Chapter 309 - Survivors
When they first heard that the mission for round 19 was to survive, people were worried.
-How are we going to last 72 hours without food and water?
-If we don’t reduce the number to less than 72, we’ll all be exterminated. What are we going to do?
-Will we end up killing each other?
The concerns became reality, and people really started to die.
However, when they learned it was due to the intervention of demons, people felt some relief.
-We haven’t lost our humanity yet.
-Of course, it’s not possible that we would kill each other, right?
-There can’t be someone that despicable.
-There won’t be any more deaths.
But when the demons were eliminated and 48 hours had passed since the round began, people realized.
They had underestimated human cruelty.
“Die, damn bastard!”
“Motherfucker!”
“All Asians must die!”
“Damn flat noses!”
No matter how good the gathered people were, humans can change in an instant.
Humans are animals that adapt to their environment.
That’s why conflicts will always arise.
Especially when they’re in a state of nervousness, unable to sleep, eat, or drink.
“Stop fighting! I’m telling you to stop!”
“Who the hell are you to yell?”
“Kill that guy too!”
[The fiftieth death has occurred.]
[The fifty-first death has occurred.]
[The fifty-second death has occurred.]
Trying to stop them only increased the number of dead.
It was total chaos.
Everyone was obsessed with killing anyone who bothered them.
“What’s wrong with you? I didn’t give you that buff for this!”
Min Juri shouted, but no one listened to her.
Or rather, they heard her but didn’t respond.
They simply repaid her kindness with hostility, pointing knives at her.
“Don’t interfere! Do you want to die too? Fine, then I’ll kill you...”
The man approaching Min Juri suddenly stopped.
Four fairies, three golems, and two spirit knights appeared around Min Juri to protect her.
“Anyone who approaches will die. If you think I’m lying, come and see for yourselves.”
“...Tch!”
At Seo Arin’s not-so-veiled threat, the man turned and went back to the fight.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. Thank you, Seo Arin.”
“This is nothing compared to what Min Juri did for us.”
Min Juri smiled shyly, understanding the meaning of Seo Arin’s words.
She had sacrificed herself for others in front of a lion-faced demon.
“Why did you do it?”
“What?”
“Why did you try to save me?”
“Me? Save you?”
The direct question made Min Juri uncomfortable.
“You must be mistaken. I wasn’t specifically trying to save you. Yamti was there too, remember?”
“Yes, but... even so, you tried to sacrifice yourself. How did you have that courage?”
Min Juri’s answer was simple.
“I was going to die anyway, so if I could save someone else, it would be better, right?”
It was simple math: sacrifice one to save two.
“Min Juri, you’re incredible. Your ability to assess the situation is, in a way, similar to Black Scythe’s.”
“Thanks for the compliment.”
Min Juri and Seo Arin looked at each other and smiled.
However, the tranquility didn’t last long.
[The fifty-third death has occurred.]
The constant increase in the number of deaths made them tense up again.
“Shouldn’t we try to stop this?”
Seo Arin shook her head and coldly responded to Min Juri’s question.
“No, let them be.”
“But...”
“You saw it a moment ago, didn’t you? If we intervene, we’ll only suffer ourselves. This isn’t a situation where words will do any good.”
Around 30 people were involved in a chaotic fight, using knives over insignificant disputes, and they could only watch.
“It’s better to observe. Look at the number of people fighting.”
“Huh...?”
“If all of them die, how many will be left?”
“We’ll be less than 72, right?”
Seo Arin nodded.
“Maybe it’s better to let them fight. Anyway, there’s no way to stop them.”
The other companions seemed to share the same idea, watching without getting involved.
Jo Yong-ho, Russell, John Delgado, Joo Sung-taek, Yamti, Eom Jun-seok, Dorothy, Alex, Victor, Sophia, and the other companions I met in Twin Canyon.
They hoped the fighters would destroy each other.
Otherwise, they might find themselves in the situation of having to kill them themselves.
Maybe their fervent wishes came true?
[The seventieth death has occurred.]
[The player’s nickname is ‘Ali.’]
[Ten minutes have passed since their death, so the player will be exterminated.]
[Remaining players: 73]
[Exterminated players: 70]
[Time remaining until the end of the round: 23:17:49]
After a fierce battle, the number of deaths reached 70.
