Chapter 88 - End of Round 6
Hermes' Feathered Helm had an option called Invisibility.
Just like the name said, it was an ability that made the user's form transparent.
'You couldn't ask for a better skill for an assassin.'
Assassins learned the Invisibility skill at level 20.
But this item allowed anyone to use it, even if they weren't an assassin.
And there was no difference in performance.
'Letting anyone use the Invisibility skill— that's this item's strength.'
For now, what Ryu Min needed more than damage boosts was this kind of utility.
'If I use Invisibility well, I can do all kinds of things.'
He could slip past CCTV cameras, or make good use of it to ambush enemies.
Hearing that much, Invisibility might sound like a completely broken skill…
'Its downside is that you still get caught by Detection. Only your body turns invisible— you can't erase sound.'
Detection was a common skill.
In the end, as long as someone learned Detection, they could see through Invisibility.
On top of that, Invisibility was a skill that canceled the moment you attacked or were attacked.
Its cooldown was long too, so its drawbacks were obvious when it came to actual combat.
Even so, Ryu Min had a separate reason for valuing Invisibility so highly.
'Once I get a rune that hides my presence, Invisibility will be almost invincible.'
Among the runes you could obtain in Round 9 was one called the [Rune of Stealth].
It didn't get picked up by Detection, and if you succeeded in an ambush, it erased Invisibility's cooldown— a blatantly broken rune.
It was on the list of runes you absolutely had to get.
'I'd planned to get the Rune of Stealth and then buy an item with Invisibility on it…'
For now, he'd secured at least one of the two.
Once Round 9 came, if he could just get the Rune of Stealth…
'I'll be able to use perfect Invisibility that even max-level players can't detect.'
When he equipped the Feathered Helm that had appeared in his inventory, messages popped up.
[You have equipped Hermes' Feathered Helm.]
[You can now use the skill 'Invisibility' through its option.]
[Temporary Skill – Invisibility]
Effect: Completely conceals your appearance from opponents. However, only your appearance is hidden; your sounds cannot be silenced.
Duration is 30 minutes. It automatically ends if you attack or are attacked. You can cancel it at will. Cooldown: 30 minutes.
A temporary skill called [Invisibility] appeared in his skill list.
If he unequipped the Feathered Helm, it would disappear again immediately.
'Even if I get better gear later, I'll have to keep the Feathered Helm. Invisibility is useful in so many ways.'
There was no need to wear it all the time.
He could just equip it whenever he needed it, use the skill, and that was that.
And if he ever did have to sell it, it would go for a high price.
'Items with skills as options are popular regardless of their grade.'
This time, Ryu Min used the Special Reward Selection Box.
[You may choose one of the following special rewards.]
[Touch the reward you want.]
└ 1. Material Item Selection Ticket└ 2. 14,000 Gold└ 3. Information on Round 7
Originally, option 1 had always been either an EXP buff or a stat buff.
The fact that it was neither now meant…
'Round 7 is going to have a quest where you don't need either of those.'
If it were any other player making the choice, he would've recommended option 3 without a second thought.
Because, among all the rounds so far, nothing was as important as information on Round 7.
'Some people might be tempted by the extra-high amount of gold and go for 2. But…'
There was no choice that could beat option 3.
That was how crucial information was.
'At least for this Round 7.'
But for Ryu Min, his greatest weapon was the information and experience of ninety-nine regressions.
'Naturally, I'll throw away 3 and pick 1.'
A Material Item Selection Ticket appeared in his hand.
Without even thinking it over, he used it on the spot.
[Choose one of the following materials.]
└ 1. Broken Ironwood Branch└ 2. Bubbling Solution└ 3. Hard Mana Shell
......
...
└ 10. Angel's Golden Powder
There were ten options in total.
If you didn't know what material items were used for, it didn't matter what you chose.
'But for someone like me, who knows all their uses…'
His choice was already decided.
'I'll take number 10, the powder.'
When he accepted the item, its information appeared.
[Angel's Golden Powder]
Category: Miscellaneous
Description: Powder that flakes from an angel's hair. It is not dandruff.
Out of the ten options, it was the only one used as a God-grade material.
'Now I just need one more material and I can craft a God-grade item.'
The remaining material only appeared after Round 8, so there was no point hoping for it yet.
