They called the owner of the voice an angel, but her actions were anything but holy.
Ryu Min had learned the hard truth through 99 cycles of regression.
"It's not the kind of thing that lowly women like angels would do."
This damn game's organizer undoubtedly existed, and this so-called angel was simply an NPC designed to explain the rules.
"Although it may seem like it's just a game, it's a serious situation."
Soon, a bright light descended from the sky, accompanied by a woman who elicited gasps from the crowd.
"An… angel?"
With a pair of wings, porcelain skin, and a beauty that even celebrities would envy, the woman matched the image of a familiar angel in everyone's mind.
"Her character may be devilish, but her looks are heavenly."
Only Ryu Min remained unimpressed by the angel's appearance. It wouldn't be long before the others realized how little the angels cared for human beings.
"Trashy humans, falling for my looks like the bunch of lustful animals they truly are. It seems like you're all stupid enough to stare at me blankly."
"…?"
"I advise you not to entertain any foolish thoughts. I have no intention of associating with the likes of you vultures."
Although the angel's wicked smile was beautiful, the people couldn't bring themselves to smile back.
How could anyone laugh when they were being insulted?
"Seeing all of you frown like that makes me feel like I'm getting through to you. Tee-hee-hee."
That's when a brave young man shouted the question that everyone was curious about.
"Who do you think you are, talking to us? Are you even an angel?"
The angel's gaze fell upon the young man, and Ryu Min watched with a sorrowful expression.
"May he rest in peace."
It always starts with the young man who defies the angel's will.
"Tsk."
It happened right then and there.
Splat!
Suddenly, the young man's head exploded like a watermelon.
As blood splattered everywhere, the people nearby screamed in terror.
"Kyaaah!"
"Ugh!"
"How dare you speak impolitely to me, a superior being!"
Even though he was already dead and couldn't hear, the angel continued to curse him.
"And who said you could ask questions? You, humans, don't have the qualifications to ask me anything. Don't try to act as if you're on equal footing with me. Unless you want your head to explode like that human's, of course."
"...."
With a voice as chilling as the grave, tens of thousands of people held their breath in unison. The terror of knowing that even a single misplaced word could cause one's head to explode dominated the audience.
"That is surely what the angels desire," Ryu Min thought. This way, there was no time for the panicked crowd to make rational judgments.
"Do you not understand the situation you are in right now? You do not even know what I am talking about? Well, how could inferior humans like you understand? I will explain it to you step by step. After all, this is also my role," the angel said with a cold, penetrating gaze.
"Every month on the first day, you humans will collectively fall into a slumber, and your souls will be forcibly transferred to a new dimension where you will awaken," the angel continued.
Soul transfer? A new dimension? It sounded unbelievable, but no one could refute it. After all, the situation with the angel's appearance was already beyond comprehension.
"Your only task there, humans, will be to achieve the given quest. If you succeed, you can return to reality and receive substantial rewards," the angel said.
There was no one who was pleased by the prospect of being able to return only if they succeeded. After all, it meant that failure meant death.
However, some still held onto hope.
They did not know what the quest was, but if they succeeded, they could survive, right? If they strategized and took their time, they could surely survive.
But the angel's next words crushed their expectations mercilessly.
"However, not everyone can survive even if they complete the quest. We will only spare half of the group that passes the quest the quickest. So, it's best not to waste any time. Teehee." the angel said with a sinister chuckle.
"Only half of us can survive…?"
It was a survival game with a predetermined set of rules and a competitive format.
"You will go through 20 rounds, one per month. As I mentioned before, only half of the players can survive each round, and as you proceed the quests will become increasingly difficult."
Despair was etched on people's faces as they realized they might have to go through this game twenty times before they could live.
"Hehehe, don't worry too much. I won't take all of you. Only humans aged 15 to 29 are eligible to participate in this survival game."
There was an age limit, and the impact of that statement was significant.
"Phew… thank goodness."
"Well, that doesn't include me."
While adults who were not in the mentioned age range breathed a sigh of relief, those in their teens and twenties felt despair as if the sky was falling.
"But I'm included, right?"
"What do I do? My birthday is January 1st, so I just turned 15 this year!"
Those who were of the appropriate age range felt a sense of hopelessness.
"Well, I don't really have the right to complain."
Although Ryu Min looked like an ordinary high school student, he had lived through countless years after going through 99 regressions.
Memories of his days filled with survival vividly came to mind.
"Why did it have to happen on my birthday?" Someone cursed under his breath.
It felt a little unfair.
"There are some humans here who seem to feel unfairly treated. But don't worry, we will take not only those here but also humans from all over the world!"
The angel couldn't help but grin.
There was no longer anyone who thought of the angel as beautiful.
A demon, that's what she truly is.
"Let's see…if we narrow down the humans between 15 and 29, the number of participants would be 1,801,029,290. Well, now that the explanation is over, shall we get started? Te-Hehehe."
It was the defining moment when around 1.8 billion individuals were coerced into taking part in a deadly survival game.