Chapter 198 – Position
◀ ROUND 12 ▶ <Main Quest>
└Clear five trials in the Cave of Trials
[Unified Zone CA-EA001]
└Participating Teams: 7,880
└Cleared Teams: 0/3,940
“Five trials?”
“So that’s why they told us to form teams of five?”
“Ahh, looks like for each trial, one person has to step up and clear it.”
At some Players’ muttering, the angel let out a snort of laughter and spoke.
[You’ve got some experience now, so you can kind of tell just by looking at the quest, huh? That’s right. This Round is about clearing five trials—five people form a team and clear them. And of course, the details about the trials are confidential.]
The Players started moving before the angel even finished speaking.
The moment they heard it was a team battle, they began thinking about who to party with and put it into action.
If they wasted time, they could end up as the unlucky last two.
[Since your survival’s on the line, you all move fast. Good. That proactive attitude. Now, listen while you find your teams.]
The angel kept explaining without caring.
[As I said earlier, you must form a party of five to start the game. You all know how to form a party, right? You did it in Round 6. The five of you hold hands and simultaneously speak the trigger phrase, “Form Party.” Ah—right as I said that, the first party has been formed.]
As if results were updating in real time, the angel looked into the air and spoke.
[Parties can be formed regardless of nationality—anyone can party with anyone. They say yesterday’s enemy becomes today’s ally, right? Ah, is it the other way around? Either way, I hope you’ll forget the last Round and form parties amicably. Oh, right—for smooth party formation, I’ll enable the interpretation function.]
The moment the angel finished speaking, a message popped up.
[Round Trait “Interpretation” has been activated.]
[You can converse with the races of the other world.]
[You can converse with all Players without a language barrier.]
The interpretation function they received every time they went to the other world activated again.
They could understand and read each other’s languages, but people still didn’t even glance at foreigners.
Because of the last Round, the idea that foreign Players were dangerous was deeply lodged in their minds.
Some even held prejudices like racial conflict.
[Now that you can understand each other, talk comfortably and find parties. Don’t worry about getting stabbed. Of course, party members can’t harm each other.]
Even with the angel egging them on, the Players only looked for parties within their own countries.
Though those who got pushed out would have no choice but to join hands with other countries.
[As you can see in the quest, only the fastest 3,940 teams to clear the trials will survive. Rankings will be announced based on personal performance. Of course, what criteria the rankings use is a secret. That’s the end of the explanation, and once everyone has formed parties, we’ll begin immediately. So who will be the unlucky two? Kuhuhuhut.]
Leaving behind the angel’s unlucky laughter, Seo Arin looked at the Black Scythe.
“Black Scythe. Have you found party members yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Th-then… how about you party with me…?”
Seo Arin spoke as if embarrassed, but Ryu Min showed no particular reaction.
He said “not yet,” but he’d already chosen the members in his head.
“Huh? Come to think of it, there are conveniently five people gathered here. How about we just party like this?”
Min Juri chimed in from the side, but Ryu Min had no intention of partying with them.
‘Everyone else doesn’t know about the trials, so they’re grabbing whoever they can and forming five-man parties, but…’
Ryu Min, who knew the strategy, didn’t need to do that.
He couldn’t just recruit anyone.
‘You have to form the party with the right people for each trial. That’s the core of this Round.’
They didn’t give five trials for nothing.
That, not only Ryu Min but everyone here knew.
Because he’d told them everything in the prophecy.
‘That’s why they’re suggesting we party as-is. It’s exactly five people, and the job spread is also suitable for clearing each trial.’
But among these people, the only one Ryu Min needed to party with was Min Juri.
He didn’t need the others.
He could replace them with people he trusted more.
‘Besides, Ma Kyung-rok and An Sang-cheol don’t want to party with me either.’
There was the Forest of Labyrinth incident, and they also knew he’d saved Christine.
As a fiancé, he couldn’t help feeling uncomfortable.
Cracks had already formed in their relationship—too late to patch.
“Black Scythe…? What do you think? Partying with us—”
“Sorry. I’m planning to party with Democracy.”
“Excuse me? Ah…”
At that declaration, Min Juri and Seo Arin’s reactions split like heaven and hell.
Min Juri was moved that the Black Scythe took care of her, while Seo Arin didn’t show it, but she felt hurt.
“Arin. Let’s find another party.”
“…….”
