T/N: Figured I should give a warning now. The MC of this story swears a lot. He’s prickly on the outside, but soft and squishy on the inside. To be honest, swearing when stressed is the least problematic thing I’d be doing if I had to deal with these lunatics. If that’s not your cup of tea, I appreciate you for at least given this story a chance. Enjoy~

#006

With a gasp, I jolted awake, finding myself in the Dark Realm.

In other words, I’ve been unceremoniously dumped into a chaotic whirlwind of a medieval era, where religious fanaticism is as thick as the morning fog. And the cherry on top? I’m not supposed to stand against this fervent horde — I’m meant to be their fearless leader.

“Damn.”

But believe it or not, the most pressing issue wasn’t the daunting task of leading these devout fanatics.

[Happy War Evangelist (???): Serf]

No, the real problem was that I wasn’t even their leader yet.

“I’m… a serf?”

Now, I knew that in medieval times, a serf was basically just a common villager, not some outcast or slave.

But me, a serf? That couldn’t be right.

The game [Conclude] was usually pretty consistent about your starting point and role. Sure, some details might change based on your initial settings, but your location and job? Those were set in stone. As a contractor for an Othergod, you’d always wake up at the altar near the Celestial Observatory of Reverse Heaven.

“Do I seriously have to start from scratch?”

I had a sinking feeling about this.

You see, you could choose your character’s role before the game started, but sometimes the game liked to throw you a curveball, especially if your traits had some major impacts. And those curveballs were rarely in your favor.

Back when I was a bright-eyed newbie, I optimistically picked traits like [Legitimate successor of a noble family], [Sword Sage], [Genius], and [Indomitable Will], thinking they’d make the game easier.

Big mistake.

Instead, my character’s family was wrongfully ruined, his dominant right arm was chopped off, his left arm’s tendons were slashed, and he started the game with a mind as stable as a house of cards, thanks to a nasty drug addiction. Oh, and if that wasn’t bad enough, the Empire had issued a death warrant because my character was the successor of a family that had incited treason.

Hunted by both the Inquisition and the Empire’s knights, survival seemed about as likely as winning the lottery. Frustrated by a string of deaths, I turned to the community for advice, only to be met with comments like, “LOL, another newbie bit off more than they could chew.”

One comment really hit the nail on the head:

ㄴThink about it. Would someone born with a silver spoon, who’s talented and clear-headed, ever need to make a deal with an Othergod? They’re already living the high life.

ㄴYou’d have to be pretty desperate to even think about making a deal with hell. I mean, even if you only input the garbage like trait [Mental Power], there have been numerous instances of becoming a cult leader with your character already brainwashed. So, maybe don’t add mental defense traits unless you’re a pro player.

Was this rational yet insidious system designed purely to mess with newbies?ㄴYou’d have to be pretty desperate to even consider making a deal with hell. I mean, even if you only input the garbage like trait [Mental Power], there have been tons of cases where you end up as a brainwashed cult leader. So, maybe don’t add mental defense traits unless you’re a pro player.

Was this rational yet insidious system designed purely to screw with newbies?

I couldn’t help but admire Conclude’s brilliantly perverted settings and epic storytelling.

Just a sprinkle of unfavorable traits could spawn an entire novel’s worth of content, weaving a thrilling saga of rising to power!

It was satisfying to see that the player’s character doesn’t just materialize out of thin air, but actually lives and evolves within that world.

It’s like storytelling on steroids. Are the game’s creators geniuses or what?

But now that I’m knee-deep in this mess, I’m kicking myself.

“Wait, this is a game transmigration story. Can it really start me off somewhere that wasn’t even in the original game?”

It’s like being dropped into a school drama arc and suddenly having to cram for an entrance exam that was never part of the original plot.

Shouldn’t being a transmigrator give me some kind of edge to show off my knowledge? I mean, I know how to get to the starting point, the Astronomical Observatory of Reverse Heaven.

But getting there empty-handed isn’t the issue. It’s what you need to do to forge a contract with an Othergod that’s the problem.

The game doesn’t spell it out for you, so we’re left playing a guessing game based on the opening cinematic scene.

Like, if you start with Mother Aelusia, the altar is drenched in blood, and a bunch of mutated followers are congratulating those lucky enough to lay eyes on the Mother of mothers. So, we can assume you’ll need a numerous prisoners and slaves to be used as sacrifices to make a contract with her.

