Chapter 297 - Untraceable
The atmosphere shifted in an instant.
I was transported from a colorless space to a chilling forest of unknown origin.
Ryu Min showed no signs of hesitation and opened the mission progress window.
<Nickname / Face / Distance from Yourself>
[Sniper Turtle / Face / 602m]
[RoseStone / Face / 828m]
[Meteos / Face / 1,029m]
[Live Without Regrets / Face / 1,182m]
………………
…………
……
[Current remaining players: 143]
[Time remaining until the end of the round: 71:59:55]
As the angel had said, the progress window showed nicknames, faces, and distances.
It was easy to see that it was sorted by the nearest player.
"They're all scattered."
Even when using the peripheral scanning skill, which can see a radius of 500m, the player is not visible.
The fantasy world was as large as South Korea, and there were only 143 people, so it was natural that no one could be seen.
'Wouldn't it be better to change my appearance first?'
Someone might try to locate you.
It could be Artaros or even another human.
"I don't know if I can avoid Artaros' pursuit by changing my face, but it wouldn't hurt to try."
Ryu Min's face, wearing the assassin's mask, flickered and changed.
The face that changed was none other than Hwang Yongmin.
While doing so, he put on his doppelganger ring and changed his nickname to [Hwang Yongmin].
'If you do this, the black scythes on the list will show as [untraceable].'
Changing your appearance doesn't exclude you from the list.
It only shows a sign that says it can't be tracked.
Since the system verifies and tracks the registered nickname and face, you can't be tracked even if you change either of them.
Ryu Min changed both out of fear that Artaros might surprise them.
"It'll be the same even if you use a separate tracking skill."
This way, no one will be able to track you.
You'll be completely free.
"It's uncomfortable having to walk around with Hwang Yongmin's face, but I like it. "If only I could avoid others following me."
Of course, unless you're crazy, no fool would try to chase the black scythe.
However, there's no guarantee that there aren't crazies among the players.
'Who knows? I wonder if there will be any lunatic trying to surprise me while I'm hunting.'
If you commit suicide, you can not only reduce the number of people but also gain control, so someone might want to try it.
Didn't Ma Gyeong-rok and Joo Sung-taek try to kill him in the previous episode?
"Things are different now."
Previously, there were only three survivors, and there was only one survivor spot.
Therefore, the best they could have done would have been for the two to work together to deal with the strongest.
From Ryu Min's perspective, it was a reasonable decision.
"But in the end, it was those two who died."
Even Ma Gyeong-rok and Joo Sung-taek, who ranked second and third, couldn't defeat Ryu Min.
It may be so, but now that he's thousands of times stronger than in the previous episode, is there really an opponent for Ryu Min?
"It's almost like a fly attacking an elephant."
Still, it would be annoying for an elephant to have a fly obstructing its eyes.
Psychologically, it was easier for Ryu Min to change his appearance and hunt.
"I suppose I'll have to hunt first."
Ryu Min, who kicked the air and ascended to the sky, stopped as if it were a lie.
It was thanks to the God Step, the eternal equipment that allowed him to step on the air.
"When I thought about where this place was, it was between the Albitz Kingdom and the Deccan Kingdom."
Ryu Min looked around and observed his location, then turned his gaze.
Due to the location, you have to go there to find a strong monster.
After deciding on a direction, he ran using the sky as a base.
¡Quaaaaang-!
The sonic boom closed the distance in an instant.
The mission of 19 rounds isn't difficult at first glance.
It was a simple mission where you just had to hold out for 72 hours.
But you won't know unless you try it yourself. "How hard it is to hold out for three days."
There's a so-called 333 rule.
The rule is that you can survive 3 minutes without air, 3 days without water, and 3 weeks without food.
Be that as it may, surviving here for three days without water or food?
"It's not an easy mission. "It's a more difficult mission than I thought."
Of course, that doesn't mean there's no water or food nearby.
Although it's said to be created to nurture the players, this is also a very real world.
Even though they seem like NPCs, they're real people, and their living and feeding environments are similar too.
'It's the same with Avatar. It's made exactly like a real human body, right?
Therefore, even the created avatars feel hunger and basic physiological needs.
This doesn't mean you can't feel anything like a game.
"But you shouldn't just grab it and eat it."
In the past, Ryu Min once ate fruit from a tree to relieve his hunger.
"No, it was something that looked like a fruit."
This upset Ryu Min's guts a few hours later.
He tried to drink water from a stream, but his skin turned upside down, and his vision darkened, as if he had consumed something poisonous.
"The worst of all was monster meat."
He was so hungry that he tried cutting meat from a dead monster, roasting it, and eating it, only to end up with an upset stomach until the end of the round.
Thanks to that experience, Ryu Min could speak with determination.
"You can't eat anything in this world."
"If you go to the village, there will be water and food for people to drink...".
The problem is there's a barrier preventing people from going to the village.
Aside from that, you can roam anywhere, but it'll be hard to find anything edible.
