“What do you mean…”

Giwon tried to approach Dohyuk, but he couldn’t. The world turned dark again. It didn’t seem like Dohyuk’s fire had been put out. It was probably the hallucination. A sudden pain struck Giwon. He tried to defend himself, but it was useless.

“Ugh…!”

He was struck multiple times by an invisible force and then he was flung on the ground. The power struck him multiple times, making him feel terrible pain and fear. The fear then turned into despair; he realized he was too weak.

“….”

Giwon began to cry as nothing had changed from his previous life. In the end, he was a disposable, to be used and beat up in the end. He wanted to give up on everything. All his desires that kept him human began to seep away.

-You are different.

Giwon flinched. It was the same voice.

-I won’t kill you.

He raised himself up, and the force that kept striking him was now shaped like a giant human figure.

-We shall trade instead.

The figure offered his hand. On top of his palm was the familiar bracelet, the one that the Tyrant needed to complete his set.

-We will trade.

Trad what? He couldn’t remember this part clearly. All he remembered was that he was outside with the bracelet afterwards. He knew he had accepted the offer.

-I need your strongest ‘desire’.

<<God: Yabadop – offers to trade>>

This was it. This was why he did not care about his family anymore. It was the strongest ‘desire’ he had, and the one that kept him human. It was the treasure that God Yabadop desired.

-Trade.

The voice repeated the word. The figure then raised his other hand in a fist. If Giwon did not agree, the violence would start again. There was no option here. Giwon was to accept the trade, get the bracelet, and get out of here. And that would also…

“No more…”

There would be no more pain. His family had been the reason for his suffering even in the previous life. It wasn’t because it was hard to protect them. He just knew that he would not be able to protect them all soon or later. If he wasn’t going to become the most powerful one, there was no way for him to protect them to the end. But he knew that he wouldn’t become that one.

-Trade.

He wanted to give it up now. And that’s why he opened up.

“Yes. We will…”

“Not trade.”

A hand covered Giwon’s mouth and the voice answered instead. GIwon couldn’t see, but he knew it was Dohyuk.

-….Don’t interfere.

“Get lost, you sick bastard.”

The storm raged and Giwon flinched as he expected the next hit. But-

“…”

There was no strike. The wind barely made Dohyuk take a few steps back as if it were just a threat.

“Don’t worry,” Dohyuk assured him, “If I stay close to you, he can never do anything that will kill me.”

Dohyuk stood close to Giwon to protect him, “This one tried the same thing on me too.”

He saw words pop up after that storm he experienced in the beginning.

<<Detected Divine Power from same god rank.>>

<<Divine Power – Panic>>

<<Divine Power – Swamp of Despair>>

“You’re not really creative, are you?”

It was the violence that the god himself had brought up, even if it meant breaking the rules. Yabadop made the people who walked into his region feel the despair through his Divine Power, and then he would offer a trade, asking for the core element that formed the human’s mind.

“I heard it clearly. The ‘desire’ thing and all. I don’t know what it is, but you won’t be the same Giwon anymore if you accept the trade.”

“…”

“Isn’t that right, you bastard?!”

Dohyuk then shouted at Yabadop’s shadowy figure.

“No wonder how terrible the trade is, if it’s offered after beating the sh*t out of people, it’s a sh*tty trade, you asshole.”

Yabadop answered with a storm. It didn’t cause any pain, but it was still very powerful. Dohyuk then removed his hand from Giwon’s mouth.

“Accepting it once was enough.”

“B…but… there’s no other way.”

“Why?”

“If we don’t bring the bracelet… the plan…” Giwon was hesitant. He was affected by Yabadop’s mind manipulation skill.

“And if we want to… get out of this place… alive…”

“Let’s not think about the details,” Dohyuk interrupted him, “And the bracelet and the plan thing… you are right, but the plan won’t work even if you bring the bracelet either.”

“…?”

“I think I know what that sick bastard wants from you. And what happened after you accepted the trade before.”

“B-but… there’s no… other…”

“That’s the only reason why you live in this sick world,” Dohyuk spoke directly to Giwon. “And reason why I decided to trust you is because you are different from the other sick bastards.”

Then the storm grew weaker. No…

“If you want to throw away that difference, I have no reason to trust you.”

It wasn’t the storm that became weak. Giwon was still covered in darkness, but he could see clearly. Dohyuk was standing in front of him, facing the storm himself.

“So, clear up your mind and choose.”

If Giwon chose the same path like he did before, Dohyuk wouldn’t be able to do anything. But if Giwon did make a different choice…

“I will help you, as much as you help me-”

And then Giwon saw the message pop up in front of him.

<< God: Yoo Dohyuk:…

Dohyuk didn’t even expect those words at all.

… offers you to be his follower>>

“…”

“Hey?” Dohyuk asked as Giwon became silent.

“…Yes,” Giwon nodded. “I will follow you.”

Then it was done.

-Religion: Yoo Dohyuk

The change in his status, Giwon realized, was the Divine Power his new master had bestowed upon him.

<<Divine Power – Unbreakable>>

He felt the dirt that clouded his sight and mind clearing up. And Dohyuk also saw, no, he felt it.

<<First follower>>

<<Disciple: Yoo Giwon>>

“It’s my turn now, you coward.”