Apocalypse’s Teacher

Chapter 71

Fanatics Are a Menace (2)

***

Booooom-!

The loud bell rang noisily.

In the middle of the procession of believers, a zombie tied to a large cross was struggling.

“Grooo….”

The zombie twisted its body, but it couldn’t stop their procession.

Even the zombies drawn to the commotion couldn’t stop them.

Crack-!

Crunch-!

Armed forces on the outskirts of the procession crushed the zombies with their weapons.

As the zombies fell to the ground, the path was splattered with blood.

That blood stretched out like a red carpet behind them.

I felt my mind heating up as I watched them.

‘Fanatics.’

Fanatics.

Th i s wa s c opi e d fro m k i ng m t l . o r g
Fanatics.

Those fanatics that should be torn apart.

They had finally come to Seodaemun, causing a ruckus.

That grotesque parade was something they did whenever they established a new base, so this was a definite sign.

‘Damn bastards…!’

My body tensed up.

My eyes filled with rage.

My reason blurred with anger.

The thought of going out and tearing them apart filled my mind.

As I began to forget the current situation and stirred, Ki-hyun grabbed my hand.

“Uncle, calm down.”

It was a whisper.

That made my body shudder.

I glanced at the kids in my arms.

They wore similarly grim expressions.

“Isn’t that the Eternal Pilgrimage Church?”

Jinwoo asked with a frightened face.

Ki-hyun bit her lip and tried to comfort Jinwoo.

Only then did my mind cool down.

‘Not now….’

Not now.

If I went out and caused a commotion, the kids would be in danger.

Putting them at risk for personal reasons was not something a teacher should do.

Grinding my teeth.

I suppressed the rising anger and comforted the kids.

“…Let’s wait until they pass.”

The kids held their breath.

Ignoring the bell and the zombies’ groans, I closed my eyes.

***
T h i s w a s c o p i e d f r o m k ing m t l . o r g

The Eternal Pilgrimage Church.

If asked to name the most famous group in post-apocalyptic Seoul, this name would always come up first.

It would also be named the most dangerous group.

Nobody knows when this religion came into existence.

Nobody knows what its purpose is.

What Seoul knows is that this religion existed before the apocalypse and that its leader, the Priest, is on a blacklist.

Even the followers of the religion rarely see the Priest.

After the apocalypse, those who followed his orders took over half of Seoul.

And they have killed more than half the population of Seoul.

Why did they kill more people than the zombies?

The reason is simple.

They are the ones who made post-apocalyptic Seoul such a hellish place.

On the first day of the catastrophe, they attacked Seoul’s power plants and research facilities.

Within two weeks, they had cut off all infrastructure and communication with the outside world.

They did this while the military and police were distracted by the zombies.

Of course, nobody knew they were behind it at the time.

It was only after they revealed it themselves that the truth came out.

It’s hard to believe, but that’s the truth.

There was a reason for it, as absurd as it might sound.

The first thing they did when they came out was rescue refugees.

They saved people trapped in apartments and buildings.

Then they distributed food, set up shelters, and preached.

The Eternal Pilgrimage Church emerged as saviors, hiding their true intentions and deceiving people.

Naturally, many believed in them.
Th is wa s c o p ie d fr o m k in g m tl .o r g

Many who had lost their way after the collapse of society knelt before them and declared themselves followers.

Their numbers grew, and they began to take over the entire area south of the Han River.

T his wa s c o p i e d fro m k ingm t l . or g
They revealed their true intentions during a rally half a year into the apocalypse, by which time there was no force left to stop them.

We made Seoul this way.

We did it according to God’s will.

That’s what they declared at the rally.

All the survivors were horrified, but it was too late.

Their power had grown too large for the remaining survivors to defeat them.

Internal coups were, of course, impossible.

To suppress coups, they used an unimaginable method.

A horrific sacrificial ritual called ‘Pilgrimage.’

