Chapter 205 – Listing
[Congratulations! You have achieved the quest as 1st place in this Zone!]
[Your current ranking, ‘Black Scythe’-nim, is 1st in this Zone.]
[As the reward for 1st place in this Zone ranking, a ‘Rune Pouch’ will be granted!]
[As the reward for 1st place in this Zone ranking, a ‘Special Reward Selection Box’ will be granted!]
At this point, taking first place every time was starting to get boring.
‘Still… I’d be annoyed if I didn’t get it.’
Thinking of it as simply receiving what he was rightfully owed, Ryu Min used the Rune Pouch.
[You have used the Rune Pouch.]
[Congratulations! You obtained the ‘Rune of Gale’!]
[The acquired Rune will be automatically engraved onto the player’s body!]
[Rune of Gale]
-Effect: Attack Speed and Movement Speed increase by 100%.
‘Oh. That’s pretty decent, actually?’
His attack speed and movement speed were already fast enough, but having more was better than not having it.
‘Just judging the Rune itself, it’s above-average.’
There was no downside to getting stronger, and he might need it as preparation for what came next.
‘Because I don’t know how strong Michael—the number one archangel—really is.’
When he’d seen him before, Michael’s strength had felt like the abyss itself… but he had no idea how it would feel now.
‘If I’m going to face Michael, I need to get stronger no matter what.’
He had already eliminated ranks 6 and 7, so next would be rank 5—but he didn’t particularly expect much.
If he could kill 6 and 7 easily, how strong could 5 really be?
‘Still, I should stay cautious. There’s always the chance they descend into the real world.’
The Otherworld wasn’t much of a problem, but if an archangel appeared in reality, even Ryu Min would have to tense up.
‘They might even target my younger brother.’
Thinking he should prepare for any possibility, he pressed the Special Reward Selection Box.
[You may select one of the following special rewards.]
[Please touch the reward you want.]
└ 1. EXP Gain x2 Buff (Round 13 only)
└ 2. Mercenary Corps rank increases by one tier
└ 3. Information about Round 13
‘No 고민 at all. It’s number 2.’
He was deliberately not leveling, so he didn’t need EXP.
And as for Round 13 information, there wasn’t even anything to discuss.
‘If the Mercenary Corps rank goes up, I get a chance to hunt a dragon.’
The moment he tapped option 2, a message appeared.
[Your Mercenary Corps rank has increased from ‘Expert’ to ‘Veteran’.]
To hunt a dragon, he only needed to raise it one more tier.
◀ ROUND 12 ENDED ▶
[Integrated Zone CA-EA001]
└Survivors: 9,994
[In a moment, your soul will be transferred back into your original dimension’s body.]
[Round 13 begins at midnight on January 1, 2023. We will see you in the next Round. Congratulations on surviving.]
‘Thank god. This Round, I actually got the ranking reward.’
Ma Kyung-rok—who had placed 2nd in the Round 12 rankings—rose from his bed with a satisfied expression.
It was only 5 a.m., but sleep wouldn’t come.
Clink—
Holding a whiskey glass with ice floating in it, he looked out over the hotel’s night view.
In Round 11, even staring at the wide-open Han River had filled him with a suffocating sense of hopelessness, but now he could finally breathe again.
‘I thought I was falling behind everyone because I had 0 points, but I held my ground. That’s a relief.’
The key had been listening to the Prophet’s “prophecy” about the strategy.
‘He said the individual ranking would be decided by monster kill count, so I needed to kill as many golems as possible on my own.’
Thanks to that, he killed all 100 in the second Trial and secured 2nd place.
Even so, he still couldn’t cross Black Scythe’s threshold.
‘Tch. That damn bastard. How does a melee DPS kill 200 by himself and take 1st?’
From the look of it, Black Scythe must have cleared the second and third Trials solo—and to do that, he would’ve needed to learn magic too.
‘Or did he have a ranged weapon like a bow?’
He didn’t want to admit it, but with Black Scythe’s raw strength, even a weak weapon would be enough to kill without trouble.
‘Haa… what an irritating bastard.’