Even at An Sang-cheol’s words, Seo Arin couldn’t bring herself to move.
In the meantime, someone approached the Black Scythe.
It was Christine.
“Ah, Black Scythe. So you were he—”
Christine, who had come to find the Black Scythe for a party, flinched when she saw Ma Kyung-rok.
Because it was the same nickname as her fiancé.
“Cheonma? Don’t tell me you’re—”
“Hello, Crissy. First time seeing you in the other world, right?”
Ma Kyung-rok, reading the room, used her nickname instead of her real name.
Because the Black Scythe was there.
Christine also didn’t make the mistake of saying a real name in front of others.
“I didn’t expect to see you here, Cheonma.”
“Neither did I.”
Even without speaking English, the conversation flowed—probably thanks to the interpretation function.
“You came looking for the Black Scythe?”
“Yes… there wasn’t anyone around to party with. Don’t misunderstand.”
Christine was making excuses without being asked, as if she felt guilty for some reason.
“I’m not misunderstanding. It’s natural to want to party with the person who saved you. I’m the same way, too. The problem is that Black Scythe won’t accept us.”
“Excuse me?”
Christine looked at Ryu Min.
Her eyes clearly asked: You won’t put me in your party?
“I already decided to party with Democracy here. I’m not planning to party with anyone else yet.”
At words different from what she hoped, Christine’s expression became the same as Seo Arin’s.
Like someone who confessed and got rejected, her face drooped instantly.
Then another person appeared.
“Black Scythe!”
It was Yamtti—his real-world acquaintance.
Beside her was a man with a familiar bulky build.
None other than Victor Zafaireda, Nigeria’s alchemist.
With the same looks and the same nickname, there was no way to miss him.
‘She brought him properly, just like I ordered.’
Ryu Min had already given Yamtti instructions.
To meet Victor by “chance” and bring him along.
Since his face and nickname matched his real-world appearance, it wouldn’t be hard to find him.
“Victor? This is Black Scythe.”
“A-are you really Black Scythe?”
Victor had seen him in the real world, but only wearing a mask.
It was natural he wouldn’t recognize him.
“Nice to meet you, Victor. First time seeing you in the other world.”
“B-Black Scythe? You really are Black Scythe, right?”
“Can’t you tell from the nickname? Hehe.”
Maybe he was overwhelmed at seeing his lifesaver in the other world—Victor didn’t know what to do.
“Nice to meet you. I’m happy to see you. I really, truly wanted to meet you at least once.”
As Victor spoke with a face that looked like he might cry or laugh, someone who looked similar stood beside him.
Ryu Min had already noticed early, just by the nickname.
“Don’t tell me the person next to you is…?”
“Ah, you recognized it by the nickname? Sorry for the late introduction. This is my younger sister, Sophia.”
Sophia’s nickname matched her name too, so he’d recognized her right away.
He just hadn’t expected her to come with Victor.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Black Scythe. I heard you saved my brother from that hell. It’s late, but thank you. Truly… really.”
“It wasn’t anything difficult.”
“No. What you did isn’t something just anyone can do. There are many people with power in this world, but the only one who saved my brother was you, Black Scythe. It’s only right that I thank you.”
Sophia was genuinely grateful to the Black Scythe.
He was a benefactor among benefactors—the one who reunited her with Victor, who’d suffered every kind of hardship after being captured by ISIS.
“Haha. I found out later—my sister is a Black Scythe fan. In Korea, she scraps and collects every article related to you.”
“O-Op pa! Why would you say that!”
“What are you embarrassed about? It’s true.”
Ryu Min smiled as he watched Victor and Sophia bicker.
It felt like looking at himself and Ryu Won.
Meanwhile, the other Players quietly watched, wondering what was going on—but they could tell from context.
To those two, the Black Scythe was a lifesaver.
“Are you forming a party, Black Scythe? Then how about you party with us?”
Victor spoke confidently, and those watching expected it.
That the Black Scythe would accept.
But Ryu Min shook his head again.
“I’ll party with someone else.”
“Is that so? That’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”
Victor and Sophia looked disappointed, but they didn’t complain and turned away.
It looked like they were leaving with nothing gained, but Ryu Min wasn’t finished speaking.
“Instead, party with Yamtti. Victor.”
“Excuse me? With Yamtti?”
Yamtti was someone who’d also been helped alongside the Black Scythe.
