Chapter 77
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Who Am I, You Ask?
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Just a moment ago, Ryu Min had been at an internet cafe.
For no other reason than to sign up for the PleSeBa online forum.
‘Not under my name, but under Hwang Yong-min's.’
The forum didn't require real-name verification, so it was easy to use someone else's name.
‘Now that someone new has appeared impersonating the Black Scythe, the PleSeBa executives won't be able to just sit back and do nothing.’
Ryu Min planned to use Hwang Yong-min to draw out the PleSeBa executives.
That was also why he had used "Black Scythe" as his nickname.
‘They're already on edge after their executives died in the last round. An application under the name "Black Scythe" is bound to attract their attention.’
And would it just be attention?
They would try to confirm if he was the real Black Scythe under the pretext of an interview.
‘They'll probably try to visit his house first.’
That's why he had also entered Hwang Yong-min's home address when he signed up.
He included the villa's lot number and unit number so they could find it without fail.
‘Though I didn't expect Hwang Yong-min to have moved, just like me.’
The villa where Hwang Yong-min now lived was not his previous residence.
He knew this well, as he had been dragged all the way to the front of that house while being bullied by the guy.
‘It seems he recently got this place to live independently from his family.’
Knowing full well where he got the money, Ryu Min clicked his tongue.
‘No matter where you go, you're in the palm of my hand.’
With the Tracking skill, he could find anyone's location.
In that regard, being a Player was quite convenient.
He could understand, to some extent, why the PleSeBa executives lived with such a sense of elitism.
‘But their methods are wrong.’
Forcing murder as a condition of entry, ostracizing non-Players, and treating them as slaves.
The atrocities they would commit to become the masters of society were countless.
‘Such movements polarize the relationship between non-Players and Players, ultimately leading to ruin.’
That's why he couldn't just stand by and watch.
He had to kill the executives, the root of PleSeBa's problem, and bring down their organization.
‘No, it would be better to use them rather than destroy them. The PleSeBa organization is too valuable to just throw away.’
They might not be much now, but in the future, PleSeBa would grow into a massive force.
So much so that over 30% of the country's Players would join it.
‘Although they're no better than terrorists, they are undoubtedly the most powerful organization of Players.’
It was better to find a way to use such an organization rather than dismantle it.
Of course, Ryu Min already had a method in mind.
‘A very easy method, at that.’
It was to simply usurp the already established position of leader.
‘In other words, I'll take the Chairman's seat for myself.’
No matter how strong Ryu Min was, he couldn't control countless Players with strength alone.
He needed a systematic organization that could unite and manage Players.
But he was running out of time to create such an organization from scratch.
‘But what if I were to take over a position that's already been made?’
Not only would it save time, but he could also easily control a vast number of Players.
The position of PleSeBa's Chairman was exactly that.
‘The [Chairman] himself is nothing special. It's the position he created that's important.’
This was the reason Ryu Min had approached PleSeBa.
To lure the executives out into the open and seize the position of absolute power known as the Chairman.
In this process, Hwang Yong-min was nothing more than bait to draw them out.
‘It's about time I let him go.’
Smirking, Ryu Min started walking.
It was in the direction of Hwang Yong-min's villa.
* * *
After the hellish Round 4.
Many Players had awakened to killing.
They no longer hesitated to kill non-Players, and the Players' rampages grew more severe.
In a way, it was a natural progression.
The first time is always the hardest; you get used to anything eventually.
The same was true for Hwang Yong-min.
He was growing accustomed to his current dead-end life.
Ding—
Hwang Yong-min entered the lottery shop and approached the counter.
The owner, who was reading a newspaper, looked up at the presence and spoke.
"Are you looking for something..."
The moment he saw the customer, the owner trailed off.
The man was wearing a ski mask, like a bank robber.
Thud—
Hwang Yong-min abruptly threw a bag down and said in a low voice,
"Put all the cash you have in here. If you don't want to die."
