Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Voting Results
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"You want me to work under you?"
At Ryu Min’s question, Jo Joong-sik nodded.
"That's right. If you do, I'll spare your life."
Jo Joong-sik said, spinning the dagger in his hand.
It was a clear threat.
Finding the sight ridiculous, Ryu Min couldn't hold back a laugh.
"Pfft."
"Hey. What's so funny?"
Ignoring Jo Joong-sik's stern expression, Ryu Min opened his inventory.
*Shing—*
A massive scythe was drawn from thin air.
Jo Joong-sik's dagger, shorter than a forearm, looked pathetic in comparison.
"..."
Jo Joong-sik swallowed hard without realizing it.
"Are you trying to pick a fight with me now?"
"You, where did you get a weapon like that..."
"Kneel."
Ryu Min repeated in a cold tone.
"If you get on your knees right now and bow your head in apology, I'll let you go quietly."
"You son of a bitch, you still don't get the situation, do you? I'm the next round's area representative..."
"Are my words that hard to understand? Or will you only be satisfied once blood is spilled here?"
Ryu Min's scythe moved slowly.
Forced into a corner, Jo Joong-sik swallowed a curse.
'Fuck! How was I supposed to know he had a weapon like that!'
It wasn't just any scythe, but a massive one that towered over him.
Its intimidating appearance at first glance was enough to crush anyone's will to fight.
'I was prepared to fight if it came to it...'
This pathetic dagger didn't stand a chance.
Jo Joong-sik bit his lower lip.
He'd gotten himself into this mess by needlessly provoking the Black Scythe.
'Dammit... I'm not even the area representative yet, but I got carried away...'
Drunk on the thought that he controlled the situation, he had provoked the number one ranked player.
It was a clear mistake.
"Why no answer? Judging by our conversation, I doubt you've forgotten how to speak Korean."
"..."
"Did you suddenly forget how to talk? Then I'll fix that for you."
As Ryu Min postured as if to swing his scythe, Jo Joong-sik spoke with a tense expression.
"I'm Jo Joong-sik, boss of the Joong-sik gang. There isn't a single gangster in Seoul who doesn't know my name. You think someone like me would kneel to a punk like you?"
Steeling his resolve, Jo Joong-sik raised his dagger.
"Come at me with that fancy weapon, you bastard. But you better be ready to kill. Otherwise, you'll be the one getting your throat slit."
Revealing his real name and taking a fighting stance in a situation where it would be natural to be intimidated?
'Then and now, he's got guts.'
Ryu Min smiled inwardly.
'Should I stop teasing him here?'
He didn't have the slightest intention of killing Jo Joong-sik.
He didn't plan on hurting him, either.
He needed someone to become the area representative, and he had to use him in the next round.
'If I show off my strength too much, I'll get more votes than Jo Joong-sik.'
Pushing him just enough not to lose the battle of wills—this was the perfect stopping point.
Just like he had done in his previous life.
'It's about time for the angel to show up, so maybe I'll stop here.'
And just as he expected.
[Are you all gathered? Humans?]
As expected, the angel appeared.
"Lucky you."
Ryu Min was the first to put his scythe back into his inventory.
There was nothing to be gained from attracting the angel's attention.
"Next time, be more careful about who you pick a fight with. If you don't want to die young, that is."
"..."
As Ryu Min turned away, Jo Joong-sik sighed inwardly.
'Haa... I was so scared I thought I was going to die.'
It was a sigh of relief.
'Honestly, my pride is hurt, but at least I'm not dead, right?'
That was just a bluff born of bravado.
In truth, Jo Joong-sik didn't want to fight the Black Scythe either.
'Hoo... I could have gotten myself killed, damn it.'
But luckily, the angel appeared and saved him from the situation.
And he hadn't shown a cowardly side in front of everyone.
'I'll let it slide for now, but just you wait. I'll pay you back double for the humiliation I just suffered.'