The type of ‘Biological Data’ you get at the start probably depends on those sacrifices.

Plus, there must have been some method…maybe a sacred object or relic, that lets you tap into Mother Aelusia’s power before the contract. It would have been used to mutate the followers and serve as a catalyst during the contract.

So, to contract with Mother Aelusia, you need to track down her relic, build an organization to gather sacrifices, and figure out the exact ritual for contracting. And you’d better have all sorted out by the time the stars align at the Celestial Observatory.

As for Hapenesus…

What were the starting resources for him again?

I usually skip through that part with macros, so I’m drawing a blank. All I know is that I started from square one.

Starting from square one means that you don’t need much to make a contract with Hapenesus.

A fool who bestows a blessing as long as you pray might even be able to make a contract with someone going in empty-handed. But to be honest, aside from the random [HappyHappy] nightmare, Hapenesus has such a garbage gameplay performance that I don’t even want to make a contract with him.

I’ve never made it past the mid-game stages with Hapenesus, so do I really need to go back to the drawing board?

Right now, I’m not a contractor, which means I’m not a ‘heretic’ who needs to be hunted down. I don’t have to dodge bloodthirsty inquisitors or lead a deranged cult that needs to be beaten to a pulp.

Sure, being plucked from the comforts of the 21st century and dumped into the shoes of a medieval peasant sounds horrifying, but there’s got to be a way to survive, right? Whether it’s revolutionizing agriculture or earning titles on the battlefield…

Even though I’ve been transported into a medieval cult strategy simulation, can’t I just live my life like I’m in a dark fantasy RPG?

“If I do make a contract, I’d have to trigger something like a ‘HappyHappy Apocalypse’, with my own hands.”

Even if I were asked to become a hero who saves the world, I’d refuse—much less embrace the destiny of becoming an Apostle of an Othergod, fated to destroy the world.

This savage, unhinged medieval era may repulse me, but my ‘dislike’ stems from a desire to leave, not a burning urge to extinguish all life.

“Then again, if I don’t make a contract, someone else will become the Apostle…” Mother Aelusia did warn that any other choice would come with regret.

It seemed that by that moment, I had already chosen ‘Hapenesus’. My status window displaying the title [Happy War Evangelist] suggested that I was destined to be Hapenesus’s Apostle in the Dark Realm. Following this logic, there must be a predestined Apostle for Mother Aelusia as well.

And if the other Othergods also brought their chosen Apostles, we could be looking at a lineup of up to 16 candidates.

The golden opportunity to form a contract with Othergods only comes once, when the stars align, so competition is bound to be fierce.

And that’s when a Concluder is born and the game truly begins.

There might be an unhinged fanatic among them, hell-bent on clearing the game, even if it means reducing the world to rubble.

If that guy becomes a cult leader and actually puts in the effort, we’re all doomed. Not that I plan on doing anything about it, though.

The idea of world annihilation didn’t particularly bother me.

I haven’t really gotten attached to anyone in the Dark Realm, so it’s not like I’d be heartbroken to leave. My life philosophy is pretty straightforward: steer clear of trouble.

Instead of busting my butt trying to prevent the apocalypse, I’d rather just live a quiet life in the background. When doomsday rolls around, I’ll simply close my eyes and gasp, “Oh, dear Lord!”

“One in every sixteen people must be born with the protagonist gene.”

Well, I definitely don’t have that main character energy.

If fate had dealt me the hero card, I wouldn’t be slumming it as a serf.

Aren’t there certain criteria for protagonists? Like being a noble’s second son, a merchant’s kid, or the offspring of a renowned knight? They’ve got wealth, connections, or natural talent to help them beat the odds.

Or maybe their story kicks off with them locked up in a dank, gloomy dungeon.

Imagine being stuck in a cell with a dying old man, both of you awaiting the same grim fate. No matter how you spin it, a serf just doesn’t fit the protagonist mold.

However, after taking over this body, I realized I don’t remember anything about its past life. Shouldn’t I at least know the basics? Like, where am I? What’s my job? How do I even farm?

Let’s just start by understanding the circumstances of this character I’ve been thrown into…

⋆⁺₊⋆ ☾⋆⁺₊⋆

At first, I was worried about faking amnesia and being questioned by the locals. But to my relief, I found a way to access this body’s memories.

After spending half a day on it, I learned that this body was your average young farmer.

My new name is Fabio, no surname.

