The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 121

—————

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

—————

The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Episode 121
121. Round 8 Concluded
【Traitor Group Quest】
└Obstruct the merchant caravan from reaching the Destination
└Upon success ▶ Mandrake’s Mana Stem awarded
[You have completed the Traitor Group Quest!]
[As a reward for completing the Traitor Group Quest, ‘Mandrake’s Mana Stem’ has been awarded!]
[Mandrake’s Mana Stem]
-Classification: Possession
-Description: A stem containing the mana of the man-eating monster, Mandrake.
For reference, the Traitor Quest reward is identical to the Sub Quest reward.
Therefore, if someone had completed the Sub Quest, they would have said this immediately upon receiving the reward.
-What am I supposed to do with this garbage?
It’s only natural to react this way when an item with no clear use appears.
It was the same when Ryu Min first received it.
‘I never expected a material item to come as a Quest reward. Usually, something immediately usable would appear.’
But looking at it differently, it means the item is that much more important.
I didn’t know back then, but now I understand its true value.
‘Mandrake’s Mana Stem is nothing less than a God-tier material item.’
I had planned to craft a God-tier item before Round 11, and now all the materials are already gathered.
This is why a smile spread across Ryu Min’s lips.
Regardless, Angel remained focused solely on her own task.
[You’ve confirmed the rankings, yes? Then I will allow those ranked 1,083 and above—ordered by contribution—to survive, and annihilate all others.]
“No, wait!”
“Please, save me! Jebah…!”
As always, half the players turned to ash in an instant.
Though unfortunate, I had no time to concern myself with others’ annihilation.
Reward messages were cascading in.
[Congratulations! You have achieved the Quest as the 1st place in this district!]
[Congratulations! You have achieved the Quest as the 1st place across all districts!]
[Your current ranking as ‘Black Scythe’ is 1st place across all districts and 1st place in this district.]
[As a reward for 1st place in this district’s ranking, ‘Reputation Elevation Voucher’ has been awarded!]
[As a reward for 1st place in all districts’ ranking, ‘Special Reward Selection Box’ has been awarded!]
Usually, equipment items appeared as rewards for 1st place in a district, but this time was different.
‘A Reputation Elevation Voucher… if it were someone else, they’d wonder what kind of reward this even is.’
But it is a reward.
A genuine reward.
An opportunity to raise reputation with other races by one tier without any effort.
‘It’s also a message telling me to begin serious reputation work.’
Until now, it hadn’t appeared, but from here on, the fantasy world with NPCs would become the main stage.
In that regard, reputation with a race is crucial.
When considering what I could obtain from other races, the importance of reputation becomes even more apparent.
[You may select one of the following races to increase your reputation.]
[Please touch the desired race.]
└ 1. Humans (Chrono Retrograde – Hostile)
└ 2. Elves (Black Scythe – Friendly)
└ 3. Dwarves (Vanguard – Friendly)
Reputation effects vary depending on your nickname and title.
For example, if you use a title other than Vanguard when meeting a Dwarf, you won’t receive proper treatment.
‘For now, I need to raise the friendly status to very friendly.’
The deliberation didn’t take long.
Ryu Min’s finger pointed toward the Elves.
[The Elves’ reputation of Black Scythe has increased from ‘Friendly’ to ‘Very Friendly’.]
The reason for choosing the Elves was simple.
‘I’ll be able to obtain better rewards.’
Had I raised the Dwarves instead, I might have laid the groundwork for obtaining Legendary and God-tier materials.
‘But when I think about it, raising the Elves is the better choice. Those magic-proficient beings possess many rare rune fragments.’
I valued runes more highly than items.
Both are important, but if I had to choose, it would be the Elves.
‘Now, when I meet the Elves under the name Black Scythe, they’ll treat me at a royal level.’
Perhaps the Council Elders who control the power of Elsorium might even hand over their princess to me.
To maintain a friendly relationship.
‘I don’t care about that. I just need to obtain the rune fragments.’
There were several rune fragments I wanted from the Elves.
Those were the only things I was after.
Anticipating my next meeting with the Elves, I used the special reward selection box.
[You may select one of the following special rewards.]
[Please touch the desired reward.]
└ 1. Material Item Selection Right
└ 2. 30,000 Gold
└ 3. Information on Round 9
There was always a stat or experience buff in option 1, but not this time.
Without hesitation, I chose the Material Item Selection Right.
[Please select one of the following materials.]
└ 1. Broken Ironwood Branch
…
…
└ 8. Mage Skeleton Bone Powder
└ 9. Solid Mana Shell
└ 10. Rhinoceros Horn
Most of the items that appeared were unique materials.
‘But only one of these is a legendary material.’
Ryu Min’s finger selected number eight.
[Bone Powder of the Mage Skeleton]
-Classification: Inventory Item
-Description: An ominous magical energy emanates from the powder.
This was the third legendary material I’d collected.
Just two more, and I could craft it.
The materials were accumulating steadily.
◀ ROUND 8 COMPLETE ▶
[All Districts]
└Survivors: 1,523,955
[District C2-ESKA003]
└Survivors: 1,083
[Your soul will soon transfer to your original body in your home dimension.]
[Round 9 will commence at midnight on September 1st, 2022. I look forward to seeing you in the next round. Congratulations on your survival.]

