==============================
CHAPTER 151 – REUNION
He activated Crimson Moon and unleashed Moonlight Slaughter in a barrage.
With each swing, fifty players turned to dust and vanished.
After five swings swept away half their forces, he raised the Corrupted God’s Scythe.
Screeeech—!
The rake-like scythe, extended like a giant’s grasp, swept them all away without exception.
Because it was night, even without bothering to activate any skills, he got the full benefit of increased attack speed and the boosted damage of Moonlight Slaughter.
It was one-sided.
Maybe because they weren’t wearing gear, it was even easier.
To Ryu Min, they were practically walking bonuses.
“……”
“……”
Watching the massacre unfold in real time, Victor and Yamtte couldn’t string a single word together.
They felt no pity, and they weren’t happy either.
They simply waited for it to end, as if watching an unstoppable natural phenomenon.
Just as he was nearly done killing them all—
A welcome notification appeared before Ryu Min’s eyes.
[It has been confirmed that you are a player who has killed 1,000 players.]
[You have obtained the title ‘Massacrer’.]
Behind the mask, the corner of Ryu Min’s lips lifted slightly.
It was the title he’d been waiting for.
[Title – Massacrer]
- Requirement: Obtained upon killing 1,000 players.
- Effect: Damage dealt to players increases by 50%. Inflicts the status ailment ‘Fear’ on all players who witness a kill for 3 seconds.
Combining the number he’d killed among the Pleseba members with the number he’d killed here, he’d reached 1,000.
And with that, he got a title that left him with nothing to fear in player-versus-player combat.
‘It boosts damage, so they’re easier to kill—and once you kill one, it spreads Fear around.’
As expected.
With fifty test subjects right in front of him, he immediately tried killing them with his scythe.
Chop—
The moment he killed one, the others who witnessed it stopped moving like toys whose batteries had run out.
Not only did they lose the will to fight—they were too terrified to even move.
The Fear status ailment applied properly.
‘But Fear lasts 3 seconds.’
It sounded like a short time, but it wasn’t short at all.
If it kept getting reapplied, that is.
Slash—! Slash—!
When he killed another, Fear triggered again and the timer reset.
Kill and reset, kill and reset.
While Ryu Min butchered them, the rest trembled and couldn’t move from where they stood.
Because Fear kept being applied.
‘That’s why it’s a broken title in PvP—especially in a fight against a crowd.’
The downside was that it only applied to players, so its usefulness wasn’t all that broad.
‘Still, it’s better than nothing.’
Back in the early days, he hadn’t even known a title like this existed.
The ones who noticed it later were none other than Ma Kyung-rok and Ju Seong-tak.
‘Every time I watched those bastards slaughter players, I’d get hit with Fear, and I thought, so there’s something going on.’
Then, after dealing with IS, he only later learned the title’s details properly.
‘But someone looking at it would say this: Those guys aren’t maniacs obsessed with murder, so when would they ever kill 1,000 people?’
There is a time.
It happens in Round 11.
When the nations unify and the number of players increases, Ma Kyung-rok and Ju Seong-tak go on a massacre.
They indiscriminately kill players from other countries.
All to get that damned thing called points.
‘They’ll probably get the Massacrer title in that process this time too.’
It didn’t matter if someone else obtained the Massacrer title.
What Ryu Min didn’t like was the idea of them gaining power to resist him.
‘And it pisses me off to be put under Fear.’
Of course, even if it landed for 3 seconds, with his high resistance he’d break free in 0.3 seconds.
But the truth was, he hated even having it applied at all.
More importantly, if that many people died, the survivor quota slots for later rounds would shrink.
That was why Ryu Min intended to strip the two of any chance to earn the title.
‘The Massacrer title has to be mine alone.’
If he just did what he’d done in the previous run, there wouldn’t be a problem.
Though Round 11 was still a ways off.
Chrrrraak—clack!
Retracting the extended scythe back to its original form, Ryu Min dismissed his equipment.
There were no enemies left standing anymore.
‘It reeks like garbage.’
When he lifted his head, countless heaps of corpses had piled up into hills.
Half of them had taken damage they couldn’t endure and vanished without leaving even a shred of flesh behind.
A battle of roughly 500 to 1.
