Chapter 7
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Betrayal
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"W-What did that guy just say?"
"I think he asked for a better reward."
"How dare he try to bargain with an angel...?"
"Is he crazy?"
"He must have a death wish."
The people murmured, but the angel heard none of it.
She could only doubt her own ears.
[What did you just say, human?]
"I said I'm not satisfied with the reward, so I want something better."
[...]
She had asked, thinking she might have misheard, but she hadn't.
The human before her stared her straight in the eye and made his demand.
As if it were his rightful due.
'How dare that wretched human bastard say that to me?'
The angel Briel's beautiful face contorted ugly.
'Should I just gouge his eyes out?'
She glared menacingly, but the human continued to stare back, unabashed.
His expression was so audacious it made her want to laugh.
'I was keeping an eye on him because he was doing pretty well from the start, but now he's spouting this crazy nonsense.'
Did he think he could push me around just because he killed a few goblins?
It was so absurd that she wanted to burst his head on the spot, but she couldn't.
She had already used her one-time authority of Gaze Kill.
'Arrogant human bastard. I can't just kill him... Huh? Wait a minute.'
As her thoughts continued, a faint smile touched Briel's lips.
'Why can't I kill him? If I want to kill him, I just have to kill him, right?'
A good idea having occurred to her, Briel spoke to Ryu Min.
[You said you wanted a better reward?]
In an instant, the barrier surrounding Ryu Min vanished.
[I'll grant it, so follow me. The rest of you humans will wait here until I return.]
At her words, the people nodded.
Not that they could move anyway, trapped by the pillars.
"She's giving him a better reward?"
"So she's actually going along with what that Black Scythe guy said?"
"I can't believe bargaining with an angel actually worked."
"Should I try it too? Ask her to change my reward."
"She probably only listens if you're ranked first, right?"
"If she's really changing his reward, I'm jealous."
The people muttered among themselves, watching with envious eyes as Ryu Min followed the angel.
Ryu Min, however, clicked his tongue inwardly at their gazes.
'Nothing to be jealous of. If only they knew what the angel plans to do with me.'
The angel wasn't really taking him to give him a reward.
'If it was just about the reward, she could give it to me here. Why move elsewhere?'
There was only one reason for the angel to change locations.
'Her plan is to lure me to a quiet place and kill me.'
Ryu Min was certain.
Why was he so certain?
Because he had experienced it firsthand.
Because he had been killed by an angel before.
'Was it my 12th regression? The first time the angel backstabbed me, it was truly staggering.'
In his 12th regression, Ryu Min had slaughtered goblins using his accumulated experience and skill.
As a result, he had achieved first place in all zones for the first time.
'I had high hopes back then. I wondered what kind of great reward first place would get.'
But perhaps his expectations had been too high.
Upon seeing the special reward selection box given to the first-place winner, Ryu Min had said...
-The reward isn't as good as I thought.
It was a complaint he had muttered without thinking.
Of course, one could complain.
The problem was that the angel had heard him.
'I didn't know back then. That a little complaint would get me on the angel's bad side.'
The price for getting on the angel's bad side was steep.
The angel, after luring him away with the promise of a better reward, had backstabbed Ryu Min.
He had died simply for bruising her ego.
That was why Ryu Min could never see angels in a positive light.
It was an unjust death, but it wasn't as if the angel would care.
'To an angel, humans are nothing more than lowly insects. It doesn't matter if they die.'
Although she was currently acting as a guide, she probably wanted to kill all the humans if she could have her way.
But there was a reason she couldn't.
Angels weren't as strong as they seemed.
'Because of the strong initial impact, people think they shouldn't oppose the angels. That their heads would explode.'
But this was a deliberately staged situation.
A situation the angels desired.
Exploding the head was nothing more than a performance to effectively control the humans.
'Exploding the head was a one-time ability. A special privilege given to the guide, usable on only one person.'
It was an ability called Gaze Kill, information he had extracted by torturing an angel in a past regression.
'And she used that privilege at the very beginning.'
Therefore, the angel could no longer make heads explode.
This was why Ryu Min was not afraid.
'There's no reason to fear an angel without Gaze Kill.'
Everyone was intimidated by the ability, but in reality, angels were surprisingly weak.
They had wings and could perform a few tricks, but that was it.
Their physical abilities were no different from humans.
If anything, they lacked muscle and were as fragile as they looked.
'An angel is just a human with wings.'
After being killed by the angel, Ryu Min had sought revenge in his very next regression.
In the process, he had learned a few things.
That angels were surprisingly weak.
And that killing an angel yielded a hidden reward.
'I can't miss out on the hidden reward. Especially if it's an item that lets me change to the unique class, Grim Reaper.'
Killing an angel dropped the item needed to become a Grim Reaper.
Ever since learning that fact, Ryu Min had been killing the angel repeatedly.
The next regression, and the one after that.
He would deliberately stand out from the first round to catch the angel's eye, then attempt to bargain.
'It's a kind of bait. Telling her to bite.'
Every time, the angel would try to stab and kill Ryu Min with a dagger hidden in her wings.
But it was always the angel who ended up being the victim.
'Getting backstabbed once in my 12th regression was enough.'
This time, too, he would strike first before being struck and claim his reward.