* * *
After Round 8 ended.
Christine opened her eyes and immediately sought out her father.
“Father.”
“You’re late.”
Jeffrey was already at her father’s side.
She’d thought she came quickly, but felt deflated nonetheless.
“Have you heard the report?”
“Yes. Jeffrey told me everything.”
Her father Nathan’s eyes gleamed.
“So all of that Ryu Min’s prophecies were true.”
“Yes. I was honestly shocked too. It was hard to believe.”
The information about Round 8’s Quest that she’d heard from Ma Gyeong-rok proved to be fact.
Unlike the vague information from Round 7, this was concrete and specific—impossible to doubt.
The Seer profession truly existed.
“So your fiancé has been using prophecy to monopolize information about the next rounds all this time.”
“Indeed.”
Christine’s lips pouted slightly.
She felt hurt that he’d kept it hidden from her all this time.
“What will you do now?”
“Pardon?”
“A Seer who can glimpse the future is in partnership with your fiancé. If you play your cards right, you could benefit from seeing the future as well. Shouldn’t you secure that advantage?”
“Secure it? You mean the Seer?”
“Of course. In times of chaos like these, isn’t a prophet worth their weight in gold—a goose that lays golden eggs? If we could learn the strategies for the next round in advance, that would be invaluable.”
Since survival hinged on each round, the value of information was immeasurable.
Nathan had long since grasped this truth and was now insisting that the prophet must not be allowed to slip away.
“Befriend him. By any means necessary.”
“But….”
“What troubles you? Do you still not believe in the prophecy?”
“That’s not it. It’s just that deliberately approaching someone to achieve my goals feels… uncomfortable.”
“Are you in a position to be squeamish about such things? Isn’t he the one holding your lifeline?”
Christine remembered it well.
The prophet’s words that her life would be in danger during Round 11.
“Go to Korea. Extract more information from him. Learn everything you can about how to survive. Ensure that Round 11 does not become the final destination of your life.”
“…Yes.”
Christine answered her father’s words without hesitation.
One must always look after one’s own bowl.
To survive, she needed to gather even more information.
“Then I’ll be going now—I’m exhausted.”
The moment Christine left, Jeffrey spoke up as if he had been waiting.
“What about me? Should I go to Korea and continue surveilling the prophet?”
“No. Now that we’ve confirmed he’s a prophet, there’s no need to gather information covertly anymore. If our surveillance is discovered and we offend the prophet, that would be troublesome.”
“Then….”
“You follow Christine to Korea as well. Go as her attendant and observe the prophet from his side—report back to me on what kind of person he is.”
“I shall carry out your command in the name of God.”
Jeffrey bowed respectfully and left the room.
Alone now, Nathan murmured to himself.
“A prophet, no less. Truly, a messenger of God.”
A thought suddenly occurred to him.
‘How much better it would have been if my daughter’s fiancé were that prophet instead of Representative Ma.’
A look of regret crossed Nathan’s face.

