The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 122
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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 122
122. God Tier
God Tier.
As befitted its designation as the Divine Grade, it possessed the highest value among all items.
‘Especially weapons, helmets, armor, gloves, and boots—if I could match all five types to God Tier, the set effect would be absolutely extraordinary.’
One of those pieces had just come into Ryu Min’s hands.
[Combining God Tier item…]
[Converting to an item befitting your current class…]
[Combination successful!]
[You have created ‘Thanatos’s Dark Demon Armor’.]
Thanatos’s Dark Demon Armor.
An item I had crafted in my previous cycle as well.
I smiled and examined the Item Information.
[Thanatos’s Dark Demon Armor]
-Classification: Armor
-Grade: God
-Defense: 2,000
-Effect: All Stats +1 per level. 67% chance to deflect enemy attacks upon being hit.
-Durability: 20,000/20,000
-Usage Restriction: Master Grade or higher
-Description: Dark demon armor crafted using the divine essence of Thanatos, the god of death. Grants additional effects when the full set is equipped.
-Thanatos’s Vestment Set Effect (1/5)
-2-Set Effect: ?????
-3-Set Effect: ?????
-4-Set Effect: ?????
-5-Set Effect: ?????
‘All stats increasing per level—truly befitting a God Tier item.’
Moreover, there was a 67% chance to deflect attacks from enemies.
It would prove invaluable in critical situations where I faced overwhelming strength or had to contend with massive numbers simultaneously.
An option truly worthy of a divine-grade item.
It was only natural that a smile played at the corners of my lips.
‘And since God Tier items have set effects, the more I collect, the better the synergy becomes.’
I would need to gather materials again to craft the next God Tier piece, but it shouldn’t take nearly as long.
Though I couldn’t guarantee exactly when it would be complete.
‘At the very least, it won’t take eight months like it did this time.’
The reason became clear from the additional message that arrived upon crafting the God Tier item.
[Confirmed: You are the first player to combine a God Tier item.]
[You have received ‘Condensed Ether’ as a reward.]
Condensed Ether—the essential material for God Tier items.
An item normally difficult to obtain had been easily granted as a first-time reward.
‘With this, creating a second god-tier item won’t be difficult.’
Ryu Min smiled with satisfaction, equipped the item, and opened his equipment window.
[Weapon – Death Side]
[Helmet – Demon’s Ring]
[Armor – Thanatos’s Dark Plate]
[Gloves – Ogre’s Gauntlet]
[Boots – Phantom Step Boots]
[Necklace – Pearl of Eternal Sleep]
[Ring – Red-Eyed Skull Ring]
Except for the Pearl of Eternal Sleep, all equipped items were Unique grade or higher.
‘Status window.’
-Name: Ryu Min
-Nickname: Black Scythe
-Rank: Master
-Titles: Last Temporal Reverser (Hidden), First Angel Slayer (Hidden), Defier of Heavenly Punishment (Hidden), Forerunner (Hidden)
-Level: 80
-Occupation: Grim Reaper
-Strength: 566, Intelligence: 586
-Agility: 466, Luck: 444
-Common Skills: Tracking, Presence Detection, Trace Erasure, First Aid, Surrounding Survey, Enhanced Dynamic Vision, Basic Resistance, Dexterity
-Exclusive Skills: Death’s Seal, Death’s Night, Moonlight Island, Crimson Moon
-Runes: Rune of Slaughter, Reaper’s Rune, Radiance Rune, True Heart Rune, Doppelgänger Rune, Balance Rune, Mental Barrier Rune, Durability Rune, Future Sight Rune
-Gold Held: 364,850
-Remaining Stat Points: 0
【Additional Functions】
[Shop: Purchase items.]
[Combine: Combine items.]
[Trade: Trade items or gold.]
[Duel Request: Engage in consensual duels.]
[???: Unlocked at Level 99]
‘My stats exceed 500 even without the Rune of Slaughter buff.’
That meant with the Rune of Slaughter active, I could surpass the 1,000 mark.
With Min Ju-ri’s blessing on top of that, I could exceed 1,600.
‘At only level 80, this is incredible.’
Had my clone reached the destination in Round 8, I would have earned the Human Merchant Caravan quest reward and reached level 84.
