The Return of the Wicked Player
Chapter 2 —
I died.
And then, I came back to life.
But with a body that only has one year left to live.
[Name] Baek Kang-hyuk
[Level] 1
[Title] “Sinner”
[Unique Trait] None
[Sin Value] 999,999,999 (MAX)
[Stats]
Strength: 5
Agility: 4
Magic: 4
Stamina: 5
[Status Effect]
Limited Lifespan
The status window was utterly pitiful.
It was hard to believe that this shabby thing represented the state of someone who was once the strongest ranker in the world.
‘Level 1? Me?’
Everything was exactly as written in the divine punishment.
My overwhelming level of 197 was gone, replaced by a measly “1.”
Even my stats had fallen to the level of an unawakened person.
‘And the Blood Demon trait is gone too.’
The unique trait that had made me an untouchable ranker—Blood Demon—had disappeared.
No, the problem wasn’t just that it disappeared.
‘I can’t obtain any unique trait at all.’
From now on, I wouldn’t be able to gain Blood Demon or any other trait.
For a player, traits are everything.
There was even a saying: “A trait is like being born with a silver spoon.”
“Hah, damn it.”
Even low-level players start with at least an F-rank trait.
But me? I was “traitless.”
From the sole possessor of the unique SSS-rank Blood Demon, I had fallen to a position lower than dirt.
But that wasn’t the biggest problem.
‘The time limit.’
This cursed status effect that said I would die in 400 days.
If they were just going to kill me in a year, why bother reviving me at all?
It wasn’t like I had any lingering attachment to life.
In those final ten seconds, I had burned away my will to live along with the blood in my veins.
But still—
‘In 400 days, I have to find them all and kill them.’
The Seven Stars.
The Saintess, the Archmage, the Guardian, the Divine Archer, the Alchemist…
…And Ji Seok-hoon.
Those filthy betrayers.
Four hundred days felt far too short to finish my revenge.
If not for this punishment, I would’ve already been hunting them down.
At my peak, even if several top rankers came at me at once, I could crush them.
But now, reduced to Level 1 with no trait? Impossible.
“You sons of bitches.”
The more I thought about it, the more furious I became.
Not only at their betrayal.
But also because their sins had been forced onto me.
I had been far too naive.
I trusted them too easily, thinking of them as comrades.
If I had known the cost of that trust would be divine punishment, I would have doubted everyone.
…Wait.
‘Did they already know?’
Right before I died, Ji Seok-hoon had said:
“We need to shed this Sin Value. You also have to die here. That’s the only way the system will—”
They knew too much.
Things even I, the top ranker, had never heard of.
How the hell?
Grinding my teeth, I opened my eyes wide.
‘…Doesn’t matter. Nothing changes.’
The only facts that mattered were:
They stabbed me in the back.
And I would repay them a hundredfold.
The problem was—
‘How do I deal with this Sin Value and divine punishment?’
Four hundred days left to live.
A reset body at Level 1.
If I couldn’t fix this, revenge would be impossible.
At that moment—
[You are the first human to reach the maximum Sin Value of 999,999,999.]
[In response to this unprecedented Sin Value, “Essence of ■■ ■■ (EX)” has awakened!]
[If you activate the “Essence of ■■ ■■ (EX),” you will obtain the right to be its successor!]
Another notification appeared under my status window.
‘My Sin Value… awakened something?’
The name was censored, so I couldn’t tell what it was.
But one thing stood out.
‘…EX rank?’
That part was clear.
EX—something beyond measure, outside of all normal limits.
It was a rank even higher than SSS, the level of my Blood Demon trait.
Even I, the number one ranker, had never seen it before.
And if I activated it—
‘If I become that successor…’
The power would be just as extraordinary.
I didn’t know whose successor, or what ability it would grant.
But one thing was certain.
‘This is my way out.’
If I gained the power of this successor, I could become strong again.
Strong enough for revenge.
As expected—
‘There’s always a loophole.’
I thought divine punishment had dragged me to rock bottom, but instead, it gave me a chance to seize something beyond reason.
That “Essence”—I had to find it and activate it.
Just then, another alert appeared.
[A Quest has appeared.]
“What now?”
A quest? Without even entering a Gate?
I froze, then slowly read the details.
[Quest – ]
You, who carry immeasurable Sin, have been given a chance to atone.
Hunt down other humans who have committed sins and purify society.
- For every sinner killed, their Sin Value will be deducted from yours.
- If you kill an innocent person, your Sin Value will reset to maximum (999,999,999).
- Success: Reduce Sin Value to 0.
- Reward: Status Effect “Limited Lifespan” removed.
“They’ll remove the time limit…?”
The quest was simple.
You deserve to die under divine punishment.
But if you kill sinners instead, your sins will be forgiven.
That was what the system was telling me.
In short, using evil to fight evil.
And the time limit? Roughly one year.
