Chapter 17 - Chapter 17

└Select an Area Representative in 3 hours

[All Areas]

└Participants: 900,514,645

└Completed: 0/900,514,645

[Current Area ESKS45-5]

└Participants: 5,143

└Completed: 0/5,143

People's faces filled with surprise as they checked the Round 2 mission.

"What's this? Select an area representative?"

"I thought they'd tell us to kill a few more monsters..."

"We're not fighting?"

That wasn't the only puzzling thing.

"Wait, what's with the number of completions?"

The number of completions, which should have been half, was at 100% this time.

"Does this mean everyone can survive this round?"

There were many things that couldn't be understood just by looking at the message.

They needed an explanation.

[Keeheehee, seeing you all so bewildered, it seems my explanation is needed.]

The angel spoke, puffing out its chest as if to say it was its time to shine.

[As you can see, this round isn't about fighting. It ends once you select an area representative.]

"An area representative?"

[An area representative is exactly what it sounds like: a representative for the area. They are fundamentally granted the 'Right of Command,' an immense power that allows them to forcibly control other humans.]

"Forcibly control them...?"

"Th-that's incredible."

Just hearing about it was enough to understand how much power the area representative held.

[In three hours from now, you will all be granted the right to vote. All you have to do is use it to select one person as your area representative. And that's it.]

Just then, someone courageous raised their hand and spoke.

"Is... is that really it? Nothing else?"

[Yes. Just by voting, you'll be counted as having completed the quest and can return home. You could call it a sort of break round. This is why the completion rate is 100%.]

In short, the goal of this round was to choose a king for the group.

"We pass just by voting...?"

"Compared to the last round, this is too easy."

"W-we're saved! We don't have to fight!"

The murmuring among the people grew louder.

They had come tensed and ready for a big fight, but the mission was disappointingly easy.

[Well then, I'll be on my way, so take the next three hours to discuss who you'll choose as your area representative! Keeheehee!]

As the angel disappeared, a new message appeared.

[Time remaining until vote: 02:59:59]

"So they'll really count us as having survived just for voting in three hours?"

"Isn't this a total freebie?"

The unexpectedly easy quest brought relief to the majority of the players.

But some, with unease still lingering on their faces, remained suspicious.

Hwang Yong-min and his friends were among them.

"This is weird. They said only half would survive each round, but now they give us a quest this easy?"

"The angel said it was a break round."

"Even so. I came here all geared up for a fight, and they tell us to just vote. It's such a letdown."

"Yong-min, just go with it. What's there to complain about when they're letting us live for just voting?"

"I'm annoyed because I've been putting all my points into strength and haven't even gotten to use it properly. Tsk."

Ryu Min, who was eavesdropping on their conversation nearby, raised one corner of his mouth.

'Putting all his points into strength... does that mean the Rune of Strength appeared this time, too?'

Through repeated regressions, Ryu Min knew everything about most of the notable figures.

It was impossible for him not to know about something like Hwang Yong-min's rune.

The current situation was no different.

'The situation is unfolding just as I remember.'

People relieved at the thought of surviving just by voting, and those who were suspicious.

Even those who were disappointed after coming prepared to fight monsters.

It was exactly the same as the situation he had experienced in his previous life.

'Now they'll spend the next three hours debating who to vote for.'

As the angel had already said, the area representative was given the authority known as the Right of Command.

'It's a formidable power that lets you command anyone within the area to do anything.'

If told to crawl, they crawl. If told to die, they die.

If told to hand over an item, they give it. If told to be monster bait, they step forward without hesitation.

It couldn't be refused by willpower.

The system would enforce it with restrictions.

It was a position that could wield truly immense power.

No different from a king of sorts.

No one would want to hand over such a position to just anyone.

'Naturally, they'll start by discussing who to elect as the representative.'

And at the center of that discussion, his name would come up.

Sure enough.

Looking around, he saw people glancing his way.

'The mood is already shifting toward nominating me as the representative.'

If they were to pick one person as the representative, a strong person would be the most suitable.

It was only natural that he, the first-place finisher of the last round, would be in the spotlight.

But Ryu Min had no interest in the position.

Because the area representative was a poisoned chalice.

'If you get greedy for the Right of Command and become the representative, you'll only end up losing out in many ways.'

It looked like a powerful position, but there was something the angel hadn't mentioned.

'The Right of Command doesn't work on people who have a class.'

Once you reach level 10 and change your class, you can escape the power of the Right of Command.

In the end, it was a half-baked power.

'Besides, from Round 3 onward, the representative has to shoulder all the responsibility just for being the representative.'

Knowing this, Ryu Min had no intention of becoming the representative.

It was nothing but a burdensome and dangerous position.

'Of course, others might nominate and vote for me regardless of my wishes, but...'

Ryu Min wasn't worried.

He knew from his dozens of regressions that he wouldn't become the representative.

'Right now, choosing a representative isn't what's important. The sub-quest is more important.'

A sharp-eyed person might have noticed, but there was a change in the quest message.

The word 'Main' had been added before 'Quest.'

'The existence of a Main Quest implies there's also a Sub-Quest.'

In other words, this round had another quest besides just voting.

'Getting a class is this round's sub-quest, and also a hidden quest.'

Anyone could get a class upon reaching level 10.

Though, of course, a class change item was needed.

'I already got one last round.'

Having killed the angel and obtained the Reaper class change item, Ryu Min had no worries.

He just needed to get to level 10.

'I don't have time to waste debating for three hours. I'll use that time to hunt, reach level 10, and change my class.'

Then he could also escape the authority of the area representative.

Ryu Min's gaze shifted to a message floating in a corner.

[A 3x experience buff is active for the duration of Round 2.]

[It will be automatically deactivated at the end of Round 2.]

