CHAPTER 226. ROUND 13 RESULTS TALLY
★ Round 13 Results Tally ★
[Unified Zone CA-EA001]
└ 1st. Black Scythe (Lv92 Reaper) 00:00:00
└ 2nd. Russell Daniel (Lv62 Blacksmith) 04:04:29
└ 3rd. Democracy (Lv62 Buffer) 06:08:06
“So Black Scythe took first again.”
“Of course he did.”
“The time gaps between 1st, 2nd, and 3rd are pretty huge, aren’t they?”
“But what’s with zero seconds?”
The players’ murmuring curiosity was soon cleared up by an angel.
[As you can see, the time written next to the nickname is the time it took to reach Very Friendly. And 0 seconds means they had already achieved it before the round even started.]
“Ah…….”
“Guess he’d already raised it to Very Friendly.”
They nodded like they understood, but this wasn’t the time to relax while looking at someone else’s results.
For those at the bottom, the dreaded time of erasure was approaching.
[Nearly 80% of humans raised their reputation to Very Friendly, you know? What a relief! Unlike the previous round, there were no shortfalls. But what matters is how fast you achieved it, right?]
Unlike the angel, who giggled, the players’ faces were filled with tension.
Their own rank messages still hadn’t appeared, so they had no way of knowing whether they’d be erased or not.
[Then please check your rank messages now.]
At the angel’s signal, messages were delivered to each of them.
“Ah! I-I lived!”
“Nice!”
“M-me… I’m ranked 4,998th?”
“No! Xiiibaaaal!”
Joy and despair split across the crowd.
Screams and sighs flew back and forth.
It was only natural—this was the moment that decided who went to heaven and who went to hell.
[The record at the cutoff line, rank 4,997, is 7 hours 59 minutes 05 seconds, is it? Congratulations! Up to here is survival, and everything below is eliminated. Then please be on your way.]
“N-no!”
“Save me! Just one more chance!”
Psssss—
Leaving the people’s desperate cries behind, ash scattered into the air.
With half of the already-too-small group gone, an emptiness rushed in.
[Then we’ll take some time to hand out rewards!]
[Congratulations! You have cleared the quest as the 1st place in this zone!]
[Your current rank, ‘Black Scythe,’ is 1st in this zone.]
[As the 1st place reward for this zone ranking, you have been given a ‘Legendary Potion Selection Box’!]
[As the 1st place reward for this zone ranking, you have been given a ‘Special Reward Selection Box’!]
Seeing the rewards he’d received, Ryu Min used the Potion Selection Box first.
[Please touch the potion you want from the options below.]
└ 1. Potion of Life
└ 2. Elixir of Super Regeneration
└ 3. Indomitable Resistance Potion
└ 4. Memory Erasure Potion
└ 5. Elixir of Immunity
All of them were Legendary-grade.
Each one was a great potion.
‘If I hadn’t received the elf’s reward in Round 8, or if I hadn’t cleared the Tower of Trials up to the 99th floor, I would’ve chosen the Elixir of Super Regeneration to prepare for Round 15. But…’
Ryu Min selected option 4, Memory Erasure Potion.
He didn’t particularly need the others.
That was how strong he’d become.
Then, when he selected the Special Reward Selection Box, the options appeared.
[You may choose one of the following special rewards.]
[Please touch the reward you want.]
└ 1. Stats +50% Buff (Round 14 only)
└ 2. Temporary Skill – Invincibility (Round 14 only)
└ 3. Information about Round 14
Whenever it was time to choose rewards, Ryu Min always picked without hesitation.
But this time, even Ryu Min couldn’t help but think.
‘There’s a high chance an archangel will appear in Round 14 as well.’
He was the suspect who had killed four archangels—there was no way they wouldn’t try to get revenge, no matter what.
‘If I’m going to face an archangel, I should pick option 1.’
If he raised his stats, he could inflate the Demon’s Blessing reward even more.
Of course, picking option 1 was the sensible choice—but the other option kept nagging at him.
‘Option 2, the temporary skill Invincibility. If I have that, I can use it effectively in Round 14. I can also obtain the [Rune of Devouring], which I absolutely need.’
Without option 2, getting that rune was impossible.
Since it was a rune he’d already decided he had to obtain no matter what, it bothered him even more.
‘If the archangels weren’t coming, I would’ve picked option 2 without question, but…’
Would they really sit still and watch?
This time too, they would use the opening to the other realm to come after his life in Round 14.
‘Hoo… this is a tough one.’