Now, with one more death, there would be 72 players left, fulfilling the survival condition.
And curiously, only one person was left alive after the fight.
“Pant, pant.”
Leonard, the man who remained alone, looked around with eyes full of life.
In the chaos of the battle, he realized that everyone but him was dead.
He didn’t remember how many he had killed, but it didn’t matter.
He was already completely exhausted.
“Pant, pant.”
However, Leonard couldn’t release the sword in his hand.
He felt the stares fixed on him from afar.
“No, don’t come closer. Don’t come closer! Do you want to die too?”
Maybe due to his blurry vision, it seemed to him that someone was approaching.
With his sword raised, Leonard took a step back, fearful.
He knew it too.
He knew that his death would adjust the number to 72 and ensure everyone’s survival.
“Do you think I’ll die so easily? Don’t make me laugh! I’m going to survive at all costs.”
Mistakenly believing that they were approaching to kill him, Leonard turned and fled.
In reality, Seo Arin and her group were just observing him.
“He was screaming and then left.”
“He must have thought we were going to attack him.”
“I guess he thought he would be the target, as we only needed one more to die for everyone to survive.”
Seo Arin and Min Juri exchanged words while watching Leonard walk away.
Although Leonard’s death would have ensured their survival, they didn’t feel disappointed.
They had no intention of killing him.
They could only watch in astonishment at the terrible scene unfolding before them.
“Let’s go.”
“Where? That way?”
“We need to look for survivors. Though I doubt there are any...”
The group followed Seo Arin to the place filled with corpses.
There were as many bodies as there were death messages that had appeared.
There were no survivors.
“Let’s erase them with magic. If we leave them like this, monsters might devour them.”
“Alright.”
The group, in agreement, eliminated the bodies in an orderly manner.
Though the result was negative, they had once trusted those companions and supported each other.
At least it was better than letting the monsters eat them.
“If we’re done, let’s go.”
“Where to?”
“We can’t stay here.”
Nodding, the group started to move slowly.
--------------------
They could tell how much time had passed by looking at the mission window.
However, most preferred to avoid doing so.
The reason was simple.
Every time they saw the remaining time, they felt disappointed.
[Time remaining until the end of the round: 12:03:39]
“There are still 12 hours left?”
Min Juri made a disgusted face when she saw the time.
Seo Arin and the others did the same.
It seemed like a lot of time had passed, but the time barely moved.
“I’m hungry...”
“I’d like at least a sip of water...”
At first, lack of sleep was a problem, but that had been solved.
They had found a suitable place without monsters, and with guard shifts and reliable company, they were able to sleep.
They also hadn’t expended energy.
They were still and had a healer among them, so there were no physical problems.
However, the real problem was something else.
Hunger.
Not having eaten anything was the biggest challenge.
Not even Christine’s healing could fill their empty stomachs.
They couldn’t wash properly either.
That’s why they all looked like hungry vagabonds after several days.
“Not having anything to eat is driving me crazy with hunger. It feels like we’re on a fasting retreat.”
“Forced diet... I never did this even when I was an aspirant...”
“Don’t actors also diet?”
Seo Arin shook her head.
“It’s said that others do, but I never had to. No matter how much I eat, I don’t gain weight.”
“Oh... How envious.”
“I envy Min Juri more...”
Seo Arin glanced at her chest, but Min Juri, blushing, pretended not to notice.
“Ahem, anyway, shouldn’t we look for other players instead of staying just us?”
“No. How can we trust others?”
Currently, their group had 24 people, including the mercenaries.
These were the best members selected by Black Scythe and called to Twin Canyon.
Nothing was known about the other 49 players.
They could locate them if they tried, but they didn’t.
Accepting them as companions could cause unforeseen problems.
Moreover, they wouldn’t trust us either.
“I think it’s better to keep camping here on our own.”
“Right?”
The 24 people stayed in one place without moving.
There was no need to waste unnecessary energy.
However, enduring like this wasn’t as easy as it seemed.
They had to deal with hunger and find ways to pass the time, which went by slowly.
“It would have been great to have a smartphone.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
Without mobile phones, the only thing they could do was talk to pass the time.
Is that why?
After so many conversations, Seo Arin and Min Juri had become much closer than before.
