Chapter 116
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 116
Chapter Title: A Staged Situation
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"Eom Jun-seok?"
Ryu Min remembered the man's nickname.
He was the one who had drawn the High Orc's attention.
Of course, he hadn't done it intentionally; he had just frozen in place.
"Y-you remembered my nickname?"
"I only caught a glimpse of it, but it seems I was right."
In any case, he was the unsung hero who had contributed greatly to the one-second time attack record.
How could Ryu Min not remember him?
'But why is this guy here?'
Someone he had never exchanged a word with had approached him first.
And with a hesitant expression, no less.
-H-He actually remembered me... I'm glad I talked to him!
Reading his thoughts, it seemed he had no ulterior motives.
It looked like he had just come over to say hello.
Knowing this, Ryu Min asked bluntly.
"What do you want?"
"Ah, well, you saved me back then, and it's been bothering me that I couldn't thank you."
Eom Jun-seok bowed his head with a solemn and serious expression.
"Thank you. For saving my life."
'I'm the one who should be thanking you. For drawing the High Orc's aggro.'
He swallowed his inner thoughts and simply nodded.
"Alright. You can go now."
It was a clear dismissal, but Eom Jun-seok didn't turn to leave.
Reading his thoughts, he seemed disappointed.
'Ah, wait. Could it be?'
Ryu Min glanced back and forth between Heo Tae-seok and Eom Jun-seok.
The way they both looked at him was strangely similar.
'It feels like I've gained another follower...'
Eom Jun-seok deliberately pretended not to hear Ryu Min and said what he wanted to say.
"It's an honor to be in a party with you, Black Scythe. I look forward to working with you."
"Wait a minute. Eom Jun-seok, was it? What do you mean Black Scythe saved you?"
"Ah, well..."
At Heo Tae-seok's question, Eom Jun-seok explained the dire situation in detail.
"Ah, so that's when Black Scythe appeared."
"Yes. It was a huge relief. But you are..."
"My apologies for the late introduction. I'm NoPainNoGay. Are you perhaps interested in religion?"
"Huh? Religion?"
"I'm currently recruiting new members..."
The two, having introduced themselves, continued their conversation.
Leaving Ryu Min, the actual subject of their talk, behind.
'Just like a future cult leader. Trying to recruit followers even now.'
Heo Tae-seok, who Ryu Min thought was inarticulate, spoke fluently in front of Eom Jun-seok.
When it came to matters related to Black Scythe, his expression was nothing but serious.
'Do whatever you want. It's not like having more followers is a bad thing for me.'
Watching them whisper to each other made him feel a bit like an outcast, but what did it matter?
As long as they didn't get in his way, it was fine.
Just then, the elf Yugrito used a wind spirit to announce to everyone.
"We will depart now. We're counting on you, warriors from another world."
At his words, the convoy began to move.
*Clip-clop, clip-clop.*
White horses pulled wheel-less carriages.
Following the procession of 30 carriages, the 700-some players also moved.
Without anyone saying a word, they split up to flank and escort the carriages.
Not knowing when monsters might appear, they walked while scanning their surroundings.
Their expressions were quite serious.
After all, they were players who had survived up to the 7th round.
The forest was beautiful, but they weren't foolish enough to get lost in admiration.
Wasn't this another world, where anything could jump out at any moment?
However, unlike the other players, Ryu Min showed no signs of tension.
Instead, he seemed as relaxed as if he were out for a neighborhood stroll.
This was because he already knew what kind of monsters would appear and when.
And their level, too.
'Harpies, Lizardmen, Werewolves. These three types will appear in rotation. Once every 10 minutes.'
Just like with the dwarf convoy, there would be 30 waves of attacks this time as well.
However, the number of monsters would be halved.
Because these monsters were twice as strong as orcs.
'They'll each have to kill about 10. It won't be easy for the players here.'
A grueling journey awaited them, fitting for the intermediate difficulty, but no one besides Ryu Min knew that.
"Keeeeeeek!"
"Kyahahahaha!"
Flapping their wings, harpies flew in from the forest.
"Monsters! Everyone, be careful!"
The players panicked, as it was their first time facing flying monsters.
But their confusion was short-lived.
