The Evil God's Favorite Adventurer
The world had ended long ago.
Or at least, that's what everyone said. When the Great Merge happened, Seoul didn't just get destroyed. It fused with something far worse. Towering mountains of black stone erupted through the city streets. Ancient ruins swallowed entire districts. And from the cracks between realities poured monsters that no one had names for yet.
Now, what remained of the capital was a labyrinth city. A place where the shattered remnants of modern civilization clung to crumbling skyscrapers while dungeons yawned open like hungry mouths in the ground. People called it Seoul Abyss. Most just called it hell.
Jinwoo stood on the edge of a ruined overpass, wind whipping through his torn coat. Below him, the fractured Han River glowed an unnatural violet. Something large moved beneath the surface. He didn't bother looking closer. Whatever it was, it wasn't his problem today.
Another day. Another chance to not die.
He checked the cracked smartwatch still strapped to his wrist. The screen flickered, half-broken from the last time a ghoul had tried to chew his arm off. The System interface popped up anyway, stubborn as ever.
Daily Quest Available
Objective: Survive until nightfall
Reward: +3 Strength, Minor Healing Potion
Jinwoo snorted. The System had a sick sense of humor. Survive until nightfall? In this city, that was basically asking him to breathe. Still, the rewards were worth it. He needed every point of strength he could get if he wanted to push deeper into the lower floors.
A low growl echoed from the alley behind him. Jinwoo didn't turn around immediately. He already knew what it was. A Lesser Shadow Hound. Rank E. Fast, but stupid. Easy prey for someone who'd survived three years in the Abyss.
He drew the rusted iron sword from his back. The blade hummed faintly as his Minor Mana Reinforcement skill activated. Not much, but enough to cut through hide.
Minor Mana Reinforcement — +15% damage for 30 seconds
The hound lunged. Jinwoo stepped sideways, almost lazily, and brought the sword down in a clean arc. Black blood sprayed across the cracked concrete. The creature whimpered once before dissolving into dark smoke that the wind carried away.
Too easy.
He wiped the blade on his thigh and checked his stats. The System window appeared instantly, glowing green against the gray sky.
Not bad for a survivor who started with nothing but a kitchen knife and a death wish. But it wasn't enough. Not nearly enough to face what waited on the tenth floor. Or to protect the only family he had left.
His daughter, Sooah, was waiting back at the shelter. Eight years old and already learning how to stitch wounds and load crossbows. The thought made his chest tighten. She shouldn't have to grow up like this. No one should.
A new notification pinged. This one was different. The border pulsed with an ominous purple light he'd never seen before.
The Evil God's Favor
📍 Location: The Black Spire — Floor 7
🎁 Reward: Unknown Divine Blessing
⚠️ Warning: Those who walk this path cannot return to the light.
Jinwoo stared at the message for a long time. The Evil God. Everyone knew the stories. The entity that ruled the deepest, most chaotic parts of the merged world. A being of pure darkness and madness that granted power to those mad enough to serve it. Most adventurers who accepted its quests either went insane or disappeared forever.
He thought of Sooah again. Of the way her small hands trembled when the shelter sirens went off. Of the way the other survivors looked at him like he was one bad day away from becoming a monster himself.
Power. That's what he needed. Real power. The kind that could carve a safe place in this nightmare. The kind that could let a father protect his daughter no matter what came crawling out of the dark.
Jinwoo closed the window with a swipe of his finger. His lips curved into a grim smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Fine," he muttered to the empty sky. "If the devil wants to play favorites... I'll be the best damn favorite he's ever had."
He turned toward the distant silhouette of the Black Spire, where shadows seemed to writhe even in daylight. The wind howled like it was laughing at him.
Behind him, unnoticed, a single black feather drifted down from nowhere and dissolved into his shadow. A faint whisper brushed against his mind, soft as silk and cold as the grave.
"At last... a worthy toy has appeared."
Jinwoo shivered once, then kept walking. He had a daughter to feed and a god to impress.
The real game was just beginning.