Chapter 73
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 73
Chapter Title: Round 5 Results
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★ Round 5 Results Tally ★
[All Zones]
└1st. Black Scythe (Lv40 Grim Reaper) 01:00:06
└2nd. Dumb Idiots (Lv25 Shaman) 02:30:21
└3rd. Cheonma (Lv24 Dark Knight) 02:47:12
[Current Zone C-ESKS007]
└1st. Black Scythe (Lv40 Grim Reaper) 01:00:06
└2nd. Democracy (Lv21 Buffer) 02:55:38
└3rd. NoPainNoGay (Lv23 Warlock) 03:19:12
Everyone who saw the results stared with their mouths agape.
Black Scythe’s record was one thing, but it was his level that truly caught their attention.
“Level 40…”
“His record is insane, too…”
Overwhelming was the only word that came to mind.
While some couldn’t close their mouths in shock, others nodded as if it were to be expected.
After all, Black Scythe hadn’t lost the top spot since the last round.
Was that why?
Ryu Min felt no particular emotion at the messages that appeared.
[Congratulations! You have completed the quest as the 1st place player in this zone!]
[Congratulations! You have completed the quest as the 1st place player in all zones!]
[Your current rank is 1st in all zones and 1st in this zone.]
[As the 1st place reward for this zone, you will receive an ‘Intermediate Epic Necklace Selection Ticket’!]
[As the 1st place reward for all zones, you will receive a ‘Special Reward Selection Box’!]
The rewards he received for placing first were starting to feel tedious.
However, the message that followed made Ryu Min’s eyes sparkle.
[It has been confirmed that you are the first player to achieve 1st place in all zones for five consecutive rounds.]
[You have achieved an unbelievable feat!]
[You have acquired the title ‘The One Who Leads’.]
[Title – The One Who Leads]
-Acquisition Condition: Be the first to achieve 1st place in all zones for five consecutive rounds.
-Effect: All EXP gained is increased by 1.5x.
A corner of Ryu Min’s mouth curled up as he read the message.
‘I got the title, just as planned.’
This was the reason he couldn’t afford to lose the top spot in all zones.
With this title, he could accelerate his leveling speed even further.
‘I can’t miss out on a chance to grow 1.5 times faster.’
The EXP buff would be a tremendous help in his future hunts.
‘Now that I’ve got the title I wanted, shall I pick my 1st place rewards?’
[You may choose one of the following Epic Necklaces.]
[Please touch your desired reward.]
└ 1. Skeleton Knight’s Necklace
└ 2. Java’s Necklace
└ 3. Necklace of Toughness
From their names alone, it was impossible to guess their abilities.
‘A normal person would have just picked one at random, like guessing on a test…’
But Ryu Min knew the details of all the necklaces.
He had chosen each one in his past regressions.
‘What I need is number 2. Java’s Necklace.’
He made his choice without hesitation, and the reward was immediately sent to his inventory.
[Java’s Necklace]
-Classification: Necklace
-Grade: Epic
-Effect: All Stats +3, Resistance +35%
-Durability: 1,000/1,000
-Usage Restriction: Regular Grade or higher
-Description: A necklace said to have been always worn by the alien Java tribe. The necklace itself is imbued with mana.
Though he possessed overwhelming power and skill, Ryu Min wasn’t without weaknesses.
‘What I need to reinforce right now isn’t strength or stats. It’s resistance to status effects.’
No matter how strong he was, he was still susceptible to status effects.
Especially if it was a wide-area effect, it would be impossible to dodge.
‘We’re not at the stage where monsters like that appear yet, but there’s no harm in preparing in advance.’
Besides, items with resistance were rare, so he had to grab them when he could.
‘If I don’t need it later, I can always sell it for a high price.’
Any player who realized the danger of status effects would be willing to pay tens of thousands of gold for it.
Of course, that was still a long way off.
Finally, Ryu Min used the Special Reward Selection Box.
[You may choose one of the following special rewards.]
[Please touch your desired reward.]
└ 1. 3x EXP Buff (Round 6 Only)
└ 2. 6,000 Gold
└ 3. Information about Round 6
The stat increase buff from the previous list had been replaced with an EXP buff.
