Chapter 29

It didn’t happen often, but occasionally, a playable character would succumb to the mark of a dark god worshipper.

It was a type of status effect. Naturally, there were ways to resolve it.

“If you use holy water, you can move for a while.”

The holy water I had brought to capture Ira Yun had the effect of freeing one from all negative effects.

However, the heretical mark was a semi-permanent curse.

Once the effect of the holy water ended, the erosion would resume.

Using holy water just to enjoy such a limited effect would be like throwing a precious item onto the ground—it wasn’t worth it.

It could be saved for completely capturing Ira Yun or suppressing Kang Han’s rampage.

The possibilities were endless.

“For now, I’ll endure with sheer willpower.”

Even I thought it was a tough strategy, but there was no other choice.

As the boss raid, which involved a foe the size of a small building, progressed, my complexion noticeably worsened.

“Hey, step back for a moment!”

“Joo Yidam, you look pale.”

Even Jin Mugyeol and Wi Seoyeon eventually asked if I was okay.

Of course, I had no intention of stepping back.

“I’m fine. Focus on the raid. We’re almost done.”

The boss raid itself progressed without any major issues.

Though the situation was urgent, everyone present here had grown up being called prodigies of their respective countries.

No matter how sudden and dire the situation, it wasn’t something we couldn’t clear.

Then, it happened.

“Idam! Kang Han, right now—!”

From the group of mages who had been periodically casting large-scale bombardment magic to chip away at the golem’s health, Ira Sol threw me her phone.

Her phone, which seemed to never stop vibrating with endless alerts, landed in my hand.

I didn’t even need to ask why she had thrown it to me.

“This is…”

On the screen, the terror unfolding at the Comprehensive Exchange Exhibition was being broadcast in vivid detail.

The footage showed people dying and getting injured across various locations within the stadium, cycling through views from CCTV cameras and cameras placed throughout the venue.

It was likely the work of the dark god worshippers.

No one else would commit such acts.

Most concerning was the fact that they were focusing their cameras on the berserker, who was currently rampaging.

“Kang Han.”

I had suspected this would happen ever since the heretical mark began flowing into me.

Ultimately, malice had been sown.

Even though I had taken the curse upon myself, Kang Han’s rampage, caused by the substance in his system, was a trial he had to overcome alone.

Still, I had pinpointed Kang Han’s location through the broadcast.

If I finished up here quickly and headed there, I could prevent things from escalating further.

The cult’s primary goal was to tarnish the berserker’s reputation and, eventually, make him their asset.

If so, I just needed to crush that plan head-on.

Using their trap against them was the solution.

Instead of showing the world a berserker running amok, we’d show them a berserker overcoming and triumphing.

There could be no better counterattack.

“If I go and feed him some blood, he might come to his senses.”

But things in life rarely go as planned.

“Aaaargh!”

“Kyahhh!”

Suddenly, screams rang out from somewhere.

The scream came from the cadets guarding the perimeter to prevent the raid site from being breached.

As expected, the attackers exploiting the chaos were the heretics.

Step.

Step.

In the darkened arena, worshippers of the dark god, with monstrous heads, began to emerge.

Among them, Ira Yun, a high-ranking officer in the form of a succubus, stood at the rear.

Her gaze bypassed the numerous cadets scattered around the arena and locked onto one person: Ira Sol.

“You truly have a dreadful love for your sister.”

I had always known this moment would come.

Of course, the timing was absolutely terrible.

“As much as it pains me, I’ll have to use a vial of holy water now…”

To prepare for additional reinforcements, it made sense to stabilize my body first.

Temporarily nullifying the curse eroding me and escaping this situation was the rational choice.

But then, a different thought occurred to me.

…Wait.”

Dark god worshippers had an uncanny ability to recognize their own kind.

I didn’t know how these creatures, who had abandoned human eyes and brains, perceived the world, but their ability to distinguish friend from foe was extraordinary.

Currently, my body bore the mark of heresy.

In the arena shrouded in darkness, where even human shapes were barely discernible, I was curious how they would perceive me.

I quickly reached an interesting conclusion.

“They’re not even looking at me… No, they probably think there’s no need to.”

My guess turned into certainty when a dark god worshipper casually brushed past me, assuming there were allies around.

