Episode 199
199. The first trial
‘Damn it.’
To be honest, John Delgado was looking forward to it.
I hope Yang Qiwen’s gang members cut off Black Scythe’s head.
I hope you can take revenge on that.
but.
[The location of the target ‘Black Scythe’ has been discovered.]
[It is currently 501 meters away.]
[To track the target, follow the arrows in front of you.]
When I entered the other world and used tracking, a black scythe was found.
That could only mean one thing.
‘Black Scythe, that bastard is still alive!’
The fact that the black scythe is alive means that Yang Qiwen’s operation has failed.
‘Why on earth? We confirmed that the Black Scythe was in residence until the end, and it went according to plan. But why couldn’t I kill him?’
It is a simple operation to break into the villa after midnight and stab the person in the neck.
If all goes according to plan, Black Scythe should have died shortly after entering the other world.
‘But he’s alive and well.’
We will only find out what happened when we return.
I couldn’t find out anything right now.
‘If this happens, should we execute the next operation?’
It reminded me of Swingman’s plan to reconcile and become friends with the Black Scythe.
‘f*ck it, I can’t do that. I said I was crazy and with that bastard… … .’
Bow your head and flatter Marshal Cheolcheon, who cut off your own limbs?
Is there anything more damaging to self-esteem than that?
‘Swingman, you devil… … .’
I wanted to kill the Indian who remembered the damn operation, but there was nothing I could do when it came to this.
We must find the black scythe as planned.
‘ha. ‘I really don’t like it.’
I was mentally unprepared because I had a firm belief that Yang Qiwen’s operation would succeed.
As I was once again swearing at the swingman, an angel appeared and explained about the 12 rounds.
‘Complete the five trials? Form a party of 5?’
Forming a party is not a problem.
The number of Despair Church members gathered right now is close to 200.
All you need to do is select only the useful talents and form a party.
‘The problem is that we don’t know information about the trials.’
You shouldn’t just pick anyone.
Unless you know what kind of trials you will face, you should choose from as many different occupations as possible.
But seeing people moving quickly made me feel anxious.
Besides, didn’t the angel also say something?
The two people who were eliminated will be destroyed.
‘This is not the time to hesitate like this. I need to find a party quickly… … .’
I don’t lose my pace because of the given mission.
‘f*ck you, are you really telling me to bow to the black scythe and go in?’
We were in a situation where we needed to find a party, so now was our chance.
All you have to do is go to the Black Scythe, apologize for what happened last time, and ask him to have a party.
‘Oh, no. Even if I beat him to death, my pride wouldn’t allow it.’
No matter how much I hide the dagger in my arms, I don’t have the courage to do something like that.
Even if I were given hundreds of millions of dollars, I wouldn’t have the confidence to lay down an iron plate in front of the person I wanted to kill.
“under… … Mr., huh?”
John Delgado sighed, started tracking as a habit, and then widened his eyes.
‘what is this?’
The distance to the black scythe has become shorter than before.
No, for some reason it is decreasing in real time.
As if coming this way.
[It is currently 363m away.]
[It is currently 222m away.]
[It is currently 113 meters away.]
… … … … … …
… … … …
[You are currently 31 meters away.]
As soon as he got within visual range, John Delgado took his eyes off the message.
And then he slowly opened his mouth as if he was surprised.
A black scythe was indeed coming this way.
“Hey, John Delgado. “How are you?”
“… … .”
Black Scythe waves his hand as if he is a close friend and speaks with a shameless face.
“Are your limbs okay?”
“… … .”
“They’re sticking together well? thank god.”
John Delgado remained silent.
It was so absurd that I didn’t even have time to ask what was going on.
‘He came to see me in person… … .’
I was curious about the reason, but I was afraid to ask.
Didn’t you get caught and have your limbs cut off because you said one wrong thing last time?
‘To do what this is … … .’
I wanted to immediately kick that muzzle and rip out its tongue, but I knew it was impossible.
That’s why John spoke while hiding his embarrassment.