My parents are dead, and I’m an only child. I’m single and living a simple life as a farmer, with a decent chunk of land and a humble but cozy home.

The food here isn’t exactly gourmet—the bread tastes like cardboard, and meat’s a rare treat. Farming is hard work, but at least I’m not starving.

Looking back, there’s nothing special about my past. I had volunteered to move to a new settlement, drawn by the promise of more land and a better life.

Given the situation, I could probably marry a village maiden, start a family, and live a decent life.

But marriage is the last thing on my mind.

Get married in the Middle Ages?

In a time with sky-high infant mortality rates, tying the knot and raising a kid would be pure madness.

I plan on staying single for the rest of my days.

Now that I’ve got a handle on things…the question is, what’s next?

I don’t intend to spend my life plowing fields, but no promising alternatives come to mind either.

It’s not that I can’t leave because I’m a serf.

In a frontier village like this, you can technically pack your bags and hit the road whenever you want. Just let the village chief know you’re returning the land you’ve cleared to the landlord, and you’re good to go.

But hardly anyone does.

Because it’s basically shooting yourself in the foot.

Aside from a handful of starry-eyed young guys who enlist in the army, swearing off the farming life their parents had, most people make a living by diligently working their land.

A farmer’s most valuable assets are his home and land. They pay their taxes with the fruits of their labor, make most of their essentials, and barter with the occasional merchant passing through.

So, in modern terms, I’m broke.

“The only money I have is three Imperial silver coins.”

I pulled out a worn silver coin from my pocket, muttering to myself, “How did I even end up with this…”

[Before heading to the frontier, I gave my heavy farming tools to the neighbors. They paid me in crops, which I couldn’t bring with me, so the village chief traded them for seven silver coins.]

[SYSTEM: The ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self’ trait enables ‘Memory Recall’ in text form.]

These narration pop-ups are such a nuisance.

I’ve been piecing together this body’s history through these text-based memories.

It’s not one of those typical possession stories where the host’s memories naturally flow into you. Instead, I receive these ‘memory texts’, as if clicking an [inspect item] button in a video game.

According to the system, it’s all thanks to this [The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self] trait. It keeps my own consciousness distinct from this body’s memories. But to uncover any information, I have to actively consider ‘keywords’ to prompt these ‘memory texts.’

If I hadn’t wondered aloud, “Did this Fabio guy hide any money around here?”, I never would have discovered the silver coins tucked beneath some straw in the corner.

“Can I disable this trait somehow?”

I’d at least like to turn it off while eating. Believe me, choking down stale bread and bland radish soup is a whole new level of torment when you have the taste buds of someone from the 21st century.

“Status Window.”

[Happy War Evangelist (???): Serf]

[Health: 45(-15)] [Mental Power: N/A] [Intelligence: N/A] [Strength: 30] [Endurance: 25] [Charm: 30] [Faith: N/A]

Status: [Exhausted (Health-15)]

Unique Traits: [Miracle of the Silver Tongue], [The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self], [???], [System User]

---

Examining it again, it’s truly a hopeless status. I tapped ‘Details’ in the Unique Traits window.

* Immune to any mental status effects, positive or negative.

* The host body’s emotions and memories do not influence you.

* The attributes [Mental Power], [Intelligence], and [Faith] are deactivated.

---

“….Deactivate [The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self].”

[SYSTEM: The ‘The Whole World Is Beneath One’s Self’ trait cannot be deactivated.]

Figures.

I scowled.

“What kind of garbage trait is this?”

All I wanted was something to counter Hapenesus’s blessings, but they saddled me with this insane trait.

“Does it even make sense to completely nullify three entire stats…?”

Especially [Mental Power], which is vital in Conclude. Being unable to improve it is a disaster in the making.

Low mental power leaves you susceptible to all kinds of mental afflictions like [Depression], [Trauma], [Hallucinations], and [Insomnia]. It also impacts your resilience in horrifying situations.

Increasing your mental power allows you to remain steadfast, persevering through even the toughest circumstances.

But here I am, incapable of boosting my mental power, which means I have to face the insanity of the Middle Ages with the delicate psyche of a modern person.

Although I’m completely immune to effects like [Curse of Terror] that others can inflict on me, there’s not much I can do when I’m spooked on my own.

And since this trait also blocks ‘positive influences,’ I can’t even receive priests’ blessings to calm my mind, like everyone else can.

It’s a perfect recipe for a mental breakdown.