One piece of knowledge from the game.
The cultists worship evil gods, and their hierarchy is determined by the level of blessing they receive from these gods.
Simply put, the more an evil god favors someone, the stronger and higher-ranked they become.
How to earn their favor? By meeting the conditions the evil god desires.
However, no one knew what those conditions were—not even me, who came from outside this world.
Yet, Ira Yoon told me.
She said it was clear I was favored by “that one.”
That I had already entered the second stage of awakening.
The second stage of a cultist’s awakening meant the transformation of a monstrous head back into a human’s.
In this place, only high-ranking officers were at the second stage.
So, what she was saying was that, without even knowing it, I had been blessed to the level of a high-ranking officer.
“What the hell?”
I honestly had no clue.
Did I really have a knack for being a cultist?
Barely three hours had passed since the cult’s curse seeped into my body.
And yet, for the aura to grow so strong already—something felt off.
Ever since I realized I was supposedly favored by the evil god, my skin had itched for no reason.
After receiving the artifact from Ira Yoon, my condition reached its peak as if nothing had happened.
But separate from that, I felt as if something—or someone—had started watching me.
And that was likely not just my imagination.
“Ugh… hhhh…”
When Ira Yoon, drenched in holy water and restrained by my hands, woke up, there were mountains of questions I needed to ask her.
Whether I’d get the chance for a one-on-one conversation, I wasn’t sure.
But if the opportunity arose, any time would be fine.
Meanwhile, after I subdued Ira Yoon, the other cultists grew noticeably sluggish.
The situation had shifted.
It seemed like the cadets would soon bring things to an end.
I handed the unconscious Ira Yoon over to Ira Sol.
“Gather the mages and tie her up securely. Later, we’ll have to hand her over to the academy or the association.”
“W-what about you?”
“I’m going. To Kang Han.”
While I had taken the curse in his place, Kang Han was still reeling from the effects of the drug.
From what I’d seen so far, as long as things didn’t escalate too far, Kang Han could usually manage to recover by inhaling the scent of his handkerchief and regaining his composure.
But if it went too far, it was a different story.
I might have to force-feed him my blood to stop him before things spiraled further.
If I could at least manage Kang Han before the international image of berserkers worsened, this terror attack would be over.
“Joo Yidam!”
Just then, Jin Mugyeol came running toward me.
He glanced at the succubus soaked in holy water and passed out, then asked,
“What’s that?”
“A high-ranking officer.”
“Wait, you alone—how did you—”
“No time. Listen carefully. You and your team head to each briefing room in the stadium and turn off all the broadcasting cameras. And if anyone, be they civilian or cultist, is hanging around with a phone, confiscate it and destroy it.”
“What?”
“Stop the terror footage from leaking out.”
With that, I left the stadium.
By now, some time had passed since the terror attack began, and enough space had been cleared.
Whether allies or enemies had won, the battlefield was distinct enough to identify which passage to take.
I ran with all my strength.
As much as I didn’t want to admit it, the brand was no longer a curse eating away at my body.
If I borrowed their terminology, it was a blessing.
Yes, “blessing” was the most accurate term.
If I thought about it simply, this could be seen as a good thing—but was it really?
Because of this one fact, the list of things I needed to be cautious about had grown exponentially.
If, by chance, the markings on my body were revealed to others, that would be the day the academy would expel one of the cultists in its midst.
Naturally, that would be me.
I’d suddenly been forced to play the role of a spy the cult had planted in the academy.
I didn’t know who the other spy Ira Yoon hinted at was, but dealing with that issue also gave me a headache.
“Tsk.”
I was overthinking. I’d push this to later.
Right now, the highest priority was to restore Kang Han’s mind.
According to the footage being broadcast, the largest battle was taking place near the operator room, and Kang Han was there.
As I was about to arrive, I was suddenly overcome by a sensation of being lifted into the air.
‘This feeling…!’
It was the same as when a celestial descended into the hidden dungeon within the simulation room.
‘Why now?’
It felt like my soul was being forcibly uprooted and summoned to a higher dimension.
When I came to, I found myself in front of a vast universe.
Towers floated freely in the expanse, and in front of them was something obscured by impenetrable darkness.
It spoke to me.
[Choose.]
Choose?
Choose what?
The question didn’t linger for long.
A familiar status window appeared before my eyes.
[Path of the Necromancer]
[Path of the Shaman]
[Path of the Hell Summoner]
I knew exactly what these were.
‘The class advancement window…’
It was the same system message I’d seen countless times while gaming.
But now, in this world that had become my reality, it felt entirely out of place.
I had no idea why this was appearing now, but as soon as the window popped up, my mind cooled down.
My gamer instincts awakened, calculating the efficiency, utility, and other details of each class.
The decision was quick.
“I choose to become a Necromancer.”
The shadow, which I presumed to be an evil god, patted my head.
The touch was unnervingly gentle, yet it left me with a sense of unease.
I’d already considered the possibility that I might be favored by an evil god, but having it confirmed brought a strange feeling.
After choosing my class, my soul, summoned to this higher dimension, began to fade. It was time to return to reality.
I fixed my gaze on the dark veil writhing in front of the tower.
Someday, I’d have to bring it down.
Everything happening at the academy was merely the prologue.
The real beginning would come when I entered the tower.
From that moment, the influence of celestials would grow stronger, and the main storyline would diverge significantly depending on which celestial I allied with.
Encountering an event that should have happened after entering the tower at this early stage was unsettling, but the order didn’t really matter.
