The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 13

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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 13
13. I’m Quitting Now.
As I boarded the bus heading home, I pulled out my passbook to check the balance.
It was a newly opened VIP account at Nonghyup Bank.
[Balance: 15,052,102,983 won]
1.5 billion won.
A sum I could spend my entire life on without exhausting sat printed in my account.
Yet I showed no surprise whatsoever—my expression remained perfectly composed.
‘As expected, there’s nothing quite like the lottery for raising capital.’
I simply considered this the first step executed flawlessly.
‘I can’t be satisfied with this. I need to keep multiplying this money.’
That’s why I flatly rejected all the financial products the bank had proposed.
I had no intention of letting it sit dormant in the bank.
‘I’ll keep about a billion won and invest the rest entirely in Bitcoin.’
The cryptocurrency craze had persisted from last year through now.
Especially next month—Bitcoin would skyrocket fourfold.
But the coin’s surge would end there.
‘After that, the population will begin declining exponentially, and the cryptocurrency market will become turbulent.’
Still, Bitcoin would grow safely until next month.
With it quadrupling, there was no reason not to invest.
‘Now that I’m an adult, I can open a stock trading account too.’
After multiplying my wealth through coins, I planned to invest in stocks.
For me, a returner, knowing which stocks would skyrocket in the future was hardly surprising information.
‘Of course, I’ll need to keep matching lottery numbers in the meantime.’
Lottery winners are drawn every week.
I had memorized those winning numbers up through the fifth week.
‘After that, there’s no need to remember. Once next month arrives, the lottery market collapses anyway.’
In other words, I could accumulate funds through the lottery four more times.
Each time, I planned to go all-in on a single number just like now, monopolizing the prize money.
‘Of course, if I keep winning first place, I’ll draw suspicion—but that’s all. What can I do about it? I was just lucky enough to win consecutively.’
The bank had no choice but to pay out the winnings once they were claimed.
I got off the bus and entered my home.
A cramped kitchen and a small room—that was all this place offered.
‘I won’t be living here much longer.’
Though it was the house where I’d lived with my parents, I felt no attachment since I planned to move somewhere far better.
“Hyung!”
My younger brother, who had been waiting at home, rushed out to greet me with excitement.
“You waited patiently?”
“Of course. Did you get the prize money?”
Instead of answering, I pulled the passbook from my pocket and held it out to him.
“Gasp! H-how much is all this? Ten, hundred, thousand….”
Ryu Won looked up with wide eyes as he counted the digits.
“1.5…billion won?”
When I learned I’d won the 100 Games, I’d expected a substantial sum, but not this much.
“Originally it was 2.24 billion, but after taxes it comes to about that. It’s not much money.”
“How are you so calm? Are you joking at a time like this? It’s 1.5 billion won! Not 1.5 million—1.5 billion!”
“Keep your voice down. The neighbors will hear. Well, we’re moving anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Moving? Are we moving to a better place?”
Ryu Min nodded with a smile, and Ryu Won’s face lit up with joy.
“Yes! We’re moving! Moving!”
“You’re that happy about it?”
“Of course! This place has bugs, the space is cramped, and it’s expensive.”
“True. 500,000 won a month is steep.”
Being in Seoul, the monthly rent was high relative to the apartment’s size.
Yet the reason I’d insisted on staying in Seoul and attending high school while supporting myself was simple.
‘It’s the home where I lived with Mom and Dad.’
Three years ago, our parents died in a traffic accident.
Remembering how my younger brother wept then still weighs on my heart.
‘It felt like we were suddenly thrown alone into the forest together.’
Normally, when parents die suddenly, relatives are obligated to protect the children until adulthood….
‘But they all turned their backs on us.’
At the time, I was a first-year high school student, and Ryu Won was in his final year of elementary school.
We were too young to fend for ourselves, but we had no choice but to become self-sufficient.
‘That’s when it started. My part-time jobs.’
Since my younger brother couldn’t work as an elementary student, I had to earn our living expenses alone.
Fortunately, the Meat Shop Owner was willing to hire me despite being a high school student….
‘But I can’t say he was a good man.’
The owner’s abuse—cutting my wages for being a student and his tyranny—was another form of violence to me.
‘Expensive rent, the Meat Shop Owner’s abuse, harassment from the Delinquent Gang. I endured it all and lived stubbornly….’
But not anymore.
I’m an adult now and I have money, so there’s no need to endure further.
‘I tried not to move because it was the home where I lived with my parents….’
But now I could let them go.
After countless returns, enough time had passed that I held no lingering attachments.
“Won.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re going to look for a new place to move to. Want to come with me?”
“Yeah! Let’s go together, hyung!”
I’d already decided where to move, but there was still much to do.
I needed to tell the landlord we were leaving and contact the real estate agent.
I need to stop by the Community Service Center to get some documents and open a stock account.
“Let’s find a place this afternoon, and for dinner, what should we eat something delicious?”
“What kind?”
Ryu Min’s lips curled up slightly.
“Meat.”

