Chapter 195
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 195
Chapter Title: Countermeasures Meeting
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Crackle, crackle—
Unlike the warm interior where the firewood burned in the fireplace, the atmosphere was grim.
“Say something, will you? Aren’t we here for a countermeasures meeting?”
“……We’d have to have a countermeasure to say something.”
Five people sat around the table set up in the cabin.
Spanyard, Dark Soul, Yang Chuiwen, John Delgado, and Ryu Min disguised as Swingman.
Suddenly elevated to the Five Apostles, they huddled together to brainstorm ways to counter Black Scythe, but thirty minutes passed in silence.
No answer came no matter how much they thought.
Unable to stand it any longer, Spanyard spoke up.
“Black Scythe has killed seven of our Apostles. Of course we should seek revenge. But…… to put it another way, it’s a being that even seven of us couldn’t handle. Overwhelming it with force doesn’t look feasible.”
“So? You’re saying we should surrender?”
Yang Chuiwen made no secret of his disdain in his tone, but Spanyard shook his head to deny it.
“There’s nothing to surrender. Black Scythe doesn’t even know we exist. We can just stand down.”
“You mean give up just like that?”
Dark Soul shouted as if it were absurd when Spanyard nodded.
“How can you give up without even trying? We should at least attempt an assassination!”
“We tried that and ended up like this.”
“I haven’t stepped up yet.”
“You confident?”
“Of course! Just lure Black Scythe to a sniping spot. I’ll blow his brains out in one shot!”
Dark Soul spoke with full confidence, but Yang Chuiwen’s counterattack came immediately.
“So we’re just bait, then?”
“That’s the only way to kill Black Scythe.”
“What if it fails? We all die, don’t we? No, wait—not all of us. Just the bait. You’ll be safe two kilometers back.”
“Don’t worry. It won’t fail. My sniping skill is a hundred percent accurate.”
“Then how come someone with such an amazing class didn’t even crack the zone’s top three?”
Dark Soul faltered, struck at his core.
“Th-that’s because! The monsters move too damn well…….”
“Yeah, I get it. Being good at assassination doesn’t mean you’re good at hunting.”
“Thanks for understanding…….”
“But that doesn’t mean we can put everything in your hands. I’m not interested in playing bait.”
“This isn’t the time to get prideful. There’s no other way. My plan is the most realistic!”
“Bullshit. Fuck off.”
Even when ideas were put forward, their differing opinions made consensus hard to reach.
“How about this? It just occurred to me while listening to Yang Chuiwen. Looking back at past rounds, there were always others in the zone’s top three besides Black Scythe, right?”
“Oh, that [Cheonma] guy and [Dumb Idiots]?”
“Yeah, exactly. What if we try recruiting them? We’re clearly short-handed, and it’s about time we bolstered our forces…….”
“How do you plan to find them? We don’t know their nationalities or faces. All we’ve got are nicknames.”
“That’s another problem, yeah…….”
Spanyard, who had made the suggestion, fell silent again.
Yang Chuiwen pondered deeply before voicing his opinion.
“In my view, a head-on fight has no chance of winning. We need to go for a thorough assassination.”
“Then my plan…….”
“Sniping’s too risky, you idiot. Listen. I’ve got a better way.”
After scolding Dark Soul, Yang Chuiwen tossed out an unexpected question.
“When is a player most vulnerable?”
“Uh, well?”
“Right when they enter the other realm. They fall into forced sleep and are completely defenseless. That’s why we all worry about it and wait to enter from safe spots, right?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“That’s what we target. As you all know, I’ve got some ruthless hitmen under me in the underworld. We use them to strike when Black Scythe enters the other realm. While he’s there, they break into his home and slit his throat.”
“Ooh, that’d make it easy to kill him for sure.”
“What do you think? Solid plan, huh?”
“Yeah. Now we just need to find out where Black Scythe lives.”
“But how do we do that?”
Everyone looked at Yang Chuiwen with expectant eyes, but his response was deflating.
“We’ll figure that out from here. I haven’t thought past that.”
“Hmm…….”
Assassinate using outsiders while Black Scythe is in the other realm.
Even a high-level player would die easily.
‘The plan’s good. Really good…….’
The problem was finding Black Scythe’s home.
“What if we poke the CPF unit like this time to lure him out, then tail him? That way we’d know where he lives.”
“What if we get caught tailing? We’re dead that day.”
“We tail without getting caught, obviously. Keep thirty meters back so presence detection doesn’t pick us up.”
“Presence detection’s not the issue. It’s area scan skills. They catch anything in a five-hundred-meter radius. You know that? And we can’t tail from five hundred meters out.”
“Yeah, tailing’s definitely tough.”
“To tail safely, you need an assassin class. Invisibility dodges area scans even if presence detection might catch it.”
“We don’t have an assassin among us.”
“Nope.”
The Five Apostles consisted of a gladiator, hunter, sniper, necromancer, and martial artist.
No class suited for safe tailing.
At that moment, Ryu Min seized the opportunity and quietly raised his hand.
“I have a trustworthy acquaintance who’s an assassin. What if we ask him?”
“Acquaintance? What’s his name?”
