Chapter 86
Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: The Death Scythe
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Vulcanus's dark circles had sunk all the way down to the bridge of his nose. He rubbed his eyes wearily and spoke to me.
“It’ll take two days, like I said….”
I knew that.
But I couldn’t wait any longer, since I had to head out for the next round tomorrow.
In the sixth round, I wouldn’t be able to use summoning abilities, after all.
‘And I can’t even bring the ones I’ve summoned in advance….’
A necromancer without summons or weapons—how could I go into battle like that?
I coaxed him gently.
“I’ll buy you some wine when it’s done.”
“Ha….”
Drag. Drag. Draaag.
Bang! Bang! Kablooey!
Slicing, hammering, welding.
He worked through the night to craft it.
Not me, of course—Vulcanus.
I must have been tired from watching the process, because I fell asleep.
I didn’t know how much time had passed, but amid the silence, Vulcanus’s shout rang out.
“Ha—done!”
My eyes snapped open.
Vulcanus held up the completed scythe and showed it to me.
“Here, what do you think? A weapon made from the materials you gave me.”
My face scrunched up involuntarily. It looked like a mop head with a blade stuck on the end.
“What is this?”
“What else? The scythe you asked for.”
“……That’s not what I had in mind.”
Back in the Land of Ruin, the scythe I used had the dignified air of something Guan Yu from Romance of the Three Kingdoms might wield.
But this? What was this?
It looked like something my grandma from the countryside would swing around the barley field to harvest.
Just a regular village sickle with an extended handle.
When I didn’t say anything, Vulcanus asked cautiously.
“Weird?”
“You really wanna get beat?”
“……Why?”
“I asked for a scythe, not a mop handle.”
Vulcanus looked flustered.
“It’s the best I could do with the given materials. The performance is solid, even if the looks are off.”
“……You couldn’t do anything about the appearance?”
“As you know, I can’t change the inherent nature of the materials.”
I reached out with a bitter expression.
Truth be told, maybe my expectations for an ancient relic were too high— I was hugely disappointed by the looks.
‘Well…. The abilities are legit, so I’ll use it for now.’
Vulcanus wiped down the handle with the towel around his neck and handed it over.
[Ancient relic, ‘Sacred Tree’s Choice’ activated.]
Huh?
The moment I took the scythe, a new system window appeared.
It was a description window I’d never seen before.
[The ‘Sacred Tree’ is peering into Player Kim Cheonjae’s abilities and play history.]
[It says it’s checking if you’re qualified to be its master and asks you to wait a moment.]
“……”
Peering into my abilities and history to test my qualifications?
Name, age, level, skills, combat records, completed events.
A voice recited my info like someone reading from a book, faint in my ears.
As each piece of my information was revealed, the scythe’s appearance began to change bit by bit.
The dragon’s fang stretched longer and flattened into a blade.
The plain wooden stick of a handle became wrapped in a pitch-black liquid that coiled around it.
“Wh-what is this?”
In an instant, the scythe transformed.
The mop-handle-like weapon Vulcanus had made turned into something sturdy and fierce, fit for a grim reaper from hell.
‘……Insane.’
It seemed like a higher-grade item than the weapon I used in the PC version.
A dark aura billowed from the scythe like smoke, enveloping the surroundings.
Looking it over slowly from top to bottom, I spotted an inverted cross embedded at the base of the handle.
[Death’s Scythe (Necromancer Exclusive)]
-Attack Power +44
-All group members’ stats increased by 44%.
-Skeleton summons automatically equip ‘High-Grade’ items.
*‘Reaper’s Scythe’ active skill added!
-One-shot kill on enemies with HP 15% or lower. (Souls killed by ‘Reaper’s Scythe’ are completely obliterated.)
Among all the items I’d ever seen, this weapon had the craziest abilities.
Equipping a single skeleton—a high-grade item that even players struggled to obtain?
I couldn’t stop grinning as I read the description.
“Vulcanus, sorry for doubting you.”
Vulcanus stared at me in disbelief.
“Th-that’s impossible. How did Hades’s scythe….”
“Hades’s scythe?”
[Player ‘Kim Cheonjae’ from the Korean server has become the first to acquire a ‘Mythic’ grade item!]
Sudden applause echoed.
[The system administrator expresses astonishment while looking at you.]
