Chapter 266 - Faction
Kobold Blue's explanation was simple.
"A stranger is asking someone to take his side."
"A stranger? Who?"
"I don't know. He should have a nickname."
"Where did you hear that?"
"I overheard it by chance while leaving the island after the round ended. That's all."
Although the information was scarce, the content was not reassuring.
"I don't think that devotee is trying to form a faction..."
Heo Taeseok nodded in agreement with Kobold Blue's opinion.
He thought the same.
"Trying to divide the devotees who should be on the same team..."
Although he didn't know who it was, as the leader of the Church of the Four Gods, he couldn't stand still.
"That foreigner, do you think you could remember his face if you saw him?"
"Of course. I don't usually forget people's faces."
As soon as he heard that, Heo Taeseok opened a drawer and displayed the profile pictures of the devotees.
"Look for it. Who is that foreigner?"
While flipping through hundreds of devotee profiles, Kobold Blue pointed with his finger at one point.
"It's this person!"
"This guy?"
Heo Taeseok squinted at the suspect.
"Finally something has come up that might be useful for Black Scythe."
This time, he might achieve a notable result.
Greed reflected in Heo Taeseok's eyes.
-----------------
Life is a series of ups and downs.
Dorothy realized that last year, when an angel appeared.
"Every month, humans must complete a mission and survive. Until they reach Round 20."
At first, she thought it was God's grace.
Even when she lost her sense of balance in a traffic accident, once known as the youngest prodigy archer in the Netherlands.
So, when she was falling without wings as an archer, it was the lifeline she grasped tightly.
But that too came to this.
She thought it was God's grace to stop struggling and end her life comfortably.
"But it wasn't."
There was no regret in the life left to her, plagued by severe depression that not even medication could cure.
She had no expectations.
But she had a chance to not die.
A new body obtained through customization.
That body had no disabilities.
A complete sense of balance.
And her own sturdy body that changed upon becoming a player.
That was since then.
She began to harbor a bit of hope in her declining life.
The curve of her life that was going downhill began to rise again.
"The prodigy archer Dorothy, revived in Round 16!"
"The divine archer of the Netherlands. From becoming a player to successfully advancing."
The prodigy archer, divine archer.
Those were the nicknames Dorothy reclaimed in reality.
Though she couldn't return to being an athlete due to fairness issues, Dorothy was content.
Thanks to the archer rune she received upon obtaining the archer class, her skill with the bow had improved even more than before.
"I don't understand why I keep being a topic of conversation even after returning to life..."
As she glanced at the knights, Dorothy lowered her phone.
As she was already a well-known figure even before becoming a player, her movements always received media attention.
So, when someone came to her house, it wasn't a surprise.
After all, her address was already known.
Ding Dong-
"Another fan?"
Dorothy widened her eyes thinking she should greet and ask for an autograph before opening the mansion door and seeing a sturdy-looking man with an uncomfortable expression looking at her.
"Hello, are you from the Guild?" he asked.
"Ah, you're Alex... right?"
"You remember. Dorothy, correct? I'm sorry for coming unannounced."
"Well, come in please."
Dorothy led Alex to the sofa.
"Sit here. Do you want something to drink?"
"No, thank you. I can't accept sudden hospitality. I just want to talk about my matters and will leave soon."
Dorothy looked at him as if asking him to speak.
"I saw your skills when you were hunting monsters on the island. You seem to be quite skilled with the bow. So, how about you help me?"
"What do you mean? Please, explain."
"I mean we work together as a team."
Dorothy frowned more at the fact that Alex had approached her personally with a proposal, which didn't seem right, and also because it seemed he was forming factions within the order, more than for any other reason.
"No, I decline your offer. I don't need an escort. Please, leave."
"Wait a moment. Hear what I have to say."
Dorothy felt annoyed as Alex insisted.
She wanted to be firmer, but Alex's statement made her doubt her own ears.
"What are you saying? Is it true?"
"Yes. Are you interested now?"
Surprised, Dorothy paid attention again as if she hadn't before.
"Please, explain what you just said."
----------------------
Alex Pearson.
The German man who was precisely identified by Kobold Blue from his profile picture.
"Is this guy manipulating the devotees and forming factions?"
Heo Taeseok grabbed his head, pondering how he should deal with this disloyal rat.
"You're a fool. How can you think of punishing him for information that isn't even confirmed?"
His desire to achieve results as a leader had blinded him.
The first thing was to confirm if the information was true.
"This Kobold Blue fellow might have misunderstood things."
For proper verification, Heo Taeseok tracked Alex's location.
Could something arise if he followed him?
With that hope, he used the skill he learned at level 60, 'Demonic Transformation.'
His skin turned red, his body increased by 30%, and a horn grew on his forehead.
He also had bat-like wings on his back.
Despite his appearance, this superior skill not only increased damage by 20%, but also allowed him to become invisible and fly.
With a flap, Heo Taeseok cautiously flew forward.
Following the tracking arrow, he suddenly found himself in the Netherlands.
"Why is Alex here?"
He couldn't understand it, but it was only for a moment.
