Chapter 276 - Facing the Truth
Ryu Min, who had pulled Michael out of the wall, slapped him on the cheek.
"Hey, wake up. Hey. I need to ask you something."
Even grabbing him by the shoulder and shaking him wouldn't wake him up.
It seemed he had properly fainted.
I briefly clicked my tongue and wondered how to wake him up.
'Should I at least cut off his wings?'
As if reading his cruel thoughts, Michael groaned and regained consciousness.
"Did you wake up?"
[Oh my God!]
The enemy approaches right in front of your nose.
Embarrassed, Michael reflexively summoned his sword and swung it.
Oh...
He was quite fast, but from Ryu Min's perspective, whose agility stat alone exceeded 2 million, he seemed as slow as a turtle.
"It looks like you just woke up and still haven't come to your senses."
Eh eh eh...
Michael's sword cut through the air with a sharp sound.
A desperate attempt to kill the opponent.
"Then we have to make it clear."
Ryu Min, who had been dodging, suddenly took hold of Michael's back.
"Who is the sky?"
I grabbed the edge of the wing and tore it off.
Pap deut deuk-
[Turned off!]
An unknown pain for the No. 1 Archangel.
Michael, who was forced to endure the pain, aimed at Ryu Min from behind.
Oh...
This time too, it only pierced the black space.
"Your wings are beautiful."
Before you know it, the person in front of you is behind you.
Puddeuddeuk-!
[Kuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!
Even though all his wings were torn off, Michael used his divine power to defend himself.
"Do you want to use technology?"
It's scary to hear those words in my ears.
Wow!
[Wow!]
Michael was thrown against the wall like a cannonball.
Shattering...
"This time I controlled my strength."
Ryu Min spoke calmly, but none of it reached Michael's ears.
He could barely keep his composure while coughing up golden blood.
[Sighs…….]
Michael, who was drooling, regained his senses when he heard a voice again.
"One more time?"
Michael was startled by the sound he heard in his ears and took a step back.
Seeing Black Scythe coming so close, it felt like dealing with a ghost.
"Do you want to keep trying?"
[…….]
“I do not recommend it. Because then you might die.”
[Does that mean… Does this mean you won't kill me if I don't attack you?]
Ryu Min smiled.
"I saw you do it."
[…….]
Michael couldn't bear to attack his opponent, who was still relaxed.
'Are you saying you're strong enough to deal with someone like me easily?...'
There's a saying that a cilantro recognizes another cilantro.
However, Michael couldn't even guess the strength of his opponent.
All I know is that I can kill my opponent as much as I want.
'The bugs… Was it me, not him?
Although they fought briefly, Michael knew he was no match for him.
No, you might even call it a fight.
Instead of simply grazing, I was hit on one side and even fainted.
Therefore, we know that new attacks are pointless struggles.
Simply get beaten.
Perhaps sensing a change of mindset, the corners of Ryu Min's mouth lengthened.
"Have you decided to admit it now?"
Michael nodded.
[You are stronger than me. So much so that I can't even guess. How can humans become so strong?]
"Your angels gave you the blessing of the system."
[Even so, this doesn't make sense. There has never been such a thing in history... … .]
“So you're saying you haven't done this to humans before?”
[…….]
Michael did not deny it.
Even if he denied it, he couldn't deceive Ryu Min, who could read my inner thoughts.
"Unlike other archangels, you know something, don't you?"
[…….]
Ryu Min crossed his arms while watching Michael exercise his right to remain silent.
"Tell me. What are you angels doing to humans? What is the purpose of you participating in the survival game?”
And I looked at him as if to kill me.
"You'll have to tell me quickly. If you don't want to be left behind."
------------------
Various races coexist in the universe.
Among them, if we had to choose only the intelligent ones, we could narrow it down to five.
Gods, Elios, Demons, Dragons, Humans, etc.
Elves, dwarves, and other races are not included.
Because it was a created race that didn't exist in the beginning.
[The fantasy world that serves as a stage for you humans is a created world. Of course, all the races and monsters that exist there are creatures born under the creation of God.]
"under… … Are you saying it was really an NPC? Equipped with AI so advanced that it can read your thoughts?"
[NPC? AI? I don't know what you're talking about.]
"I'm just talking to myself, so don't worry and go ahead."
[As you may have guessed, the most superior of the five races are the gods. They have the power of creation as well as the power of destruction, capable of destroying all creation. Of course, the Elios, Demons, and Dragons have no choice but to satisfy the desires of those gods.]
Ryu Min nodded and listened intently.
This was the first time in 100 episodes that I learned such advanced information.
[The gods in such an absolute position often got bored because they achieved everything easily. Maybe that's why I wanted to play a game.]
"game?"
[I wanted the Elios and the Demons, who normally had bad feelings, to fight each other. They said they would take over the race that fought and won. From the perspective of the gods, it was a kind of entertainment. That was the beginning of the First Demon War.]
There was confusion in Michael's voice.
It was because they remembered their situation, reduced to entertainment for the gods.
[The Elios and the Demons fought each other to the death. We no longer got along well and since the gods were watching, we couldn't help but fight. The winning race was also rewarded with the protection of the gods. but… … .]
Michael's voice was choked with emotions.
[For the gods, it seems that it was not fun for the balance to be tilted to one side. Maybe they weren't satisfied with the winning race next time, so they decided to change the rules.]
