Chapter 181
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: Douglas
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“What the hell?”
Ma Kyung-rok couldn’t help blurting it out loud.
Something utterly absurd was happening.
‘Dark Aura... it’s not sticking?’
The Dark Aura that had engulfed Hwang Yong-min bizarrely refused to cling to his skin.
No, it looked like it couldn’t cling at all.
It was keeping its distance, as if blocked by some invisible barrier.
‘What the heck? Is he immune to Dark Aura or something?’
No matter how much he commanded it, the aura wouldn’t envelop Hwang Yong-min.
It couldn’t drain his life force.
Instead, it recoiled with every step Hwang Yong-min took.
For Ma Kyung-rok, this was beyond baffling.
He’d never seen a target that Dark Aura couldn’t devour.
‘Could it be because he’s an undead with no life force?’
It made sense if the guy was already dead.
‘Damn it, an opponent Dark Aura can’t touch.’
Embarrassment crossed Ma Kyung-rok’s face.
With his trump card blocked, the path ahead looked bleak.
In an instant, the distance shrank as if space itself had leaped.
“Gasp!”
Hwang Yong-min was suddenly right in his face, throwing a straight punch.
Crack—
Ma Kyung-rok went limp the moment it hit his jaw, tumbling a good ten meters.
“R-Representative!”
Ahn Sang-chul, now free of the knight’s protection, thrust his sword out in a panic.
Clang—!
But Hwang Yong-min casually swatted it aside with his palm and clocked Ahn Sang-chul in the jaw, knocking him out cold too.
“Phew.”
Ryu Min, having knocked out the pair side by side, brushed off his palm lightly.
“Controlling my strength was the hard part.”
He’d subdued them both in under a minute.
Holding back from killing was several times tougher than finishing them off.
‘He must’ve planned to drain life force with Dark Aura, but fat chance. A Reaper is a higher class than Dark Knight, after all.’
Just as light is weak to darkness, player classes had their counters too.
Certain skills just didn’t work against specific classes.
Like right now.
‘Dark Knight and Reaper both wield darkness, but they’re different kinds. Reaper’s is a higher tier, you could say.’
Same darkness, different league.
That’s why Dark Aura couldn’t touch Ryu Min.
“You can come out now.”
At Ryu Min’s nod, Joo Seong-tak finally emerged from the forest.
“It’s over, Master?”
“Yeah. These guys’ll be out for at least half a day.”
“Why not just kill them?”
Ryu Min shot Joo Seong-tak a glare for a moment.
“If I wanted that, I’d have done it already instead of knocking them out, wouldn’t I?”
“S-Sorry. I overstepped.”
“I know they deserve death—they’d kill innocents for points. But they still have use. We need them alive to secure Christine’s cooperation.”
Even if Christine had no feelings for Ma Kyung-rok, his death would hit her hard emotionally.
‘Unless she’s completely over him, that is.’
Killing Ma Kyung-rok wasn’t in the plan for now.
He was a card too valuable to discard lightly, tied to their key Priest asset.
Ahn Sang-chul was his right-hand man, so they’d take him along as a set.
“For now, tie them to a tree. Use those dark, thin-looking vines. They’re tough—even most players can’t break free easily.”
“Got it.”
Joo Seong-tak bound the unconscious duo to the trees as ordered.
‘Even if this just buys time, it’ll take them ages to escape the labyrinth.’
With luck, the round could end without them earning a single point for a full 24 hours.
‘Team battle or not, they won’t get erased.’
Ryu Min was confident he could keep the Korean team alive this game.
He had a late-game reversal planned, backed by his Foresight skill.
‘If things go according to plan, defeat’s impossible. First place across all zones is basically guaranteed.’
All business in the labyrinth forest was done.
No more Ma Kyung-rok slaughtering 1,000 for the Slayer title.
‘One tragedy averted. Now for the next.’
He used Foresight on Christine.
The Despair Church forces were almost fully assembled.
The calm before the storm—it looked ready to erupt any second.
‘Gotta hurry. If I don’t want Christine dying, that is.’
Ryu Min picked up the pace with Joo Seong-tak.
Leaving Ma Kyung-rok and Ahn Sang-chul alone in the labyrinth forest.
* * *
Douglas counted the bustling crowd.
‘Total of 101... everyone’s here.’
They were all followers who’d come seeking the one and only Saintess Priest.
‘In reality, they’re just parasites leeching off her.’
He inwardly cursed his comrades while keeping a smile on his face.
As the Paladin who’d enjoyed the Saintess’s favor since Round 2, he couldn’t afford to scowl.
‘Can’t show my true colors until she’s on her last breath. Obviously.’
He didn’t even know why Despair Church wanted Chrisy dead.
But Douglas had abandoned the Saintess for them.
The reason for his betrayal was simple.
‘Despair Church offers more benefits.’
Truth be told, most people here had latched onto Chrisy for survival more than free heals.
‘Staying with a Priest naturally boosts survival rates.’
Just look at her basic Heal skill.
It could mend almost any wound miraculously.
Hell, you could reattach a severed arm if you held the stump right—Heal made it work again.
Plus, her “Saintess’s Blessing” buff boosted resistance to status ailments and debuffs by 50%.
