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CHAPTER 190 — SPECIAL SHOP
The first thing to greet Ryu Min when he woke up was none other than his younger brother.
“Hyung, you’re back! I was worried!”
“No need to worry. This round just took a bit longer, that’s all.”
Honestly, even this was nothing.
In the future, there would be rounds that took even longer.
“You don’t have to stay up with your eyes open waiting like this anymore. You never know when you’ll wake up.”
“But I can’t help worrying….”
“Just check whether I’m breathing. If I am, it means there’s no real problem.”
“Okay.”
Ryu Won was worried, but with his Hyung saying it like that, he had no choice but to let it go.
Thud-
Ryu Min walked into his room and let out a quiet chuckle.
‘If he knew my identity, he wouldn’t worry like that.’
Well, worrying was only natural.
Right now, he wasn’t Black Scythe—he was the weak, fragile Prophet.
‘Alright then. Let’s take a look at the Special Shop.’
Lying on the bed, Ryu Min opened the shop window.
A Special Shop button that hadn’t existed before was there.
When he tapped it, the interface switched to a new shop window.
All kinds of equipment were displayed, from weapons to rings.
These were items on a completely different level from the regular shop.
‘In the regular shop, you could get Normal, and if you were lucky, maybe up to Epic…’
But the Special Shop was different.
‘Here, Epic is the baseline, and if you pay enough, you can even buy Unique.’
The difference was that you could only buy with points, not Gold.
And as a bonus, the prices were obscene.
Even just looking at an Expert-grade Unique item right now, the purchase price was 100,000 points.
‘For most Players, I guess buying one Unique would be the end of it.’
Still, being able to buy equipment that you could normally only obtain through crafting—wasn’t that something?
And it wasn’t just equipment.
The Special Shop even sold crafting materials.
Not God-grade materials, of course.
‘Still, they’re Legendary materials. If you know the recipe, anyone can make it.’
The only problem was the insane point cost.
One material cost 100,000 points.
To craft even a single Legendary item, you’d have to spend at least 500,000 points.
‘One material costs as much as a Unique piece of gear. No one would even dare consider buying it.’
Most people would probably stare at it thinking, why is a material this expensive?
Their eyes would change once they realized it was Legendary material, though.
‘And it’s not just materials. All kinds of potions, supplies, even experience packs. The Special Shop has everything.’
What stood out most were the experience packs.
They were items that increased your experience the moment you purchased them, and you could buy as much as you wanted, depending on how many points you had.
‘It’s simple. Think of it as converting points into experience.’
If Ryu Min wanted to, he could hit level 99 with these experience packs.
It would cost a massive 5,000,000 points, but even then he’d still have 15,000,000 left over.
Meaning he could max out right now if he felt like it.
But Ryu Min had no intention of doing that.
‘Because there’s no need.’
He was already strong enough that level 99 would be a joke.
Thanks to the stats he gained from the Devil’s blessing, even his base stats were already over the thousand mark.
And if he stacked various buffs on top, breaking ten thousand would be nothing.
‘In that situation, there’s no need to draw attention by rushing to max level.’
If anything, it was better not to, as a precaution for worst-case scenarios.
Because when you hit level 99, all your HP is restored and you gain a temporary invincibility effect.
‘If only to use that effect, I should delay max level as long as possible.’
Someday, the time would come.
A time when he would need the invincibility from reaching max level.
Until then, he planned to deliberately avoid it.
‘It’s the same for other Players too. Rather than buying items, the best choice is to delay using points—like I do.’
Of course, he understood the urge to spend.
The Special Shop had opened, and these points weren’t something you could keep accumulating anymore.
But there was something the angel hadn’t said.
‘You can trade points, too.’
Using the trade function, you could give points to someone else.
If supply had stopped, and points were categorized as a higher-tier currency than Gold—yet you could still trade them?
‘Then the price would be whatever people say it is.’
That was the reason he told people not to spend points.
If you sat on them, their value would rise on its own—like Bitcoin.
Of course, Ryu Min had more wealth than he could spend in a lifetime, so he didn’t need to bother with that.
‘Still, should I start by crafting Legendary equipment?’
Ryu Min bought Legendary materials from the Special Shop and immediately crafted items.
[Crafting successful!]
[You have crafted ‘Boots of Death’s Shadow’.]
[Boots of Death’s Shadow]
-Category: Shoes
-Grade: Legendary
-Defense: 600
-Effect: Agility +100, at night Movement Speed +50%, no footstep sound.
-Durability: 10,000/10,000
-Use Restriction: Master grade or higher
-Description: Shoes said to have been favored by the God of Death when playing tag. They say he was never caught at night.
[Crafting successful!]
