Believer, Part 1

The next morning, on the mountain behind the training facility—a place that now felt as familiar as my own backyard.

I was in the middle of a pleasant morning training session.

Both core techniques, Mana Manipulation and Mana Concentration, had risen to the lower-intermediate grade. The difference was palpable. Moving mana and constructing spell formulas felt infinitely smoother.

I had also developed a new technique.

I opened my palm. A sphere of mana the size of a baseball materialized above it.

"Fire in the hole!"

I swung my arm back and hurled it with all my might.

Boom!

The mana bomb detonated deep in the woods. The ground gouged inward, and blue shards embedded themselves into the surrounding trees.

Its destructive power far surpassed that of a standard fragmentation grenade.

"One, two, three, four..."

I counted the seconds as I watched the lingering mana fragments. They vanished after exactly nine seconds.

This was what was known as **Phenomenon Maintenance Power**—the duration for which mana remains physically manifested in reality after a spell's formula has ended.

According to the theoretical texts written by the legendary mage Tae Hyeok, nine seconds was a highly respectable figure.

Whoosh!

I shot out a wire and pulled myself up into the canopy, taking care to land gently.

"Whew."

Breathing in the crisp air amidst the branches, I looked down at the Labyrinth Exploration NaN dormitory building.

A faint smile tugged at the corner of my lips.

There was a secret hidden in that place, one I had yet to uncover. Just knowing that filled me with a strange, surging vitality.

I didn't know why. They say humans need food to live, but perhaps I was just born to be a hunting dog...

Ding!

It was the first mass summons since the Survival Labyrinth, nearly a week ago.

The studio was pitch-black. In a space where one couldn't see an inch ahead, all ninety-six explorers gathered.

"Hyung, what do you think it is this time?"

Im Hae-jun had materialized beside me before I even noticed.

"Who knows."

Thud. Thud. Thud. Thud.

The overhead lights flickered on one by one. The vast, concert-hall-like space was divided into eight distinct sections.

Im Hae-jun's face fell, a look of dread washing over him.

"...Hyung. Don't tell me we have to sing and dance?"

"As if."

Ssssshh.

The door at the center of the stage slid open, and Yu Ji-in stepped out to a booming K-pop backing track.

"Hello, everyone! I'm back ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠again today to explain your next labyrinth."

She was dressed in a flashy, skin-tight idol outfit covered in sequins, topped with a stylish, tilted cap.

"The next labyrinth raid will take place right here tomorrow—in front of a live studio audience."

A live audience. In other words, a stage performance.

"You will be placed into a repeating scenario."

A **Situation Labyrinth**. A type of labyrinth where a specific scenario loops repeatedly.

They were tricky, but highly intuitive.

"The time limit for each loop is ten minutes. You are limited to six attempts."

Meaning they had six lives.

"A total of eight explorers will be deployed into each labyrinth."

Yu Ji-in raised her index finger.

To summarize: the eight participants had to assess the situation in a short amount of time, deduce the clear conditions, and execute them.

"However, this is not a team match."

They were working together, but it wasn't a team game.

The explorers began to murmur among themselves.

"Each of you must figure out the objective of the scenario and act in a way that benefits your own standing. It is an individual match. Of course, if you let greed blind you and act too selfishly, the audience will judge you accordingly, won't they?"

With a bright smile, Yu Ji-in snapped her fingers.

Various scenarios flashed onto the massive screens above the stage.

"The themes you can choose from are as follows."

"..."

I was slightly taken aback. The themes were quite different from my previous timeline.

The first two—The Square and the Luxury Hotel—remained the same, but the other six were completely new to me.

"Please select your desired theme through the NaN system! It's first-come, first-served, with a limit of eight people per theme!"

Tug. Im Hae-jun grabbed the hem of my sleeve.

"Hyung, which one are you going for?"

"...The Square."

A wide-open public square was far more advantageous for me than a confined space like a luxury hotel.

"Oh, The Square. Sounds interesting."

"I'm heading in first."

I immediately selected The Square.

Pop!

A round-table meeting room. No one else was there yet.

I took a seat and waited.

About five minutes later, the second person arrived.

It was Lee Jun-ho.

"...Ah."

Spotting me, Lee Jun-ho pursed his lips in annoyance.

"What's with the 'ah'?"

"...Don't act like we're close."

I let out a soft chuckle. Honestly, at this stage, he just sounded like a barking Chihuahua.

It made me all the more curious. What on earth would happen to this guy over the next three years to make him so terrifying?

"Sigh. This is why they say you should never take in a stray. I shouldn't have opened that door for you back then."

"..."

Lee Jun-ho smacked his lips awkwardly. He clearly had no comeback for that.

Whoosh.

Then came the third person.

It was Kate. She glanced between Lee Jun-ho and me before taking a seat.