"...."
When the owner stood there, stunned, Hwang Yong-min slammed his fist on the counter.
Bang—!
It was a simple punch, yet the counter cracked as if struck by a hammer.
"Fuck, what are you dawdling for? Do I look like I'm joking?"
‘A P-Player?’
The owner finally realized the man was a Player.
Such monstrous strength couldn't come from a human body.
Only a Player was capable of it.
An article he'd been reading just moments before flashed through his mind.
[Convenience Store Owner Dies After Being Struck with a Blunt Object While Resisting a Player Trying to Steal from the Safe.]
Resisting a Player was foolish.
Especially in Korea, where firearm possession was illegal.
"What are you doing? Hurry up and fill it! You really want to die?"
"I-I'll do it right now!"
The owner hastily scooped the cash from the register into the bag and held it out.
"Here..."
"Is this all?"
"L-lottery ticket sales have been suspended, so business has been slow lately. As you can see, I'm selling other things like a convenience store, but sales are..."
"Who asked you that? I know you have a safe in the back. Go empty it out. Are you going or not?"
"I-I'm going!"
Threatened by a raised fist, the owner scurried to bring the money from the safe.
A quick count suggested he had gotten about ten million won.
"This should be enough."
Satisfied, Hwang Yong-min turned to leave but then whipped his head back around.
"Fucker, just try calling the cops. I'll break out of jail and come kill you."
"...."
Any thought of calling the police vanished, and the owner just swallowed hard.
Besides, he didn't even know the man's face because of the mask.
Once outside, Hwang Yong-min quickly ducked into an alley before anyone could see him.
"Phew."
He took off the mask and checked inside the bag.
A smile spread across his face.
"Heh heh, today was a good haul. This should last me a month, no problem."
He could survive in reality, but what about the Otherworld?
Could he even survive the next round?
The thought cast a shadow over his face.
‘Fuck... if it weren't for this damn penalty.’
The permanent stat reduction penalty had slowed his growth and sapped his motivation.
‘I somehow managed to kill 300 orcs this time, but will I be able to survive the next round...’
The more he thought about it, the more he sighed.
"Fuck, this is all because of that bastard, the Black Scythe."
He lost his friends because of the Black Scythe.
His stats were lowered because of the Black Scythe.
He was now a robber because of the Black Scythe.
"It's all his fault!"
After shouting in the alley, he fled before anyone could spot him.
He had acted tough in front of the lottery shop owner, talking about breaking out of jail, but getting caught by the police would be a real pain.
‘Black Scythe, that son of a bitch. If I ever meet you in reality, I'll tear you to shreds.’
He cursed the one responsible for his current state and returned home.
Beep-boop— Clank!
Opening the shabby front door revealed a cramped studio apartment.
Surprisingly, this was his home, which cost him 500,000 won a month in rent.
"Still, it's nice to be independent. I don't have to listen to my nagging parents."
He had cut ties with his parents as soon as Round 4 ended.
He got his money from robberies, just like today.
He had originally dreamed of becoming a gangster and living in a dorm with his new family, but...
‘In a world gone this mad, what's the point of being a gangster?’
Everything felt like too much trouble, so he gave up on being a gangster and got this studio to live in.
‘I can just keep getting money from robberies like I do now.’
It wasn't a life of luxury, but it wasn't one of want, either.
Thud—
He tossed the bag of cash aside and went to take a shower.
He should have felt refreshed, but Hwang Yong-min's expression was grim.
"Haaah, how much longer do I have to live this shitty life?"
A lot had happened in the past four months.
He had fought and survived against countless monsters like goblins, gnolls, and orcs.
He'd had his limbs cut off by the monster known as the Black Scythe.
He had betrayed and killed his role model, Jo Joong-sik.
He had killed his close delinquent friends with his own hands.
To make money, he had started committing robberies, something even gangsters didn't do.
