NOVEL NEXT Chapter 6: Weapon Selection (1)
[Reward for ranking first in this area: “Lowest-tier rare weapon selection ticket”!]
[Reward for ranking first in the entire region: “Special reward selection box”!]
After reading the message, Ryu Min opened his inventory and found two new items – a weapon selection ticket and a reward selection box.
Without hesitation, he selected the weapon ticket and a translucent window popped up.
[You can now choose one of the following rare weapons.]
[Please touch the desired reward.]
└ 1. Serrated purple longsword
└ 2. Stiletto
└ 3. Javelin
Swords, daggers, and spears. Although there were more types of weapons available, these were the only options presented in the early stages of the game.
“This alone is worth it. It’s a rare item,” Ryu Min thought to himself.
There are six grades of items – normal, rare, epic, unique, legendary, and godlike. Although rare is only second on the list, considering how difficult it is to obtain through conventional means, it is still a pretty good reward.
“Newbies would probably choose a sword or a long spear, but…,” Ryu Min did not even hesitate and moved his hand.
[“You have selected the ‘Stiletto’.”]
The reward appeared in his inventory and the information window popped up automatically.
[Stiletto]
-Classification: Weapon
-Grade: Rare
-Attack Power: 15
-Effect: Agility +1
-Durability: 150/150
-Usage Restriction: Novice grade or higher
-Description: This is the best dagger a novice can use.
After looking at the information, Ryu Min discarded the goblin’s dagger he had been holding. It was a piece of junk with only 3 attack power and no stats.
“It’s pointless to keep it. I can’t even sell it,” Ryu Min thought as he realized it would just take up space in his inventory.
Ryu Min’s gaze then fell on another reward – the special reward selection box that could only be obtained by achieving first place in the entire region.
Naturally, it was a much better reward than the lowest-tier rare weapon selection ticket he had just obtained. However…
“For now, I’ll hold off on using it,” Ryu Min decided and closed the inventory window without touching the reward.
It seemed like he had no interest in the items at all. Instead, he opened up his status window and allocated the stat point to his agility before turning his attention to something else.
As Ryu Min gazed around the battlefield, filled with the screams of humans and goblins, he wondered if Yongmin was holding his own.
As the round passers were unable to move beyond the pillars, there were limitations to his movements.
“There he is.”
Far in the distance, the hulking figure of Yongmin came into view.
Watching him fight fiercely from behind others put Ryu Min’s mind at ease.
“He’ll make it through this one too.”
While he knew that Yongmin would survive not only the first round but also the fifth, the possibility of unexpected variables made him uneasy.
“Don’t you dare die early. You must be used first, and then I will kill you myself when you’re no longer useful.”
Although he no longer harbored any resentment or desire for revenge, he had no desire to keep Yongmin alive.
“It seems like this is going to be a drag.” He sighed.
He wouldn’t be allowed to return home early just because he completed the quest quickly.
He had to wait until the Round is over.
“It’s surprisingly fair game, isn’t it?” He couldn’t help but smile.
If he returned home after finishing early, the other participants would be completely exposed to danger.
They would still be asleep in their beds.
“There’s nothing more dangerous than being targeted while in soul transfer.”
If the body on Earth dies while the soul is in another dimension, the soul will die as well.
At that point, no matter how strong the player is, it’s pointless.
They’re just defenseless and helpless.
Whether they wished for such a risk or not, the system only returned the Round Passers to their world after the round ended.
That’s why Ryu Min was waiting idly.
“It’s just boring to wait like this.”
That’s the only problem with finishing first.
“Save me! Aaaargh!”
“Stop it! Please!”
Even amidst the desperate screams of people, Ryu Min felt bored.
He had seen it many times before.
The weak ones perish while only the strong survive.
“There’s no choice. To escape this game of death, we have to compete and survive.
It was a reality that Ryu Min, a mere human, could not change.
Ryu Min shook his head and recited a spell to pass the time.
“Progress window.”
[World]
Participants: 1,801,029,290
Achievers: 3/900,514,645
[Current Area ESKS45-5]
Participants: 10,286
Achievers: 1/5,143
As he checked the quest progress window, he found that there were only three people who had finished the quest, including himself.
“I’m first, and there is already a second and third achiever,”
However, in this area, there was only one person who had achieved the quest – himself.
“Well, it looks like the second and third places were taken by people in other areas,” he said, consoling himself.
Nevertheless, if he couldn’t make it into the top three in the world, whether in the previous area or this current area, it would be meaningless to try hard since there was no reward given beyond third place.
“Even though we all receive gold as a quest reward for achieving the quest, it’s not that special,” he muttered to himself.
Suddenly, the number of achievers in his area increased from 1 to 2.
Looking around, he saw a man trapped in a translucent column in the distance, who had just defeated 100 goblins and achieved the quest.
“More and more people will start to appear now,” he thought.
As he expected, quest achievers began to appear here and there.
“Even the third spot in this area has been taken,” he observed.
The slow pace of progress gradually accelerated, and as a result, the number of goblins also decreased significantly.
“Well, it’s not the ranking that matters. What’s important is finding a way to make it into the top half,” he thought.
He turned his head and saw a giant man trapped in a column. It was Hwang Yongmin.
He looked like he was struggling and gasping for breath, unlike the other achievers who were turning their backs and relaxing.
Meanwhile, intense battles were taking place all around him.
“Kiyaaak!”
“Euaaak!”
Although there were all kinds of screams, there was no chaos like before.
“Perhaps they have already adapted to this environment where they have to kill to survive,” he thought.
As a result, the number of goblins decreased noticeably as time passed, although the number was still higher than that of humans.
Moreover, humans had better stats than goblins, and they could increase their stats by killing them, so it was only natural that players had the upper hand.
“The number of goblins is decreasing. It’s time for the angels to intervene,” he thought.