Chapter 97
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 97
Chapter Title: Round 7 Begins
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Dominion was a temporary skill that allowed one to force commands upon other players.
Its drawbacks were its ten-use limit and the fact that it only worked on players.
‘And the fact that it could only be used in the Otherworld was its most fatal flaw.’
It wasn't that skills couldn't be used in reality, but Dominion was not one of them.
‘No, it wasn't just that it didn't apply; it wasn't even registered in the first place.’
It was only registered in the skill window while one was a District Representative in the Otherworld. Back in reality, the skill itself vanished.
‘Is it because I'm not a District Representative in reality?’
The reward for winning this representative selection was the ability to use that very skill, Dominion, just once in reality.
‘There was no way I could let it slip by.’
That wasn't the only thing I couldn't afford to miss.
‘There was a rune available as a reward for this round's sub-quest. I needed it to control PleSeBa.’
The only player left among PleSeBa's executives was Yamtti.
It was a rune I absolutely had to acquire to counter Yamtti's ability.
It was also one of the eighteen runes on my must-have list.
‘The reward for becoming the Integrated Representative and the rune from the sub-quest. In this round, I had to obtain both, no matter what it took.’
I was confident I could do it.
After all, I had entered the round fully prepared to conquer it before midnight even struck.
[Alright, we need to select a representative now, so please wait a moment. We're going to discuss how we'll proceed and be right back.]
With those words, Priscilla gracefully flew over to where the other angels were gathered.
[You're here?]
[Priscilla, hi.]
[Elphyr, hi.]
[Sophia, hi.]
The ten angels, brought together by the district integration, exchanged formal greetings.
It was time to decide who would guide the newly integrated district.
But since these angels hated working more than death itself, they were all trying to pass the buck.
[Who wants to do it? Any volunteers?]
[What a stupid question. Honestly, who would volunteer?]
[You never know. There might be an angel who enjoys volunteering.]
[As if.]
[By the way, Priscilla. I heard you and Olive did something really fun last time.]
[Yeah, I heard about that too. The King Game, was it?]
[The human from the winning district gets to act like a king and give orders, right?]
[Shouldn't we do that again this time?]
[That sounds fun.]
Priscilla was delighted by the angels' agreement.
‘My district has the Black Scythe!’
This was her chance to finally become the king.
Priscilla spoke excitedly.
[Then the selection method will be the most basic deathmatch style—]
[Wait. Your district has the Black Scythe, right?]
[Huh? Ah, you knew?]
[Kee-hee-hee, I heard all about it.]
[The Black Scythe is the only human over level 50 right now, isn't he?]
[If we do a deathmatch, Priscilla will obviously be the king.]
[That's a totally unfair game, then.]
[Where do you get off trying to get the throne for free? Tsk!]
Priscilla, who had secretly hoped they would let it slide, looked disappointed.
[Then what should we do? Any other good ideas?]
[With the Black Scythe around, a game of strength is out of the question.]
[Right. How about we make it so the human who clears Round 7 first is the winner?]
[Ooh, that's a good idea.]
[Besides, Round 7 has nothing to do with strength anyway.]
The angels' opinions aligned.
All except for Priscilla.
[Priscilla. What do you think?]
[I-It seems like a fair method.]
Though reluctant, she had no grounds to object.
As they said, the Round 7 quest had nothing to do with strength.
‘Damn it, I thought I could finally take the throne this time…’
A sense of unease crept into Priscilla's heart.
Perhaps the Black Scythe wouldn't take first place this time.
‘His record might be broken for the first time.’
The other angels were thinking the same thing.
‘If the condition is just to clear Round 7, then it's worth a shot. Heh heh.’
‘No matter how strong that human Black Scythe is, he has no answer for Round 7.’
Watching the dejected Priscilla, the angels began to feel a glimmer of hope.
They had a chance to become king, too.
And they had already decided who they would target if they won.
‘Priscilla? Sorry, but you're going to have to keep managing the district.’
