Surviving as a Cult Leader in Another World (Going up)

Do you know anything about "Church Retreats"?

Usually, youth group church retreats mean singing hymns, reading the Bible, praying a bit, eating delicious food in the evening, having a BBQ party and playing games at an outdoor training ground.
After experiencing such a retreat for about 2 nights and 3 days, the participants become closer to each other, and couples even start to form.
In my opinion, church retreats in the 21st century were actually social gatherings.
"But even among the fakes, there are the real ones. Just like me."
There were also genuine retreats that were worthy of the word "training".
When I was still a theology student, I used to go to these kinds of retreats every quarter.
From morning till night, we would read the Bible, pray aloud until our voices were hoarse, and train ourselves to the point where our knees were bruised from kneeling all day.
Life at this Emrys Monastery was similar.
A week spent solely on cultivating holy power and meditating on faith.
I finally stood before the test.
"Monk Hyde. Cough, if you have awakened to holy power, you will be able to purify this murky muddy water. This water is muddy, but it was originally holy water, so it will react to your holy power. Cough."
Puccino, the overseer of the monks, held out a bowl to me, his oddly shaved, egg yolk-like bald head gleaming.
"Cough! Cough, cough, cough!"
Puccino had a bad cough and coughed every day, but he didn't cover his mouth and just spread germs everywhere.
He was a very ignorant fellow.
The washbasin-like bowl that Puccino gave me contained murky muddy water, so cloudy that I couldn't even see my reflection.
"Go ahead, try it. Cough."
At Puccino's words, I accepted the bowl.
My test was to purify this bowl with holy power.
"I wonder if that barbarian has gained enlightenment about holy power?"
"Come on, that guy is neither a saint nor a holy woman, how can he awaken to holy power in just a week?"
The monks murmured in disbelief as they looked at me, but I was very confident.
Because I had truly lived a pious and healthy life of faith for this past week.
I'll clear up this muddy water in no time.
"Huuup-!"
I grabbed the washbasin with my hands and put all my strength into it.
Splash, splash-.
Perhaps because of the strength in my hands, small ripples appeared on the surface of the washbasin for a moment─.
Bubble, bubble- Bubbles started to form in the muddy water of the washbasin.
"Oh?"
Honestly, I was surprised.
Because it seemed like a mysterious power had settled in me, even though I had no talent for magic or aura!
To concentrate even more, I closed my eyes and focused on my inner spirituality.
I felt something tingling from my heart, spreading throughout my body.
It felt like hot blood was spreading through blocked blood vessels, and my body temperature seemed to rise rapidly.
"L-look at that!"
"Oh my god, what is that!"
"The water is changing!"
I could hear people's surprised voices.
Had the water in the bowl become so clean that it had turned into rainbow-colored holy water?
With such anticipation, I opened my eyes and was slightly taken aback.
Because it was still the same murky muddy water.
The only difference was that it was bubbling like carbonated water.
"What is this?"
Pfft-.
Soon, I heard laughter.
I turned my head and saw the monks, with their shiny bald heads, laughing at me.
"It didn't become clear at all!"
"Oh my god, even if you have no talent for holy power, how can it be like that!"
What in the world was going on?
I had truly cultivated a pious and ascetic discipline for this past week.
I prayed and meditated from the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep, so why was this happening?
"There's a problem. There must be something wrong with this muddy water!"
I was convinced that there was some trickery involved with this muddy water. How could I, of all people, fail to purify water? There was no other option but that there was some trickery with the muddy water.
However, Puccino, the overseer of the monks, shook his head.
"Tsk, tsk, there's nothing wrong with the water. Cough. There's really nothing wrong with the water, so don't be suspicious, you insolent fool!"
"No, but I still want to check it out."
As I was about to dip my hand into the murky water, Puccino snatched the bowl from my hand and splashed it on the dirt floor.
Just as I was about to say, "No─," at his arbitrary action.
"You incompetent fool! You can't even admit your own shortcomings!"
A thunderous voice boomed.
I turned my head and saw a gray-haired man with a neatly shaved beard, who looked particularly skinny, frowning at me with a very fierce expression.
It was Nomad, the abbot of this monastery.
"How dare you blame the water for your lack of piety and virtue? You, I see now that your discipline is lacking. You will participate in physical training from tomorrow!"
"Physical training?"
What is physical training?
Was there another method of cultivating "holy power" that I didn't know about?
My interest was piqued!
The next day.
I found out what physical training was.
This Emrys Monastery was largely self-sufficient, cultivating a fairly large field behind the monastery to grow vegetables.
Farming in this barbaric medieval era was complete hard labor.
I honestly felt like it was a waste of time to be farming when I didn't even have time to pray.
"There must have been something wrong with the muddy water. Maybe the soil wasn't good. Or maybe the holy water was a bit cheap. Or maybe the location of this monastery isn't good?"
I wanted to take the holy power test again.
But my body was getting tired from the hard farm work every day, and there were times when I just fell asleep while praying.
"I finally got a second chance, but if I stay like this, I'll become a farmer, let alone a clergyman."
Swish-.
I secretly slipped out of my room at night when even the moonlight was hidden by clouds.
I was going to test my holy power alone using the holy water provided in the monastery.
However, holy water was a fairly precious item, so even in the monastery, it was kept in the chapel, which only high-ranking monks could enter.
And of course, it was the rule that someone had to stand guard at such a place, but the guard at the chapel was dozing off.
The monks in this monastery farmed every day, so they couldn't help but get tired and doze off at night.
"You foolish man. Salvation and heaven come like a thief while you are asleep. That's why people should always be awake."
Swish, swish-.
I gave a brief sermon to the sleeping guard and passed by him without a sound.
When I entered the chapel, there was a bowl with holy water in it.
