Chapter 6
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Weapon Selection
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[You have been awarded the 'Lowest-Grade Rare Weapon Selection Ticket' for ranking 1st in this area!]
[You have been awarded the 'Special Reward Selection Box' for ranking 1st in all areas!]
After reading the messages, Ryu Min opened his inventory.
Two items he hadn't seen before were inside.
The weapon selection ticket and the reward selection box.
Ryu Min picked up the weapon selection ticket.
'Use.'
A translucent window appeared.
[You may select one of the following rare weapons.]
[Please touch your desired reward.]
└ 1. Gleaming Longsword
└ 2. Stiletto
└ 3. Javelin
A sword, a dagger, and a spear.
There were originally more weapon types, but these were the only options in the beginning.
'I should be grateful for this much. It's a rare item, after all.'
Items had six grades.
Normal, Rare, Epic, Unique, Legendary, and God.
Rare was only the second tier, but considering how hard it was to obtain one through normal means, it was a pretty good reward.
'A beginner would probably choose the sword or the long-reaching spear, but...'
Without hesitation, Ryu Min moved his hand.
[You have selected the 'Stiletto'.]
The reward appeared in his inventory, and an information window automatically popped up.
[Stiletto]
-Classification: Weapon
-Grade: Rare
-Attack Power: 15
-Effect: Agility +1
-Durability: 150/150
-Usage Requirement: Beginner grade or higher.
-Description: The best dagger a beginner can use.
After reading the information, Ryu Min tossed aside the goblin dagger he was holding.
It was a piece of trash with only 3 attack power and no stat bonuses.
'There's no point in keeping it since I can't even sell it.'
It would just take up space in the inventory.
Ryu Min's gaze shifted to the other reward.
The Special Reward Selection Box, something that could only be obtained by ranking first in all areas.
It was obviously a much better reward than the Lowest-Grade Rare Weapon Selection Ticket, but...
'I'll hold off on using it for now.'
He closed the inventory window without touching it.
He simply opened his status window, put a point into agility, and looked away.
As if he had no interest in the items.
'I wonder if Yong-min is fighting well?'
Amidst the pandemonium filled with the screams of humans and goblins, Ryu Min craned his neck.
Those who had passed the round couldn't move outside the pillar, so his movement was restricted.
'There he is.'
In the distance, he could see the massive figure of Hwang Yong-min.
Seeing him fighting desperately while hiding behind others brought a sense of relief.
'He'll survive this time, too.'
He knew Hwang Yong-min would survive not just the first round but all the way to the fifth, but he couldn't help feeling anxious about potential variables.
'You can't die early. I'll use you for all you're worth, and when you're no longer needed, I'll kill you then.'
He'd taken his revenge so many times that he no longer held a grudge, but to be honest, he didn't want to let him live either.
'It's still a long way from being over, isn't it?'
They don't send you home early just because you completed the quest first.
He had to wait until half the participants had cleared it.
'It's a surprisingly fair game, in a way.'
If those who finished early returned first, the other participants would be left completely exposed to danger.
Since they wouldn't have woken up from their sleep yet.
'There's nothing more dangerous than being targeted while your soul is transferred.'
What if your physical body on Earth dies while your soul is in another world?
Naturally, the soul dies too.
At that point, it doesn't matter how strong the player is.
They'd just be killed defenselessly.
'It's like being targeted for assassination while playing a virtual reality game.'
As if to prevent such a risk, the system only returns the cleared participants as a group after the round is over.
That was why Ryu Min was just standing around waiting.
'Waiting at this point is always so boring.'
This is the problem with finishing first.
"He-Help me! Aaargh!"
"St-Stop! Stop it!"
Even amidst the desperate screams, Ryu Min felt bored.
He had seen it all too many times before.
The weak are eliminated, and only the strong survive.
'It can't be helped. The only way to escape this death game is to survive the competition.'
As a mere human, it was a reality Ryu Min couldn't change.
Shaking his head, Ryu Min spoke the activation word to pass the time.
