Chapter 141
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: CPF
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Everyone has dreams.
There was a time in everyone’s life when they poured their passion into chasing those dreams, enduring sleepless nights and hardships.
That had been the case for patrol officer Kang Si-hyeok of the Gangnam Police Station.
In his younger days, he had crammed for the police civil service exam, even skipping meals.
No matter how many times he failed, he never gave up, driven by the childhood dream of becoming a detective.
‘Like those cool detectives in the movies, catching criminals and being a righteous cop—that was my dream.’
Thanks to that dream, he had passed the exam after two failures and risen to his current position...
But what awaited him wasn’t the detective badge—it was a traffic cop checking for drunk drivers.
That was the norm.
For an ordinary patrol officer who had only focused on studying.
‘But now, my chance has come.’
On January 1st, when the event called the Great Change—or Great Catastrophe—known as the Angels’ Game began, he couldn’t help but feel despair.
‘I worked so hard to become a cop, and is this how it ends?’
But talent shines when you least expect it.
Unexpectedly showing aptitude for monster hunting, skill and rune strategies, Kang Si-hyeok had survived all the way to Round 9.
And now, he had been selected as a member of the newly formed Major Player Unit under government leadership, known as the CPF—Counter Player Force.
He, who had once shoved breathalyzers at drivers from the traffic division.
‘They say if you don’t give up, a path will open—and this catastrophe turned into a blessing in disguise for me.’
No one knew about others, but for Kang Si-hyeok, this was at least his peak.
A once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck and a chance to realize his dream.
Ding-a-ling—
Kang Si-hyeok entered the CPF’s temporary assembly point and spotted five people sitting there, checking their phones.
“Ah, hello! I’m patrol officer Kang Si-hyeok, 28 years old, transferred from Gangnam Police Station!”
“No need to be so formal. We’re all patrol officers here.”
“R-Really?”
Kang Si-hyeok scratched the back of his head awkwardly.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Min Tae-su from Daegu Central Police Station. 29 years old.”
“I’m Hwang Man-gi from Guri Inchang District Office. 28 years old.”
“I’m Go Nam-cheol from Busan Nambu Police Station. 29 years old. Do we gotta say our levels and classes too?”
“Whoa, Busan?”
From the introductions, they were all from different parts of the country.
Some had received urgent transfers and were staying in hotels since they hadn’t found rooms yet.
Of course, even though it was mandatory, no one complained.
Because they weren’t the type to settle for being patrol officers.
“This is our chance. When else would we get to work in a special forces unit?”
“Yeah. We were lamenting that we might not catch any criminals for another five years, and who knew an opportunity like this would come?”
“It’s ridiculous, but I’m even glad we became Players.”
They had rushed here in a frenzy, but everyone knew what the CPF was.
“A unit that takes down criminal Players? Man, that’s so cool.”
“I heard it’s not always kill-on-sight—just when they’re dangerous.”
“Same difference.”
“The world’s changed a lot. Conservative government officials allowing summary executions?”
“It means the world’s gotten that much more dangerous.”
“But Players are halving anyway, right? They’ll disappear on their own—why make a unit like this?”
“Even fewer Players doesn’t make the threats any less threatening.”
“Hey, Kang Si-hyeok, was it? We’re all the same rank, so speak casually. Sure, our seniority might differ, but we’re all starting as grunts at the bottom, right? And we’re all late 20s.”
“Ah, y-yeah? Haha.”
The six police Players hit it off quickly.
They had a lot in common, and their interests aligned around catching criminals, so the conversation flowed easily.
“Hello. Is this the CPF temporary assembly point?”
“Hello.”
More prospective unit members trickled in one by one.
They too were among the few surviving police Players nationwide, with similar aspirations and interests.
“We’re all the same, huh? Wanting to take down criminals.”
“Honestly, as public servants we shouldn’t say this, but seeing those inhuman monsters... it just stirs up a killing urge.”
“You too? I saw victims sobbing at the station, and it made my blood boil.”
“That’s why they made this unit—those subhuman scum became Players and act like monsters.”
“By the way, who’s our unit commander?”
“No idea. Anyone hear anything?”
“Nope.”
“Does our unit even have a commander?”
“It’s a unit, so obviously.”
“Maybe they’ll pick one from us?”
“How? Rock-paper-scissors? Heh.”
“Probably some officer from the police academy.”
“Then it’d be inspector level. Are there any surviving officer-rank Players?”
The members were curious about the commander who would lead them.
They’d only been told to gather here by 8 p.m.—no other details.
“Hope it’s not some old-timer.”
“No way. Players are all under 29, like us.”
“Oh, right.”
“Why assume the commander’s a Player? Could be a civilian.”
“Nah, that wouldn’t work. Player grunts with a civilian officer?”
“They’d follow orders real well.”
They were right that it was a Player, but they knew nothing else.
“How many surviving police Players are there nationwide?”
“This can’t be everyone, right?”
“No way.”
As the ten Players thought that,
“You’re all of them.”
The members’ heads turned toward the third-party voice.