Although they still didn’t speak with complete confidence.
At that moment, an unexpected notification appeared before them.
[The seventy-first death has occurred.]
[The player’s name is ‘Leonard.’]
[Ten minutes have passed since their death, so the player will be eliminated.]
[Remaining players: 72.]
[Eliminated players: 71.]
[Time remaining until the end of the round: 11:57:28.]
[The current number of players is equal to or less than 72.]
[The total elimination penalty has disappeared.]
[All players have secured their survival in this round.]
That notification was like rain in the middle of a drought.
“Leonard was the one who survived the battle, right?”
“Yes, him.”
“How could he have died?”
“Maybe from hunger... or killed by a monster.”
It was very likely.
After all, he had already expended a lot of energy in the fight.
“Now that we won’t be exterminated, we can be more at ease.”
“We just need to hold out until the time ends.”
If they only held out, they would survive.
That fact reignited a new spirit in the players, like a quenched flame rekindled.
Although in reality, they had nothing else to do but wait.
While they continued talking, something happened.
“Huh?”
Seo Arin noticed that someone was approaching.
“Someone’s coming.”
As she said, a group of people was approaching them.
“Don’t be alarmed. We’re not here to fight.”
“There’s no reason to fight anymore, right?”
Showing their empty hands, the group approached Seo Arin and her team, making it clear they had no intention of fighting.
Seo Arin remained cautious.
“Then, what’s the reason for your visit?”
“Do you have any food? We’re starving.”
Everyone felt downcast by the simplicity of the motive.
“Sorry, but we don’t have anything either.”
“We haven’t had a drop of water, and we’re just as hungry.”
Realizing they were in the same situation, the people’s expressions turned sad.
“Can we join you?”
“Sure. There’s no problem joining.”
Until there were 72 players left, they had fought to the death, but now the situation was different.
There was no reason to kill each other, and they didn’t have the energy to do so either.
As time went on, as people felt more secure, they started to gather.
Finally, the 71 survivors, excluding Black Scythe, gathered in one place.
“Phew... there are still 3 hours left.”
Seo Arin, sighing when she saw the remaining time, looked at Min Juri.
She seemed to be looking for someone.
“What’s wrong? Are you looking for Black Scythe?”
“No, no.”
Min Juri whispered so the others wouldn’t hear.
“I’m looking for Min.”
“Ryu Min?”
“He should be here, but I don’t see him.”
“......”
There were 71 people present, excluding Black Scythe.
It was a small enough number to visually verify.
“Why don’t I see him?”
Seeing Min Juri suddenly stand up and move, Seo Arin sighed.
When she returned, Seo Arin spoke to her with an expression that indicated she could no longer ignore the situation.
“Miss Min Juri, do you really not know? Or do you prefer not to believe it?”
“What are you saying?”
Seo Arin spoke quietly, conscious of her surroundings.
“Do you still not believe it? Don’t you think Black Scythe is Ryu Min?”
“It’s impossible they’re the same person.”
“Yes, they are. I heard it directly from Ryu Min.”
“I also heard it from Ryu Min. Though I dismissed it as a bad joke.”
“It wasn’t a joke. Ryu Min doesn’t joke like that. Why would he?”
“......”
With this statement, Min Juri couldn’t help but reconsider the situation.
“Are they really the same person?”
“Yes.”
“But their appearances are different. Also their personalities...”
“Appearances can change. Didn’t you notice too, Miss Min Juri?”
“Ah...”
Min Juri suddenly remembered.
The scene where Black Scythe transformed into the appearance of Hwang Yong-min, even when he turned into a sheep.
And the scene where he changed his appearance to that of Black Scythe.
Although he turned into a sheep, Min Juri definitely witnessed that scene.
“And what about their personalities?”
“The personality is also part of the concept. Ryu Min acted as if he were another person to use the mask of Black Scythe.”
“Then, really...”
Just when Min Juri seemed to doubt whether to believe or not, something happened.
“Huh? Look! A demon!”
A demon appeared.
It wasn’t an illusion; it was a red-skinned demon.
But people blinked as if their eyes were failing.
Because next to the demon was a familiar man.
“That’s... Black Scythe, right?”
Black Scythe appeared next to the demon.