Be more polite than before.
“Well, what is the purpose of coming to see me?”
“Speak bluntly. John Delgado. “Let’s party with me.”
John’s eyes widened.
Because it was an unexpected proposal.
“W-what a party, what… … .”
“There is an empty spot on our team. “There’s no one else but you to put it in.”
Now I see that Black Scythe has come with other colleagues.
There were two men and one woman.
But one of the men had a familiar nickname.
“huh? Jeffy?”
Isn’t Zephyr the assassin hired by Swingman to find the Black Scythe’s abode?
“Jeffie, why are you here?”
“Do you know me?”
Even when Geoffrey saw the necromancer, he did his best to pretend not to notice.
This is because Ryu Min gave instructions to act like a stranger.
Then John also tilted his head as if he was at peace.
‘You don’t recognize me without customization?’
On the other hand, Zephyr has the same nickname, but has a different appearance due to customization.
‘Could it be that you said a false nickname?’
I thought that the Zephyr I met in real life might not be this Zephyr.
“Do you know Jeffy?”
“Oh, no. “I guess I looked at the wrong person.”
John Delgado rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
Even if you think about it with common sense, there’s no way the black scythe would be walking around with the person who followed it, right?
He also thought it was his first time seeing him.
Now is not the time to think about things like Jeffy.
Because I had received an unexpected offer.
‘If I go in alone, there are only five.’
If you accept the offer right now, you can form a five-person team and make it out of the final two.
Since John didn’t have a team, there was no reason to refuse.
‘Plus, you can naturally be close to the black scythe.’
If you hold that hand and become a friend now, you may be able to achieve your goal of betraying and killing Black Scythe in the future.
‘It was difficult to bend my pride and approach him, but it worked out well.’
It would be easier for John if he reached out his hand first like this.
But he did not easily grab the hand of the black scythe.
Because I felt reluctant for some reason.
‘What is the reason? Why on earth are you with a guy like me… … ?’
If you say something wrong, you might get hit again, but you have to ask.
Because I need to figure out his intentions.
“why… … Why do you want to party with me? There must be many people to replace him… … .”
“No questions are asked. “Whether you will do it or not, that’s all you have to decide.”
“… … .”
The black scythe was ruthless.
They don’t even tell you why, but just ask you to choose whether you want to be part of a team.
‘I don’t think the purpose is to kill me. If I become a party member, even a black scythe can’t kill me.’
So why?
John was thinking carefully about the reason, but Ryumin did not give him time to think.
“Give me 10 seconds. Make a decision quickly.”
“yes?”
“If you don’t decide, I’ll assume you rejected it and find someone else. 10, 9… … .”
“Now, wait a minute.”
“8, 7… … .”
As time passed, John became anxious.
It was as if I would never have the chance to approach the Black Scythe again if it wasn’t now.
As I thought about that, my complicated mind cleared up.
‘Yes, yes. First of all, for the operation, I need a black scythe… … .’
With three seconds left, John’s mouth opened.
“Ha, I will. team.”
“I get it. Then, hold her hand and memorize the starter word.”
Five people held hands and memorized the party formation starter at the same time.
Then a ring made of golden letters was fastened to my wrist.
[The 7,389th party has just been decided. Cheer up! There are not many seats left.]
People became more desperate as the angel fanned them.
We worked desperately to avoid becoming the last two, but there was bound to be a loser.
[Kuhhuhuhu! Finally, 7,880 teams have been created and two unlucky people remain!]
“Oh, no!”
“Please help me, angel! please… … .”
[You should have had a party by begging from people instead of begging from me, tsk tsk. Then adios!]
“Nooooo!”
The screams of the two players echoed like echoes along with the merciless destruction.
[Okay, now that the team has been decided, shall we begin the quest?]
After the angel’s words, the background changed.
* * *
“uh?”
Team Ryumin, who had been in a colorless space, was suddenly in a dark cave.
The party members panicked as soon as they entered the cave, but Ryumin remained calm.
‘It’s finally starting.’
