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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: First Wave
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"I refuse your offer."
Ryu Min wasn't flustered by Jo Joong-sik's refusal.
He had expected it.
'Of course, a guy like him wouldn't swallow his pride so easily.'
Rather, it was the surrounding players who were surprised.
"He's refusing that?"
"The Black Scythe would've protected him. He could've hunted safely."
"Being told to follow orders must have hurt his pride."
"For a so-called gangster, I guess pride is more important than his life?"
"Isn't it more like he doesn't give a damn about us?"
"Hah... Unbelievable."
The thought of being looked down upon made a few players grind their teeth.
A subtle anger began to simmer.
At this, Ryu Min simply smiled to himself.
It was all proceeding exactly as it had in his past life.
'If I draw a clear line right at this moment...'
The players would target Jo Joong-sik without worrying about me.
Ryu Min raised his gaze and looked at Jo Joong-sik.
Seeing how tense he was, he must have thought I was about to slit his throat.
'Maybe in the next round, but he definitely can't be the zone representative in this one.'
With not an ounce of intention to kill Jo Joong-sik, Ryu Min spoke in a flat voice.
"Alright. If you refuse, there's nothing I can do."
As Ryu Min turned his back, Jo Joong-sik wore a bewildered expression.
"W-what? You're just leaving?"
"What then? Did you want me to slit your throat?"
"..."
Looking at the silent Jo Joong-sik, Ryu Min declared.
Loudly, so the other players could hear.
"Since you refused my offer, I won't bother with you anymore. Whether you live or die is none of my business."
Leaving only those words behind, he turned and walked away without a second thought, and the players began to murmur.
"Did you hear that? The Black Scythe said he won't bother."
"So that means we can go after that gangster as much as we want, right?"
A menacing killing intent once again flared in the players' eyes.
If the Black Scythe wasn't involved, they could target Jo Joong-sik with more confidence.
This was the situation Ryu Min had anticipated.
Sensing the ominous shift in the atmosphere, Jo Joong-sik felt a pang of regret.
'Dammit, should I have just accepted the offer?'
But moving on the Black Scythe's orders was worse than death.
The pride of the Joong-sik gang's boss, who had ruled Seoul, wouldn't allow it.
Just then, a message appeared in everyone's vision.
[The 1st Wave will begin shortly.]
[Prepare for the monster appearance and protect the artifact!]
[After 30 minutes, the 2nd Wave will begin regardless of the remaining monsters!]
[Time remaining until the end of the round: 02:59:59]
"I-it's starting!"
"Everyone, protect the artifact!"
At the news of monsters appearing, people moved with practiced efficiency.
They flocked to the center of the village to protect the artifact.
However, Jo Joong-sik couldn't follow the others.
Instead, he fled to the village entrance to avoid them.
'I can't fight alongside the bastards who are targeting me. I might get stabbed in the back.'
Completely isolated, Jo Joong-sik bit his lip.
'Fine, let's see what I can do on my own.'
It was a personal mission where survival depended on individual performance anyway.
He hadn't expected any cooperation.
'But...'
Jo Joong-sik turned his head to the side.
'What's that guy doing over there?'
At another village entrance stood the Black Scythe.
He wasn't the only one guarding an entrance alone.
It was then.
*Bwooooooooo-*
As if a long horn had sounded, monsters appeared from beyond the village.
*Tseut- tseut- tseut-*
It was only natural that Jo Joong-sik's eyes widened at the sight.
Far more monsters had appeared than he had expected.
'Shit, how many of them are there?'
Even at a glance, the number seemed enormous.
Overwhelmed by the number, Jo Joong-sik looked behind him.
The players positioned inside the village seemed relaxed, as if they hadn't noticed yet.
Then, a message appeared.
[1st Wave]
[4,900 Players vs. 9,800 Weakened Goblins]
[Due to the round's characteristics, the goblins are weakened to one-third of their usual strength.]
[Good luck!]
'There are 9,800 of them?'
Jo Joong-sik stumbled backward.
