READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 5: 5
5. The Angel's Interest
"A-amazing..."
"Who is that person? They're fighting incredibly well!"
"Black Scythe? Even their nickname sounds cool."
People who had been gaping at Ryumin soon turned their gaze with tense eyes.
The situation was too urgent to just stand in admiration.
Goblins were now approaching them as well.
'I-I can do this. Goblins are cannon fodder even in games, right?'
'This isn't reality anyway. It's just a well-made virtual reality game.'
'That person is already killing dozens by themselves. It probably won't be much when we actually face them.'
Did they gain confidence from seeing Ryumin's massacre?
The fear had disappeared from people's eyes.
But that was only for a moment.
Stab- Stab- Stab-!
"Aaaaagh!"
"I-it hurts!"
As the swarming goblins stabbed them with daggers, shrill screams burst from people's mouths.
"S-stop! It really hurts!"
"Hey, you monster bastards!"
"Aaaah! My arm! My arm!"
People who had looked down on them as mere children were now wailing like kids themselves.
"S-save me!"
"Help! Someone help!"
"Th-this isn't reality. It's not real... Urk!"
People fainting from club hits.
People collapsing from dagger stabs.
People falling as they try to run away.
People curling up as they're trampled everywhere.
Goblins stabbing those who are down.
In this hellish situation, no one mistook it for a game anymore.
Honestly, they didn't have the mental capacity for that.
Only one thought occupied people's minds:
Survival.
The survival instinct to live no matter what dominated their thoughts.
Perhaps because of this?
"Die! Die, you monster bastards!"
While many ran away, some were seen fighting back.
These were people who chose to fight when goblins came right up to them.
Thud- Thud!
"Kieeek!"
Swinging fists desperately, they could knock out goblins.
But that was all.
Killing was a different matter.
Modern people who had never even killed small animals couldn't possibly break a goblin's neck.
Stab-!
"Urgh!"
Instead, they collapsed helplessly after being stabbed.
And after that?
Stab- Stab- Stab- Stab-
They could only be helplessly overwhelmed by goblins swarming like hyenas.
[Kyohohoho, how interesting. A fight between humans and goblins.]
The angel watching from above smiled in amusement.
For the angel, this fight was no different from watching dogs and cats fight.
It was nothing more than simple entertainment.
[No matter how child-like the opponent, you can't withstand dozens rushing at you. Especially if they're holding daggers.]
But why?
There was one person who was withstanding even dozens rushing at them.
It was the human who had been massacring goblins from the start.
'What is that human? Black Scythe?'
Angel Briel looked down at the human with interested eyes.
She didn't know his name.
Even she, an angel, couldn't see the players' status windows.
That was how the system rules were set up.
Of course, she didn't know what rune he had engraved either.
'What a damn system. I can see quest progress but not player information.'
Briel's brow furrowed again.
Being a guide was truly an unpleasant job, even if ordered from above.
It didn't suit her nature either.
But that was only for a moment.
Seeing the hellish scene, the corners of her mouth slowly lifted.
'It's insulting for a noble being like me to be assigned as a guide for inferior humans, but...'
The intense and cruel scene suited Briel's taste perfectly.
Honestly, she hadn't expected much.
Until just before, she had been complaining about how interesting could a fight between humans and goblins really be.
'Kyohohoho. But it's more entertaining to watch than I thought?'
Humans struggling with desperate faces.
Painful screams and bloody battles.
Even after quite some time had passed, the smile never left Briel's lips as she watched.
'Yes, kill, kill! Fight well among yourselves, you inferior worms! Kekeke.'
Briel's gaze, which had been leisurely observing as if watching a house on fire, moved to one spot.
Unlike before when it was stained with red blood, the place she was looking at now was full of green blood.
In the middle was the player with the nickname Black Scythe.
'Who on earth is that human? He's still alive?'
When he first stepped out and killed goblins, she thought he was quite skilled.
She figured he must have gotten a good rune that helps in combat.
But that was all.
She turned her gaze away as if uninterested.
He would eventually run out of health and die like other humans anyway.
But as if mocking her expectations, the human was still alive.
Not just alive, but massacring goblins like a mad dog.
'He's already at 70. While others haven't even passed 20.'
Briel clicked her tongue as she looked at the quest status.
It was truly an impressive feat to have killed that many alone.
Especially considering it was the first time.
'This should be his first time in this situation, but how is he not panicking? As if he's experienced it many times.'
His movements without a hint of hesitation and cold knife work made even the goblins hesitate.
'Was his job on Earth a killer or something?'
She wasn't sure, but the situation was turning out more interesting than expected.
The corners of Briel's mouth curled up pleasantly.
* * *
Slash-!
"Kieeek!"
A goblin that lost both eyes collapsed with a shriek.
Ryumin immediately lunged and stabbed his dagger into the fallen goblin's neck.
Stab-!
[You have killed a goblin!]
[Experience +4%]
[Gold +10]
[Level up!]
[Quest progress: 75/100 goblins]
[25 goblins remaining to complete the quest]
Though he leveled up, Ryumin ignored the messages and immediately rolled.
Clang-!