What if the humans here voted for him and he became the area representative as planned?
Then he'd have no reason to be intimidated like he was now.
Because he would gain the ridiculously powerful authority of Command.
While Jo Joong-sik was vowing revenge, the angel laughed.
[Kee-hee-hee, humans. Have you discussed who you'll choose as your representative?]
"..."
The people remained silent.
They couldn't tell if it should be called a discussion or a threat.
The angel, who was already looking at the corpses scattered around the clearing, chuckled.
[It seems you didn't just talk for three hours. The number of participants has dropped from 5,143 to 4,988!]
More people had died than expected, but it wasn't just from fighting each other.
There were also those who had entered the forest and been killed by monsters.
[Whether humans die or not is none of my business. Shall we proceed with the vote as scheduled?]
As it flapped its wings, an identical message window appeared before everyone.
[We will now begin the vote to select the area representative.]
[Each person may cast one vote, and the player with the most votes will become the area representative.]
[In the event of a tie, the tied players will become candidates, and a revote will be held.]
[Now, please look at the person you wish to vote for and think 'vote' inwardly.]
[Players who do not finish voting within the 5-minute time limit will be eliminated from the round and perish.]
[Time remaining to vote: 00:04:59]
As the time started, people began to murmur, glancing at each other warily.
'Look at the person I want to vote for?'
People's gazes naturally turned toward Jo Joong-sik.
'As expected, all eyes are on me. Heh heh.'
It was only natural, since he had threatened to kill anyone who didn't vote for him.
But there were also some who averted their gaze.
"Hey, you there, Chubby Cheeks!"
"Huh? M-me?"
"Why aren't you looking at me? You didn't vote for me, did you?"
"N-no. I did."
"Don't lie. I've been watching you, and you keep looking elsewhere!"
To secure even one more vote, Jo Joong-sik intimidated people and pressured them to vote.
After five minutes passed, the angel spoke.
[Time's up. With a total of 4,988 votes, thankfully, there were no foolish humans who forgot to vote! Shall we count the ballots?]
A moment later, a translucent window appeared before everyone, and a list of nicknames and numbers scrolled down.
The numbers kept rising like a real-time voting chart, and soon the results were displayed.
1st. Life is a Documentary (2,412 votes)
2nd. Black Scythe (2,077 votes)
3rd. Black Flame Dragon in the Right Hand (249 votes)
4th. Chubby Cheeks (6 votes)
5th. Cute Baby Bird (5 votes)
...
...
Jo Joong-sik, who had expected an overwhelming victory, frowned.
'I only got 2,412 votes? And Black Scythe is in second place?'
The difference in votes with Black Scythe was only 335.
It wasn't a nail-biter, but he was still displeased that the gap wasn't larger.
'I told these bastards to vote only for me, and they sneakily voted for Black Scythe?'
Jo Joong-sik glared at his surroundings, but there was no way to know who had voted for whom.
'Can't be helped. The results are already out.'
Jo Joong-sik grinned.
Whatever the process, as long as the result was good, that's all that mattered.
'I became the area representative, just as I expected. I now hold the immense power to control people!'
Jo Joong-sik's gaze shifted to Black Scythe.
'No matter how strong he is, he can't win against 5,000 people.'
If he ordered everyone to kill Black Scythe, he would eventually die.
'Son of a bitch. I'll make you regret not killing me. Keh heh heh.'
While Jo Joong-sik was swelling with anticipation, the angel announced.
[It's decided. The first-place winner, Life is a Documentary, has been selected as the representative for this area!]
No one was happy.
It was because the majority had cast their votes out of fear of Jo Joong-sik's retaliation.
The only one smiling was Jo Joong-sik himself.
"Heh heh, you all better get on my good side now. Otherwise, I'll use my Command to kill you."
As he declared his intention to act like a dictator, a shadow fell over the people's faces.
[Then, I will grant the area representative, Life is a Documentary, the authority to command the people.]
