Chapter 201 – Fifth Trial
[There is a hidden Sub Quest!] <Sub Quest>
└Clear 3 or more Trials solo
└On success ▶ Receive a Rune Bundle
[You have completed the Sub Quest!]
[A Rune Bundle has been added to your inventory.]
Ryu Min smiled in satisfaction as he looked at the reward.
‘There it is. The Sub Quest reward.’
The reason he’d insisted on clearing the Trials alone this whole time wasn’t anything complicated.
It was because he needed to get the Sub Quest reward.
‘Looks like the first Trial didn’t count since I didn’t tank it with my own body.’
From the second to the fourth, he had been the only one involved.
That was why he could claim the reward—but in truth, there was one more Sub Quest in this Round.
‘Which is also why I brought a necromancer along.’
In the final, fifth Trial, he planned to use the necromancer to claim the second Sub Quest reward as well.
‘Not just for me, but for everyone in the party.’
Of course, the necromancer would be excluded from “everyone.”
‘Shall we do a draw, then?’
Ryu Min immediately manipulated the System and used the Rune Bundle.
[You have used the Rune Bundle.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained ‘Rune of Reputation’!]
[The acquired Rune will be automatically engraved onto the player’s body!]
[Rune of Reputation]
-Effect: Your reputation received in other worlds increases by one stage. There is no neutral—wherever you go, you will be treated favorably.
Even Ryu Min didn’t know what Rune would come out of a Rune Bundle.
He didn’t know whether the result was determined at the moment you obtained the item or by some other rule, but each run had always produced a new Rune.
‘So I wasn’t really expecting much, but…’
A pretty good Rune had come out.
‘My reputation in other worlds goes up by one stage?’
Meaning: neutral becomes friendly, and friendly becomes very friendly.
Sure enough, the moment he obtained the Rune, his reputations changed.
[Humanity’s reputation toward ‘Last Time Reversal’ has risen from ‘sworn enemy’ -> ‘hostile’.]
[Demons’ reputation toward ‘Black Scythe’ has risen from ‘friendly’ -> ‘very friendly’.]
[Humanity’s reputation toward ‘Black Scythe’ has risen from ‘friendly’ -> ‘very friendly’.]
[Elves’ reputation toward ‘Black Scythe’ has risen from ‘very friendly’ -> ‘eternal ally’.]
[Dwarves’ reputation toward ‘The One Who Leads’ has risen from ‘friendly’ -> ‘very friendly’.]
………………
…………
…………
Every reputation rose by one stage.
Not only Black Scythe’s, but every Title he possessed as well.
‘If you exclude Last Time Reversal, I’ll be treated favorably by every race.’
All neutral reputations had turned friendly, and the ones that had already been good became even better.
Demons, dwarves, and elves especially.
Since there were things he needed from them, the corners of Ryu Min’s lips lifted naturally.
‘This will shorten things a lot.’
He wouldn’t need to grind reputation the hard way, so it would be much easier to get what he wanted.
‘This is basically like clearing Round 13 for free.’
When Round 13 came, he’d originally planned to visit only the elves, but now he’d need to stop by the dwarves as well.
After finishing his business, Ryu Min nodded toward the companions waiting for him.
“Let’s go.”
Thanks to Ryu Min, the party members—who had cleared things without much trouble—soon arrived at the location of the final Trial.
“Is it here?”
In front of them was a path like a bottomless abyss, where nothing could be seen.
They couldn’t tell what lay beyond it, and they couldn’t bring themselves to take a step—when a message appeared at just that moment. <Fifth Trial>
└Within 1 hour, all party members must pass through the traps and reach the end of the corridor
└On success ▶ Registered as the survival team; performance will be evaluated and EXP awarded
└On failure ▶ Total annihilation
‘On failure, total annihilation?’
As John stood flustered, an explanatory message rose up behind it.
[Before your eyes lies a corridor filled with abyssal darkness that cannot be illuminated by any light.]
[Throughout the darkness are traps; the moment a target touches a trap, the target is annihilated.]
[However, when a target is annihilated, the trap is simultaneously removed and will not regenerate.]
[If all party members avoid the traps and safely reach the end of the corridor within the time limit, the Trial will end.]
[Conversely, if you fail to reach the end of the corridor by the time limit, it will be considered a failure.]
[For reference, in this place, all skills except Summoning are prohibited.]
[Because visibility is narrow, rely on one another’s backs and clear the Trial calmly.]
Maybe because it was the last Trial—if they failed, it would be total annihilation with no mercy.
And even touching a “trap” meant instant annihilation.
It was a Trial that sounded tense just hearing about it, but for some reason, John’s lips were twitching.
Because he’d already realized the method of clearing it.
‘So to get through that corridor where you can’t see ahead, you have to remove the traps as you go, right? Using my summons?’
The moment he realized it was a Trial where he was absolutely necessary, John’s expression shifted subtly.
His lips twitched into a nasty grin.
“From the looks of it, this is a Trial you can never clear without summons, huh?”
“I think so… What do we do?”
“You should be grateful.”
“Excuse me? What do you mean…?”
At Min Juri’s words, John arrogantly lifted his chin.
“Just so happens my job is one that controls summons.”
His tone and expression had completely changed.
Naturally.
From this moment on, he could say he was the one holding the power.
Maybe that was why he found the courage to speak insolently to Black Scythe.
“Hey, Black Scythe.”
Since they were party members and damage wouldn’t work, he had nothing to be afraid of.
“What should we do about this? A Trial came up that we can never clear unless I cooperate.”
“And what are you trying to say?”
John’s lips twisted upward.