“Jeffrey. Nickname’s [Zefi].”
“A famous assassin?”
“No. He’s not that skilled. But for the right pay, he’ll do anything. Perfect for tailing.”
“Bringing in an outsider feels unreliable…….”
“Don’t worry. He’s not the type to cause trouble.”
Despite Ryu Min’s guarantee, the Apostles looked unconvinced.
Everyone except Yang Chuiwen.
“Swingman comes through unexpectedly? If he’s got an assassin, hire the guy.”
“But he’s an outsider…….”
“That’s why it’s better. Easy to cut loose if needed. Just give him the job clean and done. What’s the problem?”
“Hmm…….”
Yang Chuiwen was fully committed to executing his plan now.
If it succeeded, the credit would all be his.
Spanyard thought it over carefully and ultimately sided with Yang Chuiwen.
“Very well. We’ll go with Yang Chuiwen’s plan. Before Round 12 starts, use the assassin hired by Swingman to pinpoint Black Scythe’s residence. Then on December 1st, assassinate him via the underworld while he sleeps. If anyone has a better idea, raise your hand now.”
He expected silence since no one had alternatives, but surprisingly, one hand went up.
Ryu Min’s.
“Yes, Swingman. Another opinion?”
“Ah, no, I’m not opposing Yang Chuiwen’s plan. Just suggesting insurance in case it fails.”
“Insurance?”
“Yeah. Things might not go as planned. Then Black Scythe shows up alive in Round 12. Why not try my method then?”
“What method?”
“Everyone’s focused on killing Black Scythe, but let’s flip it. Win him over as an ally.”
“As an ally……?”
“Honestly, clashing strength with Black Scythe is pointless. He’s already killed seven top rankers from powerhouse nations, and even John Delgado admits the full Twelve Apostles couldn’t beat him. You think we Five have a shot? I don’t.”
“Swingman!”
John Delgado slammed the table and yelled, face red with fury.
“What bullshit are you spouting? You want to surrender to that rip-you-apart bastard?”
“There’s no surrendering. As Spanyard said, Black Scythe doesn’t know we exist.”
“Then what the hell is that!”
“Hear me out. Not fully recruiting him—just a truce.”
“A truce?”
“They say keep your enemies closer. Befriend Black Scythe first, then backstab him. Wouldn’t that boost assassination success?”
“Oh ho, intentionally build rapport, then betray?”
Spanyard stroked his chin with interest.
The realistic plan drew the other Apostles’ attention.
Everyone except John Delgado, who held a grudge against Black Scythe.
“Allying with someone we should kill on sight? Ridiculous plan.”
“It’s not real—just a temporary alliance for later. I think it’s fine.”
“Me too. Swingman’s plan as a backup looks good.”
“It’s solid, but only if my plan fails. Not bad as a fallback.”
Everyone but John reacted positively.
As they said, with direct confrontation impossible, backstabbing was the only option.
“John opposes, got it. Anyone else? Any objections to Swingman’s plan?”
Spanyard asked, but no hands rose.
“Very well. By majority vote, Swingman’s plan becomes the contingency if Yang Chuiwen’s fails. So, how should we befriend him?”
Ryu Min raised his hand again at the question.
“If Yang Chuiwen’s plan fails, we pivot straight to mine. Meaning we build rapport with Black Scythe in the other realm. But a stranger approaching out of nowhere raises suspicion. Better to send someone he’s familiar with. Luckily, one of us has a connection to Black Scythe.”
All eyes turned as if on cue to one person.
John pointed at himself in bewilderment.
“Me? You want me to approach him?”
“Yes.”
“You crazy? Don’t you know what happened between us?”
“I do. You said he trounced you in Round 11.”
“And you still say that?”
Ryu Min hadn’t spoken carelessly.
“You’re the only one here who’s seen Black Scythe’s face. You’re the sole person who can approach naturally for reconciliation.”
“Naturally? How the hell is that natural? I ambushed him, failed, got my limbs hacked off, pissed myself in fear, and ran. If I crawl back begging forgiveness, anyone would think it’s suspicious!”
“Then say it right so it doesn’t sound suspicious. Say you repent, regret it, apologize. Isn’t that better than a stranger?”
“No, no. That’s your opinion. Others wouldn’t see it that way. Right?”
John looked to the others for agreement, but their reactions differed from expected.
“Definitely better than one of us approaching.”
“Yeah. A bad connection is still a connection. Approach with remorse, and he might become an ally easily.”
“I agree with Swingman.”
“Very well. Unanimous decision—John steps up…….”
‘These fuckers! Unanimous my ass! I didn’t agree!’
John Delgado seethed at Spanyard’s declaration, then realized.
‘They’re scared to do it themselves?’
They just needed bait.
If the backstab went wrong against Black Scythe, it’d be him who died.
‘Fuckers.’
John’s murderous glare fixed on one person.
‘It’s that bastard’s fault. He stirred this up.’
The one who pushed him off the cliff was none other than Swingman.
‘Come Round 12, I’ll find that fucker first and kill him.’
He vowed revenge with blazing eyes, but Ryu Min, reading his thoughts, smirked inwardly.
No way he’d find a dead man.