'I can't handle that many by myself.'
Fortunately, with 4,900 players here, there wouldn't be a problem if each person killed just two.
Moreover, unlike the vast plains of the first round, this was a confined space—a village.
That meant there was a limit to how many monsters could enter at once.
Most fortunate of all...
'The monsters are all goblins. And weakened ones at that.'
Having faced them in the first round, he admittedly saw them as easy prey.
'Even so, I can't handle that many.'
Faced with the surging green tide, Jo Joong-sik moved to a safe location.
His plan was to hide inside the village for a moment, observe the situation, and then join the battle.
'But why isn't that guy moving?'
Jo Joong-sik couldn't understand why the Black Scythe was still standing there motionlessly.
'Is he planning to face the goblins alone at the entrance?'
The village had four entrances in total.
The Black Scythe was guarding one of them.
'Even if the entrance is narrow, it's wide enough for at least ten of them to pass through...'
Is he confident he can fight ten at once?
"Fucking idiot. Showing off just because his level is a little high!"
Jo Joong-sik scoffed at the Black Scythe and hid himself by the window of a two-story building.
From here, he should be able to watch the situation safely.
It was a small space, so it would be easy to kill any goblins that got in.
Jo Joong-sik swallowed hard and looked out the window.
He could see the Black Scythe confronting the goblins.
'He'll probably fight a few and then turn tail and run.'
He was convinced that no matter how strong the Black Scythe was, he couldn't fight ten enemies at once.
However, it didn't take long for him to retract that thought.
*Shink- shink-!*
Jo Joong-sik's jaw dropped as he watched the Black Scythe fight.
"Huh? He's fucking strong, isn't he?"
Every time the large scythe glinted in the sunlight, a goblin's head fell.
Not just one.
With every swing, four of them died simultaneously.
A one-shot, four-kill.
Though surprised by the unexpected sight, Jo Joong-sik's opinion hadn't changed.
'He can only rampage like that for so long. Eventually, he'll get exhausted and collapse.'
But for some reason, the Black Scythe showed no signs of tiring.
If anything, he was picking up speed, cleaving the goblins in two.
Startled by the sight, Jo Joong-sik's eyes widened.
'It's not my imagination. He's getting stronger as time passes.'
Only a few minutes had passed, but the area around the Black Scythe was already littered with goblin corpses.
In contrast, at the other entrances, goblins were pouring in like a flood.
With so many entrances, it was impossible to keep them all out.
Jo Joong-sik moved to the window on the opposite side to check the situation inside the village.
Thousands of goblins and thousands of players were tangled in a chaotic melee.
'It's utter chaos.'
Faced with a larger number of goblins than expected, the players fought for their lives.
Having some experience, they skillfully used their weapons to kill the goblins.
As he watched the scene filled with shouts and bloodshed, Jo Joong-sik tightened his grip on his dagger.
'There's no time to waste. I need to get out there and build my score.'
Since survival depended on the number of monsters killed, it was advantageous to kill as many as possible.
Waiting for the right moment, Jo Joong-sik emerged from the building and stabbed a passing goblin to death.
"Kiek! Kiiiek!"
A few goblins saw this and charged at Jo Joong-sik.
"Come on, you little XP bags."
For Jo Joong-sik, handling three or four of them wasn't difficult.
The Insight Rune predicted the goblins' movements for him.
*Stab- stab- stab-!*
As he killed the goblins, a strange excitement from taking lives coursed through his body.
'Goblins are a piece of cake.'
Smiling, Jo Joong-sik glanced over to where the Black Scythe was.
*Swish- swish-!*
His damage was so high that a single swing of his scythe tore their bodies apart.
It was enough to make Jo Joong-sik shudder as he watched.
'Can you get that strong at level 16?'
Watching the Black Scythe fight stirred a competitive spirit within him.
A desire to grow stronger quickly and surpass the Black Scythe emerged.
Was it because he felt the need to kill more monsters?
Jo Joong-sik recklessly moved toward the village interior where the monsters were concentrated.
