Chapter 51
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: Party Invitation
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"Black Scythe?"
She wasn't asking because she didn't know the name.
Although they were in different zones, Min Ju-ri knew the name Black Scythe.
It was the nickname that ranked first in all zones every round.
"Black Scythe... that's the person who always gets first place in all zones, right?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"So you're telling me to get help from Black Scythe in the fifth round?"
"I said help, but it's more like cooperation. A temporary alliance. That's how you'll survive."
"But he's in a different zone... Don't tell me our zone is merging with his this time?"
"That's why I'm telling you."
"But Black Scythe is level 30. Would he really want to ally with me?"
"With your buff, Black Scythe will need you too. You complete the quest with his help. It's mutually beneficial."
"Hmm..."
It wasn't a bad proposition.
How nice would it be to clear the round safely with the help of a high-level player?
The problem was having to party up with a complete stranger.
An overwhelmingly powerful one, at that.
"To be honest, I'm worried. I don't know if Black Scythe would want to team up with me just for a single buff..."
'It's not 'just' a single buff. The one you have is incredible.'
Swallowing his thoughts, Ryu Min smiled reassuringly.
"Black Scythe will want to cooperate with you. Not just for this round, but for the next one too. I saw it in the future, so don't worry."
"Really?"
Only then did Min Ju-ri's face light up with a smile.
If Ryu Min, the Prophet, said it with such conviction, she could believe him.
"Thank you for telling me such important information."
"It's nothing. We're friends, this is the least I can do."
"I should give you something in return, right?"
Min Ju-ri reached out and cast a buff on him.
For Ryu Min, this was the moment he had been waiting for.
'I got the buff, just as planned.'
Knowing Min Ju-ri's personality—how she couldn't stand being indebted—he knew she would give him a buff.
'Now, if I go home and use the Magic Stone Gacha Ticket...'
Suppressing the twitch at the corner of his lips, he left the restaurant with Min Ju-ri.
It was only after dropping Min Ju-ri off in front of the convenience store that Ryu Min could finally let himself smile freely.
* * *
Back home, Ryu Min changed into comfortable clothes and equipped his items.
[The effect of the skill 'Bless' increases all stats by 50%.]
[The effect of the 'Rune of Slaughter' increases all stats by 100%.]
In addition to the buff, he had also killed mealworms like last time to receive the effect of the Rune of Slaughter.
'Let's see how much my stats have increased.'
-Strength: 93, Intelligence: 111
-Agility: 105, Luck: 84
'With this much Luck, it's worth getting my hopes up.'
Ironically, Intelligence, the one stat he had never invested in, was the highest.
It was thanks to the Rune of Radiance, which increased his Intelligence by his level.
'If I had a divine-type opponent here, it would increase by another 2x.'
Unless an angel suddenly appeared, that was unlikely to happen.
He opened his inventory and took out the Lowest-Grade Magic Stone Gacha Ticket.
'Use.'
A normal person might have prayed to the gods for a good result, but he used it without hesitation.
'Pray? What a joke. Fucking gods.'
He had always been non-religious, but this whole situation had completely erased any faith he might have had in gods.
Not only was there no faith, but a deep-seated grudge had taken its place.
'I don't know for sure, but this is probably all the gods' doing.'
Who else could create a hellish survival game that had trapped 1.8 billion people?
He was sure the gods were behind it all.
The gods were just playing with humans.
'If I ever clear the final round and get to the stage where my wish is granted, I'll make a wish for all to see: erase the motherfucking god who designed this damn game.'
Of course, whether that was even possible was another question.
Just then, the gacha result appeared before his eyes.
[You have used a Lowest-Grade Magic Stone Gacha Ticket.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained 5 Lowest-Grade Magic Stones!]
For a moment, Ryu Min couldn't help but wear a dazed expression.
'Five? Five is the maximum amount.'
He hadn't prayed to the gods; he'd cursed them, yet he got the maximum result.
'My luck is insane.'
Ryu Min let out a self-deprecating laugh and checked his inventory.
'Two red, one yellow, one green, and one purple... Not bad.'
A total of five Lowest-Grade Magic Stones had been added.
Ryu Min decided to first combine the duplicate colors.
[Main Material]
-Lowest-Grade Red Magic Stone
[Sub-Material]
-Lowest-Grade Red Magic Stone
-(None)
-(None)
-(None)
-(None)
After placing them in the slots, he pressed the combine button.
[Combination Successful!]
[You have created a 'Low-Grade Red Magic Stone'.]
The Low-Grade Magic Stone was added to his inventory.
'I can combine them like this if they're the same color and grade.'
Ryu Min immediately combined the Low-Grade Red Magic Stone with the Assassin's Hood.
[Combination Successful!]
[The option 'Damage +2%' has been added to the Assassin's Hood.]
The effect, which would have been 1% for a Lowest-Grade stone, was now 2%.
He also combined the purple magic stone he just got with the one Seo Ah-rin had given him.
After creating a Low-Grade Purple Magic Stone, he socketed it into his gloves.
[Combination Successful!]
[The option 'All Stats +2' has been added to the Shadow Gloves.]
He socketed the remaining green and yellow magic stones into his shoes and ring, respectively.
His Agility and Luck each increased by an additional 2.
He also socketed the indigo magic stone he had removed from the Hunter's Armor into the Blood-Soaked Assassin's Suit.
With that, he had socketed all the magic stones he owned into his equipment.
'Good. Giving her information in exchange for the buff was worth it.'
Not only that, but he had also created a link to Black Scythe under the guise of a prophecy.
From the fifth round onward, he should be able to team up with Min Ju-ri without having to reveal his identity.
'With Min Ju-ri's buff, clearing the fifth round will be a piece of cake.'
