At that moment, at Kim Seungjun's house:

"Why on earth are you refusing to go after we've already paid all that tuition?!"
"Shut up! I said I'm not going, so stop bothering me!"

A middle-aged woman and a boy were having a heated argument. The boy's name was Kim Seungjun. From middle school onward, he had pestered his family relentlessly to send him to Hansung Academy. After much persuasion, bribery, and barely scraping through, he was enrolled.
Now, after seeing the announcement on the academy’s website about the upcoming dungeon exploration, Seungjun’s blood boiled at the thought of Choi Siwoo and Yoonha performing well. So, he decided to skip the academy altogether.

"Your sister worked hard to pay your tuition, and this is how you repay her!"
"Shut up!"

A hot-tempered son with a fiery attitude, Seungjun stormed into his room, ignoring his mother’s pleas, and started hitting the wall in frustration.

"Damn it! Choi Siwoo! Yoonha! I won’t leave you alone!"

His anger was off the charts. He couldn’t contain it. Where could he possibly release all this rage?
From a young age, he had coveted the divine sword, and now it was clear to him that the reason he hadn’t been chosen by the gods was because of those two.
Yes. He needed to find a way to kill them. That was the only solution.

"Hoho, and what exactly do you plan to do about that?"
"I don’t know, poison their food or something..."
"Kekekeke. That’s quite the petty idea."

A strange voice suddenly echoed through the room, and Seungjun looked around to see his surroundings darken. His room was now completely black.

"Wh-Who are you?"
"How dare a lowly being like you question my identity?"

Seungjun bit his lip. Who was this intruder, entering his home without permission? He was already fuming from the thought of Choi Siwoo and Yoonha excelling in the dungeon, and now this? Why should he have to endure such absurdity?

"Why should you endure this absurdity?"
"!!"
"It’s because you’re a worthless fool."

Was this strange being here to mock him?
He wanted to stand up in anger, but his body refused to move.

"But I can grant even a fool like you the power to stand against those two."
"R-Really?"
"However, that’s all I’ll give you. How you use that power to defeat Choi Siwoo and Yoonha is up to you."
"Th-Thank you! Thank you!"

Seungjun repeatedly bowed at a perfect 90-degree angle, over and over, to the invisible voice. But just as he was expressing his gratitude, a black hand shot out from the darkness and pierced through his chest.

"Gah!"

Seungjun felt something burrow into his chest before losing consciousness.

At the same time, the divine sword wielder, Choi Siwoo, was at the academy.
Ordinarily, he would be participating in the dungeon exploration today, but ever since his regression, he knew there was no point. Instead, he spent his time preparing for the enemies that were to come.

[So what will you do about it?]
"First, we need to take care of Kim Seungjun and whatever’s behind him. Reina or Hansooji could easily deal with Seungjun himself. That’s why I asked the instructor to put Reina in my place."

Kim Seungjun wasn’t the real threat. The real danger was the arrogant bastard lurking behind him.

[The real issue is Yoonha. The power she wields isn’t ordinary. As a god, I can sense something otherworldly about her.]
"I feel the same. But that’s why I trust her. And we must take down whatever's behind Kim Seungjun. Only then will Yoonha survive."

The being who gave Seungjun his power—members of the Black God Cult.
A fanatical cult that, alongside the Seven Deadly Sins, wreaked havoc on the world.
They constantly stirred up trouble to overthrow Hansung Academy, and Yoonha had become one of their victims.

[Even so...]
"I won’t let Yoonha die. For her sake, and for the sake of humanity."

In the past, the monster core embedded in Yoonha caused her to lose control, creating a massive gate.
The academy suffered great losses, and many people died.
Though the gate was eventually destroyed, it wasn’t sealed properly; instead, the U.S. hastily obliterated it, allowing demonic energy to spread, increasing the frequency of gate appearances in Korea.
Even putting aside personal feelings for Yoonha, the Black God Cult’s monsters had to be stopped.
Initially, the cult bragged about worshipping the Black God, but when faced with extermination, they made deals with the Deadly Sins to save themselves.

