The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 132

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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 132
132. The 9th Round Representative Selection Tournament
Time flew swiftly, and midnight on September 1st arrived.
The players no longer felt startled.
Even when the environment shifted to the Monochrome Space in the blink of an eye.
Even when hundreds of people materialized from thin air one after another.
Even when an insufferable angel descended from the sky in a flash of light.
The players who had endured for eight long months simply gazed upward at the angel with stoic expressions.
[How wonderful to see you all, humans! I’m growing quite fond of these meetings. Don’t you feel the same?]
“….”
As the players fell silent, Angel Ariel’s delicate brow furrowed sharply.
[What’s this? Such a cold reception? Have you leveled up a bit and now look down on angels? I’m saying, aren’t you happy to see me?]
“Ha ha… Y-yes, we’re delighted.”
“That’s right. We’re happy to see you, very happy.”
Forced smiles plastered across the players’ faces.
‘Damn, what an abuse of authority.’
Unless one was a fool, they could tell it was hollow flattery, but the angel seemed satisfied with even that much, breaking into a pleased smile.
[Hehe, wonderful. I’m delighted to meet you humans as well. However, I’m afraid you won’t see me after this round ends. You see, this round will feature a zone integration!]
“Zone integration?”
“Again?”
“It feels like we do this all the time.”
Roughly 900 players remained.
It was indeed time for a zone integration.
‘This is the last zone integration we’ll conduct within our own country. From the 11th round onward, we’ll be integrating with other nations.’
As if to prove Ryu Min’s words, the angel explained.
[Don’t complain about the frequency. This is the last zone integration conducted within the nation of Korea.]
“The last zone integration…?”
[Due to the small number of players, all seven remaining zones in Korea must be integrated.]
“You’re integrating all the remaining zones?”
“Then there will only be one zone left?”
[Precisely. Everything will be unified into a single zone. A chance for all the scattered Korean players to meet in one place!]
The angel spoke as if announcing a family reunion.
[Then I’ll proceed with the integration right away.]
Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble—
The ground trembled as the background fractured and reassembled.
The scattered South Korean players gathered together as one.
Their number was approximately six thousand.
Observing the new faces, the players contemplated.
‘These are all the remaining players in South Korea?’
‘So we have to compete against each other again?’
‘What happens if I give more here?’
‘I don’t know for sure, but if I survive here, won’t my value as a player increase?’
Their thoughts toward each other differed.
Some displayed competitive spirit, while others lamented the dwindling number of allies.
[Finally, all of Korea’s players have gathered in one place! The exact number is 6,008. The unified zone is designated C3-ESKA001.]
“Six thousand?”
“That’s all the players remaining in our country?”
The players who had started at nine million had dwindled to merely six thousand in just eight months.
And this number would continue to decrease.
[Well then, since the zone has been unified, we’ll need to hold another zone representative selection tournament, won’t we? We Angels will discuss this and return, so in the meantime, why don’t you all greet each other? Catch up with your friends, reconnect!]
The moment the Angel vanished, six thousand players erupted with complaints as if they’d been waiting for this.
“Greet each other when we’re supposed to compete?”
“What? Reconnect with friends?”
“Does she think this is some kind of reunion plaza? Ridiculous.”
Even though the zone had unified into one, there was no reason to recognize any faces.
Most friends and acquaintances had been eliminated from previous rounds, turned to dust.
But there were exceptions.
“M-Master… no, Black Scythe!”
The first person to approach Ryu Min was Yamtti.
Ryu Min, who had already hinted that the zones would unify, had instructed her to find him immediately upon integration.
‘I’ll eventually meet Yamtti here, and I can’t pretend not to know her like in reality. Besides, I’ll need her for the Quests ahead.’
To utilize Yamtti effectively, I needed to keep her close and appear acquainted—so it was better to establish that early.
“Black Scythe, I’m so glad to meet you like this. We know each other, right?”
“Stop. When we’re alone, you don’t need to act.”
“Oh, r-right? Hehe, seeing you in the Other World, Master, makes me so incredibly happy!”
