Tap, tap...

The sound of something ascending the stairs echoed.

Tap, tap...

Was this the sound of hell approaching? With each step, the stench of burning flesh and blood grew stronger.

‘…Ah.’

As soon as the footsteps ceased, Dung Beetle instinctively realized that it had reached the top.

『Awaken.』

A sweet yet familiar voice echoed. Dung Beetle slowly opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was a massive, stepped pyramid.

A primitive, simple structure built by stacking squares atop squares.

But the first word that came to Dung Beetle's mind when he saw it wasn’t "pyramid."

‘…Prison?’

Everywhere on the pyramid were blackened iron bars.

『Dung Beetle.』

While he stood there dazed, a voice called out to him from the top of the pyramid.

『At last, we meet face to face.』

Dung Beetle lifted his head to look at the peak. At the top of the pyramid, embedded with iron bars, was a figure—a shadow in human form—gazing down at him.

It was dressed in a flowing gown, like the silhouette of a noblewoman, exuding an alluring presence as it stood at the apex of the pyramid.

Dung Beetle wanted to ask what was happening, but his mouth wouldn’t move.

He had no mouth.

In this world, only his eyes, nose, and ears existed—his entire body was cloaked in shadow.

‘Is this… a dream?’

A pyramid covered in iron bars, a figure dressed in seductive attire…

Everything seemed like a surreal dream, a metaphor for something trapped deep within his memory.

Yet, even though he realized it was a dream, Dung Beetle couldn't wake up.

Because this wasn’t his dream.

『I imagine you have much to say. But I will not permit it.』

It grinned as it gazed down at him.

The pyramid shook violently, as if trying to suppress its laughter, but the figure didn’t budge an inch.

『For now, you shall only observe and listen. That is your duty today.』

The tremors of the pyramid intensified, shaking even Dung Beetle’s mind to the core.

But in the next moment, as it pulled something from beneath its feet, the pyramid fell silent.

『Do you know how long I’ve waited for this day? I have longed for the moment when you would offer me your tribute.』

The figure held up two corpses—one with its tongue hanging out and the other with a shattered skull.

Dung Beetle swallowed hard as he recognized them. These were the first people he had ever killed.

How could he forget? They were too familiar.

『The first is always special, and so I shall commemorate this day with great joy.』

The figure cheerfully threw the bodies down the pyramid.

The corpses tumbled between the iron bars, making a sickening sound as they collided with the metal, leaving behind trails of blood.

As the bodies hit the ground, they disappeared into the pyramid’s base as if swallowed by shadows.

It was a sight beyond comprehension. Dung Beetle's mind raced, trying to understand.

How had it broken through its seal and dragged him into this dream? Why did it call the dead cleaners he had killed its offerings?

Why was this happening?

『Do not pretend you don’t know. You’ve already guessed, haven’t you?』

It whispered, as though reading his mind.

『How could a beheaded corpse come back to life?』

『How could an ordinary human survive being shot? How could you drag an unconscious body for miles, back to the warehouse?』

『There is only one answer, Dung Beetle.』

The distance between the base of the pyramid and its peak seemed irrelevant; the voice echoed in Dung Beetle's ears as if it were right next to him.

『It was me. I reached beyond the seal and revived you. I gave you a body that wouldn’t die from a bullet, and granted you strength that never tires.』

The world of the dream, made of pyramids and shadows, trembled.

If the voice Dung Beetle heard in the real world was like a whispering wind, the voice here was like a roaring storm.

Dung Beetle fought the urge to cover his ears.

‘…Why? Isn’t your goal to kill me and break the seal?’

• But the question never left his lips. He couldn’t speak here.

 

However, his eyes could still move. With a burning gaze, he looked at the figure, asking without words:

Why—me?

The figure didn’t answer. It wasn’t time for Dung Beetle to speak; it was time for the figure to speak.

『Wasn’t it fun?』

『Killing those cleaners who insulted your comrades?』

『Setting fire to the manager who sold you out?』

Dung Beetle thought back to the revenge he had exacted the night before. There had been no joy in it.

