The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 133

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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 133
133. Round 9 Begins
【District Representative Selection Vote Results】
1st Place. Black Scythe (4,088 votes)
2nd Place. Cheon Ma (1,057 votes)
3rd Place. Stupid Bastards (529 votes)
…
…
7th Place. Chicken Chest (65 votes)
Ma Gyeong-rok felt disappointed as the results materialized.
‘Damn it. I’m an idiot for even hoping.’
Contrary to his expectations, Black Scythe had claimed first place.
An overwhelming margin in votes.
He’d harbored a faint hope that he might have had a chance, but it was merely a hollow fantasy.
‘In terms of recognition, I can’t compete with Black Scythe.’
Though he prided himself on having climbed into the ranks of the notable across All Districts, placing second or third, the gap between him and first place was far greater than he’d anticipated.
The voting results were proof of that.
The players’ perception and favorability toward Black Scythe had been quantified into these numbers.
Ma Gyeong-rok gazed at Black Scythe with envious eyes.
Despite becoming South Korea’s sole district representative, he showed no particular change in expression.
As if he’d already known this would happen.
‘No way. He’s not a prophet—how could he know the voting results?’
He must simply be masking his bewilderment with an expressionless facade.
Or perhaps he truly had predicted it.
Given Black Scythe’s level of recognition, anyone could have foreseen this outcome.
But Ryu Min knew the future not through prediction, but through actual knowledge, so his demeanor remained calm.
From the 21st return onward when Round 9 began, through the 99th return, winning the vote seventy-nine times would naturally elicit this kind of reaction from anyone.
‘As expected, I’m in first place. The vote count differs slightly from previous returns, though.’
The number of votes had increased compared to the previous return.
Could it be because of my connection with companions like Jo Yong-ho, Min Ju-ri, and Seo A-rin?
Without reading their thoughts, I could surmise they had voted for me.
[Player ‘Black Scythe’ has become the new district representative of C3-ESKA001.]
While I gazed at the message with indifferent eyes, Ariel exclaimed.
[According to the voting results, Black Scythe has become Korea’s district representative! Congratulations, Black Scythe! By the way, I’ve revoked the representative authority of all other players. Now you’re the sole player with dominion over Korea!]
Angel continued.
[Now that we’ve selected a representative, shall we check the Round 9 Quest right away?]
A message window appeared before everyone’s eyes without fail.
◀ ROUND 9 ▶
【Main Quest】
└Join a Mercenary Group and subjugate monsters
[All Districts]
└Participants: 1,295,362
└Achievers: 0/647,681
[C3-ESKA001 Zone]
└Participants: 6,008
└Achievers: 0/3,004
“Exterminate monsters?”
“What’s this about a Mercenary Group?”
The players who checked the Quest murmured among themselves.
Meanwhile, those around Black Scythe remained composed.
They already knew from the prophecy Ryu Min had shared with them.
[Shortly, you will travel to the Fantasy World and carry out extermination missions as mercenaries. Don’t be alarmed. As you can see, it’s a simple Quest—you only need to eliminate monsters. You can even choose which monsters to hunt, so there’s nothing to worry about.]
No player panicked at the mention of being transported to the Fantasy World.
They had already encountered NPCs during Round 8 while escorting merchants.
Most assumed this round would be similar.
[Does anyone have questions?]
“I do! So we really pass the Quest if we succeed at just one extermination?”
[Of course. It’s a very simple Quest.]
The constant emphasis on simplicity only made the players more anxious.
Nothing described as simple had ever actually been simple.
[Any other questions?]
“If it’s extermination, is this a party Quest?”
[You’ll act in groups, but it’s not a party Quest. Each of you will hunt monsters individually and earn your own share. So you’ll need to work hard, especially for the experience points.]
“It says Main Quest here—does that mean there are Sub Quests too?”
[That’s a secret.]
‘Of course there are. What kind of question is that…’
Everyone silently criticized the questioner with the same thought.
If it’s labeled a Main Quest, Sub Quests definitely exist.
It was a rule they all knew from experience.
“Angel! How will the rankings be determined?”
