Chapter 100
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 100
Chapter Title: End of Round 7
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'I've finally obtained the one thing I wanted most.'
The ability to use Dominion in the real world?
That meant I could perfectly control someone as I pleased.
'I've already decided who to use it on.'
As a smirk played on his lips, he felt gazes upon him.
They belonged to the nine angels who had lost the bet.
'Damn it, I can't believe Black Scythe took first place again!'
'How is that human always number one?'
'Did the strategy get leaked or something?'
It was so absurd it was infuriating.
They wanted nothing more than to pop his head like a balloon, but unfortunately, they lacked the ability to kill.
They had already used it in an initial show of force.
Probably 90% of the angels were without that power.
[Hehe, why the long faces?]
As Priscilla approached with a smile, the angels cowered like rain-soaked puppies.
[Oh, no. It's nothing.]
[None of you have any objections to me becoming king, do you?]
[N-No, of course not. Priscilla is the king now.]
[That's right. So, what do you want to do now, our Priscilla?]
[Who are you going to assign as the guide?]
[Wait, wait. Before I answer your questions.]
Priscilla's gaze turned cold.
[All of you, kneel before me.]
◀ ROUND 7 COMPLETE ▶
[All Sectors]
└Survivors: 3,463,533
[Current Sector C2-ESKA003]
└Survivors: 2,461
[Your soul will now be transferred to your body in the original dimension.]
[Round 8 will begin at midnight on August 1, 2022. We look forward to seeing you in the next round. Congratulations on your survival.]
* * *
"Phew."
The first thing Ma Kyung-rok did upon his return was to look around.
"Is this... a hotel?"
This couldn't be an illusion too, could it?
With that thought, he pinched his cheek several times and scanned the room.
Just in case, he even made a phone call.
"Manager Ahn. Are you back?"
-CEO! You're safe.
"This isn't real, is it?"
-What? It is real, CEO.
"Are you sure?"
-I'm sure. The tally results and even the congratulatory return message have appeared.
"But we can't be certain. This could also be a fabricated illusion."
-Oh, come on. Surely not. Ah, w-wait a minute. What if it really is?
Hearing his boss's words, Ahn Sang-chul suddenly grew anxious.
"Come to my room for now."
-Understood.
As usual, Ma Kyung-rok soothed his nerves with a whiskey.
He held the whiskey glass and gazed at the scenery outside the hotel.
Watching the lights embroidering the darkness always calmed his heart.
'Am I really back in reality?'
Having been so tormented by illusions, it just didn't feel real.
No, perhaps it was more that he couldn't believe it.
Doubt crept in endlessly.
The mental damage Ma Kyung-rok had suffered was that severe.
'What I saw was an illusion?'
The scene of his brothers pressuring him, urging him to commit suicide on the rooftop, replayed in his mind.
It was an illusion he never wanted to experience again.
'Could it have been not an illusion, but a glimpse of the future?'
Thinking of it as something that would come to pass made him even more anxious.
He felt an urgent need to grow the company and earn his father's approval.
*Knock, knock-*
"Come in."
Ahn Sang-chul entered and bowed politely.
"CEO, are you all right?"
"I'm fine. I was just so shaken by the illusion that I had trouble distinguishing it from reality for a moment."
"What on earth did you see in your illusion...?"
"..."
Ma Kyung-rok silently drank his whiskey.
Realizing his mistake, Ahn Sang-chul bowed his head again.
"I apologize. I spoke out of turn..."
"I'll just consider it a bad dream."
Ma Kyung-rok turned and poured him a glass of whiskey.
"But what about you, Manager Ahn? Are you all right?"
"Ah... I'm not exactly okay either..."
"What kind of illusion did you see?"
"Well..."
Ahn Sang-chul couldn't bring himself to say it.
That Ma Kyung-rok had been strangling him.
"Just a dark story..."
"Well, I suppose it's the same for everyone."
Downing the whiskey in one go, Ma Kyung-rok grimaced.
"Even though we survived, I feel absolutely filthy. Ha."
He let out a self-deprecating laugh and suddenly thought of someone.
"Do you think the Prophet survived the illusion?"
"I figured you'd be curious, so I called him on my way here. He's alive."
"Is that so? I suppose the person who told us not to be swayed by temptation wouldn't have died."
Ma Kyung-rok nodded as if he'd asked the obvious, but then a question arose.
"But that's strange. If he knew that escaping the temptation was the strategy, shouldn't the Prophet have ranked first in all sectors?"
"Huh? You have a point."
"But there was no nickname on the tally that seemed to be the Prophet."
First place in all sectors was, as always, Black Scythe.
Second was his fiancée, and third was himself.
He didn't know the Prophet's nickname, but it was clear he wasn't in the top ranks.
"The Prophet should have shaken off the temptation immediately... Did he delay clearing it on purpose?"
"I don't know."
It was a puzzling point, but they didn't know.
They didn't know that if you recognized it as an illusion, the scenario wouldn't proceed at all.
The very fact that the Prophet had survived was a contradiction in terms.
"Well, I suppose we'll find out when we meet him later."
Ma Kyung-rok decided to get some sleep for now and dismissed Ahn Sang-chul.
"Then please rest well."
"You too, Manager Ahn."
After Ahn Sang-chul left, Ma Kyung-rok lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling.
"..."
The mental shock was immense.
He wanted to sleep, but his eyes were wide open.
That night, Ma Kyung-rok stayed up with his eyes open.
He was afraid of having nightmares.
* * *
At lunchtime, Ryu Min met with Min Ju-ri for a meal.
It was to give her information about Round 8 ahead of time.
'Did I ask to meet too soon? She doesn't look so good.'
