The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 103

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Episode 103
103. National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun
‘What’s going on? It’s not even Sunday.’
Despite it not being a scheduled meeting day, Ryu Min was heading to Lost Yak’s home.
An emergency summons had been issued.
‘Could it be? Are they executing it already?’
I had my suspicions, but I needed to attend the meeting first.
Whoosh—
After entering the one-room apartment, I dispelled my invisibility.
‘Disguise.’
Shimmer—
I perfectly transformed my appearance into Lost Yak’s and sat down at the computer.
[Lost Yak has entered the chat room.]
Inside, Yamtti and the Chairman were waiting.
-You’re here?
-Ah, my apologies for being late.
-It’s fine. I was actually worried you might not come. Each person is precious in this situation.
The Chairman’s expression seemed darker than usual as he spoke.
‘What’s this? Did something happen?’
Since it was a video chat, I couldn’t read his thoughts, which was frustrating.
-Yamtti. What happened with the executive interviews we discussed last time?
-Yes! We’re currently conducting them, and so far three candidates have passed the murder test without issue.
-Does that mean they have no reservations about our cafe?
-Exactly. They’re so favorable toward our cafe that we could seat them in a meeting right now without problems.
‘Three? What trash are now vying for executive positions…’
They must have eagerly committed murder without hesitation, seduced by the promise of an executive position.
-In other words, we can use them as manpower immediately?
-That’s true, but what’s this for…?
The Chairman continued with a solemn expression.
-We’re executing the plan tomorrow.
‘The plan?’
Ryu Min asked, wondering if it was what he thought.
-Chairman, when you say the plan…?
-The kidnapping plan for National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun.
‘Ah… so that’s why he seemed impatient.’
It was exactly as I’d anticipated.
He’d been saying for a while that National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun bothered him and that countermeasures were necessary.
‘So he’s finally decided to kidnap him?’
National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun was a target under surveillance by Player Cafe.
Not only had he made statements dismissing and disdaining Players, but he’d also submitted unfavorable legislation.
-I saw a recent article. National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun passed the anti-Player bill.
-Anti-Player, you say…?
-It’s a bill to effectively suppress Players who commit crimes by establishing a special organization and subduing them through force.
-Ah.
-The irony is that the special organization’s members are civil servant Players recruited from the police.
-In other words, the idea is to catch criminal Players using Players composed of police officers.
As Ryu Min agreed and spoke, the Chairman nodded.
-Precisely. The problem is that now that the bill has passed, our Player Cafe’s standing will undoubtedly diminish.
-So you’re planning to kidnap….
-Yes. If we kidnap Lee Sung-hyun and make an example of him before the public, the voices of protest will diminish.
‘An example? Are they planning a public execution?’
Ryu Min, inwardly startled, raised his hand and presented a counterargument.
-But Chairman. If we openly display murder like that, wouldn’t we actually be proving that the anti-Player bill is necessary?
-Of course I’m aware of that. That it would backfire. Therefore, we won’t be the ones handling the kidnapping.
-Pardon? Then…?
The Chairman smiled wickedly.
-It will be ordinary citizens who kidnap and kill National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun. We’ll bribe ordinary citizens with criminal records and make it look like they did the kidnapping. Of course, we’ll actually be the ones doing the kidnapping.
-…So you’re planning to stage a false flag operation?
-Exactly. We’ll secretly kidnap the National Assembly Member, make it look like ordinary citizens did it, and proceed with the execution. Then we’ll step in late and kill the criminals and attempt to rescue the National Assembly Member, but… Lee Sung-hyun will already be dead by then.
-Ah….
-This way, we achieve the goal of killing Lee Sung-hyun while officially proving to the public that we at Player Cafe are not enemies.
In short, it was a scheme to kidnap and then stage a rescue to win over public sentiment.
‘Hmm, I don’t think there was a case like this in the previous cycle.’
