Chapter 223
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 223
Chapter Title: Full Preparations
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When he spotted the archangels coming to kill him, Ryu Min couldn't help but feel inwardly troubled.
'The archangels show up before I can even apply Demon's Blessing.'
To get massive rewards proportional to his stats from catching angels, he had to apply Demon's Blessing first.
But ironically, Demon's Blessing was a buff that required catching 100 angels to activate.
'The current count is just one from Sariel last time.'
He needed 99 more angels to use the blessing.
'Without the blessing, killing an archangel would yield rewards no bigger than an ant's fingernail.'
He was in a situation where he needed angels to sacrifice before taking down the archangels.
'What should I do?'
After a brief moment of deliberation, the answer he came up with was surprisingly simple.
He just had to make the archangels call for reinforcements.
While adjusting his strength to make it seem evenly matched.
'If I overwhelm them completely, they won't even think of calling for backup. Or worse, they might summon another archangel.'
Another archangel would spell trouble.
What Ryu Min needed were sacrificial lambs to stack his count.
'I have to match their level as closely as possible. Just enough so that with a bit more forces, they think they can win.'
It was crucial to lead them into thinking they could win if they played it right.
Like dangling bait to lure in fish.
'I need to act with my expressions. Take some hits on purpose, even when I could dodge.'
He pretended not to know that touching the explosive daggers would set them off, brushing them anyway.
The prison of light, which he could have shattered in one blow, he struck multiple times, acting trapped and helpless.
'Good thing they bought it. Now they'll think the two of them working together can take me.'
But if he just kept taking hits, they wouldn't call for reinforcements.
He had to show a temporary surge in power, and for that, he used Reaperfication.
'Start off getting pushed back, then activate Reaperfication and dominate them blatantly. When it ends? Act panicked and bolt right away.'
That would buy time for the angels to call reinforcements and give him an excuse to flee.
'No sane angel would question it. I got stronger after turning black, after all.'
The angels would regret it.
Letting a winnable opponent slip away right in front of them.
'With their wings damaged, they won't chase. They'll call for backup instead. But they can't call another archangel. Their honor is on the line with this mission.'
Moreover, they were prideful bunch.
They'd want to handle it themselves without borrowing an archangel's power if possible.
High chance they'd summon plenty of battle angels he could use.
'I hope they call as many battle angels as possible... No, at least exactly 99.'
He had no idea how many they'd request.
What was certain was that he needed to make full preparations while Reaperfication's cooldown ticked down.
'I need to maximize my stats in preparation for catching the angels and using Demon's Blessing.'
He had quite a bit to do in the remaining 44 minutes.
Potions to drink, various buffs to stack.
'I need to visit three people.'
Ryu Min spread his wings and soared across the sky.
* * *
The first person he visited was Min Ju-ri.
The Bless buff from the round start had worn off.
"Black Scythe?"
Min Ju-ri's eyes widened like a startled rabbit at Ryu Min's sudden appearance.
"What have you been up to?"
"Ah, I just finished an errand quest a bit ago."
As he'd instructed, Min Ju-ri had been doing quests in the Holy Empire.
1. Donate to the temple
2. Run errands for the priests
3. Subjugate nearby monsters and obtain holy water
4. Donate to the temple
Completing these four linked quests would raise her reputation to Highly Favorable.
It was the optimal route for quickly maxing human favorability.
Simple as it looked, it still took at least six hours.
"You're doing well. Next up is subjugating monsters, right?"
"Yeah. Not sure if I can handle them alone, though..."
"You've got that cheat skill called Bless, so you'll be fine. Don't worry."
"Thanks. But what brings you here?"
"The effect of that cheat skill you just mentioned wore off."
In short, he'd come for a buff.
It was natural for a buffer to get buff requests, but Min Ju-ri was inwardly surprised.
Black Scythe had rarely ever asked for buffs directly.
'Black Scythe needs my help...'
It was just a buff, but Min Ju-ri's mouth stretched from ear to ear in delight.
"Gonna give it or not?"
"Ah, sorry, got lost in thought. Of course!"
[All stats increased by 80% due to the Bless skill effect.]
[Attack speed and movement speed increased by 80% due to the Swift skill effect.]
[Safety Barrier has been applied.]
[You are protected from physical attacks twice.]
"Three-piece set, as requested. Hehe."
"Thanks."
Min Ju-ri knew just which useful buffs to apply without being told.
Flutter—
As Ryu Min unfurled black wings from his back, Min Ju-ri's eyes went wide.
"That's a new skill?"
"Something that came up recently. Anyway, gotta go—busy. Keep at those quests."
"Thanks for the encouragement, Black Scythe. Take care!"
Ryu Min's figure soared off into the distance.
* * *
The second stop was the dwarven city of Iron Gray.
To meet Russell, as promised.
Had the three hours passed? There was Russell waiting in front of the forge.
"Ah! Black Scythe!"
Ryu Min landed and asked calmly.
"Wait long?"