'While the goblins are focused on the other players...'
He could kill a greater number with less risk.
"Die! Dieeee!"
"Kieeeek!"
"Aaargh!"
"Come on, you goblin bastards!"
As he neared the village center, the roars of humans and monsters grew vivid.
In the midst of the chaos, Jo Joong-sik hunted goblins.
*Stab- stab-!*
He leisurely picked off passing goblins or those that were distracted.
'This is so damn eas—'
A sudden chilling sensation made Jo Joong-sik turn his head.
*Fwit-!*
An arrow grazed past his cheek.
'An arrow?'
Jo Joong-sik's eyes turned fierce.
Because there were no goblins in sight that used arrows.
'Dammit, which bastard was it?'
Thinking it was a player's doing, Jo Joong-sik scanned his surroundings but couldn't find anyone.
'I don't know who you are, but just you wait. I'll separate your flesh from your bones.'
He tried to focus on hunting again.
*Thunk-!*
"Gah!"
A spearhead lodged itself in Jo Joong-sik's side.
He turned his head to see the player holding the spear grinning at him.
"Got him! I got him! Hahaha!"
"You son of a bitch!"
Jo Joong-sik forcefully pulled out the spear shaft and charged forward like a bolt of lightning.
"Whoa!"
The distance closed in an instant, and just as the stunned player tried to swing his spear.
*Stab-!*
Jo Joong-sik's dagger plunged into the player's chest.
"Die! Die, you bastard!"
After hacking at the player as if to mince him, Jo Joong-sik tossed the tattered body aside and raised his head.
At that moment.
*Pyew-!*
An arrow whizzed past his ear, making Jo Joong-sik's head snap to the side.
In the direction the arrow came from, there was a player holding a bow.
'That son of a bitch...!'
Ignoring the pain in his side, Jo Joong-sik charged.
The startled player drew his bowstring.
The Insight Rune informed him in advance which way the arrow would fly.
'I have to dodge left. Now!'
*Ping-!*
He twisted his body and dodged even before the arrow was released.
The flustered player tried to nock another arrow, but.
"Gah!"
The dagger Jo Joong-sik threw struck him squarely in the forehead.
"You bastard! You dare aim for me?"
After retrieving his dagger and stabbing the body several more times out of anger, Jo Joong-sik straightened up.
"Hoo, hoo."
Blood was streaming from his side, and his whole body was a wreck.
Jo Joong-sik's tense eyes darted around.
'Fuck, I have to be more worried about players than monsters.'
Now he had to be on guard against players, not monsters.
'I don't know where the next attack will come from.'
Jo Joong-sik was filled with regret.
This was all because he was the zone representative.
'This damn zone representative title. If I could, I'd pass it on to someone else!'
But since the only way to pass it on was to die, he had no choice but to remain vigilant.
*Stab-!*
Resuming his hunt, Jo Joong-sik had to keep an eye on his surroundings even while killing goblins.
A blade could come from anywhere, at any time.
That thought slowed his hunting speed.
'Shit, can I even make it into the rankings like this?'
Guarding against monsters, guarding against players.
Jo Joong-sik's eyes moved frantically.
It was only natural that his hunting speed dropped.
As time went on, the pain in his side grew worse.
'Should I have just accepted the Black Scythe's offer?'
The thought briefly crossed his mind, but Jo Joong-sik shook his head, brushing it away.
'A man has his pride. I'll never work under that guy.'
He needed another solution.
A way to hunt safely without having to worry about other players.
'Huh? Who's that?'
Just then, [Black Flame Dragon in the Right Hand] came into Jo Joong-sik's view.
He was the 3rd ranked player in this zone.
A good idea popped into his head, and Jo Joong-sik approached the Black Flame Dragon.
"Hey."
"...?"
The Black Flame Dragon, who was in the middle of hunting, turned his head.
At that moment, Jo Joong-sik's eyes glowed purple.
It was the change that occurred when he used his Leadership authority.
"From now on, you will protect me. Black Flame Dragon in the Right Hand."
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