* * *
7 PM.
At this hour, a typical meat restaurant should have been packed with customers.
“Damn it, I need to either keep running this business or shut it down. What kind of shop just has flies buzzing around?”
The Meat Shop Owner’s face was filled with nothing but frustration.
The reason being that not a single customer had walked through the door despite it being peak hours.
“This is why I don’t hire part-timers on weekdays. No customers, so what’s the point?”
The absence of customers was bitter to swallow, but it was the reality.
For a small meat restaurant tucked away in a remote alley, the world was far too harsh to survive.
“I shouldn’t have jumped at the cheap rent. Damn it, who knew it would just be flies?”
What good was regret now?
Without operating like this, there was no way to make a living.
“Hell. Once business closes, I’ll have to grill some meat and drink soju alone.”
Despite his complaints, weekends brought enough customers that he could get by.
Besides, he hired weekend part-timers at bargain rates.
‘Heh, hiring a high school part-timer was a good call. Perfect for exploiting someone naive.’
By law, even high school students should be paid minimum wage.
But the Meat Shop Owner paid only about 80% of the minimum wage.
He cut the wages under the pretext that the worker was a student.
‘Students should be studying, not working part-time.’
When he told the kid to look elsewhere if he didn’t like it, the fool took the bait.
Thanks to that, the Meat Shop Owner had been able to pocket unearned income all this time.
‘No, really. When you think about it, the kid agreed to it anyway. He should be grateful I’m even giving him a job.’
He’d heard the kid had no parents, so shouldn’t he be thankful just to have work?
But using him would end here.
‘I should cut him loose soon and find another part-timer.’
Now that he’d turned eighteen this year, his head had probably gotten bigger too.
If he started demanding back pay or asking for a raise, it would become a problem.
‘I’d better get rid of him quick and find a pretty female part-timer instead.’
Wouldn’t sales go up if he hired a pretty female student instead of a scrawny male one?
While smiling at such thoughts, he heard the door open.
The Meat Shop Owner, who had been wiping down tables, reflexively turned his head and smiled.
“Welcome—!”
But contrary to his expectations, the person who entered was not a customer.
“Ryu Min?”
The high school part-timer who had been silently seething just moments before.
The Meat Shop Owner’s expression shifted in an instant.
The smile vanished from his face, replaced entirely by irritation.
“What brings you here at this hour? And who’s this beside you?”
“This is my younger brother.”
“Ah, hello there.”
Why would he show up on a weekday—outside his work hours—with his brother in tow?
The Meat Shop Owner asked with a lukewarm expression.
“What’s this about? Don’t tell me you’re both here to work a shift…”
“I’m quitting my job.”
“What?”
The Meat Shop Owner’s face crumpled at this unexpected announcement.
He’d been planning to fire the boy anyway, but hearing him quit first left a bitter taste.
“How can you just drop this on me like this?”
“Drop it? It’s Monday today—you have until the weekend to find a replacement. Plenty of time.”
“Who said you could just quit? Don’t you want to earn money?”
“Do I need your permission to quit?”
‘This little bastard…?’
The Meat Shop Owner glared at Ryu Min with fierce eyes.
But only for a moment.
‘What kind of gaze is that…’
Faced with Ryu Min’s ice-cold stare, the Meat Shop Owner was the first to back down.
“Ahem, fine, fine. If you want to quit, then quit! There. Now get out!”
“I’m not finished yet.”
“What now?”
“You’ve been paying me only 80% of minimum wage because I’m a high school student, right? But you’re supposed to pay the full minimum wage.”
“You agreed to that…”
“Do you have proof? When did I agree to that? I had no idea about it.”
“…”
“And you made me work past 2 AM. Did you know that’s illegal? I looked it up—minors can’t work past 10 PM.”
The Meat Shop Owner flinched and clamped his mouth shut.
His expression betrayed that his worst fears had come to pass.
“No meals, no meal allowance, constant cursing, making me do everything alone, power-tripping, abusing your position… I didn’t realize it until now, but you’ve done some truly despicable things.”
“What, what the—? You little punk, there’s a limit to what you can say to an adult…!”
“I’m 19 now—a legal adult. If you keep using abusive language, I won’t tolerate it anymore.”
“…”
Faced with such unexpected firmness, the Meat Shop Owner had no choice but to yield.
“So? What do you want? Are you expecting an apology for my wrongdoings?”
“Yes. I’d like to hear a sincere apology.”
“This damn bastard… Do you really think I’m going to apologize to some snot-nosed kid?”
“If you won’t, then I’ll have no choice but to report you to the Ministry of Labor. I’m also proceeding with criminal charges for all the illegal acts you’ve committed so far.”
“Ugh…”
The Meat Shop Owner knew that what he had done was illegal.
That’s why the threat of a report was terrifying.
If things went wrong, he could face massive fines and have to close his business.
“Fine, fine. All I have to do is apologize, right?”
“Not just any apology—a sincere one.”
‘Damn this little punk…’
His pride was wounded, but he had no other choice.
If one apology could prevent a report to the Ministry of Labor, it was a bargain.
The Meat Shop Owner’s head bowed down.
“Sigh… I’m sorry for everything.”
“Is that all?”
“W-what do you mean?”
“I don’t feel any sincerity at all. Try again.”
‘This bastard…’
The Meat Shop Owner swallowed his curses and made another desperate appeal.
“I’m sorry, Ryu Min. I stole your wages trying to save a few measly won. I’m truly sorry. I’m genuinely reflecting on my actions, so please don’t report me to the Ministry of Labor.”
“That sounds more like an excuse than an apology. And there’s no sincerity in it.”
“Damn it, then what the hell do you want…!”
For a moment, unable to contain his anger, the Meat Shop Owner clenched his teeth and forced himself to calm down.
“See? The way you’re flaring up shows you don’t really want to apologize.”
“Sigh… I said I was sorry. Isn’t that enough? What do you want from me anyway? Would you feel better if I paid back all the wages I stole?”
“That’s not it. I just wanted to hear a genuine apology… but given your temperament, that seems impossible.”
“Then what do you want? What are you after?”
“I won’t ask for the wages you stole. Instead…”
Ryu Min smiled and sat down at the table.
“Bring out some food. Once I fill my stomach, maybe the urge to report you will disappear.”

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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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