Chapter 106
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: The Identity of Lost Ark
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The Charm Rune was ridiculously overpowered.
No matter how high a player's level, no matter how great their fame, they were bound to fall for it.
Before Yamtti, everyone was equal; they had no choice but to bow their heads.
However.
'It's not working. No matter how many times I try, it's not working!'
No matter how she stared and cast her charm, the only message that appeared was that it had been blocked by a mental barrier.
The more she tried, the more it confirmed the truth: her charm had no effect.
'Why isn't it working? Why?'
But that wasn't the only thing that flustered Yamtti.
The opponent's nickname, displayed in a message.
Black Scythe.
'The guy in front of me isn't Lost Ark, he's Black Scythe?'
To think that the man she knew as Lost Ark was actually Black Scythe all along!
Who could have imagined that Black Scythe, the number one recruitment target, was right beside her?
"You, you are..."
"Ah, you saw it? My nickname."
"..."
"The Charm Rune is quite the cheat, isn't it? It even reveals real-world nicknames."
"H-how do you know about my rune?"
"I've told you time and time again."
In an instant, Ryu Min's gaze turned icy.
"Do I have to answer your questions?"
"..."
*Gulp.*
Tense, Yamtti stared at Ryu Min in silence for a long moment.
'A man unaffected by charm. And he's Black Scythe...'
He was the first man in a long time to make her this nervous.
It was no wonder, considering anyone she spoke to would bow to her like a slave.
'What do I do now? Judging by the atmosphere, his intentions are anything but good...'
Circumstantially, it was Black Scythe in front of her who had interfered with the operation and dealt with the chairman.
Seeing the chairman's name still on her charmed list, it seemed he hadn't killed him yet.
'The fact that he hasn't killed me yet means he wants something.'
She couldn't win with force.
Her opponent was the famous Black Scythe, after all.
She had to talk her way out of this, somehow.
Hoping that a conversation might work, Yamtti asked.
"B-Black Scythe. If you tell me what you want, I'll do my best to accommodate..."
"Lady Yamtti. Is there a problem?"
Sensing the tense atmosphere, the executives approached.
One blocked the escape route, another prepared for a surprise attack from behind, and the third stood by Yamtti's side, eyes full of caution.
They had taken their positions on their own, preparing for the worst-case scenario in an attempt to curry favor with Yamtti.
'Look at these guys.'
Ryu Min suddenly smiled, but for some reason, Yamtti felt a chill run down her spine.
"Lady Yamtti. Is something wrong? If you tell us what's going on, we'll..."
"Shut up. You'll only get in the way, so just stay..."
"Yamtti."
"Yes?"
"These friends of yours are more perceptive than you. They know how to read a room."
Ryu Min drew his scythe in a flash.
"Though they don't seem to know their place."
*Shhhk-!*
There was a sound of things being sliced in succession.
*Thud, thud, thud.*
The three executives who had been standing just a moment ago crumbled to the ground.
"Ah."
Blood pooled on the floor, but such things didn't even register in Yamtti's mind.
'I couldn't even see it.'
Realizing his speed was beyond anything she could counter, Yamtti abandoned all hope.
To be honest, she had held onto a sliver of hope when the executives stepped forward.
In the end, it was proven to be a futile hope.
'There's no way out. Against this man, Black Scythe, no scheme will work.'
She finally understood that fact.
"Wh-what do you want?"
"First, release Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun from your charm."
"..."
If she released the charm, she could never use him again.
That fact made Yamtti hesitate.
"Wh-what if I refuse?"
She mustered her courage.
She had to give up an arm in return.
*Thud.*
"Ah, aaargh!"
A searing pain shot through her, and Yamtti clutched her shoulder as she collapsed.
Of course, she hadn't even seen when it was cut.
"Your courage is commendable, but you've picked the wrong opponent."
"Aghhh..."
"I'm not here to listen to refusals."
Ryu Min picked up the arm from the floor.
He pressed it against the cleanly severed stump.
"Aargh!"
The pain was brief. As Ryu Min used First Aid, the wound began to heal, and her arm was restored to its original state.
"It won't be like before, but you should be able to move it."
'N-no way, it really worked?'
Yamtti was inwardly shocked.
He reattached a severed arm.
She knew she also had the First Aid skill, but its healing power was nowhere near enough to reattach a limb.
'How is this possible?'
Why was there such a difference in healing power when they had the same skill?
As if telling her not to even bother wondering, Ryu Min raised his scythe again.
"Now that your arm is back on, I'll say it again. Release Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun from your charm."
Without a second thought, Yamtti did as she was told.
"I-I released him."
At her words, Ryu Min watched her intently.
Reading her mind, he could tell she wasn't lying.
"Quick."
As proof, Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun, who had been as still as a doll until a moment ago, let out a groan.
"Oww, my head... Huh?"
When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing but darkness, his head covered by a black bag.
His body was tied to a chair, unable to move.
Though he couldn't see, Lee Seong-hyun quickly assessed the situation.
"Hey, you people! Untie me, now! I know you're nearby! Have you no fear, kidnapping an assemblyman? You've made a huge mistake. Do you understand!?"
Just then, his dark vision suddenly brightened.
Ryu Min had removed the black bag.
"Huh?"
"Hello, Assemblyman Lee Seong-hyun. I am here to rescue you."
A man with bronze skin, whom he had never seen before, was staring at him intently.
Before he could even wonder who the man was, the nauseating smell of blood and the sight of dead bodies finally registered.
"Ugh...!"
