The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 129

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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 129
129. Counsel
Gulp—
In the tense situation, Gu Yeon-seung swallowed hard.
‘Damn it, what kind of situation is this?’
These actors had been dying without any problems until now.
Luring them using Hong Sun-ah was child’s play, and stealing their items and killing them was even easier.
With the ability to erase traces, evidence could be concealed cleanly.
As long as their stories aligned, evading police investigation wasn’t difficult.
That’s how I’d fed on fellow celebrity players, multiplying items and increasing my own value.
Gu Yeon-seung was so skilled at digging traps and covering tracks that he prided himself on being a professional criminal.
He was someone who made no mistakes.
And yet.
‘Where did things go wrong, exactly!’
During the thirty-two kills, I’d never faced a crisis like this.
It was natural—there was no business to be done against a coordinated assault.
But Black Scythe?
That monster who’d held the All Districts ranking 1st position throughout all eight rounds and just reached level 80 had appeared?
Gu Yeon-seung couldn’t help but be bewildered.
It was like casting bait to catch fish and having a shark come up instead.
‘No, wait—is it really Black Scythe? Just because someone’s holding a scythe doesn’t mean they’re Black Scythe, right?’
Doubt crept in, but only for a moment.
Looking at the two actors’ corpses with their necks cleanly severed, Gu Yeon-seung thought:
The man before me might truly be Black Scythe.
‘I didn’t even see the swing. I didn’t hear the sound of the blade cutting.’
That meant the attack was too fast to perceive—agility stats extraordinarily high and damage output overwhelming.
Though it was just a single swing, it was enough to feel the gap between us.
‘Heaven and earth apart. I can’t even begin to gauge this level.’
Once Gu Yeon-seung assessed his opponent’s strength, his mind raced.
Thud—
He immediately dropped to his knees and unleashed the acting he prided himself on.
“P-please spare me! I haven’t done anything!”
Gu Yeon-seung pointed at the other actors with his finger.
“Those bastards! They made me do it all!”
At the sudden betrayal, Hong Sun-ah and the four male actors wore dumbfounded expressions.
“W-what are you saying? Senior Gu?”
“Why are you doing this to us!”
“You made us do all of it!”
“Black Scythe! Don’t believe what this bastard says! We were just following orders, and he’s actually the ringleader!”
At those words, Gu Yeon-seung shot to his feet in fury.
“What? What did you just say? You punk? Is that how you talk to your senior, you bastard?”
The junior didn’t back down, glaring defiantly.
“And what about you? Selling out your junior to save your own skin—is that what a senior does? You piece of trash?”
“What did you say? You want to die that badly!”
Gu Yeon-seung raised his staff as if he were about to cast magic immediately.
The other juniors responded in kind, drawing their weapons.
Actors glaring at each other as if ready to kill.
It was a complete mess of a situation.
But all of this was exactly what Gu Yeon-seung intended.
‘Perfect! Now it’ll look like genuine internal conflict, won’t it?’
A third party watching would have no choice but to let their guard down.
I glanced sideways and spotted Black Scythe shaking his head as if disgusted by the snarling between us.
‘Now’s the moment!’
Gu Yeon-seung raised his staff as if attacking a junior.
“You really want to die, you bastard?”
Then, abruptly shifting direction, he aimed at Black Scythe’s face and unleashed his skill.
‘Black Arrow!’
Normally, the proper sequence was to bind the target with black chains first, then fire the black arrow.
But since this was a surprise attack, there was no time to restrain.
‘No matter how strong Black Scythe is, a direct hit to the head means death!’
The mana-infused black arrow struck directly at the head.
A sickening thud—!
‘Got it! It landed perfectly—!’
Gu Yeon-seung’s expression, flush with elation, froze in an instant.
The arrow he thought had connected passed by with mere millimeters to spare, slamming into the wall instead.
‘He dodged it in that split second?’
Truly insane reflexes.
The actors who witnessed this could only roll their eyes in confusion.
Ryu Min laughed coldly from behind his mask.
“Drop the pathetic act. Did you really think I’d let my guard down if you pretended to fight your allies?”
Embarrassment washed over Gu Yeon-seung’s face.
The juniors widened their eyes, as if they hadn’t known.
They had genuinely believed Gu Yeon-seung was betraying his comrades and had been furious.
“I told you—don’t try to be clever.”
“You—you bastard!”
Gu Yeon-seung openly leveled his staff at me.
At this point, there was no turning back.
A sharp crackling sound—
The plan was to bind Black Scythe with black chains and then flee immediately.