A truly dead-end life.
"Black Scythe... If only I hadn't met that bastard..."
If he hadn't gotten the penalty, he wouldn't have felt so hopeless.
At least he would have had the will to live.
"Hah..."
He felt empty.
A wave of self-loathing washed over him.
The fact that all he could do in this single room was wait for the next round.
The fact that he had to tremble in fear, wondering if he would survive.
"Ah."
Suddenly, the time he was spending just spacing out felt like a waste.
‘Fuck, this is no time for this.’
He could die in the very next round.
He couldn't waste precious time.
‘I have to make the most of the time I have left. Do everything I want to do.’
He'd killed people in the Otherworld and committed robberies in this one; there was nothing left to fear.
‘What should I do? Should I try raping a passing woman?’
His life was already ruined anyway.
And the world was showing signs of ending.
There was no need to think about the consequences.
‘Ah! Come to think of it, everyone my age is probably a Player, right?’
He couldn't underestimate them just because they were women.
Gender was meaningless in the face of stats.
Besides, all the humans who had survived so far were Players who had made it through the hells of Rounds 4 and 5.
They would be anything but easy targets.
‘I have no choice. I'll have to target older women.’
If he lowered the bar to women over 30, he could easily overpower them.
The problem was that it was hard to find non-Players outside these days.
‘Still, I have to try. Wasn't it my dream to sleep with a pretty girl?’
Maybe there was a non-Player who looked like Seo Ah-rin wandering around.
Humming a tune, he grabbed his coat and prepared to go out.
If he came up empty, he planned to go to a hostess bar.
He wanted to go there and spend money ostentatiously, just like in the movies, with a woman on each arm.
‘If I run out, I can just rob another store.’
With that thought, he flung open the front door.
Hwang Yong-min flinched in surprise.
A strange man was standing in front of his door.
"Ah, you scared me. What the? Who are you?"
"Are you Mr. Hwang Yong-min?"
"...."
Hwang Yong-min instantly glared at him with wary eyes.
The man with the bronze skin smiled at his reaction.
"Judging by your reaction, I'd say I'm right."
"Who are you...? A cop?"
"A cop? Hahaha! Have you committed a crime or something? Let's talk inside."
As the man subtly tried to enter, Hwang Yong-min blocked him with his body.
"Where the hell do you think you're going? I asked who you are."
"Ah, my apologies for the late introduction. I am Lost Ark, an interviewer from PleSeBa. You submitted an application this morning, correct?"
"Is this guy trying to sell me something? What kind of bullshit is this?"
"Are you not Lord Black Scythe?"
"Black Scythe? Me?"
Seeing his baffled reaction, Lost Ark realized something was wrong.
"I'll ask again. Are you not Lord Black Scythe?"
"Me, the Black Scythe? Are you kidding me?"
"Did you not apply to join PleSeBa?"
"What the hell is PleSeBa?"
"Ah."
Realizing he had come all this way for nothing, Lost Ark sighed.
"My apologies. I'll be on my way."
"What's going on? You have to tell me what this is about before you go, you fucker."
"It seems someone has played a prank using your personal information. Judging by the fact that your name and address are correct."
"So someone used my personal info? Who the hell would do that?"
"I did."
At the sound of a third person's voice, both men turned their heads in unison.
At the end of the hall stood a mysterious figure in a white mask, fully equipped with gear.
"Hwang Yong-min. I was the one who used your name."
"What the? Who's that crazy bastard?"
It was only natural for Hwang Yong-min to react with bewilderment.
A masked lunatic had suddenly appeared and confessed to the impersonation.
"You used my personal info? Fuck, do you know me?"
"I do."
"Who are you?"
"Who am I, you ask?"
Instead of answering, Ryu Min took the Death Scythe from his inventory.
At the sight of the massive scythe, both Lost Ark and Hwang Yong-min stared, their mouths half-open.
"I trust this answers your question?"