Lisir.
"...Why are you all looking at me like that?"
Why do you think?
They all glanced toward the crystal orb resting in Lisir’s hand.
—Jjuinnie!
"Stop calling me that."
—Check that priest’s belongings!
If my memory’s right, he received a letter from the higher-ups!
"A letter?"
—Yes!
He kept it hidden even from his fellow cultists!
I’m sure of it!
Wow.
What the hell is that thing.
Scraping together every last shred of its soul just to snitch.
No wonder it was a demon.
Ran, her group, and even the cultists stared at the orb with dead, tired eyes.
They made a silent vow—
if they ever had to deal with a demon again,
they would never listen to its voice.
"Tch. Looting's new for me..."
Looking down at the blood-soaked cultist’s corpse with a reluctant grimace,
Lisir finally made up his mind.
He shoved his hand into the priest’s robes.
—Jjuinnie! Just take everything!
It’s not like it belongs to anyone anymore!
The demon’s gleeful (and very suspicious) whisper echoed at his side.
Lisir was tempted.
Very tempted.
Even though he could feel everyone's eyes boring into him.
"Ugh. The demonic whispers... They're too strong...!"
Compelled by the overwhelming power (supposedly),
Lisir pocketed a ring and a pouch from the cultist’s corpse.
They stared at him like he had truly lost his mind.
Looting a White Shadow Cult priest’s belongings?
Wasn’t he afraid of curses?
Of repercussions?
Ran’s party almost tried to warn him—
—but then gave up after hearing the crystal orb’s voice yell excitedly:
—It's Jjuinnie’s rightful spoils!
No need to feel guilty!
...Fine.
Do whatever you want.
"This must be it."
Lisir pulled out a letter.
The first thing he did was hand it over to Ran.
Ran immediately unfolded it and began reading.
"..."
Her face turned grave as she passed it to Valrod.
"This is..."
After Valrod, it went to Shakan.
After Shakan, to Maldad.
Finally, back to Lisir.
Once everyone had read the letter, they exchanged grim nods.
"We should immediately find someone to decode this—"
"Their meeting is scheduled for tomorrow—"
...Huh?
Lisir’s words clashed with the others.
All eyes turned toward him again.
