Chapter 47

Do-Jin stood by the window, sipping from a freshly brewed mug of coffee. Normally, he wouldn’t even think about drinking this black sludge, but the new apartment came with a fancy coffee machine and a stash of pods, so he figured, why the hell not.

He took a deep breath, letting the sharp acidity of the aroma fill his lungs. Then, with zero hesitation, he took a big gulp and immediately spat it back out.

“The fuck do people like about this shit?” he muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Coffee tasted bitter, sour, and dry as hell. It tasted like burnt regret. As if to make sure every last trace of that god-awful flavor was gone, he kept spitting, scrunching his face in pure disgust.

As soon as he turned away from the sink, his expression softened. His mood had already taken a turn for the better, because instead of the dingy, run-down shoebox he had been living in, he was now staring at a sleek, high-rise apartment. He dumped the coffee down the drain and let his mind drift back to the events that had led him here.

Has it really only been three days?

Three days ago, he had walked outside for the first time in ages, only to find a woman collapsed in front of his door. That woman turned out to be his new manager.

Her name was Chun Ji-Hyun, twenty-two years old. His first impression was that she was obsessively diligent, almost allergic to incompetence. And from what he had seen, she had an unhealthy fixation on keeping her job.

How unhealthy was it? When Do-Jin ignored her calls and refused to open the door, she didn’t leave. She brought a puffer coat and waited outside his apartment until 1 a.m., all because someone told her to show him a place and ask if he liked it.

Just as he was pulling a carton of milk from the fridge to wash away the taste of liquid disappointment, his phone chimed.

In his past life, he barely used his phone. Most of the time, it was switched off entirely. But ever since the incident in which he unknowingly left a person outside his door for hours, he had started keeping it on just in case.

A message flashed across the screen.

—Do-Jin, I think we’ll have the video ready by this afternoon, maybe around 6 p.m. I’ll send it over for final approval when it’s done. Also, we should decide how we’re going to handle the upload. Let me know what works for you!

Do-Jin kept staring at the text. The message was about the video that would be uploaded to his newly created MeTube channel. When he had been asked when he planned to start his activities, he had simply handed over the raw footage, and it seemed like an editor had been brought in to work on it.

But didn’t we already talk about this last night...? Was she seriously bringing this up again?

At this point, he was convinced she had some kind of terminal disease that made her physically incapable of leaving tasks unfinished for longer than twenty-four hours.

Is this what people mean by A-tier talent?

His mind immediately conjured up an imaginary system message.

[Congratulations! You have obtained an A-Rank Workaholic Slave!]

He smirked but kept the thought to himself. He didn’t want to offend the poor overachiever. Instead, he typed out a quick response.

—Just handle it however you want. I trust your judgment.

Then, without wasting another second, he shut off his phone and got to the real task of the day, which was gaming.

***

Do-Jin had spent three straight weeks grinding in the Horcon Swamp. Beyond that, after a full day’s journey, lay the Marzia Viscounty.

For a viscounty, it was a massive city. The region’s naturally low mana density meant that powerful monsters never spawned here, making it the perfect hub for merchants traveling across the land. With trade came people, and with people came money.

Hawkers shouted from every corner, luring in travelers with all sorts of goods. Traders haggled, bargaining like their lives depended on it. Busty women giggled sweetly, batting their lashes as they worked their magic on wealthy patrons. Children scurried about, shoving wilted flowers into hands for a few silvers. Adventurers, mercenaries hired to protect merchant caravans, gathered in clusters, swapping stories over pints of ale.

The city of Marzia was brimming with life. But for Do-Jin, that liveliness felt utterly foreign. Because the Marzia he remembered looked nothing like this. It wasn’t even called Marzia in his past life. Back then, this place was more widely known as “The City of the Dead.”

His eyes swept across the bustling streets, watching people laugh and go about their day without a care in the world. A cold chill crept up his spine.

These people... they have no idea what’s coming.

It wouldn’t be long before this prosperous city turned into a rotting wasteland. The pristine walls would be smothered in black, twisted thorns. The lively streets would become a graveyard of corpses, haunted by restless wraiths.

No one ever discovered why it had happened, not even after countless players investigated. One day, this place simply ceased to exist. All that remained was a Level 70 hunting ground filled with the undead. Theories ran wild, but answers were scarce.

“Mister Adventurer! Mister Adventurer!” A voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

He blinked and turned toward its source. It was a tiny girl, holding out a single white flower.

“Would you please buy a flower, mister? It’s just one silver! If you buy one, I can get some bread for my little siblings!”

Do-Jin glanced down at her. Her hands trembled slightly and her wide eyes were full of uncertainty. It wasn’t the kind of nervous awe people usually had toward mages. This was real, experienced fear. This wasn’t about him being a mage, but rather an

adventurer

. She must have witnessed or been through something traumatic. Maybe some drunk bastard had roughed her up. Maybe she had watched others get pushed around. Either way, she was terrified.

Despite her fear, she still approached him. That meant she was desperate. The easier customers, the burly older men, were already surrounded by bigger, stronger kids. That left the ones no one wanted to approach, like the quiet-looking mage, dressed in all black.

Do-Jin flashed a small smile, just enough to ease the tension. He made sure to look as non-threatening as possible before asking, “How much for all of them?”

“One s-silver!” she blurted out immediately.

Do-Jin raised a brow. Either she didn’t hear him properly or she was too nervous to process what he had said.

“I’m not asking how much for one. How much for the whole basket?”

Her eyes were as round as saucers. Even in her obvious disbelief, she didn’t let the opportunity slip past her. She was clearly used to scraping by and any chance to earn more was one she couldn’t afford to waste.

