Chapter 356 - Seo Arin in Episode 101
Sometimes it happens.
Moments when your mind goes blank before something important.
“Seo Arin?”
“…Yes?”
“What are you doing so distracted? The bell event is about to start.”
“Oh... sorry, guard.”
“You don’t have to apologize to me.”
“Yes...”
With that, Seo Arin awkwardly looked away.
An Sang-cheol.
The manager provided by the company.
But in reality, he was a watcher and bodyguard who followed her every move.
Since she found out about that, an insurmountable barrier had been placed between them.
It was hard to get close to someone like him.
‘I must focus on my work now…’
Trying to avoid An Sang-cheol’s gaze, she waited behind the stage with other veteran artists.
The new year would soon begin.
Although she didn’t know it would be the beginning of hell.
[Hehehe. Humans are funny. They celebrate the New Year without knowing the situation they are in.]
“Gu, guard... Look at that!”
"..."
Seeing an angel floating in the sky would leave anyone in shock.
Seo Arin couldn’t help but be scared seeing the bewilderment on An Sang-cheol’s usually impassive face.
But An Sang-cheol was, without a doubt, An Sang-cheol.
“Calm down, Seo Arin. Let’s first hear what the angel has to say.”
To regain composure in such a situation...
[Let’s see... counting humans between the ages of 15 and 29, the number of participants is 1,801,029,290. Now that the explanation is over, shall we go? Hohoho.]
Before the angel finished speaking, Seo Arin’s mind was transported somewhere.
It was an empty space.
A voice was heard indicating she should customize her avatar, but she was so dazed that the time ran out without doing it.
So she had to appear in the meadow with her real face.
As soon as she arrived in the new environment, Seo Arin looked for her bodyguard.
Fortunately, An Sang-cheol was by her side.
With a slightly different face.
“Guard, why do you look like that...?”
“I changed my style a bit. I see you didn’t change anything.”
“Yes... I was so shocked that I did nothing.”
“Most will be in the same situation, but now you must focus. Being here, it’s clear this is not a dream.”
“I understand. I will focus.”
After nodding seriously, they listened attentively to the angel.
They received a Random Rune and used it as instructed.
[You have used a Random Rune.]
[Congratulations! You have obtained the ‘Rune of Summoning’!]
[The obtained rune will automatically be inscribed on the player’s body.]
‘Rune of Summoning? Is it good?’
Seeing its effect, Seo Arin’s eyes widened.
[Rune of Summoning]
Effect: Increases summoner stats by 50%. If there is no summoner, your stats increase by 25%. Increases the likelihood of changing class to Summoner in the future.
‘Increase summoner stats? But I don’t have a summoner.’
However, upon reading further, she realized that her stats also increased if she didn’t have a summoner.
Even if it was just 25%, it was still valuable.
A general increase in stats.
Recognizing the value of the rune, Seo Arin couldn’t help but open her mouth a bit, but soon controlled her expression.
Showing her emotions would be like revealing information about the rune.
I must not show that I am happy.
‘If it’s about acting, I’m good at it.’
Although she tried to erase her expression, she had already thought about what to say if asked about the rune.
But An Sang-cheol didn’t seem interested at all.
“Seo Arin, did you see the first round mission?”
“Yes. We have to kill 100 goblins...”
“It seems like an individual mission, but it will be easier if we cooperate. So...”
“I understand. I will help you as much as I can.”
Seo Arin formed an alliance with An Sang-cheol.
In this other world, the only person she could trust and rely on was her bodyguard.
‘I must survive. No matter what it takes.’
While steeling herself, the first round began, and a hellish chaos unfolded.
An innumerable horde of goblins was massacring humans.
But even in this situation, An Sang-cheol remained calm.
“I see some carrying clubs. Try to face those. Even if you have to fight others, just be careful with the daggers. First, pick up a dagger from the ground.”
“Yes!”
Both picked up daggers left by the goblins and began a desperate struggle.
Tearing the skin of a living creature wasn’t pleasant, but after doing it several times, they began to become desensitized.
Or rather, they didn’t have time to think about it.
It was such a brutal and intense situation.
It was natural since their lives were at stake.
“Seo Arin, here!”
“Yes!”
Slash! Slash!
Between the two, they stabbed the fallen goblins.
It was easier to kill them as a team than alone.
Of course, this was largely thanks to An Sang-cheol.
As a good bodyguard, he handled the goblins with top-notch skills.
‘And his stats haven’t even increased... it’s incredible.’
An Sang-cheol’s evasion and counterattack techniques were something that even with her increased stats, Seo Arin couldn’t replicate.
‘A little more... just a little more...’
Thus, little by little, the number of dead goblins increased, and Seo Arin, along with An Sang-cheol, managed to make it onto the list of survivors of the first round.
But the problem was the next round.
‘This time I was lucky, but will I be able to survive the next round?’
The uncertainty about the second-round mission increased her anxiety.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
It was someone from downstairs bringing rice cake.
“Hello... oh, are you actress Seo Arin?”
“Ah, yes.”
“Wow, who would have thought a celebrity lived upstairs. Nice to meet you.”
A neighbor of a similar age left the rice cake and left, saying he hoped to see her again.
‘Mmm. It’s tasty.’
At that moment, Seo Arin didn’t know.
She didn’t know she would meet that man in the second round.
She didn’t know he was Black Scythe, the number one in the first round.
And she didn’t know Black Scythe would be the first to reveal his identity.
“Did you like the rice cake?”
“Ah... yes. It was really delicious.”
