Chapter 161 - Great Rewards
Ryu Min first encountered the seven Archangels in the 68th round.
"It was when I surpassed Round 15 of the Demons and slaughtered the Angels in Round 16."
Ryu Min, unable to contain his anger while killing the Angels, couldn't articulate words at the sudden appearance of another Angel.
He was overwhelmingly dominated.
It was unlike any battle Angel he had seen so far.
"I think his name was Michael."
He didn't even dare to underestimate him.
At that time, Ryu Min was so weak that he couldn't even surpass the Trial Tower on the 99th floor.
"Well, after breaking through floor 99, I encountered him several times, but I just let him go. I had no reason to take unnecessary risks."
But the Angel that appeared today was a disappointment.
His ability didn't meet expectations.
"Is it because he's the last of the seven? He's weaker than I thought. Or maybe I'm just too strong?"
Because he had to take the initiative at the beginning, he didn't let him breathe and attacked.
But after seeing his movements several times, he realized.
Remiel was much slower and weaker than him.
"It's not worth killing him like this."
Thinking so, Ryu Min severed the Angel's limbs with a combo of Crimson Moon and Moonlight Island.
He could have killed him, but he let him live on purpose.
He wanted to attract other Angels.
[Uh...!]
[Graa...!]
The result was as seen now.
Fifty rank 3 battle Angels lay on the ground.
Their limbs were torn, and most of them turned into corpses writhing on the ground.
Though one was still alive.
[You have defeated the rank 3 Angel 'Roycel'!]
[Stat points +32]
[Gold +327,120]
[Number of Angels defeated: 100/100]
[You have fulfilled the conditions to use the 'Blessing of the Devil.']
[You can activate the 'Blessing of the Devil' whenever you want.]
He had just killed the last living Angel.
Except for Remiel.
With this, he could fill a hundred Angels and use the Blessing of the Devil.
"I'll use it next time I have to kill Angels again."
Ryu Min looked at Remiel, who was alone and helpless.
He looked so pitiful, resembling a limbless corpse.
"This is bad. All my subordinates are dead. What should I do?"
[You, bastard...]
The murderous look he gave seemed almost like he was going to kill him.
Despite his situation, his gaze was still intact.
"You don't even know limits to your pride even in this situation. Well, you've ruled as one of the seven Archangels for a long time, so it's understandable, right?"
[Who the hell are you? How do you have that power? Why doesn't murder affect you? What is your reason for killing Angels?]
Despite the barrage of questions, Ryu Min simply grinned crookedly.
What is the reason for killing Angels?
It's simple.
Because he gets rewards.
"Don't you know that by killing Angels of the seven Archangels, you get items? It seems those Angels you thought were the game organizers are being used by someone else."
Being used by the system? In that case, there's a high probability that the one who created the system is the villain.
Although Ryu Min didn't know who that villain was, from his perspective, he couldn't help but be grateful.
After all, they gave him the strength to oppose the Angels.
"What's the reason?"
Ryu Min's steps headed towards Remiel.
First of all, not mentioning that the reward is coming seemed more beneficial for him.
"How can you say those things after seeing what your Angels have done to humans?"
[…….]
"Put yourself in their place. 1.8 billion humans who lived peacefully died. The survivors are participating in a survival game for no apparent reason. And the organizers are you, the Angels. Wouldn't you want to kill them if you were them?"
Remiel remained silent, but Ryu Min knew.
He doesn't listen at all.
Curse, what do I do? If it seems like he's going to recite a return spell, I might kill him instantly...
I read his thoughts, and he was pondering with the head he had left.
How to handle the situation? Should I detonate all the currents and divine energy as planned to self-destruct? That could reduce the damage... but I can't bear to see that human die. Curse it.
Despite having no arms or legs, he was desperately searching for a way to survive.
Apparently, he doesn't like dying much.
"Why don't you answer? Do you want to die that much?"
[... I understand. The human mind. Yes, to you, we must seem like demons. But it's inevitable.]
"Inevitable?"
[Humanity is too numerous. Because of you, the natural ecology is being destroyed, and resources are running out.]
"And why does that matter? Have we harmed you, the Angels? No, we haven't."
[Why haven't we caused harm? Your mere existence is bothersome to us, the Angels. Isn't it our duty as superior beings to control so that insects don't reproduce too much?]
"...."
Remiel's words were nothing new to Ryu Min. He had already heard something similar through an Angel before.
The reason why Angels are disliked by humans.
It was similar to why humans are disliked by insects.
'Although I've never heard of doing this to reduce the human population.'
At least he got some information.
Although it won't change anything.
"In the midst of all this, you don't even ask to be spared. Do you really want to die that much?"
[Who was the one who broke the proposal first? How shameless.]
"If you think that way, there's nothing I can do. Goodbye."
[Wait a moment.]
Thud!
He pierced through his heart.
Even Angels make a similar sound when stabbed in the heart.
[Kuh-hahaak......]
Squish!