Before Angel even answered, several players who heard the question shook their heads in exasperation.
That damned Angel would never tell them.
The players’ prediction proved correct.
[I’m not entirely sure about that myself? It will be revealed once the results are compiled.]
Few players believed Angel’s words.
The players distrusted Angel that much.
But Ryu Min knew better.
Angel was telling the truth right now.
‘Angels don’t know everything about the Quest. They only have limited information for each round.’
Whether it was to prevent information leaks to humans or not, the Angels’ knowledge of the rounds was restricted.
This information was extracted through multiple interrogations of Angel in previous rounds, so it’s reliable.
But the real reason for my certainty is something else entirely.
‘The final reward obtainable from this sub-quest. Just looking at its contents makes it clear the Angels know nothing about it.’
That’s because the hidden final reward in this round was something that could be considered fatal to the Angels.
‘If the Angels ever learned about that reward, they’d lose their minds.’
This was also why I hadn’t prophesied about the sub-quest.
That reward, which only one person could claim, had to be entirely mine.
[We’ll stop taking questions here and begin the quest right away, shall we?]
The moment Ariel finished speaking, a selection window appeared before the players’ eyes.
[Please touch the monster you wish to subjugate.]
└ 1. Lizardman
└ 2. Werewolf
└ 3. Skeleton
└ 4. Troll
└ 5. Minotaur
[If you don’t select, you’ll be randomly assigned.]
[Remaining time limit: 00:00:59]
It worked the same way as the previous merchant selection—choose and you’re immediately transported.
“Hmm, we have to pick from these?”
“Obviously number one looks the easiest…”
The difficulty was apparent just from the monster names alone.
‘Just as everyone expects, one is the easiest and five is the hardest.’
I knew which choice was optimal, but the other players found themselves at a crossroads.
With such an obvious answer presented, they worried there might be a trap instead.
“Considering difficulty, Lizardman seems better…”
“Won’t everyone just flock to Lizardman then?”
“Should we subjugate a stronger monster for better rewards?”
“What if one is actually hard and five is the easiest?”
“Ugh, what do I pick?”
One minute was too short a time for all this deliberation.
Most had made their selections and vanished, but about a quarter of them hesitated and spent the time wavering.
Some deliberately closed their eyes, willing to leave it to chance rather than decide.
‘It might look like there’s a trap, but there isn’t. The difficulty follows the order shown. Simply subjugate the monster of your choice based on your actual abilities, that’s all.’
I had already informed my acquaintances of this fact through prophecy.
That’s why Ma Gyeong-rok and my other associates had nothing to worry about.
They’d already thought it through thoroughly in reality.
“I’m going with number two, Black Scythe!”
“I’m also choosing number two. Thanks for the buff, Democracy!”
Seo A-rin and An Sang-chul disappeared first.
Before departing, they made sure not to forget Min Ju-ri’s buff.
It was because I had learned from Ryu Min’s prophecy that buffs would persist even after moving.
Min Ju-ri, having heard this, readily distributed buffs to Black Scythe and the others.
“It was nice meeting you, Black Scythe, Democracy. I’ll head out first then.”
After Ma Gyeong-rok made his choice, he vanished.
He hadn’t said which option he’d selected, but I knew he had chosen number three.
“I’m heading out too. Let’s all make it back alive.”
Once Yamtti disappeared as well, only I and Min Ju-ri remained with our choices pending.
“Where are you heading, Black Scythe? Surely you’re going with number five, right?”
“I’m not sure. I’m still deciding.”
“I’m going with number one. See you later, Black Scythe!”
With Min Ju-ri gone, I was finally alone.
The reason I had postponed my choice until now was simple.
I needed to change my appearance.
‘My choice is….’
I cast invisibility.
Invisible to everyone’s eyes, I changed my form using the assassin’s mask.
It was Lost Yak’s face.
With five seconds remaining on the timer, my finger moved.
The moment I selected the monster, my form completely vanished.
* * *
There is one rule in the Fantasy World.
Players’ nicknames are not visible to one another.
‘Angel explained in the last round eight that it was because of the Traitor Group, but that’s not actually the case.’