I mixed the soil I had put in my pocket beforehand into the bowl and then infused it with 'holy power' as I had done during the test.
"Huuup!"
Then a strange change occurred.
Instead of becoming clear, the holy water bubbled with bubbles.
"What is this?"
Just as I was feeling puzzled, a familiar sound hit my ears.
Cough-. Cough-.
The sound of coughing.
When I listened closely, I could hear not only the sound of coughing but also the sound of people talking.
"Is Overseer Puccino muttering prayers?"
Prayers.
I only recently realized that the prayer Overseer Puccino gave me on the first day was the "Wooden Plaque Prayer".
In this world, monks recited different prayers depending on their rank, and of course, the higher the rank, the greater the effect of the prayer.
Puccino was a 10-year monk with his name engraved on an iron plaque.
His prayer must also be the Iron Plaque Prayer.
Praying with that every day would be much more helpful in cultivating holy power than the Wooden Plaque Prayer.
With that thought, I listened closely to the prayer room where Puccino was staying.
━Yes, I proceeded the same way this time as well. The muddy water was just ordinary water. It wouldn't react to holy power unless it was holy water, cough. It was a suitable play to make him do physical training under the pretext of lack of discipline. Cough.
━That barbarian guy, he's got good stamina. He's very energetic. The sisters want an energetic sacrifice. Let's make him work a little more and then sell him to the sisterhood.
━As expected of the abbot. Cough. This time, the muddy water even started to boil. Even I, Puccino, was very surprised. Cough. Is it the sorcery the sisterhood taught you?
━Boiling? I don't know what you mean. But I've always been receiving help from the witches of the Crescent Moon. If I'm soon to be promoted to bishop, it's thanks to them.
"This fucking…"
I knew it.
It wasn't my fault that there was a problem with cultivating holy power.
With these heretics occupying the head of the monastery, it was impossible to accumulate holy power no matter how hard I tried.
No matter how clean I tried to be, if there were muddy loaches splashing dirty water next to me, it was only natural that my clothes would get dirty.
As I reached that thought, I started to get very angry.
"My time."
Almost 12 days.
I couldn't stand the fact that I had wasted nearly two weeks because of these despicable bastards.
12 days might not seem like much, but religiously, 12 days was enough time for God to create the world twice and resurrect from the dead four times.
"How dare─."
I couldn't tolerate those who colluded with cult heretics calling themselves monks.
And on top of that, they tricked me with the muddy water and scolded me in front of everyone for being immoral?
Moreover, they were planning to exploit me and sell me to the "Crescent Moon Sisterhood"?
"─Guilty."
Nomad, the abbot of the Emrys Monastery, was in a very good mood.
This was because the new slave – the monk – who had recently arrived was very strong and healthy.
'He was a guy who knew about letters and theology. "This is how faith should be every day" – I didn't like him chattering on and on, but his life will be over soon!'
Nomad was excited at the thought of handing over the newcomer to the "Crescent Moon Sisterhood".
The newcomer was tall, had a decent face, and could even read, so he would be worth a lot.
The "Crescent Moon Sisterhood" especially liked tall, handsome, and intelligent men.
"This time, I think I'll get 30 silver coins."
30 silver coins.
Nomad's butt was already wiggling at the thought of buying a headband for his lover, Christona, who lived in Sodomi, with that money.
He would use the remaining money after buying a gift for his lover to express his 'sincerity' to the Archbishop of Durgien. Then, it wouldn't be a dream for Nomad to be recommended for the position of Bishop of Sodomi at the upcoming council.
"Bishop Nomad. Nomad, who became a Silver Bishop in 20 years, starting from his days as a lowly Wooden Plaque Monk─."
It was while he was lost in his dreams.
Clatter, clatter-.
The window of the abbot's office shook violently and then burst open.
"What's with this wind in the summer?"
Grumbling and going to the window to close it, Nomad realized that someone was standing outside the window.
"Huh?"
The distance was about 50 feet.
It was like a pitch-black shadow.
Under the dark sky, where even the moonlight was obscured by clouds, it slowly raised a finger towards Nomad.
As if pointing.
Only that gesture was clearly visible in the darkness.
"You heretical son of a bitch, motherless Nomad. You're nothing but lies except for breathing. No, now even your breathing will become a lie. I'll cast the Curse of Awareness on you─."
"Wh-what? Son of a bitch? Motherless…? Who is it! Who's playing pranks at this hour!"
Nomad was startled by the voice that could be clearly heard in the darkness.
Just as he was wondering what in the world was going on, the dark voice added,
"It is said, you shall only be able to breathe if you are aware of your breathing every second, every moment. Inhalation and exhalation. Feel the air entering your lungs vividly every day."
"Wh-who's there! Who is it! Who is it! Who's playing this prank at this hour! Is it Hans? Are you holding a grudge because I kicked you out of the monastery!?"
Nomad hurriedly shouted as he grabbed a nearby candlestick.
But when he turned his head, the black shadow had already disappeared.
"What the…"
Letting out a sigh, whew-, thinking it was strange, Nomad soon noticed something odd. Exhaling and inhaling─.
That act, which was so natural that he had never paid much attention to it before, became unusually conscious.
"Br-breath…?"
Breathe in, breathe out.
He had to concentrate solely on that fact and couldn't do anything else.
10 minutes, 15 minutes─no matter how much time passed, it didn't return to normal.
Nomad was so flustered that cold sweat dripped down his face.
"…Let's sleep! Yes, let's sleep!"
Thinking that it might get better after waking up, Nomad lay down on the fluffy goose down quilt. The moment he closed his eyes─this man realized that things were more frightening than he thought.
The moment he closed his eyelids to sleep and entered unconsciousness─.
Nomad's breath stopped at the same time.
"…This fucking… if I sleep, I'll forget to breathe!"