Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – The reason Yunsu started playing this game was nothing special. Since he had already retired, it was just an extension of his job search. He thought he might as well give it a try during the interim.

He was also pleased with the full-dive VR, which he had never tried before. The new game, a cult leader simulator by SM Corporation, was said to have revolutionized the gaming industry by connecting brain waves to the game, linking tactile and taste sensations.

To be honest, Yunsu didn't know how difficult it was or anything like that. He just thought it was amazing because others were talking about over-technology.

The content itself wasn't much. It was about becoming a cult leader and expanding the cult. Although being a cult leader was morally problematic and evil, after all, it was just a game.

Just as killing people in a game doesn't mean you'll kill people in real life.

There was also something that had become quite a topic of discussion.

Storytelling is important for all products. This game had an incredibly well-crafted story. While it might have been marketed differently abroad, in Korea, it was said to scratch the pride of Korean gamers.

The game has a total of 130 endings. However, only 129 endings have been revealed so far. But since the game company announced that there are 130 endings, one must definitely exist, and no one has found it yet.

Even those who have dissected the client say it's incomprehensible and can't interpret it. There's a black box inside that no one can find.

Taking advantage of this, the game company even offered a prize. A prize of about 1 million dollars, hinting to gamers that the 130th ending is a different happy ending, encouraging them to find the new ending.

Well, at first, Yunsu started the game because of that prize, but he had been playing for six months now. It wasn't just about the prize; the game itself was fun.

In the city of Metropolis, there are five cults. The story is about becoming one of the people living in this city. You can become a cult leader or a police officer chasing the cult leader. When the cults expand and reach the Day of Revelation, the ending automatically appears.

However, all these endings were bad endings. No matter who you chose, it was the same. The world was destroyed by the evil gods that the cult leaders worshiped on the Day of Revelation.

Sometimes the world would burn, or be silenced by a massive flood, or endless night would continue, or all living beings would transform into non-human forms.

If you made a wrong choice at a minor branch, the ending would split, and if you made a mistake, you would see an ending you had already seen. This led to a lot of complaints from players. The game's developer was said to be a psychopath who loved extreme difficulty.

If you were to draw it, it would start with the first line and branch out like deer antlers, with 129 different multi-endings. There was even a rumor that all endings were bad endings.

Yunsu actively used his excellent observational and reasoning skills to finally reach the 129th ending. He had earned the right to see the final 130th ending, which no one in the world had ever reached.

And today was his last play.

As soon as he put on the device, the surroundings were bizarre. The ground was covered in blood, and unknown objects glowing in five colors floated in the sky.

Yunsu thought about all the characters he had played: police, mafia, vagrants, tycoons, cult leaders, and so on. He had tried all the characters he could.

But no one had seen such a sky on the Day of Revelation, because all the other cult leaders except him were dead.

Yunsu became a cult leader named Charles. He chose this because the cult he belonged to, the Unknown Sect, had the potential to be more moderate.

After many twists and turns, he gathered all the other cult leaders in one place and caused a terrible explosion, killing them all.

After playing 129 times and meeting some conditions that seemed insignificant, and after killing all the cult leaders, he reached the Day of Destiny, and the world had changed.

The sky began to split. Endless darkness descended between the infinite galaxies shining with starlight.

'Is this another bad ending? This time, it looks like the entire other world is falling.'

The city had already disappeared without a trace. While it was only Metropolis for now, it would soon spread to the entire world.

Just as he was thinking this, Charles looked up to see something falling from the sky. It looked like a meteor, falling like a flame from the sky.

What landed in front of Charles, on the altar of destiny, was something he had never seen before. Checking the status window, it read "Revelation Tablet."

"Revelation Tablet?"

This was something he had never seen before. A unique item he had never encountered in any of the many endings. It could be a magic book or a dangerous item, so Charles tried to cast a simple divination before touching it.

That's when it happened.

"Kraaaah!"

"What, you're still alive?"

One of the Dark Cathedral's cult leaders twisted his body and stood up. Despite a fatal wound and half his body missing, he was still moving.

"The Revelation Tablet! If I get this, I can go to a new world! A world where everything is open, not a closed one!"

"Again with your nonsense."

He clicked his tongue while playing as Charles. As the Dark Cathedral's cult leader stretched out his hand, it elongated like an invertebrate, reaching for the Revelation Tablet.

Charles extended his hand and used a spell-made whip to cut off the creature's arm. Then, before anyone else could get it, he picked it up.

"Hmm? This is the first time I've seen such an unhelpful description."

It wasn't a complete tablet but a fragment. It made sense since it was the size of one hand. However, what was written on it was all strange.