Min Ju-ri was more mentally drained than he had expected.
"Ju-ri. What's wrong? No appetite?"
"Ah, no. It's delicious, it tastes good, but..."
Apart from her appetite, the mental shock had been severe.
Round 7 had been a truly difficult round for Min Ju-ri.
Ryu Min gently probed, trying to read her thoughts.
"Why? What was your illusion about? Was it that agonizing?"
"I, I don't know..."
Unable to bring herself to say it, Min Ju-ri hung her head low.
She felt if she lifted her head, he would see her flushed face.
'Ah... so it wasn't agonizing, it was embarrassing.'
Having read her thoughts, Ryu Min was the one who cleared his throat, *ahem*, not knowing what to do.
It seemed that despite his advice, she'd had a hard time shaking off the temptation.
"I don't know what the illusion was, but forget about Round 7. It's already in the past."
"I-I should."
"Anyway, there's something I need to tell you about Round 8."
Ryu Min prophesied as usual.
Jeffrey was nearby, invisible, but there was no need to be cautious.
He was intentionally speaking for him to hear.
'He'll probably relay my prophecy to Christine.'
Knowing Christine's personality, she wouldn't believe a single prophecy.
That's why it didn't matter if he eavesdropped.
In fact, to earn Christine's trust, it was better that he did.
"So, you're saying NPCs will appear in Round 8?"
"Yeah. I don't know if they're created NPCs or actual beings from another world, though."
This time, Ryu Min explained the strategy in as much detail as possible.
Unlike Round 7, Round 8 had many elements for gaining experience points.
In other words, it was a round where you had to conquer various things to raise your level as much as possible.
Ryu Min was essentially giving her a head start on that.
"And there's one more thing you should know."
"What is it?"
"In Round 8, you won't be able to travel with Black Scythe."
"Huh? Why not?"
He explained the reason why.
Min Ju-ri's eyes widened, unable to understand.
"But why? Black Scythe...?"
"I don't know why he makes that choice. I only see the future."
Ryu Min said shamelessly, looking at the bewildered Min Ju-ri.
Suddenly, the illusion he had experienced before came to mind.
Her, being stabbed and used just for knowing his identity.
'That was just an illusion. Nothing more than a bad dream.'
There was no way Min Ju-ri would be in danger for knowing his identity.
'Because I won't let that happen.'
Ryu Min vowed again and again.
He would never let the people around him fall into danger.
* * *
"The only one to believe in in this world is the Lord Jesus Christ. Let us all proclaim and be saved. Hallelujah!"
"Hallelujah!"
"Oh, Lord Jesus!"
"We believe, we believe!"
Leaving the prayers of countless followers behind, Nathan finished the service and returned to the pastor's office.
Christine was waiting for her father, her face somewhat sullen.
"Oh? When did you arrive?"
"A little while ago."
"So, what is it you want to say?"
"Shouldn't you be asking about Round 7 first?"
"I've already heard about that from Jeffrey. A wicked round filled with illusions, was it not?"
"Yes."
"What illusion did you see?"
"One related to you, Father."
"Me?"
"You... were being threatened by the followers. And I was put in a situation where I had no choice but to commit suicide."
"...Indeed. The more I think about it, the more vile the sorcery."
"The angels you believe in did this."
"No, that cannot be. Those were demons in the guise of angels. Satan sometimes appears before us in a familiar form."
"So you're saying this isn't all God's will?"
"You speak nonsense. Is your faith lacking? Or have you been possessed by a demon?"
"It's just... seeing an illusion where everything I believed in betrayed me has left my mind in a jumble."
"Nonsense worries. You are the messiah and savior sent by God into this chaotic world. You need only focus on raising your level and saving people. Do not think of anything else."
"Yes..."
"And about that Prophet you mentioned before."
"The Korean man?"
"Yes. I asked Jeffrey, and it seems his prophecy was more or less accurate."
"Not to be swayed by temptation, you mean? That's right. I didn't believe it, to be honest, but it turned out to be the key to clearing the quest."
"It would be best to get closer to that Prophet."
"What?"
Surprised by the unexpected words, Christine's eyes widened.
It wasn't something she expected to hear from her conservative father.
"You're trusting him just because he was right once?"
"If his prophecies are correct, there is no harm in receiving his help, is there?"
"But it could have been a coincidence..."
"I had Jeffrey investigate him. He doesn't seem to be a dangerous person."
"You did a background check?"
"He was an ordinary-looking prophet who just commutes between home and work."
"..."
Christine didn't blame her father for ordering the background check.
In fact, she understood.
She knew it was because of her own inability to trust people easily.
It had been the same before she accepted Ma Kyung-rok as her fiancé.
'I had Jeffrey run a background check on him for a whole week.'
She had only accepted him as her fiancé because nothing particularly troublesome came up at the time.
"So in your view, Father, we absolutely must receive his help?"
"Your fiancé receives it, does he not? They are even business partners."
"But there's a chance he's a con artist..."
"Then how about we do this, Christine?"
Just then, Jeffrey returned at the perfect moment.
"Jeffrey. What are you suddenly talking about?"
"I have just returned after acquiring information about Round 8 from him."
It was merely eavesdropping, not acquiring, but that hardly mattered.
What mattered was the information.
"Round 8? You mean you heard a prophecy?"
"Yes. He was quite detailed this time. If you cannot bring yourself to trust him, Christine, I believe you can make your judgment after experiencing Round 8."
"Hmm. Not a bad idea."
"I'd rather do that."
However, a short while later, the three of them realized they didn't need to eavesdrop at all.
Because a call came from Ma Kyung-rok, who felt bad about keeping the prophecy to himself.