Chapter 3

* * *

‘…Well, I did manage to save the protagonist and send him off.’

When I first discovered this bug, I realized I could exit into the outer village without going all the way through the labyrinth.

The problem was…

‘Going through that hole resets the game.’

But this wasn’t a game anymore. It was reality.

Which meant the kids could actually get out.

‘Now, just one thing left.’

I needed to escape the labyrinth myself.

That was my specialty.

Especially this starting zone. It was basically my home turf. I’d been in and out of it more times than I could count.

‘Getting through will be a piece of cake.’

Few people knew all the sneaky tricks like I did.

I arrived at the altar at the end of the labyrinth, the place where, originally, no matter what choices you made, the protagonist would end up alone, having lost all the children and gone mad.

It was colossal, so tall I couldn’t even see the top with my little kid-sized body.

Carved along the sides were divine figures.

[Who will stop the corruption of the Evil God? A merciful savior chosen by the heavens shall descend! Come forth, salvation born of the greatest despair!]

The long-standing prophecy of the order was engraved on the wall as well.

The letters were painted in a holy blue glow… but the bottom edge was stained with what looked like dried black blood, giving it an ominous air.

“Perfect. Just as I thought.”

That altar granted immense divine power to the sole survivor of the labyrinth.

‘And I plan to take it all.’

I wasn’t stealing what belonged to the protagonist.

Khan already had powerful divine power. Even if he didn’t get anything from here, the story would move along just fine.

‘I’ll be the one to slurp up this sweet reward.’

In a world this messed up, you need power to survive.

And this altar was one of the easiest ways to get that power.

This world doesn’t cut slack for kids.

‘If there really is a god listening, please… let me make it home alive.’

I placed my hand on the altar.

Closed my eyes, then opened them again.

Ding!

A signboard popped up in front of me.

‘Okay, now I—’

[Congratulations! You have become the “sole savior” of this world.]

—will take on the role of the protagonist.

A slow grin spread across my face.

Once I finished reading the message, another sign immediately appeared.

[You’ve been granted divine power and the passive skill “God’s Eye.”]

Perfect. Everything going according to plan.

[You are the divine heir, the Pope!]

I nodded at the fate I’d chosen for myself.

That’s right.

‘Honestly, if the protagonist weren’t my favorite, I’d never have done something this crazy.’

But I’d seen the end of this game more times than I could count, and I knew I could lead it to a happy ending.

I’d stake my honor as a veteran player on it!

And then…

Just as I was composing myself, a new signboard appeared.

This time, though, it looked different.

The color wasn’t the same.

[A Strategy Guide for the New Pope is now available!]

‘Huh? I’ve never seen this before…’

The next moment, what looked like a white sheet of paper unfolded before my eyes.

‘Wait a second—’

‘Wait… this is my post?’

I’d written so many guides that they’d all started to blur together.

But this title, this phrasing… there was no mistaking it.

‘I mean… are they seriously showing my strategy guide?’

Sure, unless it was a really distinctive post, I couldn’t remember every detail or number I’d written…

‘…But isn’t this like spoon-feeding me the answers? If it keeps up like this, going home might actually be easy?’

The signboards kept coming.

[Avoid the fanatics, spies, and corrupted holy knights within the order. Seek out safe “guardians” and “companions”!]

[If your identity is discovered…]

[Your life will be in danger!]

That was the second objective laid out.

‘So… find a guardian.’

In the game, the protagonist is the Pope chosen by God, blessed with powerful divine power.

But at first, their body isn’t strong enough to contain that power, making them just a regular kid.

So until they found a reliable guardian…

And until they became stronger…

Their true identity had to stay hidden at all costs!

‘Now who was it I had to watch out for again?’

I began mentally flipping through the cast of characters.

As if reading my mind, another forum post unfolded before me:

‘Yup. Still all completely nuts…’

I was staring at the signboards, deep in thought, when—

Boom!

A huge crash snapped my head toward the source.

* * *

It wasn’t the door I came in through. It was the opposite one, now standing wide open.

And from the other side, a man walked in, slow and confident.

“Huh? What’s this? The selection’s already over?”

Even now, more signs were popping up in front of me.

[Passive Skill God’s Eye is now active.]

[You can identify fanatics, spies, and corrupted holy knights!]

…Here we go. Target No. 1.

I gulped.

“…What’s this kid doing here?”

He was wearing armor that had probably once been snow white, now soaked with blood.

