Chapter 414: How Ryu Min Was Betrayed by an Angel |
The reason Ryu Min was betrayed by an angel is as follows:
Thanks to his accumulated experience, from the start of the first round, he showed an overwhelming skill that unintentionally caught the angel’s attention.
[For someone to take first place in my entire area... Impressive. Ryu Min? Answer me. How can you be so strong? Did you obtain a special rune...?]
“Can’t you see my status on the status screen?”
[Of course, I know everything about that. Do you think an angel like me wouldn’t know your information? I was just asking.]
‘Does he really know my rune?’
Ryu Min was certain.
He was the only one who had obtained the special rune that allowed him to go back in time a hundred times.
Had the angel already seen his status screen and knew about it?
Wanting to confirm it, Ryu Min decided to press further.
“Then, can you tell me what rune I have?”
[...Runes aren’t something that should be revealed so easily. If you say it in front of everyone, you’ll put yourself at a disadvantage. Are you sure?]
“Yes, say it.”
[.......]
“Don’t you know? You don’t know what rune I have?”
The angel’s beautiful face frowned.
It was clear that he didn’t know.
Sensing that he had found a weakness, Ryu Min decided to push further, also taking the opportunity to vent his frustration from all the times the angels had annoyed him.
“Why can’t you say it? Can the angel who supposedly created this system not see our status screens... or is it that you really can’t see our information?”
[.......]
Ryu Min had the courage to say all this thanks to his skill to return in time. Even if his head exploded right then and there, he could start over.
The angel remained silent while people murmured.
“Can’t he see the status screens?”
“That can’t be. The angel created this game.”
“Then why doesn’t he say it?”
As public opinion began to turn negative, the angel descended to the ground.
[Hey, Ryu Min, can I talk to you privately for a moment?]
The angel deactivated the pillar of light and gestured for Ryu Min to follow him.
Curious about what he would say, Ryu Min obediently followed.
The two passed through the blocked meadow and entered an area covered with bushes. When they felt they had gone far enough, the angel stopped.
[This seems like a good place to talk.]
“What do you want to say...?”
[Let’s be clear. The human was right. I can’t see the status screen. I can only see the progress of the missions.]
“Ah. I knew it...”
[But if this information spreads, there will be problems. So I have a proposal for you.]
“A proposal?”
The angel smiled and leaned closer to Ryu Min, whispering in his ear.
[It would be good for you to keep your mouth shut in front of the other players.]
“Then what’s in it for me?”
[What’s in it for you? Kyohaha!]
The angel began laughing and then stabbed Ryu Min in the back with a hidden dagger.
Puk!
“Kuh-heok!”
[What would you gain? You’re just an insignificant and greedy human!]
As Ryu Min fell from the surprise attack, the angel stabbed him repeatedly.
Puk! Puk! Puk!
[How does it feel? Does it hurt? Kyohaha!]
“Grr...!”
[Anyway, a human like you won’t survive until the last round! Your death benefits everyone! Hahaha!]
Ryu Min finished his twelfth loop with the angel’s laughter echoing in his head.
—————-
‘Damn it.’
Back at Bosingak, where the New Year’s bell was, Ryu Min vowed something before starting his thirteenth loop.
‘I was too naive. I’ll get my revenge on that damned angel.’
But could he really defeat an angel who could make his head explode just by looking at him?
‘I have to try. I have the skill to return in time.’
To do that, he needed to recreate the same situation.
Ryu Min stood out in the first round, attracting the angel’s attention again. By questioning the system, the enraged angel took him to a secluded place.
‘Soon, he’ll try to kill me with the hidden dagger in his wings.’
It would be better to strike first.
With that thought, Ryu Min charged at the angel and stabbed him with a dagger before he could react.
Puk!
[Kyah...!]
‘Is it really this easy?’
The angel, bleeding gold from his back, turned around.
[You wretched human! How dare you...!]
‘Oh no. He saw me.’
Ryu Min thought his head would explode, but nothing happened.
The angel could only glare at him furiously.
Thud.
Weakened by the pain in his back, the angel collapsed and looked at Ryu Min.
[Why... why are you doing this, human? Stabbing me so suddenly...!]
“It’s not sudden. You tried to kill me.”
[Kill you? I never had such intentions...!]
“You brought me here to kill me quietly, didn’t you? With the dagger hidden in your wings. Isn’t that right?”
[.......]
The angel was visibly shocked.
He wasn’t good at hiding his emotions.
[What do you want?]
‘What do I want?’
Ryu Min hadn’t thought about that but decided to take advantage of the situation to get some information.
“Answer my questions. Then I’ll let you live.”
Ryu Min extracted a lot of information from the angel. From his name, Brielle, to the fact that an angel’s skills could only be used once, and that angels were merely guides for humans.
‘I always thought the angels were the designers of the system, but there’s someone else behind this.’
As Ryu Min pondered, Brielle, who had regained some strength, tried to escape by flying away.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Thud.
Ryu Min knocked him down and stabbed him again.
[Kyah!]
Then he tore off the angel’s wings.
Crack! Crack!
“Stop! Aaaah!”
“Now you can’t escape.”
Ryu Min demanded more information from the angel.
But he didn’t know much more.
About who created the system or what deities were behind it.
[I really don’t know. Please, spare me.]
The angel begged, clasping his hands together.
Ryu Min had been in a similar situation before.
‘Last time, I was foolish and spared Hwang Yong-min, only for him to betray me.’
He wouldn’t make the same mistake twice.
With that determination, Ryu Min stabbed the angel’s heart with his dagger.
Thud.
The angel died, and his golden blood soaked the ground.
Ryu Min thought it was all over, but an unexpected message appeared.
[You have slain an angel.]