Each team is probably looking at the same scene.
They all must have fallen into this place where the Cave of Trials is located.
“Black Scythe, this is…” … ?”
“I guess it’s started. “I see a cave.”
Ryumin calmly stepped forward, leaving the frozen party members behind.
“There is no time to procrastinate. It is said that the team that attacks quickly will survive. “I will lead the way, so please follow me.”
After saying that, Ryumin walked away without even looking behind him.
“Now, wait a minute. “I’ll give you a buff!”
Min-ri Min followed behind and urgently applied a buff.
Jeffrey and Joo Seong-tak also followed the owner.
Only John Delgado was left alone, staring blankly at the backs of the party members.
‘f*ck, did the party really turn out like this?’
I formed a party without realizing it, but the black scythe didn’t even care about me.
He didn’t ask anything and just told me to follow him and kept walking.
‘Are you crazy?’
You made yourself a party member when you were practically an enemy.
He was a man whose true feelings were unknown.
‘I feel like I want to put a knife in the back of his head, but… … .’
Now that it’s a party, I know it’s a meaningless action.
Rather, it is a situation where they have to survive together because they are in the same boat.
‘Whew, I don’t know what the intention is, but let’s agree to it first. Anyway, you approached the black scythe as planned, right?’
I followed the group, taking comfort in the fact that I didn’t have to sacrifice my pride.
Meanwhile, Minjoo, the only woman, turned around and spoke to herself.
“John Delgado. “Get your buff here.”
“buff?”
Bless, Swift, and even the safety barrier.
John’s eyes widened in disbelief after receiving three types of buffs.
‘crazy! ‘It raises my stats this much?’
All stats are increased by 70%, attack speed and movement speed are increased by 70%, and a shield prevents surprise attacks.
John just looked at Buffer, who greeted him with surprised eyes and ran forward again.
* * *
Ryumin walked forward, sensing that his colleagues were following him.
From the first to the fifth trials.
It wasn’t difficult as long as you knew the strategy.
‘The first trial is one that requires a tank.’
Eventually, I came to a dead end wall and stopped walking.
My colleagues arrived one after another, and like Ryu Min, I ended up standing in front of the wall.
“length… … “Is it blocked?”
When the last five people, Min-ri Min and John Delgado, gathered together, conditions were activated and a message appeared.
[Welcome to the Cave of Trials.]
[Then we will begin the first trial right away.]
<First Trial>
└Withstand monster attacks for 10 minutes
└If successful ▶ Next trial opens
└In case of failure ▶ One party member is eliminated through voting.
“Withstand the monster’s attack?”
John muttered as if wondering what he meant, but the message wasn’t over yet.
[After a while, monsters come into the cave.]
[Monsters are invincible and cannot inflict any damage.]
[If the party members survive for 10 minutes without major damage, the ordeal will end.]
[Conversely, if the damage suffered by party members exceeds the set threshold, it is considered a failure even if they last for 10 minutes.]
[If you cannot overcome the ordeal, one party member will be eliminated through internal voting.]
“They say monsters are coming here.”
“Wait a minute, if an ally takes damage, it’s a failure even if they hold on, right?”
John was embarrassed, but the others were calm.
Because I had already heard the prophecy.
‘The first is a trial that requires a tank. ‘You have to minimize damage to your allies and withstand monsters by exercising yourself.’
A mission that truly tests a tanker’s qualities.
However, Ryu Min’s team did not have a tank.
Nevertheless, the reason Min-ri Min followed the black sickle was because it had been mentioned in advance in a prophecy.
No matter what happens, trust the black scythe.
“Everyone, come behind me.”
As Ryumin stepped forward, the party members were stuck against a dead wall.
John did as he was told and stood with his black scythe as a shield.
‘What are you going to do? Are you trying to stop monsters by yourself? ‘You won’t be able to kill me because of my invincibility?’
I don’t know what the black scythe will do, but for now I have no choice but to watch.
[A monster appears after 10 seconds. Please prepare for the appearance of monsters together!]