[You have crafted ‘Devil’s Pendant’.]
[Devil’s Pendant]
-Category: Necklace
-Grade: Legendary
-Effect: All Stats +20, Skill Damage +30%, Angel Taunt effect
-Durability: 10,000/10,000
-Use Restriction: Master grade or higher
-Description: A pendant said to have been worn by demons when they went to war. Angels hate it.
[Crafting successful!]
[You have crafted ‘Ring of Super Resistance’.]
[Crafting successful!]
[You have crafted ‘Ring of Super Resistance’.]
[Ring of Super Resistance]
-Category: Ring
-Grade: Legendary
-Effect: Luck +100, Resistance +40%
-Durability: 10,000/10,000
-Use Restriction: Master grade or higher
-Description: A ring with unbelievable resistance to status ailments.
He crafted Legendary-grade shoes, a necklace, and a ring.
He crafted an identical Ring of Super Resistance one more time.
Because with the Rune of Expansion, he could equip two.
‘Even after all that, it only cost 2,000,000 points in materials.’
For a normal Player, it was a price they couldn’t even dream of.
For Ryu Min, it barely registered.
‘This time, should I craft a God-grade item?’
The materials were already prepared.
All he had to do was craft.
[Main Material]
-High-quality Leather Gloves
[Sub Materials]
-Condensed Aether
-Black Iron Powder
-Bubbling Mana Solution
-Glossy Horse Tail
-New Material Leather
They were the materials needed to craft gloves.
The moment he pressed the craft button, the item was created.
[Crafting a God-grade item.]
[Converting into an item suited to your current job.]
[Crafting successful!]
[You have crafted ‘Thanatos’ Gloves’.]
[Thanatos’ Gloves]
-Category: Gloves
-Grade: God
-Defense: 1,200
-Effect: All Stats +50, you can use the skill ‘Death’s Grasp’.
-Durability: 20,000/20,000
-Use Restriction: Master grade or higher
-Description: Gloves created using the divinity of Thanatos, the God of Death. When equipping the set item, you gain additional effects.
-Thanatos’ Garment Set Effect (3/5)
-2-Set Effect: Resistance +20%
-3-Set Effect: Skill Damage +10%
-4-Set Effect: ?????
-5-Set Effect: ?????
The moment he crafted a God-grade glove, the 3-set effect activated.
It was a great effect that increased skill damage.
‘My goal was to secure three God-grade pieces before Round 15, and I finally did it.’
Maybe because he killed an Archangel, it was far faster than planned.
And by equipping Thanatos’ Gloves, he also gained a useful skill.
[Temporary Skill – Death’s Grasp]
-Effect: Using powerful telekinesis, you can pull an enemy toward you or shove them away. Range is 30m. If the enemy’s rank is high, they may resist the telekinesis.
‘With this, I can even drag down angels that fly.’
Since it had no cooldown, one advantage was that he could use it as much as he wanted.
The downsides were that he had to extend his hand to use it, and depending on the opponent, it could be resisted.
‘Now there’s only one thing left to do with my remaining points.’
Make level 99.
But it still wasn’t time.
‘When I need the invincibility effect—that’s when I’ll make level 99.’
With that, he decided to sleep, saving it for later.
Though Jeffrey’s call woke him up right away.
“What is it?”
-Hello, Ryu Min-nim. I’m calling because there’s something I need to report.
Jeffrey had received orders from Yamtti.
To serve Ryu Min like a master, and to report immediately if anything happened.
That was why Jeffrey treated Ryu Min so deferentially.
“Alright. Say it.”
-Christine will soon be going to Korea to meet you, Ryu Min-nim.
“Me? Why?”
-She wants to learn Black Scythe’s location through prophecy. It seems she wants to meet you in person with her father to express their gratitude. And she also wants to get clues about the Necromancer.
Come to think of it, Christine had been fond of him.
In the other world, she had even been stubbornly insisting she would follow him.
‘Is she really trying to meet just to show gratitude? There’s no other motive?’
He didn’t understand why Seo Arin and Christine both wanted so badly to meet Black Scythe in the real world.
Even if they met, nothing would change.
“Understood. Hang up. There’s no good in getting caught talking with me.”
-Yes. Then I will take my leave….
When the call ended, Ryu Min closed his eyes again.
Honestly, it wasn’t even a problem worth thinking about.
‘Meet Black Scythe in the real world? That won’t happen. Not now, not ever.’
If you wanted to make someone an ally, leaving them with a debt was far more profitable than meeting them and accepting repayment.
If they kept that sense of obligation, you could receive help whenever you wanted.
‘I’ll just deny it—say I don’t know anything about Black Scythe. Same with the Necromancer.’
He needed that guy to use in Round 12.
