Chapter 1
Prologue

[Do you believe in salvation?]
[Let’s save this doomed world with love!]
 

I blinked.

‘…A cult?’

It was the kind of slogan you might hear once or twice in front of a subway station, printed on a random sign.

‘No, more importantly… where the hell is this?’

Last night, I finally deleted the game I both loved and hated, and went to sleep.

But when I opened my eyes… I was in a place where a bunch of kids were sobbing.

“Waaaaah! W-we’re all gonna die!”

“Brooother…”

“It’s okay. Don’t cry.”

Children of all ages huddled together, crying.

A massive wall stood before my eyes.

The stench of moss and rotting plants tangled across the surface, the damp air, and even the ragged gray clothes I was wearing.

“But they’re gonna sacrifice us to the monsters!”

It was so familiar, it sent chills down my spine.

‘No way… Is this the game I used to play?’

As my vision shook from the shock, a pale hand suddenly reached out to me.

“You okay? You looked pretty startled.”

A soft, clear voice that, though young, was pleasant to hear.

Unlike the other terrified children, this one spoke calmly and composedly.

When I looked up, I locked eyes with the boy looking down at me.

Sky-blue hair that shimmered with each movement.

A bit messy, but it couldn’t hide his porcelain, radiant beauty.

‘That face… If I say I’ve seen it before, I’ll probably sound crazy.’

No. Who could forget that face?

This moment turned my desperate hunch into certainty.

The beautiful boy in front of me was Khan, the protagonist of the game I loved.

The same boy who went viral the moment the game launched, with the caption: “Real-time reaction: Shockingly pretty protagonist.jpg”

I saw my own dumbfounded reflection in his mature eyes.

“O-oh…”

I was screwed.

It seems… I’ve possessed someone inside the game I raged about last night.

* * *

Horror Adventure Escape Mafia Game: Black Salvatore

You must save the world…

But you can’t let anyone know you’re the Savior!

An RPG where you hide your identity and survive, like a mafia game!

When I first started it, I was filled with excitement.

…And exactly one month later,

I posted this on the game community forum:

So, the story of this damned game goes like this—

One day, an evil god descended upon the world…

Bringing with it a black rain that pollutes and ruins all lands.

The earth humans can live on keeps shrinking, and people slowly go insane.

Then, a divine oracle is delivered to the religious group ‘Felice,’ who worships God.

<The final Savior of this world will appear!>

The oracle declares that the chosen Pope will cleanse the land and defeat the evil god.

So, the order gathers children from all over the country to decide which one will become the true “Pope.”

That’s where the game begins.

However…

The happy ending you were supposed to reach by overcoming all the danger and conflict to save humanity?

‘Only ever heard of it.’

In my case, just once… I nearly reached the happy ending, but a damn bug ruined it. I never got that close again.

So what kind of endings did I get after that?

‘Annihilation endings: 123 times. Bad endings? 1,050 times.’

I was so pissed off by the endless brutal deaths, I finally deleted this hellish game!

But then…

‘Why the hell did I end up inside it?’

I looked down at my reflection in the puddle beneath my feet.

‘A little girl.’

Probably pale as snow before the mud smeared her face.

Pink hair.

Eyes clear as polished glass marbles.

‘Maybe about three years old?’

In short, a tiny, fair-skinned child.

“Sigh.”

She had a cute enough face to become a child model sensation.

But so what?

‘I’m about to die anyway.’

As I let out a deep sigh—

“Huwaaah! I wanna go back to my mom!”

One frightened child suddenly darted off, wailing.

Without thinking, I instinctively kicked off with my small legs and chased after her!

“Wait! Don’t go that way!!”

Absolutely not. No way!

In a panic, I threw myself forward and tackled the child.

‘Urgh, my body’s too small!’

I couldn’t push the much bigger kid out of the way.

So instead, the only thing I could do was take her place.

CRUMBLE—!!

‘Damn it, I was too late to dodge!’

I looked up and saw a massive chunk of stone falling from above.

‘Labyrinth Ending #1. Beware the ceiling…’

If it hit me, I’d die instantly.

Was my first ending going to be one that even beginners get?