Since they already knew each other, it wasn’t uncomfortable, but it was still strange.
Of course, Ryu Min wasn’t pairing Yamtti with him without thought.
‘If Victor wants to clear this Round easily, he’ll need Yamtti.’
Whether it felt odd or not, it was an offer Victor had nothing to lose by taking.
“If it’s Yamtti, I welcome it. What about you, Yamtti?”
“I’m good with it too!”
Yamtti glanced at her master, but she went to Victor’s side without complaint.
A slave couldn’t defy her master’s order.
So Victor, Sophia, and Yamtti became a team and disappeared to find the remaining party members.
“Hmm. Since Black Scythe says he’ll do his own thing, should we form a party among ourselves?”
At Ma Kyung-rok’s suggestion, An Sang-cheol, Christine, and Seo Arin looked at each other.
At this moment, they were recalling the Round 12 prophecy they’d heard from Ryu Min.
– Round 12 is a Round where five people form a team and clear five trials. Of course, you can’t just have any five people team up; you have to choose job roles suited for each trial.
The people Ryu Min said were needed for each trial were as follows:
First trial: Tanker
Second trial: Melee dealer
Third trial: Ranged dealer
Fourth trial: Supporter
Fifth trial: Summoner
To clear each trial, they needed someone with each of those positions.
‘An Sang-cheol is perfect as the tanker, Ma Kyung-rok as the melee dealer, Christine as the supporter, and Seo Arin as the summoner.’
It was the optimal setup—no overlapping positions.
And the four of them knew that too, since they’d heard the prophecy, so they couldn’t easily split up.
“How about we party as the four of us? It’s perfect.”
“Should we?”
At Ma Kyung-rok’s suggestion, the four could only nod.
They couldn’t find a better composition than this.
Seo Arin and Christine originally wanted to put the Black Scythe in the melee dealer slot instead of Ma Kyung-rok, but since he said he wouldn’t party with them, it couldn’t be helped.
“Now we just need one ranged dealer…”
“Who should we take…?”
Whispering as they discussed, they soon spotted a suitable person.
“Greetings, O God!”
It was Heo Tae-seok—the head of the Reaper Church and a dark mage.
As if he had no shame left, he came looking for the Black Scythe and loudly called him a god.
“This lowly one wishes to gain the chance to party with God—would that be possible?”
“You’re really committed to the concept. But I have no business with you. I’ve already chosen my party members.”
“Ah… what a pity.”
Heo Tae-seok drooped like someone who got dumped by his girlfriend, but Ma Kyung-rok’s face, on the other hand, lit up like he’d found prey.
“NoPainNoGain. If you don’t have a party, join us. We have exactly one spot open.”
“Uh… s-sure…?”
Since they weren’t strangers, Heo Tae-seok had no reason to refuse, and he ended up joining Ma Kyung-rok’s team.
Ryu Min watched, but he wasn’t the least bit regretful.
‘Because I was hoping it would turn out exactly like that.’
If no one else, Ryu Min wanted Christine to survive no matter what.
With such a solid party formed exactly according to the strategy, they should make it through this Round safely too.
“Now we should go find our team too.”
“Excuse me? Ah—yes.”
Min Juri honestly didn’t understand why the Black Scythe had pushed everyone else away.
‘I’m really grateful he picked only me… but why?’
No matter how much she thought, she couldn’t figure out the reason—but the truth was surprisingly simple.
‘Because I didn’t want Ma Kyung-rok’s team to take Min Juri from me.’
Ryu Min already knew Ma Kyung-rok coveted Min Juri.
He didn’t want to hand her over to that team, and he also didn’t want to team up with Ma Kyung-rok in the first place.
‘For clearing the Round, it’s best to form the team with my people whenever possible.’
After a few steps, the people Ryu Min met were none other than—
“Jephi, you dumbasses. You two were together.”
Jeffrey and Joo Seong-tak—his slave and, arguably, perfect allies.
“You’re here, Black Scythe. I was waiting.”
“These people are…?”
“They’re the people who’ll party with me. They don’t talk much, and they’re good kids, so you can relax.”
After giving Min Juri a brief introduction, he started moving again.
There was one slot left.
And he already had someone in mind for that summoner slot.
‘A necromancer. I’m bringing that guy onto the team.’
Because for clearing the sub quest, he would absolutely need that guy.