Revenge had been a series of agonizing moments. The pain of losing his comrades and the suffering he inflicted on his enemies.

‘No, I didn’t seek revenge out of such base emotions. I…’

『You enjoyed it, didn’t you?』

The figure spoke, sweeping its arm dramatically.

As it moved, the shadows rippled, revealing something hidden beneath the pyramid.

Whoosh!

A burning pile of corpses.

From beneath the pyramid's steps, a massive heap of flaming bodies emerged, releasing nauseating smoke as they burned.

Dung Beetle’s eyes widened as he recognized one of the faces among the bodies.

The manager—the loathsome man who had sold out his comrades—was burning in the flames.

Could it be? Were all the corpses from the warehouse fire last night now part of this dream?

Dung Beetle felt an ominous chill and shifted his gaze back to the top of the pyramid. The figure had risen to its feet and spread its arms wide as it shouted.

『Joy. That is my only desire, and the reason I chose you. I will experience joy through you.』

『I will revel in everything you eat, drink, gain, and feel.』

『And all that you kill and destroy... will be my offerings.』

In a voice filled with delight, the figure reached down toward the base of the pyramid. The earth trembled, and shadows erupted from beneath the burning corpses.

The shadows, like a nightmare made of sludge, began devouring everything in their path.

Nothing was spared—not the bodies, not the flames, not even the iron bars of the pyramid.

The shadows grew larger as they consumed everything they touched.

Rumble!

The shadows swelled until they were large enough to swallow the entire pyramid.

『Two cleaners, 987 bodies, and the soul that cursed you as it burned….』

With another gesture, the shadows, which had been expanding wildly, followed the figure’s movements.

It was an overwhelming, dreamlike sight.

The enormous shadow coiled like a serpent, wrapping itself around the pyramid. It slithered upward, toward the summit of the pyramid, in a way that defied all sense of reality.

Zzzzz! Zzzzz!

The pyramid shook violently as if trying to resist the shadow, but like prey caught in a serpent's coils, it couldn’t stop it.

『Happily, I accept the first offering you have prepared for me.』

With that declaration, the shadows surged into the figure’s hand.

KABOOM!

The shadows rushed like a tsunami, swallowing the iron bars that had stood firm at the pyramid’s peak.

With the sound of metal breaking, the bars crumbled, bent, and flew away, swept up in the shadows.

As the figure absorbed all the shadows, the top of the pyramid was gouged out, as if struck by a massive explosion.

『Ah, what sweet deaths these are.』

Standing atop the now shattered pyramid, the figure spoke in a voice dripping with satisfaction.

『Look forward to it, my chosen one. Unlike the petty gods of this world who only beg for offerings, I am different. I shall reward every offering with a suitable gift.』

Tap, tap.

Just as when it had climbed the pyramid, the figure leisurely descended the steps.

With each step it took, an overwhelming force pressed down on Dung Beetle’s body.

And by the time the figure stood before him, Dung Beetle was on his knees, unable to even lift his head.

He tried desperately to raise his gaze, but all he could see was the hem of the shadowy dress.

『Dung Beetle, my chosen one.』

The figure reached out and placed a hand on Dung Beetle’s head. The touch was gentle, yet the difference in power was immense.

Dung Beetle gritted his teeth, enduring the crushing weight pressing down on his head.

『As a reward for your offering, I shall bestow upon you what you need most.』

At that moment, something poured into Dung Beetle’s mind.

Whoosh...

A sound like a sudden downpour accompanied the strange sensation, as shadows cascaded over him like a waterfall.

『Talent. I will grant you a talent no human can rival, one that will allow you to exact revenge and claim more lives.』

‘I don’t need… that kind… of talent!’

『With the body and talent I have bestowed upon you, pursue your revenge. Cleaners, necromancers, and players alike… offer them all to me.』

The last words came as a whisper. Was the figure speaking softly? No, it wasn’t that.

It was proof that Dung Beetle’s mind could no longer withstand the pressure of the dream and was beginning to awaken.

『Ah, how unfortunate. I’ve gotten too carried away. You don’t have much time left.』

The figure lowered its hand, gently stroking Dung Beetle’s cheek.

