“At last, we meet.”

Ju Yeongsong smiled brightly.

“W-Who… are you?”

Lumina asked in a tense voice.

“Wait… I’ve seen her somewhere.”

Meiling tilted her head, then suddenly snapped her fingers.

“Ah! She’s that cultist woman who was screaming in the streets before.”

Ju Yeongsong’s eyes twitched at those words.

“Step aside. I don’t have time to waste on some ridiculous cult.”

Meiling’s voice was sharp.

“Ahem. Could you spare me just a moment of conversation?”

“Are your ears just for decoration? I said no! Let’s go!”

“You’re welcome to leave. The one I came for is only him—Nam Yein.”

The three girls flinched at once.

“Y-Yein… she knows your name…” Lumina stammered, her voice trembling.

Meiling, who had been scowling with irritation, now wore a shocked expression. Seo Yui’s face had hardened, as though staring down a boss monster.

‘It must’ve been the interviews. Or the assembly.’

Given everything that had happened, it wasn’t surprising she knew my name.

The real question was why.

Why had Ju Yeongsong sought me out?

Why was she interested in me?

The answer would determine how I responded.

“Comrade Ju Yeongsong. Is that the boy you mentioned before?”

Just then, a man’s voice rang out from the shadows.

I turned my head and felt my stomach churn.

From the darkness where the streetlamps couldn’t quite reach, a man with violet hair emerged.

Short and plump, his belly round, his face lined with wrinkles that showed his age—well past fifty.

‘Horde…’

The head of the Demon Cult’s New York branch.

“What the—where did he come from?”

Meiling glared.

“But there was no one there a second ago,” Seo Yui muttered.

‘Horde should be in New York. The Demon Cult’s rituals weren’t supposed to happen until much later. No signs of them yet either. This isn’t part of the scenario I know… This is something completely different.’

While I was lost in thought, Horde stepped toward me.

Seo Yui immediately pulled a shield and spear from her inventory.

“Stop. One step closer and I’ll attack.”

“Please, no need for concern. I mean you no harm.”

Horde smiled as he spoke.

“I only wish to confirm whether that silver-haired boy has truly received the blessing of our Lord.”

His violet eyes fixed on me.

‘The blessing of their Lord…?’

“Yein?” Lumina whispered, but I couldn’t answer. My thoughts tangled in confusion.

“Ah… now I see. Faint as it is, I can perceive the Lord’s aura upon you.”

“Knew it!” Ju Yeongsong’s face lit with joy.

‘Wait… what the hell is going on?’

It was obvious who “the Lord” referred to.

But what connection could there possibly be between me and that being?

“Nam Yein, I must tell you something. Please, grant me a moment of your time.” Ju Yeongsong pleaded.

“You don’t need to hear this!”

Meiling seized my arm, and Seo Yui and Lumina closed in behind me.

It looked as though I was being escorted by bodyguards.

“Let’s go!”

Meiling pulled me along, and the four of us left together.

“Nam Yein! You are chosen! You can become something beyond an ordinary Awakened, a being of an entirely different dimension!”

Ju Yeongsong’s voice rang out behind us, but that was all.

Neither she nor Horde followed.

We walked past a bus stop and out toward the main road.

“I called a taxi. It’ll be here soon,” Lumina said, tapping at her smartwatch.

“Are they following?” Meiling asked Seo Yui.

“No. I’ve been watching, and they’re not in sight.”

Seo Yui’s shield and spear were still firmly in hand.

“Good grief. Just what kind of lunatics were they?”

Meiling folded her arms in disgust.

“Talking about blessings, about being chosen, about transcending dimensions… Ugh. Total cult nonsense.”

‘Blessing…’

The words Horde spoke replayed in my mind.

“Now I see. Faint as it is, I perceive the Lord’s aura upon you.”

But the Nam Yein I knew was just a minor NPC, one who died right at the start of the Gwangcheon scenario.

Through the entire Demon Cult questline, his name never appeared once. No hint of any connection existed.

“It’s here!”

Lumina ran out to wave down the approaching taxi.

We piled inside and headed back to the dorms.

“You don’t want your blood sausage soup anymore?” I asked, glancing at Meiling.

“What do you take me for, a glutton? You think I could eat after that?”

Meiling glared at me from the middle seat.

“But how did those two even know Yein was in the dungeon? And wait there for him?” Seo Yui asked quietly.

The air inside the taxi turned heavy.

“Y-Yein… maybe we should call the police?” Lumina suggested nervously from the front seat.

