I Became the Apostle of an Evil God Chapter 1

Even if someone is a magnificent hero, if a regular human were trapped in hell for a period of time that ordinary people couldn’t dare to imagine, their mind couldn’t possibly remain intact. Even if it is ‘Orma’, he would be no exception.

To save a ruining world, he reached for the cup of God and coveted the golden liquor—and as a price, he had to lose everything. A brilliant and joyful future, wealth and honor that anyone would covet, a beloved lover, and even the rest that would come someday.

Even though humans had supported Orma’s choice at the moment of crisis, saying it would be fine and that it was inevitable, when the enraged God appeared, those very humans were busy hiding, leaving Orma behind. No, they pushed him forward and shouted for him to be punished, while they flatly prostrated themselves before God, begging for His mercy.

However, when God actually faced Orma and conversed with him, He did not inflict any punishment on him. As if He had never been angry, God changed His attitude back to concealing His presence and watching from the sidelines. Even so, the humans who had driven Orma into a corner claimed to be God’s representatives and instead inflicted punishment on Orma themselves.

“Silence! From now on, the trial against the sinner Orma is open.”

Orma silently held his tongue even as all sorts of bizarre charges were added against him during the trial. Perhaps it was because nothing would change even if he spoke up now, and it might be better to spend that time embedding the things of the surface into his eyes for even just one more day.

“…According to this, Orma, the sinner who dared to covet the realm of God, is sentenced to life imprisonment in hell.”

Well, since the party concerned didn’t say a single word, the humans must have wanted to draw a reaction out of him even if it meant provoking him, so they asked if he had any last words before going to hell. Orma, who had come to possess brilliant golden eyes from swallowing God’s liquor, slowly scanned the crowd. Unfortunately, the lover who betrayed him did not seem to have attended the trial.

‘…Hmm, it seems he has a conscience, after his own fashion.’

Orma spat out a sentiment mixed with love and hate inwardly, and slily curved the sharp corners of his eyes like a fox.

The humans, who had expected him to pour out his resentment asking what crime he had committed, or to struggle saying he didn’t want to be locked in hell with a body that couldn’t even die, were flustered and blankly stared at the person who was once their hero.

“I am….”

Gulp. In the midst of the sudden silence, to the point where the sound of the human next to him nervously swallowing saliva could be heard, a voice that tightly suppressed boiling emotions poured out a prophetic sentiment, mixed with chuckles.

“Looking forward to the day I return to the surface.”

There were no specific words about what he would do or how, but the humans hurriedly threw Orma into hell with pale faces. Earnestly praying that, just as he said, the day he returns to the surface would never come.

However, unfortunately for the humans, that day finally arrived.

“Hmm, potions… checked, and equipment repair is all done… Shall we enter then?”

It felt as if the world was about to end at any moment.

In the sky, the sun, which had always been bright enough to manifest its presence to the point of burning everything, had completely hidden away. Even that felt like a harbinger of disaster, announcing that an evil god, buried deep inside hell, had crawled up to the surface.

On a bizarre piece of land floating alone in the air, black sand kept pouring down, and it soon fell into a sea as dark as ink, surging upward before sinking back down.

Matching the gloomy sky, splash, splash… the sound of crashing waves echoed, and this place, where a salty wind blew violently, was the final battlefield of this game.

After staring at the game world inside the monitor for a long time, Van carefully placed his hand on the mouse and moved his character one step forward. Soon, the faintly echoing sound of an orchestra grew louder, boasting grandeur and majesty, and at the same time, a system notification window appeared.

[Would you like to enter?]

Beyond this lies the final boss of this game, Orma.

Orma, who had been stuck in hell for a very long time and finally became an evil god.

, a game with a profound title meaning “night comes soon” in Latin, was a highly anticipated work that Van had been anxiously waiting for to release. On the day he happened to see the game trailer, Van became interested in a game for the first time in his life and searched around for the release schedule and game information.

Beautiful and cool game art, a majestic BGM, an addictive hitting sensation and gameplay, a unique worldview and setting. Not just Van, but gamers all over the world were enthusiastic and anticipating it, saying that the Game of the Year (GOTY) award already belonged to .

True to the Soulslike genre, the difficulty was also very high, and thanks to its notorious reputation, more than a few people dropped out saying it was too bitter, but it was a game that boasted such a spicy flavor that they would diligently crawl back and play while crying.

