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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: Entering Babel (2)
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"This is the seventh summoning, isn't it."
The blond archangel Metatron, draped in a flowing Greek-style toga, spoke in a worried tone.
"This is the limit. Excluding the ones who are too young, everyone with real potential has been summoned."
"Lord Metatron! Don't worry! I, Azazel, will turn these humans into the strongest weapons to defeat the Demon King!"
The little angel Azazel, carrying dozens of weapons on her back, flapped her wings energetically beside him and shouted.
"I hope so, but… Hmm?"
Metatron felt a strange sensation along with a throbbing headache.
"It feels like I've heard something like this before…?"
The odd sense of déjà vu lingered around Metatron's presence for a long time.
===
Final Dungeon Babel
1st Floor, Zone 3349.
Under a blood-red sky, there was a village surrounded by stone walls.
Within it, 201 hunters had been summoned.
From someone dripping wet after being summoned mid-shower to others pulled in mid-raid with wounds still fresh.
The diverse group of hunters calmly looked each other over.
"Damn, I didn't want to come."
"Fuck, fuck!"
Once they'd sized up the situation, the hunters began murmuring warily while keeping an eye on their surroundings.
It wasn't the chaotic uproar you'd expect from civilians. These were hunters who had slain countless monsters, after all.
Ju Gonghyeok and Ha Yeonsi were there too.
Suddenly, bright lights gathered on the central platform.
Boom!
"Welcome, hunters of humanity, for responding to the 7th Great Summoning!"
A flashy fanfare exploded as a troupe of demons appeared around it, instruments in hand.
Bwaaaam—
Trumpets, horns, and all sorts of instruments blared in passionate performance. In the center of the platform stepped a flashy demon in a tuxedo.
"I am Cluesti, subordinate of Demon King Bel Marduk, one of the Four Heavenly Kings, Thunderlight Pursuer!
We are grateful to all you hunters who have graced us with your presence in the Final Dungeon Babel! Thank you again!"
Cluesti rattled off her words like a machine gun.
"I, who boast the demons' greatest speed, Thunderlight Pursuer! I hate useless talk, hate it! So let's cut straight to the point!"
"What the hell is this guy…?"
Someone voiced the bewilderment shared by all the hunters.
Pfft.
But it was mere carelessness. The hunter who'd opened his mouth had his head explode.
Bone fragments and chunks of flesh splattered onto the faces of nearby hunters.
The headless body spurted blood from its neck like a fountain a few times, as if expressing its sorrow, before collapsing forward.
Jingle, jingle, jingle.
"See that? The one who just went straight to heaven. When you die, you drop 20% of all the coins you've earned so far immediately! Hmm, looks like about 300 coins for that one!"
"300 coins… Gah!"
The hunter who'd unwittingly blurted out his shock at the unimaginable sum hurriedly clamped his mouth shut.
"Hmm? Another one chattering away. Shall I give you some service?"
Cluesti snapped her fingers with a grin, sending an unprecedented shockwave flying.
Boom!
But the shockwave was blocked by two spears that appeared out of nowhere.
"Cruuuuesti…"
"Oh, Azazel. Welcome."
The sky parted, and an angel descended amid radiant light.
Azazel, the angel of armaments carrying dozens of weapons.
She had cute red hair, but right now her face was twisted in fury, veins bulging all over.
"I won't tolerate any more killing of participants for reasons outside the rules."
"Agreed. Now then, let the explanation begin! The rules are simple—super simple!"
"On this 1st floor, we'll rank you from 1st to 200th based on your hunting performance! Prizes are prepared step by step for 1st through 10th place! And… heh heh heh."
Cluesti licked her finger lightly.
"From 51st to 200th, I kill you all with my own hands."
The air around them froze like ice.
"The time limit is three weeks! Conquer the dungeons on this floor over and over! The stronger you get, the more the dimensional potential develops! Our power grows richer too. Win-win for everyone! Let's pick the leaves and the mulberry too! Wahahahahaha~!"
Cluesti spun around like a madman before exiting.
Azazel sat cross-legged on the now-empty platform.
Conditions appeared in the air above the platform.
===
Rule 1. Humans not in the top 50 within 3 weeks will die.
Rule 2. Demons and angels assign different achievements and quests. Choosing either is up to you.
Rule 2-1. Demons and angels cannot directly harm humans and cannot guide human actions beyond giving quests.
Rule 3. Upon death, humans drop 20% of coins earned so far.
Rule 3-1. For the first 2 weeks, killing in the village zone is prohibited.
Rule 4. Score Table
10 points for killing regular monsters.
100 points for killing named monsters.
300 points for killing boss monsters.
1,000 points for clearing all floors of a dungeon.
===
Hunters swarmed the platform where Azazel sat.
"Hey, I mean, angel lady. What the hell are those conditions up there?"
"Where do we get food? Water?"
"Oh Lord, your servant is here. Please look upon us with mercy."
"What are we supposed to do now? Angel, explain!"
Azazel frowned at the grabbing hands and loud shouts surrounding her.
"Quiet. I'll explain slowly. First, food…"
Before she could finish, screams erupted from a few.
"The guy who just died was my comrade! Angel, please save him!"
"I've never hunted a monster in my life! Why was I summoned? Not all Awakeners are hunters!"
"Angel, mercy! Mercy, please!"
No lines, no order. Amid the 200 humans howling in pandemonium, two shadows quietly slipped toward the exit.
Ju Gonghyeok and Ha Yeonsi.
"O-Oppa. Is it okay to sneak out like this? That angel might solve something…"
"No chance."
'That red chicken bitch can't do jack shit. She's just a quest NPC that nags like a pushover.'
Gonghyeok swallowed his inner monologue and pulled Yeonsi along.
A few cold gazes watched Ju Gonghyeok and Ha Yeonsi leave.
They too wanted to head out hunting and rack up points instead of wasting time on this pointless crap.
But they lacked information. They didn't know what monsters were outside or what useful info the angel might share.
Plus, when people gather, they make rules. What if they set up rules in your absence that only benefit them?
Like, 'Let's kill any selfish hunter who skips the first day's meeting to hunt and split the coins.'
Unpredictable shit could happen. The few hunters maintaining their cool decided to observe rather than rush out hunting impatiently.
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