In a gathering, they would turn a living person into a zombie and burn them.

Indeed.

The Eternal Pilgrimage Church governed through fear.

They showed what happened to traitors through their ‘rituals.’

Resistance was futile.

The group, consumed by fear, covered it with fanaticism to protect themselves.

They erased reason and thought, focusing only on fanaticism.

T hi s w a s c o p i e d fr om k i n g m t l . o rg
The outcome of rational individuals attempting a coup was predictable.

They were sacrificed to the madness, having lost their reason to survive.

It was a truly terrible vicious cycle.

And it was one I could never forget.

…Yes, there’s no point in hiding it now.

On the day the apocalypse began, I was at the core of that terrible religion.

Believing they were true saviors, I joined them with my mentor.

-Seokho, run.

And so, I lost my mentor, who had been like a father to me, my only family.

***

Someone once said that dreams are manifestations of the unconscious.

I want to ask that person.

If that’s true, what does the scene before my eyes mean?

“Seokho!”

My mentor slapped my cheek.

I stared blankly at him.

Slap-!

Slap-!

Despite being slapped, I felt no pain.

Around me was a sea of flames, and people were falling, pierced by bullets.

One peculiar thing was that despite the people screaming around me, I could hardly hear any sounds.

“Seokho, get a grip and move! You have to escape and survive!”

With a grave face, my mentor spoke urgently.

I instantly knew what this dream was showing.

‘…It’s five years ago.’

The dream reflected events from five years ago.

It was the time just a few months after the apocalypse began, when the true nature of the Eternal Pilgrimage Church was revealed.

It was the day the believers, who rose up against the inhumane cult, were brutally crushed.

“Seokho!”

My mentor called me again.

My lips moved involuntarily, answering him.

T h i s w a s c o p ie d f ro m k in gmtl. o r g
“You should come with me! We can hide somewhere safe!”

“How can I go? Look at all these people here.”

“Then I’m not going…!”

Slap-!

“Don’t be foolish and go!”

“No! How can I live alone?”

My mentor’s face crumbled.

My heart also shattered, reflecting his expression.

“Seokho.”

I knew what he would say next.

T h i s w as c o p i e d fro m k i ng m t l . o rg
“…Don’t let me die with regrets. Okay?”

His hand trembled.

A fragile smile appeared on his face.

I felt my eyes burn with tears.

No, it was actually happening.
T h i s w as c o p i ed f ro m k i ng m t l .or g

At that time, I had run away crying so hard that my vision blurred.

My body staggered up.

I stepped back and moved away, leaving my mentor behind.

“Ugh….”

An animalistic groan escaped my lips.

A mechanical reaction I didn’t intend.

I sighed inwardly, detaching my mind from my uncontrollable body.

‘Damn it.’

It was ironic.
Th is w a s c o pi e d f r o m k i n g m t l .o rg

Seeing my mentor after so long, but having no time to exchange words.

T hi s w a s co pied f r o m k in g m tl . o rg
It was painful to relive this moment in a dream.

I thought blankly.

‘What happens next….’

I recalled the events after the failed coup and my escape five years ago.

‘I ran to the riverside. I tried to escape by boat but turned back, thinking I couldn’t leave him.’

I couldn’t let my mentor die.

If he was dead, I had to at least take his body and bury him properly.

I couldn’t let him become zombie food.

With that thought, I retraced my steps.

And I found my mentor’s burned, rolling corpse.

As soon as the memory surfaced, the world flipped.

Once again, I saw a sea of flames.

In the middle, my mentor’s broken, rolling corpse.

The striped T-shirt like an uncle, the chubby cheeks, and the wristwatch I had given him when I passed the teacher’s exam—all were his.

I knelt.

With trembling hands, I held his still-warm head.

“I….”

I spoke with a trembling voice.

“I’ll definitely… avenge you.”

Thus, the events of that nearly forgotten day were freshly engraved in my mind.

End of Chapter