Chapter 251 - Permissions
Ten seconds passed.
Ryu Min's blurred eyes suddenly blinked.
"Is it over?"
Still, he didn't lose composure.
Thanks to the rapid regeneration elixir, he managed to protect over a thousand people.
Ryu Min suddenly turned his head.
Hundreds of pupils gazed at him in admiration.
If Ryu Min hadn't intervened, they all would have perished.
"Lord Black Scythe..."
"Oh, my god..."
Some believers, including Heo Taeseok, looked at him as if they were truly seeing a god.
Some even prayed with hands clasped together.
Even in Christine's gaze, there was reverence.
As if they were witnessing the resurrection of a god sacrificed for humanity.
"The time limit is up."
"You have succeeded in the third mission."
"There are 1,048 survivors and 104 deceased."
"Congratulations! You have completed the main mission."
"The location will soon change for the final count."
It was a welcome notification, but no one could smile.
There was too much blood around Ryu Min.
They could sense the price of sacrifice.
Ryu Min, feeling the solemn atmosphere was not to his liking, spoke casually.
"Why so quiet? You don't need to worry and can be happy."
"But Lord Black Scythe's health..."
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm fine despite appearances. Even if I got hurt, it doesn't matter. I'm satisfied just having saved many people."
"Oh..."
"Lord Black Scythe..."
The people, moved by his generosity, looked at him with admiration.
With a few words, he instantly created the image of a savior.
"It's not bad to have a good image."
While enjoying the happiness with a compassionate smile, a notification appeared in front of him.
"There is a hidden secondary mission!"
"Secondary mission: receive the most damage in the third mission."
"Success: Rune of Sacrifice will be granted."
"You have completed the secondary mission."
"The Rune of Sacrifice will be granted as a reward for the secondary mission."
"The rune obtained will be automatically engraved on the player's body."
"So the secondary mission had a reward."
Though he had intervened to protect others, what Ryu Min truly awaited was the reward from this secondary mission.
"Rune of Sacrifice."
Effect: takes damage instead of a designated target within a 100-meter radius.
The received damage is reduced based on the caster's defense.
It can be deactivated at the caster's will. However, it will deactivate automatically if the target moves out of range.
"Not a bad rune."
Indeed, it was quite good.
Important enough to be on the list of 18 essential runes.
"There's no better rune for protecting someone."
A rune that takes desired damage for another.
Literally, a rune of sacrifice.
"It would be perfect for someone in the group playing a crucial role like Christine."
Though he would have to take damage meant for Christine, there was no need to worry.
The defense adjusted to the caster's level.
"If I can endure, Christine will be practically invulnerable."
It was a good rune, but he hadn't completed the secondary mission just for this.
"The secondary mission is more important than ever in this round."
The reason would be revealed thanks to the angels.
A moment later, the stage shook, and the players returned one by one to the colorless space.
[Hehe, how was the mission? Was it tougher than you thought... huh?]
The angel's smile faded seeing over a thousand survivors, and she became serious.
[More survived than expected? I thought barely a hundred would make it...]
"Setting a hundred as the limit was already quite high. Originally, I didn't expect more than fifty to remain."
Ryu Min smirked silently as he looked around.
It was a sight he hadn't seen before after a hundred returns.
After completing round 15, seeing so many people standing was astonishing.
[Let's see... a total of 1,048 survived? How was this possible? Is this better than expected?]
The angel's surprise mirrored the feelings the people had just experienced minutes ago.
"I didn't even think Black Scythe would sacrifice his life for us and shield us."
"Black Scythe...".
"He truly is our savior."
The people looked at Ryu Min with that gaze.
It wasn't a burden for Ryu Min with two thousand eyes on him.
Soon he thought about what he had to do.
"Perhaps if those eyes hold a little hatred, they'll change."
As he sighed silently, the angel made a startling declaration.
[Maybe you don't know, but there was a hidden submission in this round. It was a mission where the person who received the most damage in the third mission would be the winner. Isn't that surprising?]
So far, it wasn't that surprising.
There was a submission in every round except the first and the sixth.
The real surprise was yet to come.
[This submission is a bit different. Unlike other rounds, this time the person who completed the submission has the power to decide the ranking of the players.]
"The ranking of the players?"
"What does that mean?"
For those who didn't immediately understand, the angel explained with a smile.
[So far, a ranking was established by measuring the records and selecting the achievers. But this round is different. The person who completed the submission can directly designate the achievers from second to five hundred seventy-six.]
"What, what are you saying?"
"To directly designate the ranking?"