Because if I didn’t finish by then, I’d die anyway.
“…Perfect.”
The Seven Stars—those bastards who summoned a Gate and killed tens of thousands just to get rid of me.
Now I even had a system-given excuse to slaughter them.
‘I’ll make them beg for death.’
The price of daring to kill me—
They’d pay a thousand, ten thousand times over.
But first, I needed to—
‘Find and activate the Essence.’
And then—
‘Hunt sinners.’
That way, I could cancel out the punishment penalties.
At that moment, background noise suddenly became clear.
“It’s already the 20th anniversary of the death of player Baek Kang-hyuk, the Blood Demon. According to his close friend Ji Seok-hoon…”
“…What?”
I turned my head toward the sound.
The TV was on.
And the words I just heard—
“…20th anniversary?”
Did I hear that right?
Had twenty years passed since my death?
Shocked, I focused on the screen.
And there—
“The Blood Demon was my dear friend, and a true hero. To honor his noble sacrifice, I, Ji Seok-hoon, will personally…”
It was him.
The bastard who stabbed me in the back.
Ji Seok-hoon.
“…That son of a bitch.”
Without a change of expression, he spewed lies.
Saying he missed me.
Saying he was grateful.
The shamelessness made me sick.
“The memorial event will be held at the Blood Demon Memorial Hall—”
Pop!
I angrily switched off the screen.
More than Ji Seok-hoon’s bullshit, I was furious at myself for sitting here unable to do anything.
A traitless Level 1.
In this pathetic body, I was powerless.
‘I need to get stronger.’
Only then could I deliver a miserable end to those traitors.
Grinding my teeth, I caught sight of my reflection in the black screen—
“…What the—”
A pale, thin young man stared back at me.
Someone I had never seen before.
“Who the hell are you?”
It wasn’t my original face.
This was me?
Half-shocked, half-confused, I touched my face, then slowly nodded.
‘Right. My heart must’ve stopped after that rampage.’
I had burned every last drop of blood in my Blood Demon Frenzy.
After that final ten seconds, I died.
And twenty years later—
‘I woke up in someone else’s body with the same name?’
I didn’t know how.
But one thing was clear.
‘Actually, this is better.’
No one would ever suspect this was the real Baek Kang-hyuk.
If I was planning revenge, this was a huge advantage.
Even if I had to claw my way up from nothing, I wasn’t afraid.
I was Baek Kang-hyuk—the man who once stood at the top of the world with nothing but blood and a sword.
So for now—
“…Let’s move.”
I had no time to waste indoors.
Wait for me, Seven Stars.
The man you killed—Baek Kang-hyuk—has returned.
This time—
“I’ll be your divine punishment.”
And so, Kang-hyuk’s steps carried him toward one place.
[Blood Demon Baek Kang-hyuk Memorial Hall]
A huge sign hung at the entrance.
‘If anywhere, I’ll find news of those bastards here.’
Since Ji Seok-hoon had been shown there in the news, I came straight here.
But it must’ve been recorded—he wasn’t present.
Just then—
“Hey there, young man. Did you come to pray too?”
An old man with white hair approached, looking up at me.
“…Pray?”
“Yeah, yeah. Kids these days come to the Blood Demon statue and pray for good traits to awaken, you know?”
“…Pray?”
Why would anyone do that in front of my statue?
I never awakened anyone. What use was that?
“Yep, pray. I just went myself, actually.”
“…You, sir?”
Could it be—he wanted to awaken too?
“I prayed for my son, who went into a Gate, to come back safe. At my age, what use is fighting?”
“Ah…”
I nodded. That made sense.
But then—
“What about your son?”
“They say the Blood Demon never failed to clear a Gate. So us parents come and pray—‘please let our kids return safely.’”
“….”
“They call him the undefeated hero!”
The old man laughed warmly and pressed something into my hand.
“Take this, young man.”
“What is it?”
A blood-red coin lay in my palm.
“It’s a Blood Demon Memorial Coin. Toss it at the statue and make a wish. I had one left, so I’m giving it to you.”
Looking closely, I saw my face engraved on it.
“See that statue over there? Go toss it and wish for something big. Who knows, maybe the Blood Demon will listen.”
“Ah…”
“…I just hope my boy comes back safe. Well, I’ll be going now!”
The old man patted my hand and left.
I stared at the coin.
‘I am the Blood Demon.’
And they wanted me to pray to myself?
Ridiculous.
But since I was here anyway—
“…Over there, huh.”
Ahead stood a massive statue, surrounded by people holding red coins.
“Hey, what’d you pray for?”
“Me? To awaken with the same SSS-rank trait as the Blood Demon.”
“Idiot. There are less than five SSS-rankers alive. Be realistic.”
“Hey, you know how many people got lucky after praying here?”
I overheard the conversation, my jaw dropping.
‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’
The old man was right.
There really were crowds praying before the statue.