In the future Ryu Min knew, National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun showed hostility toward Players.
And Player Cafe did proceed with the kidnapping, just the same.
‘But I didn’t know the plan was like this back then. I rescued National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun before that happened.’
Ryu Min had rescued the National Assembly Member and even gained his favor, but he never knew there was such a hidden agenda.
He could only learn this by transforming into Lost Yak; otherwise, he would never have known.
‘It was good that I obtained the Assassin’s Mask early.’
Setting a Time Attack record and gaining the right to choose a Unique Item had led to this result.
-But Chairman, the bill has already passed. Will killing National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun actually change anything?
-Hmm, that’s a question worthy of Lost Yak. Of course things will change. First, with the death of the outspoken Member, the bill will lose its momentum. And perhaps the selection of anti-Player unit members won’t be limited to just the police—we might be given an opportunity as well.
-Ah, I see.
-And all the bills unfavorable to Players that National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun would have proposed in the future—we can block them all. That alone makes National Assembly Member Lee Sung-hyun worth killing. Do you understand?
-Yes, Chairman. I understand completely.
Having grasped the Chairman’s intentions and the overall plan, Ryu Min asked about the specific details.
-Then how do you plan to find the ordinary citizens to use in the show?
-I have connections in the police, so I can easily look up ordinary citizens with red flags. I plan to ask them if they’re interested in making quick money and recruit five or six of them.
The Chairman had a complete plan.
It didn’t seem to be a hastily put-together plan, but rather one he’d been thinking about for some time.
-Yamtti. You said you could mobilize three executives right away, correct?
-Yes, yes.
-Include them in the kidnapping of National Assembly member Lee Sung-hyun. Brief them fully on the situation so they’re ready for actual deployment. I need you to oversee the entire kidnapping operation, Yamtti.
-Understood. Leave it to me.
-Lost Yak, I’d like you to assist Yamtti in preparing the kidnapping as well. I’ll send you the location and Lee Sung-hyun’s schedule.
-When will this be executed?
-The execution time will be when Lee Sung-hyun arrives at work….
One corner of the Chairman’s mouth lifted slightly.
-Tomorrow morning at 8 AM.
* * *
-Good day, viewers. Today we have National Assembly member Lee Sung-hyun with us. Member, would you like to greet our audience?
-It’s a pleasure. I’m National Assembly member Lee Sung-hyun, here to represent the voice of the people.
-Are you aware that you’ve been trending on the internet lately?
-I know the press finds me popular. I wonder if there’s anything left for them to sink their teeth into….
-Ha ha, your candid remarks are quite impressive. Your recently proposed bill has become quite the hot topic.
-You mean the anti-Player bill.
-Would you mind explaining what the bill entails?
-Simply put, it’s a bill to crack down on Players. Of course, law-abiding Players have nothing to worry about. It only applies to garbage Players who commit crimes.
-Ha ha… It must be a hopeless bill for criminal Players. What was your motivation for proposing such legislation?
-I view criminal Players as cancer cells in our society, you see? In any case, six months have passed since Players first appeared, and we’re seeing rampant murder, rape, robbery, and theft, aren’t we? 77.5% of these crimes are committed by Players. The statistics prove it. So we can’t simply ignore this problem.
-So you’re saying you proposed this bill to remove the cancer cells.
-Exactly. Honestly, I thought it wouldn’t pass, but fortunately it did.
-That seems to demonstrate just how serious the situation has become.
-You understand well. That’s right. Things are truly dire these days.
-But Member, don’t Players participate in rounds in the Other World every month? The rule is that only half survive. If we simply wait, wouldn’t their numbers decline dramatically anyway? Is this bill really necessary?
-Ah, so you think the same way. I get that question from reporters all the time, and I always counter with this: if fire falls on your feet, would you wait for it to extinguish naturally? Of course not. You’d shake your feet to put it out quickly. That’s the current situation. From a bystander’s perspective, you can speak as you do now. But from the victim’s perspective, they’d want to catch and eliminate Players as soon as possible, even if it’s just one day sooner.