'Progress Window.'
[All Areas]
└Participants: 1,801,029,290
└Cleared: 3/900,514,645
[Current Area ESKS45-5]
└Participants: 10,286
└Cleared: 1/5,143
Looking at the quest progress window, he saw that three people had cleared it across all areas.
This meant that including himself, three people had passed.
'Since I'm first, the others must be second and third.'
In contrast, only one person had cleared it in this area.
Just him.
'It seems second and third place were from other areas.'
In any case, whether it was for all areas or just this one, there was no meaning if you didn't place in the top three.
There were no special rewards for ranks below that.
'You get gold as a quest completion reward, but everyone gets that...'
Just then, the number for the current area, which had been 1, changed to 2.
Looking around, he saw a man trapped in a translucent pillar in the distance.
It seemed he had just finished the quest by killing 100 goblins.
'People will start passing one by one now.'
As expected, people who had completed the quest began to appear here and there.
'The top three for this area have been filled now.'
The slow pace gradually accelerated, and the number of goblins decreased accordingly.
'Well, what does rank matter? The important thing is to make it into the top half, one way or another.'
He turned his head and saw the huge man trapped in a pillar.
It was Hwang Yong-min.
'So that guy passed too.'
He was panting inside the pillar, looking like he'd had a tough time.
Unlike the finishers who were catching their breath, a fierce battle was raging around them.
"Kiyaaaak!"
"Uwaaaargh!"
All sorts of screams mingled, but the chaos from the beginning was gone.
The people had learned their own methods.
'Or maybe they've just adapted to this environment where you have to kill to survive.'
Perhaps because of that, the number of goblins noticeably decreased as time went on.
The goblins may have had superior numbers, but the humans had better individual specs, so it was a natural outcome.
Besides, killing goblins allowed them to increase their stats, so the players definitely had the advantage.
'The number of humans and goblins is getting close. It's about time for the angel to step in.'
When the number of people who had completed the quest surpassed 400, and the 50,000 goblins had dwindled to 10,000.
The angel, who had only been observing, intervened.
With a wicked smile.
[The numbers of humans and goblins have become somewhat similar, haven't they? Shall we replenish the goblins then?]
*Flap—!*
As if the spreading of its wings was a signal, the corpses on the plains vanished without a trace.
It was only natural for the people to be bewildered.
"Wh-What the?"
"The goblin corpses are gone?"
"Not just the goblins. The other people's bodies are gone too!"
The people were stunned, but only for a moment.
As hordes of goblins appeared from all over, every one of them wore a grim expression.
[Kyohohoho, I've refilled 50,000 of them for you. You won't run out while you're hunting. Kehehehe!]
"..."
He didn't know for sure, but the people were probably cursing the angel's name right now.
"Kill them!"
"Uwaaaaaah!"
The people once again had to swing their weapons for their lives.
They were all too young to die a violent death in a place like this.
└Cleared: 1,021/5,143
...
└Cleared: 2,129/5,143
...
└Cleared: 3,533/5,143
As the number of cleared participants increased, the number of goblins decreased exponentially.
Each time, the angel cleared the corpses and added more goblins.
About five hours passed like that.
Ryu Min, who had been sitting on the ground watching the progress window, stood up as if the time had come.
'The quota for cleared participants will be full soon.'
It was almost time to settle the rewards and go home.
Though there was something he had to do before that.
└Cleared: 5,143/5,143
The moment the number of cleared participants reached its limit.
"Huh?"
"What's going on?"
The goblins that had filled the plains vanished without a trace.
As if it had all been a dream.
[Half of the participants have passed.]
The angel said, as if with regret.
[It's a shame, but the rest will have to be eliminated. That is the rule of this game.]
"What? Eliminated?"
"W-Wait! Angel! I only need to kill one more! Please...!"
It was then.
The people who hadn't completed the quest scattered like dust.
Roughly three thousand people.
The other two thousand had been killed by goblins.
*Fwoosh—*
Faced with such an abrupt death, the people couldn't even scream.
