Chapter 118 - Human Guild
When Ryu Min arrived alone at the waiting room, Angel Ariel felt embarrassed.
[Did you survive alone?]
"Yes."
He didn't know that the traitor group would already be dead.
[Unable to even reach the peak of humanity and die. Truly utterly useless things.]
"I wondered if I could survive a bit longer and show my superiors an interesting sight."
Ariel, hiding his true words, shook his head.
[Well, what can I do? Even if I have to do it alone, I have to carry out the mission. Black Scythe. You know this is your last chance, right?]
"I know."
[If you don't complete the traitor's mission in the human race guild, you will be ruthlessly destroyed. We show no mercy just because we're number one in the ranking.]
'Knows. It's completely driven by the system.'
[For reference, the number of people in the human guild is 1,201. In other words, it's a fight if you survive or if 1,201 people survive.]
He also knows it without saying it.
As the missions are in opposite extremes, one of the two groups has no choice but to disappear.
[If you win, 1,201 people will disappear, but what can you do? You have to abandon the majority and survive on your own, right?]
"……."
[It would be fun to see the top ranks disappear, but I hope as many as possible survive. Because it seems more fun to discard the majority, laugh.]
After seeing the angel speaking like that, Ryu Min's background changed.
-------------------
I can see a mountain in the distance.
You can also see some green and lush trees.
You can also see a carefully laid-out path for carriages to travel.
But more than those things, what caught Ryu Min's attention was the players.
A large number of players, more than a thousand, were excited.
"As expected, the human guild is the most popular."
The reason people come here is no different.
Because it's easier to deal with fellow humans than with other races.
Because familiar things seem more comfortable and easier than new ones.
"But the human guild is the most challenging."
In the human race guild, strong monsters like trolls, gargoyles, skeletons, and minotaurs appear.
'There will be one per person, but it won't be easy. "I'm still not at the level to handle it on my own."
If you're over level 50, these are monsters that are difficult to handle for players still in their 30s.
'Even so, there are so many that we can catch them somehow. Plus, there's also an archbishop.
If there was a princess in the elf guild, there was an archbishop in the human guild.
"Although it has no combat ability, the Archbishop will protect the merchant hall and the players."
The Archbishop's wide-area benefit will increase players' combat power and survivability.
Unlike other guilds, you can proceed with the help of an outsider.
"It means the difficulty level is very high, but it's good to receive help."
Of course, Ryu Min doesn't need any of that.
My stats were reduced by 20% twice, so I could only use 64% of my original strength, but I was confident.
"Even if my strength is reduced, all the monsters coming out of here are my food."
If you haven't even been able to exercise after eating until now, you wonder if the guys coming here will even shed a drop of sweat.
That's also the standard when power is reduced to 64%.
'If it weren't for the stat penalty, it would have been easier.'
While thinking about that, Ryu Min turned his head.
He heard approaching footsteps.
"Hey, aren't you Black Scythe?"
When Ryu Min looked at him, the other person was surprised and covered their mouth with their hand.
"Oh, it is! It's Black Scythe!"
"Black Scythe?"
"Did they say Black Scythe came to the Human Guild?"
The whispering grew louder, and finally, people crowded around.
It seemed like they were looking at him as if he were a monkey in a zoo.
Black Scythe made a disgusted expression.
"Black Scythe, sir! A signature, please!"
"Me too, please! I'm a big fan of Black Scythe!"
"Can I shake your hand?"
But there are always people who can't read the atmosphere.
Black Scythe pulled out his scythe as if he had no choice.
"Don't come closer. You will die."
Looking at him with angry eyes, the approaching players shivered.
"Go away!"
With those words, the players turned and scattered.
They knew it wasn't good to bother Black Scythe.
"Black Scythe, sir."
Upon hearing a voice telling him to leave, Black Scythe turned his head with irritation.
But there was a familiar face.
"An Sang-cheol?"
"Ah, it is Black Scythe, right? Don't tell me you've chosen the same guild? I'm glad to see you."
"Yes."
An Sang-cheol smiled, but Black Scythe couldn't be as friendly.
He still remembered the image of him punching him in the back in Round 7.
Even if it was an illusion.
Black Scythe asked, although he already knew.
"Why are you alone?"
"Miss Seo Arin went to the Dwarf Guild. She said it seemed easier there..."
It wasn't that it seemed easier, but it was.
But An Sang-cheol kept silent.
He still couldn't reveal the prophecy.
'In the illusion, he didn't hesitate to speak, right? Is it because the illusion is nothing more than an illusion?'
Black Scythe calmed down a bit.
If An Sang-cheol wasn't crazy, he wouldn't betray him.
He would need Black Scythe's prophecy until the last round.
'If he betrays him, it will be Ma Gyeong-rok's doing. He's not the type to act on his own.'
But why had he separated from Seo Arin and chosen the Human Guild, which was the most difficult?
He knew it was difficult, but he wanted to find out the reason.
So, he read An Sang-cheol's mind.
'I see.'
The reason was that he wanted to become stronger.
But he didn't want to become stronger for himself.
'Because he was afraid of becoming an enemy of Ma Gyeong-rok.'
There can't be two kings under the same sky.
An Sang-cheol wanted Ma Gyeong-rok to be king and thought Black Scythe could become an obstacle in the future.
Therefore, he wanted to become stronger to protect his lord.
'I didn't know he was watching me.'
It seemed ridiculous that he wanted to surpass him, but he decided to follow him.
To see how far he could go.
At that moment, another person who was friends with Black Scythe approached.
"Eh? Black Scythe?"
It was the Mercenary King Jo Yong-ho.
"Are you also in the Human Guild?"