*Swish-!*
Seeing Ryu Min casually slice a harpy apart, the players realized something.
Even if they could fly, they had to come down to the ground to attack.
'They attack with their beaks and talons anyway. I just have to slice them when they get close.'
Were they spurred on by the sight of Ryu Min bisecting them with his Death Scythe?
The players began to swing their weapons and use their skills, protecting the elves.
Heo Tae-seok and Eom Jun-seok weren't idle either.
*Shhhlick-*
"Keeek?"
As soon as the black chains bound a nearby harpy.
*Thwack-!*
A black arrow pierced its head.
A harpy flew down towards Heo Tae-seok, who was waiting for his cooldown to end.
*Slice-!*
Eom Jun-seok's sword slashed its wing, and he mercilessly stabbed the fallen creature's heart.
"Thanks, Jun-seok."
"Be careful, NoGay."
"By the way, you'll think about my offer, right?"
"Let's talk after we deal with these things."
The harpy hunt ended smoothly.
Being birds, they were quite agile, but still manageable.
They gave more experience than orcs and were less durable.
Still, the sudden appearance of flying monsters had the players sighing in relief.
"Phew, flying monsters. That was a surprise."
"They weren't so tough once we fought them, huh?"
"But the experience is crap."
"What do you expect when it's split among 740 people?"
Still, they chattered about how hunting like this would eventually lead to a level up, like how a light drizzle soaks your clothes over time.
Among them, there was also talk of Black Scythe's performance.
"Did you see Black Scythe fighting earlier?"
"He was splitting them in two with his scythe."
"That was the first time I've ever felt sorry for a monster."
They chattered noisily, but Ryu Min knew.
'This relaxed mood will turn to sighs as time goes on.'
A journey so arduous lay ahead that if granted one wish, they would ask to just stretch their legs and rest.
'They'll realize it soon enough.'
Had they walked for about three minutes?
Lizardmen hiding in the forest rushed out like a band of thieves.
After finishing one battle, they were taking a short break when...
"Awooooooo-!"
"W-what?"
"It was lizards before, now werewolves?"
The werewolves tormented the players, giving them no time to rest.
"Gasp, pant..."
After they killed them all and took just a few steps, the harpies flew in again.
"Why are there so many of these damn monsters?"
Once again, the Lizardmen attacked.
"Does this make any sense? Are you telling me this many monsters are just waiting in the forest to screw us over?"
"They're probably not waiting, right? They must be respawning, like in a game."
Hunting was fine.
But shouldn't they be given a chance to rest?
Monsters appeared every 10 minutes, but after subtracting the time spent fighting and moving, there was no time left.
They had to endure a relentless forced march, repeating the cycle of killing monsters and moving for five hours straight.
The players only realized this after the fifth wave.
"Haa, haa. Black Scythe, are you... alright?"
"As you can see."
Unlike his already exhausted followers, a perfectly fine Ryu Min was leisurely allocating his stat points.
These weren't stats from leveling up.
They were stats from the Orb of Eternal Slumber.
'1 stat point per 100 kills. Could there be a more broken item?'
Since you get 2 points per level up, killing 200 monsters is the same as leveling up.
Considering how leveling slows down over time, it's an incredible item.
He was gaining more stats from the orb than from leveling up.
The tail was wagging the dog.
In any case, it was a situation that made Ryu Min want to smile.
'With so many monsters appearing and the ability to restore its durability... I'm going to be busy allocating stats.'
Currently, Ryu Min was raising all four stats evenly, keeping the Rune of Balance in mind.
'Even without the Rune of Balance, raising stats evenly is good for balance.'
He had repeated his life many times, trying various combinations to see how he could become stronger, but the conclusion was always the same.
Nothing was stronger than balanced stats.
Just as Ryu Min finished distributing his stats, Yugrito hurried them along.
"We have a long way to go, warriors from another world. The monsters seem to be cleared, so we will move now."
"Ah, damn. They don't give us a break."
"Monsters will probably show up again after a few steps."
The players dusted themselves off and stood up, grumbling but still guarding the carriages.
If they failed to protect the elven convoy, the players would be the ones to perish.
They had no choice but to move, whether they liked it or not.
It wasn't just the normal group that was making a move.
