Chapter 149
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: Albaghdadi
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Thud-!
Victor couldn’t believe his eyes.
Abubakar lay trembling at his feet, reduced to a ragged mess.
The boss of Boko Haram, who had tormented him for a whole year.
“Ugh... ughh...”
Victor felt no pity for the man, whose teeth had all been knocked out, blood streaming steadily from his mouth.
If anything, a murderous impulse surged within him now, as if this were the perfect opportunity.
Considering the suffering he’d endured while captured, it wouldn’t be enough to just tear him apart.
“Don’t kill him just yet.”
The savior in the white mask spoke in English.
The voice sounded male, but Victor couldn’t place the accent.
Victor expressed his gratitude first.
“Thank you so much. Thanks to you, Ricky and the kids are safe. Ricky, say thank you.”
“T-Thank you... thank you.”
As Ricky shyly offered his thanks, Ryu Min thought to himself.
‘This kid... since it’s my first time seeing him, he must have been fated to die originally.’
If he hadn’t stepped in, the boy would’ve been done for without question.
After Victor and the kids finished their thanks, perhaps their wariness had eased.
People who had kept their distance moments ago now slowly approached Ryu Min to express their gratitude.
“Thank you, Masked One.”
“Thank you for saving our lives.”
“Thank you for dealing with that trash.”
He could read their thoughts—they saw him as a complete ally.
Not only had he wiped out every last Boko Haram member, he’d even captured their boss.
Who wouldn’t see him as an ally after that?
The people looking at Ryu Min had eyes filled with deep respect and fondness.
That was when Victor, speaking for everyone, posed the question on their minds.
“Masked One. What’s your name?”
“......”
“Ah, I get it, it’s hard to reveal. That’s why you’re wearing the mask. But please consider our position. You’re our lifesaver—if we don’t even know your name, we’ll carry that regret forever. If it’s too difficult, at least give us a nickname.”
“Black Scythe. That’s my nickname.”
“Ah...!”
The others were civilians and didn’t know the name, but Victor couldn’t hide his shock upon hearing it.
“A-Are you really Black Scythe?”
“Do I look like someone who’d lie?”
“N-No, it’s not that... it’s just too hard to believe...”
A famous figure that any player would know was standing right in front of him.
And as his lifesaver, no less?
It was only natural for Victor to have trouble believing it.
“To think I’d meet Ranking 1, Black Scythe... It’s an honor. I’m Victor Jaipile, a player and level 40 alchemist.”
“Is that so?”
Ryu Min already knew all about him, but he replied nonchalantly.
“By the way, what did you mean earlier? About not killing him yet?”
“I’m saying he still has use. We need to draw out the IS leader through this guy.”
“The leader?”
Even Victor, who had been held by Boko Haram for a year, didn’t know who the IS leader was.
It was a loose organization with many members, hard to pin down their base, and the leader always hid his identity from the shadows.
“How do you plan to...”
“I’m going to send a text. With his photo attached. While we’re at it, let’s cast the bait right now.”
Ryu Min snapped a photo of the battered Abubakar and searched for the IS leader’s contact info to send the text.
He knew who the leader was from the previous regression.
‘He even sent me a text saying this guy was under attack.’
Perfect timing, he thought, and sent the message with the photo.
[Abubakar: He lost. If you want him alive, get here now.]
Victor tilted his head at the message.
“This guy’s the IS leader?”
“That’s right.”
“How do you...”
“I just know.”
“No, but even if you send that, will he come? Won’t he just ignore it?”
There was no way the cold-hearted IS leader would buckle to a threat like this.
They could just replace the Boko Haram boss anytime.
That was the reasoning behind Victor’s question, and Ryu Min agreed.
But he was certain.
“There will be a reply. Definitely. He’ll even be intrigued.”
That’s how he’d drawn out the leader Albaghdadi in the previous regression.
Sure enough.
The message whooshed off, and a reply ticked in.
[Albaghdadi: Wait there.]
He’d probably been intrigued by the name Black Scythe, but learning that one man had dismantled the organization would’ve piqued his interest even more.
“I-It really came...”
Victor’s eyes widened in surprise as he read the text.
But his face quickly turned worried.
“You’re not planning to go to war with IS, are you?”
“We’ve started, so we might as well uproot every last IS member.”
“Won’t that be too dangerous?”
“Me? Or them?”
Victor let out a wry chuckle at Ryu Min’s confident words.
They didn’t feel like bravado or arrogance.
The man had the power and qualifications to back them up.
“I was worrying needlessly.”
“Victor, what will you do now?”
At Ryu Min’s question, Victor replied softly.
“I have to go back to my hometown, Lagos. It’s been a full year since I’ve seen my family.”
Ryu Min nodded and gestured toward the outside.
“Go on, then. Leave this to me.”
As if sending him off without regrets.
Of course, having read his mind, Ryu Min knew Victor wouldn’t leave.
“Why aren’t you going?”
“I’ll stay and watch.”
Victor’s eyes were already set with resolve.
“I need to see the end of the demons who tormented me while I stayed here.”
“What about the others? Do you all feel the same as Victor?”
At Ryu Min’s question, the people hesitated before nodding.
“Honestly, I don’t want to stay here a second longer, but if Victor’s staying, so will we.”
“We’ll stay and see what happens to IS.”
Their resolute will and courage pleased him, but Ryu Min quietly shook his head.
Thinking ahead to the battle, they’d only be a burden.
“Victor’s a player, so he might be fine, but you’re all civilians. One graze from a bullet and you’re fighting for your life—staying in an IS stronghold? It’s too dangerous, so go home right now. You can hear the results on the news later.”