A fight where you couldn’t find fairness even in the numbers—and the result was an overwhelming victory for the one.
Ryu Min wrinkled his nose and erased the corpses with Trace Erasure.
There were so many that even erasing them was work.
After a while, only once the horrific scene had been cleared clean did Ryu Min turn his gaze to the side.
Items “voluntarily offered” by the dead were scattered everywhere.
‘Good thing my inventory capacity is infinite. I can monopolize all these items.’
Starting from a Nigerian human-trafficking ring, he worked his way up, found IS, and rescued the alchemist.
After dominating Al-Baghdadi, he used him to make him spit out items.
And by killing unarmed players, he filled the 1,000 and even obtained the title.
Everything went according to plan.
‘Now all that’s left is winning the alchemist’s heart.’
When he turned his eyes, he saw Victor and Yamtte coming out of the building.
Victor had looked like his soul had left his body after witnessing hundreds being slaughtered, but he soon collected himself and asked Ryu Min,
“Is it… over…?”
“For now, I’ve dealt with the bugs that were here. There’s still one left, though.”
Ryu Min’s gaze moved to Al-Baghdadi.
Having been turned into Yamtte’s puppet, he simply stood there in a stiff, wooden-doll posture after being told to wait.
“To make the leader of IS betray… how did you do it?”
“It’s thanks to that player, Yamtte. She has an ability that dominates the mind and makes someone a puppet.”
“Ah….”
To think such a terrifying woman had been right beside him.
Victor felt his skin crawl—and then his expression turned worried.
As if he feared he might be controlled like that too.
Reading his thoughts, Ryu Min laughed behind his mask.
“Don’t worry. It doesn’t work on players. And there are a lot of restrictions as well.”
“Ah… o-of course.”
It was a lie, but Victor believed it without question.
Right now, the only person he could trust was the one who had saved his life—Black Scythe-nim.
“Thank you so much, Black Scythe-nim. When you said you’d stand against IS, honestly, I wondered if it was possible… but you actually made it happen…. When I was trapped by IS, I had no hope, but now I do. It’s all thanks to Black Scythe-nim.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
He’d clearly succeeded in winning Victor’s favor.
When he read Victor’s thoughts, they were filled with awe and gratitude.
‘But… Victor doesn’t want to fight anymore.’
Because Ryu Min could read Victor’s heart, he could tell.
Victor’s heart was like that of an old man who wanted to retire, go back home, and spend the rest of his life in peace—wanting to put everything down.
‘Victor has to go with me to Round 20. But with a weak heart like that, he’ll never endure it.’
That was the problem.
But he knew the answer.
That was why Ryu Min had stayed silent up to now.
“What will you do with that IS leader now? Will you kill him now?”
“I can’t. IS hasn’t been completely eradicated yet.”
“Then….”
“I’ll use him until the very end, and then I’ll kill him. Using him, I’ll gather the remnants and put an end to exterminating the bugs. Don’t worry. IS will vanish into history.”
“Ah… that’s a relief. You really handle things thoroughly. Ah!”
Victor, smiling, suddenly opened his inventory.
“Please take this.”
“Isn’t this the potion you were going to give me earlier?”
“Yes. I gathered the potions I’ve made by type. Please accept it as a token of my gratitude.”
He couldn’t refuse twice, so Ryu Min accepted the potions.
“Thank you. I’ll use them well.”
Looking at the items he’d received, there were healing potions, stat potions, resistance potions, and more—quite a variety.
‘Are these the potions a level 40 alchemist can make?’
They weren’t legendary-grade, but they were still usable.
“It’s not enough to repay a life, but if you ever need potions, please come and tell me anytime. Ah—my home address is….”
Victor gave him the address and smiled.
It was time to part.
“Don’t feel burdened—please come find me. For Black Scythe-nim, I’ll provide them for free. Not just in reality, but even if we meet in the other world, it’ll be the same. Of course, that’s only if I keep surviving the rounds, but….”
“Thank you.”
“Then I’ll be going. I want to see Ricky and the kids as soon as possible. And my family too.”
“Go ahead. You can take one of those trucks over there.”
“Thank you. Black Scythe-nim, and Yamtte-nim as well—please travel safely. I owe you a great debt.”
Ryu Min waved—and sent Victor off without a trace of hesitation.