[It says it’s looking forward to future rounds and, for more fun, is adjusting the event difficulty for Player ‘Kim Cheonjae’s’ group.]
[Story difficulty changed to ‘Infernal Hell’.]
[Regular monster stats increased by 160%.]
[Boss stats increased by 120%.]
[Event and monster kill rewards doubled.]
“……Is this a reward?”
* * * * *
Dawn broke.
I gathered my group and headed to the bunker where we’d agreed to meet Major Kim Juncheol.
Around a hundred soldiers were waiting.
Unlike the special forces, these troops weren’t wearing goblin masks—probably not from that unit.
They wore suits that looked like spacesuits.
Operations Officer No Hyoman approached me and saluted.
“Unity!”
“……Hello.”
“Are preparations complete?”
“What’s there to prepare? We just came out like we’re going for a drink.”
“Heh heh. We don’t know what unknown lifeforms might be beyond the gate.”
“Whatever’s waiting, if it comes at us, we kill it all.”
No Hyoman’s eyes widened.
“Sounds like you’re confident.”
I flashed a natural smile.
“Yes.”
How should I deal with this annoying prick? I could kill him right now, but I need to squeeze out as much info as possible first.
‘Should’ve killed Kim Juncheol sooner…. Then the Goblin Unit would’ve gone to someone else, and No Hyoman’s plans would’ve fallen apart.’
“……What’s done is done.”
No Hyoman tilted his head.
“Done?”
“Oh, nothing. Anyway, what’s with those machines over there?”
“Ah! These are the mobile weapons ‘Mecha X’ made by Dr. Oji-myung.”
After making the X Virus, now Mecha X. No idea whose naming sense it was, but slapping an X on it makes it sound cool, huh.
‘Ugh….’
Yoo Sora gaped at the Mecha X, scanning it from top to bottom, left to right, muttering to herself, “No way….”
‘……As expected.’
But… was there something like this in the Land of Ruin?
Five robots stood in a row.
They looked like tanks with airplanes stuck on top.
I turned to Ma Jeongwoo. He shrugged, equally clueless.
“Mecha X? Looks like full-on robots.”
“Hahaha, it does, doesn’t it? The ones piloting the Mecha X are all top-notch air force pilots.”
Explanations I didn’t want to hear.
But No Hyoman kept going without pause.
“To explain, these machines were built to hunt the ever-increasing modified zombies. They’re as easy to operate as a car and have been a huge help in national defense.”
So, basically, user-friendly robots.
No Hyoman looked pleased as he asked me.
“Want to take one for a spin?”
“No.”
Too blunt?
But my reaction was natural.
I’d hated robots since I was a kid, and aside from computers and cars, I detested touching machines. No way I was trying it.
No Hyoman smacked his lips bitterly.
“I see…. If you change your mind later, I’ll let you ride one.”
“Ah…. Sure. Then let’s head out now.”
“Could you wait a moment? The ones we’re going with haven’t arrived yet.”
“Others coming with us? Besides us, someone else is crossing the gate?”
“Yes. Ah! Here they come now.”
No Hyoman pointed behind us. I turned and saw Jo Youngki approaching with his kids.
Kim Yeonhui and Kim Ria wore wrinkled T-shirts and huge backpacks that dwarfed their frames— a far cry from Jo Youngki’s neatly ironed floral shirt.
Kim Ria was part of their group too?
“Hey! Kim Cheonjae.”
“……We ended up on the same story path, huh?”
“Guess it just happened that way.”
“Phew…. Feels like bad vibes.”
“I was a delinquent back in school.”
Lame dad joke.
I shot a glare at Yoo Sora giggling behind me.
“Heh heh, slept well, Sora?”
“……Yes.”
Yoo Sora beamed and greeted him. She used to hide behind me whenever she saw Jo Youngki, but Ma Jeongwoo’s special training must’ve worked wonders—she seemed like a different person now.
“Kim Cheonjae.”
“What? Call me hyung, didn’t I say?”
“……Hyung. You heading out for some farm experience?”
I swung the scythe through the air with a whoosh.
“Heh heh…. Nice weather for chopping bald-headed nonsense-spouters.”
Jo Youngki read my face and took a step back.
“Kidding. Just kidding.”