‘This is a no-brainer. The EXP buff, of course.’
He already knew everything about Round 6, and he wasn’t desperate for gold.
Six thousand gold didn’t even seem like a reward.
And for good reason—Ryu Min currently had over 220,000 gold.
‘2,400 orcs, four bosses, and the time attack reward. I’ve been raking in gold from all over.’
Thanks to his Luck stat, he had received bonus gold, allowing him to accumulate even more.
‘To have this much left even after buying the First Aid skill at the start. This is unexpected.’
The one-second time attack record itself was unexpected.
He never imagined the High Orc would die in a single blow.
‘The monster was focused on another player, so I could pour all my strength into the attack.’
Was the nickname of the guy who drew the aggro Eom Jun-seok?
He’d only glanced at it, so he couldn’t remember clearly.
[You’ve all confirmed your ranks via the messages, right? For reference, 1,585 players completed the main quest. Anyone below 1,211th place will be mercilessly eliminated.]
“N-No! Wait…!”
“Angel! Have mercy…!”
There was no mercy to be found from an angel wearing a demon’s mask.
Players screamed as they were annihilated.
[Begging for your lives so pathetically. Humans truly are worse than insects.]
Watching Priscilla sneer, Ryu Min inwardly clicked his tongue.
‘You think you’re any different?’
For Ryu Min, who had seen angels groveling at his feet, it was an almost laughable sight.
[Inferior humans. I assumed you wouldn’t have been able to complete the Round 5 sub-quest… but it seems someone did?]
Priscilla’s gaze briefly shifted to Ryu Min.
Her expression was somehow displeased.
[Well then, humans. Rest well, and I’ll see you in the next round.]
◀ ROUND 5 END ▶
[All Zones]
└Survivors: 19,327,557
[Current Zone C-ESKS007]
└Survivors: 1,211
[Your soul will now be transferred to your body in the original dimension.]
[Round 6 will begin at midnight on June 1st, 2022. We’ll see you in the next round. Congratulations on your survival.]
* * *
The moment he woke up, Ryu Min frowned.
Morning sunlight was streaming through the window.
A look at the clock showed it was 10 AM.
Ten hours had already passed.
Feeling stiff, he stretched.
His gaze fell to the foot of his bed, where his younger brother was sleeping as if he’d passed out.
‘This kid. He must have been really worried.’
A smile naturally formed on Ryu Min’s lips.
His brother must have stayed up all night, worried that he wasn’t waking up.
He didn’t even need to see it to know.
It had been the same in his past regressions.
“Won, wake up.”
“Mmm? Bro?”
Ryu Won, rubbing his sleepy eyes, shot up as if doused with cold water.
“Bro! You’re awake!”
“Of course I’m awake.”
“I was so worried you wouldn’t wake up!”
“You could see I was breathing, what was there to worry about?”
“Still!”
“I told you before I left, didn’t I? That it would take about ten hours, so don’t worry and just wait.”
“S-Still, I couldn’t help but worry…”
To his younger brother, he was the only family he had.
It was only natural for him to be worried, even if he had been warned beforehand.
Ryu Min knew that, so he just grinned and ruffled his brother’s hair.
“You little punk. Look at you, worrying about your big brother.”
“Hey, what are you doing! You’ll mess up my hair!”
Though his brother grumbled, he was inwardly relieved at his safe return.
“Let’s get something to eat if you haven’t yet. I’m starving.”
After having his brother’s favorite jajangmyeon for a late breakfast, he returned to his room.
He had things to do.
‘Combination Window.’
As the window appeared, he moved the boss materials he’d obtained in Round 5 into the slots.
It was to create none other than a Unique item.
[Main Material]
-Scythe of the Grim Reaper
[Sub-Materials]
-Orc’s Heart
-Mysterious Wooden Totem
-Rusted Arrowhead
-High Orc’s Molar
-(Empty)
In the main material slot, he placed the Scythe of the Grim Reaper, the weapon he wanted to enhance.
Of course, he had already removed the Low-grade Orange Manastone that had been socketed into it.
‘If I press the combine button now, the weapon will be enhanced into an Epic item matching my grade.’