[There’s one now, trying to break through the academy’s barrier.]
"I see them."

Near the academy’s back gate, some cultists were setting up preparations.
On the exact day when all the students were away on dungeon exploration, the Black God Cult was weaving dark spells into the academy’s barrier to plunge it into chaos.

"You did the job thoroughly, right?"
"Wouldn’t it have been easier to ambush them inside the dungeon? We could have had some fun with the young ones, too. Hehe."
"Idiot."

These degenerates, who followed the teachings of the Black God, committed every crime imaginable.
It was because of them that Korea was facing the crisis of the gates.

"I won’t forgive you."

Light gathered around Choi Siwoo’s sword.

I had a splitting headache. All I did was take the bus here, and I almost got sick from the motion.
That cursed flaming bat. When I told her I was feeling nauseous, she just waved it off, telling me to deal with it.
Someday, I swear I’ll take that fire bat from her and give her a good spanking with it.
I should’ve just used my acceleration and parallel circuits.
But as I pondered, a thought struck me.
Since the original story has already deviated, what else might have changed? Could there be more enemies besides Kim Seungjun?
Suppressing the nausea, I stepped off the bus, and off in the distance, I saw a familiar figure running toward me.

"Hawawa! There you are!"
"Oh, Bbeommi-jang."

It was Bbeommi-jang, and she had perfect timing. In her hands was the weapon I’d asked for.

"White-haired sis, here you go!"
"It looks expensive..."

It didn’t look like a mass-produced weapon.
The sword felt perfectly balanced and heavy in my hand.
Ah, the cool, solid feel of a weapon in my grip. After so much frustration and struggle...
But wait.

"...It's seriously heavy."

It wasn’t a greatsword, but it was still extremely heavy. I’d have to use body reinforcement just to swing it properly. The weapon itself looked fantastic—the polished blade and its sheen were impressive.

"It only costs ten million won."
"I don’t think I’ve helped you out that much."
"Well, it's also a bit of hush money, you see."

Hush money, huh? Is this what it feels like to receive a bribe?
I never thought I’d be on the receiving end of something like this.

"What do you mean by hush money?"
"Well, my brothers registered that dungeon as one without a trap boss. But if the association finds out it actually has one, we’ll be fined a huge amount. Hawawa, that was close, wasn’t it?"

Hold on. If I report this to the association, I’d probably get a massive payout.
This is serious—people’s lives are on the line, and ten million won isn’t nearly enough compensation for that.
And Bbeommi-jang sure does talk a lot.

"Hey, Bbeommi-jang, if you really want me to keep quiet, you’ll have to help me with one more thing."
"Hawawa! What do you need?"

Her face went pale as she clung to my every word, clearly willing to do whatever it took.

"Just keep watch near the dungeon entrance, in case anything happens."
"Hoeee! Got it!"

At my kind yet firm request, Bbeommi stuck herself near the dungeon entrance.
That should cover any extra threats that might appear, besides Kim Seungjun.
But where is Choi Siwoo?
I haven’t seen him around. He was supposed to be here with us. Didn’t he get off the bus with us?
No, I don’t think I even saw him on the bus.

Where did that guy go? Is he off messing around somewhere without me?

"Yoonha!"
"What the—! You scared me!"
"Who was that girl you were just talking to? The flat-chested one!"

Flat-chested? The only person that could be referring to is Bbeommi.

"As you can see, the flat-chested one?"
"That's not what I meant! How could you even look at another girl after what we did?"

Where is this ridiculous misunderstanding coming from? Is this my karma?

"What are you talking about? She owed me a favor and helped me out, that’s all. Can’t you tell by looking at the weapon? Unlike you, I don’t have a mythic-grade weapon, so I have to borrow one."
"Hmph."