"Ah, no!"

"Yes!"

He swung the whip to finish off the remaining cult leader. At that moment, Charles felt something massive descending from the sky. Not one, but four.

An overwhelming presence spread, and the world seemed to scream. Four monsters were descending, each capable of destroying the world with a single landing.

'Four evil gods are trying to descend from the other world. If one of them doesn't become strong enough to win, this ending will happen. This is tight.'

Charles knew that the other world and reality would collapse on the Day of Destiny. He was amazed to see this ending for the first time.

Meanwhile, the Revelation Tablet began to glow. It was transmitting a will to Charles to run away. Charles knew there was nowhere to run.

"Hmm, it keeps telling me to run, but I can't run unless I delete the saved game file and start over. This must be the 129th ending."

He muttered to himself. And that was Charles's last word. Light burst from the Revelation Tablet in his hand. The screen went dark, and a massive light flashed from the center.

'What a dramatic ending.'

The final scene of the 129th ending was a light show as if a new universe was being born. Charles watched it in amazement, then closed his eyes due to the intense light.

* * *

Charles's bedroom. This was where he started the main story. Nothing was happening for now. Soon, Flona, his maid and first disciple, would enter.

'Let's log out first.'

He was a bit tired after seeing the 129th ending. He planned to go out, post the saved replay video on the community, brag a bit, eat some food, and get some rest before playing again.

For some reason, after seeing the 129th ending, the character was automatically selected. Maybe there was a reason for this.

'Log out.'

He needed to return to reality.

'Hmm?'

But Charles couldn't log out. To be precise, the interface window had completely disappeared. There was no log out button or explanation.

'What?'

Yunsu felt something was wrong. Thoughts flashed through his mind: news about some fringe researchers saying full-dive VR games could strain the brain, or the common web novel trope of being trapped in the game.

Maybe this game wasn't a game from the beginning. Maybe it was a real world... He made many assumptions, but his conclusion was this.

'Fuck.'

His heart pounded, and his breathing quickened. He felt like he was losing his mind. Games were fun because they were games. The moment they became reality, Yunsu fell into a severe panic.

But at some point, his emotions began to subside, as if they had reached a critical point. They subsided so much that Yunsu wondered if he had a condition that made him unable to control his emotions, but he soon realized why.

'Charles's trait was calmness.'

His mind was following his body. As his burning thoughts cooled, Yunsu was able to think rationally.

What was happening was not a delusion. What had happened had happened, and denying it was useless. He had to adapt. He remembered the words of his mentor.

'Everything has pros and cons. Those who can find the good, overcome the bad, and choose the good can turn a crisis into an opportunity.'

What were Yunsu's pros? The cons were already clear, so there was no need to explain them.

'Pros. Pros. Hmm. First, Charles is good-looking and smart, unlike me in reality. His brain feels different. He's rich and has a mansion. And... Ah, no matter how I think about it, it's all cons.'

Yunsu held his head. He had only played Charles on hardcore difficulty for fun. But this had happened.

In Metropolis, there are five cults. Charles's cult was the weakest because it had no god to worship.

The other four cults each worshiped an evil god and received powerful abilities from them, but Charles had none. It was hardcore from the start. But the early game was relatively easy, which was fortunate.

Knock knock.

Yunsu, lost in thought, felt his body react naturally.

"Come in."

"Master! You're awake!"

Turning his head, he saw a very beautiful woman. Her hair, dyed a vivid emerald green, shone, and her red eyes contrasted well with it.

"I was worried because you didn't wake up. Without you, I..."

She was Flona, the first disciple of Charles's Unknown Sect. As expected, the early story was unfolding as planned. Yunsu chose to face reality rather than panic or be terrified.

He naturally acted as Charles.

"Don't worry, Flona. I'm fine now."

"Oh, thank goodness."

Flona's fingers were all bandaged. Yunsu felt a chill. He knew why her fingers were bandaged.

"Your fingers..."

"I had to give you my blood. It's because of my love that you woke up."

This woman was severely psychotic. She seemed normal on the surface, but something was missing. That was Flona's essence. How did Charles handle this? His body reacted before he could think.

"Come here."

Flona approached him like a puppy. Yunsu took her hands, brought them together, and kissed her fingers. Flona's face turned red, and she didn't know what to do.

"Don't do that again, okay? You mustn't get hurt."

"Yes, yes... I will definitely do that for Charles."

Flona, making an ambiguous sound, soon left the room. As soon as she left, Yunsu's expression changed, and he held his head.

'Oh, this is completely messed up.'