Chapter 270 - Round 17 Begins
"Hey, Mr. Black Scythe!"
Heo Taeseok and Alex lowered their weapons with somber faces.
The fact that they were attacking Black Scythe...
Even if it wasn't intentional, it was unacceptable.
"Are you two okay?"
"As you can see."
"I'm sorry, I'm very sorry, Mr. Black Scythe."
"Anyway, how did we get here...?"
In response to Heo Taeseok's question, Ryu Min only gave an invisible smile.
He couldn't tell him that he had been tracking Alex.
"I got a message from Eom Jun-seok. It said Alex was secretly plotting something."
He couldn't help but follow Alex, as he seemed to be planning something he shouldn't.
"I didn't know you'd be fighting Heo Taeseok."
"I can't say how I got here. The important thing is why you were fighting as allies."
"Mr. Black Scythe, I can explain everything!"
Taeseok seized the opportunity to explain to Ryu Min.
"Over the past week, I saw him meeting believers for some reason. Dorothy, Victor, Sophia, Russell, Jo Yong-ho, and others. I saw them meeting secretly with people of different nationalities. It's clear that someone is scheming to undermine our faith."
It was similar to what he had heard from Eom Jun-seok, but more detailed.
"I can't ignore one side without hearing the other."
Ryu Min looked at Alex as he spoke.
"Alex."
"Yes, Mr. Black Scythe."
"Don't you have anything to tell me?"
When he asked in fluent English, Alex frowned and explained passionately.
"Mr. Black Scythe! Be careful with the Grandmaster! He tricked me into coming here with a false message, then threatened me with his skills to kill me!"
"Do you not know why?"
"I don't. He tells me to confess something I haven't done."
"Hmm..."
Alex seemed truly unjust.
Could his words be true?
In times like this, soul runes were useful.
'It's true.'
Although Alex seemed unjust, he could feel his sincerity.
"Despite your claims, the Grandmaster is conspiring behind the scenes..."
"That's impossible!"
"I saw him contacting believers worldwide. He thinks he's secretly creating factions."
"Ah..."
"Is it true?"
"No, it's not. I was trying to form a team, but..."
"You were trying to form a team?"
Alex explained the reasons behind his recruitment attempt.
"After Round 16, I saw how we all fought the monsters together. I realized how strong we were together. I understood the true meaning of teamwork. But after seeing my comrades massacred by angels, I realized this couldn't last forever. We couldn't save the 576. Sooner or later, they'd decrease... Only the best would survive."
Alex's voice trailed off like a wet rag.
"So, I made a decision. To operate more efficiently, I decided to form a team. Wouldn't it be easier to survive if we selected skilled members and adjusted our teamwork?"
"But isn't it too hard to coordinate 288 people?"
"Exactly. That's why. If we pre-select people who can be useful in the future and form a team like an elite, wouldn't we be much more flexible to face difficult situations when they arise?"
Ryu Min nodded as a sign of agreement.
This was Alex's argument.
It was about selecting outstanding talents who could survive until Round 20 and forming teams with them from the start.
It might seem like a cold and calculated measure, but it had its own logic.
Somehow, it reminded him of what Ryu Min had been doing until now.
"So you planned to form a team and coordinate it with people who could be useful in the future."
"Exactly. I never intended to use this to gain power or do something wrong."
"But it seems Master Heo doesn't think the same. He believes you're forming a group to betray the Church of the Four Gods."
"Ah! Absolutely not! What could I gain by betraying them? Black Scythe is present, with what right?"
Alex shouted indignantly, and his words were sincere.
He even hoped that forming a team could be useful to Black Scythe.
"And did everyone you met agree with your ideas?"
"Yes, everyone agreed with my plan and promised to join voluntarily if it was a team with good intentions."
Even though they weren't close, Victor, Russell, and Jo Yong-ho easily accepted?
With just that, Ryu Min realized that Alex was a man he could trust.
However, that didn't mean he could form custom teams.
"I understand your intention. But it doesn't look good, you should abandon the team idea. Aren't you afraid of being misunderstood as a traitor?"
"Well... it may not be necessary to coordinate teams. Anyway, I'll lead everything and you just have to follow me. So the teamwork will be done that way. After all, the Church of the Four Gods itself is like a team."
"Ah, I see. If Black Scythe says so... I'll do it. Sorry for acting on my own."
Alex's regret was genuine.
But was it due to the language barrier?
With an unpleasant expression, Heo Taeseok asked if Alex didn't like him.
"Black Scythe, what excuse did that kid give?"
"He says he has no fault. That he's innocent."
"That's a lie! He's lying right now. Otherwise, why would he attack me first?"
Ryu Min turned his head to look at Alex.
"Did you attack Heo Taeseok first?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"I was trying to save him. How could I not attack when he looked at me as if he wanted to tie my legs and kill me?"
Alex only responded in defensive terms.
Even though it was faithfully translated, Heo Taeseok still didn't believe.
"Surely you're lying..."
"I'm not lying. I can understand. It seems there have been misunderstandings between us all this time."
"..."
Reaching that conclusion, Heo Taeseok could no longer respond.