“You still have points left, right? Transfer me ten million points. And get on your knees and beg me to spare you. Then who knows? Maybe I’ll show mercy.”
“Excuse me, Mr. John Delgado! What do you think you’re—”
“F*ck, shut up, you buffer bitch! I’m talking to Black Scythe right now!”
After lashing out at Min Juri for no reason, John looked back at Black Scythe again.
“Well? Can’t do it? If you can’t, then you die here.”
“Does that mean you’ll die too?”
“Yeah. If I had it my way, I’d lead the way and clear it myself, but then you guys would just trail after me like little chicks, wouldn’t you? If that’s how it’s gonna be, I’d rather we all die together.”
“You’d throw away your own life over that petty grudge?”
“That petty grudge?”
John’s eyebrow twitched.
“You cut off someone’s limbs and you call it a petty grudge? You f*cking bastard—looks like you still don’t feel any danger. Maybe you need to get annihilated for real to come to your senses, huh?”
John shouted as if vomiting out all the resentment he’d bottled up, then spoke as though he’d made up his mind.
“Ten million points and a sincere apology. If you don’t do those two things right now, don’t expect me to cooperate. Then you—and the entire party—will be annihilated. Me? I don’t care if I die. As long as I can kill you.”
He said that, but in truth, it was nothing more than a threat he didn’t even mean.
Who in the world would actually offer up their own life just to kill someone else?
He wanted revenge with every fiber of his being, but even John wasn’t that far gone.
‘But I’ve gotta put on a show like this so he’ll accept the deal, right?’
If he wanted to make Black Scythe kneel, he had to come on strong.
Anyway, the bastard’s lifeline was in John’s hands—no need to get scared.
‘Once I get ten million points, I’ll buy EXP packs and hit max level in one go. Then I’ll be able to stand up to the current Black Scythe.’
He’d even prepared a countermeasure for when the clearing ended and the party disbanded.
He hadn’t thrown out “ten million points” as a condition without thinking.
‘You have no choice but to accept. Why? Because it’s not just your life on the line—it’s everyone else’s too. Heh heh heh.’
Since he was human, there was no way the bastard felt no guilt.
To save the party members, he’d have no choice but to bow his head.
That’s what he thought, but—
“Get lost.”
“Got it. You’ll accept the dea—what?”
At the unexpected answer, John’s mind went blank for a while.
“What did you just say?”
“I said get lost. We’ll get through on our own.”
“Ha, this bastard still hasn’t come to his senses. Didn’t you hear the explanation? Touch a trap and you’re annihilated instantly. You can’t light up the darkness by any method. In that situation, you think you can move forward while avoiding traps? No matter how amazing you are, you’ll have no choice but to rely on my summons.”
“That’s something we’ll see about.”
“What?”
Stunned by that baseless confidence, John filled his face with a sneer.
“F*ck, fine. Try it, then. Looks like you’re gonna rely on your instincts like an idiot—don’t blame me if you get wiped out in one hit.”
Ignoring John’s “advice,” Black Scythe stood before the corridor.
A corridor of abyssal darkness where nothing but darkness could be seen no matter where you looked—up, down, left, or right.
Even stepping into that space would be terrifying, but Black Scythe took his first step without hesitation.
‘Huh? He’s fine?’
Black Scythe—standing perfectly fine as if he were standing on top of the darkness—looked back at his companions.
“What are you doing? Why aren’t you following?”
“Ah, yes!”
“Line up in single file and follow me. Don’t fall more than three steps behind the person in front of you. If you slip up and take the wrong path, you’re headed for annihilation on the spot.”
With that, Black Scythe led the way and walked forward.
Walking through the darkness was not a difficult thing for him.
‘He’s panicking.’
Ryu Min let out a soft snort of laughter as he glanced back at the necromancer standing there alone.
‘Of course he would be. We’re walking through this hellish abyss without summons.’
Under the normal method of clearing, summons were essential for this Trial.
You’d move forward with summons in front, and if the summon fell into a trap and was annihilated, you’d send another summon down a different path.
Finding the route that way was the core strategy for this Trial.
But for Ryu Min, a regressor, there was no need for summons.
‘Because I’ve memorized the path.’
Even if he couldn’t see where it was safe and where the traps were, he knew.
He had realized it all through experience and memorized it.
‘Five steps ahead, there’s a trap.’
Ryu Min avoided the trap and walked two steps to the side.
Then, like a line of kids playing follow-the-leader, the party members trailed after him perfectly.
‘This way, there’s no risk of being annihilated. And there’s no need for a summoner.’
In practical terms, the Trial’s corridor was something Ryu Min could clear alone.
The party members were gathered only because progressing the Trial required it.
In truth, no matter who became party members, the Trial was a guaranteed win.
‘Someone might ask: if you can clear it alone, why did you bother bringing a necromancer into the party?’
The reason was simple.
Because he needed to trigger the second Sub Quest.
‘The condition for the second Sub Quest is: [Clear the Trial on your own, without the summoner’s help].’
In other words, if he let the summoner pass last, and the rest of the members stepped onto the end of the corridor first, the second Sub Quest would be completed.
‘And everyone except the summoner will receive the Sub Quest reward.’
Then what happens to the summoner who comes in last?
Not only would he fail to receive the reward, he would also receive a permanent debuff.
That was the reason Ryu Min had deliberately included John Delgado in the party.
To achieve the second Sub Quest and give that bastard a permanent debuff.
‘If you tried to assassinate me, you have to pay the price.’
Smiling, Ryu Min stepped onto the final ground.
Tap—
After Ryu Min, Min Juri, Jeffrey, and Joo Seong-tak safely reached the end of the corridor, a message appeared.
[You have completed the Sub Quest!]