“E-eight silver! No, wait! Five! Five silver is fine!”

The girl had no idea how to haggle. She shot high, panicked and immediately cut her price in half like she was afraid he’d walk away.

Do-Jin said nothing. He simply pulled out ten gold and discreetly pressed the coins into her small hand. He made sure no one else saw. The girl’s mouth fell open in shock.

Lifting a finger to his lips, he shushed her and said, “Keep it quiet. Use it to buy something good for you and your siblings.”

As he reached out to take a single flower, he noticed her thin wrist trembling slightly and stained with a dark mark. A slow chill crept up his spine and before he even realized it, his hand had already snatched her wrist.

“

Eek

!”

Her sharp yelp caused a few heads to snap in their direction. For a moment, people actually looked, but just as quickly, they lost interest. A scrappy street kid getting manhandled by some mage wasn’t their problem. They clicked their tongues and went right back to minding their own business. They all assumed she was some little pickpocket who had finally tried to steal from the wrong person.

“I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”

The girl was on the verge of tears, frantically apologizing without even knowing why. She had lived her entire life as prey. When a stronger force came down on her, she did what all prey did. She begged.

Without letting go, Do-Jin asked, “When did you get this mark?”

The girl sniffled and her big, teary eyes darting to her wrist. “T-this...?”

He nodded.

“It s-showed up a few days ago... but I don’t really know why...”

“I’m gonna need you to remember exactly when it appeared. Think carefully. What happened that day?”

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The intensity in his voice made her shrink back. But after hesitating for a moment, she forced herself to recall. That day had been a lucky one. Just like today, she had managed to sell an entire basket of flowers.

It had been near sunset, when all the other kids had already gone home. That was when she saw a kind-looking priest. His warm smile and gentle words had put her at ease. She had eagerly offered him her flowers and to her delight, he bought them all.

With the money, she had bought fresh bread and soup. Her younger siblings had eaten to their hearts’ content. Later that night, as she finished their leftovers, she noticed the black mark on her wrist.

“It must’ve been t-ten days ago... maybe a little more?” The girl stammered, her voice trembling. “But it’s not a disease! I swear! It doesn’t hurt, I feel fine! Please, I won’t cause trouble, just don’t throw me out of the city!” Tears welled up again as she pleaded with him.

Do-Jin sighed and loosened his grip, allowing her to calm down. Only after she stopped shaking did he speak again.

“The priest was wearing a white robe... with a black flower pattern on it?”

The girl sniffled and nodded, wiping her face with the sleeve of her tattered dress.

Do-Jin exhaled slowly. “Figures.”

Priests of Star of Creation Bella wore pure white robes embroidered with golden thread, symbols of light and creation. But those who wove black nightshade flowers into their robes didn’t worship the Star of Creation. They followed the Star of Ruin.

So those cultist fucks were already making moves this early, huh?

Do-Jin’s eyes darkened as he let go of the girl’s wrist. That black stain wasn’t some random smudge. It was their calling card, a twisted signature of those bastards from the Cult of Ruin.

The black mark started out small, barely noticeable at first. But after fifteen days, it would spread like wildfire, eating away at flesh and nerves with excruciating pain. The suffering would be relentless, dragging its victim toward a slow and agonizing death.

What did they call it... the Flower of Rest?

What a fucking joke. Do-Jin could barely stop himself from scowling. Every memory he had of the Cult of Ruin was one filled with blood, suffering and rage. Nothing good ever came from crossing paths with those lunatics. Thinking about them now wouldn’t do him any good. What mattered was fixing this mess.

The moment he let go, he noticed the girl rubbing her wrist, wincing slightly. He’d gripped too hard. Bruises were already forming.

Do-Jin sighed and pulled out a healing potion and holy water from his inventory. “My bad.”

“Huh?” The girl blinked at him, completely lost.

Of course she wouldn’t understand. How the hell was he supposed to explain?

That kind priest you met? He’s not some kindhearted fool. He’s part of a psychotic death cult hellbent on ending the world.

He couldn’t exactly drop all that on a kid. So instead of explaining, he just poured the healing potion over her wrist. The bruising faded instantly. Then, with a slow, deliberate motion, he took the holy water and splashed it over the black mark. It sizzled, hissed, and then vanished like it had never been there in the first place.

The girl gasped while rubbing at her wrist in disbelief. “It’s... gone?”

She had definitely been worried about it, even if she hadn’t said anything. That nonsense about not being sick had just been her trying to convince herself.

“Well, looks like it wasn’t anything serious after all,” Do-Jin lied smoothly, keeping his voice casual. “Guess I was worried for nothing.”

Do-Jin could tell that the girl had relaxed. At least she believed him. The last thing he needed was her panicking and running around screaming about cultists cursing people in broad daylight. That would just get her killed faster.

Do-Jin reached into his pocket again and pulled out ten more gold coins. He tossed them into her basket, covering them up with the flowers so no one else would see.

“Take the day off. Buy something good for your siblings and stay home for a few days, alright?”

The girl hesitated but eventually clutched the basket to her chest. She bit her lip, glanced up at Do-Jin, then bowed deeply. “Th-thank you! Thank you so much!”

She turned on her heel and ran. Halfway down the street, she stole a few glances back at him before finally disappearing into an alley. And just like that, the moment she was gone, Do-Jin’s expression darkened.

I need to look into this. Fast.

If a Cult of Ruin priest was wandering around this city, then the destruction of Marzia wasn’t some random catastrophe. Those bastards had something to do with it. And if that was the case, then he needed to find that priest, track their movements, and figure out exactly what they were plotting. Do-Jin had no clue whether he could actually stop whatever was coming, but he’d be damned if he didn’t at least try.