‘Since it was my clone and not my main body that arrived at the destination, the escort wasn’t recognized as complete.’
That’s why the completion experience for escorting the Human Merchant Caravan never came through.
‘Regardless, for level 80, these stats are substantial. Compared to other players, that is.’
Other players would need to surpass Round 15 just to reach level 80.
‘But Round 15 is called the cursed zone for good reason—the difficulty spikes dramatically.’
Fewer than fifty people surviving worldwide—what more could be said?
And that’s by global standards.
‘By then, I’ll need to secure at least three God-tier grades.’
Though reaching max level before that would probably happen faster anyway.
* * *
Once the round ended, most players woke from their narcolepsy only to fall back asleep.
The mental exhaustion from the Other World carried over into reality.
But there was always someone who moved the moment a round concluded.
It was An Sang-chul.
Beep beep—whoosh!
“Chairman!”
The instant his eyes opened in reality, he made his way to Ma Gyeong-rok’s Hotel Room as usual.
Ma Gyeong-rok’s eyes narrowed at the sight.
A subordinate who entered the Chairman’s room without permission?
Without even being summoned?
“An Sang-chul? Why do you keep showing up like this every time? I didn’t give you that master key for this.”
“Ah, my apologies.”
“No need to apologize. What brings you here today?”
Watching An Sang-chul’s unusually flushed expression, Ma Gyeong-rok felt curious.
‘What good news could this be?’
Had he finally started something with Seo A-rin?
He hoped so.
It would be nice to see him settle down.
But contrary to expectations, words that dampened the mood spilled from An Sang-chul’s lips.
“I’ve reached level 40! I’ve finally advanced to Expert grade!”
“Ah… is that so? Good for you, An Sang-chul. You’re really killing your boss’s mood.”
“Pardon? Ah, I apologize.”
“I know you’re doing it on purpose. Don’t apologize.”
Watching Ma Gyeong-rok turn away bitterly, An Sang-chul belatedly realized his own thoughtlessness.
He truly hadn’t considered it.
“I’m sorry, Chairman. I was so excited that I didn’t think about you…”
“I want to reach level 40 too. But I’m still stuck at 38. Does that even make sense?”
Ma Gyeong-rok vented his frustrations.
“And in the recent round, I even lost my All Districts ranking for the first time. Well, ‘lost’ isn’t quite right—I should say I failed to climb it.”
“…That’s unfortunate.”
“I thought I could at least secure 2nd or 3rd place, even if 1st is impossible with that monster sitting at level 80. But I fell behind the Priest and Buffer. One of them is my fiancée, though.”
Ma Gyeong-rok let out a bitter laugh and poured whiskey into his glass.
“I was getting the All Districts 2nd and 3rd place rewards, but now I’m not—it’s a strange feeling. I thought I was ahead, but suddenly I’m behind my own subordinate in level. It’s disorienting.”
“D-don’t lose heart, Chairman. Your level is only two levels behind mine, isn’t it? And you have a more special and powerful class than anyone. You’ll reclaim your ranking soon.”
“Will I? If Black Scythe and I merge districts later, I’ll lose 1st place in that ranking too. Is there really any hope for a comeback?”
“….”
An Sang-chul held his tongue.
There was no comfort in anything he could say right now.
Words would only twist the knife deeper.
“What level is Seo A-rin, if I may ask?”
“I believe she’s at level 37.”
“Is that so? Still, Seo A-rin won. Though I can’t say I’m pleased about it.”
Ma Gyeong-rok drained his whiskey in one gulp and set the glass down with a sharp exhale.
“The Seer is still alive, then?”
“Yes. I confirmed with a call on the way here.”
“I’d like to know about Round 9 soon. I want to analyze whether there are any places to level up quickly.”
“Should I call and have him come now?”
“What kind of irreverent thing is that to say? Treat the Seer like a god. Think of him as a divine messenger who delivers oracles. He may be young, but he’s far more cunning and quick-witted than you’d expect. Don’t do anything to earn his displeasure. If you think and act that way, we can all win together. We’re the ones who need him, not the other way around.”
“Ah, I understand. I’ll be more careful with my words and actions from now on.”
Ma Gyeong-rok found himself reminiscing.