‘Just for being cheeky enough to try and get a freebie. Heh heh.’
Unaware that the other angels had already ganged up on her and were snickering behind her back, Priscilla returned to the humans.
[After discussing it amongst ourselves, we've decided on the selection method. Instead of a deathmatch like last time, the District Representative who first clears the Round 7 quest will become the Integrated Representative.]
"Ah, it's not a deathmatch?"
"Phew."
The District Representatives, aside from Ryu Min, breathed a collective sigh of relief.
If they had fought the Black Scythe, they would have had to give up their positions helplessly.
‘So the first person to clear the quest becomes the representative…’
‘Does that mean I have a chance, too?’
They didn't know what the quest was yet, but they figured it was better than a deathmatch.
[We will grant one attractive privilege to the human who becomes the Integrated Representative. Of course, this is a secret that will only be revealed to the winner.]
Though she called it a secret, Ryu Min already knew the reward.
[Now, I will announce the Round 7 quest!]
A moment later, the quest window appeared, and everyone stared with wide eyes.
◀ ROUND 7 ▶
└??? ?? ?? ??????
[All Districts]
└Participants: 6,927,066
└Completed: 0/3,463,533
[Current District C2-ESKA003]
└Participants: 4,922
└Completed: 0/2,461
It was because the quest details were hidden by question marks.
"U-Um, Angel. There's an error in the system."
"The quest is showing up as question marks."
[It's not an error. The Round 7 quest is undisclosed.]
Contrary to Priscilla's calm words, the players' eyes filled with bewilderment.
"Undisclosed…"
"Then how are we supposed to clear it…"
[There are no further explanations. That is all.]
Priscilla callously vanished along with the other angels.
The people, who had been staring at the angels' backs like abandoned puppies, felt a sense of futility.
"What are we supposed to do if we don't even know the quest?"
"Fuck, are they just doing whatever they want now?"
"This is ridiculous, seriously."
They muttered and voiced their complaints, but no answers came.
In that gloomy moment, a message appeared before everyone's eyes.
[Time remaining until the round ends: 01:59:59]
"Huh? There's a timer?"
"What's this? Are we just supposed to wait?"
"Doesn't a time limit mean we're supposed to do something in that time?"
"Fuck, now we have to figure out the quest ourselves?"
People grumbled, but there was nothing they could do.
Time continued to tick by, and there was no telling what would happen when the limit was up.
They had to do something.
"It's probably a quest to kill monsters."
"We'll find something if we wander around."
"That place over there looks suspicious, let's go check it out!"
People began to scatter.
Some simply walked wherever their feet took them, while others entered a nearby forest, thinking it looked suspicious.
But about half of them just stood there blankly.
They had no idea what to do.
Just then, a small group approached Ryu Min.
It was Ahn Sang-chul, Seo Ah-rin, Heo Tae-seok, and Min Ju-ri, who had partied with him during Round 6.
"Sir Black Scythe. There you are."
"Why are you all together?"
"Ah, we just happened to run into each other nearby."
"It's nice to see you all again like this. Heh heh."
The four of them seemed to have grown somewhat close.
‘Is it because they partied together for a bit?’
It wasn't a bad situation.
They were allies Ryu Min needed to nurture anyway.
There was no harm in them being friendly with each other.
"Um, Sir Black Scythe? About the Round 7 quest. What do you think it is? Do you have any guesses?"
Ryu Min countered Ahn Sang-chul's question.
"Why are you asking me?"
"Ah, my apologies if I offended you. It's just that, with your insight, Sir Black Scythe, I thought you might know something…"
Ahn Sang-chul was flustered, but Ryu Min cut him off coldly.
He couldn't risk letting them sense that he knew the prophecy.
"The quest hasn't been revealed. How would I know any more than you? I'm in the same boat."
"Ah, I see."
Ahn Sang-chul, who seemed a little disappointed, then let a slight smile touch his lips.
He wore the expression of someone who had finally found a way to be useful to the Black Scythe.
