( warnings: blood, religious imagery, violence, yandere behavior, sin, purity, discrimination, drugs and alcohol, addiction, unhealthy coping mechanisms.

In general, warnings will be included at the start of every chapter if necessary. Please tell me if I leave anything out. The content inside might be sensitive to some so viewer discretion is advised.

Regarding the religious aspect, it is heavily based on Christianity, but it's written to be more of a cult than an actual religion. Only certain aspects are similar to Christianity, but the majority of it is made up and written to be slightly more diabolical.

Priests are called "Father [Name]", so the love interest [Anton] will be called as such, but he is only twenty six. Y/n L/n is twenty four. )

—

CHAPTER ONE.

The day started off well.

In a whole new world, that is.

It took a few moments for Y/n L/n  to truly process what had just happened. From the coarse sheets beneath his skin that differed greatly  from the silken bedspread he had grown  so accustomed to, to the fact that even the air smelt different somehow; fresh, but had a tinge of something horrid in the air; blood, maybe—and also to the fact Y/n woke up to maids rushing around him. But not in the "you are the young master" way, but in a "you are a criminal" kind of way?

It was obvious that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

"Y/n," A soft, sweet voice piped up, and Y/n  squinted at the source of voice—clearly, she was not a maid, from her dignified attire to the expensive jewelry she donned—"are you feeling unwell, perhaps? Should I call the doctors? You look a little..pale."

Okay, there was something evidently wrong with this. Never had someone's voice reek so much of sincerity when talking to him. So much worry.

It was a little pathetic, Y/n thought mildly, for him to discern so. But it was an indisputable fact; that really, no one had shown that much care to him before.

And second...

Who is she?

Y/n didn't reply, and that only made the woman frown, her smooth skin creasing as her brows furrowed.

"Well, it is difficult circumstances, I suppose." She managed a tight smile, "not everyone wants to be sacrificed. But think of it as a way to cleanse your soul, to keep your body pure. It is the least you can do, after your sins."

"...Ah." Y/n produced a choked sound that sounded like a dying dolphin—"sins?"

Sacrifice?

"I'm sorry, but," Y/n shook his head politely, "I'm afraid I don't quite know what you mean...?"

"Don't be silly," The woman blinked, "Your sins. Don't tell me you forgot. Forgetting is a sin itself, you do know, right? Oh, this is terrible! You must confess to the redemption church. You must!"

That name sounded oddly familiar. Redemption, redemption...

Was this some befuddled dream he was having? It wasn't funny.

"Father Anton won't be pleased."

And that's when it clicked in Y/n's brain: the sweet, kind, and benevolent priest called Anton...that was a character he met in the horror game he played yesterday?

It can't be...

Y/n blacked out.

||

How long had it been since Y/n had been suffering? Days, or maybe even weeks had slipped by since he had been trapped in utter hell. The food was bland, which made sense since he was a commoner, the living conditions were rough, and most importantly...

This was a horror game Y/n had been transported into, called Spiraling into the Abyss. A dark name, which fitted its own description very well. Y/n could recite it by heart—not intended for kids below sixteen! Contains: blood, violence. People under eighteen to proceed with parental supervision.

It took place within a setting that was at first glance, pleasant. Similar to manga, webtoons, and novels, the place was ruled by an emperor and empress, and magic and mana was present. Y/n would know many people who practically yearned to be transmigrated into such a world, but this was different.

This wasn't an otome game, or a manga, or a webtoon—it was a horror game. A horror game he was talking about. It was supposed to scare the lights off you through graphics; so imagine that very game materializing before your eyes! One word: terrifying.

Being forcibly thrown into another world was not on Y/n's agenda, especially not a world where the Redemption Church was ranked even higher than the emperor himself.

Yes. That was right. Spiraling into the Abyss took place in a world where all citizens believed fervently in god, and religion was placed above all. That meant that the priests in the church and temples were seen as God's messengers, and thus, could even be seen in a higher position than nobles.

And what exactly was scary about that? Read it one more time, and let it sink into you: religion was placed above all. So those who were seen as unfaithful, or those who committed sins, were discriminated against, ripped apart (both metaphorically and literally)—and sacrificed.

Y/n had pondered over this when he had cleared the first two levels. Shouldn't...they sacrifice 'pure souls', if they were going down that route? Why the 'dirtied' ones, then? But Y/n didn't have much time to mull—his in game character had chores to do. Chores for him to survive, because essentially, his character was a sinner. One who would have to prove himself to escape the death sentence.

And that was who he was...after he had reincarnated into the game. Starting all the way from level one, with only the starter pack to help him.

[ Congratulations! You have harvested +10 crops! You gain 10 XP! By gaining 500 XP, you can advance to level two!

Level Two Rewards:

+100 Faith from citizens

+ A spin from the wheel of horrors!

+ Immunity to Scars (One time Use) ]

Oh, hell no. Harvesting a mere "ten" crops had already used up all of his energy and his time. He was not going to repeat this another fifty times.

"Working hard?" A voice snapped him out of his thoughts, "why, I haven't seen you work so hard before! You just have experienced God's blessings, for you to turn over such a new leaf. It's impressive, really."

Y/n turned to face a smiling Helen. She was the headmaid of the estate he worked in—nothing too special, he was a servant (think of it as community service hours—and her analysis on her behavior would also determine if he had been "cleansed." Y/n tried to plaster a smile on his face, and gave a cursory nod.

"Yes," He said in a strained, polite voice, "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do. As his worker. I just repay him back for all that he has bestowed upon us."

"Oh, Sir Anton will be proud." She beamed. "You know, none of us really like sacrificing people." She shuddered, "it's such a mess to clean. The blood gets everywhere, and..."

So you aren't even guilty about taking another's life?