『My chosen one, before you wake, let me reveal my true name. From now on, address me not as “it,” but by my name.』

The figure’s touch turned into a sticky darkness that slowly slid down Dung Beetle’s cheek like molten sugar.

『Mignium. That is the name of the one you must now serve.』

With those final words, Dung Beetle awoke from the dream as if he had fainted.

 

Halfway up MacArthur Hill, overlooking the city of Incheon.

Gag.

Dung Beetle woke up with a dry heave. Having not eaten anything all day, only air and stomach acid spewed from his gut.

“Haa… Haa…”

It took him a while of retching before he could finally catch his breath.

But his mind was still hazy. He felt as if he was drifting somewhere between reality and dreams, trying to grasp onto something tangible as he groped around his surroundings.

After a while, he managed to find a water bottle placed some distance away.

With trembling hands, he opened the lid and chugged the water. His throat burned as though it was on fire.

“...Sss.”

Even after downing an entire bottle, his insides wouldn’t settle.

The problem wasn’t physical. It was mental.

The truth he encountered in his dream was too shocking. Offerings, the Chosen, and...

Mignium.

Remembering what he had seen and heard in the dream, Dung Beetle crushed the water bottle.

There wasn’t much he could understand.

The fact that Mignium, who had tried to kill him, had instead revived him was already far beyond his comprehension.

‘Why?’

Why would the catastrophe the angel warned him about choose to resurrect and select him?

Out of sympathy? Out of innate goodness? Impossible.

From what he saw of Mignium, who absorbed both corpses and souls in the dream, there wasn’t even a sliver of benevolence.

Mignium was undoubtedly evil. If it wasn’t evil, then what else could be?

But... did that make it a reason to refuse the power Mignium had given him?

There was already no shortage of wicked beings on Earth.

The player who had led him to death was one such being, as were the corporations exploiting Arasha beyond the dimensional gate, and the corrupt politicians.

Could he confidently say that Mignium sealed within him was more evil than they were?

Perhaps… the angel had deceived him all along…

‘…Enough.’

Dung Beetle cut his thoughts off there, feeling he was crossing a line. Following such a train of thought was pointless.

‘Pondering this alone won’t get me anywhere.’

It was more a question of capability than belief.

No matter how much he doubted, he had no way of discerning the angel’s true intentions, nor why Mignium had chosen him.

Thus, Dung Beetle pushed all the confusion to the back of his mind and focused on one unwavering truth.

Revenge.

He wanted revenge. On everything and everyone that had driven his comrades, his family in all but blood, to their deaths.

Mignium or the angel didn’t matter. The burning desire for vengeance in his heart was his alone.

On the Cleaners Guild that had sold out his comrades, the player who swung their sword for leveling up, and the necromancers and the Korean government that the manager had revealed before his death.

Until he exacted his revenge, the angel’s warnings and Mignium’s temptations... were all secondary.

‘This is only the beginning.’

With that thought, Dung Beetle slapped his own cheek, then looked to the side.

“Right, isn’t that so, brothers?”

Right next to where he had been lying were nine graves, lined up in a row.

Over the past day, he had carried his comrades’ bodies, one by one, into the mountains to bury them.

It was a feat that would have been impossible for an ordinary person—dragging nine bodies up to this mountainside, digging the earth, and building the burial mounds himself.

There were no gravestones, no memorial tablets, in these hastily made graves without a funeral.

These were graves known only to Dung Beetle, graves only he would remember.

At least, if there was any small solace, it was that the graves had a view overlooking the city, a spot of good fortune.

Dung Beetle gazed at the graves for a moment before standing up. If he didn’t leave now, he felt he might never be able to.

He bit his lower lip, holding back the emotions welling up inside him.

“I swear... I’ll come back after I’ve avenged you.”

His sadness was long, but his resolve was brief.

Dung Beetle bowed deeply to the graves and turned to descend the mountain.

As he made his way down, he glanced back several times, but nothing held him back.

Under the cold, shining moonlight, the nine graves cast long shadows behind him as he walked away into the night.