Soon after, a message appeared before Jo Joong-sik.
[You have become the area representative.]
[You have received the representative's unique authority, Command.]
[Detailed information can be found in the skill section of your status window.]
'Heh heh, finally.'
Grinning, Jo Joong-sik opened his status window.
Something called [Command] had been added to his skill section.
Jo Joong-sik smiled at the fact that he had a skill others didn't and checked its information.
[Temporary Skill – Command]
-Effect: Allows you to give commands to players and control them by force.
The targeted player cannot disobey the command under any circumstances.
Can be used a total of 10 times. Once all uses are exhausted, the skill will disappear.
Only one command can be issued per player.
Note: The skill does not work on players who have a class.
The smile vanished from Jo Joong-sik's face as he read the information.
'Wh-what is this? I can only use it 10 times?'
He thought he'd be able to issue unlimited commands, but it was only ten.
'Well, it's still a powerful authority, but...'
He couldn't help but be flabbergasted, as he never expected there to be a limit.
'And what's with this last line? The skill doesn't work on players with a class?'
In other words, if you get a class, you become immune to his commands.
Of course, Jo Joong-sik didn't know how to get a class.
So he wasn't worried.
'It's probably the same for everyone else.'
In any case, if he used Command wisely, he could seize control of the situation.
As long as he hid the fact that there were penalties.
Best of all, he could kill that eyesore, Black Scythe.
'Fucking bastard. I'll order him to cough up all his items and then kill himself. Ah! Right, only one command per person.'
Jo Joong-sik's mouth stretched into a wide grin.
'I'll threaten him to hand over his items, and if he doesn't listen, I'll make him kill himself. Of course, I'll kill him even if he does hand them over. Keh heh.'
The thought of eliminating a competitor he hated made him laugh without realizing it.
But Jo Joong-sik's laughter didn't last long.
Because the angel said something completely unexpected.
[Now, humans. You've voted, so you probably think it's over, right? But it's not. There was a hidden quest in this round.]
"What are you talking about?"
"A hidden quest?"
Leaving the bewildered people behind, the angel flapped its wings.
└Change Class Before Voting Time Ends
└Obtain a class change item and get a class!
└Success Reward ▶ 50% discount coupon for Today's Item!
"Huh? What's this?"
"A sub quest?"
People were surprised by the quest that appeared out of nowhere.
They never imagined there would be another quest.
[There was a sub quest hidden in this round. It was set to appear in your quest window once you reached level 10... You didn't know, did you? Kee-hee-hee.]
"But... how were we supposed to level up when there are no monsters..."
The angel's expression turned serious at someone's complaint.
[No monsters? The forest is crawling with them.]
"..."
[You can hunt in the forest to reach level 10 and then change your class. You can also get the necessary items for the class change by killing monsters.]
"Ah..."
Sighs of regret escaped from people's mouths.
They realized it too late.
That they had wasted their time needlessly.
'Dammit, we shouldn't have been arguing and fighting in a place like this!'
'We should have just gone into the forest and hunted...'
'If we had, we would have completed the sub quest and gotten the reward!'
People sighed, but it was always too late for regrets.
[Don't be too disappointed. The reward is gone, but anyone can change classes once they reach level 10. You can just aim for the next round!]
The angel comforted the people and continued.
[Besides, only 80,000 people across all areas have changed their class this round. That's less than 0.01%!]
"As many as 80,000?"
"That many people have changed their class...?"
80,000 out of 900 million total survivors was certainly a small number, but the people didn't hear it that way.
They only felt a sense of shame at the fact that there were 80,000 people at a higher level than them.
[Oh, speaking of which, there's one person in our area who has changed their class.]
At the angel's words, the people looked around in surprise.
"There's someone who changed their class?"
"Who is it?"
[Shall we find out who it is from the sub quest tally results?]
A moment later, when the tally results appeared, people's eyes widened.