"Please wait just a moment. I need to settle things with that woman first."
While the assemblyman dry-heaved, Ryu Min glared at Yamtti.
"Should I let you live, or not?"
"P-please let me live."
"If I let you live, can you go on without using your power anymore?"
"Yes! I swear to God I will never! use my power again..."
"Don't swear to some god. Swear to me."
"I-I understand. I swear to you, Lord Black Scythe! I swear!"
Hearing the desperation in her tone, Ryu Min nodded.
"Good. I shall be merciful."
"Th-thank you! Thank you!"
"You may go now."
Even though she'd been told to leave, just as she wanted, Yamtti could only stare with suspicious eyes.
"C-can I really go? You're not going to cut off my head the moment I turn my back, are you?"
"You've been deceived your whole life, haven't you? Go."
Ryu Min casually turned his head away.
'He's defenseless...?'
For a moment, the thought of a surprise attack crossed her mind, but it was just that—a fleeting moment.
'N-no. What am I thinking?'
Why take such a risk when he was letting her live?
Compared to Black Scythe, her stats were pitiful.
The gap between them was like that of an elephant and a mouse.
She knew all too well that even with a surprise attack, her chances of winning were nonexistent.
"I-I'll be going now, Lord Black Scythe. Farewell..."
"Go where? You fucking bitch!"
As Yamtti tried to leave the hut, Lee Seong-hyun thrashed in his chair.
"Untie me! I have to catch that bitch! She's the one who kidnapped me!"
One would think such shouting would prompt Ryu Min to untie him, but he simply watched without taking any action.
"Hurry up and go."
"Ah, y-yes."
After a brief, nervous glance at Ryu Min, Yamtti fled the hut as if escaping.
* * *
*Tap, tap, tap, tap.*
Her breath came in ragged gasps as she hurried down the mountain path.
"Huu, hu."
Once she felt she was far enough away, Yamtti looked back.
The hut was already too far to be seen.
"He's not following? He's really letting me live?"
He was out of sight, and her common skill, Presence Detection, didn't pick up anything.
Yamtti was certain.
She wasn't being followed.
"Ha, hahaha, hehehehe... Hup!"
She burst out laughing, then quickly clamped a hand over her mouth, afraid Black Scythe might hear.
But she couldn't contain the laughter that was bubbling up inside her.
"Pfft-hehehehe. Haha, what is he, really?"
Laughing until tears welled up in her eyes, Yamtti spoke in disbelief.
"Does he like me or something? What's his deal? Why did he let me live?"
Could it be because of her promise not to use her power?
Or because she looked like a weak, defenseless woman?
"Did he fall for my beauty or what?"
She couldn't fathom any reason why he would spare her.
"Whatever it is, he's so naive, really!"
Letting her go just because she promised not to use her power.
"I've never seen such a sucker in my life. Keke."
She had met countless men, but none were as big of a sucker as him.
"Hehehehe, what a fucking sucker. A vow? A promise? Tell that crap to the goblins. Why should I keep it?"
From the start, Yamtti had no intention of keeping her promise.
It was just empty words to save her own skin.
The one who fell for it was the sucker, the idiot.
She had done nothing wrong.
After confirming that no one was around, Yamtti breathed a sigh of relief.
"Whew, that was a close call. To think there's a human who can't be charmed."
And to think it was Black Scythe.
'And Lost Ark was Black Scythe all along. Does that mean he was hiding his identity, biding his time to backstab us?'
The more she thought about it, the more terrifying a man he seemed.
'The kidnapping operation failed, but there's no need to be disappointed. At least I got out with my life.'
It was a good thing Black Scythe turned out to be a sucker; otherwise, she would have been dead and gone.
'Is he unexpectedly weak to women? If so, I should have tried to seriously seduce him when I was an executive.'
A muscular man with bronze skin wasn't really her type, but who cared?
He was the famous Black Scythe.
'For now, I'm alive. Since I'm alive, I can just plan for the future.'
The chairman hadn't been removed from her list of charmed individuals yet.
She could use the chairman to get PleSeBa moving again at any time.
With that thought, Yamtti was about to head down the mountain again.
'Huh?'
Suddenly, a presence appeared on her Presence Detection.
Yamtti reflexively whipped her head around and froze in terror.
"B-Black Scythe...!"
The grim reaper was standing right before her.
"Just as I thought. You're not a woman to be trusted."
"B-Black Scythe. Wh-what are you talking about all of a sudden? There must be some misunderstanding..."
"I heard everything. You were muttering quite a bit."
"..."
For a moment, Yamtti thought Black Scythe was bluffing.
She hoped he hadn't heard anything.
"I heard you calling me a sucker. Your laughter was so bizarre it could put an angel to shame."
"..."
"You still don't believe me, I see. Or is it that you don't want to believe me? Well, it doesn't matter. Confirming that you can't be trusted is enough."
As Black Scythe drew closer, Yamtti grew desperate.
"W-wait a minute. If you're going to kill me, think again. I can be useful in many ways..."
"And why should I trust you?"
"..."
"A woman who'd toss a vow to the goblins."
Yamtti swallowed hard.
The mention of goblins confirmed that he had indeed been eavesdropping.
"And who said anything about killing you?"
"Pardon?"
"It would be a waste to kill someone with a useful ability like the Charm Rune."
"Th-then...?"
Yamtti couldn't finish her sentence.
Ryu Min's pupils had turned purple.
It was the change that occurred when he used Dominion.
"Yamtti. Become my slave."
