🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 3
‘…Well, I did manage to save the main character and get him out.’
Game Category [Post][Chat]
Title: Oh, found a bug
You can get out of the maze??
When I first discovered this bug—
I found out you could escape to the outside village without going through the maze properly.
The problem was…
‘If you go through that hole, the game resets.’
But this isn’t a game anymore—this is reality. So the kids should be able to escape safely.
‘Only one thing left.’
I need to get out of the maze myself.
That’s my specialty.
Especially this starting area of the game—I’ve been in and out of it like eating breakfast.
‘Getting through it is super easy.’
There probably aren’t many people who know all the sneaky tricks like I do.
And so—
I arrived at the “altar” at the end of the maze.
The place where, no matter what you do, the main character usually ends up alone—losing all the kids and going insane.
It was massive—so huge that I couldn’t see the end from my short height.
On the side wall was a carved figure of a god.
[Who will stop the evil god’s corruption?
The merciful savior chosen by the heavens shall descend!
Come forth, salvation born from the greatest despair!]
The church’s ancient prophecy was also engraved into the wall.
The blue letters looked holy, but the ending part was smeared with black blood—it felt eerie.
“Alright. Just like I expected.”
That altar grants divine power to the one and only survivor of the maze.
‘And I’m going to take that all for myself.’
It’s not like I’m stealing it from Kahn.
Kahn already has strong divine power. He doesn’t need this for the story to progress.
‘I’ll happily take this bonus for myself.’
In this awful world, you need power to survive.
And this altar is one of the easiest ways to get that power.
This world doesn’t care that we’re just kids.
‘If any god’s listening—please… just let me survive and go home.’
I reached out and touched the altar.
I closed my eyes, then opened them.
Ding!
A sign suddenly appeared in front of me.
‘Alright, now I—’
[Congratulations! You are now the “Only Savior” of this world!]
I get to be the main character now.
I grinned.
As soon as I finished reading that, another sign popped up automatically.
[You have received divine power and the passive skill “God’s Eye.”]
Nice. Everything’s going according to plan.
[You are the descendant of the gods—the Pope.]
I nodded at the fate I chose for myself.
That’s right.
‘Honestly, if Kahn wasn’t my favorite, I would’ve never done this.’
But as someone who’s seen this game’s ending countless times, I’m confident I can lead it to a happy one.
I swear on my veteran gamer pride!
That’s when it happened.
While I was fixing my expression, a new sign popped up in front of me.
But something was off… the color looked different?
[Providing a “Guidebook” for the new Pope!]
‘Huh? I’ve never seen this before…’
In the next moment, a white paper-like thing appeared in front of my eyes, and I opened them wide.
‘Wait, what?’
Game Category [Post][Guide]
[About the “Altar” in the Prologue Chapter]
(Snipped) Even though it’s a sacred altar, it feels eerie. There’s actually a hidden item you can find here…
‘What the—this is my post!’
I wrote so many guides that it’s all a blur now, but—
The title, the explanation—any way you look at it, I wrote it.
‘But why are they showing me my own guide?’
I can’t remember every detail or number from all my posts unless it was really unique…
‘…Aren’t they basically spoon-feeding me? This might make getting home easier.’
Signs continued to pop up without stopping.
[Avoid the fanatics, spies, and corrupted holy knights within the Church.
Find trustworthy “Guardians” and “Allies”!]
[If your identity is exposed…]
[Your life will be in danger!]
They gave me my second objective in this world.
‘Find a guardian, huh.’
In this game, the main character is the god’s chosen “Pope,” and has powerful divine energy.
But in the beginning, their body is too weak—just an ordinary kid.
So until they find a guardian to protect them…
And until they become strong—they must not let anyone find out their identity!
‘Who was I supposed to be careful of again?’
I quickly sorted through the game’s characters in my head.
As if reading my mind, another post appeared right in front of me.
Game Category [Post][Guide]
[Faction Guide for Beginners – Part 1]
Here’s a breakdown of all the psychos in this game:
-
“Fanatics” – heretics who worship the evil god and want to kill the Pope candidates.
-
“Corrupted Holy Knights” – lost their divine power due to the evil god, sometimes go berserk.
-
“Royal Spies” – try to kidnap Pope candidates to gain power over the continent.
‘Ugh… no matter how many times I think about it, they’re all nuts…’
I stared at the signs, lost in thought.
THUD!
A loud noise snapped my head around.
The door opposite the one I came through had swung wide open.
A man walked through it with heavy steps.
“Hm? What? The selection’s already over?”
Even now, signs kept popping up busily.
[The passive skill “God’s Eye” is always active.]
[You can identify fanatics, spies, and corrupted holy knights!]
…There it is. Target Number 1 to avoid!
I gulped.
“…What the, who’s this little brat?”
