Chapter 256 - The Beginning of Round 16
March 31, 2023, 11:50 PM.
Ten minutes before Round 16 began.
With tense gazes, 576 players from around the world awaited the remaining time.
Most remained silent, but some chatted with their comrades to ease the tension.
"I'm nervous."
"I understand."
"Do you think Black Scythe's plan will follow through this time too?"
"Sure. Since we joined the Church of the Four Gods, he's always been right."
From Round 13 until now.
Korean players who joined the Church of the Four Gods received the benefit of hearing strategies for the upcoming round.
Therefore, there was no worry.
No anxiety.
Except for the foreign newcomers.
"Excuse me. Can you speak English?"
A foreign devotee of chubby build approached and asked, to which the Korean player nodded.
"Yes. I can speak English. Are you new here after Round 15? Your username is..."
"Call me Alex."
"Nice to meet you, Alex. My name's Foodie. Is there anything you'd like to know?"
"I'm not quite sure, but... does Black Scythe always share the strategies like this?"
"Yes. We joined after Round 12, and we've been getting strategies since then."
"Thanks to that, we've survived till now. Haha."
"Did you also hear the strategies for Round 16 this time, Alex?"
Alex nodded.
"Of course. That's why I'm here."
"But your expression doesn't look very good. Are you worried?"
Alex answered sincerely.
"Yes, I am."
"Haha, don't worry. We were like that at first too, worried about what would happen if the strategy was wrong."
"But now we just feel grateful and receive the information. You will too, haha."
Though said with a reassuring expression, Alex still looked worried.
"Do you trust Black Scythe?"
At the unexpected question, players responded with laughter.
"What can we do if we don't trust? Can we change anything at this point? We've joined the Church of the Four Gods after all."
"Just relax and wait. Anyway, is there any way out of here?"
It was true, and so Alex decided to calm down a bit.
"Yeah, I guess. It was a silly question anyway. Thanks for your words."
"No problem."
Alex turned around and observed the other devotees of the Church of the Four Gods.
The original devotees seemed calm, while the newcomers were anxious and nervous as they waited for the time to pass, despite having heard the strategies for the next round.
"They probably lack faith in Black Scythe like me."
Though he joined hoping to increase his chances of survival by being with Black Scythe, that was different from having faith in him.
Alex also didn't completely trust Black Scythe.
Probably the other newcomers thought the same as him.
"They've simply attached themselves to the strongest part out of survival instinct."
Wasn't it absurd to trust someone they didn't know?
"And getting information for the next round as a reward for being the first is absurd too. Or maybe it isn't?"
Honestly, it was hard to believe.
When they entered the Church of the Four Gods, they found out something new: that they would be provided with a strategy and that they could also get information as a reward for ranking first.
"Of course, we'll only know if it works by being the first..."
Now's not the time to debate the pros and cons.
Time passed unnoticed.
"There's only one minute left until midnight!"
With nervous expressions, people awaited the last minute.
They were more tense than usual, as if they knew what was going to happen.
5, 4, 3...
2, 1...
As the phone's clock changed to April 1st, the players' consciousness shifted to the other world.
Soul transfer.
Although the execution of that skill to transcend dimensions requires only an instant, in reality, the time needed is just a blink of an eye...
But what the players saw now wasn't the vast meadow or the colorless space they expected.
"Huh?"
"Everything's still the same."
Their original space, just as it was.
"We haven't moved."
"Black Scythe's words have come true."
They should have changed into avatars, and the surrounding environment should be completely different.
But the players were still in reality.
Unchanged.
No avatars.
Still in their original bodies.
And their minds should have been transferred to the other world too.
Roar...
Though they were puzzled by the unfamiliar situation, the believers felt relieved.
At least this time, it turned out that Black Scythe's words about withdrawal syndrome were true.
Then it happened.
[Hahaha. It's amusing to see you surprised like this.]
A beautiful feminine voice.
But in reality, it was the repulsive voice of an angel resonating in the players' minds.
[Hello everyone, the 576 players. Were you surprised to suddenly hear this voice? Or perhaps surprised that you're not in another world? Heh.]
Just by hearing the voice, they could imagine the angel's expression.