* * *
The moment I opened my eyes in my Room, the first thing I did was open the shop.
‘All the shop’s items have been upgraded to Master grade.’
The shop’s inventory changes based on the player’s level.
Now that I’d surpassed level 60, I could purchase Master-grade equipment.
‘Not that these Normal items are particularly impressive.’
Most players would fill their equipment slots with these Normal items.
Those with some money might have a few Rare or Epic items from today’s featured section.
‘But from now on, I won’t be touching anything below Epic grade.’
Starting today, I planned to equip myself exclusively with Unique-grade items and above.
I’d already purchased all the materials through the PulPul app, so I had enough to craft three pieces.
‘Where should I start?’
I purchased a helmet, armor, boots, and a ring from the shop at 6,000 Gold each.
All unremarkable Normal items, but they were Master grade nonetheless.
‘In just a moment, these will undergo a magical transformation into Unique grade.’
I filled the combination slots with the equipment and the Unique materials I’d ordered.
[Main Material]
-Agile Boots
[Sub Materials]
-Deer Root
-Orc’s Tusk
-Nol’s Spine
-Hardened Mana Shell
-Black Diamond
I placed the materials that would become Unique items in the sub-material slots and the Master-grade equipment I’d just bought in the main material slot.
‘With this combination, the Normal equipment will transform into Unique.’
This was the reason I’d waited until surpassing level 60.
If I was going to enhance equipment, it made sense to enhance Master-grade items instead.
As I pressed the button, a welcome message appeared.
[Combination Successful!]
[You have created ‘Phantom Step Boots’.]
[Phantom Step Boots]
-Category: Footwear
-Grade: Unique
-Defense: 300
-Effect: All Stats +15, Movement Speed +15%, Produces no footstep sounds.
-Durability: 5,000/5,000
-Usage Restriction: Master Grade or Higher
-Description: Boots that silence your footsteps like a phantom. You truly feel like a ghost.
A Unique item had been created.
I continued crafting other items.
[Combination successful!]
[You have created the ‘Demon’s Ring’.]
[Demon’s Ring]
-Classification: Helmet
-Grade: Unique
-Defense: 400
-Effect: All Stats +10, Skill Damage +15%, Damage +1% per enemy defeated (15 stacks)
-Durability: 5,000/5,000
-Usage Restriction: Master Grade or higher
-Description: An item designed to wear a demon’s ring above one’s head instead of an angel’s ring.
[Combination successful!]
[You have created the ‘Red-Eyed Skull Ring’.]
[Red-Eyed Skull Ring]
-Classification: Ring
-Grade: Unique
-Effect: All Stats +15, Damage +10%
-Durability: 5,000/5,000
-Usage Restriction: Master Grade or higher
-Description: A skull ring with striking red eyes.
Having crafted three Unique items, I had exhausted all my accumulated materials.
‘Now only the God Grade remains.’
Ryu Min had deliberated on this.
What would be best for his first God Grade item creation.
Weapons, helmets, armor—each equipment slot would yield different performance.
But the deliberation didn’t last long.
‘It’s best to craft whatever I can obtain immediately.’
Since I couldn’t select the materials myself, I decided to craft with whatever came into my possession.
After all, each equipment slot required slightly different items.
‘With the materials I currently have, what can I create…’
Ryu Min placed the God Grade material items into the combination window.
[Primary Material]
-Faded Coat
[Secondary Materials]
-Condensed Ether
-Black Iron Powder
-Lustrous Horse Hair
-Angel’s Golden Dust
-Mandrake’s Magical Stem
‘Armor.’
I immediately pressed the combination button.
An item materialized, accompanied by a golden effect unlike any I’d seen before.
A divine-tier item, no less.

—————

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

—————