Swoosh—
A man appeared from thin air, wearing a white mask as he looked at them.
“Gasp! What? Invisibility?”
“Didn’t sense a thing.”
“Who are you?! What’s your deal!”
“When did you get there?”
“From earlier. I’ve been watching to monitor what you say.”
Ryu Min answered as he walked over step by step.
The Players couldn’t take their eyes off the suddenly appeared Ryu Min.
Some went on alert, ready to equip their gear at any moment.
A natural reaction.
He was a suspicious man hiding his face behind a white mask.
Ryu Min looked around at the members and spoke.
“No need to be so guarded. I’m the commander you’ve all been waiting for.”
-Commander...?
-That guy?
Even though he told the truth, none accepted it at face value.
They suspected first.
What commander in the world wore a mask?
Unless they were crazy.
“Hmm, skeptical faces. Well, showing up in a mask would look weird.”
“Are you really our unit’s commander?”
“Why the mask?”
“Because I don’t want my face sold. And I have the police chief’s permission, so don’t nitpick.”
The members sighed inwardly.
Some were already lamenting they’d drawn a weird commander.
-What’s he think he is, famous enough to hide his face?
-So we’re okay with our faces being sold?
-This is ridiculous.
He’d planted a bad first impression from the start.
Whatever. It didn’t matter.
‘How they see me isn’t important. What matters is how well they catch criminals.’
Ryu Min had only come briefly to greet them and train/teach them.
He had no intention of spending all day here like the 5-minute standby team.
‘If they don’t listen, I’ll beat the lesson into them.’
He was the top authority here, so anything went.
He even had the compliant police chief as solid backing.
Above all, Ryu Min could see 7 seconds into the future.
He knew their reaction when he revealed his nickname, so he wasn’t worried about his image.
“Let me introduce myself properly. My in-game nickname is Black Scythe. Class is Reaper, level 89. My real identity—as you can see—I can’t reveal, so understand.”
“B-Black Scythe...?”
“No way, that Black Scythe?”
Hearing the unexpected nickname, the Players were shocked and flustered.
Black Scythe was the No. 1 ranked name they saw every ranking update.
With an overwhelming level gap, it was a monster among Players.
For such a famous figure to claim it was him—how could they not be surprised?
Hence the distrustful looks.
Go Nam-cheol from Busan spoke up.
“Commander. I know it’s rude on first meeting, but can you prove it? It’s just too hard to believe.”
“You should fix that dialect first. You’re in Seoul—speak standard Korean.”
“Don’t dodge the question so slyly.”
“You want proof?”
The others felt the same.
They suspected he might be impersonating Black Scythe.
“Proof... Will this do?”
A scythe appeared in Ryu Min’s hand.
The oversized scythe, taller than a person—the Reaper’s trademark.
But the Players’ suspicions didn’t lift.
“You can buy scythes in the shop, right?”
“Huh? Scythes in the shop?”
“It’s real? I never noticed.”
“It appeared when Expert rank unlocked.”
“Oh, that’s how it is?”
“So holding a scythe doesn’t prove anything.”
The members whispered, eyeing Ryu Min.
Still suspicious glares.
‘Now even weapons aren’t proof?’
Of course, handing over the scythe for them to check would settle it.
It was a weapon only Master rank and above could equip.
‘At least they’d believe I’m a level 60+ powerhouse.’
But Ryu Min had no intention of handing it over.
Not because he worried they’d steal it—it just didn’t look good.
‘They’re my subordinates, technically employees. No need to grovel and hand over my scythe to prove myself.’
As the commander, he needed to show strong charisma.
First impressions mattered since they’d see his face ongoing.
‘I need to prove I’m Black Scythe and leave a strong impression.’
How to catch both birds with one stone?
There was a simple way.
“If you don’t believe me, how about this? A duel with me.”
“A duel?”
“At level 60, you unlock Master rank. That includes the duel request function. You wager something and fight—it’s a feature only I, at level 89, can use.”
“That doesn’t prove you’re Black Scythe, does it?”
“No, it does. You’ve seen the rankings. The gap between No. 1 and No. 2 across all zones is huge. There’s only one Master rank in the world: Black Scythe. So anyone who can use duel requests has to be me.”
“But you can’t swear that duel requests unlock exactly at 60, right?”
“Well, you’ll know at 60, but if you still don’t trust me, let’s fight. Honestly, you’re not curious if I’m Black Scythe—you just want to know if I’m qualified as commander, stronger or weaker than you. Right?”
“......”
They stayed silent with stiff faces, but inwardly, the members were shocked.
Not just that he’d read their minds, but that he’d say it so bluntly.
“So, who’s first?”
“......”
“No one? Don’t worry. If we agree on terms, no one dies from the duel. That’s the duel request feature. It only applies to duel participants, so others’ attacks can still kill you.”
“......”
“So, anyone? Want to fight me.”
The police officers just eyed each other.
“If no one, I’ll take it as you accepting me as Black Scythe...”
That’s when the first volunteer stepped up.
“I’ll do it.”
It was Go Nam-cheol, the Busan man who had been nitpicking Ryu Min.