abcnovels
Chapter 223 (Part 1)
Chapter 223 (Part 1)
Chapter 223: Fully Prepared (Part 1)
When Ryu Min saw the Archangels coming to kill him, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat troubled.
‘They appear before I could even cast the Demon’s Blessing.’
He needed to invoke the Demon’s Blessing before taking down the angels to receive massive rewards proportional to his stats.
Ironically, however, the Demon’s Blessing is a buff that only activates after defeating 100 angels.
‘As of now, I’ve only taken down Sariel. That’s just one.’
He needed to defeat 99 more angels to use the blessing.
‘Without the blessing, even killing an Archangel won’t give me anything more than the reward from an ant’s toenail.’
He needed angels as sacrifices before he could kill the Archangels.
‘What’s the best way to handle this?’
After a brief moment of contemplation, the answer was surprisingly simple.
He had to force the Archangels to call for reinforcements.
The trick was to make them feel like they were evenly matched.
‘If I overwhelm them too quickly, they won’t even think about calling for backup. Worse, they might summon another Archangel.’
Another Archangel would complicate things for Ryu Min.
What he needed were sacrificial angels to stack his blessings.
‘I need to match their skill as closely as possible, just enough to make them think they can win with a little more help.’
The key was to manipulate them into thinking they could win—like a fisherman enticing a fish with bait.
‘A little bit of acting should help. I’ll even let them hit me a few times on purpose.’
He knowingly touched an explosive dagger, fully aware it would detonate upon contact, yet pretended not to notice.
He also played along, striking the cage of light multiple times despite knowing he could have broken it instantly, acting as if he were truly trapped.
‘Thankfully, they’ve taken the bait. Now they probably think they can win if they cooperate.’
But he couldn’t just keep taking hits—if he stayed passive, they wouldn’t call for reinforcements.
He needed to show a temporary surge in power, which he did by using his Transformation.
‘First, I’ll let them push me around, then I’ll activate Death Mode and dominate them. After that? I’ll act shocked when the form ends and pretend to retreat.’
That way, he could buy time for the angels to call for reinforcements and create an excuse to escape.
‘Even the angels won’t doubt it. After all, I became stronger once I turned black.’
It would certainly frustrate the angels—letting their potential victory slip away.
‘I’ve damaged their wings, so they can’t chase me down. They’ll call for reinforcements, but they won’t summon another Archangel, not when their pride is on the line.’
Proud as they were, they would likely try to handle this themselves without relying on an Archangel’s help.
That would mean they’d call in battle angels instead.
‘I hope they call as many battle angels as possible… No, I just need exactly 99.’
Ryu Min couldn’t be sure how many reinforcements they would summon, but one thing was certain—he needed to be fully prepared when the cooldown ended.
‘I need to raise my stats as much as possible to prepare for using the Demon’s Blessing after defeating the angels.’
With 44 minutes left, he had a lot to do. He needed to drink potions and stack various buffs.
‘I need to find those three.’
With his wings spread wide, Ryu Min flew across the sky.
*
The first person he went to find was Min Juri.
The Bless buff she had cast on him at the start of the round had worn off.
“Black Scythe?”
Min Juri’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit at Ryu Min’s sudden appearance.
“What were you up to?”
“Oh, I just finished a quest not long ago.”
Min Juri had been diligently following Ryu Min’s instructions, completing quests in the Holy Empire.
1. Donate to the temple.
2. Run errands for a priest.
3. Defeat nearby monsters and collect holy water.
4. Donate to the temple again.
These four consecutive quests would raise her reputation to a very friendly level in no time.
Although it sounded simple, the process took at least six hours.
“You’re doing well. So, now it’s time to hunt the monsters?”
“Yes. Though I’m not sure if I can handle them on my own…”
“You’ve got the Bless skill, which is practically cheating. You’ll be fine.”
“Thank you. But what brings you here?”
“Well, that ‘cheating’ skill I mentioned has worn off.”
In short, he was there to receive another buff.
Requesting buffs from a buffer was normal, but Min Juri was secretly thrilled.
After all, Black Scythe rarely asked her for buffs directly.
‘He needs my help…!’
Her heart swelled at the thought of the powerful Black Scythe coming to her for assistance, just for a simple buff.
“Well? Are you going to do it or not?”
“Oh, sorry! Of course, I will!”
[Your stats have increased by 80% due to the effect of the Bless skill.]
[Your attack and movement speed have increased by 80% due to the Swift skill.]
[The Safety Barrier skill has been applied. You are protected from two physical attacks.]
“I’ve given you the full three-piece buff set. Hehe.”
“Thanks.”
As usual, Min Juri applied the most useful buffs without needing to be told.
Whoosh—
Ryu Min spread his wings of darkness, startling Min Juri.
“That’s a new skill, isn’t it?”
“Something like that. Anyway, I’m busy, so I’ll be off. Keep working on your quest.”
“Thank you for the encouragement, Black Scythe! Take care!”
Ryu Min soared into the distance.