His anger from Round 11 still hadn’t faded, so Black Scythe didn’t look pleasant to him at all.
‘We could’ve formed a party of five, and he rejected that too.’
Even though he could’ve partied at the start with Ma Kyung-rok, An Sang-cheol, and Seo Arin, he refused—then snatched only Min Juri away.
He didn’t say it out loud, but it had rubbed him the wrong way.
‘Come to think of it, he’s been sticking with that Buffer the whole time… Are they dating or something?’
No way.
Who would like a personality-ruined guy who speaks in informal language the moment he meets you and has nothing but pride?
‘…Ah. There is someone.’
The person Ma Kyung-rok thought of was Christine.
She tried not to show it, but Ma Kyung-rok was sharp.
He wasn’t unaware that Christine, deep down, liked Black Scythe.
‘It’s understandable. He saved her life. It wouldn’t be strange if personal feelings got involved. But still…’
Ma Kyung-rok bit down hard on his lower lip.
‘Why are you looking elsewhere when you have a fiancé right beside you?’
Their relationship wasn’t bad… but he couldn’t say it was good either.
It felt like a hollow, performative relationship meant for other people to see, so it was only natural it came across that way.
‘But you’re engaged. You promised a future. In that situation, you’re not supposed to look at someone else.’
Honestly, Ma Kyung-rok hadn’t cared who Christine liked.
Just a month ago, he’d even thought it was fine if she didn’t like him.
But now, he understood something clearly.
No matter what, he couldn’t stand the idea of her sticking to Black Scythe.
‘The only Zone Representative, monopolizing 1st place—like he doesn’t already have everything. And now he wants to steal someone else’s woman too?’
Even though Black Scythe was the benefactor who saved Christine’s life, gratitude was overwhelmed by negative feelings.
‘If I’d known I’d be this stressed, I should’ve saved her myself—fuck.’
Maybe the Prophet had known all of this.
That Black Scythe would be the one to save Christine.
‘That damn Prophet.’
Now, even the innocent Prophet was starting to look irritating.
‘There’s one way. Prove to Christine that Min Juri is his girlfriend. Then she’ll give up the crush.’
It wasn’t a crush—it was admiration—but Ma Kyung-rok had no way of knowing that.
In his negative mindset, even a respectful gaze looked like longing.
‘But how am I supposed to prove Min Juri is his girlfriend?’
He didn’t know her real name, her bare face—nothing.
And it was the same for Black Scythe.
And besides, what if she wasn’t his girlfriend at all?
‘Well… with that kind of ability, you can’t help but keep her close.’
A Buffer who nearly doubles all stats, attack speed, and movement speed.
She was undeniably a talent anyone would covet.
‘Honestly, I want her by my side too—getting buffed again and again.’
That was why Ma Kyung-rok had pried so insistently about Min Juri’s identity and home address.
‘If I had that Buffer beside me, she’d help in so many ways…’
But it was a shame—he’d have to give up on finding her.
Ma Kyung-rok drained the whiskey in one go, then frowned.
Maybe because his mood was so fucking awful, the alcohol tasted especially bitter today.
‘It’s the perfect night to work.’
When he was this stressed, picking criminals and killing them made him feel a lot better.
‘This is why I can’t quit murdering.’
Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, he might as well choose a target.
He sat in front of his laptop, spending time selecting which criminal to kill.
Maybe he focused too hard.
He noticed the sky had brightened, but he’d missed mealtime.
‘It’s already this late?’
Breakfast hours were over, but he didn’t worry.
If he went downstairs and told the hotel chef to prepare something, it would be served quickly.
Bzzzt—bzzzt—
Just then, his phone rang. He checked it—and unexpectedly, the call came from a place he hadn’t been expecting.
“Yes, this is Ma Kyung-rok. What? Really? Haha, thank you. Understood. Yes, yes—goodbye.”
After the call ended, Ma Kyung-rok’s face looked noticeably brighter.
It was because he’d been told he’d passed the KOSPI listing review he’d applied for earlier.
“Hahaha… just like the Prophet said. We’re really getting listed on KOSPI in just half a year.”
How shocked would his father be when he heard this?