Asking to pass exams, keep families safe… all sorts of things.
“…The Blood Demon isn’t a god.”
I couldn’t grant wishes, especially since I was dead.
But then—
“Hey.”
Someone tugged on my sleeve.
“…Huh?”
It was a little boy, maybe elementary school age.
“You are a god.”
“…What?”
“My dad said Baek Kang-hyuk is our guardian spirit. A hero who risked his life to save the world.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry! Didn’t I tell you not to wander alone?!”
The boy’s mother rushed over, scooped him up, and hurried away.
I stood there, turning his words over in my head.
‘A guardian spirit…’
How ironic.
Killed by traitors, yet remembered as humanity’s protector.
‘Baek Kang-hyuk, who risked his life to save the world.’
So much that they built a statue and prayed to it.
Quietly, I tossed the coin into the fountain.
“…Grow stronger, Baek Kang-hyuk.”
Stronger than before.
Strong enough to kill every one of those who stabbed you in the back.
Plop—
The red coins sank into the clear water, like drops of blood.
I turned and entered the memorial hall.
Inside, the exhibits were lavish.
[The Life of the Blood Demon]
[Birthplace of the Blood Demon]
[Childhood of the Blood Demon]
They had even dug up things I barely remembered.
But the one display that caught my attention—
[The Seven Stars: The Blood Demon and His Comrades]
A photo of me with the traitors.
Below it, flowery descriptions of our supposed friendship.
How I was childhood friends with Ji Seok-hoon.
How I fought alongside Archmage Mateo.
And how it all “ended” at the Abyss Cradle Gate in 2010.
They even covered the ending.
But worse—
[The Five Stars carry on the Blood Demon’s will, managing his scholarship foundation.]
[In an interview, Ji Seok-hoon shed tears: “I survived thanks to my friend’s sacrifice. I will live a life of service in gratitude.”]
My jaw clenched.
Those traitors were living in glory, using my name.
‘Damn bastards. Playing heroes with my sacrifice.’
And then I remembered what Ji Seok-hoon said before I died:
“We’ll tell the world the Blood Demon died saving us.”
That promise, at least, he kept.
Grinding my teeth, I muttered:
‘But why Five Stars, not Six?’
With me gone, they should’ve been the Six Stars.
But all the displays mentioned only five.
Then I found it—
[The Alchemist, Choi Hana, regretfully announced she would no longer remain with the Seven Stars. She vanished after the Abyss Gate.]
Choi Hana.
One of the Seven.
She hadn’t even entered the gate where I died.
‘Did she know something?’
A gut feeling told me she held a key.
‘I’ll have to track her down later.’
Moving past the traitors’ exhibit, I found another entrance.
[Special Exhibit: The Abyss Gate Raid]
My last gate.
In the darkness, something caught my eye.
“…That’s—”
A giant glass case.
Inside lay a black stone.
[Fragment of the Abyss]
A shard from inside the Abyss Gate.
Even now, faint Abyss energy leaked from it.
Drawn to it, I reached out—
[Warning! Irregular dangerous item detected: “Essence of ■■ ■■ (EX)”!]
“What the—”
Wasn’t this that successor item from before?
I stumbled back, but alerts kept popping up.
[Checking player ‘Baek Kang-hyuk’s inventory…]
[Item detected: Essence of the Abyss Lord (EX).]
[Warning! Irregular dangerous item!]
[The Essence resonates with external magic power.]
“…The Abyss Lord’s Essence?”
So the hidden name… was the Abyss Lord?
The very boss of the Abyss Cradle Gate.
‘Or rather, its avatar.’
Since the real Lord was said to have died long ago.
But still—
‘Wait, I had the item?’
How could I?
I had only just woken up in this body.
And yet—
“Ugh—?!?”
Something burst from my chest.
A black orb, filled with condensed energy, floated into the air.
‘That’s the Essence?’
It spun, releasing black smoke.
At the same time, the shard inside the glass case released smoke too.
The two drew toward each other—
Crash!
The glass shattered.
The Essence devoured the shard’s magic until it crumbled to dust.
Then, as the Essence grew darker and heavier, it stilled.
[Resonance with Abyss magic complete.]
[Activation conditions met.]
[Verifying ownership… Player: Baek Kang-hyuk.]
[Checking Sin Value: 999,999,999 (MAX). Condition 1 complete.]
[Checking kill record… Condition 2 complete.]
[All requirements satisfied.]
[Humanity’s first achievement unlocked.]
[Essence of the Abyss Lord (EX) is now being used.]
[User: Baek Kang-hyuk.]
Hooo—
Black smoke poured out, staining the world around me.
[Adjusting player’s status…]
[Player → Successor of the Abyss Lord.]
[A limited quest will now proceed.]
[Prove your qualifications as successor in this quest.]
[Success will grant you the Authority of the Abyss Lord (EX).]
I froze, eyes wide.
The system just said—
“…