Once everyone was gathered, No Hyoman started mobilizing the troops.
“Armored units, advance to the front. Infantry, follow behind. Mr. Cheonjae, please lead the others.”
Ruuuumble.
With the sound of tanks rolling, the Mecha X units moved out. The pilots in the cockpits gave thumbs-ups and sped toward the village outskirts.
We followed the soldiers out of the village.
* * * * *
We arrived at the western gate.
No Hyoman ordered the soldiers to stand by, then said to me.
“Everything that happens inside the gate must remain confidential. Leaking operation details will be harshly punished.”
“……Yes.”
“And we take no responsibility for any deaths inside.”
“Got it.”
“Finally, remember we’re going for reconnaissance, not to wipe out giants.”
I nodded emphatically.
With the talk done, No Hyoman and his troops began entering the gate.
The gate was tall enough for a double-decker bus to pass—meaning something that size could come through from the other side.
I waited for all the soldiers to go in, then led the players in last.
“The players in this round are just us. We’re short-handed, so everyone stay sharp.”
My group members nodded solemnly.
Jo Youngki and his group looked scared, glancing around nervously.
Kim Yeonhui whispered.
“I don’t wanna go in there…. It’s scary….”
Kim Ria replied.
“I can’t go anyway. Good luck, everyone.”
Jo Youngki barked.
“Why aren’t you going!?”
“Not going? I just said I can’t.”
“Why not?”
“I didn’t clear the fifth round.”
“……”
“So I can’t enter.”
Kim Ria smiled brightly.
Kim Yeonhui looked envious. Jo Youngki clicked his tongue in frustration.
“Damn…. Kim Ria! Head to the fifth round right now. Clear it even if you’re late.”
“No, I’m not doing rounds. And you and your group aren’t my group anyway!”
Not in the group?
Then why bring that huge bag—confusing me.
Kim Ria trudged southward into the desert.
I called after her.
“Kim Ria! Where you headed?”
“Back to Gyeongseong, then team up with Ri Keruna.”
“……If time allows, like Jo Youngki said, do the fifth round too. So you can join us later.”
Kim Ria smiled.
“Is that a request or an order?”
“A request.”
“……And if I refuse?”
“Doesn’t matter. But if you wanna see the end of this game together, follow my advice.”
She stared blankly at me, lost in thought.
As I turned away, she continued.
“Got it…. Fifth round. I’ll clear it with Ri Keruna and come back.”
She saluted me and walked into the desert without looking back.
Jo Youngki looked bitter.
I tossed at him casually.
“Jo Youngki.”
“……What?”
“If we do the sixth round together, that means the seventh too, right?”
Jo Youngki dug in his ear and replied.
“Yeah.”
“Then you know one of us dies in there?”
Everyone froze at my question.
Not just Jo Youngki and Kim Yeonhui—Ma Jeongwoo, Michael, Yoo Sora.
All of them.
I’d already explained the sixth and seventh rounds to Yoo Sora and Michael.
They’d all agreed to proceed.
That’s why we were here.
Regardless of Jo Youngki’s group’s opinion.
“I know.”
“Kim Yeonhui too?”
“Yeah.”
“You both sure you won’t regret it?”
Jo Youngki thought for a long moment, then wagged his finger.
“Regret’s not a word for men.”
“……Got it.”
I scanned everyone’s faces once, then stepped toward the gate. A cool sensation washed over me, like passing through cold water.
Refreshing.
But it didn’t last.
The moment I crossed, a acrid stench stung my nose, and my skin prickled.
I looked up and surveyed the surroundings.
“The sky…. It’s red.”
The sky peeking through the clouds burned red like it was on fire. Gray ash fell endlessly like snow.
The flakes settled on my armor like snowflakes.
Red-eyed crows with Z Virus-ravaged, discolored skin flew in as if welcoming us, perching in a row on the traffic light.
‘Starting from the story’s midpoint, huh.’
Most buildings lay collapsed from giant attacks, and the roads were littered only with roof-smashed cars.
‘……This looks more dangerous than I thought.’
For real.
[Welcome to ‘Mechania’!]
[*Caution]
-All summoning skills are restricted.
-Healing spells are restricted.
-PK between players is restricted.
-This is a place where you can only recover during rest. Please manage all players’ HP carefully.
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