The descent into the Demonic Cult was not one of acceptance-it was one of submission.
Baek Hyun-Jae followed the Elder through the winding tunnels of the mountain cave, the air thick with something old, something malevolent. The deeper they went, the heavier the atmosphere became, as if the mountain itself was suffocating those who dared to enter.
The corridor finally opened into a vast underground chamber, illuminated by eerie red torches that burned with an unnatural glow. At its center was a pit-deep, black, and pulsing with something... alive. Surrounding it were figures clad in dark robes, their faces obscured, whispering in a language he did not recognize.
At the edge of the pit stood a man unlike the others. He was tall, his crimson robes embroidered with demonic sigils, his face covered by a mask depicting a snarling beast. The air around him felt heavy, like gravity itself was bending to his presence. This was no mere Elder.
The masked man turned his gaze to Hyun-Jae, his voice smooth yet commanding. "You stand at the threshold of the Demonic Cult, a soul untainted by weakness yet filled with vengeance. Do you seek power, Baek Hyun-Jae?"
Hyun-Jae did not hesitate. "I do."
"And for what purpose?" the masked figure asked, stepping closer. "To claim revenge? To burn the world that betrayed you?"
Hyun-Jae clenched his fists. "Yes. But more than that... I will build something new from its ashes."
The masked figure chuckled. "A fitting answer. But words are nothing in the face of blood." He gestured toward the pit. "Step forward. If you are worthy, the Baptism of Blood will accept you. If not, you will cease to exist."
Hyun-Jae approached the pit, peering into its abyss. The shadows moved within it, swirling like living things, whispering promises of power and death. A normal man would hesitate. But Hyun-Jae was no normal man. He had already died once.
Without another thought, he stepped forward-into the abyss.
Darkness swallowed him whole.
Pain followed.
A searing, soul-rending agony tore through his body as if a thousand blades were carving him from the inside out. His veins burned, his bones cracked, his flesh writhed as the abyss tried to consume him. The voices whispered, screaming truths and lies, testing his resolve, tempting him with despair.
"They betrayed you because you were weak."
"You were nothing but a pawn."
"Your lover never loved you-she used you."
The rage inside him howled, rejecting the whispers. He knew the truth. He had seen it with his own eyes. The betrayals, the lies, the corruption of the so-called righteous sects. He had no illusions left to break.
And so, he endured.
Seconds passed. Then minutes. Then eternity.
And then... silence.
The abyss no longer felt suffocating. The pain receded, replaced by something else-power. It surged through him, wrapping around his soul like armor. He could feel it, the energy of the Demonic Cult, the force that had granted them strength beyond human limits. It was now his.
When he opened his eyes, he was no longer standing in the pit. He was back in the chamber, but everything felt different. His senses were sharper, his mind clearer, his body stronger. The air itself seemed lighter.
The masked figure nodded in approval. "You have been accepted."
The robed cultists knelt. The whispers had changed. They were no longer speaking of tests. They were chanting his name.
Hyun-Jae exhaled slowly.
This was only the beginning