After deep deliberation, Ryu Min finally moved his finger.
[You have selected option 2.]
[When Round 14 begins, you will receive the temporary skill ‘Invincibility.’]
He chose to give up the stats buff and prioritize obtaining the rune.
‘There’s no downside to having Invincibility. If it comes to it, I can even use it to deal with an archangel.’
What if the archangels ranked 1st, 2nd, and 3rd all appeared at the same time?
No matter how high Ryu Min’s stats were, he couldn’t guarantee he’d win.
In a situation like that, Invincibility—something that could decide the outcome—might be more effective than a 50% stats buff.
‘If possible, I’d rather they didn’t come. Now that I picked option 2, the archangels would only be an obstruction.’
◀ ROUND 13 END ▶
[Unified Zone CA-EA001]
└ Survivors: 4,997
[Shortly, your soul will be transferred to your body in the original dimension.]
[Round 14 begins at midnight on February 1, 2023. We will see you in the next round. Congratulations on your survival.]
Inside the cabin, three men wore grave expressions.
They were the members of the Twelve Apostles, and there weren’t many of them left now.
“Just let him show up, that Xbal bastard. I’ll split his skull open on the spot.”
“Even if you’re angry, you should at least hear him out. Mr. Yang Chuiwen. Who knows—he might have his reasons.”
“What reasons, my ass! We agreed to meet in Round 13, and that bastard stood us up on purpose. What am I supposed to hear from him?”
“…….”
“That foreign bastard never sat right with me from the start. He should’ve died like that curry-man bastard.”
“But he contacted us saying he’s coming this way, so let’s hear him out.”
Despite Spaniard’s persuasion, Yang Chuiwen only snorted.
“Bullshit. Hey, Dark Soul.”
“Yes?”
“Get ready to snipe at the door. The moment that bastard opens it and walks in, blow his head off and—”
That was when it happened.
Creeeak—
The cabin door opened, and the man at the center of the whole issue walked in.
It was none other than John Delgado.
“You Xbal bastard!”
“H-Hey! Why are you doing this? Hold it in.”
John, who looked at the enraged Yang Chuiwen and the restraining Spaniard with indifferent eyes, sat down as usual.
“Look at that calm face on him. It’s pissing me off like crazy.”
“Why are you so angry?”
“What?”
At John’s expression, as if he truly didn’t know what the problem was, Yang Chuiwen was so dumbfounded he nearly lost the ability to speak.
His face was flushed red, like it might explode at any moment.
Before things could get worse, Spaniard stepped in quickly.
“Mr. John Delgado. Why did you do that in Round 13?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t tell me you forgot. Didn’t you agree to meet us in the other realm and track Jepi together? You’re the only one who knows Jepi’s face.”
“Ah, that.”
“Why didn’t you show up at the meeting place? You said we’d meet at the closest spot where the angel could be seen…”
“Sorry. It slipped my mind.”
“Slipped… your mind?”
At such a hollow reason, Spaniard let out a sigh.
Yang Chuiwen finally snapped and shouted.
“There are things you can forget and things you can’t, and you forgot that? You’re just trying to screw us over, aren’t you? You Xbal bastard!”
“Guess you’re a punk—your mouth’s filthy as hell.”
“What did you say, you little shit!?”
“Enough, enough! We didn’t gather here to fight, did we? Hm?”
With Spaniard and Dark Soul mediating, nothing huge broke out.
But Yang Chuiwen and John stared at each other like they wanted to kill one another.
“P-people can forget sometimes. Right?”
“Forget, my ass! That bastard’s lying. He decided to make us eat shit!”
“Enough, enough. Isn’t today not the only day? We can meet again in Round 14 and track Jepi then. John, you won’t ‘slip your mind’ this time, right?”
John Delgado nodded and said,
“We’ll proceed with tracking Jepi in Round 14.”
“Tch… something we could’ve finished in Round 13, and now…”
Leaving the grumbling Yang Chuiwen behind, Spaniard stood up.
“Alright, alright. The mood’s bad, so we should end today’s meeting here. John—sorry to cut it short when you just arrived. Let’s head down now.”
“So I came here for nothing.”
As John opened the cabin door first, Spaniard spoke hurriedly.
“Ah, what am I doing… I’ve got something to整理—no, something to wrap up, and I forgot. We’ll leave a bit later. You go on ahead. See you next time.”
John didn’t even respond as he went outside.
Only after John had completely left the range of presence detection did Spaniard speak quietly.
“You all noticed it, but we intentionally separated John Delgado. I have something urgent to discuss.”
