MDPS 08

Chapter 08

Apocalypse Summoning Scroll (1)

In Legend Seven, each rank has its own symbolic color.
The rank granted to Hertia was Apocalypse.
Its symbol — dark violet.

Which meant the card in front of me was also an Apocalypse-rank job card.

…Was there even an Apocalypse-rank job in the game?

No. There wasn’t.
The rank Apocalypse itself had never existed.

So, was this another perk effect?
Or did the game gain new ranks after becoming reality?

A dozen thoughts swirled in my head, but the conclusion was already set.

No way I’m ignoring this.

I immediately flipped over the card radiating that ominous light.

And in that instant—

《Adventurer, you have changed class to Apocalypse-rank “Rebel of the Morning Star.”》

Rebel of the Morning Star…?
I’d never heard that class name in my life.

Well… actually, I can think of something it reminds me of…

My account name, Lucifer, originally meant “Morning Star” in Hebrew.
Although modern theology interprets it differently, in fiction it’s usually the image of a proud angel who defied God and fell into hell.
The “Rebel” part clearly came from that story.

So in other words… they’d given me the Lucifer class.

【Apocalypse Class: Rebel of the Morning Star】
Description: The Morning Star, worshiped by all demons. The sole being who can rule over those who defied the will of heaven.

It seemed I’d been granted this class because I commanded “villains.”

If that’s the case… what about the skills?

【Summoner Skills】

1st Skill – “The Cruelest Avenger”
Greatly increases damage dealt to the rival faction of your owned villains.
※ Current target: Elves (Hertia’s rival)

So, bonus damage against rivals.
Since I had Hertia, that meant I could deal extra damage to elves.

But… were there even any dungeons where I could fight elves?
When an adventurer started in the game, most elves had already been wiped out by Hertia — meeting them was rare.

Feels like a situational skill… Let’s see the next one.

2nd Skill – “The Star That Guides the Shepherd”
Allows summoning and controlling familiars even when far apart.
※ Current range: 5 km. Range increases as the skill grows.

Oh! This one was fantastic.

The usual control range for a familiar was about 10 meters.
But 5 kilometers?

That meant I could toss my familiar into a dungeon and go do something else entirely.

Perfect for me right now.

My biggest weakness at the moment was that I couldn’t reveal my full strength in public.
The fact that I was a super rookie — and more importantly, a villain summoner — had to be kept secret.

But with long-distance summoning… that changed everything.

If needed, I could summon Hertia remotely and put her to work.
Diversion tactics, auto-hunting, killing with a borrowed knife… so many uses were popping into my head I could almost burst from glee.
And it would only grow with my level.

A jackpot skill.

I might not have direct magic or combat support abilities yet, but honestly, I didn’t need them.
With my summons alone, I could steer any battle however I wanted.

The 1st skill still felt a little disappointing… Bonus damage is strong, sure, but why elves of all things?

Elves… I just can’t think of any dungeon where they appear…

I left the rune dungeon while still mulling over how to use that skill.
As I looked around the now-dark Lotte World amusement park—

Ding!

A notification popped up from the Adventurer app.

“What’s this?”

App notifications went out to all adventurers, so I checked it right away.
The contents were… interesting.

[Notice from the Tower of Records]
Episode 8 update scheduled in one month.
Subtitle: Return of the Elven Legion
– Adventurer Central Administration

Ha, what timing.

No need to worry anymore.
The main episode subtitle always hinted at the “main enemy.”
Meaning that in the next patch, I’d be fighting elves to my heart’s content.

It would be fun… but also worrying.

In the game days, a “major update” usually meant a jump in difficulty.
And Korea’s Tower raid progress was already stretched thin.

Our so-called “allied” powerhouse nations, who’d signed raid-assistance pacts, kept delaying under one excuse or another, swooping in near deadlines to take the choicest loot before lending minimal help.

If difficulty spiked now… and worse, if we failed—

A dungeon break… could happen again.

The memory of that horrific day — one I never wanted to relive — made a bead of cold sweat run down my back.

Smack!

I slapped my own cheeks, snapping myself back.

I’ll do it. Back then I was powerless, but now… I’m not.

It wasn’t patriotism. I wasn’t some heroic martyr.
But now that I had the power to protect my family, my friends, my home… I wasn’t going to just sit and watch.

And to do that, I had to get stronger, fast.

“Nggh—!”

Ding!

While stretching to shake off those thoughts, another notification rang.
This time from my status window.

Hero Summon Voucher sold successfully.
After 5% anonymous-trade fee, ₩95,000,000 deposited.

Oh! Perfect timing — the voucher had sold.

I opened my bank app to confirm—

…? Why so many messages?

Alongside the deposit alert, my phone was crammed with unread messages and missed calls.
I’d had it in airplane mode to focus on the dungeon, but who on earth had been trying to reach me?

And then I remembered.

• Deputy Oh, is something wrong today?

• You’re very late. Please contact us as soon as you see this.

• You’ve never been late before, so we’re worried.

• It’s not something serious, is it?

“…Work.”

Right. Thursday wasn’t just all-attributes rune dungeon day…
It was also a regular workday for a normal office employee.

I’d been so wrapped up in my Awakening high I’d completely forgotten.

“…Can I use vacation for this?”

The next day, I went to the office and apologized to my coworkers for worrying them.

The truth was, I was already set on quitting.
I’d been preparing to change jobs for over a month and had already submitted my resignation.

It’s just… Awakening in the middle of that had made me totally forget.

[Office conversations follow — translated, with character voices retained.]

By the end of the day, my resignation went through without incident.

But one line from the president stuck with me — about his kid wanting to be an adventurer, the cost of adventurer training universities, and how hard it was to get a tutor for the entrance exams.

That reminded me: my little sister was studying for the Adventurer Administration Bureau civil service exam.
Only held twice a year, with brutal competition.

…Might as well drop by the family home.

When I arrived, I was greeted with warmth, food, and teasing banter from my sister.
But eventually, I dropped the real bombshell:

“I quit my job today.”

My family was shocked… until I put my heavy office bag on the table.

“Take a look.”

Inside was ₩95 million in cash — the proceeds from selling my hero summon voucher.

And then came the bigger revelation:

“I became an adventurer.”

The disbelief on their faces was priceless.

After explaining it came from a lucky drop in the tutorial dungeon, their relief was visible.

Then I turned to my sister.

“Quit your part-time job. Go back to school.”

She hesitated, but I pressed on.
I’d cover her tuition. No more delays. It was time for her to chase her dream again.

The rest of the night passed with laughter, family talk, and a father eager for a celebratory drink.

Later that night, in my old room, I finally had time for what I’d been itching to do.

From my inventory, I pulled out the Apocalypse Summoning Scroll — the one I’d gotten as a perk.

There was something interesting about it.

【Apocalypse Summoning Scroll】
Description: A summoning scroll imbued with the power of the Apocalypse. Sacrifice other summoning scrolls to inherit the legacy left behind by the Rebel of the Morning Star.
※ Summon point cost changes each time you summon.

[Current Inherited Legacies]
▶ 1 / 7

[Points Until Next Legacy]
▶ 0 / 1,000 pt

Lower-rank summoning scrolls can be sacrificed for points:

• Common: 1 pt

• Advanced: 5 pt
  …

• Mythic: 1,000 pt

All right… let’s see just how much fun I can have with this thing.