Once Victor had gone some distance, Yamtte asked,
“Are we letting the alchemist go like that, Master?”
“Yes. He promised he’ll provide potions to me anytime.”
“Then the goal is achieved?”
“No.”
Ryu Min shook his head as he watched Victor’s retreating back.
“What I want is to take Victor with me to Round 20. But Victor still doesn’t have the will for that. He’s exhausted. He achieved his purpose—seeing his family before he died. Now he’s in a state where he doesn’t care what happens with the rest of his life.”
Going to Round 20 with a player who had no survival instinct?
That was impossible.
And it didn’t suit Ryu Min either.
“Then what will you do now?”
“What do you think? I’ll turn the alchemist’s heart around.”
Vroooom—
Watching the truck start up and drive away, Ryu Min gave Yamtte an order.
“Tell Al-Baghdadi. Have him guide us to the place where he hid the alchemist’s potions. While you do that, I’ll….”
Ryu Min said as he took off his mask,
“Pick up some items.”
Marcus was a simple, good-natured middle-aged man who had been captured by IS along with them.
A schoolteacher in Lagos, he was the most trustworthy person after Black Scythe-nim.
“Mr. Marcus!”
“Oh! Victor. You’re safe!”
At Marcus’s house, Victor could see them—
Ricky and the kids running toward him after spotting him.
“Mister!”
“Ricky! Have you been well?”
“You really came!”
“Of course. I told you I’d come to take you.”
“But what happened? What about IS?”
After smiling and sharing the reunion, Victor explained everything to Marcus.
“IS brought nearly 500 players, but Black Scythe-nim took them all down. You don’t have to worry anymore.”
“Really? He won 500 to 1?”
Marcus, newly reminded of Black Scythe-nim’s overwhelming strength, asked Victor,
“What will you do now?”
“What do you mean? I’m going back home.”
“Mister… you’re leaving already?”
At Ricky’s question—his eyes shimmering with tears as if he didn’t want Victor to go—Victor patted his head.
“I have to. I came in the first place to check if you were safe.”
“Hiiing….”
“Don’t worry. Mr. Marcus’s house and our house are close. While you’re here, I’ll come see you often. Until then, behave and stay well.”
“Yes… okay.”
Victor grinned and got ready to leave.
“Mr. Marcus. Until you find their parents, please look after the kids. And if you need help, tell me. You remember my home address, right?”
“Yeah. I understand, so don’t worry—go home quickly. Your family must be worried.”
“Yes, thank you. Then.”
Waving his hand, Victor soon got in the car and headed for his own home.
‘It’s been a full year since I’ve gone back…?’
A year ago.
Victor, who had been living with his parents and his five-year-younger sister, had the bad luck to be kidnapped by IS.
Simply because he was a doctor.
‘They threatened me day after day—if I didn’t treat the injured, they’d go find my family and kill them.’
Under those threats, Victor ended up spending an entire year as IS’s medic.
In that process, he saw every ugly thing imaginable.
What kept him going through it all was only his family.
He endured and endured, dreaming only of this moment—meeting them again.
And soon, that moment would be realized.
“Hoo… I’m finally here.”
After arriving near his home, Victor abandoned the car and walked the rest of the way.
The more he walked through the familiar scenery, the more his heart pounded like it would burst.
And finally—
Creeeak—
Victor flung the front door open and could see them.
The family he had missed so, so much.
“Vi, vi, vi, Victor?”
“Mother….”
Drip—
Before they could even wipe away their streaming tears, mother and son clung to each other.
“Victor? Victor’s back?”
His usually stern father came out of the room, and when he saw his son, he joined them—tears and all.
Parents and son held each other tightly, confirming that they were alive.
“You were alive… thank goodness. Thank goodness, truly.”
“I thought you were dead.”
“Sob… I’m alive—look, I’m perfectly fine, Father, Mother.”
“We shouldn’t do this out here. Come inside. Let’s go in and talk about what happened.”
“Yes. But… where’s Sofia?”
Sofia was Victor’s younger sister.
Since he didn’t see her, he asked naturally—but for some reason, an awkwardness rose on his parents’ faces.
“Ah… well, you see….”
After hearing what had happened, Victor couldn’t help but be shocked.