Because it was a mission given from the start with the intention of enduring with mental strength without such things.
"I just have to be patient and hold out for 72 hours. I need to save energy by moving as little as possible."
But if it were that easy, would it be a 19-round mission?
If you stay still, you'll never know when a player will come and stab you in the back.
It was a round where you had no choice but to avoid other people.
However, except for the village, most areas are areas where monsters appear.
Although there are differences in strength depending on the location, the presence of monsters is as dangerous as that of players.
"No matter the level 90 you have, there are no businesses in Dagul."
If numerically superior monsters cling to you, you have no choice but to die or become exhausted.
Of course, this doesn't apply to Ryu Min.
¡Chunda chunda-!
Before the giant monster could get close, showing its intimidation, Ryu Min's scythe cut the tree in two along with it.
[The Two-Headed Ogre has been defeated!]
[Experience points increase 1.5 times due to the title effect.]
[Experience and gold double due to the Rune of Predation effect.]
[You gained 12 stacks and 2 stat points with the Rune of Predation.]
[Predation stack accumulated 286]
[The player can no longer increase experience points.]
[The acquired experience is displayed according to the Rune of Growth.]
[Experience +75,000]
[Gold+50,000]
[Additional gold+25,000]
[The acquired experience has exceeded 100,000.]
[Experience points are replaced with 1 stat point.]
[Current kill count: 3/100]
[All stats increase by 3% due to the Rune of Slaughter effect.]
Since he was at the maximum level, his level didn't increase, but he could convert incoming experience into stats.
This is none other than the Rune of Growth, the first maximum level reward.
"Here, the leader's title gives you 1.5 experience points, and the Rune of Predation gives you double the experience points...".
You could gain a huge amount of stat points just by killing a few monsters.
"Actually, this round is the last round where you can gather stats. You have to collect everything you can while you can."
You can't help but prepare for how strong the round 20 boss will be when you even kill the Archangel.
I had to gather my stats even considering that I'd be dealing with Artaros.
¡Suddenly! ¡Suddenly!
Ryu Min walked around killing monsters.
It wasn't difficult to kill them since it only took one hit to pass them.
However, you don't have to worry about your stamina running out.
Because the strength stat is related to physical strength.
"If your strength stat is in the tens of millions, there's no problem focusing on hunting for days and days."
However, there's no need for other players to waste their energy catching monsters like Ryu Min did.
Ryu Min had plenty of energy, so it was a simple action, but other players quickly got tired after catching only a few monsters.
Anyway, even if you don't accumulate experience points, everyone will reach the maximum level as a reward for completing this round.
Then you can kill the monsters that cross your path.
"It may not be easy for non-combat players."
This will be especially true for followers with relatively low stats.
"My stats are already low, so if I have to run day and night to avoid other players, I'm sure I'll get tired. Plus, the monsters will appear as if there were no windy days.
He was worried about the relatively weak followers, but he was especially worried about Christine, who had no combat skills.
Not only would it be difficult for her to catch the monster alone, but she would also be an easy target.
"Even so, it won't be a big deal. Because they attached slaves."
Slaves were sent to some members who needed protection.
Join and protect them.
"But that doesn't mean you can be completely at ease."
For now, I'll have to eliminate all the monsters here and go visit my friends.
All the players who encountered the round 19 mission without prior information were surprised.
It was the same for Min Juri.
"Survive for 72 hours. And that too alone?
She was worried, but she couldn't do anything about it.
While contemplating what to do next, she looked at the mission progress window.
As the angel said, the nickname, face, and street are clearly visible.
"Let's see Black Scythe?"
Instinctively, she tried to think of that thought, but at some point, she lost it.
"That's strange. Why can't I track it?"
That moment when she wondered.
"Oh."
You can see the distance with the players on the list decreasing.
"What? Are they really coming towards me?
In a round where you have to kill each other, are you nervously approaching first?
I have no choice but to be cautious.
"I need to increase the distance first," Min Juri thought without hesitation.
However, she was currently in the forest and didn't know where to go.
What if she encountered a monster?
By activating the peripheral scanning skill, she noticed many red dots.
"I'm distanced from the players. So...".
The red dots indicated the presence of monsters, leading her to believe she had fallen into a dangerous place.
She walked quickly, whispering, as she tried to get out of the forest.
Fortunately, as Min Juri moved, the distance with the player chasing her widened.
"Where should I go? I can't go towards Black Scythe...".
The forest was vast, and she had no idea how to find the exit.
"Let's avoid it for now."
She activated her peripheral scanning skill and headed in a direction with fewer monsters.
As soon as the distance shortened, she quickly hid behind a tree and waited for the monster to pass.
"What kind of monster is that? It's the first time I've seen something like that."
It was a monster resembling a dark ancient tree, but Min Juri had no way of knowing. She didn't even feel secure enough to face it.
"It passed. I must run quickly...".
At that instant, Min Juri felt a chill, as if someone was approaching from behind, as if she were detected.