Smiling in satisfaction, Ryu Min looked at his phone.
It was already getting late.
'In two hours, it'll be time to meet Ma Kyung-rok.'
He had received a call from Ahn Sang-chul that morning.
-Major Shareholder Ryu Min? I knew you were alive! Congratulations on your survival. I'm calling to apologize for my rudeness last time. I'm truly sorry. Representative Ma Kyung-rok also feels very apologetic about it. To that end, we'd like to host a small party this evening to celebrate your survival. How does that sound? It's a gathering for everyone to enjoy, so we hope your family can join us without feeling any pressure.
He had been invited to a party.
'They call it a party, but it's really a setup to win my favor and dig for information.'
Since he needed to build trust with Ma Kyung-rok, Ryu Min had no reason to refuse.
Ryu Min came out of his room and approached his younger brother, who was lying on the sofa watching TV.
"Won. Are you free tonight?"
"Huh? I've got plenty of time. It's not like I'm going to school anymore."
His brother was supposed to have started middle school last month.
But given the state of the world, school had been temporarily suspended.
'Since all the third-year middle school students over the age of 15 became Players...'
Would Players really study at school when they were worried about the next round?
And if only non-Players attended, parents would protest, claiming discrimination.
This wasn't just a problem for middle schools.
High schools and universities across the country didn't dare force Players to attend classes.
'Studying for the future when your life is on the line? It's a miracle they aren't causing more trouble.'
The military was even worse.
With superhuman strength, the chain of command was bound to crumble.
Officers over the age of 30 couldn't even dream of stopping the Players.
'The number of participants, which started at 1.8 billion, has plummeted to 90 million in just three months.'
95% had died, and only 5% had survived.
In a situation like this, there was no way society could function properly.
"Hyung, what are you thinking about so suddenly?"
"It's nothing. Anyway, if you have time, want to go to a party with me?"
"A party? Why so sudden?"
Ryu Min explained the details to his brother.
"What? The CEO of the company you invested in is the heir to the Oseong Group?"
"Yeah. I was invited to a party as a future business partner, and they said you should come too."
"I don't know if I should go to a place like that..."
"They insisted on inviting family members... Well, do whatever you want. It's your choice."
"Umm..."
Reading his thoughts, he could tell his brother was deeply conflicted.
But he already knew what choice he would ultimately make.
It had been the same in the previous regression.
"I'll go! When else would I get to go to a high-society party? It's a once-in-a-lifetime chance, right?"
"Yeah, I thought so."
A small laugh escaped Ryu Min's lips.
If he had gone alone or hidden it, his brother probably would have been seriously upset.
"Let's go. I'll buy you some clothes."
"Clothes?"
"We're going to a party. You need something decent to wear, even if it's not a suit."
"Yes! I get to ride in your car!"
It seemed his brother was more excited about riding in the supercar than getting new clothes.
"Let's go."
The two brothers went out together for the first time in a while.
* * *
After returning from their outing, the brothers were killing time watching TV when they checked the clock.
It was almost time for the appointment.
"Let's get dressed and ready."
Ryu Min put on a suit, while Ryu Won wore a simple sweatshirt.
Just as they were about to watch TV again.
*Ding-dong-dong-dong-♬*
The doorbell rang.
"They're here, Hyung!"
Ryu Won looked at the intercom and tilted his head.
A vaguely familiar man was standing at the door.
"Let's go."
Ryu Min opened the front door with his brother.
Ahn Sang-chul bowed politely.
"Good evening. Are you ready to leave? I've come to pick you up."
"Huh? Th-that's the guy we ran into before..."
Seeing Ryu Won's surprise, Ahn Sang-chul looked at Ryu Min.
"And this is...?"
"My younger brother."
"Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I am Manager Ahn Sang-chul. We've met before, haven't we?"
"Y-yes..."
His brother's eyes were still filled with caution.
Their first impression hadn't been a good one.
"I am truly sorry for my rudeness last time. I've already apologized to your brother as well."
"Ah..."
"This party is our way of apologizing, so please don't feel burdened. Shall we get going? We have a limousine prepared, so you need only bring yourselves."
* * *
As expected, the party was held at Ma Kyung-rok's hotel.
"Oh, Major Shareholder Ryu Min."
Ma Kyung-rok greeted him warmly at the entrance.
"It's good to see you alive and well."
"You too."
"Is this your brother?"
"Yes. This is my younger brother, Ryu Won."
Ma Kyung-rok smiled and extended a hand to Ryu Won.
"A pleasure to meet you. I am Ma Kyung-rok, the CEO of Cheonma Consulting."
"Ah, h-hello."
"Is your brother a Player as well?"
"No, I'm not."
"My brother is still only 14."
"Oh, how fortunate. To escape the survival game by a single year. I'm truly envious."
'Envious, my ass.'
Ryu Min scoffed inwardly.
He said he was envious, but reading his thoughts, it was clear he wasn't at all.
"Please, come this way. It's a modest party, but we have everything prepared."
Following Ma Kyung-rok, they entered a large banquet hall.
"Whoa..."
His brother's jaw dropped in awe.
Ryu Min also feigned a suitable level of surprise.
The banquet hall was filled with all sorts of delicious-looking food, laid out buffet-style.
"You must be hungry. We haven't prepared much, but it should be enough to fill your stomachs."
At Ma Kyung-rok's words, his brother wore a look of disbelief.
-Is this guy kidding me? He calls this 'not much'?
His incredulous thoughts were transmitted loud and clear.
"Well, since we're hungry, let's eat first..."
Just as Ma Kyung-rok was about to move.
The banquet hall doors opened and a woman appeared, and Ryu Min couldn't help but be inwardly surprised.