And as a Priest over level 40, she could cast wide-area DOT heals.
‘A class perfectly optimized for keeping people alive.’
Sure, she helped for her own gains too, but free treatment? No one turned that down.
That’s why over 100 leeches gathered around the Saintess.
‘But I hate it. Sure, sticking with Chrisy ups survival odds. But that’s it. No real growth.’
Priest skills focused solely on endurance.
Endurance alone wouldn’t clear 20 rounds.
As the saying went, the best defense is a good offense—getting stronger was key to long-term survival.
Douglas had realized this early and betrayed Chrisy.
Unlike her group, Despair Church focused on growth.
‘They supply tons of growth aids like potions and items. After this, we’ll split the looted gear too.’
But her followers?
They just ogled the Saintess, scarfing heals without any self-improvement.
Day by day, scraping by.
‘They’ll collapse soon. Luck’s held so far, but forever?’
Better to cut losses early.
Switching to the religion with real survival odds was smarter, more hopeful.
But that alone wouldn’t have swayed Douglas.
The real reason wasn’t items.
It was Despair Church’s promise.
‘We’ll let you play with Chrisy before killing her.’
Douglas smirked bitterly as he eyed her.
A lone, radiant flower.
He wondered how thrilling it’d feel to pluck it.
‘I’ve wanted you so many times, you woman.’
He’d harbored dark desires up close, but chances never came.
She seemed utterly disinterested in men.
That only drew him more.
People crave new goods over used, luxuries untouched.
‘Love? Loyalty? Who needs that crap. Pleasure’s king.’
So he didn’t care if Chrisy died after this—as long as he got his fill.
Then he spotted Verber beckoning him over.
“Verber, sir. You called?”
Verber was Despair Church’s spy embedded to watch the Saintess.
The one who’d recruited him too.
His sole ally among the 101 here.
“Just got word from the brothers. They’re ready.”
“Everyone’s assembled?”
“Yeah. Over 200 brothers waiting 500 meters out. We can strike now.”
“Ahh. Finally...”
Preparations complete.
Ready to wipe these parasite followers and kidnap Chrisy.
“You’ll give me my shot too, as promised?”
“Your shot?”
“You know... heh heh.”
“Oh, that? No need to ask twice. The Leader acknowledges your betrayal from within—specially granted you 30 minutes.”
“Ooh, a full 30... heh heh, thank you!”
Plenty of time to enjoy.
“What do I do now?”
“I’m heading to fetch the brothers. Keep Chrisy distracted till then. Chat her up nonstop so she doesn’t scan around or notice early. Subdue her the second it starts.”
“Understood.”
The Paladin dubbed the Saintess’s knight grinned wickedly.
* * *
Christine gazed at the gathered crowd in awe.
‘So many people trust and rely on me.’
Just an hour’s wait, and over 100 followers had shown up.
Secure against ambushes now.
It was like a thick human wall.
“Everyone?”
Her single word hushed the murmurs.
Soon, the silence was so deep you could hear throats gulping.
“I’m truly grateful you believe in me and follow. I didn’t even call, yet you came. There’s only one thing I can offer in return.”
She paused, then spoke with eyes full of conviction.
“I’ll protect you to the end and go with you. That’s my repayment. Let’s survive to Round 20 together.”
“Wooooooah!!!”
“Chrisy! Chrisy!”
Players thrust fists skyward in frenzy.
To some, devout believers. To others, fanatical zealots.
Clap clap clap—
Douglas approached, applauding as he watched.
“You’re incredible as always, Chrisy. Every word drips with grace and trustworthiness.”
“No way. I’m just an ordinary twenty-something woman. You all just see me kindly.”
“How can protecting lives be ordinary? So many follow you because of your virtue, Chrisy.”
“Thank you for saying that. Having good people like you, Paladin, by my side must be my blessing too.”
Douglas smiled back at her gentle grin.
‘Such a shame to kill her like this. Too damn wasteful.’
He wanted to lock her away forever, use her as his pleasure toy.
Did she even suspect his feelings?
‘Heh heh, can’t wait to see your face screaming under me.’
Gulping dryly, Douglas stuck to the plan, engaging her.
“Now that everyone’s here, shall we head to the quest?”
“Yes. We’ve delayed a bit—gotta farm points fast.”
“Is there even a quest for this many people?”
“Who knows, but moving together’s best. We always have.”
“True. But let’s plan first. I’ve got an idea—wanna hear it?”
To draw her focus, he spouted his prepared lines.
Meant to distract, but Christine felt odd instead.
‘Paladin’s usually so quiet—why’s he so chatty today?’
Sure, tactics talk, but it wasn’t sinking in.
Just long-winded nonsense, forced too.
‘Something’s off. He doesn’t pull stunts like this...’
Douglas had been with her since Round 2.
She knew his personality.
‘Weird. Really weird.’
Maybe from the Prophet’s warning, her ambush senses were hyper-alert.
So she habitually checked her area scan.
Even now.
“Huh?”
The skill lit up with a swarm of red dots.
Douglas’s face stiffened for a split second, but she missed it.
Her eyes locked on the red dots closing in.
“L-Look at this! People coming this way... Mmph!”
Christine couldn’t even scream.
Douglas’s burly hand seized and dragged her away.