“Hmm… pretty young.”

Dripping with blood, the war hammer in his hand still shone ominously.

Hair so pale it was almost white, and piercing violet eyes that gave off an eerie gleam.

More than handsome, he looked beautiful, like a sculpture carved from marble.

I knew this man very well.

He was the one I’d warned people about in my guide.

One of the top three villains you should never meet in this game.

Even the most hardcore gamers dreaded this guy.

“…Oh. You’re not a boy?”

Because—

[Faction: Fanatic of the Evil God]

He was a fanatic.

The very first person I met after becoming Pope… was a fanatic hiding his identity.

I knew it would happen, but it still gave me the creeps.

[Would you like to choose “Usher Tatum” as your Guardian?]

…Excuse me? Have I gone insane?

Choose this psychopath who slices people up when he’s bored?

Before I could do anything, the fanatic casually walked over and scooped me up like a doll.

“Well, doesn’t matter. It’s all the same.”

With a chilling smile on his perfectly sculpted face, he said:

“Welcome to the temple, Pope Candidate.”

Eyes glinting wildly.

* * *

According to the storyline, when the protagonist reaches the altar, one of three characters appears at random.

And among those three…

One of the Big Three Villains is always included.

In other words, running into him from the start was inevitable.

‘Good thing he only shows up to escort me. For now.’

Usher, the one who shows up at the altar, is your classic lunatic villain.

‘Thankfully, guardians aren’t auto-assigned.’

Because in this new reality, if you picked a fanatic or a spy as your guardian…

You’d just signed up for the protagonist’s death route.

“Are you bored?”

Currently, I was seated in a parlor.

The woman with the stiff expression was my new educator, Ciara.

“Nope! I already heard everything!”

“Excuse me? You’ve… already received the orientation?”

“Uh-huh. Yes!”

“You can speak comfortably. But… who explained it to you?”

“The guy who brought me.”

Ciara gave me a stiff nod, clearly displeased.

“…I see. Sir Usher…”

Knowing the story meant…

I knew exactly what was coming next.

“You are the child who passed through Zone 1, the Labyrinth, the area known for its most difficult trials. From now on, you’ll be addressed as a Pope Candidate. Do you understand so far?”

“Yup. And I’m one of six kids who made it through so far.”

“That’s correct.”

Aside from the labyrinth I was in, there were nine other zones.

I figured the other kids were tossed into those.

Only one child from each would survive and be chosen as a Pope candidate.

Among them, the Labyrinth was infamous for being the most brutal and difficult.

“Soon, you’ll leave this place and choose a guardian.”

“Guawdian.”

Damn it, this stupid tongue…

I let my guard down, and it slipped out again…!

“Yes. As part of the system to protect the Pope Candidate, one person from within the order will be assigned as your Guardian and live alongside you.”

“…”

“To help you, the order has prepared a list of ten recommended individuals.”

That instantly reminded me of the fanatic I’d met at the altar.

“…Oh. You’re not a boy?”

Usher Tatum.

Outwardly, he was Vice-Captain of the order’s White Holy Knights.

But in truth…

He used the Evil God’s power to infiltrate and bring down the order from within. A high-ranking member of the fanatics bent on destroying the world.

And he didn’t even bother hiding his twisted personality.

Evidence?

<Well, whatever. Listen up, brat.>

<If you pick me as your “dad”, I’ll kill you, got it?>

Yeah. He actually grabbed me and said that.

‘Sure, it was a canon line… but hearing it in person? Ten times worse.’

“Would you like to review the list?”

I lifted my head and looked at the parchment.

“I’ll read the names aloud for you.”

As she read the names, my brow furrowed.

‘I’m pretty sure I’ve been killed by at least eight of these people in my playthroughs.’

So this list…

These were don’t pick options.

Once a Pope candidate chose a guardian, they’d start calling them “Mom” or “Dad” and become emotionally attached.

‘Which means I really have to choose carefully.’

Because those “Mom” and “Dad” labels? Might belong to total psychos.

And, of course, right in the middle of the paper was a portrait of that creepy fanatic Usher.

I snatched the list from Ciara’s hand.

Then crumpled the paper like it was trash.

Ciara looked shocked, but I just smiled sweetly and said,

“There’s someone I want to see.”

The “dad,” who’ll be my guardian? I’m the one who gets to choose!

A family-oriented and kind guy makes the best guardian!