"how?"
[It was decided to give the race that lost the war the opportunity to use humans as mercenaries. I expected humans to act as a variable that could change the outcome of victory or defeat.]
'Humans... … As mercenaries?
[But humans were a ridiculously weak race, with only a large population. Compared to the Elios and the Demons, they seem like insects.]
When the word bug came out, Ryu Min's expression turned cold.
Michael, who did not miss the change in expression, noticed it and spoke cautiously.
[…] … After thinking about it, the gods finally developed a system. So that humans can become stronger and play an active role as mercenaries in the Demon War.]
Ryu Min, who couldn't hear what he heard, asked with a puzzled expression on his face.
"So what you're saying is that the only reason to design the round and create the fantasy world was a training program to raise players for the war?"
[So to speak.]
"under… … .”
Ryu Min sighed in despair when facing the shocking truth.
"So it was a lie to say that an angel created the system."
[The system is a product created by God. Angels do not have the authority to touch or alter the system. To win the next Demon War, I simply find a human planet, put it in a survival game, and take on the role of guide.]
"In short, humans are put into this damn death game to raise mercenaries for their own use. Why do they treat us humans like insects when they are creating their own side?”
[that… … .]
Michael, who had been hesitating whether to speak or not and was looking at everyone's thoughts, opened his mouth when he saw Ryu Min's piercing eyes.
[Each angel may think differently... … I guess it's because I don't like the fact that you, who were as insignificant as insects, are chosen by the system and stand on equal footing with us... … .]
“… … "That's just the reason?"
Ryu Min was not angry.
Do humans not discriminate against and despise others because of their different skin colors?
The reason angels hate humans is similar.
[Well, it's not that angels really hate humans. As evidence, didn't the guides always speak respectfully to humans?]
"Don't lie. Who do you think doesn't know that the system forces us to speak respectfully?”
[…….]
“Was it a lie to say that your wish would be granted if you complete 20 rounds?”
[That is not a lie.]
"actually?"
Michael was puzzled when Ryu Min's body reeked of murder.
[Well, it's true. That is true because it is systematically established and is a reward provided by God for humans.]
“Then the race that lost in the Demon War has been attacking planets with humans, creating players and using them as mercenaries over and over again? Not only your Elios, but also your demons?”
[Well, that is correct. We couldn't avoid it either. Because the gods were obsessed with winning and losing to the point of betting on our war and expecting it.]
'Would you even bet?'
The Elios, who put billions of humans into a massacre program just because they ordered it from above, were angry, but what angered them the most was the attitude of the gods.
'To relieve your boredom, do you start a war, predict victory or defeat, and even make bets?'
All creatures played like chess pieces under the hands of the gods just for fun.
"Are you talking about the Demon War that takes place in 18 rounds?"
[That's not all. The 18 rounds of war are a rehearsal for the war that will come after. Could it be said that it is some kind of friendly match?]
"The real war begins after 20 rounds."
[Yes… … .]
"Do you think the humans who survived up to round 20 will act as mercenaries as requested by your Elios?"
[You will have no choice but to run. The system will ask you to do it.]
“After the war ends? What happens?"
[I don't know either
. So far, only a handful of people have survived 20 rounds.]
"It means there was one."
[There were, but I never knew what happened to them. The only ones who managed to conquer round 20 were the humans raised by demons. Trust me. It's true.]
When I read his thoughts, it was not a lie.
"Okay, I'll believe it. Then why are you targeting me?"
[That is, to correct the order of the heavenly world... … .]
"Stop f***ing with me. The real reason."
[…] … What would be the point of saying this? It's all in vain.]
Michael spoke as if he was sighing, but Ryu Min finally asked.
Because I needed to know everything that was going on.
[The demon archduke Plunictos claimed the gods who supported the Elios. He was accused of breaking the rules because he arbitrarily used the Devil's Resurrection Book and even killed the incarnation.]
"Breaking the rules?"
[A rule that states there must be no interference between the Elios and the Demons before the Demon War occurs. However, due to the use of the Resurrection Book, the demons lost one of their means of attack.]
"So why did you use that?"
[I knew it would be successful... … . Offer your soul as a sacrifice and Plunictos will be satisfied with it. But now that I think about it, it was a mistake.]
Michael lowered his head as if reflecting.
Ryu Min, who didn't care if that was the case or not, urged me to keep talking.
[They said that if I didn't bring you before the 18th round, a war would start. It is a violation of the rules, so we have nothing to say. It is obvious that if a war breaks out now, the Elios will be defeated. It is an advantage to provoke the anger of the gods who eagerly await the Elios.]
"So you chose to take me with you instead of losing the war."
[well. I never imagined you would be so strong... … .]
Ryu Min, who heard the whole story, nodded.
I understood roughly the situation.
[What are you going to do with me now? Are you going to kill me?]
"Well."
Ryu Min had no intention of killing Michael immediately.
"There is no benefit in killing him."
As I killed fewer angels, I don't have enough stacks to use the devil's blessing.
If you kill him, you can complete the Soul Binding mission, but you won't get a large amount of gold or stats.
'What do we do?'
Ryu Min, who rubbed his chin and thought for a moment, made a suggestion.
"I'll save you. Why don't we do this instead?"
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