Whoosh.

Right after her, the fourth arrived: the spellcaster, Kim Woo-hyun.

"Jun-ho hyung!"

"Oh, hey."

Kim Woo-hyun had done the Cargo Labyrinth with Lee Jun-ho. He naturally sat down next to him.

Ding.

A message arrived via the NaN system.

This kid calls me 'Master' all day, but the second real work starts, he strictly chooses whatever's best for himself.

Whoosh.

Just then, the fifth teammate arrived.

"Ah. Hello..."

A drawling voice. Scratching the back of his neck sheepishly, his eyes crinkled into a sly, fox-like smile.

It was Kim Du-gyeom.

My expression turned ice-cold the moment I laid eyes on him.

"Oh! Du-gyeom hyung!"

Kim Woo-hyun seemed thrilled to see him, and both Lee Jun-ho and Kate looked quite pleased with his arrival.

But as for me...

To put it simply, I wanted to kill him.

Kim Du-gyeom was currently ranked in the mid-twenties as a B-Tier contestant, but his uniquely wholesome charm would eventually propel him to ninth place in the first official ranking announcement. Just one step away from the top eight debut group. At a point midway through Labyrinth Exploration NaN, when various online communities and social media platforms practically treated his debut as a foregone conclusion...

His history of school violence would be exposed.

Calling it mere "school bullying" was a massive understatement; it was a series of heinous crimes. It involved extortion, physical assault, and multiple counts of sexual violence.

The deeper people dug, the more they questioned whether this bastard was a human or a beast. Ultimately, Kim Du-gyeom was forced to drop out of the show.

If it had ended there, it would have been fine.

If he had just rotted quietly in prison, he never would have ended up on my radar.

But what he did afterward was far more mind-boggling.

He murdered the original whistleblower.

And not just them. He slaughtered the whistleblower's mother, father, younger sibling, and even their two pet dogs before fleeing South Korea to become an actual villain.

Right up until my regression, Kim Du-gyeom was a C-rank wanted criminal. Considering he was only in his mid-twenties, a C-rank bounty was exceptionally high.

He was a complete and utter piece of shit, a psychopath who didn't even deserve to be called human.

"..."

I sat at the round table in the meeting room. Kim Du-gyeom was seated directly across from me. With an innocent look on his face, the bastard nervously twiddled his thumbs as if he were anxious.

His face was objectively handsome. His skills weren't bad either—in fact, he was excessively talented.

Sometimes, the world is just that unfair.

"Hello."

Kate spoke first. Her Korean pronunciation was better than that of most native speakers.

"I'm Kate, an Archer."

Beside her, Lee Jun-ho gave a brief introduction of his own.

"Lee Jun-ho, Warrior."

"Ah, I'm Kim Du-gyeom. I'm a Warrior too."

"I'm Kim Woo-hyun. I'm a Spellcaster, and it looks like I'm the youngest again, haha..."

After passing through the seven of them—Kate, Lee Jun-ho, Kim Du-gyeom, Kim Woo-hyun, Lee Jong-su, Jeong Min-gi, and Ryu Wei.

"Seol Ha-woon, Spellcaster."

A brief silence fell over the room when my turn came.

The youngest, Kim Woo-hyun, couldn't hide his apprehension. It was likely because of how I had been portrayed in the broadcast of Episode 2.

—Everyone, please turn on the monitor in the meeting room.

Yu Ji-in's voice echoed through the meeting room speakers.

"I'll turn it on."

Kim Du-gyeom stood up with a polite smile.

As he walked past to turn on the monitor, I casually stuck my leg out.

"Whoa!"

Kim Du-gyeom tripped and fell flat on his face. Everyone's eyes instantly locked onto us. I spoke with a completely blank expression.

"Ah, my apologies. I don't have much sensation in my leg."

"...It's fine."

He got back up with a forced smile. I curled my lip. Lee Jun-ho shot me a strange, questioning look.

Kim Du-gyeom wouldn't dare say a word, no matter what I did to him, as long as the cameras were rolling.

Because that was the kind of pathetic actor he was.

Kim Du-gyeom turned on the monitor.

Yu Ji-in spoke from the screen.

Everyone in the meeting room flinched.

A **Scout**. It was a standard role when raiding a labyrinth as a group.

But the problem was that this mission was an individual match.

Not recorded by the cameras. This meant they could choose to share the information they gathered, or keep it to themselves without any public backlash.

"...How about Du-gyeom-ssi does ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it? He's fast on his feet."

The moment Yu Ji-in finished speaking, Kim Woo-hyun chimed in. Lee Jun-ho nodded, seemingly in agreement.

It seemed Kim Du-gyeom's attempt to rewrite his public image was working flawlessly.

"I agree."

The foreign explorer, Ryu Wei, also agreed.

