Chapter 81
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 81
Chapter Title: Mr. Ryu
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Unlike the Dark Knight, the Buffer, and the Mercenary King, the Blacksmith was not a unique class.
That meant there were plenty of blacksmiths who could replace Russell.
Yet, there was only one reason Ryu Min had flown all the way to a remote mountain in England.
‘It’s because talent like Russell is rare.’
It wasn't a lie that Russell would survive until the 15th round.
Nor that he would reach the pinnacle of blacksmithing.
‘Although he died before reaching the max level, he was the last blacksmith standing until the very end.’
That was a testament to his excellent character, skill, and survivability.
‘What if I could maintain a friendly relationship with such a talent?’
It would be helpful in many ways as the rounds progressed.
Fixing the orb's durability would be an added bonus.
‘The Blacksmith class has similarities to the Buffer, so it wouldn’t hurt to keep him around.’
The difference was that, unlike a buffer, a blacksmith didn't always need to be by your side.
Once they repaired or enhanced your equipment, their job was done.
Ryu Min glanced at Russell.
His mind was a complex web of thoughts, debating whether he could trust him.
‘I should help him make a choice.’
It was for moments like this that he had learned English through his repeated regressions.
Ryu Min spoke in a fluent voice.
"What I ask for is not much. Simply look after my equipment when needed and cast a few skills. In return, I will give you information about the next round. By doing so, you'll be able to gain advantages you missed in the future and grow stronger quickly."
"Hmm…"
Gaining information about the future in exchange for just using a few skills.
It was an offer that required no deliberation, but that wasn't what was on Russell's mind.
It was whether or not he could trust Ryu Min.
-From the way he speaks, he seems like an honest person, but can I really trust him...
After much thought, Russell proposed a compromise.
"Thank you for valuing my future potential so highly, but I'm not yet convinced. So, how about I decide whether to continue our deal after seeing the results of the 6th round?"
"As you wish. It's not like we're signing a contract."
Ryu Min gave a confident smile.
Just like Ma Kyung-rok, once Russell witnessed the prophecy with his own two eyes, he would have no choice but to rely on him.
"First, I'll repair your item. I'll receive the information about the 6th round after that."
"Understood. Here."
Ryu Min took the Orb of Eternal Slumber from his inventory.
With only 1 durability remaining, it was on the verge of breaking.
Russell took the necklace without even bothering to look at its item information and immediately cast a skill.
*Fwaaa—*
A brief flash of light emanated from the orb, and the repair was complete.
"Here, it's all fixed."
Ryu Min took the item and checked its information.
Its durability was now full at [1,000/1,000].
‘Good. Now I can start raising the stacks again.’
Smiling, Ryu Min looked at Russell.
-I don't know what kind of necklace it is, but it must be quite good. To go through the trouble of repairing its durability just to keep using it.
Reading his thoughts, Ryu Min confirmed that he didn't know about the item.
Even though he could have easily read its information.
‘He considered it client privacy and deliberately chose not to read it.’
As expected of a true professional with upstanding character.
"Thank you. Its durability is perfectly restored, thanks to you."
"Will you give me the information on the 6th round now?"
"Of course. The 6th round quest is…"
Ryu Min began to divulge various pieces of high-level information.
With each revelation, Russell's eyes widened and narrowed repeatedly.
"Hmm… If what you've just said is true, I'll need to gather as many strong companions as possible."
"Yes. That would certainly be helpful. The monsters are exceptionally powerful, you see."
Russell nodded, but inwardly he was still doubting whether the prophecy would come true.
‘Well, he won't believe it until he experiences it himself.’
Ryu Min wasn't in a hurry.
Russell would find out after the 6th round anyway.
He would realize that to survive, he had no choice but to grasp the lifeline that was the Prophet.
"So, is our transaction concluded?"
"Yes, but…"
Ryu Min trailed off.
He still had more business with the blacksmith.
"Would you be willing to sell me an item?"
"An item?"
"You have something called [Black Iron Powder], don't you?"
"…!"
Russell, who had been half-doubting him until now, couldn't help but be astonished this time.
‘He even knows what I possess?!’
He never imagined a prophecy could reveal the contents of someone's inventory.
But that wasn't the only thing that surprised him.
"That item. Sell it to me. It seems you're looking for work because you're short on material costs. I'll pay you handsomely."
‘…He even knows I’m looking for a job?’
It wasn't a prophecy but mind-reading that revealed it, though to Russell, it would make little difference.
"Truly astounding. I believe you now. That you are a Prophet. And I apologize. To be honest, I suspected there might be some trickery involved."
"There's no need to apologize. I only speak of what I've seen in the future. Whether you believe it or not is your choice."
"The information about the 6th round must be accurate as well, then."
As he said this, Russell, who was deep in thought, looked up as if he had made a decision.
"Do you need the Black Iron Powder? I'll just give it to you."
"You'll just give it to me?"
"I feel like I've received more than I've given. I'm not that shameless, you know?"
It seemed he had finally come to believe the 6th round information and was now valuing it highly.
Russell smiled as he took the Black Iron Powder from his inventory.
"Please, take it."
As Ryu Min accepted it without protest, the item's information appeared.
[Black Iron Powder]
- Classification: Possessions
- Description: Black iron powder. A faint magical energy can be felt.
‘To think he’d just give me such a precious item.’
Strictly speaking, he had received it in exchange for information, but Russell wouldn't know.
He wouldn't know the true value of the Black Iron Powder.
‘After all, it’s a material used for God-grade items.’
Although it would become easier to obtain after the 11th round, it was extremely difficult to find now.
The chances of it dropping from a monster, as it had for Russell, were slim.
‘If anything, I should be the one thanking him.’