Fortunately, with the 3x experience buff he received as a special reward from Round 1, it wouldn't take long.

Glancing around, Ryu Min began to move.

Rustle- Rustle-

While the others were debating, Ryu Min crossed the clearing and walked toward a nearby forest.

He had no interest in being the representative and no intention of joining their discussion.

'I don't care who becomes the representative.'

His current goal was to level up to 10 as quickly as possible and change his class.

That was why he had entered the forest.

'Deep in the forest, there are hobgoblins. Sometimes even gnolls appear.'

Both gave better experience than goblins and were stronger monsters.

Still, to Ryu Min, they were nothing but experience fodder.

'We weren't thrown into this environment to have a friendly chat.'

The forest itself was a good hunting ground.

If they spent their time debating, unaware of this fact, they would gain nothing.

'Only those who move their bodies to gain something will discover the existence of the sub-quest.'

Wandering through the forest, they would find monsters, and while hunting, they would reach level 10.

At that point, the sub-quest window would naturally appear, and they would realize that debating wasn't the answer.

'Of course, the representative position looks appealing, but it's a spot for only one out of five thousand people. It's better to give up early.'

Besides, since it was a poisoned chalice, it was best not to even look at it in the first place.

The key to this round was to hunt and get stronger as quickly as possible, just like Ryu Min.

"Kiit, kiit, kit."

Just then, a hobgoblin appeared from behind a tree in Ryu Min's sight.

It was slightly larger than a goblin and held a kukri used for hunting.

It looked quite threatening, but to Ryu Min's eyes, it seemed like nothing more than a toy sword.

"Come."

"Kiiiit!"

At the flick of his finger, the hobgoblin, its pride wounded, charged at him.

But it wasn't the only one that moved.

Fwoosh-!

As Ryu Min also moved, the distance between them closed in an instant.

Before the startled hobgoblin could react.

Stab-!

Ryu Min's stiletto plunged into the hobgoblin's neck.

[You have defeated a hobgoblin!]

[A 3x experience buff is active.]

[Experience +9%]

[Gold +15]

[Current Kills: 1/100]

[Due to the effect of the Rune of Slaughter, all stats increase by 1%.]

The 3x experience buff and the effect of the Rune of Slaughter.

A stream of messages appeared, but he had no time to check them.

'Where there's one goblin, there are always more.'

Having dispatched it in an instant, Ryu Min immediately scanned his surroundings.

Sure enough.

"Kiiiit!?"

There was another hobgoblin nearby.

Hobgoblins never traveled alone.

A smirk formed on Ryu Min's face as he charged toward the goblin, his eyes glinting.

* * *

[You have defeated a hobgoblin!]

[A 3x experience buff is active.]

[Experience +7.2%]

[Gold +15]

[Current Kills: 50/100]

[Due to the effect of the Rune of Slaughter, all stats increase by 50%.]

[You have leveled up!]

The experience he gained gradually decreased.

It was a natural progression, as the required experience increased with each level.

He didn't need to count how many he had killed.

The Rune of Slaughter told him the current kill count.

[Time remaining until vote: 02:29:24]

'Thirty minutes have passed.'

In just thirty minutes, Ryu Min's level had risen from 5 to 9.

Soon, he would be just one level away from being able to change his class.

Ryu Min warily scanned his surroundings as he allocated his stat points.

'As for stats, agility, of course.'

Until level 10, nothing beat agility in the early stages.

You had to be able to dodge enemy attacks and stay alive to get a chance to counterattack.

Unless they were fools, most would realize the importance of agility.

'Though if you imprinted the Rune of Strength like Hwang Yong-min, putting points into strength would be more efficient.'

But insisting on a pure strength build until the end would make it hard to survive.

No matter how strong you were, getting stabbed by a sword would be the end of it.

Eventually, a situation would arise where he'd have to invest in agility.

'Not just agility. It's the same for all stats.'

There were four player stats.

Strength, Intelligence, Agility, and Luck.

Strength increased physical damage, health, and toughness.

Intelligence increased magic damage, mental power, and cognitive speed.

Agility increased attack speed, movement speed, and evasion rate.

Luck increased critical hit chance, item drop rate, and bonus gold chance.

'Not a single stat is useless.'

Among the four, there was no such thing as an unnecessary stat.

Raising them evenly was more important than anything.

'Especially for a Reaper. It's a hybrid class.'

While most classes were divided between physical and magic damage, the Reaper used both.

That meant he had to raise not only Strength but also Intelligence to increase his damage.

'Just raising all stats overall is the most ideal approach.'

This was a conclusion he had reached after dozens of tests, so it was undoubtedly correct.

And what if he obtained the [Rune of Balance], which granted a bonus effect for having balanced stats?

It would be like giving wings to a tiger.

'Like the Rune of the Inner Heart, the Rune of Balance is a must-have.'

For now, clearing the sub-quest quickly was more important.

There was an additional reward for being the first to complete it.

Since he had started early and had an experience buff, it wouldn't be difficult.

Just as he was about to resume hunting.

Rustle-

'Hm?'

Ryu Min froze.

And the rustling sound stopped with him.

'Well, well. Is someone tailing me?'

They might have followed him from the clearing, or they might have followed the trail of monster corpses scattered about.

'I was so focused on hunting I didn't notice I was being followed.'

There had been no one tailing him in his previous lives, so Ryu Min's expression soured.

As a regressor, a change in the future was not something he welcomed.

"I don't know who you are, but come out."

Ryu Min's voice was low and heavy.

"Show yourself and state your purpose. Otherwise..."

Ryu Min aimed his blood-stained dagger in the direction of the sound.

"...you'd better be prepared to die right now."

Did the murderous threat work?

Rustle-

The follower revealed themself from behind a tree.