"Then, Sir Black Scythe. Shall I share some information about Round 7 with you?"
"Information about Round 7? How would you know that?"
"I heard something from the Prophet back in reality."
"Prophet?"
Ryu Min's face immediately scrunched into a frown.
‘Last time, he seemed to be hiding it, but now he's blurting out things about the Prophet so casually.’
Was I an idiot for thinking he was trustworthy?
As that thought crossed his mind, he glared at Ahn Sang-chul, who flinched and stammered.
"W-What's wrong?"
"It's nothing. But a prophet? That's an absurd thing to say."
"It's true. I have an acquaintance who's a prophet. I've already received their help several times. Right? Ms. Seo Ah-rin?"
"Huh? Ah, yes. That's right."
‘He dragged Seo Ah-rin into this too?’
Another person on the untrustworthy list.
"Um, what are you two talking about? A prophet?"
Heo Tae-seok asked with a puzzled expression, while Min Ju-ri remained silent.
‘Min Ju-ri must be quite shocked. They're talking about the Prophet she thought only she knew about.’
Reading her thoughts, I saw she was suspecting that the Prophet might be Ryu Min.
‘This situation is getting complicated.’
Ryu Min wanted to sew Ahn Sang-chul's mouth shut right then and there, but he had no justification for it.
"Sir Black Scythe. I will tell you about Round 7. With no strings attached. What do you say? Will you listen?"
"…"
After a moment of consideration, Ryu Min nodded.
"Fine. I don't know if I can trust it, but I'll listen. I'm at the point where I have to grasp at straws."
"Haha, don't worry. The prophecy has never been wrong."
With that, Ahn Sang-chul relayed the prophecy he had been told.
"The Prophet said, 'Do not be swayed by temptation.' They said as long as we remember those words, we can clear Round 7."
"What does that mean? Temptation?"
Heo Tae-seok asked, but Ahn Sang-chul just quietly shook his head.
"I don't know the details either."
"U-Um, Mr. Ahn Sang-chul?"
Min Ju-ri approached, her face a mask of bewilderment.
"By any chance, is that Prophet's name Ryu Min?"
"…!"
This time, it was Ahn Sang-chul's turn to be shocked.
Seo Ah-rin was, too.
Only Heo Tae-seok looked back and forth between them, clueless about the situation.
‘Sigh, damn it.’
Ryu Min, who had been watching the whole thing, sighed inwardly.
The four of them had just shared the existence and identity of the Prophet.
‘Well, is it really a problem? As long as they don't find out I'm the Black Scythe?’
It was a frustrating situation, but Ryu Min held back.
For now, it seemed best to split the four of them up.
If they stayed together, wouldn't they just keep sharing information about the Prophet?
"Do not be swayed by temptation? Thanks for the information. We'll have to see if that prophet's words are true."
"They probably are. As long as you remember those words."
Ryu Min nodded and then spoke to the four of them.
"For now, I think it would be best to split up and look for more detailed information."
"Split up?"
"We might find a new quest or some information if we move around."
"Still, sticking together would be…"
"We don't even know if it's a party quest, so why should we?"
Ahn Sang-chul swallowed hard at the icy tone.
Having caused this mess, he was hardly in Ryu Min's good graces.
"Ahem, I understand. Then let's handle Round 7 individually. Sir Black Scythe, may fortune be with you! I'll see you next time."
Ahn Sang-chul and Seo Ah-rin bowed their heads and disappeared.
Heo Tae-seok, reading the room, also gave an awkward bow.
"W-Well, I'll be going then…"
Now, only Min Ju-ri remained by Ryu Min's side.
"You should go too."
"Ah, okay…"
Though she seemed reluctant to leave, Min Ju-ri also departed.
Left alone, Ryu Min let out a sigh.
‘This situation has gotten annoying.’
Then, he thought deeply.
‘By the way, what was the Round 7 quest again?’
He stood there pondering for about five minutes when suddenly…
"Kyaaaaah!"
A sharp, ear-splitting scream echoed from somewhere.