He couldn’t hand information over to Christine.
‘And soon, the organization called Messiah will be founded, and there’s a high chance the Necromancer will be brought in as a member.’
To create a link to the international coalition organization Messiah, he needed to keep the Necromancer alive.
If he simply played dumb and insisted he knew nothing about Black Scythe and the Necromancer, the problem was solved.
If he couldn’t see the future, what could anyone do about it?
Either way, the leash was in Prophet Ryu Min’s hands.
‘Instead, I’ll toss her Round 12 information.’
If he did that, Christine would be satisfied and go back.
As he was thinking that, his phone buzzed.
The caller was Ma Kyung-rok.
“Yes, CEO. Ah, I see. Understood. We’ll meet then.”
It was about meeting together with Christine because he had something to say.
Just as expected.
But after ending the call, Ryu Min’s expression wasn’t good.
‘Sleeping is out of the question now.’
Before he knew it, all his drowsiness had vanished.
Twelve hours had passed since returning from the other world, but John Delgado still hadn’t gotten out of bed.
No—he couldn’t.
Because the memory of the other world, where his limbs were severed, was still vivid.
‘My arms and legs… are they still attached?’
Lying down, he twitched his hands and feet—they moved just fine.
Yet he still couldn’t summon the courage to get up.
It felt too strange to be real.
That his limbs were intact.
Still, he couldn’t stay lying down forever, so he forced himself up.
“Kh….”
There was no pain, but it felt as if pain was there.
Like rehab, he walked slowly.
As he moved through the living room, he recalled the one who had done this to him.
‘Black Scythe.’
A surge of impulse flooded him—the urge to kill that damned son of a bitch.
But John Delgado, in his own way, was a rational man.
He knew perfectly well he couldn’t kill him with his strength alone.
And he also knew that revenge was a luxury in this situation.
‘Revenge, my ass. I should end it here and be satisfied.’
Even if he failed to kill the Saintess, he had achieved his objective by killing her followers.
He had crushed a competing force, and all that remained was to grow Despair Church further.
‘If I build up my forces, maybe an opportunity will come. An opportunity to tear that bastard’s face to shreds.’
As he thought that, John suddenly let out a self-mocking laugh.
Just a moment ago he’d said revenge was a luxury, and yet here he was thinking about it anyway.
‘Hoo… Even if I’m pissed, I have to give it up. What choice do I have?’
That was when—
Ding-dong—
At the sound of the doorbell, he thought maybe a delivery had arrived and opened the door.
But there stood a man in a suit, wearing sunglasses.
“Who are you?”
“Are you the Necromancer, John Delgado?”
In an instant, John equipped his gear.
“Who the hell are you? How do you know where I live?”
He aimed his staff with a murderous glare, and the man raised his hands as if telling him to calm down.
“Whoa, I didn’t come to fight.”
“Then what did you come for?”
“I only came to hand you a business card.”
The man really did pull out only a business card from inside his jacket.
When John took it, the organization name and a nickname were written on it.
“Messiah… affiliated? Spaniard?”
“Our international coalition organization, Messiah, newly founded this time, is looking for people worthy of becoming the Twelve Apostles.”
“Twelve Apostles?”
“An executive position made up of rankers who’ve risen to the strongest seats in each country. The reason I came looking for you, John-nim, who can be called the best in America, is for recruitment.”
“So you’re telling me to join an organization called Messiah, and you’ll give me an executive position?”
“Exactly. Are you interested?”
At Spaniard’s words, John Delgado looked as if he were thinking for a moment, then opened his mouth.
“Before anything else, let me ask just one thing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Will Black Scythe be joining that Twelve Apostles position too?”
Spaniard shook his head, looking regretful.
“No.”
“Why? If it’s Black Scythe of Korea, he’d be the number one priority target to recruit.”
“Well, about that….”
After a brief pause, Spaniard spoke in a quiet voice.
“Messiah was created in the first place to oppose Black Scythe.”
“Oppose Black Scythe?”
When John stared with shocked eyes, Spaniard added an explanation.
“As you know, John-nim, Black Scythe is a unique existence at level 90. We’re only around level 50 at best, so it means we have no choice but to be dragged around by him.”
“So you’re saying you want to make a way to fight back?”
“That’s right. Like how workers form a labor union to fight back against unfair exploitation from a company, we also have to join forces. Isn’t it unreasonable to let Black Scythe—who we don’t even know is an ally or an enemy—keep growing like this?”
John nodded as if he agreed, and Spaniard realized it.
He was almost fully convinced.
“So? Will you join Messiah?”
“Join?”
For John, grinding his teeth, it wasn’t even something to hesitate over.
“Of course I will, f*ck.”