◀ End of ROUND 6 ▶
[All Zones]
└ Survivors: 8,060,295
[Current Zone C-ESKS007]
└ Survivors: 505
[In a moment, your soul will be transferred back into your original body in your original dimension.]
[Round 7 will begin at midnight, July 1st, 2022. Then, we will see you in the next Round. Congratulations on surviving.]
Tap-tap-tap-tap—
The moment he opened his eyes, An Sang-cheol started running.
His destination was the hotel room where the President was staying.
Click— click— thud-thud-thud!
"President Ma!"
Anyone else would have scolded him for making such a racket in the middle of the night…
Clack— creeeak—
But when Ma Kyung-rok opened the door, he only looked puzzled.
"Chief An? What's going on that you came straight here as soon as you got back?"
"C-could we talk inside first?"
"Sure."
Once they stepped inside, Ma Kyung-rok picked up the whiskey glass he'd been drinking from.
Before he even had the chance to offer him a seat, An Sang-cheol spoke up, face flushed with excitement.
"President. My level went up a huge amount."
Ma Kyung-rok swirled his glass.
"You leveled up by partying with Black Scythe? Hunting for six hours?"
He'd heard the same prophecy, so he knew the circumstances.
"So, how much did you gain that you came running like this?"
"I went from level 20 to 34. That's a whole fourteen levels!"
"…"
Ma Kyung-rok's hand froze in midair, the whiskey halfway to his lips.
"Thirty-four? You're sure?"
"Yes. Isn't that amazing?"
"…I can see why you're excited."
With a bitter expression, Ma Kyung-rok downed his whiskey and asked:
"So you gained fourteen levels in six hours?"
"Yes. Black Scythe did all the hunting. Our party members could barely keep up."
"So he gave you a ride in exchange for hogging all the items."
"That's right. But I don't regret giving up the items at all. I never imagined I'd power level like this."
"Same here. I didn't think you'd end up with a higher level than me, Chief An…"
"President, what level are you…?"
"Twenty-nine."
"Ah."
An Sang-cheol decided not to say anything more.
Whatever he said now would only rub the president the wrong way.
"Then Actress Seo should be the same level as you, right?"
Watching his expression, An Sang-cheol quietly nodded.
"Heh. To think I'm now lower level than Actress Seo. Looks like I'll have to step it up."
With a wry smile, Ma Kyung-rok refilled his whiskey.
"Tell me, Chief An. Was Black Scythe really that fast?"
"Yes. He was killing Centaurs in a single hit."
"That explains it. Even with the five of us together, our team couldn't do that."
Having heard the prophecy, Ma Kyung-rok had of course formed a party, hunted Centaurs first, and so on.
He'd spent some time convincing his party members, but the hunt itself had gone smoothly, and they'd taken first place in their zone.
"As expected of Black Scythe. The results said he killed the Minotaur in one second too… Was that true?"
"Yes. He used some kind of flashing skill and took its head off in one stroke. I'd never seen that skill before."
"Must be a skill he learned at level 40, if even you hadn't seen it."
Ma Kyung-rok prided himself on his skill as someone who ranked second or third.
'Killing a Minotaur with a single skill? In just one second?'
He had no confidence he could kill a boss that quickly.
'So this is the gap between me and the guy in first place…'
It was more bitter than surprising.
'Will I be that strong once I hit level 40?'
Dark Knight skills were powerful.
He was satisfied with them.
But—
'They're not on Black Scythe's level.'
Even if he reached 40, he doubted he could display that kind of might.
He couldn't say for sure.
'Instead of worrying about that, I should focus on leveling up first.'
His subordinate was now a higher level than he was.
His pride wouldn't let him stay complacent.
A new kind of drive stirred within him.
"I'll just have to work harder."
"…"
Watching him drain a full glass of whiskey in one shot, An Sang-cheol stayed silent.
After unintentionally stepping on his boss's pride, what could he possibly say?
It felt like sitting on a bed of thorns.
"I should be grateful to Black Scythe. I've gotten lazy lately, and he's lit a fire under me again."
"…"
"And on top of that, he power-leveled our Chief An and Actress Seo. I'll have to show my appreciation somehow when we meet later."
"S-should I maybe think of some way to thank him personally too?"