For Van, who was completely immersed in a game for the first time in his life, it was a high-difficulty game, but he reached the final chapter much sooner than expected.

“How long will it take to clear it?”

It would be troublesome if it takes too long….

However, looking at the game information and reviews, it seemed he had more talent for this game than he thought, so he might not stay up for days and nights like others. Having made up his mind, Van unhesitatingly clicked ‘Yes’ under the entrance guidance window.

Soon, the cutscene featuring Orma—the very reason he started this game—began, instantly drawing his attention.

Orma’s dedicated BGM, , majestically foretold the end, and in a space covered in black and white, golden threads and fog imbued with divine power elegantly declared the player’s death.

While Van took in the sight as if possessed, the sacred evil finally revealed itself. It was the first battle where Van’s character confronted that evil. Thinking that he should first figure out the attack patterns, he lightly took a step, but the moment Orma swung his weapon—

“Uh?”

With just a single hit, Van’s character died.

“…Does this make sense?”

Van mumbled in a dazed voice without realizing it. It had never been like this before… to die from getting hit just once. While a chill ran down his spine, it rather stimulated his competitive spirit.

It seems he isn’t the final boss for nothing. Right, it should be like this so that it feels more thrilling when cleared. Well, there isn’t much left of the holiday… but let’s give it a try.

If you die, you can just resurrect. You can just fight again. As long as this is a game, Van never dies.

So….

“Mmm….”

Ah, what day is it today? Van thought, groaning as he pulled the blanket all the way up to the top of his head.

Is the holiday already over? He could only remember that he finally defeated Orma at some dawn when the sun was rising.

Mmm… but why does his whole body ache like this? He felt sore all over, as if he had muscles cramped after a violent workout.

“…Witness. The pure white night…. Pity us… but….”

But what is this sound? Someone was offering a prayer calmly yet earnestly in a youthful voice, but the content was somehow strange.

Repeating it over and over made it sound like chanting a spell rather than a prayer, so Van pricked up his ears without realizing it.

“Witness the disaster. The pure white night shall arrive. God pities us, so do not tremble in eternal fear, forgive our sins, and only….”

Van knew the words that would follow that prayer. Even though he was heavily intoxicated with sleep, his lips moved involuntarily.

“But deliver us from evil….”

Whether they heard that murmur, the person who was offering the prayer flinched. Then, they carefully pulled back the blanket covering Van and spoke to him with sparkling eyes.

“Van! Are you awake? Did you wake up because of me by any chance?”

Van managed to open his still-dim eyes and looked around.

Only after scanning the narrow room for two people to live in, the old wooden furniture, and the simple but neat attire of a priest with a dazed gaze did Van realize reality and slowly open his mouth.

“No… I just woke up.”

“What a relief. I was worried that my dawn prayer had disturbed your sleep.”

“…Mmm.”

Actually, it did to some extent. Van let out a languid breath and swallowed the truth for the sake of his innocent and sweet roommate. Then, slowly pushing his body up, he reflected on the fact that he had a dream about his past life for the first time in a very long time, and pressed his eyes with his hand.

It has already been twenty years since he was reborn in the world inside the game.

Right, the world inside the game.

The last thing Van remembered was a brief conversation and choice options that followed after defeating Orma, the final boss in the game.

After that, his vision suddenly turned pitch black and he lost consciousness… and at some point, Van ended up being reborn with a new body in the game world. At first, he thought it was unbelievable and must be a dream, but after this many years passed, he was bound to resign himself and accept it.

“Uh, where are you going?”

“Since I woke up early anyway, I’m thinking of doing some dawn training.”

Even here, Van was born as an orphan. The child who didn’t know his parents was taken in by the temple, and there, Van grew up into an outstanding holy knight while receiving plenty of love from the high priests.

Since he possessed a talent clearly loved by God, a mysterious and beautiful appearance, and a kind and gentle personality, someone might think it was a good thing. However, to Van, who knew all the future and inside stories of this world, it was not welcome at all.

No matter how much of an orphan of unknown identity he was, when things flowed smoothly as if everything was predetermined to this extent, he had no choice but to notice who he truly was.

The single hope to save this world, the seeker who would execute or guide Orma, the player.

‘…Right, that’s me.’

Van swallowed a curse inwardly and looked blankly at the system message that reminded him of his identity with a calm face, as if he had accepted his fate.

[Month of the Ram, Day 6, 06:17 *You have a new notification!]