"Yes. It seems there are a lot of people around here."
Around Jo Yong-ho, there were more people than last time.
About twenty, approximately.
"Last time, we were five, but it seems the number of mercenaries has increased."
Mercenaries could receive additional stats by signing a contract with the Mercenary King.
From his perspective, there was no reason not to follow Jo Yong-ho.
"Do you remember what I told you before? That I would help you if you needed it."
"I remember."
"Do you need anything at the moment...?"
"Not at the moment. Save it for later."
"Haha, alright."
No traces of caution could be detected in Jo Yong-ho's laughter.
"It seems that the personalities of An Sang-cheol and Jo Yong-ho differ here."
One of them was on guard against Black Scythe internally, while the other perceived him as a perfect ally.
Although both had received help, their perceptions were very different.
"Well, I have matters to attend to, so I'll be going. It was nice meeting you."
"Yes."
Jo Yong-ho, along with his group, blended into the crowd.
Watching them approach various people and talk to them, it seemed like they were looking for players with the mercenary profession.
"Since the guild has many members, they will soon be able to inflate their own strength."
At that moment, a message appeared in front of everyone.
[Protect the Human Guild]
└ Ensure the safety of the Human Guild to its destination.
└ If you succeed in protection, you will receive an experience reward for the entire group.
└ Whoever significantly contributes to eliminating the traitor will receive a secondary mission reward.
└ If you manage to eliminate all traitors, an additional reward will be granted for the entire group.
[Current Participant Situation]
└ Participants: 1,202
└ Traitors: 1
Players watching the situation expressed their complaints.
"Just one traitor?"
"I thought there were more."
"How are we supposed to find one among 1,202 people?"
Players lost enthusiasm for the mission, as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.
"Still, wouldn't it be good to attack each other to find the traitor?"
"Good idea!"
As before, players tried to attack each other to discover the traitor.
But none of them approached the player with the Black Scythe.
Except for An Sang-cheol, who had a connection.
"Master of the Black Scythe, allow me to pass."
"Are you threatening me?"
"I won't harm you unless you're a traitor, alright? Or maybe I will?"
An Sang-cheol noticed the cunning.
Although Ryu Min also hinted at it on purpose.
"Well, I'll assume there's no secondary mission. Given the difficulty of this world."
"That will make you feel more comfortable."
An Sang-cheol, realizing that the player with the Black Scythe was not a traitor, quickly gave up.
"I won't reveal your secret. You can rest assured."
"I don't understand what you're saying."
Although Ryu Min let out an ironic smile, An Sang-cheol just smiled and said nothing more.
He seemed to understand everything.
At that moment, the leader of the top party approached in his carriage.
"Is that the carriage we have to protect?"
"Wow, do you want to see the carriage? Who would ride something so impressive?"
The quality of the carriage was exceptional, even for a common convoy.
The convoy seemed to have at least about 50 wagons, showing considerable magnitude.
In particular, the carriage that apparently carried the archbishop stood out in size and elegance, distinguishing it from the others.
'Why does the archbishop's carriage have to attract so much attention this way?'
Although monsters wouldn't choose the design of the carriage as a target, standing out in that way could easily become a target for humans.
'Although for me, who is part of the traitor group, that's fine.'
When the carriage stopped, a man who seemed to be in charge of the Human Guild approached, clearing his throat.
"Hmm, hello to all warriors of this realm. I am Carlos, the leader of the escort for the Hormos Merchant League."
His greeting, as firm as that of an escort leader, conveyed an impression of strength.
"We are transporting goods at the request of the Sacred Empire and, at the same time, we are in charge of escorting Archbishop Laver. However, the journey to the Kingdom of Braham, crossing the Lavertan Mountains, is dangerous, so we had no choice but to seek help at this temple."
Although the leader of the escort spoke extensively, the players' ears paid no attention.
"The archbishop?"
"He really was in that carriage."
"Is that the carriage?"
They only needed to know whom they had to protect and guard.
"Well, before we depart, let me say a few words from the archbishop."
Immediately, the door of the most striking and elegant carriage opened.
An elderly man with white hair and a solemn expression spoke.
"Warriors of this realm. Thank you for joining this escort. The journey to our destination may be challenging, but do not worry. I wish you light on your path and will grant you my blessing."
No player asked what the blessing was.
Not much time passed before a message appeared.
[Archbishop Laver grants the 'Holy Shield' blessing.]
[A shield is created that blocks a basic attack from the enemy.]
[Archbishop Laver grants the 'Holy Touch' blessing.]
[All attributes increase by 5 points.]
When the buffs were applied, the faces of the players turned pale.
"Oh, an NPC is also giving us buffs?"
"Did you get a buff too? I did too."
"Me too!"
"Was it for everyone here?"
"That archbishop, he seems quite useful, doesn't he?"
Although players experiencing buffs for the first time rejoiced, it was not a reason for joy.
A challenging boss-level monster was expected to appear to justify the archbishop granting buffs.
"When we reach wave 25, the boss monster will appear."
At that moment, the players would also be tired, so defeating the boss would not be easy.
"What if I take the opportunity to show my overwhelming skill?"
It would be noticed in the eyes of the archbishop, who valued skill.
"And then, sympathy will lead to items."
The opportunity to obtain an Rune of the Future (Age Rune).
"Then, after obtaining it, I'll have to kill the archbishop and the other merchants."
He had to prevent the Human Guild group from reaching its destination.
That way, Ryu Min, the traitor, could survive.
On the other hand, the normal group of 1,201 people would fail in the mission's quest, but...
"They won't be completely eliminated."
There was a way.
A way in which the 1,201 people and Ryu Min would not be completely eliminated.