Episode 5
The emergency meeting at Cheonghan High School’s administrative office ended faster than expected.
Lee Jaehyuk was taken away by the police, and the school, shocked and panicked, was more focused on minimizing fallout than punishing Yiwoon.
After all—
“He was defending himself.”
“He didn’t throw the first punch.”
“And he didn’t take it too far either.”
That was the consensus.
The teachers all agreed: Yiwoon had shown remarkable restraint.
‘Even though I could’ve done worse.’
Yiwoon sat alone in the hallway, silently reviewing the events.
[You have obtained a new skill.]
[Skill: Grapple (E)]
[Your technique has improved through repeated use. Due to this, you’ve naturally acquired the skill.]
“Grapple (E), huh…”
He stared at the notification.
It was a new skill he hadn’t had in his past life.
[Grapple (E): A close-quarters control technique. Allows efficient takedown of opponents using balance and leverage. Strengthens the effect of pinning and restraining enemies.]
A martial arts technique, basically.
It wasn’t flashy. It wasn’t strong.
But it was practical.
And what surprised him more than the skill itself—
Was the fact that he could acquire it without using Cannibalize.
“Did the system change, too?”
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ folds his arms and nods.]
“So you didn’t know either.”
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ grumbles, ‘I said this wasn’t my original power…’]
Yiwoon chuckled.
It was weirdly reassuring to know that even his so-called sponsor was clueless.
“Well, fine.”
If he could gain skills on his own, all the better.
It meant he wasn’t locked into only using Cannibalize.
That gave him options.
He liked options.
“Yiwoon.”
A familiar voice called out.
Yiwoon looked up.
The teacher who’d been supervising the fight stood awkwardly nearby.
“…Can I sit?”
“Do whatever you want.”
The teacher sat down beside him, hesitating before speaking.
“…You should know, we didn’t call your parents.”
Yiwoon raised an eyebrow.
“They’re busy?”
“They’ve been hard to reach lately. Especially your father…”
The teacher trailed off, clearly uncomfortable.
But Yiwoon didn’t press.
He already knew.
In his past life, his family had barely cared what he did.
Now that he thought about it—
Had they ever once asked if he was okay?
No.
Not once.
So he didn’t expect anything from them now.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll take care of it myself.”
The teacher flinched at the cold tone but nodded.
“…Still. You did the right thing today.”
“Did I?”
“If you hadn’t stopped him, someone could’ve gotten seriously hurt.”
The teacher gave a half-hearted smile.
Yiwoon didn’t respond.
Instead, he stood and muttered to himself:
“Still too early.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing.”
Yiwoon turned and walked off.
He had work to do.
If Jaehyuk had a knife…
And if the timeline had already changed this much…
Then the first wave might arrive sooner than expected.
He couldn’t wait for the apocalypse to “officially” begin.
He had to be ready now.
And to do that—
He needed strength.
More skills.
More power.
More bodies.
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ quietly watches his apostle.]
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ doesn’t speak.]
Yiwoon didn’t look back.
But he could feel it.
The gaze that never left him.
“I know.”
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ jolts in surprise.]
“…You’re still watching, right?”