But Ryu Min, who could read minds and see seven seconds into the future, would never simply accept it.
Whoosh—
Ryu Min, who had already escaped the chain’s range, moved like a specter behind Gu Yeon-seung.
“Your mind works well enough.”
As I swung the scythe, Gu Yeon-seung’s staff fell away along with his forearm.
“Gaaaahhhhh!”
“You picked the wrong opponent.”
For a mage, a staff was as essential as a gun’s sight.
Even if he tried to use black arrows now, he wouldn’t be able to aim properly.
“D-damn it, kill him!”
The male actors, sensing the crisis, rushed at Black Scythe simultaneously.
But they were no match for Ryu Min.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—
Four actors’ heads flew into the air in a single stroke, their bodies crumpling to the ground like puppets with severed strings.
Thump—
Overwhelmed by that devastating power, Gu Yeon-seung collapsed to the floor.
With his arm already crippled, resistance was out of the question.
“….”
I surveyed my surroundings calmly.
Gu Yeon-seung trembling and whimpering, and Seo A-rin with wide, startled eyes came into view.
One person was missing, but it posed no problem.
I had already sensed her presence.
Thunk—!
“Kyaaaah!”
As I struck at empty air with the scythe, a sharp scream erupted.
The invisibility automatically dispelled, revealing Hong Sun-ah trembling violently in her legs.
My scythe was lodged in her thigh like a fork.
Squelch—!
As I applied force, blood sprayed and both her thighs were severed clean.
Thud—!
“Ghhhhiiieeeee….”
Hong Sun-ah’s eyes rolled back as she convulsed like a worm.
Gu Yeon-seung couldn’t bring himself to look at her agony.
“Seo A-rin.”
“Yes?”
“This is our first meeting in reality.”
“Ah.”
Seo A-rin’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Yes, it’s an honor to meet you, Black Scythe.”
“….”
Gu Yeon-seung stared at her in disbelief.
Hong Sun-ah stopped her groans as if she’d never made them and glared at Seo A-rin.
‘S-Seo A-rin and Black Scythe… they know each other?’
‘How could that woman possibly know Black Scythe? Could it be…?’
A shared assumption crystallized in both their minds.
‘Could she have requested Black Scythe’s support?’
‘If that’s the case, then we’re the ones who fell into the trap…?’
I knew they were misunderstanding, but it didn’t matter to me.
They were going to die anyway.
‘Of course, I won’t be the one to kill them.’
I intended to entrust their judgment to Seo A-rin.
It would satisfy her position as well.
“Seo A-rin. I’m giving you the chance to kill these two.”
“….”
“If you want to let them live as they are, I won’t stop you. So decide. Their lives or deaths.”
Seo A-rin’s eyes widened at the unexpected offer.
Gu Yeon-seung and Hong Sun-ah were no different.
Realizing their lives hung on Seo A-rin’s tongue, both of them scrambled to speak.
“Ah, A-rin! No, Ms. A-rin! Please spare me. I’m Gu Yeon-seung. We worked on projects together, remember? Think of what we shared back then. Please, just let me live once more….”
“Senior Gu, shut up! If we’re talking about project work, I’ve filmed way more with A-rin than you! A-rin! It’s me! Me! Your lifelong friend Sun-ah! Think of all the memories we made together. Okay? Please let me live. I don’t want to die yet, sob sob.”
“Look at this crazy woman sniveling. Ms. A-rin, don’t be fooled. That woman is trash. Do you know how much she cursed you behind your back?”
“When did I ever! Don’t believe Senior Gu! It’s all lies!”
“Wow, what shameless audacity? And she dares call herself a friend. I’m clearly the better one.”
“Ha, I can’t even… who was the one shaking her hips with that beast mentality whenever A-rin was coming?”
“I, I never! Don’t make up lies, you bitch!”
Both of them raised their voices.
Seo A-rin, suddenly holding power over life and death, deliberated.
But her deliberation didn’t last long.
They were trash not worth thinking about.
“You’re both eyesores.”
“…What?”
“I’ve decided.”
“Y-You will spare us, right?”
“Huh? A-rin. We were close. Right?”
Both of them gazed desperately, but Seo A-rin’s eyes were cold.
The cooldown had just refreshed.
Seo A-rin summoned the Fairies.
“Kill them both.”
“W-Wait!”
“A-rin!”
At their master’s command, the Fairies unleashed their beams.
Skreeeeeee—!
“Gaaahhhhh!”
