Episode 3
“It’s strange.”
Yiwoon muttered quietly as he sat alone on a bench in the park.
There were still a few hours before school started.
Even if he went now, he wouldn’t be allowed inside.
He was wearing blood-stained clothes, his body covered in wounds, and there was no ID on him.
A 17-year-old student covered in blood showing up at school first thing in the morning? No doubt the teachers would call the police before they called his parents.
So he needed to kill some time and clean himself up first.
But that wasn’t what he was talking about when he said it was strange.
It was too quiet.
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ peers at his apostle with narrowed eyes.]
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ is puzzled.]
“Just 48 hours before my regression… this entire neighborhood was crawling with monsters.”
People who’d lost their minds. Some mutating into beasts.
A violent, uncontrollable madness.
The first wave.
It was the first sign that “they” were starting to pierce the boundaries between dimensions.
It started in this city, Cheonghan, and then rapidly spread nationwide. In less than a week, it was global.
That was the beginning of the apocalypse.
And yet now…
Not a trace.
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ tilts his head and grumbles.]
“Yeah, I know. You don’t know either.”
Yiwoon let out a bitter laugh.
The Constellation had told him that he couldn’t regress all the way to the start of the apocalypse.
And even now, the guy was reacting like this wasn’t what he expected either.
“So why did I end up here, of all places?”
It was like someone had picked an oddly specific moment in time.
He hadn’t even gone through his first Awakening yet.
Even if it was a regression…
It felt more like being reset.
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ scowls.]
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ grits his teeth.]
“…You’re surprisingly expressive, for a supposed god.”
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ looks proud.]
Yiwoon snorted.
Still, nothing was adding up.
And the more questions he asked, the fewer answers he got.
Then suddenly—
Screams echoed in the distance.
“……!”
Yiwoon immediately turned toward the sound.
Instinctively, he broke into a run.
He was fast. Much faster than most adults.
Even as a 17-year-old with no Awakened stats, his stamina and agility were high thanks to years of training.
But what he found at the source of the screams stopped him in his tracks.
—
A middle-aged man, lying on the ground.
Face twisted in agony. Chest rising and falling erratically.
“Call an ambulance! Someone, please!”
A high school girl was kneeling beside him, crying out.
She had tied her necktie around his arm as a makeshift tourniquet. Her hands were trembling.
“…What’s going on?”
“He, he just collapsed! I think he had a heart attack or something…!”
A few bystanders were filming with their phones, some murmuring in panic.
Yiwoon stepped closer and knelt beside the man.
He checked his pulse. Nothing.
“No pulse… he’s already…”
Dead.
‘But the body’s still warm. It’s only been a few minutes.’
He looked at the man’s face again.
He didn’t know him. A total stranger.
“…Well, this is convenient.”
Yiwoon’s eyes gleamed coldly.
And then—
[Would you like to activate the skill ‘Cannibalize’?]
[Target: Deceased human]
[Remaining time: 00:09:52]
[Target has one unique skill.]
[Would you like to consume it?]
A message popped up.
He could feel the Constellation watching him with bated breath.
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ stares at his apostle in silence.]
Yiwoon didn’t hesitate.
“…Yes.”
[Skill acquired: Iron Will (D)]
[You have absorbed the unique skill ‘Iron Will (D).’]
“……!”
A sharp sensation—like something drilling into his brain.
He clenched his teeth and held his head.
But it was over in a moment.
And then—
[Current unique skills: Cannibalize (0/5), Iron Will (D)]
[You have gained resistance against mental interference and fear-based effects.]
“Ha…!”
He laughed, stunned.
It worked.
Even though this was before the official “Awakening” event…
He had already absorbed a skill.
Just like that.
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ is overcome with joy!]
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ raises both fists and cheers!]
[The Constellation ‘Lord of Apostasy’ cries, ‘My apostle is the best!’]
“…You really are dramatic.”