[In other words, the person who sacrificed the most has control over the lives of others. Ironic, isn't it?]
The situation was as paradoxical as the angel described.
The person who sacrificed the most could control the lives of others.
People felt stunned by the impact.
[Let's see... who received the most damage in the third mission...?]
The angel's eyes widened.
It was an unusual reaction.
"Was it Black Scythe? Hmph, but he received over two trillion damages..."
The angel, unable to contain his amazement, nodded.
"Now I understand. How was it possible for so many people to survive? Could he really handle all those attacks alone?"
"...."
There was no obligation to answer.
The mocking intent was clear.
"But, what do we do about this? It seems like half of them are about to be discarded, right?"
576 people would survive, so it was inevitable.
"Now, Black Scythe. I hand over to you the right to decide the fate of other players."
The message appeared as soon as the angel finished speaking, terrifying.
"The player who completed Sub-mission of Round 15 is 'Black Scythe'."
"Player 'Black Scythe' is granted the power to adjust the ranking of Round 15."
"The first place cannot be changed by Black Scythe himself."
"Please determine the order from second to fifth place."
"Players from second to third place will receive special rewards, while others will receive equal rewards regardless of their ranking."
"Please mention the nickname of the player you will select as second place."
Ryu Min silently observed the message.
The fate of other people was in his hands.
Looking around, he saw numerous eyes fixed on him.
It was a burden, but Ryu Min decided without hesitation.
"Sophia."
"The second place is 'Sophia'."
"Please select the third place."
"Democracy."
Players from second to third place will receive special rewards as agreed.
"The rewards for second and third place should go to Christine and Min Juri, who had the greatest influence."
The rest would remain the same.
So from fourth to fifth place, the order didn't matter.
The problem was with the remaining 176 people.
"Whom should I save?"
For the first time, Ryu Min, who had been calling nicknames without hesitation, fell silent.
He was lost in thought.
"Please select the 401st."
Players who saw the flickering message in front of them shouted as if it were the moment.
"Lord Black Scythe! Me! Please, save me!"
"Me too! Please, put me on the survivor list! I beg you!"
"What the hell is going on here!"
"Look at me!"
People swirled around Ryu Min like clouds, but none dared to approach due to his sharp and piercing gaze.
They only appealed from a distance of 10 meters.
"Please, save me. My mother is alone at home. She would really be sad if I die."
"You only have family? I have a baby under 100 days old!"
"I am a father of twins! If I die, our family will starve."
"I have twins too!"
"Damn it!"
They even grabbed his collar, and almost 600 people fought each other promising to survive.
No moderation could be found in these players who had overcome so many adversities.
"But what can you expect when life is at stake?" Ryu Min thought.
Amidst all that, there were people who didn't move, either out of pride or their original personality.
"Is that person... Grand Wizard Alex?"
Apart from Ryu Min, there were only two people who had survived until Round 19.
They were none other than Ma Gyeong-rok and Joo Sung-taek, who had fought for the 2nd and 3rd places in the previous zone.
"And up to Round 18, besides me, there were seven people who survived."
Two of them were the aforementioned Ma Gyeong-rok and Joo Sung-taek, and the other five were Min Juri, Yamti, Viktor, and...
"Those two were [Alex], who was worshipped as a wizard, and [Dorothy], who was revered as a priestess."
In other words, those two were the cream of the crop among the survivors until Round 18.
Looking back, the figure of Dorothy was also visible.
"Perhaps because they were foreigners, I never had the chance to get close to them."
Alex was German and stood out as the only supreme wizard.
Dorothy, on the other hand, was known as a priestess of Dutch nationality.
"It would have been nice to meet them at least once."
Ryu Min's voice resonated above the market's hustle and bustle.
"Alex."
"The number 400 is 'Alex'."
"Please decide the number 401."
Apparently surprised to be called, Alex hesitated for a moment.
"Dorothy."
The same did Dorothy.
Ryu Min continued to call nicknames.
Now that all the necessary people had been selected, it didn't matter whom he chose.
He simply glanced at their hearts, and if there were no personality issues, he included them among the survivors.
So, when he reached position 575 and only one spot remained.
Nearly 500 remaining players clung to Black Scythe's cloak, begging.
"Please, please, Lord Black Scythe."
"Please save me, I don't want to die. Please."
"I will do whatever it takes. I will live as a slave all my life. So, please..."
There were even people kneeling and crying, pleading.
But Ryu Min had already decided who would be the last survivor.
"The last one is..."
Ryu Min's wandering eyes settled on one person.
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