[Confirmed as the first player to slay an angel.]
[You have obtained the title ‘First Angel Slayer’.]
[Reward for first angel slaying: Angel’s Blood.]
[Reward for first angel slaying: Rune of Slaughter.]
[The obtained rune will automatically be engraved on your body.]
It was the first time Ryu Min received such a significant reward.
——————
Slaying an angel granted rewards.
Ryu Min decided that if given the chance, he would do it again.
‘First, I’ll try this out.’
The angel’s blood obtained after killing Brielle.
The description indicated that it could change his class to Grim Reaper.
‘If it’s a unique class, it must be powerful.’
Ryu Min, who had always been a hunter, could now become a Grim Reaper.
Even the name sounded better than hunter.
‘I’ll quickly reach level 10 in the second round.’
[You have changed your class to Grim Reaper. Congratulations!]
As a Grim Reaper in the second round, Ryu Min cleared the sixth round, which had been impossible for him before.
Though it took time to adapt to the scythe, the new weapon, he did so with surprising ease.
‘This is incredible! Is this class broken?’
He loved being a Grim Reaper, the nemesis of angels.
That’s when Ryu Min decided to abandon his name and change his nickname to Black Scythe.
——————-
Starting from the fourteenth loop, using the nickname Black Scythe, Ryu Min developed a set routine:
1. Stand out in the first round: As soon as he returned, he stood out in the first round to catch the angel’s attention.
2. Lure the angel and kill him: Pretending to want more rewards, he managed to get the angel to take him to a secluded place, where he would kill him to obtain runes and class items.
3. Get revenge on Bang Tae-gyu: Upon returning, he would wake up his brother, and together, they would go to Bang Tae-gyu’s hideout for revenge.
4. Win the lottery and move: He used the winning lottery numbers to become a millionaire and moved into a luxury apartment with high security.
5. Become a Grim Reaper in the second round: Taking advantage of the angel’s blood, he transformed into a Grim Reaper and completed side missions to get more rewards.
This routine ensured that each return was more productive and efficient. However, in this loop, Ryu Min decided to change his approach.
‘If I capture the Celestial Retribution, I should receive a reward, right?’
He remembered that once, he had failed to protect the relic in the third round, resulting in the summoning of the Celestial Retribution. Although he hadn’t managed to survive the required 30 minutes, he was determined to try again.
‘This time, I’ll protect everyone and defeat that guy. If I get a reward for killing an angel, I should get something for defeating the Celestial Retribution.’
The Grim Reaper class gave him confidence. Plus, the title that doubled his stats against divine entities was a huge advantage.
‘At the end of the wave, I’ll use my authority as the zone leader to break the relic. I won’t do it myself, so I can avoid any retaliation.’
He had already chosen the people he would use for this task: Hwang Yong-min and his friends.
They didn’t know it was him, and if he used his authority, they couldn’t get revenge.
‘I’ve already had enough revenge on Hwang Yong-min. This time, I’ll use him in the third round.’
Hwang Yong-min always got eliminated in the sixth round, so Ryu Min decided to take advantage of him while he could.
‘For Hwang Yong-min to summon the Celestial Retribution, I need to become the zone leader in the second round.’
Normally, Jo Joong-sik became the leader by forcing players to vote under the threat of murder. But this time, Ryu Min decided to step in.
He stopped Jo Joong-sik’s murders and subdued him, earning the players’ favor and securing the votes needed to become the zone leader.
‘Perfect. Everything is going according to plan.’
In the third round, at the end of the wave, he gave the order.
“[Hwang Yong-min], [Gun], [Sim Sung-kyu], [Small Pepper], [Spring Summer Autumn], [Half Cat], [Kimchi Washer], [Evan], [Morning Sunlight]... All of you, destroy the relic.”
Using his authority, he forced them to attack the relic, triggering the expected penalty.
[The relic has been destroyed.]
[You have failed the main mission.]
[Soon, the Celestial Retribution will be summoned as a penalty.]
[Survive for 30 minutes against the Celestial Retribution.]
[The round will not end until the time limit is reached.]
‘Good, I’m ready. I can do this.’
But Ryu Min hadn’t anticipated a complication.
[It has been confirmed that the relic was attacked by players.]
[A penalty will be imposed on the ten players who attacked the relic.]
[Permanent 50% reduction in all stats.]
[The zone leader will also be penalized for failing to protect the relic.]
[Permanent 50% reduction in all stats.]
Not only did Hwang Yong-min’s group suffer the penalty, but Ryu Min did as well.
‘Ah... I didn’t expect this. It’s a huge loss...’
Ryu Min’s confidence plummeted.
Overcoming the challenge with half his stats would be extremely difficult.
He decided that this loop was a loss and focused solely on facing the Celestial Retribution.
He knew its patterns from the previous time.
“Everyone, stay away from the Celestial Retribution! It’s dangerous to get close!”
He warned the people, but...
“Who do you think you are to give orders?”
“Do you think we don’t know it’s dangerous?”
“The goal is to survive for 30 minutes. We know it’s dangerous.”
“But it doesn’t look that dangerous. It only has a staff and moves slowly.”
Despite his warnings, people didn’t stay away from the Celestial Retribution.
‘Damn it. Why won’t they listen? If they’re within 100 meters, they’ll get caught.’
The negligence had clear consequences.
[The Celestial Retribution has cast the Restriction Field.]
[No one can leave the area until the caster deactivates it.]
[The stats of players within the field are reduced by 50%.]
From the start, 300 people were trapped in a violet barrier.
“What is this? A Restriction Field?”
“Can’t we get out?”
“Are we trapped?”
“Let us out!”
Swoosh.
Thousands of light arrows began to rain down on the people trapped within the field.