The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 130

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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 130
130. Distribution
Mid-August had passed.
During that time, Ma Gyeong-rok had been methodically disposing of trash as planned.
‘Already nearly three hundred vermin have fallen to Ma Gyeong-rok’s blade.’
Yet Player Cafe still harbored countless pests.
Left unchecked, they would inevitably harm ordinary people.
That’s why I had the Chairman diligently produce wanted posters.
Of course, they were fabricated using Photoshop.
‘Fish with such tiny livers bite at the bait so readily.’
A different warehouse from where Ma Gyeong-rok worked.
When I activated Trace Erasure here, five corpses vanished.
Like Ma Gyeong-rok, I too was immersed in cleaning up trash.
‘Though I won’t obtain dark mana, I can certainly extort items.’
The floor where the corpses disappeared was now piled high with items I’d tortured out of them.
Mana Stones, Unique material items, shop equipment items, miscellaneous goods, and more.
These criminals had survived up to Round 8, so naturally they carried plenty of equipment.
‘I should combine shop equipment with Unique materials to craft some Unique gear.’
Currently, while Unique materials appear on the market, no Unique equipment is listed for sale.
That’s because no one knows how to craft them.
‘The Unique combination blueprints haven’t spread widely enough yet.’
Unique blueprints begin dropping in earnest from Round 9 onward.
No one has discovered the combination formulas yet.
‘Even if someone did manage to craft Unique equipment, no fool would list it for sale.’
They’d keep it for themselves. Why would anyone sell such valuable Unique gear just to earn some real-world money?
I had no intention of crafting and selling Unique items either.
Money was already overflowing.
PulPul’s stock price continued its meteoric rise, and I possessed enough wealth that three generations could live idle lives and still have surplus.
So why was I crafting Unique equipment?
To distribute it among candidates who would become my future allies.
‘They need to survive—it benefits me as well.’
First, I decided to craft items for Min Ju-ri and Christine.
Combining agility-based equipment with Unique materials would yield gear for Min Ju-ri, while combining intelligence-based equipment would produce Unique gear for Christine.
‘Ah, they might feel left out, so I should craft something for Ma Gyeong-rok too.’
I’d also need to make equipment for Russell and Seo A-rin.
Even items for An Sang-chul, Heo Tae-sik, Jo Yong-ho, and Yamtti.
‘Why do I have so many mouths to feed….’
On second thought, this wouldn’t work.
I didn’t have enough materials to equip everyone.
Shaking my head, I decided to provide equipment only for those I’d take with me to Round 20.
‘For now, I need to take care of Min Ju-ri and Christine. The rest can wait… I’ll think about it later.’
Just thinking about it made me sigh.
Then a call came from Ma Gyeong-rok.
“Yes, Director.”
-Prophet, do you have a moment?
“Right now?”
-Yes. I have something to give you.
“Something?”
-I’ve been collecting items for you all this time.
“Items? Don’t tell me you extorted items from criminals before killing them?”
-Of course. It would be wasteful to just kill them without taking the items, wouldn’t it?
It turned out Ma Gyeong-rok was doing the exact same thing as Ryu Min.
-I’ve gathered quite a lot of useful things, so just come and pick what you want.
“Ah, thank you. You could have kept them all for yourself, yet you saved my share…”
-How could I wipe my mouth clean after receiving information that can’t be converted to money each time? There has to be genuine rapport between people.
Ma Gyeong-rok spoke pleasantly, but Ryu Min knew there was another intention behind his words.
‘He wants to keep me tied down materially so he can continue extracting information for the next round.’
It could be considered a form of bribery.
Either way, it worked out well.
I needed materials to craft a Unique item anyway.
Considering how many criminals Ma Gyeong-rok had killed, there should be enough materials for what I needed.
“Where is the location? Let’s go right away.”
* * *
Ma Gyeong-rok, waiting for Ryu Min in a Hotel room, sipped whiskey with the night view as his appetizer.
Glancing at the floor, countless items extorted over the past two weeks lay scattered about.
‘The Prophet will probably be shocked when he sees this, right? Or maybe he already saw it through prophecy.’
Judging by how unsurprised he sounded during the call, it was probably certain.
‘Then does he know about this too? That I intend to give him all the items.’