Kate turned to Kim Du-gyeom.

"What do you think?"

"Ah, well... it's a bit of a burden, but if you trust me with it, I'll do my absolute best!"

His eyes looked incredibly innocent. How could someone look like that? Had he successfully gaslit himself into believing his own act?

"Alright, then."

Kate nodded, preparing to wrap up the discussion.

"If there are no other objections—"

"Actually, yes."

I raised my hand. Kim Woo-hyun flinched.

For the record, Kim Woo-hyun was nineteen. His nickname from Episode 2 was "Schooler."

It meant he was as timid as his young age suggested.

"I object."

"You object?"

Kate asked, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠raising an eyebrow.

"Yes."

"...Is there someone else you would like to recommend, Seol Ha-woon-ssi?"

"I will go."

A self-nomination.

I would much rather be the Scout myself.

It was infinitely better than letting that bastard Kim Du-gyeom go. The detail that 'the Scout will not be recorded by the cameras' was critical.

If there were cameras, a person would at least act honestly to maintain their public image. But without cameras, it was glaringly obvious what kind of selfish, underhanded stunts Kim Du-gyeom would pull.

He had done the exact same thing in my previous timeline.

From a viewer's perspective, it was always bizarre how, in every single labyrinth he entered, he somehow ended up as the sole star of the show.

Meanwhile, any explorer who clashed with him or stood as his direct competitor was dragged through the mud.

"...I object to that."

It was Lee Jun-ho. I narrowed my eyes.

I am never, ever taking in a stray again.

Lee Jun-ho avoided my gaze, muttering an excuse.

"I mean, mobility is key here. You're a Scout... If you go in, the five minutes will probably end before you even finish walking."

I stared at Lee Jun-ho in silence, letting my gaze grow heavier and colder.

Lee Jun-ho rubbed his eyelids, pretending he had something in his eye.

"Um, I'll do my best, Spellcaster Seol Ha-woon."

Kim Du-gyeom tried to persuade me, his tone dripping with sweet innocence.

This absolute bastard.

"I really am quite fast on his feet. I'll work hard."

His voice was soft and delicate, like some sensitive, poetic youth.

What a load of horseshit.

"If you could just trust me—"

"No. It has nothing to do with trust."

I stared directly into Kim Du-gyeom's eyes and let my lips curl into a smirk.

"I just don't want you going in. Simple as that."

Kim Du-gyeom's expression faltered for a fraction of a second. A flash of irritation crossed his face, but he instantly masked it with a look of wounded vulnerability, whimpering like a kicked puppy.

"In that case,"

Kate intervened, attempting to mediate.

"Let's put it to a vote."

In a situation like this, a vote would guarantee Kim Du-gyeom's selection.

I spoke up.

"I object to a vote."

"...Then let's vote on whether to vote."

I didn't realize Kate was a fan of wordplay.

I shook my head.

"I refuse. I will be the Scout."

Kate countered calmly.

"There are eight of us in this group. If the majority agrees, we must follow that decision."

"Did you not hear what Mentor Yu Ji-in said? This labyrinth is not a team match. It is strictly an individual game."

Kate's cheeks flushed. It seemed she was finally losing her temper.

"...Then we will have no choice but to exclude you from our plans in the labyrinth, Seol Ha-woon-ssi. Are you fine with that?"

I nodded readily.

"Yes. Go ahead."

"Fine. Then—"

"However,"

I cut her off, my gaze sweeping slowly across the other seven people sitting around the table.

*Tap. Tap. Tap.*

I tapped my fingers against the table and made a quiet declaration.

"I will sabotage you. With everything I've got."

The expressions of the other seven turned utterly sour. Every single camera in the room swiveled to focus on me.

I knew exactly how this scene would look when it was broadcast, but I didn't care.

This wasn't just because I couldn't trust Kim Du-gyeom.

From the very depths of my being, an uncontrollable hostility was rearing its head. My innate mana attribute, which I had discovered during my Refinement, was **Chastisement**—and it certainly seemed to live up to its name.

The fact that a piece of trash like Kim Du-gyeom could ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠walk around freely, smiling without a care in the world, and pretending to be a good person... it rubbed me entirely the wrong way.

"Whether you exclude me or not, I don't care."

Of course, I could have pretended to go along with them and sabotaged them in secret. I could have chosen a path that drew less public ire.

I simply didn't want to.

I wanted Kim Du-gyeom to know that there was someone who despised him. I wanted him to know that someone had seen right through his disgusting facade and wanted nothing more than to crush his smug skull.

"And this time..."

Perhaps, this was also for those of you who were watching Kim Du-gyeom from somewhere in the dark.

For those who wept tears of blood, suffering in silence out of fear of his retaliation.

"Because I will be proven right. Without fail."

Let's see how far we can push this.