Chapter 141: CPF (2) |
“You all are it.”
Heads turned at the voice of a newcomer.
Swish-
A man appeared out of thin air, wearing a white mask, and looked at them.
“Gasp! What? Invisibility?”
“I didn’t sense him at all.”
“Who are you?! What are you?!”
“How long have you been there?”
“Been here all along. Just observing what you were saying, for management purposes.”
The players couldn’t take their eyes off the suddenly appeared Ryu Min, readying themselves to equip their gear at any moment.
It was a natural reaction to a suspicious man covering his face with a white mask.
Ryu Min looked around at the members and said,
“No need to be so guarded. I’m the commander you’ve been waiting for.”
-Commander…?
-This person?
Though he revealed the truth, no one took his word for it at face value.
Suspicion was their initial response.
What kind of commander hides his face behind a mask, unless he’s out of his mind?
‘Hmm, a rather unwelcoming countenance. Well, appearing with a mask on is bound to look strange.’
“Are you really our unit’s commander?”
“Why wear the mask?”
“I don’t want my face to become public. By the way, I have the police chief’s approval, so don’t even think about making a fuss.”
The members inwardly sighed.
Some of them were already internally lamenting having such an odd commander.
-Why does he feel the need to hide his face as if he’s some kind of celebrity?
-So, it’s okay for us to have our faces known?
-This is just ridiculous.
He managed to plant a not-so-favorable first impression.
But, it didn’t matter to him.
‘What these guys think of me isn’t important. What matters is how well they can do their job.’
Ryu Min was here merely to introduce himself and to train and instruct them briefly.
He had no intention of spending all day here like he was on a standby duty.
‘Those who don’t listen will just have to be beaten into submission.’
Here, he was the highest authority, so whatever he did wouldn’t be questioned.
Especially with the supportive police chief backing him up.
Moreover, Ryu Min could see 7 seconds into the future.
He knew how they would react when he revealed his nickname, so he wasn’t worried about his image.
“Let me formally introduce myself. In the other world, my nickname is Black Scythe. My profession is a Reaper, and I’m level 89. As for my real-world identity, I can’t reveal that, I hope you understand.”
“B-Black Scythe…?”
“Could it be the Black Scythe?”
The players were shocked and confused upon hearing the unexpected nickname.
The name Black Scythe was always at the top of the rankings, known as a monstrous entity among players for his unmatchable level.
For such a famed person to claim identity here was utterly surprising.
Hence, there was skepticism.
Ko Nam-chul from Busan was one of the skeptics.
“Commander, I know it’s impolite to ask on our first meeting, but can you prove it? It’s a bit hard to believe.”
“You should start fixing that dialect of yours. You’re in Seoul now; you should at least be able to speak standard Korean.”
“Never mind dodging the question, sir.”
“You want proof?”
It seemed everyone shared the same sentiment, doubting whether he was really impersonating Black Scythe.
“Proof… Would this suffice?”
Ryu Min’s hand manifested a scythe.
The Reaper’s trademark, a scythe taller than an adult.
Yet, the players’ skepticism remained.
“Anyone can buy a scythe from the shop, can’t they?”
“Huh? There were scythes in the shop?”
“Really? I never noticed before.”
“It wasn’t there originally, but it appeared once I reached expert rank.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Then just holding a scythe doesn’t prove anything.”
The members murmured among themselves, still eyeing Ryu Min with suspicion.
‘So now even a weapon isn’t enough for proof?’
Of course, handing over the scythe for them to check its stats could resolve the issue.
It was a weapon that only those above level 60 could wield.
‘That would at least convince them that I’m a powerful being over level 60.’
However, Ryu Min had no intention of handing over his scythe.
Not because he feared it being stolen, but because it didn’t fit his image.
‘After all, these guys are my subordinates. There’s no need to humiliate myself by handing over my scythe for validation.’
As the unit’s commander, it was essential to demonstrate strong charisma.
First impressions were crucial for establishing respect.
‘I need to prove that I am Black Scythe and leave a strong impression.’
How could he catch two birds with one stone?
There was a simple way.
“If you can’t believe me, let’s settle this with a duel.”
“A duel?”
“Once you reach level 60, you can attain master rank, unlocking the duel request feature. It allows you to challenge someone to a duel, staking something in the process. As I said, being level 89, only I can use this feature.”
“But how does that prove you’re Black Scythe?”
“Well, if you’ve seen the ranking updates, you’d know. The gap between the first and second place in every region is huge. Currently, there’s only me in the master rank worldwide. So, if someone can use the duel request feature, it must be me, the Black Scythe.”
“Still, there’s no guarantee the duel request feature unlocks at level 60, right?”
“Well, you’ll know once you reach level 60. But if you’re really doubtful, let’s have a go. Honestly, you’re not just curious whether I’m Black Scythe. You want to know if I’m qualified to be the commander, whether I’m stronger or weaker than you. Right?”
“…”
They remained silent with stern faces, but the members were internally astonished.
They hadn’t expected him to address the issue so directly.
“So, who wants to be the first challenger?”
“…”
“No one? Don’t worry. If we agree on conditions, no one dies in a duel. That’s the nature of the duel request feature. Of course, it only applies to the duel participants, so you could still die from someone else’s attack.”
“…”
“So, no takers? If no one steps up, I’ll take it as you acknowledging me as Black Scythe…”
That’s when the first challenger stepped forward.
“I’ll take you on, sir.”
It was the Busan man, Ko Nam-chul.
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