-Ah, so you’re saying waiting for Players to disappear isn’t a fundamental solution?
-Correct. All Players in this world must be eradicated. Of course, only criminal Players—please don’t misunderstand.
Beep—
The TV screen went dark.
“Misunderstand?”
Lee Sung-hyun scoffed, recalling his earlier words.
“Misunderstand my ass. Every last Player deserves to die. Damn dogs.”
Lee Sung-hyun buttoned his shirt, tied his necktie, and slipped on his pressed suit jacket.
Finally, he pinned the golden National Assembly badge to his lapel.
His gaze shifted to the side as he looked in the mirror.
A photograph of his son, beaming brightly while clutching at his pant leg, came into view.
“My Seung-hun loved it so much when I’d pin on the badge before heading to work….”
His son, who had been in elementary school, died five months ago at the hands of a Player.
A vagrant who had suddenly gained superhuman strength had kidnapped him for ransom and accidentally killed him.
Simply because I couldn’t control my strength.
Of course I wanted to take revenge on that bastard, but absurdly enough, the vagrant died three rounds later.
‘I should have killed that son of a bitch with my own hands.’
Crack—
Having lost the chance for revenge, Lee Sung-hyun turned his attention toward criminal Players.
To prevent victims like his son from appearing again, he proposed legislation, and fortunately it passed.
But unlike what he said on broadcast, he didn’t think only criminals were bad.
‘There’s no such thing as a good Player. All Players are garbage. They’re all potential criminals who can unleash hidden power whenever they please.’
Who knows when they might shake the world with that concealed strength?
Ordinary people couldn’t be dragged along by such Players.
‘All Players should die.’
Lee Sung-hyun was aware this was a twisted ideology.
But honestly, the sight of any Player made him sick.
More precisely, he despised the very ability itself that had brought chaos to the world.
Yet he had proposed legislation that conscripted Players from the police force to execute criminal Players.
‘I loathe Players with every fiber of my being, but I have no choice but to use Players against Players.’
Players were simply beyond the capacity of ordinary humans to handle.
Even mobilizing the military had its limits, so he decided to use Players against them.
It was like deploying hunting dogs to catch hunting dogs.
Fortunately the legislation had passed, so everything could proceed smoothly.
‘Criminal Players must find me utterly despicable.’
Despicable? That was putting it mildly.
They might even be plotting to kill him.
But there was nothing to worry about.
‘Just in case, I’ve brought along young bodyguards who are all Players.’
With the world in such turmoil these days, security firms were composed entirely of Players.
The prices had become absurdly expensive, but what good was money when one’s life was at stake?
‘It’s not like I can take money to the grave.’
Money didn’t matter—only achieving the goal of eradicating Players from the root.
Besides, he had nothing left to lose anyway.
‘I just need to nurture this legislation well and see it through to completion.’
He headed toward the Parking Lot to go to work at the National Assembly.
One hired Player bodyguard on each side, one in front and one behind—four in total walked around him, protecting him.
It was ironic.
He, who despised Players, was being protected by Players.
‘If this works out and a world without Players comes to be,’
I would have nothing more to wish for.
Click—
“Let’s go, Congressman.”
“Thank you.”
The bodyguard opened the rear door, and Lee Sung-hyun climbed in without suspicion.
But there was a woman in the driver’s seat he’d never seen before.
“Who are you?”
“Hello, Representative? I’m so glad we finally get to meet.”
“Who the hell are you—”
Thwack.
Lee Sung-hyun could say nothing more.
The bodyguard who had opened the door moments earlier had struck him unconscious with a precise hand strike.
“Yamtti. We’re ready.”
“Got it. I’ll head out first. Follow slowly behind.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Vroom.
The car carrying the representative smoothly exited the Parking Lot.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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