“Kyaaahhhhh!”
Those already stripped of combat ability had no strength to resist.
The beam aimed at their heads burned their faces pitch-black, leaving them unrecognizable.
Ryu Min felt a certain satisfaction at the sight.
‘I used to worry about the lives of those who tried to rape me, but I’ve changed quite a bit.’
This was the second time I’d saved Seo A-rin—the first being after the incident with Hwang Yong-min’s group.
Seo A-rin bowed her head toward me, aware of this fact.
“Thank you so much, Black Scythe. You’ve saved me before, and now again. I’ve received a kindness I cannot fully express in words. I’m truly grateful.”
“You believe I’m Black Scythe?”
“Of course. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize the weapon you were holding? Your outfit and voice are different, but….”
Beyond that, the atmosphere and physique resembled Black Scythe.
Most of all, the overwhelming power was proof.
It was why Seo A-rin believed so firmly that I was Black Scythe.
Ryu Min felt relieved at her reaction.
‘I made the right choice transforming. If I’d kept my original form, she might have suspected me.’
Ryu Min had transformed into Lost Yak and wore a mask.
Because of this, I possessed a much taller frame and muscular build than usual.
It was a precaution—if my height were too short, she might suspect I was the Prophet.
“I want to repay you somehow. Is there anything you’d like? I’ve been thinking about it constantly, but it seems I don’t have much to offer.”
“I didn’t act expecting compensation, so don’t worry about it.”
“But it’s shameless of me to ask—how did you know about this place? I’m genuinely curious, so please don’t misunderstand my question.”
It was natural to be curious.
I’d appeared at the critical moment as if I’d been waiting, and that presence was none other than Black Scythe.
Ryu Min, who had already prepared an excuse, spoke without hesitation.
“Coincidence.”
“Pardon?”
“I happened to see you passing by and followed out of curiosity. That’s how I learned about this club.”
“Ah….”
“It seems they were trash preying on fellow players.”
“That’s right. I didn’t even know and….”
Seo A-rin lowered her head, gazing at the corpses.
As if to dismiss her gloomy thoughts, Ryu Min cleaned up the bodies using trace erasure.
The scene where nine corpses had lain became pristine once more.
“Forget what happened. Look only forward. Think only of yourself. Don’t concern yourself with others.”
….
“While I’m at it, let me offer more advice—be wary of people. Your enemies aren’t far away. They’re close by. Never let your guard down. Always be alert to your surroundings and suspicious.”
It wasn’t something someone trying to earn Seo A-rin’s trust should say, but Ryu Min was certain.
With this advice, she would suspect others instead of me.
As expected, Seo A-rin’s mind conjured the faces of two people upon hearing Ryu Min’s words.
An Sang-chul and Ma Gyeong-rok.
“Thank you for advice that cuts to the bone. I keep receiving help from Black Scythe, yet I’m at a loss for how to repay such kindness….”
“As I said before, there’s no need to repay anything. If I wanted something from you, I would have demanded it the moment I first saved you.”
“….”
Seo A-rin’s brow twitched.
I want nothing from you.
Those words, paradoxically, pricked at her pride.
‘I’ve accomplished my purpose sufficiently.’
As if on cue, Ryu Min turned to leave.
And he offered a subtle farewell.
“If we leave together, we’ll draw suspicion. Wait five minutes before you go. Since there’s no evidence, you don’t need to bother reporting this to the police.”
“Ah, there, Black Scythe….”
With those words, Ryu Min left the room.
“….”
Seo A-rin stood motionless, her gaze fixed on the direction where Black Scythe had vanished.
She resolved to wait the five minutes as instructed.
In that time, Seo A-rin turned over Black Scythe’s counsel in her mind.
‘Black Scythe was right. I’ve been trusting the bodyguard and the director far too much.’
She already harbored ill feelings toward Ma Gyeong-rok.
He had once attempted to use her as a hostess—there was no avoiding such resentment.
‘If the bodyguard is a loyal subordinate of such a director….’
He might unflinchingly carry out even unethical orders.
That meant she could be stabbed in the back at any moment.
It made sense—An Sang-chul had been assigned as her watchdog from the start.
‘I’ve been too naive, blindly trusting those around me.’
Was it because she had nearly been betrayed by a fellow actress she once believed in?
Or was it because of Black Scythe’s counsel?
Vigilance and suspicion began to bloom within Seo A-rin’s heart.
And in that same moment, she became certain of one thing.
Thump, thump, thump—
Her own feelings toward Black Scythe.

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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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