“Yeah. If they show up again, I’ll take action.”

That’s what I said, but truthfully, I hadn’t decided anything yet.

‘The Demon Cult event is supposed to be about stopping a human sacrifice. The protagonist’s NPC friend gets kidnapped, and while trying to rescue them, the truth of the cult is revealed.’

But this wasn’t the time for that. The phase hadn’t shifted yet.

Ju Yeongsong and Horde—within the cult, they were what you’d call Transcendents.

They were meant to appear only in Phase Two, high-leveled enemies with unusual powers that made them tricky to handle.

Stronger than my squad, though weaker than Persila.

And unlike Persila, they didn’t have exploitable weaknesses.

‘Ju Yeongsong brought Horde to me personally. If I ignore this, they’ll escalate. I could very well wake up one day inside the cult’s branch headquarters.’

I did have one card to play—Cheon Jiweon.

But wasting it here would be foolish. His power was something that could overturn any crisis.

‘No, I need another solution.’

A plan flashed into my mind. If I used it, I wouldn’t have to worry about Ju Yeongsong and Horde’s interference anymore.

But…

‘If I mishandle the Demon Cult now, everything could spiral out of control. Then again… hasn’t it already?’

Unexpected dungeon Transferences. The assembly. Meeting Cheon Jiweon.

Everything had already deviated far from the original scenario.

“Right. This isn’t so different from the Transference incidents.”

“What?” Meiling shot me a look.

“Don’t mind me. Just talking to myself.”

I smiled faintly, turning to gaze out the window.

The fog clouding my thoughts cleared, my mind spinning like sparks from a fire.

The next day. Wednesday evening, just two days before summer break.

After classes ended, I walked out the school gates.

Normally the street outside was nearly deserted, but tonight a few people were around.

One of them glanced at me, then fiddled with his smartwatch.

‘That’s him.’

I strode toward the man making a call.

His face flickered with panic. He quickly turned and walked away at a brisk pace.

But it was just an ordinary man’s pace.

No matter how low my stamina aptitude was, an unawakened could never outrun me.

I caught up instantly and seized his wrist.

“Ugh!”

The man gasped, looking back at me in shock.

I yanked the earphone from his ear and pressed it to mine.

[Comrade Oh Yeongho, what’s wrong? Has something happened?]

“Yes, something’s happened. The surveillance target just stole your call.”

The line went silent, someone audibly swallowing hard.

“Tell Branch Head Ju Yeongsong this: I’ve decided I want that ‘conversation’ she was so eager for. She has ten minutes. Meet me in front of Gwangcheon.”

With that, I held the earphone back out to the man.

“Now get lost.”

“A-Ah…”

He hesitated, then turned and ran.

“This won’t do.”

Inside the Demon Cult’s Seoul branch office.

Ju Yeongsong sat across from Horde, her expression grave.

“We can’t just leave the boy who carries the Lord’s blessing out there. We must bring him into our embrace and protect him at once.”

“I agree,” Horde nodded.

“Even if we must be forceful, I can use my ability to bring him here. Once he hears us out, he’ll surely understand.”

Ju Yeongsong’s face brightened.

“Thank you, Comrade Horde. Then let us prepare the ritual space right awa—”

At that moment—

“Branch Head Ju Yeongsong!”

A cultist burst into the office without even knocking, shouting breathlessly.

Both Ju Yeongsong and Horde’s faces stiffened in surprise.

“What is the meaning of this? Why so urgent…?”

“T-The comrade stationed outside Gwangcheon Academy reported in—or rather, his phone was snatched. And the one who took it was Nam Yein. He told me to pass on a message: he wishes to speak with Branch Head Ju Yeongsong, and demanded you meet him in front of Gwangcheon within ten minutes.”

“…What?”

Ju Yeongsong could hardly process what she’d just heard.

“So, no need to send for him after all.”

By contrast, Horde chuckled, clearly amused.

“Let’s go, Comrade Ju Yeongsong. This may well be the guidance of the Demon Lord.”

“Ah…! Yes, of course. I understand, Comrade Horde.”

Ju Yeongsong nodded with sudden conviction.

A few minutes later.

A car pulled up in front of me and came to a stop.

The passenger-side window slid down, revealing Ju Yeongsong’s smiling face.

“Please, get in.”

I shifted my gaze to the driver’s seat—where Horde sat behind the wheel.

I climbed into the back, and the car immediately began moving.

“But why the sudden change of heart? Just yesterday, you were so wary of us.”