Even if it wasn’t a weapon, placing any item you wanted to enhance in the main slot and combining it with the other materials would result in an Epic item.
However, Ryu Min had a key material he had extorted from Hwang Yong-min.
It was none other than the Black Adamantite.
‘Combining it with Black Adamantite allows me to enhance it not to Epic, but to Unique.’
He placed the Black Adamantite into the final sub-material slot.
When he pressed the combine button, a brilliant white light flared.
[Combination Successful!]
[You have crafted the ‘Death Scythe’.]
[Death Scythe]
-Classification: Weapon
-Grade: Unique
-Attack Power: 300
-Effect: All Stats +10, Skill Damage +10%
-Durability: 3,000/3,000
-Usage Restriction: Expert Grade or higher
-Description: A great scythe said to have been favored by the Grim Reaper. The shadow of death is said to always follow the scythe.
He had finally created the Unique weapon he had long awaited.
‘Finally escaped the Scythe of the Grim Reaper.’
He was free from the low-level weapon he had received to commemorate his class change.
He felt like he’d used it for a very long time.
‘Now, shall I learn some common skills with my overflowing money?’
There were four common skills left in the shop.
‘Area Scan,’ which allowed him to see his surroundings like a mini-map.
‘Enhanced Kinetic Vision,’ which pushed his visual acuity beyond the limits of an ordinary person.
‘Basic Resistance,’ which increased his resistance to status effects by 15%.
And ‘Dexterity,’ which increased his skill accuracy by 20%.
He learned all the common skills that anyone with enough money could acquire.
With 220,000 gold, it was more than enough.
‘I still have 140,000 gold left after buying all the skills.’
He searched the shop, but there didn’t seem to be anything else worth buying.
‘Aside from the Epic items that will appear in a few days, there’s nothing really to buy, is there?’
He had money left over, but it wasn’t that he had nowhere to spend it.
The trade function didn’t exist for no reason.
‘First, let’s organize my manastones.’
He combined the manastones in his inventory into Low-grade ones and then socketed them into the equipment that needed them.
To check his stats, he equipped his full set of gear and opened his status window.
-Name: Ryu Min
-Nickname: Black Scythe
-Grade: Expert
-Title: The Last Time Regressor (Hidden), The First Angel Slayer (Hidden), He Who Defies Divine Punishment (Hidden), The One Who Leads (Hidden)
-Level: 40
-Class: Grim Reaper
-Strength: 106, Intelligence: 150
-Agility: 136, Luck: 106
-Common Skills: Tracking, Presence Detection, Erase Traces, First Aid, Area Scan, Enhanced Kinetic Vision, Basic Resistance, Dexterity
-Exclusive Skills: Mark of Death, Night of Death, Moonlight Slash
-Runes: Rune of Slaughter, Rune of the Grim Reaper, Rune of Radiance, Rune of Inner Thoughts, Rune of Clones, Rune of Balance
-Gold: 142,380
-Remaining Stat Points: 0
<Additional Functions>
[Shop: You can purchase items.]
[Combination: You can combine items.]
[Trade: You can trade items or gold.]
[???: Unlocks at Lv60]
[???: Unlocks at Lv99]
All of his stats were now in the triple digits.
This was his base stat level with only the Rune of Balance buff active.
‘And when the Rune of Slaughter is applied, they’ll double?’
With Minjujuui’s buffs added on top of that, it would be like giving wings to a tiger.
‘Good. Now that I’m as strong as I can be, it’s time to proceed with the business with Ma Kyung-rok.’
And after handling the business?
He had to make use of Hwang Yong-min.
‘What happened to him? Did he survive as planned?’
He believed Hwang Yong-min would have survived, as he was supposed to make it to Round 5, but he checked with Tracking just in case.
‘Tracking, Hwang Yong-min.’
[Face and name match. Tracking the target’s location.]
The fact that the tracking worked confirmed he was alive.
‘That’s a relief. I can still use him a bit more.’
He had planned to use Hwang Yong-min to the bone, but this was as far as he could go.
‘This will be the last time I use him in reality, and then I’ll discard him.’
Hwang Yong-min would never know.
That his fate rested in the hands of the very shuttle he had tormented so much.