'The traitor group has started to move.'
Thinking they might collapse from exhaustion first if things continued like this, the four traitors put their heads together.
Reading their thoughts, their plan was to strike the elven convoy amidst the chaos of a monster attack.
'It won't be easy. These guys aren't ordinary elven merchants.'
The merchants driving the carriages were actually knights escorting the princess.
Furthermore, the carriage the princess was in had two protective spells cast by spirits.
'A spell that activates blades of wind if you touch the carriage handle, and another that sends you flying with reverse gravity.'
If they managed to get past all that and capture the princess?
'Then the game is over.'
Just by holding a knife to the princess and threatening to kill her, the elven knights would grovel.
In other words, capturing the princess would decisively tip the scales of victory in the traitors' favor.
If that happened, they could complete the traitor quest without any further bloodshed.
'If they drag things out by threatening to kill the princess for the remaining time, they can prevent the convoy from reaching its destination.'
In that respect, targeting the princess was certainly more efficient.
'Though there's no way the traitors know the princess is inside.'
Reading their thoughts, they were targeting it simply because the carriage with the luxurious crest looked suspicious.
They seemed to think there were valuables inside.
'Well, the princess is valuable, so they hit the mark one way or another.'
All roads lead to Rome, as they say. The traitors agreed to target the princess's carriage.
'Come to think of it, the next monsters to appear are werewolves, right?'
If I use a skill right when the monsters appear?
I think I can stage the situation I want.
Then I should be able to get the result I want, too.
'I don't know if they'll succeed, but I should be prepared.'
Ryu Min subtly changed his position.
To a spot out of others' line of sight.
Just then, shouts erupted from all around.
"Monsters!"
"It's werewolves!"
The werewolves appeared right on cue.
In that moment, Ryu Min used a skill.
'Night of Death.'
In an instant, darkness swallowed the forest.
The players were startled but quickly composed themselves and faced the monsters.
This was because they already knew it was Black Scythe's skill.
'Looks like Black Scythe used a skill, but it doesn't matter.'
'We can still see what we need to.'
But there was something they had overlooked.
The fact that werewolves become 30% stronger at night.
"Awooooooo-!"
The werewolves' eyes turned red, and their claws grew sharper.
"Huh?"
The players were flustered as the creatures moved with greater agility than before.
For the traitor group, however, it was an opportunity.
'Looks like Black Scythe used his skill so we can work in the dark.'
'Thanks, Black Scythe!'
The four of them seized the moment and ran for the carriage.
The one with the obviously luxurious crest looked like it would contain valuables.
'If we raid that and threaten the elves, we should be able to stop them somehow!'
With that thought, they approached the carriage.
Perhaps because of the darkness, the elven merchants didn't notice their movements.
They only noticed the attack when one of the traitors touched the carriage handle.
*Whoosh- Swish!*
"Huh?"
His hand was sliced off by a blade of wind.
"Aaaaaargh!"
At the traitor's scream, the elves' ears perked up, and they all turned their heads toward the princess's carriage.
"What's going on?"
"A-a warrior from another world dares to attack the carriage!"
Just then, another traitor tried to open the handle.
The reverse magic activated, and the traitor's body shot high into the sky.
"Whoa-oa-oa?"
At a certain point, the magic dissipated.
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
The traitor plummeted to the ground.
*Thud-!*
It was a gruesome death, difficult to even look at.
But there were still two traitors left.
*Creek-!*
When they opened the carriage door, they found an elf staring at them with eyes like a frightened rabbit.
It was Princess Yupinelsia.
"I thought there'd be valuables..."
"We found something even better, didn't we? Hehehe."
The traitors grinned, baring their teeth.
If they could just capture the princess, the game was over.
"The princess is in danger!"
Hearing the commotion from the carriage, the elven knight commander, Yugrito, hastily drew his sword and ran over.
"What is everyone doing! Protect the prin...!"
Yugrito, who was about to order them to protect her, shut his mouth.
The two traitors who had attacked the carriage were already sprawled on the ground.
"What in the world..."
The darkness had already lifted, and sunlight was pouring down on the carriage.
A man was there, nudging the traitors with his foot as if checking to see if they were unconscious.
It was none other than Black Scythe.