Chapter 233: National Prestige (2)
Ryu Min had openly declared his intention to curb player crime and put those words into action.
Hearing the rumors, other criminals would naturally hide like turtles.
‘For those criminals who don’t listen, you have to use the stick.’
The law didn’t work on players who had stepped outside human boundaries.
The only way to control them was to subdue them with even greater power.
In the world of players, the strong ruled.
Just like Ryu Min was doing now.
‘Player crime has been largely resolved. Now, it’s about holding out with the remaining players.’
Of course, not all players could be saved.
Every round, half of them would inevitably be discarded.‘So, I need to surround myself with people I can trust, like the ones here.’
Before Ryu Min stood a long line of people from various nationalities—Americans, Canadians, Argentinians, Brits, Spaniards, and French.
They were all players who had come to join the Death Church.
The rescue missions from the past week had attracted even more.
‘I need to make sure only the trustworthy ones join the church.’
Skill was important, but what mattered most was whether they could be trusted with their backs turned.
The final round required a party of five or more for the boss room, after all.
“Black Scythe.”
As Christine approached, Ryu Min rose from his seat. A familiar face stood beside her—Nathan.
“This is my father. He’s a clergyman of this hall.”
“Hello, I am Black Scythe.”
Ryu Min bowed his head, offering a formal Korean-style greeting. A smile appeared on Nathan’s lips.
“I am Nathan Craig. I’ve heard so much about you from my daughter that I’ve been wanting to meet you.”
The two shook hands.
It might have seemed like their first meeting, but they had actually met before in Korea.
‘Back then, I was in my Prophet persona.’
Ryu Min, smiling behind his mask, spoke more gently than usual.
“Thank you for letting us use this place for the interviews.”
“Haha, not at all. You saved my daughter, so this is the least I could do.”
“But still, letting us use a space for a different religion’s recruitment event—isn’t that a bit bold? Wouldn’t God be displeased?”
“Not at all. The scripture says, ‘Obey and submit to those who guide you.’ Black Scythe, you have guided and saved many people. You might find it burdensome, but I even think of you as a reincarnation of a divine being.”
“A divine being? That’s far from the truth.”
“But haven’t you saved countless people?”
“I simply did what was necessary, as someone with power.”
“You possess skill, character, and humility… It’s almost tempting to invite you to our congregation rather than the Death Church. Hahaha!”
Christine, who had been watching their conversation, let out a sigh of relief.
She had been worried that their personalities might not align.
After all, Black Scythe often spoke in a stern and authoritative tone, while her father had a rather rigid nature.
‘But it seems I worried for nothing. Black Scythe is speaking more gently than usual, and Father is being accommodating.’
As she pondered how well the conversation was going, she suddenly heard something startling.
“By the way, are you married? Do you have a partner?”
“No, I don’t.”
“Haha, that’s perfect. My daughter is also single, so would you consider… seeing her?”
“Father! What are you saying? You’re embarrassing me!”
With his daughter’s outburst, Nathan had no choice but to stop.
“Ahem, anyway, I’ll leave my daughter in your care. Now then…”
As Nathan left, Christine hastily tried to smooth things over.
“P-Please don’t mind my father. He sometimes says things like that as a joke. You know, American-style humor, right? Hahaha…”
“I don’t mind.”
“…”
Strangely, when he said he didn’t mind, it left Christine feeling a bit disappointed.
“I-I see. Of course, you wouldn’t mind. Black Scythe surely has other… I mean, never mind.”
Christine bit her lip and trailed off awkwardly.
‘She’s misunderstanding something.’
Ryu Min, thinking it would be better to clear up the misunderstanding, continued.
“It seems like you think that because I spend a lot of time with Yamti, we have some sort of relationship, but that’s absolutely not the case.”
“Is that true?”
“Of course. I bring her along because her abilities are useful for certain tasks. There’s no personal attachment involved.”
“Oh…”
It was just a misunderstanding.
Christine’s heart felt a little lighter.
“So, don’t make any unnecessary assumptions.”
“I understand.”
Having cleared things up so directly made Christine feel a sense of relief like a weight had been lifted.
“Well, it’s time for the interviews. Let’s get to it.”
Ryu Min faced the people lined up in the hall, conducting one-on-one interviews.
The questions were simple, only three in total:
“Why do you want to join the Death Church?”
“I respect Black Scythe.”
“Do you have any criminal record?”
“No, I have lived an honest life.”
“Lastly, can you promise not to leak any information provided by the Death Church?”
“Of course. I’m known for being tight-lipped.”
As Ryu Min listened to their answers, he delved into their true thoughts.
‘He’s sincere. No issues with his character either.’
After considering everything, he announced his decision on the spot.
“Accepted. Welcome to the Death Church.”
“Thank you! Thank you, Black Scythe-nim!”
In this manner, he allowed anyone with good character to join, regardless of their skill level.
As a result, the number of Death Church followers steadily increased.
It soon reached 400 people.
‘Not a bad outcome.’
Although he wouldn’t be able to take all 400 into the final round, they would still benefit from being part of the Death Church*
They would gain early knowledge of the next round.
Satisfied with the results, Ryu Min finished the recruitment and returned to Korea with the delegation.
The week-long trip to America concluded successfully.
And after three weeks of peace, the 14th round began.
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