He cut off his head with the scythe.
Reading his thoughts before dying, he seemed frustrated for not being able to commit suicide.
'There's nothing I can do about it. I'm not someone who would die from a damn self-destruction.'
He had a title that reduced the damage received from divine attacks by 80%.
He also had a title that nullified mental damage.
Since half of their energy-based attacks were composed of mental damage, he could further reduce the damage.
'Maybe I even have a title that will resurrect me if I die.'
A moment later, Ryu Min's gaze turned towards the message rising in the air.
[You have defeated Remiel, the archangel of the seven!]
[Stat points +817]
[Gold +8,178,000]
He received stat points and gold that were incomparable with common angels.
This was all thanks to the devil's blessing.
"They said the stat points limit was 10%, but I only got 2%? Gold is supposed to go up to 1,000 times, but it only reached 200."
Ryu Min was disappointed, hoping to reach the maximum.
It turned out to be one of the lower-ranking fallen angels among the great angels, and his ability matched that.
"Still, thanks to that, I accumulated stats and gold tremendously."
After defeating 100 Battle Angels and even a Grand Angel, he gained over 30 million gold with 3,049 stat points.
If calculated in terms of levels, it wasn't an exaggeration to say that his stats increased by 1,500 levels.
But that wasn't all.
[As a reward for killing Archangel Remiel, 'Condensed Ether' has been obtained.]
[As a reward for killing Archangel Remiel, 'Rune of Lightning' has been obtained.]
[The obtained rune is automatically engraved on the player's body.]
He even obtained rewards of divine-grade runes.
[Rune of Lightning]
-Effect: Can summon lightning from the hand and use it in various ways. Magical damage is proportional to intelligence.
└ Shot ▶ Shoots like a laser, dealing 1,200% magical damage based on intelligence.
└ Charge ▶ Inflicts 800% magical damage and pushes enemies over 15m away.
└ Area Discharge ▶ Emits a current in a 30m radius, dealing 400% magical damage in the area.
└ Amplification ▶ Stores current in the body, increasing attack speed and movement by 100%.
└ Self-Destruction ▶ Releases all current in a 100m radius, dealing 3,600% magical damage in the area. In this case, the damage also applies to the player.
It was a rune that reflected the abilities Remiel used to use.
Of course, it was the first time he had seen such a rune.
"It seems amazing just from the effects, right?"
The damage pleased him, but he also liked the additional effects.
"I can push enemies or increase attack speed and movement using the current."
These were things Ryu Min didn't have.
"It seems that magical damage depends on intelligence."
Ryu Min checked his status screen.
-Name: Ryu Min
-Nickname: Black Scythe
-Rank: Master
-Titles: Last Time Reverser (public), First Angel Slayer (hidden), Challenger of Retribution (hidden), The One Who Leads (hidden), Supreme Being (hidden), Slayer (hidden)
-Level: 89
-Class: Soul Reaper (Grim Reaper)
-Strength: 5,743, Intelligence: 6,022
-Agility: 4,435, Luck: 4,244
-Common Skills: Tracking, Presence Detection, Erasure of Traces, First Aid, Peripheral Scanning, Enhanced Visual Perception, Basic Resistance, Dexterity
-Exclusive Skills: Seal of Death, Night of Death, Moonlight Slaughter, Crimson Moon
-Runes: Rune of Slaughter, Rune of Death, Rune of Resplendence, Rune of True Feelings, Rune of Doppelganger, Rune of Balance, Rune of Mental Shield, Rune of Resistance, Rune of Future Sight, Rune of Destiny, Rune of Devil, Rune of Lightning
-Owned Gold: 32,687,000
-Remaining Stat Points: 3,049
Already, his highest stat was intelligence.
He hadn't invested much in intelligence.
"Would it be easier to fight as a mage if I don't want to deal with the scythe?"
His intelligence was overwhelmingly high compared to his level.
Almost any high-level monster would be susceptible to electrical shocks.
He also received messages.
"The reputation of the devil's camp has increased significantly."
[The devil's reputation for Black Scythe has changed from "neutral" to "friendly."]
After killing Remiel, his reputation rose considerably and immediately turned friendly.
"It's strange to think about being favored by the demon race."
Of course, in this world, there are angels too, so there are also demons.
I've even had direct encounters with them.
"It was a mission where I fought demons in round 18."
That's when I first realized.
Being a demon isn't as bad as portrayed in the media.
"It's just a difference in race."
They were different in appearance and beliefs, but they weren't much different from humans.
The prejudice against angels and demons broke since then.
"I heard that demons rank up to position 72, as far as I know..."
Apart from that, I have no more information.
I didn't feel the need to gather information about the demon side.
After all, Ryu Min faced an angel, not a demon.
"Stats, gold, divine-grade materials, runes, and even reputation."
I really got a lot of things.
"Is this the only reward?"
It was then.
[There is a hidden soul bond mission!]
"A soul bond mission?"
It was the first time I saw that quest message.