In the Fantasy World, because nicknames were hidden, players could only distinguish each other by their faces and clothing.
This was why I had changed my appearance to Lost Yak.
‘This way I can proceed with the sub-quest without Min Ju-ri knowing.’
My choice was the same as Min Ju-ri’s—number one.
The reason for selecting the weakest Lizardman was straightforward.
The sub-quest existed only here.
‘There are no sub-quests in the other monster subjugation options. I’ve confirmed this by selecting different choices repeatedly across multiple rounds.’
The transformation into Lost Yak was also to perform the sub-quest alone, separated from Min Ju-ri.
If it were Black Scythe, he would have followed along or cast suspicious glances my way.
I could already see Min Ju-ri’s back as she arrived ahead of me.
I dispelled my invisibility and approached her.
Sensing my presence, she glanced at me briefly before turning her gaze away.
She didn’t recognize me as Black Scythe at all.
It was natural that she wouldn’t recognize me—my face was Lost Yak’s, and my nickname wasn’t visible.
I opened the quest progress window.
[Lizardman Subjugation Squad Member Status]
└Participants: 602
Fewer players than expected had chosen option 1.
Because the difficulty was low, many had avoided it, suspecting it was a trap.
‘What a shame. There’s no better place to rank high than here.’
The ranking system Angel hadn’t mentioned.
It was based on the number of monsters defeated.
In other words, rankings were determined by how many monsters one killed.
‘So hunting weak monsters would be ideal.’
But if one hunted creatures that were too weak, they’d lose out on experience.
Hunting monsters suited to one’s level was best.
That way, one could gain adequate experience and still rank high.
I had revealed all of this through prophecy.
My acquaintances had chosen options 2 and 3 based on their own levels.
Min Ju-ri had chosen option 1 after considering her combat abilities.
‘At my current level, defeating the Minotaur at option 5 would be natural, but the sub-quest is more important.’
This sub-quest reward could only be obtained by one person across all districts.
It was essential for confronting Angel, so I couldn’t afford to miss it.
“You’re all players, right? I can’t see your nicknames, so I’m not sure.”
“Well, you’re speaking Korean, so you must be.”
“But why can’t I see the nicknames?”
“Maybe they don’t show when you enter the Fantasy World?”
“Anyway, there are fewer people than I expected. Wasn’t Lizardman subjugation supposed to be the easiest?”
“Right. I thought we’d be flooded with people.”
“What if it’s a twist and it’s actually super hard?”
“I have a bad feeling about this…”
While the players murmured among themselves, a bearded foreign man who appeared to be an NPC emerged.
“Have you all rested enough? I’m Kaltz Garcia, captain of the 1st Subjugation Squad of the Golden Eagle Mercenary Corps. I’m told I’m a warrior of the Other World with quite the reputation in the Holy Empire, but since I’ve come as an apprentice, I’ll speak casually. Understand?”
With that, Kaltz shouted “Follow me, everyone!” and turned around.
The players followed Kaltz, entertaining dangerous and curious thoughts like ‘What happens to the subjugation if we kill this guy? Does it all fail and we disappear?’
Some even considered actually trying it, but none followed through.
No one was mad enough to commit such a reckless act that could cost not just their own life, but everyone in the subjugation squad.
If they were, they wouldn’t have struggled so hard to survive until now.
After walking for about ten minutes, Kaltz stopped at the entrance to a gloomy forest.
“Here it is, warriors of the Other World! This is the Demon Beast Swamp where Lizardmen appear. You will subjugate the remaining Lizardmen here with me. Now, let’s depart!”
Kaltz shouted enthusiastically and led the way, with the players following nervously behind.
Since it wasn’t a party, Min Ju-ri reapplied buffs to herself and gripped her sword hilt tightly.
She had never faced Lizardmen before, but the unique armor Ryu Min had given her provided some reassurance.
Yet there was a fact that she, Captain Kaltz, and everyone else here didn’t know.
Someone had left the formation.
None other than Ryu Min, Lost Yak.
[You have completed the sub-quest!]

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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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