“Shh. Lower your voice when you speak. And check if there are any assassins using invisibility within thirty meters around us, just in case.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
Yamtti immediately surveyed her surroundings, then leaned close to Ryu Min and whispered.
“But how was my acting at first? Wasn’t it pretty good?”
“I don’t know. It seemed a bit over the top. You’d do better to dial back the emotion.”
“Hehe, thank you for the advice, Master.”
“And don’t stand so close to me. What will people think?”
“Oh, y-yes… I understand.”
Yamtti stepped back, her expression tinged with disappointment as she whispered in my ear.
Then someone entered the thirty-meter range.
Both of them turned their heads simultaneously, sensing the presence.
“Huh… Black Scythe?”
It was Min Ju-ri.
She had naturally sought out Black Scythe, only to be startled.
He was suddenly flirting with a woman she’d never seen before.
“And who might you be?”
“Hello, I’m Yamtti.”
“I wasn’t asking for your nickname. I’m asking what your relationship is with Black Scythe.”
At her sharp tone, Yamtti’s expression twisted into one of indignation.
Then, as if struck by a thought, she deliberately made a scoffing sound and lifted one corner of her mouth.
“Hmm, well? Do I have any obligation to answer that?”
“What did you say?”
“You’re someone I’ve never seen before either, so what’s your relationship with Black Scythe?”
“Me? I’m Black Scythe’s col——.”
Min Ju-ri stopped mid-sentence and glanced at Black Scythe’s expression.
She wanted to say colleague, but doubt crept in—did Black Scythe see it the same way?
They had met purely out of necessity, and neither had ever used the word colleague before.
“league——.”
“What? I can’t hear you clearly.”
“I, I am——.”
“Enough, both of you.”
Unable to bear watching the women’s silent clash any longer, Ryu Min stepped between them.
And he explained according to the story they’d agreed on beforehand.
“Yamtti here is someone I know personally in reality—an acquaintance. Don’t get any strange ideas like thinking she’s my girlfriend or anything. And Democracy is——.”
Ryu Min looked directly at Min Ju-ri.
“My colleague. We’ve partied together several times.”
“Ah.”
Was it because she’d finally heard the word colleague she’d so desperately wanted to hear?
Or was it because he’d drawn a line, saying she wasn’t his girlfriend?
Min Ju-ri’s lips curved into a long arc of a smile.
Her chest felt wide open.
An irrepressible smile bloomed across her face.
“So you knew Black Scythe in reality. I’m sorry for being so sensitive. It was just caution since I’d never seen your face before.”
As if casting off her previous emotions, Min Ju-ri apologized with a smile.
With her taking this approach first, Yamtti had no choice but to apologize as well.
“I’m sorry too. I did react rather sharply, didn’t I?”
The answer came from Ryu Min’s lips.
“Sharp doesn’t even begin to cover it—you were downright rude for a first meeting.”
Saying so, he glared at Yamtti behind Min Ju-ri’s back.
‘Don’t you dare pick fights with my acquaintance, you slave. Unless you want a beating.’
Reading the intent in his gaze, Yamtti lowered her eyes like a scolded puppy.
Just then, a familiar group approached from afar.
It was Seo A-rin, An Sang-chul, and Ma Gyeong-rok.
“Hello, Black Scythe.”
“Hello!”
Excluding Ma Gyeong-rok, the expressions of the other two were brighter than usual.
Seo A-rin seemed delighted to meet Black Scythe again, whom she’d seen in reality, while An Sang-chul appeared to be in good spirits at meeting Ma Gyeong-rok.
“And who is that person next to you?”
When Ryu Min glanced at Ma Gyeong-rok as if he didn’t know, An Sang-chul stepped forward as if he’d been meaning to introduce them anyway.
“Allow me to introduce you. Black Scythe. This is our company’s representative, Ma… Cheon Ma.”
“Ma Cheon Ma?”
“Ah, no. It’s Cheon Ma. Just Cheon Ma.”
Cheon Ma—Ma Gyeong-rok—stepped forward and extended his hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you like this, Black Scythe.”
