Chapter 118
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 118
Chapter Title: The Human Caravan
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When Ryu Min arrived at the waiting area alone, the angel Ariel was taken aback.
[Don't tell me you're the only one who survived?]
“Yes.”
She hadn't expected the traitor group to die so quickly.
[To die without even reaching the Human Caravan. What a useless bunch.]
‘I thought they might last a little longer and provide an interesting spectacle for those above.’
Hiding her inner thoughts, Ariel shook her head.
[Well, what can you do? You’ll have to carry out the mission alone. Black Scythe, you know this is your last chance, right?]
“I do.”
[If you fail to complete the traitor quest in the Human Caravan, you will be mercilessly eliminated. We don’t show mercy just because you’re rank one.]
‘I know. You operate strictly according to the system.’
[For your reference, there are 1,201 people in the Human Caravan. In other words, it’s a battle between you surviving, or the 1,201 of them surviving.]
He knew that without being told.
Just as he knew that since their quests were diametrically opposed, one of the two groups was bound to be eliminated.
[If you win, 1,201 people will be eliminated, but what can you do? You have to abandon the many and survive on your own, right?]
“…”
[It would be amusing to see the number one ranker eliminated, but I hope you survive. Abandoning the majority seems more entertaining, hehe.]
With those final words from the angel, Ryu Min’s surroundings changed.
* * *
Mountains were visible in the distance.
Lush green trees, too.
And a well-maintained road, suitable for carriages.
But what caught Ryu Min’s eye more than any of that were the players.
A crowd of over a thousand players was murmuring amongst themselves.
‘The Human Caravan is the most popular, as expected.’
The reason for the crowd was simple.
It was easier to deal with fellow humans than with otherworldly races.
The familiar seemed more comfortable and easier than the new.
‘But the Human Caravan is the most difficult.’
The Human Caravan featured powerful monsters like trolls, gargoyles, skeletons, and minotaurs.
‘They’ll probably appear at a rate of one per person, but it won’t be easy. They’re not at a level where they can handle them alone yet.’
It might have been a different story if they were over level 50, but for players still in their early to mid-30s, these monsters were a handful.
‘Still, with so many people, they’ll manage to take them down somehow. Besides, they have the Archbishop.’
If the Elf Caravan had a princess, the Human Caravan had an Archbishop.
‘Though he has no combat abilities, the Archbishop will protect the caravan and the players.’
The Archbishop’s wide-area buffs would boost the players’ combat power and survivability.
Unlike the other caravans, they could proceed with the help of an otherworldly being.
‘It means the difficulty is that much higher, but they should be grateful just to receive help.’
Of course, for Ryu Min, it didn't matter if he had it or not.
His stats had been reduced by 20% twice, allowing him to use only 64% of his true strength, but he was confident.
‘Even with my reduced power, all the monsters that appear here are my prey.’
If the previous monsters hadn't even been a post-meal workout, the ones here might make him break a single drop of sweat.
And that was based on his power being at 64%.
‘It would have been easier without the stat debuff.’
As he was thinking this, Ryu Min turned his head.
He sensed someone approaching.
“Excuse me, are you… Black Scythe?”
When Ryu Min looked over, the person gasped and covered their mouth with a hand.
“Oh my, it really is! It’s Black Scythe!”
“Black Scythe?”
“Black Scythe came to the Human Caravan?”
The murmuring grew louder, and soon, people started to crowd around him.
Peeking and staring, he felt like a monkey in a zoo.
Ryu Min showed a look of open displeasure.
“Mr. Black Scythe! Can I have your autograph?”
“Me too! I’m a huge fan, Mr. Black Scythe!”
“Can I shake your hand just once?”
But there are always people who can’t read the room.
As if he had no choice, Ryu Min drew his scythe.
“Don’t come any closer. You’ll die.”
The approaching players flinched as he glared at them with murderous intent.
“Get lost.”
At his words, the players began to turn their gazes away and disperse one by one.
They knew nothing good would come from getting on Black Scythe’s bad side.
“Mr. Black Scythe.”