He'd probably be enjoying himself like a fish caught on a hook, wagging his tail with amusement.
[It seems many were surprised not to have been transported to another world as usual. Some might have hoped to escape the survival game, right? But unfortunately, it's not over yet. You won't be able to escape until you complete the remaining five rounds. Haha.]
The mocking laughter echoed in their minds, distorting people's expressions.
Without the angel's presence in front of them, they no longer had to control their expressions as before.
"Damn angel."
Some didn't even bother to contain their curses.
But the angel simply continued speaking as if he didn't hear the curses.
[Shall we review the mission for round 16 first?]
Before they could respond, a window appeared before everyone.
◀ ROUND 16 ▶
<Main Mission>
Exterminate all monsters summoned to the human world within 3 hours.
[Integration Area CA-EA001]
Participants: 576
Achievements: 0/288
Normally, seeing such a mission would provoke confusion, but the players remained calm.
After all, they had already received instructions from Black Scythe.
The angel, unknowingly, continued to amuse himself with his own jokes.
[Surprised? Haha, this round is special, it takes place in the human world. That's why your minds are on Earth, interesting, isn't it?]
"Damn it."
Of course, since it's not a different world, there are no avatars. Instead of having a cool, personalized body, you have to stop the summoned monsters on Earth with your pathetic body. But don't worry. Even though it only looks like this, you can use your skills just like always.
"Crazy angel."
As the angels who should have arrived didn't appear immediately, some cursed confidently.
Assuming they couldn't hear.
As expected, the angels didn't seem to hear as expected.
"Since this round takes place in the human world, I'll only give instructions by voice."
The angel who spoke like this continued with a detailed explanation.
"The main mission, as you can see, is to eliminate the summoned monsters on Earth within a time limit of 3 hours. Interestingly, this is the only round that isn't from another world but takes place on Earth, and it's the only mission where you can participate alongside civilians without falling into the pause syndrome. Isn't it great to be able to play from home? Hehe."
People cursed to themselves with wrinkled faces.
They're having internal turmoil, they thought.
"As it's a joint mission, the 576 players are all assigned in groups. After the first summoning, monsters are summoned every 30 minutes, six times in total. Furthermore..."
The subsequent rules didn't differ much from what they had heard before.
Monsters getting stronger with each wave.
Number of monsters appearing proportional to the number of players, etc.
However, there was a difference with everything above.
The method of summoning the monsters.
"The monsters are randomly summoned within a 100-meter radius from the players' position. In other words, the players' position is also the monsters' spawn point."
"Our position is the spawn point?"
"As Black Scythe said."
"So don't worry about how to find the monsters. If you look around within 100 meters, you'll see them."
If players are scattered?
It meant monsters would appear all over the world.
"Oh, by the way, the monsters have a strong hostility towards humans. That means they'll run towards anyone, whether a civilian or a player."
A mocking laughter was heard in the angel's voice.
It was a voice confident that humans would be confused.
"So this round might be a bit busy for you. I'm serious if you don't want to sacrifice other civilians. Hehe."
The angel was right.
If monsters appeared within 100 meters of the players, civilians could also get hurt.
Monsters summoned in the city could kill people who weren't players.
"Well then, let's start the mission in a moment. I wish you good luck. Sss."
Though the angel left laughing, there was no worry on the players' faces.
Rather, they had a smile on their lips as if relieved.
After all, besides them, there was no one else within 100 meters.
The place where they stood now was a remote island where no civilians were seen.
"Ah, what a relief."
"We did well to enter the island as Black Scythe said."
"It was almost close to putting people in danger, wasn't it?"
Relieved sighs were heard in various places, including Ryu Min, who wore a mask.
"With this, there will be no danger to my younger brother."
If he were lying in bed as usual, the whole city would have been plunged into chaos because of the monsters summoned around me.
"But by starting on this secluded island, I won't suffer any harm."
What if all players in the world were summoned to a remote island?
Civilians wouldn't be harmed.
Neither my family, nor friends, nor neighbors would be in danger.
So the players gathered in one place were calm.
"What a relief. But I can't be completely at ease."
Ryu Min still had a part undisclosed to the other players.
"Because in this round, not only monsters will appear, but also battle angels."
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