Ryu Min clasped his hand while brazenly playing ignorant.
“Cheon Ma… I never expected to meet someone ranked in the top 2 or 3 across all districts like this.”
“Ha, a named player? I’m afraid I don’t even rank in the top 3 anymore these days.”
Ma Gyeong-rok treated him warmly despite their first meeting.
After all, he owed Black Scythe a debt.
“Director An told me quite a bit about you. You helped him against the Unscrupulous in Round 2, and in Round 6 you partied together and power-leveled him.”
“Well, yeah.”
“As the representative, I’m grateful to you for helping our employee.”
“No need for thanks.”
Ryu Min stuck to casual speech for the sake of his persona.
Fortunately, Ma Gyeong-rok didn’t seem bothered.
What could a level 38 do when a level 80 insisted on speaking casually?
Then Seo A-rin carefully interjected into the conversation.
“But Black Scythe. That person over there…?”
The person she pointed to was Yamtti.
Upon being singled out, Yamtti lifted her head with a sly smile.
“Nice to meet you. Are you a colleague of Black Scythe? I’m Yamtti, Black Scythe’s acquaintance from reality.”
“From… reality?”
Seo A-rin’s pupils trembled.
So Black Scythe wasn’t someone only she knew in reality?
‘Well, someone of Black Scythe’s caliber would naturally have many people around them.’
Weren’t quite a few people gathered here right now?
‘Wait, does that mean this Yamtti person knows Black Scythe’s actual face?’
She herself had only ever seen him through a white mask; she didn’t know his real face.
Seo A-rin cast a jealous glance toward Yamtti.
She wished she could be called Black Scythe’s acquaintance from reality too.
[Have you all had a good time catching up? Korean players?]
Just then, as if the Angels had finished their discussion, Ariel returned.
[Currently, seven districts have been integrated, and there are seven district representatives. As mentioned before, we must select one of them as the district representative. The representative chosen this time will essentially become the representative of Korean players.]
Ma Gyeong-rok listened carefully to what the Angel said.
After all, he too was a representative of one district.
I was in direct competition with Black Scythe.
[So how will you select the representative? I was thinking of holding a deathmatch, the standard method….]
At the word “deathmatch,” Ma Gyeong-rok flinched and glanced at Ryu Min.
‘I’m not confident about a deathmatch….’
Fighting someone at level 80 would have an obvious outcome.
[After discussion, we’ve decided to proceed with the representative selection through voting, fairly.]
“Voting?”
[You all participated in voting during Round 2, didn’t you? This time, simply designate your desired representative player from among the seven candidates.]
Upon hearing the word “voting,” hope bloomed across Ma Gyeong-rok’s face.
‘Maybe I actually have a chance at this?’
A deathmatch was out of the question, but voting opened up at least a sliver of possibility.
[Then shall we proceed with the voting right away? Those who don’t make a selection will be erased, so choose quickly.]
The moment Angel fluttered her wings, a message materialized before everyone.
[Please cast your vote for one person to be selected as the representative of the Integrated Zone.]
└ 1. Black Scythe (Lv80 Reaper)
└ 2. Cheon Ma (Lv38 Dark Knight)
…
…
└ 7. Dung Moron (Lv38 Shaman)
[Time remaining until voting ends: 00:00:59]
The players, after deliberation, tapped their fingers.
Since the selection window was visible only to them, there was no need to worry about others’ opinions.
[As a note, the zone representatives are candidates and therefore have no voting rights. Leave it to fate.]
Following Angel’s words, Ma Gyeong-rok swallowed hard and waited for a favorable outcome.
‘Maybe I’ll surpass Black Scythe and become the zone representative.’
Ma Gyeong-rok gazed at Black Scythe with anticipation.
‘Even if he doesn’t show it on the surface, he’s probably sweating bullets right now.’
This time, he couldn’t help but feel anxious.
After all, he might lose the position of zone representative.
A moment later, a minute passed and Angel spoke.
[The results are in. Shall we check them right away?]

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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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