A dagger stabbed where Ryumin had been.
Without time to feel the close call, he sprang up.
Stab-!
"Kyaaak!"
He stabbed a goblin in the chest and turned to target another.
A series of movements without rest.
He couldn't let his guard down for a moment.
Ryumin's eyes quickly scanned the battlefield.
"Kiiii..."
Goblins were backing away with scared faces.
All the goblins that came close had died.
But he didn't let his guard down.
'I can catch my breath for a moment.'
Ryumin, regaining composure, opened his status window.
His level had already risen to 4.
Ryumin's fingers quickly touched the stats.
'For now, I'll go all-in on agility.'
Leveling up gives 2 stat points.
Ryumin invested all of them in agility until he reached level 4.
As a result, his agility rose from 3 to 9.
'Nothing is as important as agility.'
Among strength, intelligence, agility, and luck, agility was what he needed right now.
Increasing agility improves not only evasion rate but also attack speed and movement speed.
Ryumin turned his head towards his allies.
About 30 meters away, goblins and people were entangled.
It was truly pandemonium.
"S-save me, aaagh!"
"Die! Just die, you monster bastards!"
Red blood and green blood mixed together, creating a mess.
The situation was in stark contrast to Ryumin, who was piling up corpses alone.
'It can't be helped. This must be the first time those people are facing goblins.'
Even for adults, killing goblins isn't easy.
They must be scared and frightened.
When they actually try to fight, their bodies will freeze up.
He understands.
In his first regression, he was busy running away too.
'But running away won't solve anything.'
He realized this after dying twice.
You can buy time by running, but the situation doesn't change.
'The angel releases goblins to make us fight no matter what.'
Moreover, this prairie.
It looks wide, but there are invisible barriers on all sides.
'Even if you somehow avoid the angel's eyes, you're still a rat in a trap.'
To escape this hellish situation, the only way is to complete the quest.
But even if you succeed in the quest, only half can return.
'Since it's a system where only those who achieve it first can go back, staying still is actually disadvantageous.'
It's better to kill even one goblin quickly rather than just running away.
Though it won't be easy to kill 100 goblins alone.
'But it's not an impossible task. Having many people means it's good for distracting attention.'
In positive terms, it's distracting attention; in negative terms, it means there are many people to act as meat shields.
'People must be starting to realize. That if they cooperate, it's somewhat manageable.'
Of course, cooperating doesn't mean the kill count goes up together.
Only the person who contributes most to killing a goblin gets the kill count.
'Still, two heads are better than one.'
That's not the only advantage humans have.
Goblins are less than half the height of an adult.
They're smaller even than the middle schoolers brought here.
Humans naturally have an advantage in reach.
'Although unlike goblins with clubs and daggers, humans aren't given any weapons...'
Ryumin's gaze turned to the ground.
'If there are weapons, it's a different story.'
Now, weapons are so plentiful you could trip over them.
They were what the goblins were holding before they died.
'But fighting like me would be too much for them.'
There was a commonality between Ryumin and other people.
Their basic stats all start at 3.
Whether muscular or thin, it doesn't matter.
Regardless of body type, all humans start with the same stats, the same conditions.
In other words, other people could move like Ryumin, but...
'It won't be easy. Unless they're skilled through dozens of experiences.'
Unless they're movie-like killers, it would be hard to massacre like Ryumin.
Moreover, he's even more agile now after investing in agility.
'I should have caught the angel's attention by now, so shall I finish this?'
As Ryumin moved, nearby goblins started to avoid him cautiously.
He immediately picked up a dagger from the ground.
The dagger thrown without particular aim hit a goblin's forehead precisely.
"Kiek!"
The goblins flinched at the sight of their comrade collapsing.
"Not coming?"
As Ryumin approached, the goblins retreated hesitantly.
He picked up another dagger and threw it, felling another goblin.
"If you won't come, I'll go."
Ryumin closed the distance instantly and danced with his knife.
Green blood painted everywhere.
[You have killed a goblin!]
[Experience +4%]
[Gold +10]
[Level up!]
[Quest progress: 100/100 goblins]
[You have completed the Round 1 quest!]
The moment he killed 100 and completed the quest.
A translucent pillar of light appeared around Ryumin.
It was a kind of protective barrier that immediately isolates you from monsters upon quest completion.
'I passed Round 1 easily.'
The appearance of the barrier meant he was within the half that passed.
If you don't pass in order, you immediately disappear.
'The reason I killed goblins like crazy was partly to get the angel's attention, but...'
Ryumin's gaze turned to the message that appeared next.
[Congratulations! You have completed the quest 1st in this area!]
[Congratulations! You have completed the quest 1st in all areas!]
[Your nickname will be registered in the rankings.]
'I also killed quickly to be 1st.'
For each round, it's advantageous to complete quests faster.
Rewards are given differentially according to ranking.
'Rewards are given up to 3rd place for each area and all areas.'
Among them, 1st place in all areas can obtain rewards far more advantageous than others.
It means he completed the quest 1st among 1.8 billion players.
Shortly after, a message appeared before Ryumin's eyes.
It was a message about the rewards.