“About what?”
Spaniard admitted his honest thoughts.
“In my view, John Delgado is likely in league with Black Scythe.”
“In league?”
“Honestly, it’s not even a difficult operation. The idea that he ‘forgot’ makes no sense, doesn’t it? Unless he has dementia.”
“That excuse really is unbelievable.”
“That’s why I’m suspicious. Jepi, Black Scythe, John Delgado—there’s a chance all of them are working together.”
Bang—!
Yang Chuiwen slammed the table, his face blazing as he seethed.
“Xbal, I knew it. That traitor bastard.”
“He probably didn’t betray us of his own will.”
“What are you talking about now?”
“Did you forget? Black Scythe has domination authority.”
“Ah…….”
“He probably went to find Black Scythe in Round 12, got his schemes exposed, and ended up being dominated in reverse. Ordered to become his subordinate.”
It must have sounded plausible—Yang Chuiwen and Dark Soul nodded.
“Huh? Then aren’t we in danger? Our information would’ve been exposed to Black Scythe.”
“Most likely. John probably spilled a lot.”
Not even realizing their information had already been leaked, the three men all turned grim.
“S-so what do we do? Isn’t this not the time to relax—shouldn’t we split up right now?”
“Hey. You think splitting up means he can’t track us? That foreign bastard lackey knows all our faces. He’ll probably guide Black Scythe to each of us one by one, like a navigation system.”
“So basically we’re dead meat, all of us!”
Dark Soul trembled with fear, but Spaniard stayed calm.
“There’s one way to live.”
“Bow your head to Black Scythe? If it’s something like that, no thanks. Xbal—men have pride.”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what?”
Yang Chuiwen and Dark Soul fixed their attention on Spaniard’s mouth.
“We strike first.”
“Are you crazy? What can the three of us possibly do?”
“That’s reckless. You know what kind of monster Black Scythe is…”
“Mr. Dark Soul. Compared to before, your confidence has really shrunk.”
As if he’d been hit in the sore spot, Dark Soul flinched.
“Where’s that swagger from when you claimed no one could match you at sniping?”
“T-that… I’m still confident. No matter if it’s Black Scythe, if his head explodes, doesn’t he die? But that’s only if he comes to the sniping spot…”
“That’s it. We lure Black Scythe to the sniping spot. Of course, the lure will be done by me and Mr. Yang Chuiwen.”
“What? You want me to be bait?”
“There’s no other way, is there? If you can’t avoid it, you have to crash into it.”
Spaniard’s words had persuasive force.
If they just sat here slack-jawed, they might be assassinated by Black Scythe at any moment.
“Even a rat backed into a corner bites a cat. We have no choice but to move first.”
“Do you have a plan in mind?”
“First, through John Delgado, we’ll make contact and say we want to meet Black Scythe. We’ll propose meeting to ‘get along’—that kind of thing. We choose the location. Then, when Black Scythe comes to the sniping spot…”
“We shoot his head off?”
At Dark Soul’s words, Spaniard nodded.
“Yes. To make the target let his guard down, Mr. Yang Chuiwen and I will step forward ourselves and draw his attention.”
“No, two isn’t enough. Can we pull in one more?”
“Of course. Mr. Yang Chuiwen—do you have anyone who can help?”
“There’s a player under me—my ‘Jangsojwi’—rank 2 in the Black Scythe Society’s hierarchy. If we go together, he’ll be useful.”
“Good. The three of you will act as bait, and Mr. Dark Soul will handle the snipe. You’re confident, yes?”
“If you draw his attention, I can crack anyone’s skull.”
Dark Soul’s face regained the confidence that had disappeared.
It was hard to hit a moving target, but if they drew his attention and he entered the sniping spot, it was a different story.
“Really? Even Black Scythe—you’re sure you can kill him?”
“Mr. Yang Chuiwen, don’t worry. Black Scythe is still human, right? Of course I can kill him.”
“‘Of course’? Say it for sure. If you fail, we all die.”
“I won’t fail. Just draw his attention properly so he can’t move. While I’m at it, I’m thinking of taking a bite out of the Zone Representative title.”
Whether killing someone in the real world could make him the representative was unclear, but one thing was certain: Dark Soul believed in himself.
“Then what about John Delgado?”
“We’ll deal with him later. Once Black Scythe is dead, he’ll be easy to remove anyway.”
“Fine.”
“Good. Let’s carry out the plan right away.”
The three apostles who had laid out the operation curled their lips into a greasy smile.