The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 141

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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 141
141. CPF
Everyone harbors a dream.
There comes a time in everyone’s life when they sacrifice sleep and pour their passion into pursuing that dream, enduring hardship without complaint.
Kang Si-hyuk, a police officer at Gangnam Police Station, was no exception.
In his youth, he had even skipped meals to dedicate himself to the civil service examination for the police force.
Despite tasting defeat multiple times, the driving force that kept him from surrendering was a childhood dream—to become a detective.
‘I wanted to be a righteous police officer like those cool detectives in movies, catching criminals and upholding justice.’
Because of that dream, after two failed attempts, he had finally passed the exam and climbed to his current position—yet…
What awaited him was not detective work, but traffic enforcement as a patrol officer, conducting drunk driving checks.
It was the typical path.
For an ordinary officer who had only studied diligently.
‘But my chance finally came.’
On January 1st, when he was conscripted into the Angels’ Game—called either the Great Upheaval or the Great Calamity—he could not help but despair.
‘I had worked so hard to become a police officer, only for it to end like this.’
Yet talent has a way of shining when one least expects it.
Surprisingly, Kang Si-hyuk displayed remarkable aptitude for monster hunting and the strategic use of skills and runes, and he managed to survive all the way through Round 9.
Now, under the Government’s initiative, he had been recruited as a member of the newly established Great Player Unit—commonly known as the CPF, or Counter Player Force.
He, who had once merely brandished breathalyzers in the traffic division.
‘They say that if you never give up, a path will eventually open. The great calamity has become a blessing in disguise.’
Whether others felt the same or not, for Kang Si-hyuk, this was undoubtedly his prime.
It was a stroke of fortune that might come only once in a lifetime—an opportunity to realize his dreams.
*Click*
As Kang Si-hyuk entered the CPF Temporary Assembly Point and opened the door, he saw five people sitting with their phones in hand.
“Ah, hello! I’m Kang Si-hyuk, a 28-year-old police officer transferred from Gangnam Police Station!”
“No need to be so formal. We’re all patrol officers here.”
“Oh, really?”
Kang Si-hyuk awkwardly scratched the back of his head.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Min Tae-su from Daegu Central Police Box. I’m 29.”
“Hwang Man-gi from Guri Inchang Police Station. I’m 28.”
“Go Nam-chul from Busan South Police Station. I’m 29. Should we mention our levels and classes too?”
“What, Busan?”
From their introductions, it was clear they had been gathered from all corners of the nation.
Some had been transferred so hastily that they hadn’t even secured housing and were staying in hotels.
Though it was mandatory, no one voiced any complaints.
These were not men content with their rank as patrol officers.
“This is an opportunity for us. When else would we get to work in a special unit like this?”
“Right. I was lamenting that I’d only catch actual criminals in five years, but who could have predicted an opportunity like this?”
“Absurdly enough, I’m even grateful that I became a Player.”
Though their recruitment had been chaotic, they all understood what the CPF was.
“A unit that hunts down criminal Players? Now that’s impressive.”
“I heard they only use lethal force when necessary, not as a blanket policy?”
“It amounts to the same thing, doesn’t it?”
“The world has changed so much. Conservative government officials actually allowing summary execution…”
“Doesn’t that just mean the world has become far more dangerous?”
“But Players are halving in numbers anyway, right? They’ll disappear on their own without us lifting a finger. Why create a unit like this?”
“A threat remains a threat, even if the numbers dwindle.”
“Hey, was it Kang Si-hyuk? We’re all the same rank, so speak freely. Sure, our pay grades differ, but we’re all here as regular unit members, right? We’re all in our late twenties anyway.”
“Ah, well, I suppose so? Haha.”
The six police Players quickly became acquainted.
They shared common ground and similar interests in apprehending criminals, so conversation flowed naturally.
“Hello. Is this the CPF Temporary Assembly Point?”
“Welcome.”
Additional reserve unit members continued to arrive.
They too were among the few remaining police officer Players in the nation, and they shared similar convictions and interests.
“You’re all alike, aren’t you? That burning desire to slaughter criminals.”
“Honestly, I shouldn’t say this as a public servant, but when I see those inhuman creatures, I feel this overwhelming urge to kill, you know?”
“You feel it too? I watched victims come to the station wailing in despair, and I swear my blood boiled. Pure rage.”
“Those inhuman monsters becoming Players and acting like beasts—that’s why this unit was established.”
“So who’s our unit commander anyway?”
“No idea. Has anyone heard anything?”
“Not a word.”
“Does our unit even have a commander?”
“Of course it does. It’s a unit, after all.”
“Isn’t the commander chosen from among us?”
“How would that work? Rock-paper-scissors? Haha.”
“They’ll probably pick one of the officers from the police academy.”
“That would make them at least an inspector rank. Are there any surviving officer-rank Players?”
The unit members were curious about the commander who would lead them.
They’d only been told to gather here by 8 PM; no other details had been provided.
“I hope they’re not some rigid old-timer.”
“They can’t be. If they’re a Player, they’d be under twenty-nine like us.”
“Oh, right.”
“Why are you all assuming the commander is a Player? They could be a civilian.”
“Come on, that doesn’t work. The unit members are Players, but the officer is a civilian?”
“Yeah, they’d have a hard time maintaining control.”
They’d guessed correctly that the commander was a Player, but beyond that, they had no way of knowing.
“How many police Players do you think survived nationwide anyway?”
“Surely this isn’t all of them?”
“No way.”
As the ten players thought this, a third voice cut through the air.
“You’re all there is.”
At the stranger’s words, every unit member’s gaze snapped toward a single point.
A figure materialized from thin air.
A man wearing a white mask stood before them, observing their reactions.
“What?! Invisibility?”
“I didn’t sense any presence at all.”
