abcnovels
Chapter 234 (Part 1)
Chapter 234 (Part 1)
Chapter 234: The Start of the 14th Round (Part 1)
As soon as it turned midnight on February 1st, a vast plain spread out before Ryu Min’s eyes.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen a plain.’
It felt like a long time because he had been starting in grayscale spaces more often recently.
‘Let’s first check the special reward I picked last time.’
When he looked at his skill window, there was a reward granted for this round only.
[Temporary Skill – Invincibility]
– Effect: Upon use, you become immune to all damage. The duration is 60 seconds, and the skill can only be used once.
The invincibility lasts for one minute.
For a temporary skill, that’s pretty long.
‘The problem is that it’s a one-time use skill.’
Since it could only be used once, he had to be cautious about when to use it.
Of course, Ryu Min already knew exactly when and against whom he would use it.
‘I’ll use this to complete the sub-quest and obtain the Rune of Devouring. Unless something unexpected happens.’
The “unexpected” he was referring to were the “angels.”
Ryu Min had already killed four out of the seven Archangels so far.
Even without confirmation, the angels in heaven must be gnashing their teeth, seeking revenge.
Surely, they would send another Archangel to assassinate him in this round.
‘Who will they send? Only the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd remain. Maybe the 2nd or 3rd? Or perhaps all three?’
There was a chance that this round could pose a real threat.
No matter how powerful he had become, he couldn’t guarantee that he could defeat all three Archangels.
‘If it comes to it, I’ll have to give up the sub-quest and use the invincibility.’
Of course, he would only use it if things seemed genuinely dangerous after facing them a few times.
‘Come at me whenever you want.’
While folding his arms and waiting, more players began to appear on the plain.
There were about 4,000 of them.
At first glance, it seemed like a large number, but this was the total number of remaining players in the entire world.
‘After this round, only half of them will survive. In the next round, that number will be reduced by another quarter.’
It was a bleak situation, but even Ryu Min couldn’t prevent the dwindling number of players.
Unless he became the creator of the game.
[Hello, humans. Welcome to the 14th round!]
As the group of players finished gathering, an angel appeared, radiating cheerfulness.
[There were 4,997 survivors in the last round, right? Now there are only 4,608. That’s a loss of 389 people!]
The angel expressed surprise, but the players didn’t react much.
They already knew why the numbers had decreased, thanks to the news.
‘They all know by now. That I’m the one who killed them.’
Everyone was aware that the Black Scythe had completely wiped out the criminal players.
Everyone, except the angel.
[Why did the numbers drop? Did you kill each other off trying to steal items? How foolish!]
When the number of survivors decreased, the available slots for survival also reduced.
The angel was mocking the players for this reason, but Ryu Min had no regrets about killing the criminals.
‘If I hadn’t killed them, it would have caused even more damage.’
If Ryu Min hadn’t saved the nations in crisis?
The dystopia would have accelerated, and the world wouldn’t have been able to escape the spiral of despair.
The criminal players would have become even more arrogant, committing all sorts of atrocities.
The number of innocent civilians sacrificed in the process would have been countless.
‘It’s a relief I dealt with those scum now. If I had left them alone, the stench of their rotting corruption would have been unbearable.’
Of course, he could have chosen to kill them in the otherworld after learning their nicknames.
That way, the number of survivors wouldn’t have decreased.
‘But then, I wouldn’t be getting the hero’s treatment like I am now.’
It wasn’t for attention that he publicly warned and dealt with the criminals.
It was to raise the profile of the Black Scythe and increase its reputation.
To show players around the world what happens if you commit crimes.
‘So in the 15th round, they’ll obediently follow my lead. Just like now, as they look at me with those eyes.’
Glancing around, the players looking at him had distinct expressions in their eyes.
A mixture of awe and fear.
And that was only natural.
Even regular civilians viewed the Black Scythe as a hero, so how much more fearful would the players be?
‘Of course, they’re afraid of me. They should be afraid.’
Just a glance from him was enough to make people freeze or avert their gaze.
Some, pricked by their guilty conscience, even fled the scene in fear.
[Anyway, it doesn’t matter. If the numbers are low, that’s your loss, not mine. Now let me explain the 14th-round quest.]
The angel, who had been smirking, fluttered her wings, and a message appeared.
—
? ROUND 14 ?
– Survive through a total of 10 monster waves.
[Unified Area CA-EA001]
– Participants: 4,608
– Survivors: 0/2,304
—
“Monster waves?”
The players’ faces were mostly calm as they looked at the quest.
They had already experienced similar missions before.
“Is it a mission where we just have to endure, like in the 3rd round?”
“We just need to survive, right?”
In the 3rd round, the mission was to protect a relic during five waves of monsters.
In this round, the mission seemed to be a simple one: survive through ten waves of monsters.
‘But you can’t let our guard down.’
There was always an additional rule, but angels loved to keep players in the dark about it.
They would probably tease them, saying it was easy.
Just like now.
[This round is simple: you just need to survive 10 waves of monsters. That’s it. Isn’t it easy?]
The angel smiled brightly, but no player was deceived by her grin.
‘It wouldn’t be the first time we got stabbed in the back by taking her words at face value.’
[Monsters will appear every 30 minutes, proportional to the number of players. At first, they will be weak, but as time goes on, stronger monsters will emerge.]
“Angel! What happens if we can’t clear the monsters within 30 minutes?”
Someone asked, and the angel grinned slyly.
*[It’s simple. When 30 minutes pass, the next wave of monsters will appear. It doesn’t matter whether the previous wave’s monsters are still alive or not. The next wave starts as soon as the time is up.]*
“Ah… So we have to clear each wave within 30 minutes.”
“Otherwise, the monsters will just keep piling up.”
[That’s right. If you can’t clear them quickly, you’ll be overwhelmed by the next wave of monsters. Who knows? This entire plain might end up filled with monsters.]
The key to this mission was to defeat the monsters as quickly as possible.
[There might be some foolish humans who think they can survive by running away from the monsters. For those people, I’ve prepared something special. Look around you.]
When they looked around, they noticed a translucent dome-shaped barrier surrounding the plain.
[We’ve blocked all routes of escape with a protective barrier. Think of it like a gladiatorial arena.]
It was as if the angel was sneering at them, telling them not to even dream of running away.
“Surviving together through 10 waves of monsters, huh…”
“So are we all one big party?”
Hearing someone mutter, the angel snapped her fingers as if she had been waiting for that question.
[Good point. Yes, for this round, you’re all considered part of the same party. Experience points and gold will be distributed based on the number of players. However, final rewards will be calculated after all waves are over, based on individual contributions, so keep that in mind.]
“How will the rankings be determined?”
[The rankings will also be based on contributions. Your contribution points will be tallied, and those with the highest points will be placed on the survivor list.]
The ranking was based on contribution?
That meant players had to kill as many monsters as possible or contribute significantly to their defeat.