The uncertainty dissipated when he saw Alex.
"Isn't he with Dorothy?"
Dorothy and Alex came out of the mansion.
They bid farewell with a smile before parting ways.
Following Alex once again, this time he headed to Nigeria.
In a residential area of Lagos, she found him meeting with an alchemist named Victor.
After speaking for more than 10 minutes, he left with an ironic smile.
"No matter how I look at it, it seems suspicious."
Why should he travel around the world to meet followers?
"Is he really trying to form his own clan?"
She wondered if the rumors could be true.
They should interrogate Alex immediately.
She would even inform Black Scythe.
"No. It's not the right time yet."
The evidence was insufficient.
It wouldn't be too late to act once she was more certain.
Flap-
Heo Taeseok turned his body.
He decided not to tell anyone what he had just witnessed.
Identifying traitors was his sole responsibility.
--------------
"Here."
The place Ryu Min and John Delgado arrived at was none other than where they had buried the archangels.
John, who had resurrected the first-level archangels before leaving the island, skillfully recited the spell.
"Rise."
When Gabriel and Raphael rose as undead, Ryu Min decapitated them as if he had been waiting.
Sshh-!
[You have defeated Gabriel, one of the Seven Archangels!]
[Stat points +101,963]
[Gold +1,019,632,200]
[Number of archangels defeated: 23/100]
[You have defeated Raphael, one of the Seven Archangels!]
[Stat points +101,963]
[Gold +1,019,632,200]
[Number of archangels defeated: 24/100]
Though it was only half the reward, he still gained significant stats and gold.
"I've already made use of this. I resurrected and killed the first-level archangels before leaving the island."
Now, even applying only the balance runes, his basic stats reached nearly 500,000.
With various buffs, he could easily surpass 10,000,000 in each stat.
"You've worked hard, John."
"Thank you, sir."
"It's time to return now. Don't forget to follow me when they track me in Round 17."
"Understood. I'll keep my distance and follow you."
As it has been until now, another archangel might appear in Round 17.
The current order was to prepare for that.
"Well, then..."
When John left, Ryu Min took the Lamborghini he had parked nearby and drove onto the road.
"Let's get back home quickly. Who knows what might happen to my brother."
Even the archangels now had his brother as a target.
In this situation, without the hero protection buff, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Vroom- Vroom-
Along with a furious roar of the engine, Ryu Min arrived at the location: the Lotte World Tower, Korea's tallest building.
He was scheduled to stay at the Lotte Signiel Hotel while his house was being repaired.
There was no other place with such strict security and magnificent view.
"Although it cost more than a billion to stay here for a month, that's nothing compared to my fortune."
After parking the car, he took the elevator to the 89th floor where his room was.
Ding-
Though expensive, the view was truly breathtaking.
"Brother, have you arrived yet?"
When he entered the room, his brother was there, finishing the hotel meal with a smile.
"This food is amazing, brother. Come quickly and try it."
"It's okay. I'm just going to shower first."
After a quick shower, Ryu Min opened the window while drying his hair and checked his mission list.
<Soul Binding Mission>
'Eliminate the 7 Archangels'
'Current number of Archangels eliminated (6/7)'
'Success ▶ ??????????
"Now there's only one more to eliminate to receive the reward."
No matter what the reward was, the anticipation was palpable.
After all, eliminating the seven Archangels was a difficult task to accomplish.
"Well, it wasn't as difficult as I thought."
Perhaps it was because of the deceptively impressive reward of the Devil's Blessing, but Ryu Min's improvement had exceeded his own expectations long ago.
An impulse that could pierce through the sky and even the universe.
"I never thought I would become this strong."
Now, even when facing the most powerful Archangel, he had the confidence not to crumble like before.
The current Ryu Min was different from before.
"Anyway, why hasn't the guy who used to show up at the end of Round 16 appeared this time?"
Honestly, he expected the guy who, besides Gabriel and Raphael, was said to be the most powerful to appear.
However, it seems that he hasn't shown up this time, suggesting that he's waiting for the next turn.
"Come on, come here once. Don't think you'll freeze like in Round 68."
While drying his hair, Ryu Min suddenly opened the system window to check the rewards he had obtained.
[Yin-Yang Rune]
Effect: When performing an attack that combines physical and magic, the damage is amplified twofold.
[Chains Rune]
Effect: A chain of light can be summoned to use as a weapon. The chain has infinite resistance and additional effects can be used.
▶ Restriction: Summon additional chains to completely bind the enemy's limbs.
▶ Slash: Cuts the opponent with holy power. However, the caster may also get hurt, so be careful.
[Knight's Resurrection Rune]
Effect: If hit by an attack leading to death, the attack can be reflected once. When reflecting an attack, it has a cooldown of 720 hours.
"These aren't bad effects."
He already knew the effect of the Yin-Yang Rune, but he was unaware of the other runes as he had obtained them by eliminating the Archangels.
"Now that I think about it, I also obtained something called Refined Ether."
Ryu Min opened the item information window to find out what it was.
In an instant, his eyes, which previously showed little interest, widened.
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