Without hesitation, I pulled out a dagger and slit the heretic’s throat.

“Gah!”

The worshipper, choking on the blood that gushed from their wound, collapsed helplessly without resistance.

I carefully laid their body on the ground to avoid making a commotion.

The corpse blended perfectly with the thick darkness covering the arena.

Even so, the heretics’ gazes never once turned in my direction.

I realized something.

This was practically a free-for-all.

The heretical mark was still tightening its grip on my body, causing me immense pain, but now I had a reason to endure a little longer.

“Heh.”

Even as cold sweat dripped down my face, a laugh escaped my lips.

Turning a crisis into an opportunity—this was exactly what that looked like.

Something very amusing had started to unfold.

Once I understood the mechanism, silently assassinating the heretics became as easy as breathing.

No matter what you imagined, it was simpler than that.

The sudden attack by the heretics caused noise and chaos to ripple through the arena.

Amidst the confusion, I moved silently through the shadows, eliminating the heretics one by one.

Crunch.

Though one arm was almost immobile due to the heretical mark, the assassinations proceeded smoothly.

By the time the number of heretics I had taken down had long entered double digits,

I arrived at the spot where Ira Sol and Ira Yun were facing off.

Ira Yun was attempting to persuade her sister.

“Sola, you’ve forced your sister to come find you, haven’t you?”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“Heh. Well, it doesn’t have to be now. Just wait there a little longer, alright?”

I was only a few steps away from reaching Ira Yun when she suddenly whipped around and hurled a whip at me.

“So that faint presence was you.”

Bang!

With the sound of air exploding, the whip grazed right past my nose.

If I hadn’t sensed something off and dodged in time, I would’ve been the one hit.

The realization sent chills down my spine.

My plan had been to ambush Ira Yun while she was distracted by Ira Sol, as I had done with other heretics.

I thought she, too, would fall helplessly.

But I had underestimated her.

Perhaps I had been too dismissive of the title “high-ranking officer.”

“You’re… odd, aren’t you?”

Ira Yun had noticed the changes in my body.

It seemed that being a high-ranking officer heightened one’s senses in such matters.

As I mulled over whether to use the holy water in my possession to recover, Ira Yun studied me for a long moment and then smiled meaningfully.

“Ah, so that’s what happened? Why didn’t you tell me earlier? I almost fell for it—you’re quite the actor!”

Laughing, Ira Yun threw something toward me.

It wasn’t an attack.

What landed in my hand was a ring.

I immediately recognized it.

It was the artifact I had been searching for, the one capable of nullifying the effects of the heretical mark.

Originally, I had planned to subdue Ira Yun and take it from her by force.

Yet, for some reason, she had given it to me herself.

The situation was incomprehensible.

“Why are you…?”

“You must be loved by Him. To reach Phase Two all on your own without the help of the priests?”

As she said this, Ira Yun approached me.

Even as I stood dumbfounded, she continued speaking as she pleased.

“During the early stages of awakening, your body doesn’t always listen to you. That ring will help alleviate the symptoms. I’ve already passed that phase, so I don’t need it anymore. It’s yours now.”

She seemed to fully believe I was one of her allies.

Even after witnessing me fighting alongside the academy, she acted as if it were only natural.

A disturbing thought crossed my mind.

Ira Yun had mistaken me for someone else—someone who had clearly earned her trust.

This suspicion was almost a certainty.

I would need to investigate it thoroughly once the chaos subsided.

For now, though…

“Your acting as a cadet and sibling is great, but all the CCTVs here have been disabled. So, let’s clean up this place together—”

First, I had to deal with this villain.

Hisssss.

I poured the holy water over Ira Yun, who had approached me defenselessly.

Thanks to the artifact she had given me, I no longer suffered from the damage caused by the heretical mark.

This allowed me to confidently use the stockpiled holy water all at once.

“Ahhhhhh!”

Holy water gushed down Ira Yun’s neck as she let out an ear-piercing scream.

With the most challenging villain incapacitated, the immediate crisis was over.

Yet, I felt uneasy.

It was clear there had been a traitor lurking within the academy for a long time.

And now, I was undoubtedly being mistaken for that traitor—because of the curse of malice, the heretical mark, I had taken upon myself.