Y/n tuned her voice out by busing himself with the weeds. He plucked them out one by one, lamenting his fate. It had been about two weeks since he had been transmigrated here, and he hadn't exactly found out by pleasant means.

"It scared me, when you blacked out," Helen told him, "but you said it was—"

"God's will, yes," Y/n lied through his teeth, smiling lightly, "he sent a message to me in my dreams. To change. So here I am, helping." His cheekbones felt like they were about to peel off.

"Oh, that's wonderful. How reverent. I must tell Father Anton about this," Helen gasped out, clasping her hands together in a fervent prayer, "the church will—"

"Oh, I would rather not. I am supposed to keep it private, you see." Y/n said hastily.

Father Anton.

Of course, Father was just a term to describe priests—in fact, Anton himself was only in his twenties, which made him even more splendid. He was seen as a vessel of whatever God they worshiped (as far as Y/n was concerned, it wasn't any god he was aware of that actually existed in the real world) and was one of the main characters in the horror game. Y/n hadn't actually played to unlock his backstory quest yet, or interacted with him much, and the reviews about him on forums were pretty divided. Hell, he didn't even know how Anton looked like in-game.

But he's freakishly good-looking! The rabid fans had screamed online.

Some claimed he was straight up the root of evil, others claimed he was pure. Well, assuming he was a priest...and assuming the game always described him as "the epitome of righteousness", Y/n went along with Anton being kind.

But this was a horror game. Could Y/n really say anything? Or do anything? The main reason why he hadn't advanced levels was because he never really got through the first few levels. This game was dubbed horror not because it had jumpscares—yes, the graphics were chilling, but it was tagged in psychological horror. A game—an abyss where the world was essentially warped.

Delightful, Y/n continued sweeping the leaves.

"Are you coming to worship later, Y/n?" Helen hummed,

"...." Y/n couldn't hear her. He was too immersed in his thoughts.

[ Ignore?  N O / Y E S

Caution: you might lose favorability points ]

The screen flashed in front of Y/n, and he furrowed his eyes. Favorability? Now, that wouldn't do. One bad word from Helen, and Y/n would be dead.

"Are you coming to worship later, Y/n?"

Not even a second past, and Y/n was preparing to open his mouth, "are you coming to worship later, Y/n?"

So creepy, Y/n closed his eyes before opening them. The smile felt like melting off his face like slime. He was so sick of this. He wanted to return home, but only after clearing the goddamn game could he go home...

"Yes." Y/n nodded politely, "if the Church would kindly have me."

Her still, scarily emotionless face morphed into a bright smile. She clapped Y/n on the back.

"Great!" She chirped, "and don't you worry! God accepts everyone here."

"But not the sinful," Y/n said.

Helen's smile became more forced. "But not the sinful. Those are the exceptions, Y/n..." Her eyes narrowed into slits. "And you better be careful. They burn your body, you know."

"And...how do you know that?" Y/n swallowed. Did he want to hear an answer?

"I was the one who burned them." Helen's voice took on a darker tone, "heard the voice of God, too. Telling me I did the right thing." Her face broke into another grin, this time more unsettling. "Now, don't worry about it. Come along to Church, alright? I'll put in a good word with Father Anton for you, how bout that."

"...Thanks." Y/n placed the broom back.

[ Thanks for placing the broom back!

+2 points responsibility ]

"Hurry up now," Helen crossed her arms, "a lot of dawdling. Being tardy is also a sin."

Y/n stared at the affection meter above her head. It almost functioned like a damn otome game, what with the favorability meters hovering above all their heads. But this only served as a warning to him—that if it ever dropped...

Death would await him.

Y/n shivered, feeling a chill run down his spine. Then he walked slowly behind Helen, ignoring the looks of contempt sent his way.

Just focus on getting home, Y/n told himself.

Tick, Tock. Time was running out.

[ Major Quest: Obtain favorability with Father Anton, to allow for better access to the church.

Difficulty: ???

Time: Six Months

Failure: Death ]

||

"What? Why are you playing such a shitty game? Aren't you scared?"

Y/n looked up from his phone, blinking his eyes. His sister had just come into the room, unannounced—again. This was getting to be a habit.

"It's pretty interesting." Y/n shrugged, "I mean, there's  favorability points that can be won, redemption points, time and resource management. The quests are cool, too. And it has psychological horror elements."

"The only reason I ever played it was because of the graphics," His sister wrinkled her nose, "don't even get me started on the multiple endings! My friend finished the game, but she landed with the bad one. She had a tragic demise."

"Well, I'll probably drop it before I finish. I'm moving along quite slowly," Y/n sighed, placing his phone down, "I think I'll just go to sleep."

"Okay. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Y/n yawned.

When the lights were turned off and his sister exited the room, his phone lit up—

And Y/n woke up in a new place.

||

Favorability points: for each character in the game, they have a meter associated with them. Every choice made by Y/n influences this, and high favorability can lead to supply, while low favorability may lead to disdain and betrayal.

Redemption points: Y/n must earn this to prove his worthiness in the eyes of the church and avoid being sacrificed. This can be earned through various tasks, quests, and interactions with the other characters. It also serves as a progression system, allowing Y/n to advance through the levels and unlock new abilities or privileges,

Time and Resource Management: Y/n must complete tasks and quests within the game's constraints. Failure to do so will result in unfavorable outcomes. Y/n will have limited resources—energy, good, and items, and his "bar" will deplete as time goes by. If resources are not allocated properly, it will lead to a knock out.

Knockout: where the player essentially goes AFK for two days, and is unable to progress.

Psychological Elements of the game include: distorted graphics, religious imagery, human sacrifice, violence, gore.

||

I hope all of you enjoy! Leave a comment if you liked it 💕💕