His holy knight armor—
It was probably pure white once,
but now it was soaked in blood.
“Hmm, way too young.”
Blood dripped from the hammer he held.
Hair so light gray it looked almost white.
Eyes glowing with an eerie purple light.
His looks were more “beautiful” than “handsome”—
a man so good-looking he looked like a sculpture.
And I knew this guy very well.
He was the first one I warned about in my strategy post.
Game Category [Post][Guide]
[Crazy People List for Newbies – Part 1]
Usher Tatum / 32 years old
Affiliation: Vice-Commander of the White Holy Knights
Possesses divine power
One of the top three villains you should never meet in this game.
Even hardcore gamers who were addicted to the game couldn’t stand this guy.
“…Oh, you’re not a boy?”
Because—
[Faction: Evil God Cult – Fanatic]
Because he’s a fanatic of the evil god.
The very first person I meet turns out to be a fanatic hiding his identity.
Even though I knew this would happen, it still feels creepy.
[Would you like to choose ‘Usher Tatum’ as your Guardian?]
…Excuse me? Am I crazy?
A fanatic who slices people up just for fun?
Until that fanatic stepped up and casually lifted me off the ground, I couldn’t even react.
“Well, whatever. Doesn’t really matter.”
The beautifully dangerous fanatic smiled slyly.
“Welcome to the temple, Pope candidate.”
His eyes glowed with madness.
In the story, when the protagonist reaches the altar, one of three random characters appears.
And among those three…
One is always part of the top three worst villains.
So, yeah—it was inevitable I’d meet that guy right from the start.
‘At least all he does now is just take you away. Could’ve been worse.’
Usher, who appeared before the altar, is your textbook psychopath villain.
‘Thank goodness guardians aren’t assigned by force.’
Because in this real version of the game, if you end up with a fanatic or a royal spy as your guardian—
You’d be killed instantly.
“Are you bored?”
Right now, I’m sitting in a parlor.
The stiff-faced woman in front of me is Siara, the person assigned to teach me.
“Nope, I already heard everything!”
“Huh? Already…? You mean you’ve already been given the basic introduction?”
“Yep—uh, I mean, yesh!”
“You can speak comfortably. But who gave you the explanation?”
“The guy who brought me here.”
Siara nodded, looking displeased.
“…I see. Lord Usher…”
Knowing the whole story means—
I know exactly what’s coming next.
“You are the baby who survived the toughest trial, Zone 1—the ‘Maze.’ From now on, you’ll be called the ‘Pope Candidate.’ Do you understand so far?”
“Uh-huh. I also know six kids made it through so far.”
“That’s correct.”
Besides the maze I was in, there are nine other zones.
Other kids were probably thrown into those, too.
Only one kid survives from each zone to become a Pope candidate.
Among them, the ‘Maze’ is known as the most brutal and difficult zone.
“Soon, Candidate, you’ll leave this room and choose a ‘Guardian.’”
“Gwuawjyan.”
Damn it, my stupid tongue.
If I’m not careful, my baby pronunciation slips out…!
“Yes. The Guardian system is in place to protect Pope candidates. You’ll choose someone from within the church and live with them.”
“……”
“To help candidates like you, who don’t have any information yet, the church has prepared a list of 10 recommended individuals.”
At those words, I naturally thought of the fanatic I met at the altar.
“…Oh, you’re not a boy?”
Usher Tatum.
Outwardly, he’s the Vice Commander of the Church’s White Holy Knights.
But his true identity—
He’s a top leader of the evil god’s cult who infiltrated the church to destroy it and end the world.
And the guy doesn’t even bother to hide his nasty personality.
This line of his is proof:
<Well, whatever. Listen up, brat.>
<If you choose me as your “dad,” I’ll kill you.>
He grabbed me tight and actually said that.
‘Sure, it’s a line from the story… but hearing it in person? It sucked.’
“Would you like to look at the list?”
I lifted my head and looked at the parchment.
“I’ll read the names for you.”
As I listened to the list, my brows furrowed.
‘I’m pretty sure at least eight of these people have killed me in-game before.’
So this list is basically—
Game Category [Post][Guide]
[Siara’s Guardian Recommendation List]
Just saying upfront: this list is full of traps.
These are all options you should not pick.
Once a Pope candidate picks a Guardian, they treat them like a parent.
They even start calling them “Dad” or “Mom.”
‘So you really have to choose carefully.’
Because among these so-called moms and dads… there are total psychos.
And, of course—
The face of the fanatic who threatened me, Usher, was right there on the paper.
I snatched the list from Siara’s hands.
Then, without hesitation, I crumpled the paper like trash.
Siara looked shocked.
But I just smiled sweetly like nothing happened.
“There’s someone I wanna see.”
My “dad”? I’ll pick him myself.
When it comes to Guardians—
Being kind and family-like is the best!