Witnessing the morbid spectacle, the cleared participants watching from their pillars swallowed nervously.
If they hadn't completed the quest in time, they might have been eliminated just like that.
'If you don't make it into the top half, you're mercilessly eliminated.'
The ten thousand participants had been reduced to five thousand.
It was unfortunate, but there was no way for Ryu Min to save them.
As the angel said, it was a core rule of this damn game.
[Why the long faces? Shouldn't you be happy you survived?]
The angel tilted its head, then shrugged.
[Well, no matter. You all survived. Congratulations. You may now return home.]
At the words "return home," the people's expressions softened.
They let out sighs of relief and began to smile again.
But the angel twisted its lips into a smirk.
It was too early to celebrate.
[Congratulations on passing the first round. I hope you'll try a little harder in the second round. Kehehe.]
"..."
They had only just cleared the first round.
On the first of next month, they would all be summoned back for the second round without exception.
All they had done was buy themselves a month's time.
Realizing this, the people's faces turned ashen.
[Now then, before you go home, shall we tally the results?]
The angel spread its wings as usual, and a message window appeared before Ryu Min's eyes.
★ Round 1 Results Tally ★
[All Areas]
└1st. Black Scythe (Lv5 No Class) 00:10:21
└2nd. Dumb Idiots (Lv5 No Class) 00:16:15
└3rd. Cheonma (Lv5 No Class) 00:17:07
[Current Area ESKS45-5]
└1st. Black Scythe (Lv5 No Class) 00:10:21
└2nd. Life is a Documentary (Lv5 No Class) 00:23:55
└3rd. Black Flame Dragon in the Right Hand (Lv5 No Class) 00:24:43
[Player 'Black Scythe's' current rank is 1st in All Areas and 1st in the Current Area.]
[Rank Rewards - Lowest-Grade Rare Weapon Selection Ticket (Distributed), Special Reward Selection Box (Distributed)]
[Clear Reward – 1,000 Gold (Pending)]
[The clear reward will be distributed shortly.]
[You have acquired 1,000 Gold as a clear reward! Congratulations!]
[You can use the acquired Gold to purchase items from the Shop.]
[The Shop function will be unlocked at Level 10.]
It wasn't just Ryu Min; everyone was staring into the air.
They were all looking at the tallied results together.
'The others probably only received 1,000 Gold.'
Ryu Min, who ranked first, received rank rewards, but the others only got gold.
'I guess there's no one here who doesn't know I'm number one now.'
And just as he thought, people began to glance his way.
Their gazes held envy, as well as jealousy.
But most of them looked at him with awe, as if he were something incredible.
The overwhelming gap between his clear time and that of second place likely amplified that feeling.
It wasn't only the humans who were surprised.
[To think the number one player of all areas came from the one I'm in charge of... Surprising.]
The angel's attention focused on Ryu Min.
[Black Scythe? Answer me.]
"Yes."
[How can you be so strong? Did you get some kind of special rune...]
The angel stopped mid-sentence and shut its mouth.
'What a foolish question...'
The angel's question was a clear mistake.
It was practically an advertisement that it couldn't see a player's status window.
Of course, Ryu Min already knew this from his repeated lives.
And that the angel was inwardly flustered.
So he decided to mess with it a little.
"You can see my runes if you look at my status window, can't you?"
It was an innocent-sounding question, but the angel didn't panic.
[Of course I know. Did you think an angel like me wouldn't know your information? I was just asking even though I already knew.]
'It's lying.'
Ryu Min knew.
The angel had no authority to view players' status windows.
'It only has the authority needed to guide and run the game; it can't access players' personal information.'
He had learned a surprising amount about the angels throughout his regressions.
Was that why?
"Angel."
[What is it, human?]
"May I make a request?"
[A request?]
Ryu Min could afford to make a bold statement.
"I feel the reward for ranking first is a bit stingy."
[What did you say?]
"I was hoping for a better reward."
To dare to bargain with an angel.
The onlookers' jaws dropped at his audacious words.