Over the phone, he’d said to come and pick what he wanted, but if he asked, Ma Gyeong-rok planned to give everything.
That way, he could continue squeezing information from him in the next round and the round after that.
‘It’s a kind of debt.’
Ma Gyeong-rok smiled slyly, but he didn’t know.
That he himself was the one playing in the palm of Ryu Min’s hand.
Knock knock—
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Director.”
At Ryu Min’s voice, Ma Gyeong-rok hurried out barefoot to greet him.
“Welcome, Prophet.”
“Calling me to a Hotel room at night—people might misunderstand.”
“Ha, you’re quite the joker. Come this way.”
Ma Gyeong-rok, who had been smiling, turned around with a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
‘Now he’s even cracking jokes. He’s grown quite a bit.’
Ma Gyeong-rok was the type who praised on the surface while secretly looking down on others.
And truthfully, without prophecy, Ryu Min’s combat ability seemed utterly pathetic.
Hadn’t he himself admitted it not long ago?
That he had no confidence in winning against Ma Gyeong-rok.
‘Come to think of it, how does a Seer actually fight? Do they just barely survive based on future information?’
It was a question I hadn’t considered until now.
“Seer, if I may ask… how exactly do you fight?”
“Ah, me?”
Ryu Min, who had already read his true thoughts beforehand, answered with a bright smile, showing no sign of confusion.
“That’s a secret.”
“Pardon?”
“I need to keep at least one secret. If I spread all sorts of information around, what am I supposed to live on?”
“Ah yes, that’s a fair point. Haha.”
Ma Gyeong-rok hadn’t expected him to refuse to answer.
‘Regardless of his combat ability, I shouldn’t underestimate that cunning nature of his.’
While Ma Gyeong-rok’s mind warned him to be cautious, his heart was already opening up.
The fact that he’d let Ryu Min into his private space was proof of that.
“Are these? Items extorted from those criminals?”
“Yes. Quite a collection, isn’t it?”
Ma Gyeong-rok chuckled, but he didn’t know one thing.
That Ryu Min had extorted just as much and possessed a considerable amount himself.
“If you need anything among these, feel free to choose. I’ll give you all of them, however many you want.”
“Haha, well then…”
Ryu Min selected items without hesitation.
They were mostly Unique material items.
“Hmm? What are you planning to use those for…?”
“Director Ma. I mentioned it before, didn’t I? When I see prophecies, I learn all sorts of information.”
“Yes, I did hear that, but what does that have to do with…”
Instead of answering, Ryu Min demonstrated through action.
I opened the combination window and placed the Unique materials on it.
Using an Expert-grade armor as the main material, I pressed the combination button.
Whoosh—
The materials vanished in a flash of light, and a magnificent item was born.
Ma Gyeong-rok’s eyes widened in astonishment.
“This, this is?”
“A gift.”
Ma Gyeong-rok received the armor and checked its options, then was utterly shocked.
“This, Expert-grade with Unique rarity?”
The best equipment Ma Gyeong-rok currently possessed was merely a Regular-grade Epic item purchased from the shop.
Before him lay options superior by a full tier.
Ma Gyeong-rok’s pupils trembled with barely contained emotion.
“H-how did you even create this?”
“I mentioned it earlier. I inadvertently glimpse all manner of information.”
“Did you see the Unique combination formula from the future?”
I nodded, and a sigh escaped Ma Gyeong-rok’s lips.
‘To think he could even discern the combination methods… unbelievable.’
The Prophet’s value had ascended another tier in his estimation.
It was equally clear that maintaining close ties with Ryu Min was imperative, by any means necessary.
“Um… Prophet. Are you truly giving this to me?”
“Yes. Since Director Ma thoughtfully gave me an item, I should repay that kindness appropriately. It’s also my way of urging you to reach level 40 and equip it quickly. And while I was at it, I crafted something for your fiancée as well.”
“Christine’s too?”
“Please deliver it to her personally, Director.”
“Ah, thank you. Truly, I’m grateful.”
Ma Gyeong-rok’s eyes remained fixed upon the Unique armor.
He was clearly delighted with it.
“May I take the remaining materials? I have a use for them.”
“Of course. Take everything. If there’s anything you don’t need, just leave it. I’ll sell it on the market and send you the proceeds.”