“Then, why are you following me?”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
They had been caught spying in the second round.
What to do?
“We had no bad intentions following you, please don’t be angry.”
An Sang-cheol apologized, but Black Scythe didn’t seem angry at all.
He was just asking with genuine interest.
Instead of getting angry, he even gave them information.
"Soon there will be a crowd following Miss Seo Arin."
"What? Me?"
"You'll see."
Although the words seemed out of place, An Sang-cheol waited, and indeed, a crowd suddenly appeared.
It was as Black Scythe had prophesied.
The group with the nickname Hwang Yong-min looked at us along with Black Scythe in surprise.
As if they had caught us committing a crime.
"Why are you following us?"
"Well, who said we were following you...?"
"Did you see someone lurking, saying they had to target Seo Arin? Are you staying quiet?"
"..."
Black Scythe’s words shut the mouths of Hwang Yong-min’s group as if they had been taught a lesson.
After that, unilateral attacks began, and thanks to Black Scythe, we avoided major problems.
"Thank you, Black Scythe."
"But, Black Scythe, how did you know what those Hwang Yong-min guys were saying if you couldn’t hear...?"
"I didn’t hear anything. I just interpreted the situation."
"What?"
"I received a prophecy rune. You can consider it a rune that shows the future."
Black Scythe’s words surprised both An Sang-cheol and Seo Arin.
It was a hard story to believe.
A rune that could see the future.
Anyone, in this age full of uncertainty about the future, would doubt the existence of such a rune in Black Scythe’s hands.
At that moment, Seo Arin and An Sang-cheol’s thoughts were similar.
'I have to stick with this person, no matter what.'
'I can’t let go of Black Scythe.'
We have to be with Black Scythe.
We have to lead his cooperation, no matter the means.
It was An Sang-cheol who proposed this first.
"Black Scythe, we want to thank you for this favor, how can we do it? Could you meet with our representative at least once?"
"That’s how you are."
Black Scythe, who surprisingly accepted easily, met with the representative Ma Gyeong-rok that same day.
In the meeting after the round, Ma Gyeong-rok listened to our stories and didn’t easily believe he was a prophet.
It was natural since he was a naturally suspicious person.
Whether Black Scythe knew this or not, he prophesied two things.
First, the rise in the value of the currency.
Secondly, information about the third round.
He said we could believe it or not, and gave us information before leaving.
Now, Black Scythe had become an indispensable ally.
Because he had proven his worth.
'Even without the prophecies, Black Scythe is trustworthy. Whether by skills or other aspects...'
With him, we overcame difficulties and challenges.
With the advantage of information, we smoothly overcame the following rounds and received additional help.
"Among your friends is Hong Seon-ah, right? The actors jealous of her plan to betray Seo Arin."
"What? Why me?"
"Their goal is to steal gold and items. They planned to lure colleagues and senior celebrities to a nightclub and attack Seo Arin without anyone knowing. It’s for their own survival."
"But, how can they do something so bad?"
"If you can’t believe it, pretend you do. I’ll use invisibility to protect you, so don’t worry."
Seo Arin wanted to verify Black Scythe’s prophecies.
She wanted to prove that her close friends wouldn’t betray her.
So she contacted Hong Seon-ah first.
To meet.
However, it seemed there was no friendship between them.
Considering how Hong Seon-ah revealed her true nature after luring Seo Arin to a club where other actors were.
“Damn it! Don’t you understand the situation now? Why don’t you release the items immediately?!”
“We’re not joking, Arin. Should we listen to seniors when they talk?”
“Since we’re here, why don’t you take off your clothes? It would be great to enjoy each other before dying, don’t you think?”
Despicable traitors.
Colleagues and seniors she once trusted were now willing to use others’ lives as currency to survive in the competition.
Where else can you find such trash?
“Did you see the look in her eyes?”
“Seems like she’s looking at us with contempt, right?”
“This isn’t going to work, guys. Somehow, even if it’s by force...”.
“Black Scythe.”
At Seo Arin’s words, Black Scythe materialized in the air.
The actors, stunned as if seeing a ghost, didn’t know what to do while looking at Seo Arin.
“Do you believe me now?”
“Yes.”
“What are we going to do with them?”
Seo Arin looked coldly at the actors.
“We will kill them.”
From that moment on, Seo Arin fully trusted Black Scythe.
However, she also felt anxious.
With each round, her trust in Black Scythe grew.
“The 20th round is over, now it’s the final round.”
The 97 players, including Seo Arin, were ready to enter the Room of Wishes.
Although everyone was nervous about facing Chaos, they also had hope.
If they succeeded in this round, they could achieve the wish they never dared to hope for.
“We just have to follow Black Scythe’s words.”
Finally, the long-awaited Final Round, the 7th Battle of the Heavens, arrived.
“The war between 100,921 celestials (+97 players) and 283,078 demons will begin shortly.”
With a deafening roar, the war began, and Seo Arin did her best.
“Echo of Justice!”
The summoners, like walls, stood as invincible shields blocking Chaos’s attacks.
That turn was enough to buy time for Black Scythe.
“The demon forces have decreased below 10%.”
“The 7th Battle of the Heavens ends with the victory of the celestial side.”
97 players, including Seo Arin, were able to find the Five-Colored Wish Stone.
“If you touch this... as Black Scythe said, we will enter the Room of Wishes.”
Seo Arin touched the Wish Stone as if hypnotized.
At that moment.
“The player ‘Seo Arin’ has entered the Room of Wishes.”
She entered a white space and began to think about her wish.