Exchanging 6th round information for Black Iron Powder was by no means a losing trade.
"Are you sure about this? Giving this to me for free?"
"I'm fine with it. Honestly, I don't even know what it's used for. Only you, the Prophet, would know its true value."
Russell wasn't completely clueless.
-The fact that he specifically asked for it means it must be a pretty important item.
But he didn't ask.
He didn't try to find out.
He felt that asking for more after already receiving help would be greedy.
‘The fact that he doesn't cross unnecessary lines. That’s Russell’s strength.’
Ryu Min smirked and held out the bag he had brought with him.
"Here, take this."
"What is this?"
Russell, taken aback, accepted the bag and opened it.
"Gasp!"
Inside were dozens of bundles of 10-pound notes.
"It's £20,000 in total."
"…"
"I can't just take the item for free, so I'll pay for it. That should be more than enough to cover your material costs, right?"
"Y-Yes, of course."
Russell answered sharply.
More than enough was an understatement.
£20,000 was equivalent to about 32 million Korean won.
-W-With this much, I won't have to look for a job!
Perhaps it was the thought of being able to do the blacksmithing he loved for the remaining time?
The look in Russell's eyes as he gazed at Ryu Min quickly turned favorable.
Seeing this, Ryu Min chuckled, which made Russell, now aware of his reaction, belatedly glance away sheepishly.
"Ah, b-but, am I really allowed to accept this much money…?"
"You're more than deserving of it. The item you gave me is worth that much."
‘In truth, it wouldn’t be a waste even if I gave him hundreds of millions, but giving too much might just burden him.’
This amount was him exercising restraint.
But it seemed even this was too much for Russell.
Thinking there was no other way, Ryu Min spoke nonchalantly.
"Of course, I didn't give you this much money just for material costs."
"Pardon? Then…"
"Open an overseas stock account and invest about half of the money I gave you in a Korean stock."
"A Korean stock?"
"The company's name is Player Place. It's a company that's about to hit it big, so if you invest, you'll never have to worry about material costs for the rest of your life. Well, whether you believe me or not is up to you."
"I'll believe you. It must be true if it's coming from the Prophet. Besides, it's money I gained without effort…"
Only after Russell promised to invest in the Korean stock did Ryu Min prepare to leave.
"It seems my business here is done, Russell Daniel. I wish you the best of luck in the next round. Ah, do you have a cell phone?"
"Of course. I even upload videos to YouTube with it."
"Then I'll give you my number. Save it, just in case."
As Russell took out his phone to jot down the number, he looked up as if he had forgotten to ask something important.
"I can't believe I forgot to ask for my benefactor's name all this time. Your name is…?"
Ryu Min smiled warmly and said.
"Please, call me Mr. Ryu."
***
Time cannot be stopped.
As always, that day arrived.
Midnight on June 1st.
Summoned to the other world as usual, Ryu Min looked around.
Unlike the lush greenery of before, a desolate wasteland stretched out before him.
It was the setting for the 6th round.
‘The 6th round is a cooperative round. I need to find people to move with.’
Looking around, Ryu Min used his Tracking skill.
The first person he looked for was Min Ju-ri.
If he was going to form a party, she was an essential member.
‘Truthfully, aside from Min Ju-ri, I don’t really need anyone else.’
But he still needed people to fill the numbers.
The rule for this round was to form a five-person party.
‘Excluding myself and Min Ju-ri, I need three more people. Who should I choose?’
Four candidates immediately came to mind.
One of them he had never met, but it was necessary to include them in the party.
They would be helpful to his future activities.
"Oh? Black Scythe!"
Min Ju-ri spotted Ryu Min and ran over, waving her hand.
"It's nice to see you like this! Have you been well?"
"You say that as if we haven't seen each other in a long time."
"Hehe, still, it's been a month."
No longer afraid of him, Min Ju-ri beamed with a bright smile.
Then again, their chemistry had been great in the previous timeline as well.
‘That must be why we were able to become friends without knowing each other's identities.’
Ryu Min glanced around and noticed people's gazes were fixed on them.
-Who's that woman? Why is she talking to the Black Scythe?
-Democracy? Is she a high enough ranker to hang out with the Black Scythe?
-Come to think of it, I think I saw her in the last round's final tally. I think she was 2nd place…
-Anyway, I'm so jealous. Having a top ranker as a connection…
Ryu Min didn't care, but the Black Scythe was popular among the players.
As the unshakable Rank 1 with a cool charisma, both men and women wanted to get close to him.
But they only thought about it and never acted, for a simple reason.
They were afraid of the Black Scythe.
An unapproachable aura swirled around him like a barrier.
However, this didn't seem to apply to Min Ju-ri, as she continued to talk to him without a care.
"Did you defeat the final boss last round?"
"I did."
"You must have defeated it quickly, even though you were short on time. Does that mean you completed the sub-quest to collect the Stones of Balance too?"
"I completed it. And for the record, I'm not telling you what the reward was."
"Tch, how did you know? I was about to ask."
"I can tell just by looking."
"I've felt this for a while, but you have really deep insight, Black Scythe."
"…"
Silence fell, and only then did Min Ju-ri realize the atmosphere had become awkward.
-W-What did I just say? How embarrassing.
Belatedly, a wave of awkwardness washed over her, and she blushed.
"Ah, th-that was a really cringey thing to say, wasn't it? I'm sorry."
"What's there to be sorry about?"
"Huh? Ah… right. Why did I apologize?"
"In any case, I appreciate the compliment."
As he said that with a slight chuckle, Min Ju-ri laughed along with him.
-Sometimes caring, sometimes charismatic… he's such a fascinating person.
Just as Min Ju-ri was laughing it off.
"Hello, Black Scythe."
Two of the party candidates approached the Black Scythe.