“Who are you?! What is this?!”
“How long have you been standing there?”
“From the beginning. I’ve been monitoring every word you said.”
Ryu Min answered as such, walking toward them with steady steps.
The players couldn’t tear their eyes away from the suddenly appeared Ryu Min.
Several of them grew cautious, preparing to don their equipment at a moment’s notice.
It was a natural reaction.
After all, he was a suspicious man with his face hidden behind a white mask.
Ryu Min looked around at the unit members and spoke.
“There’s no need to be so wary. I’m the commander you’ve all been waiting for.”
-The commander…?
-This person?
Despite hearing the truth, not a single unit member accepted it at face value.
Suspicion came first.
What kind of commander hides their face behind a mask?
Only a madman would.
“Hmm, an untrustworthy appearance indeed. Though I suppose it does look strange when someone shows up wearing a mask.”
“Are you truly the commander of our unit?”
“Why are you wearing that mask?”
“I don’t want my face to become recognizable. For your information, I’ve already received permission from the National Police Agency Commissioner, so don’t bother complaining.”
The unit members sighed quietly to themselves.
Several were already lamenting inwardly that they’d gotten a strange commander.
-How famous does he think he is to hide his face like that?
-So we’re allowed to have our faces exposed?
-This is absolutely ridiculous.
He’d made a poor first impression from the start.
Well, it didn’t matter to him.
‘How these fools perceive me is irrelevant. What matters is how effectively they apprehend criminals.’
Ryu Min had only stopped by briefly to introduce himself and train them.
He had no intention of spending the entire day here like some on-call unit.
‘Those who don’t listen will learn through pain if necessary.’
Here, I was the highest authority, so nothing I did would be problematic.
After all, I had the National Police Agency Commissioner backing me—a superior who followed orders without question.
Above all, I could see seven seconds into the future.
Since I already knew what reaction would come when I revealed my nickname, I wasn’t overly concerned about my image.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. My nickname in the Other World is Black Scythe. My class is Reaper, and my level is 89. As for my real-world identity, I’m sure you understand I cannot disclose that.”
“W-wait, Black Scythe…?”
“Could it be that Black Scythe?”
The players who heard the unexpected nickname were startled and bewildered simultaneously.
Black Scythe was the first-place nickname they saw every time the rankings were tallied.
The level gap was so insurmountable that this player was already known among the community as a monster.
How could they not be shocked when someone claiming to be such a famous figure stood before them?
That’s why disbelief flickered in their eyes.
Go Nam-chul, who had come up from Busan, was one of them.
“Commander, I know this is rude on first meeting, but could you prove it? It’s just too hard to believe.”
“You should work on your dialect first. Now that you’re in Seoul, you ought to speak standard Korean.”
“Sir, please don’t dodge the question like that.”
“You want proof?”
Looking at the others, they all shared the same sentiment.
They suspected this might be an imposter claiming to be Black Scythe.
“Proof, you say… Would this suffice?”
A scythe materialized in my hand.
A massive scythe that towered well above my height—the trademark of a Reaper.
Yet the players’ suspicion remained unshaken.
“Can’t you buy a scythe from the shop?”
“Huh? There’s a scythe in the shop?”
“Really? I had no idea.”
“It wasn’t there originally, but it appeared once I reached Expert rank.”
“Oh, I see.”
“Then we can’t just assume someone holding a scythe is Black Scythe.”
The members murmured among themselves, eyeing me with continued skepticism.
Still that look of doubt.
‘Has proof through weaponry become meaningless now?’
Of course, if I handed over the scythe and let them read its information, the matter would be settled.
After all, only Master-rank or higher players could equip this weapon.
‘Then at least they’d believe I’m a powerful fighter above level 60.’
But I had no intention of handing over the scythe.
Not out of fear it would be taken, but because it wouldn’t look right.
‘When you think about it, these people are my subordinates. There’s no reason to prove myself by handing over my weapon like some beggar.’
As the commander, I needed to demonstrate strong charisma.
First impressions mattered if I was going to see these faces regularly.
‘I need to prove I am Black Scythe and project an image of strength.’
How could I accomplish both goals at once?
There was a simple way to settle this.
“If you don’t believe me, we can do this instead. We fight a duel.”
“A duel?”
“Once you reach level 60, you can attain Master rank. That’s when the duel challenge function unlocks. It’s a feature where you both wager something and fight, but as I said, only someone at level 89 like me can use this function.”
“That doesn’t prove you’re Black Scythe, does it?”
“No, it does prove it. If you’ve seen the tally results, you’d know the level gap between 1st and 2nd place across all districts is massive. Currently, there’s only one Master rank player in the entire world—Black Scythe. So if someone can use the duel challenge function, they have to be Black Scythe.”
“But you can’t guarantee that the duel challenge function appears at level 60, can you?”
“Well, you’ll find out once you reach level 60, but if you really don’t trust me, let’s just fight. Honestly, you’re not curious whether I’m Black Scythe or not, right? You just want to know if I’m qualified to be your commander, whether I’m stronger or weaker than you. Isn’t that it?”
“….”
They maintained stern silence, but the unit members were inwardly astonished.
What shocked them more than having their true intentions exposed was that I would state it so bluntly.
“So, who wants to go first?”
“….”
“No one? Don’t worry. If both parties agree on conditions, you won’t die from the duel itself. That’s the characteristic of the duel challenge function. Of course, since it only applies between the duelists, you could still die from attacks by others.”
“….”
“So, no one? Anyone willing to fight me?”
The officers exchanged glances nervously.
“If no one steps up, I’ll take it as you acknowledging me as Black Scythe….”
That’s when the first volunteer appeared.
“I’ll give it a try.”
It was Go Nam-chul, the Busan officer who had challenged Ryu Min earlier.

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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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