“You needn’t go to such lengths… but thank you.”
When I smiled, Ma Gyeong-rok smiled in return.
“Would you care for a glass of whiskey?”
“No, thank you. Alcohol doesn’t suit my palate. I’ll head home now.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Ma Gyeong-rok’s expression betrayed his disappointment.
“If you didn’t bring a car, shall I have Director An see you out?”
“I appreciate the offer, but I brought my car.”
“I see.”
“Then I’ll see you next time.”
As I departed, Ma Gyeong-rok smacked his lips regretfully.
He had nearly gained a drinking companion, and the loss weighed on him.
* * *
With the materials I’d received from Ma Gyeong-rok, I crafted Unique items and sought out Min Ju-ri.
“Here. Take this.”
“Huh? What is this?”
“I made it for you to wear.”
Min Ju-ri glanced at me once, then examined the item’s information, her eyes widening.
“Th-this is Unique?”
I explained it to her the same way I had to Ma Gyeong-rok.
Invoking prophecy was the universal solution to any objection.
“Information on Round 9, and such a fine item to boot….”
Min Ju-ri, who had seemed moved, suddenly shook her head.
“I can’t accept it. You use it.”
“It’s an item I don’t need. I’ve already crafted my own.”
“Even so, I can’t take it. I’m already indebted to you, and I receive your help every round. How could I possibly accept this?”
‘But I’ve received plenty of help from her too.’
Min Ju-ri’s buffs had been instrumental in my record-breaking runs thus far.
I’d more than broken even.
But I couldn’t reveal that fact to Min Ju-ri.
How could I tell her now that I was Black Scythe?
“Take it anyway.”
“No. I can’t accept it.”
Faced with her firm stance, I had no choice but to take a firmer approach myself.
“Then let’s do it this way. Consider this a loan too. You’ll repay it once you’ve grown stronger. That works, doesn’t it?”
“….”
Not a gift, but a loan.
Framed that way, Min Ju-ri couldn’t help but waver slightly.
“You can repay it all later. It’s an item I have no immediate use for anyway.”
“Sigh… If you’re going to put it that way, fine. I’ll gratefully borrow it. But understand this one thing clearly—I’ll repay this debt several times over when the time comes.”
“Yes. Repay me well later.”
As I extended the item, Min Ju-ri reluctantly accepted it.
* * *
After distributing the Unique items to my colleagues, I returned Home.
“Brother, if you haven’t eaten dinner yet, want to eat together?”
“Go ahead and eat. I’ll eat later.”
“Huh?”
Ryu Won tilted his head as he watched his older brother skip dinner and head to his room.
“Is something wrong?”
I collapsed onto my bed the moment I entered the room.
This wasn’t the time to leisurely eat a meal.
Rather, I needed to decide my next course of action.
‘The Player Cafe’s transformation will be complete by the end of this month. It’ll shift from a criminal organization into an ordinary player group.’
But the real problem was public perception.
The way citizens currently viewed players was like a time bomb waiting to detonate.
If I couldn’t change this perception, it would become an obstacle to restoring our crumbling society.
‘I can’t allow that. My goal is to establish Black Scythe as a force of national-level strength.’
In reality, the name value Black Scythe possessed was smaller than I’d hoped.
Though I always ranked first and was well-known among players, ordinary citizens often treated the name as obscure.
‘The name Black Scythe must have influence in reality too. Only then can I rally and control all the world’s players with a single word.’
By controlling the rampaging players, I could prevent the world from deteriorating further.
To achieve that, I needed to wield tremendous power not just in the Other World, but in reality as well.
I had to elevate Black Scythe’s status to be on par with the President.
‘And for that, I need Lee Sung-hyun’s bill.’
A bill to establish the Anti-Player Organization and summarily execute criminal Players.
It was already passed, but implementation would take time.
‘I need to accelerate that timeline.’
Ryu Min rose from the bed.
He immediately picked up his phone and made a call.
“Hey, Yamtti. I have instructions for you.”
-Yes, Master.
How could I shorten that time?
“There’s someone I need you to seduce. Someone at the highest levels of power.”
If I could dominate a figure of high authority, it would work.
Someone like the Police Commissioner, for instance.

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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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