Just as he was thinking that, the angel, perhaps feeling a prickle on the back of her neck, turned her head.
[Why are you following from so far away? Are you going to make me keep turning around? Can't you stick closer?]
"Ah, yes."
Ryu Min quickened his pace, but the angel's expression was still full of dissatisfaction.
'Humans. They never listen unless you shout at them. Tsk.'
They were slow on the uptake and greedy.
Even if she wanted to, she couldn't bring herself to like the species called human.
'If you're an insect, you should act like one and take what you're given. How dare you demand a reward? Fine, I'll show you the price of greed. Hehehe.'
The thought alone was amusing enough to bring a sneer to Briel's lips.
She had no intention of changing Ryu Min's reward from the start.
Nor did she have the ability to do so.
'How can I change a reward determined by the system?'
She had simply lured him with sweet words.
To kill the human before her in a place with no witnesses.
'There's no rule against killing a player, after all.'
Hadn't she already killed one at the beginning with Gaze Kill?
Though it was a one-time use and no longer available.
'Still, I can't just kill him openly. Who knows what my superiors would say.'
There was no rule stating players couldn't be killed, but there was no rule saying they could be, either.
In fact, killing a player for personal reasons would likely become a problem.
What if the players later protested, citing issues of fairness?
It would ruin the game they had so carefully prepared.
When that happened, Briel wouldn't be able to escape responsibility.
'So, killing him without any witnesses is the cleanest and best way.'
Briel could not stand the human who had angered her.
Her pride wouldn't allow her to just let it go.
'The other humans are scared and obedient, but this number one ranked human bargains for rewards and gets on my nerves.'
It seemed reaching first place had made him blind with greed.
'Stupid human bastard. If he had just stayed quiet, he would have been fine.'
Even though he was walking behind her, the more she thought about it, the more detestable he was.
'Once we pass that point, I'll kill him immediately.'
Having moved far enough that the others were out of sight, the angel stopped walking.
This seemed like a good place to do the deed.
[Now, you said you wanted a reward? Let's see, what kind of reward...]
The moment she turned around, the angel couldn't help but be shocked.
Because she saw a fist obscuring her vision.
*Pow—!*
[Kyahk!]
Staggering back, the angel sat down hard and shook her head once.
It was more shock than pain; she couldn't collect her thoughts.
'What? Did that human bastard just hit me?'
Realizing what had just happened, her beautiful forehead creased in a deep frown.
[You damn human bastard!]
She lifted her head, but the human was no longer in front of her.
It didn't take long to figure out where he was, though.
She felt a touch on her back.
Ryu Min was holding none other than the base of her wing.
[W-Wait! What are you trying to—!]
*Crack—!*
Along with the gruesome sound, the angel's mouth flew wide open.
[Kyaaaaaaah!]
"Stop overreacting."
Pushing aside the limp wing, Ryu Min grabbed the other one.
He intended to break the other one as well, to prevent her from escaping.
*Craaack—!*
[Kiyaaaaaaaah!]
"Does it hurt?"
The angel, amidst her screams, shouted back in disbelief.
[O-Of course it does!]
"In five minutes, you would have been the one asking that obvious question. With that distinct, obnoxious laugh of yours, like 'Kyohohoho'."
[Are you insane, human! What in the world are you talking about—]
"You were going to kill me with the dagger hidden in your wings, weren't you?"
[...]
At the sight of the angel clamming up like a clam, Ryu Min smiled.
"I knew it."
[K-Kill you? I never thought of—]
"No need to force a lie. It's written all over your face. Briel."
The angel's eyes widened.
[H-How does a mere human like you know my name...?]
"That's none of your business."
Ryu Min raised his hand.
A dagger had appeared in it at some point.
It was the stiletto he had chosen as his first-place reward.
[W-What are you doing! Why the weapon all of a sudden—!]
"Can't you tell by looking?"
At Ryu Min's murderous glare, Briel fell silent.
He hadn't answered, but she knew.
She knew she was about to die here.
For a moment, fear flickered in Briel's eyes, but her pride remained unbroken.
[D-Do you have a death wish, human! Do you want your head to explode!]
"You don't have Gaze Kill anymore."
[...]
Hit right on the mark, she was momentarily at a loss for words.
Panic tinged the angel's voice.
[D-Do you think you'll get away with this! My colleagues won't just stand by!]
"Colleagues? Don't make me laugh. As if I don't know that angels are selfish beings who don't care about others. They won't care whether you live or die."
[T-To know even that. How in the world...?]
"I told you, you don't need to know. Now, it's time for you to go."
As he raised the dagger, a look of desperation appeared on the angel's face.
[W-Wait! You won't gain anything from this!]
"Yes, I will. You just don't know it."
[You'll regret killing me! You won't be able to return home!]
"I can. The system automatically sends us back after the settlement."
[H-How do you even know that? What is it that you don't know?]
"Who knows."
[I'll give you any information you want! Just give me one chance!]
"I don't need information. I've already squeezed out all I can."
[What? When—]
The angel couldn't finish her sentence.
Ryu Min's dagger had pierced her heart.
[Keoheuk!]
The angel's eyes widened. Her body convulsed once, then went limp.
Golden blood flowed from the wound torn in her chest.
Regardless, Ryu Min's gaze turned to the message that had appeared.
It was a message about the hidden reward.