Hearing a voice call out to him despite his warning, Ryu Min turned his head in annoyance.
But there was a familiar face.
“Ahn Sang-chul?”
“Ah, so it is you, Mr. Black Scythe. I didn’t expect we’d choose the same caravan. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Right.”
Ahn Sang-chul spoke with a smile, but Ryu Min couldn’t respond as warmly.
He still remembered the man backstabbing him during the 7th Round.
Even if it was just an illusion.
Ryu Min asked, already knowing the answer.
“Why are you alone?”
“Ms. Seo Ah-rin went to the Dwarf Caravan. She said it looked easier…”
He knew it wasn't just that it looked easier, but that it *was* easier, but Ahn Sang-chul kept quiet.
He still felt he couldn't reveal anything about the prophecy.
‘In the illusion, he spilled it without a second thought. I guess an illusion is just an illusion?’
Ryu Min felt a little relieved.
As long as Ahn Sang-chul wasn't crazy, he wouldn't betray him.
He would need Ryu Min’s prophecies until the final round.
‘If he does betray me, it must be Ma Kyung-rok’s doing. He’s not the type to act on his own.’
But for some reason, he had chosen to split from Seo Ah-rin and join the Human Caravan.
Even though he knew it was the most difficult.
To find out why, Ryu Min read Ahn Sang-chul’s thoughts.
‘Ha. So that was the reason?’
The reason was to become stronger.
But the purpose of becoming stronger wasn't for himself.
‘He’s trying to get stronger because he’s worried I might become Ma Kyung-rok’s enemy.’
There couldn't be two kings under one sky.
Ahn Sang-chul, who wanted to make Ma Kyung-rok king, thought Black Scythe might become an obstacle in the future.
He was preparing for that time by strengthening himself to protect his master.
‘I didn't realize he was keeping me in check.’
The thought of him trying to catch up was laughable, but he decided to watch.
To see how much he could grow.
Just then, another person Ryu Min knew approached.
“Huh? Mr. Black Scythe?”
It was the Mercenary King, Jo Yong-ho.
“You’re in the Human Caravan too.”
“Yes. I figured this is where most people would gather.”
There were more people around Jo Yong-ho than before.
About twenty of them.
‘He only had five last time. He’s increased his number of mercenaries.’
Mercenaries could receive bonus stats by contracting with the Mercenary King.
There was no reason for them not to follow Jo Yong-ho.
“Do you remember what I said before? That I’d help if you needed it.”
“I remember.”
“Do you perhaps need it now…?”
“Not right now. Let’s postpone it for later.”
“Haha, understood.”
There wasn't a hint of vigilance in Jo Yong-ho’s laugh.
‘Here’s where the difference in character between Ahn Sang-chul and Jo Yong-ho shows.’
One was wary of Black Scythe on the inside, while the other recognized him as a perfect ally.
Even though both had received his help, they thought so differently.
“Well then, I have things to do, so I’ll be on my way. It was a pleasure to see you.”
“Right.”
Jo Yong-ho and his group moved into the crowd.
Seeing him talk to various people, it seemed he was looking for players with the mercenary class.
‘Since the Human Caravan has a lot of people, he’ll be able to grow his forces quickly.’
Just then, as if on cue, a message appeared before everyone.
[Escort the Human Caravan]
└Safely escort the Human Caravan to its destination.
└Upon successful escort, all will receive an experience reward.
└The individual with the highest contribution to eliminating the traitor will receive a sub-quest reward.
└If all traitors are eliminated, everyone will receive an additional reward.
[Current Personnel Status]
└Participants: 1,202
└Traitors: 1
Seeing the personnel status, the players began to complain.
“Only one traitor?”
“I thought there’d be at least a few.”
“How are we supposed to find one person among 1,202?”
Faced with a mission akin to finding a needle in a haystack, the players lost their motivation.
“Still, it’s better to find them. Should we try attacking each other?”
“Let’s do it!”
Just as they had before, the players began attacking one another to root out the traitor.
But no one dared to touch Black Scythe.
Except for Ahn Sang-chul, who had some connection to him.
“Mr. Black Scythe. Excuse me.”