“Mm...”
No one could argue—it was the plain truth.
Truth be told, they didn’t want to stay in such a dangerous place either.
Especially with the IS leader supposedly coming?
They wanted to bolt down the hill as fast as possible.
They were only hesitating because of their loyalty to Victor.
Realizing this, Victor smiled and spoke.
“Black Scythe is right. You shouldn’t stay here. It’s too dangerous. Head back to your hometowns before IS arrives. Don’t you need to look after the kids here too?”
“Mm, if you put it that way, alright.”
“Victor, thank you so much for treating and protecting us all this time.”
“No, what did I even do?”
“No, we only held on because of you, Victor.”
“I’m grateful you say that. Ah, Mr. Marcus! You said you live in Lagos, right? Could you look after the kids until I get back? There are a lot who’ve lost parents and have nowhere to go.”
“Don’t worry about that. I’ll take responsibility and get the kids back to their parents. The ones without parents, I’ll take in.”
“Thank you, Mr. Marcus. There are plenty of cars down below—take any one you like.”
“Got it. Let’s meet again alive.”
“Haha, yeah.”
“Then we’ll be off.”
“We’ll hear about IS on the news. We hope for good results...”
“Please take care of yourselves.”
“Let’s go, kids.”
The 14 adults and 10 children began leaving the stronghold.
Ricky, who kept glancing back, finally couldn’t hold it in and ran to throw himself into Victor’s arms.
“Sob sob, Uncle... we’ll meet again, right?”
“Of course, kid. Wait at Mr. Marcus’s house. I’ll come right after this is over.”
“Yeah. You have to come.”
Victor patted his head and sent Ricky off.
Ricky kept turning back until he was out of sight.
‘Ricky, get down safely.’
There were plenty of the group’s cars at the base of the hill—no issues escaping.
Victor turned to Ryu Min and Yamtti.
“There’s a chance of victory, right?”
“Of course.”
Ryu Min spoke confidently, but Victor couldn’t shake his anxiety.
The IS leader wouldn’t show up empty-handed.
“My class is alchemist.”
Victor suddenly pulled various potion bottles from his inventory and offered them to Ryu Min.
“Here, take these. They’ll help in battle.”
“Thanks, but I’ll pass. No need to go that far.”
“Still, boosting your strength even a little...”
“Trust me. If I thought IS could push me back, I wouldn’t have started.”
With that, Victor had no choice but to put the potions away.
His face still etched with unease.
And so Ryu Min, Yamtti, Victor, and the ragged Abubakar entered a building to wait for the enemy to appear.
Until the sun set, night fell, and the stars twinkled in the early dawn.
They waited and waited, but oddly, the IS leader didn’t show.
‘I hope they got back safe?’
As Victor dazedly recalled the people who had left after growing tired of waiting—
Tap tap.
He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned.
“He’s here.”
“He’s here?”
Snapping to attention, he heard the roar of multiple vehicle engines.
They stepped outside and looked down the hill.
People were pouring out from dozens of trucks.
Ryu Min activated his detection skill and eyed the growing red dots.
‘He brought a lot.’
Victor paled as the group members swarmed toward their stronghold.
‘H-How many is that?’
By his rough count, at least three hundred were entering the stronghold.
Ryu Min nodded to Yamtti with instructions.
“Hide in the building with Victor. Leave Abubakar outside.”
“Yes, Black Scythe.”
Yamtti dragged out the bound hostage as instructed, then shut the door with Victor.
Ryu Min took the hostage, Abubakar, to the open clearing.
Meanwhile, Victor watched from the window.
He saw the group members surrounding Ryu Min.
‘This is bad. There’s too many.’
Victor hadn’t expected this many and paled as he glanced aside.
“Will Black Scythe be okay? There’s so many...”
“I can’t understand a word they’re saying. Maybe I should learn English—this is frustrating.”
After glancing at the grumbling Yamtti, Victor turned back to the window.
They’d brought nearly their entire force—uncountable numbers encircled Ryu Min.
Step step.
In the midst, a man with a thick beard stepped forward.
“Who’s Black Scythe?”
“Me.”
Ryu Min, in his white mask, declared boldly.
“You’re Black Scythe?”
“Yeah.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m the IS leader, Abu Ibrahim al-Ashqami al-Baghdadi.”
“Is that right?”
“Well, you called, and I came. Release Abubakar.”
“But you didn’t come alone.”
“When did I say I would?”
“Since I captured your subordinate, I figured you’d come solo.”
“Your head must be full of flowers. Did you think I’d sacrifice for one measly subordinate?”
“......”
“If you touch IS, you should’ve been prepared for this. You’re not scared of this force, are you?”
“Scared of these guys? No way.”
Ryu Min chuckled.
Of course, he’d anticipated them coming in force like this.
“The one scared isn’t me—it’s you, fake Albaghdadi.”
“......”
At those words, the man’s shoulders twitched for a split second.
He didn’t show it, but Ryu Min could tell.
The panic and confusion inside.
Naturally, that guy was just a stand-in pretending to be Albaghdadi.
Not the real one.
“If you’re gonna bluff, pick your mark. Did you think I called without knowing your face? Think I’d fall for you hiding behind your goons with a body double?”
“What nonsense...”
“I know you’re hiding back there. Stop stalling and come out. I’ll hear whatever you have to say.”
“What crazy talk? I’m the IS leader...”
That was when.
“Enough. Drop the act!”
A middle-aged man stepped forward from the crowd.
Ryu Min’s eyes changed upon seeing him.
That one was the real IS leader Albaghdadi, just as he remembered.