In a rush to deliver the news, Ma Kyung-rok quickly made another call.
He was so happy that the thought of food vanished completely.
To be listed on KOSPI, a company had to meet several conditions.
It had to be over three years old, have annual revenue of at least 100 billion won, and paid-in capital of at least 30 billion won.
‘And net profit has to exceed 6 billion won over three years, too.’
Despite those strict requirements, Ma Kyung-rok’s company—Player Place Co., Ltd.—passed the KOSPI listing review.
Now, he had the chance to shed the “small business” label and step up as a proper major corporation.
‘More importantly… I finally earned my father’s 인정.’
Even though Ma Kyung-rok was the eldest son, he’d grown up without recognition from his father, Ma Dae-cheol.
It wasn’t as if he lacked ability compared to the second and third sons—yet he was treated that way for one reason.
‘Because Father’s expectations for the eldest were too high.’
Whenever his father scolded him, he always said the same thing.
-When I was your age, do you know what I did to earn your grandfather’s recognition? I took a pathetic little amount of capital and grew it and grew it—built a venture company and expanded it. That became today’s Ohsung Electronics, which now holds 65% of our group’s market cap!
He’d ramble a few more lines after that, but the conclusion was always the same:
If you were born the eldest, you should be able to build a huge company like I did.
‘And then he told me to start a company.’
He said he’d give Ma Kyung-rok the capital, and Ma Kyung-rok had to grow the company into the Top 30 on KOSDAQ within five years.
If he did that, his father promised—publicly, before everyone—that he would 인정 his ability, confirm him as the successor, and pass down all his wealth.
But even after four years, Cheonma Consulting was stuck around KOSDAQ rank 85, and with only one year left, Ma Kyung-rok had been on the verge of giving up.
‘And then the world started collapsing—or whatever—and the Great Cataclysm happened too…’
But they say if you don’t give up, chances eventually come.
After meeting the benefactor Ryu Min, he switched the business to PPL Market and achieved the feat of getting listed on KOSPI in just half a year.
‘This is all thanks to the Prophet.’
Feeling a renewed sense of gratitude, Ma Kyung-rok suddenly remembered the curse he’d muttered that morning.
He felt a bit guilty for no reason.
‘When he comes later, I should give him an enthusiastic welcome.’
He’d called Ryu Min to the office, saying he had good news—so he would likely arrive soon.
“Congratulations in advance, CEO.”
As An Sang-cheol bowed his head beside him, Ma Kyung-rok smiled.
“Haha. Executive Director An, you’ve worked hard all this time too.”
“I didn’t do anything.”
“That’s not true. Without you, would I have made it this far? You’re the one who helped every time I needed to relieve stress, aren’t you?”
The “stress” he meant was murder.
Executive Director An was the reliable support who handled the cleanup afterward—that was why he said it.
“Did you call the Chairman to the office as well?”
“I did.”
“Does he know we passed the review?”
“He does. I told him everything over the phone. He kept saying it couldn’t be real.”
Considering they didn’t just reach KOSDAQ Top 30, but went beyond and got listed on KOSPI—no wonder he was shocked.
“Then why didn’t you tell the Prophet this good news?”
“Even if I didn’t, he looked like he already knew. You can tell just by the way he said he’d gladly come congratulate us.”
“That’s a relief. Since it turned out exactly as foretold.”
“It really is. Heh.”
A smile kept lingering at the corners of Ma Kyung-rok’s mouth.
He was in such a good mood that he even personally prepared the celebration event the employees were setting up at the office.
“Haven’t you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
“Don’t tell me you skipped breakfast too?”
“After achieving what I wanted for five years… I didn’t even feel hungry.”
While Ma Kyung-rok beamed, the guest he’d been waiting for finally arrived.
“CEO, the Chairman has arrived.”
Before An Sang-cheol even finished speaking, Ma Kyung-rok saw it.
Chairman Ma Dae-cheol walking in.
“Father, you’ve come—”
Ma Kyung-rok’s face, which had been smiling, instantly hardened.
Because behind him, the second and third sons—his brothers who were worse than strangers—were walking in as well.