“You’re not actually going to stab me, are you?”
“If you’re not a traitor, you won’t get hurt, so it’s fine, isn’t it? Or could it be?”
Ahn Sang-chul was quick on the uptake.
Though Ryu Min had intentionally made it obvious.
“Ahem, I suppose I’ll have to forget about the sub-quest. The difficulty seems out of this world.”
“That would be for the best.”
Realizing his opponent was Black Scythe, Ahn Sang-chul gave up early.
‘He’s not betraying me like in the illusion.’
Ahn Sang-chul wasn't foolish enough to go around announcing that Black Scythe was the traitor.
He owed him for his past help, and turning the number one ranker into an enemy would not end well.
“I will keep your secret. Please rest assured.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Ryu Min feigned ignorance, but Ahn Sang-chul just smiled knowingly without saying anything more.
As if he understood everything.
Just then, the caravan carrying the Archbishop began to approach.
“Is that the carriage we have to escort?”
“Whoa, look at that carriage. Must be someone important inside.”
For an ordinary merchant caravan, the carriages were exceptionally luxurious.
With about 50 carriages, the scale was also quite large.
The carriage that seemed to hold the Archbishop, in particular, was in a different league from the others in terms of size and luxury.
‘Does the Archbishop’s carriage really have to be so conspicuous?’
Monsters wouldn't choose their targets based on carriage design, but making it so obvious would make it an easy target for humans.
‘Which is good for me, the traitor.’
The carriages came to a halt, and a man who appeared to be the head of the Human Caravan cleared his throat and approached.
“Ahem, greetings, warriors from another world. I am Kalos, the captain of the guard for the Hormos Merchant Union.”
His polite bow matched his strong appearance, fitting for a captain of the guard.
“We are transporting goods at the request of the Holy Empire and are also tasked with escorting His Grace, Archbishop Laber. However, the journey through the Rabteran Mountains to the Braham Kingdom is perilous, so we had no choice but to seek the aid of the temple.”
The captain of the guard explained at length, but his words went in one ear and out the other for the players.
“Archbishop?”
“So a big shot was riding in there after all.”
“Must be that carriage.”
All they needed to know was who they had to escort and protect.
“Now, before we depart, His Grace the Archbishop will have a word.”
The door of the most ornate and luxurious carriage opened.
An old man with stark white hair spoke with a solemn expression.
“Warriors from another world. Thank you for coming to our aid. The journey to our destination will be fraught with peril, but do not worry. I will bestow upon you a blessing, hoping for light on your path ahead.”
No player asked what the blessing was.
A message appeared soon after.
[Archbishop Laber casts the blessing ‘Holy Shield.’]
[A shield that blocks one basic enemy attack has been created.]
[Archbishop Laber casts the blessing ‘Divine Touch.’]
[All stats are increased by 5.]
As the buffs were cast, the players’ faces lit up.
“Ooh, an NPC is casting buffs?”
“You got a buff too? I did.”
“Me too!”
“Did he cast it on everyone here?”
“This Archbishop guy is pretty useful, huh?”
The players, who were receiving buffs for the first time, were overjoyed, but it was no time to celebrate.
It meant that monsters difficult enough to warrant the Archbishop’s buffs were about to appear.
‘Trolls, gargoyles, things like that aren’t the real danger. The real danger is the boss-level monster.’
A boss monster would appear on exactly the 25th wave.
By then, the players would be exhausted, and defeating the boss would be anything but easy.
‘What if I step in at that moment and display my overwhelming skill?’
He would catch the Archbishop’s eye, and he could gain favor from the man who valued strength.
‘And favor will lead to an item.’
It was a chance to obtain none other than the Rune of Foresight.
‘I have to get that, and then kill them. The Archbishop and the other merchants.’
He had to kill the otherworldly beings to stop the caravan from reaching its destination.
Only then could Ryu Min, the traitor, survive.
Conversely, the 1,201 players in the normal group would fail their quest.
‘But they won’t be eliminated.’
There was a way.
A way for both the 1,201 players and Ryu Min to avoid elimination.