Of Ryu Min, the way he’d praised himself in front of his father.
‘Is he humble, or does he simply lack ambition? Even knowing him, I can’t quite tell.’
At that moment, Ma Gyeong-rok’s phone vibrated.
‘Who could that be at this hour?’
He turned from the night view toward his phone, his eyes widening in surprise.
He answered quickly and spoke in English.
“Christine. What brings this on?”
-I just boarded a flight to Incheon Airport.
“What? So suddenly?”
-I’ve confirmed that most of the Round 8 information you gave me was accurate.
Of course it was.
Ryu Min’s prophecies had never been wrong.
Ma Gyeong-rok himself had gained considerable experience from the Human Merchant Caravan in Round 8 thanks to his prophecies.
So he could see it coming.
“Don’t tell me the reason you wanted to come to Korea the moment you woke up was….”
-I want to meet your business partner as soon as possible.
“Ah.”
Just as he’d expected.
Once you heard an oracle, there was no choice but to seek out Ryu Min.
‘There are people who’ve never heard a prophecy, but there’s no one who’s heard only one.’
That saying felt perfectly apt.
Ryu Min’s existence was light and salt to the players.
“Understood, Christine. Let me arrange a meeting.”
-Thank you.
It was the first time Ma Gyeong-rok had heard gratitude from his fiancée.
* * *
Player Place.
The so-called Pul-Pul Market’s growth trajectory was terrifyingly steep.
Looking at the subscriber count, nearly every player worldwide could be said to use it.
‘The problem is it’s declining by half every month.’
User numbers dropped by more than half each month without fail.
Yet Pul-Pul’s growth showed no signs of slowing.
How was that even possible?
‘Because Pul-Pul has a consignment system.’
The consignment system meant that items registered by players were sold on behalf of the Pul-Pul Company, which took a commission.
In other words, when a seller shipped items to the company, Pul-Pul would sell them and return the profits after deducting fees.
And if something happened to the seller, they promised to deposit those profits into the family’s account.
‘This way, even if the selling player dies, the items can still be sold for profit.’
Sellers were satisfied too, knowing their items could be converted to cash for their families in case of emergency.
It was a win-win system for both sides—the consignment sales system.
This was precisely why company revenue didn’t decline even as users dropped off.
‘And as rounds progress, item quality and value naturally increase.’
Eventually, even if only a handful remained, Pul-Pul’s future was to become a site for VVIP users.
“So you needn’t worry about the company collapsing.”
“Haha, I suppose I was worrying needlessly.”
Ma Gyeong-rok felt somewhat reassured by my explanation.
Concerned that the company might fail as users dwindled each round, he’d called me over to unburden himself of his worries.
As it turned out, his fears were baseless.
The prophet understood the company better than the businessman himself.
‘Though it’ll inevitably collapse eventually.’
After Round 15, user numbers plummet drastically.
Not a gentle curve, but a cliff face—a sheer drop.
With users dwindling to double digits, collapse becomes inevitable.
‘When that time comes, I’ll naturally wash my hands of it. For now, I’ll extract every last drop.’
I kept this fact hidden from him.
There was no reason to burden him with worry.
“I’m glad I asked you, Prophet. Otherwise, I’d probably still be fretting alone, worrying about this and that. Haha.”
Watching him, I noticed Ma Gyeong-rok’s laughter had changed slightly.
‘His pretense toward me has diminished somewhat.’
Ma Gyeong-rok always wore a business mask when dealing with me.
But today, for some reason, he was lowering his guard.
‘My deflecting credit to the Chairman in front of him must have played a role.’
Reading his true feelings, it seemed that’s where he’d let his guard down.
‘Though he probably didn’t call me just to ask about the company’s fate.’
I watched Ma Gyeong-rok intently.
With the rune of future sight, I could see seven seconds into the future.
“Well, Prophet. The truth is, I invited you here for another reason.”
“I know.”
“Pardon?”
“You don’t need to say anything. A guest will arrive shortly.”
Before Ryu Min’s words had even finished, the office door swung open.
Two guests from the United States stepped inside.
It was Christine and Jeffrey.
Ma Gyeong-rok stared in astonishment, his eyes darting between Ryu Min and Christine.
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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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