"No, sir!"
"The reward?"
"Got it, of course! Want to check?"
With a nod, Russell approached and placed a hand on the equipment.
[Armor options increased by 20% due to the Equipment Polish skill effect.]
[The buff lasts until the end of the round.]
'20%?'
From 10% to double.
A satisfied smile tugged at Ryu Min's lips.
Worth coming back for the rebuff.
"Might as well do the rest while you're here. Weapons too."
"Thanks."
Russell placed hands everywhere, buffing all his gear.
Every part except accessories was strengthened.
[Weapon attack power increased by 200% due to the Weapon Polish skill effect.]
[The buff lasts until the end of the round.]
Not just equipment polish—even weapon polish had improved.
One three-hour quest had powered up his entire skillset.
Plus, his dwarven reputation.
"Reputation?"
"From neutral straight to Highly Favorable. All thanks to you, Black Scythe. Oh, and the Prophet who made the introduction."
Russell beamed, clearly thrilled with the skill upgrade.
"Glad you're happy. Just level up hard from here."
"Thank you, Black Scythe. I'll work hard to be useful going forward!"
"Don't forget that resolve. Gotta go—busy."
Ryu Min spread his wings and slowly ascended.
One last person, then back to the angels.
'Hope they called at least 99.'
Ryu Min's body swiftly left the city behind.
* * *
The Beast Forest was suddenly teeming with angels.
Rank 5 angels who had answered Uriel and Raguel's call.
[Lord Uriel, how are your wounds?]
[Mostly healed. You?]
Raguel rolled his shoulder, showing the spot where his wing had been torn.
[Recovery's slow in this realm, but the pain's gone.]
[Good to hear.]
[Compared to the Heavenly Demon War, this is nothing. Flying's tough right now, but back in the heavens, it'll fully heal.]
Angels could heal at the 'Heavenly Spring.'
Even severed limbs would regrow as long as they clung to life.
[Damn it. That Black Scythe was stronger than expected. You admit it now, right?]
[I do. But his rampage ends here. He can't handle this many forces.]
Raguel's gaze swept over the battle angels filling the Beast Forest.
A total of 200 angels stood at attention, weapons in hand.
[True. With these troops, crushing Black Scythe will be like eating cold porridge.]
[Even if that worm turns black?]
It was a question Uriel couldn't answer easily, so he paused.
Pondering their side's strength against Black Scythe's.
[If he turns black, it won't be easy. Just us two wouldn't cut it. But...]
Uriel's eyes turned to the soldiers.
'With 200 meat shields, it's plenty possible.'
He smiled faintly, hiding his thoughts.
[With this many troops, what do we have to fear?]
[Right? We can win with this, yeah?]
[Of course. But to avoid surprises, if Black Scythe turns black, we execute on sight. Suppression might not be enough.]
[Music to my ears. Hehe.]
Raguel hoped Black Scythe would turn black.
He planned to repay the humiliation with death.
[All troops assembled, then. Shall we go kill—no, subdue the worm?]
[Yeah. Get ready to track him.]
[Yes, sir.]
As Raguel activated the tracking artifact, Uriel stepped before the statue-still soldiers.
[Listen up. No need to explain who I am—you saw my name on the support request.]
The angels neither replied nor nodded.
To these Rank 5s, an archangel was an untouchable superior.
Like a private facing a two-star general.
[Thanks for the unexpectedly large turnout. Your mission is simple: help me and Raguel here take down one human criminal disrupting the heavens.]
'Human criminal?'
'This many for just one guy?'
Humans were known to be weak in the heavens.
They'd jumped at the archangel's request, but never imagined it'd be hunting a human.
[Don't underestimate him just because it's one. He's among the stronger humans.]
No angel voiced the thought that even "strong" humans couldn't be that strong.
If the archangel said so, they followed.
Their focus was earning merits and catching the archangel's eye.
Uriel dangled just the bait they wanted.
[Finish this well, and I'll personally promote you all to Rank 4. Give it your all. Understood?]
[Yes, sir!!!]
Their voices brimmed with zeal, faces alight with eagerness to tear the human apart.
Uriel smiled in satisfaction at the pumped-up troops—but only briefly.
[L-Lord Uriel.]
Raguel's panicked face wiped the smile away.
[What? Issue with the tracking artifact?]
[No. It's Black Scythe.]
[What about that human?]
[The distance is closing—he's heading this way?]
[What?]
The fleeing target walking into their hands?
[You sure?]
[Positive. Direction and distance both point straight here.]
[Perfect. No need to hunt him down.]
A sudden plan flashed in Uriel's mind as he smiled.
[Forget charging in—let's dig a trap and wait. That's the sure kill. ETA?]
[Three minutes.]
[Plenty. Tell the troops to hide behind trees. When the target shows and I signal, hit him all at once.]
[Hehe, got it.]
Raguel issued orders, and the angels moved in perfect unison.
Watching them, Uriel's lips curved again.
'Come on, human. You won't escape this time.'