abcnovels
Chapter 177 (Part 1)
Chapter 177 (Part 1)
Chapter 177: The Forest Of The Labyrinth (Part 1)
“Black Scythe-nim!”
As Ju Seong-tak waved his hand and approached, Ryu Min gave him a sharp look.
“Be quiet. Even if there aren’t many people around, don’t be so obvious.”
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
Ju Seong-tak, who always looked at him with fierce eyes, lowered his gaze like a meek puppy.
Reading his thoughts revealed absolute loyalty to his master.
‘This is why I like the duel system. Just a duel and you practically have control over them.’
Although a male slave wasn’t part of the original plan, looking at Ju Seong-tak made him think it was a good idea.
At least he wasn’t like some others who harbor hidden intentions or cling persistently to their master.
“Ju Seong-tak.”
“Yes, Master.”
“Follow closely so you don’t get lost. From here, we’re entering the labyrinth.”
“The labyrinth?”
Currently, Ryu Min was at the entrance of the Forest of the Labyrinth.
He planned to capture the boss of this forest, Doppelganger, and obtain the Doppelgänger’s Ring, which allows nickname changes.
‘For that, I definitely need Ju Seong-tak’s rune, which increases boss-level drop rates by ten times. Getting the Doppelgänger’s Ring isn’t easy.’
This was why Ryu Min had summoned Ju Seong-tak.
He needed his help to defeat the boss.
“The labyrinth? You mean this forest?”
“Yes. We’re going to capture the boss here. I need your help with that.”
“The boss? What boss?”
‘I take back what I said about a male slave being better.’
Talking to Ju Seong-tak had its downside: he asked too many questions.
“Just shut up and follow me.”
“I’m, I’m sorry. I’ll follow quietly.”
Entering the forest, Ryu Min didn’t look back.
He didn’t need to see to know who was following him, thanks to his clairvoyance.
*
“Did he go in?”
“Yes, he went in. With some guy.”
Seeing Black Scythe entering the forest with another man, Shizukan tilted his head.
(T/N: Shizhikang is now Shizukan.)
“What’s in there that he just went in without hesitation?”
Even though the forest was eerie enough to make anyone hesitate, Black Scythe entered as soon as he had a companion.
As if he knew what was waiting inside.
“This seems suspicious. Should we follow?”
“Do you think we came all this way to turn back? Of course, we’re following. Hey, Punk.”
“Yes?”
The Korean player, who had been captured, looked at them with a scared expression.
“Why are you just standing there? Lead the way.”
“O-okay. This way…”
“If you think of doing anything funny, you’re dead. Got it?”
“Eik. Y-yes…”
As the Korean player led the way, Shizukan’s sneer pierced his back.
“A man crying like a baby. Tch.”
“Um… Mr. Shizukan. Are you really planning to go up against Black Scythe? Isn’t it dangerous?”
“Who do you think I am? I’m Shizukan, the leader of the underground.”
Originally, the plan was to keep the target a secret, but since he had a Korean guide, he had to reveal it.
Of course, he kept the part about using his subordinates as bait hidden, mixing some truth with lies.
“If I talk to him in Korean, he’ll surely have to lower his guard. Then we can strike from behind.”
“The plan is good, but Black Scythe is infamous…”
“To catch a tiger, you have to enter the tiger’s den. If you stay in the well, you’ll never get out. A man should live in the big world, don’t you think?”
“You’re right.”
“So shut up and trust me. If the plan works, we’ll make a big haul.”
“Understood. I trust you, boss.”
Having convinced his subordinates, Shizukan pursued Black Scythe with a sinister smile.
Unaware of who was following behind them.
*
“Mr. An, are we going the right way?”
“Yes. Black Scythe went this way.”
In front of Ma Kyung-rok was a huge forest.
It looked ominous, with a dark aura seeping out, clearly a dangerous place.
“So Black Scythe went in here.”
“According to our tracking skill, yes.”
“But did you see? It seemed like there were others who entered this forest too.”
“Yes. There seemed to be a group of about ten.”
They saw players entering the forest in a group.
Whether they were allies or enemies was uncertain from the distance, but it was clear they hesitated before entering the forest.
‘Could there be others chasing Black Scythe?’
Considering his famous face and nickname, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be pursued.
The problem was they might encounter others while tracking him.
‘Are they like me, trying to get a piece of the action from Black Scythe?’
He would find out if he followed more closely.
But it could be foreign players.
‘If they’re foreign players, I’ll kill them if necessary.’
To prepare for such a situation, Ma Kyung-rok instructed An Sang-cheol.
“Mr. An. If we encounter foreign players, kill them if the opportunity arises.”
“What? Kill them?”
“They probably think the same as us. By the rules, we’re enemies. The one who strikes first survives.”
“I understand.”
“Also, keep your presence-detecting skill active. Just in case.”
“Understood.”
The two entered the Forest of the Labyrinth.
Unaware that it would be difficult to escape.