Is she trying to flirt?
Does she expect me to do something inappropriate to her in the dungeon?
Not that I have a habit of stealing heroines, but judging by the way Choi Siwoo behaves in this version, he seems to get a kick out of losing them.
Considering how many heroines he still has, losing Hansooji shouldn’t be a big deal.
Hansooji pouted, then went off to talk with Reina, undoubtedly gossiping about me.
Neither of them is important right now. The real issue is still Choi Siwoo.

"Hey, I didn’t think you’d actually come to the dungeon."

Just as I was mulling over where Choi Siwoo could be, the flaming bat instructor came over, tapping me on the shoulder.

"What are you talking about? Someone mentioned my name, so of course I’m here."
"That’s how life works, kid."

And that’s why Eugene Seok left you.
No, she’s irrelevant right now. Choi Siwoo is the priority. The thought of that idiot messing around instead of preparing for the fight makes my hands tremble in frustration, and my head starts to throb.

"By the way, where’s Choi Siwoo?"
"Your husband? He said he’s skipping the dungeon."
"Who said he’s my husband? Do you even read the anonymous message boards?"

The academy’s message board is still full of chaos.
There are posts claiming Choi Siwoo is my husband, or that I swing both ways and sleep with anyone, regardless of gender.
I could report it, but I have no idea how many people would end up getting caught, so I just tolerate it for now.

"Who are you calling old?"

Kim Ji-hye playfully bonked me on the head.

"Yes, next up, grandma."
"You brat. Anyway, Choi Siwoo said he had something to do and would skip the dungeon. How did he even manage to weasel out of it?"
"Shouldn’t we be tracking him down right now?"

That crazy guy. He’d been smirking every time he looked at me, and now he’s lost it for real. The fate of this world depends on him, and he’s bailing out like this?
If he’s truly stepping aside, we might have to bring Eugene Seok back as the protagonist.
Wait, did the flaming bat just say he asked to swap Reina into his group?
If Reina’s in my group, we might actually be able to handle Kim Seungjun.

"How? I’m all about hands-off teaching."
"You’re just lazy."

At my remark, the flaming bat furrowed her brow and scribbled something on the group assignment list.

"Anyway, let’s go over the group assignments. Listen up, everyone!"

If Reina’s with us, that’s great. I was starting to feel a bit better when I heard the announcement.

Group 3: Kim Cheolsu, Yoonha, Kim Seungjun, Park Jaesang

Two cadets I’ve never even heard of, plus Kim Seungjun and me.
This is bad.
Where’s Choi Siwoo, that bastard?
Even if Kim Cheolsu and Park Jaesang are meat shields, there’s no way I can win this.
I brought a weapon as a backup plan, but am I really going to have to use it to kill him?

"You said you’d put Reina in our group!"

I pouted as I complained to the flaming bat, who smacked me on the head with the group list.

"I have to balance the teams, idiot."

I’m screwed.

Thanks to the flaming bat’s absurd trolling, I was now stuck with some nameless extras.

"Yoonha, looking forward to working with you."
"Same here. I’m not the best, but I’ll do my best."

I wasn’t expecting anything from them.

"I’ll do my best too. Let’s cooperate and get through this dungeon together."

I gave a polite greeting to the two extra cadets. The real problem was Kim Seungjun. He was still staring at me with that intense, unsettling gaze.
It was practically like I was being assaulted by his eyes.
This is dangerous. We’re in a world that has strayed from the original, and that means I’m always at risk of dying.
Just look at him—there’s something different about his demeanor, and I can even see a strange mark on his neck that looks like the symbol of the Black God Cult.
Wait, we haven’t even entered the dungeon yet. If that guy really has become some low-level monster, the flaming bat could take him out in one hit.
In that case, I need to make the first move to protect myself.
That perverted creep shifted his gaze from me and walked over with a friendly smile.

"Hey, Yoonha. Looking forward to working togeth—"

Strike first!

Thud!

I kicked him in the groin with all my might.
Kim Seungjun’s eyes bulged as he clutched his groin and staggered.
I then shouted toward the flaming bat, who had turned to look at me.

"Instructor! This guy’s with the Black God Cult!"