"No. You gave up items in exchange for EXP, didn't you? And since it was my subordinates who benefited, it's my job as their boss to show appreciation."
"…"
"When the Prophet comes by next time, I'll ask him when we can meet Black Scythe."
"Do you think the Prophet survived?"
"Instead of asking me that, wouldn't it be faster to just call and check? That's part of your job too, Chief An."
"Ah, I didn't think that far. I'm sorry. I'll check right away…"
"Nothing to be sorry for. Just let me know as soon as you've confirmed it. Oh, and did you learn the skills I told you about?"
"Yes, I made sure to learn Tracking and Trace Erasure, the two you mentioned."
"Then come out later and put those skills to use. I'm planning on cleaning up some trash for the first time in a while."
"A-are you really going to 'work' at this hour? It's almost dawn…"
"It's fine. It's not like we're going to kill them out in public."
"Ah, understood, President."
Leaving Chief An bowing deeply behind him, Ma Kyung-rok turned to look out the window.
The hazy weather looked perfect for blowing off some stress.
Seo Arin was feeling grateful to Black Scythe.
She'd handed over her items, but in return she'd gained far more EXP and gold.
'It feels like I'm always indebted to Black Scythe-nim.'
From the power leveling this time to saving her life last time—
Compared to the help she'd received, she hadn't done anything worthy of being called repayment.
'I want to be a big help to him too, but it's not easy…'
All she could do was shove a handful of bottom-tier magic stones at him or say thank you.
'No matter how I think about it, I don't know what to do for him. It's not like he even needs anyone's help…'
Ah—thinking about it, that wasn't true.
Black Scythe did need help from others.
There was a woman who constantly gave him buffs.
'Min Juri, right? The woman who has a contract with Black Scythe-nim…'
Comparing avatars' looks was pointless, but she was pretty and seemed bright and energetic.
'And on top of that, her buffs are something anyone would envy.'
She could understand why he kept Min Juri at his side.
Just being there with him was a huge help.
'I want to be helpful like that too…'
She had her Fairy's buff, but it only gave a thin barrier at best.
As a Summoner, there were too many ways in which she fell short of being truly useful.
'I'll have to think about this.'
Pulling a cap down low over her head, Seo Arin left her apartment and got into the elevator.
She was planning to stop by the convenience store and pick up some simple snacks.
Ding—
The descending elevator stopped at a lower floor.
"Oh? Actress Seo Arin?"
She ran into her neighbor and Ma Kyung-rok's business partner, Ryu Min.
And the Prophet as well.
"Ah, hello."
Seo Arin bowed politely.
There was someone besides Black Scythe she needed to thank.
"Thanks to the information you gave us, we got through Round 6 safely. Thank you."
"Think nothing of it."
Ryu Min, who'd replied lightly, fell silent.
Seo Arin quietly studied him.
'He's such a curious person. He's only twenty, so he shouldn't have any real social experience, and yet he's so confident in front of President Ma. Not to mention his business sense…'
Seo Arin found Ma Kyung-rok scary, but it seemed Ryu Min didn't.
Of course, having prophetic powers probably helped him act that way…
'If I were the Prophet, could I act like him?'
No.
Even if she had the same ability, she didn't have that kind of nerve.
"Where are you headed, Prophet-nim?"
"Ah, I was just going to the convenience store."
"The convenience store? Me too."
Then, an idea of how she could help suddenly came to her.
She had nothing to offer Black Scythe, but she could help the Prophet.
"Since I'm headed there anyway, let me run the errand. We're neighbors— I can bring it up when I come back."
"No, that's not necessary."
"But I've received so much from you. I want to help, even a little."
Ryu Min thought for a moment, then shook his head.
"I can't send a celebrity to run errands."
"I want to do it though…"
"If word gets out that I made you run errands, your fans will roast me, you know?"
"Ah…"
Seo Arin's head drooped.
He couldn't see her face, but he could read what expression she was making through her thoughts.
"If you really want to help, just give me an autograph."
"Huh? An autograph?"
"My little brother is a fan of Actress Seo Arin."
'Ah, so it's for his brother.'
The Prophet turned his head as he said it.
Seo Arin was one of the most popular actresses among men in their twenties, but the man in front of her seemed unaffected.
"O-okay, I'll do that."
For some reason, she felt a little disappointed.