Horde’s voice was smooth, curious.

I cleared my throat and lowered my voice slightly.

“Simple. Yesterday, there were those present who were unfit to hear such words. But here, only those who serve the Lord are gathered.”

Ju Yeongsong whipped around to face me, eyes wide.

“What… what did you just say?”

“One cannot carelessly speak of matters related to Lord Revrenta before the unchosen.”

For a moment, silence filled the car.

A bead of sweat rolled down Ju Yeongsong’s temple.

That name—Revrenta—was the Demon Lord’s true name, a secret known only to the so-called Transcendents of the cult.

“Horde Liam. Ju Yeongsong. You are gravely mistaken.”

I smiled faintly.

“I am not some child blessed by Revrenta. My true identity is that of one of His envoys, sent into this world through this body.”

The car screeched to a halt, tires screaming against asphalt.

Horns blared all around as drivers slammed their brakes.

“Do not stop in the middle of an intersection. You will only confuse the innocent.”

“M-My deepest apologies!!”

Horde shouted, flustered, and quickly drove on.

Phew.

That was close. I almost died to a car accident—not a monster. Seo Yui or Iris might’ve survived being hit, but I was pretty certain Nam Yein’s body couldn’t.

“Truly, forgive me! I beg your pardon!”

Horde apologized again, his voice desperate.

“It’s fine. It was my fault for startling you.”

“Th-Thank you!”

“Then… is it true? You are truly the envoy sent by the Demon Lord…?” Ju Yeongsong asked, trembling.

“Why doubt it? Did you not both sense His presence in me?”

They had gone on and on about blessings and auras. I had no idea what they really saw, but I might as well exploit it.

“A-Ah… yes, of course.”

“Well, even as Transcendents, it’s only natural you had not heard of me. Your doubt is understandable. Still, I nearly burst out laughing yesterday, when you shouted I could become something beyond a mere Awakened. In a sense, you weren’t wrong—I am no Awakened, but an envoy of Revrenta.”

“I… I am ashamed of myself. Forgive my ignorance,” Ju Yeongsong whispered, bowing her head.

“But why… why appear like this?”

“You wish to know why Revrenta sent me into this world through the body of a Gwangcheon Academy student, don’t you?”

“That is exactly it.”

“You know of the recent dungeon Transference incidents?”

“Yes, of course.”

“Then you should also understand why I must appear in this form.”

“…?”

Ju Yeongsong looked puzzled.

“Think carefully.”

“Ah… could it be…” Horde spoke slowly.

“To ensure Awakened could return to the dungeons?”

“Ah!!” Ju Yeongsong exclaimed.

“Yes. Appearing on the news, attending the assembly, handing the Weight of Phase Fixation recipe to Mayor Cheon Jiweon—it was all for that purpose.”

“Indeed.” I nodded.

“Without Revrenta’s intervention, the balance between the demonic realm and the Awakened would have crumbled. I came to restore the world’s order.”

“Ahh… such profound will…”

“At last, I understand the sacred intent of Lord Revrenta,” Horde whispered, voice breaking with emotion.

Hearing their tearful devotion, I bit down on my lip.

If I laughed now, all this effort would be wasted.

“I revealed myself only to clear your misunderstanding and spare you needless struggle. But know this—I exist only to obey His commands. Tonight, I shall depart from this body, and you shall not see me again. From then on, pay no heed to this boy. Dedicate yourselves wholly to Lord Revrenta’s will. Tell no one of the envoy’s existence, not even other Transcendents. Even the thought of not having seen me could create cracks in their faith. Hold steadfast in your devotion, and the glory of the Holy War and the light of Heaven shall one day be yours.”

“Ahhh… such noble words. We shall obey!” Horde cried, nearly sobbing.

“We will follow your command,” Ju Yeongsong vowed.

“Then… may we at least know your name?”

My name, huh.

“My true name is Hitcher, the one who forges the weapons of God.”

As I spoke, I summoned my crafting hammer.

The radiant hammer floated in the air, glowing with holy light.

Ju Yeongsong and Horde finally broke into tears.

“So noble… so beautiful…”

“Thank you… thank you, Lord Hitcher…”

“Yes. Then let me return. Stop the car.”

A moment later, I stepped out onto the sidewalk.

Looking back, I saw the two of them outside the car, arms crossed over their chests—the Demon Cult’s salute.

I quickly turned my head away.

“Pfft.”

I couldn’t help it anymore.

Covering my mouth, I walked briskly away, shoulders shaking with laughter.

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