"Now that we understand the misunderstanding, we should reconcile."
Although they also said it in English so both could hear, silence reigned between them.
"Can you at least say you're sorry?"
"I'm sorry."
"I'm very sorry."
After showing slight discomfort, both apologized.
Looking at the still somewhat stiff two, Ryu Min scratched his head under the mask.
"What the hell is going on here?"
Drawing a sword over a trivial misunderstanding among allies... it simply didn't make sense.
"I guess these things happen when you can't communicate properly."
Not only was it Alex's fault for his presumptuous behavior, but Heo Taeseok also made mistakes by suspecting without knowing the whole situation.
"It seems he was determined to tie my limbs and make me talk with just his suspicions..."
Ryu Min couldn't believe someone would act only on their assumptions.
He never thought Heo Taeseok had such a twisted character.
Alex shifted his gaze to Heo Taeseok.
"Yes, Black Scythe?"
"I'm telling you as a precaution, don't hold on to titles so much. I didn't call you in order of importance according to my personal perception."
Heo Taeseok's eyes widened.
It was as if he was seeing through his mind.
"Ah, really? I thought you meant the important people in order..."
"No. Up to the third place, there are rewards, so I called the priest and the buffer who contributed the most first, but after that, I just called those who came to mind. There were no specific criteria."
"Ah..."
"So if you think I don't consider you important, I hope this misunderstanding is cleared up. Do you think I'm so foolish as to underestimate the founder of the Church of the Four Gods?"
"Black Scythe..."
The eyes that previously burned with anger were now filled with gratitude.
Heo Taeseok was someone who crumbled easily even with a little flattery.
"It seems you worry about whether I'm a follower."
With that, the misunderstanding between them was resolved.
"Let's go. To the Church of the Four Gods."
Accumulating the piles of hero runes wasn't that difficult.
Simply eliminating the demons summoned by the dark seeds while surrounded by believers of the Church of the Four Gods was enough.
[Hero Rune Piles: 100/100]
[All attributes increase by 100 due to the effect of the hero runes.]
[You can use "Hero's Protection" by consuming 100 piles.]
"Great. With this, I'll be able to protect my brother."
Satisfied, Ryu Min passed by Heo Taeseok and patted him on the shoulder.
"You did well, leader Heo. It was of great help."
"Ah..."
No matter how useful he was, Heo Taeseok didn't care.
Just knowing he had been useful to the gods was enough to fill his heart with joy.
"Sometimes you should praise like this."
Ryu Min, who had finally mastered how to treat Heo Taeseok, laughed satisfied as he stood in front of the altar.
To reveal the strategy for Round 17.
May 1, midnight.
Unlike the last round, people woke up with their avatars.
"Have we been gone like a couple of months?"
"Two months?"
"So little time? I thought several months had passed in terms of perception."
"It's nice to start as an avatar again, don't you think?"
As if they were wearing tailored clothes, satisfaction was reflected on people's faces.
Now, it's uncomfortable not to open your eyes as an avatar when entering the other world.
"By the way, it's more comfortable not using the translator now."
"Yes, Max."
"Hey, Fernando."
"Have you arrived, Mr. King?"
The decrease in participation?
Or was it because they survived together in a life or death situation in the last round?
Despite the differences in their countries, the believers of the Church of the Four Gods exchanged greetings with familiarity.
Min Juri and Christine, who played prominent roles in the match, were the most popular.
"Hello, Mr. Buffer."
"Yes, hello."
"Miss Christine. Thank you for healing me last time."
"You're welcome."
Meanwhile, Alex and Heo Taeseok exchanged glances but quickly looked away and pretended not to recognize each other.
Ryu Min didn't pay much attention to that scene.
"It will get better over time."
There was no anxiety about the future.
His heart was at peace knowing his brother was protected as a hero.
"Even if an archangel appears, my brother is safe now."
The only concern was that, as a variable, an archangel in the other world could target his brother, but that was unlikely.
"That's what I've heard, that when celestial beings cross into the human world, they lose 90% of their power."
It was information he had obtained by reading the thoughts of the archangels.
"Michael is likely to appear in this round."
It was terrifying, but also exciting to see how powerful he would be.
So far, their opponents hadn't lived up to Ryu Min's expectations.
Also, if he captured him, he could complete the soul-binding mission.
He was anxious to see what reward he would get.
"I hope he doesn't appear suddenly and interrupt us while we're hunting dragons in this round."
Ryu Min planned to hunt dragons in this round.
Round 18 would be a war, so this was the only chance, either this round or the 19th.
At that moment, a resonant voice sounded in the cloudless sky.
"Hello, humans, all of you, the 288. Welcome to Round 17."
Despite the welcoming words, the angel had an expression of dissatisfaction.
"Are there still quite a few alive, right? Normally, there shouldn't be so many survivors in this round..."
With a wide smile on his face, the angel with wrinkles on his forehead spoke.
"Well, I guess many will leave this time. This round requires more brains than strength, unlike before."
The players weren't interested in the angel's words.
After all, they already knew when facing Black Scythe.
"So, should I reveal the mission for Round 17?"
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