[Awakening Stage 2]
[You have two skill unlock permissions remaining.]
What mattered now was that by choosing the Necromancer path, I’d become undeniably a heretic.
I knew exactly what that meant.
From the moment I graduated from the academy and entered the tower, I’d inevitably be separated from
Kang Han and the other main characters.
Heretics were forcibly assigned to the heretic faction. It was something I couldn’t change.
‘Two years.’
That wasn’t much time.
Before then, I needed to help the main characters grow as much as possible and sever emotional ties before parting ways.
This path made betrayal inevitable.
In hindsight, I regretted getting close to them at all.
Perhaps it would’ve been better to remain distant from the start.
Well, regrets always come a step too late.
If the path twisted, I just needed to adjust my actions accordingly.
By the time I finished reorganizing my plans, my consciousness had returned to reality.
The scent of blood strong enough to cut through the acrid smoke filled my nostrils, but my mind was clear.
It seemed the implicit rule of games that a full recovery follows class advancement also applied here.
Passing through the ruined corridors of the stadium, I finally arrived near the operator room.
It was a battlefield.
Since the heretics aimed to tarnish berserkers’ international reputation and use them solely for their own power, they were devoted to orchestrating Kang Han’s downfall.
The academy, in turn, had mobilized its best defenses to prevent the operator room from falling, with not only active hunters but also cadets joining forces to fend off the heretics and the monsters they summoned.
Kang Han, struggling to control his rampage, mustered the remnants of his reason and threw himself into enemy lines.
He had no confidence in distinguishing friend from foe.
He seemed determined to wreak havoc in areas populated only by enemies, even at great risk to himself.
Having witnessed similar scenarios during training, I could clearly see Kang Han’s behavioral patterns—and how they exploited the heretics’ vulnerabilities.
Kang Han wasn’t an ordinary berserker.
To put it bluntly, he was a protagonist-buffed berserker.
His mental resilience was unparalleled, showcasing a stark contrast to the berserkers the heretics had easily subdued until now.
Even amidst his rampage, maintaining a shred of reason was an incredible asset, and this was producing tangible results.
“Inject more! More!”
“We’re out of it!”
“He keeps coming our way!”
“Why can’t we control him…!”
The high-ranking officers must have poured immense amounts of malice into him, yet they still couldn’t seize control over Kang Han.
It was inevitable.
The curses imbued with malice had all been absorbed into me through the “Promised Ruin.”
The confusion of the high-ranking officers, oblivious to this fact, was evident in their panicked voices.
The reason I could hear their voices so clearly, despite the chaos of the battlefield, was because I was now one of them—a heretic.
And not just any heretic, but one deeply blessed by the evil god.
In this chaotic situation, they could only distinguish allies and enemies through the aura of heresy.
There was no way they’d immediately recognize me just because I approached.
That made things easier.
Let’s finish this quickly.
I focused my mind, and the status window that should only have appeared after entering the tower surfaced before me.
[Awakening Stage 2]
[You have two remaining skill unlock permissions.]
I already knew which skills I needed to choose.
There was a predetermined build in mind.
“Marionette. Enhance binding force.”
When I unlocked the two skills consecutively, an intangible power settled into my body.
Omnipotence wrapped around me, making me feel as though I could do anything—and it wasn’t just a feeling.
A Necromancer demonstrated the greatest power on a battlefield littered with death.
This place was practically my home ground.
I pulled out a dagger from my belt.
After numerous battles, the supply-grade blade was chipped and worn.
It would break more than cut.
I lunged at the closest high-ranking officer, who was entirely focused on controlling Kang Han without inflicting too much damage.
It was futile, of course.
Kang Han’s rampage was driven by drugs, not curses, and therefore couldn’t be controlled.
Still, the officer’s eyes betrayed his blind faith that he could control Kang Han eventually.
I swung the heavy dagger into the officer’s temple with crushing force.
Crack.
With the sound of something breaking, the officer collapsed lifelessly.
“What the hell—?!”
Another high-ranking officer, belatedly sensing the anomaly, hurriedly redirected his authority from the battlefield.
I pulled out my gun and emptied the remaining rounds into him.
Blood sprayed as the officer fell, proving he hadn’t reached the level of a lich but was merely a novice Necromancer.
“Hah.”
Time was running out.
I activated a skill aimed at the undead surrounding Kang Han.
Controlling the entire battlefield was beyond my current capabilities, but I could easily seize control of a localized area.
Coincidentally, it was the area commanded by the officer I had just killed.
The undead around Kang Han suddenly froze, standing idle and mindless.
I forced them to encircle Kang Han and leaped into the center myself.
Kang Han, rampaging like a beast, flinched when he noticed the unfamiliar figure—it was me.
His skin, inflamed from prolonged berserker madness, was red and looked ready to burst.
Berserkers were said to experience unparalleled ecstasy during battle, but to me, Kang Han just seemed pitiable.
He looked like he was in pain.
You and I have it rough, don’t we?
I let out a bitter smile at Kang Han and raised my arm.
“Snap out of it now.”
I poured all my remaining energy into a control skill, which struck Kang Han directly.
For a moment, his berserker body froze in place.
Taking advantage of the opening, I threw myself at him.
It worked.
Our bodies collided as I wrapped my arms around him, embracing him tightly.
Crunch.
Kang Han’s teeth sank into my neck.
It’s over.
With the thought that all tasks were finally complete, exhaustion washed over me, and my consciousness faded into darkness.