The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 142

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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 142
142. A Duel Challenge
To be honest, Go Nam-chul didn’t care much for Black Scythe.
‘How am I supposed to trust and follow someone as squad leader who won’t even show their face? I can’t do that.’
Whether he was Black Scythe or not didn’t really matter.
Didn’t his credibility fall short as a person-to-person relationship?
“How does a duel work?”
“First, we move to a wider space.”
As Ryu Min headed outside, the squad members followed behind him.
“Nam-chul, you got this.”
“Thanks.”
“Knock him down a peg or two.”
“Leave it to me.”
Some of them, already growing friendly, whispered encouragement to Go Nam-chul.
Ten squad members emerged into the Assembly Point Courtyard.
Everyone watched the two men with sparkling, curious eyes.
A duel under the night sky with streetlights shining—what a sight.
“I wish we had popcorn for this.”
“Ha, seriously.”
Watching the chuckling spectators, Ryu Min let out a faint smile.
‘Laugh all you want now. Once this one’s done, it’ll be your turn.’
Ryu Min had never intended to duel only Go Nam-chul.
He planned to duel all ten members here.
Of course, it wasn’t simply about proving dominance.
As squad leader, it was to assess their skills, talents, and resilience.
“Come a bit closer. I need to issue a duel challenge.”
“Understood.”
The two stood facing each other at a distance of ten meters.
Ryu Min manipulated something in the air, and a message appeared visible only to Go Nam-chul.
[The opponent with the nickname ‘Busan Guy’ has issued you a duel challenge.]
[Duel Type ▶ Non-lethal Sparring]
[Victory Condition ▶ Inflict any wound whatsoever]
[Upon Busan Guy’s Victory ▶ Correct Busan Guy’s dialect, acknowledge him as squad leader]
[Upon opponent’s Victory ▶ Resign from squad leader position]
[Opponent’s Penalty ▶ All equipment and skill usage prohibited]
[Busan Guy’s Penalty ▶ None]
[Do you accept the duel under the above conditions? Y/N]
Go Nam-chul stared blankly at the message when Ryu Min spoke.
“If you accept, the duel will proceed according to the conditions written there.”
“What’s this penalty thing?”
“Literally, a penalty imposed on each of us.”
“Then….”
“That’s right. As you can see, I intend to face you with all my equipment unequipped and without using any skills.”
“….”
Go Nam-chul’s lips twitched slightly.
The Squad Leader was touching the man’s pride.
“Don’t misunderstand it as contempt. It’s to balance things out. A level 89 can’t seriously fight a level 40 while equipped.”
“…Then this ‘upon victory’ condition is?”
“Provisions each of us must uphold if we win. A sort of wager, you could say? Of course, you can’t break the promise. The moment you accept, the system forces you to act accordingly.”
“….”
Go Nam-chul envisioned the scenario where he emerged victorious.
‘If I win, I’ll resign from my position as Squad Leader?’
Since he said it forces action, there’d be no way to break it.
Of course, that was contingent on him actually winning.
‘This is doable. No matter how high the level, you can’t ignore the power of equipment.’
Calculating pure stats alone, an unequipped level 89 would be comparable to a fully geared level 40.
No, the level 40 might actually be higher.
If they wore good equipment.
That’s why Go Nam-chul was confident.
His equipment was superior to anyone else’s.
‘Unfortunately for my opponent, most of my gear is Rare. I even have one Unique piece.’
The fact that he’d survived to level 40 was largely thanks to his items.
‘Even with a high level, without equipment, stats would be incredibly low. There’s no way I can lose.’
With that conviction, Go Nam-chul accepted confidently.
[The duel has been established.]
[The duel between the two will begin in 10 seconds.]
This message was transmitted to everyone in the vicinity.
Go Nam-chul created distance with a serious gaze.
‘I’ll make you regret imposing that penalty on yourself.’
But there was one fact he overlooked.
No matter how unequipped Ryu Min was, each of his stats approached 300.
[Beep-! The duel begins!]
Tap-tap-tap—
Go Nam-chul closed the distance immediately.
In his hands, the level 40 Blade Master wielded a sharp long sword.
Since he wouldn’t die, he intended to go all out.
As the distance closed, he activated three skills in sequence.
‘Blade Aura, Swift Blade, Blade Dance!’
A blue aura shimmered across the long sword, increasing weapon attack power by 70%.
The Swift Blade buff also raised his attack speed by 70%.
Go Nam-chul’s body then moved with dazzling brilliance, dancing like a blade.
To butcher his target.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-!
“What?”
Yet immediately after activating the skill, Go Nam-chul couldn’t help but wear a vacant expression.
He’d watched with his own eyes as his opponent deflected the skill with a hand strike.
‘This… this doesn’t make sense? He batted away the entire skill with just his hands?’
This wasn’t some ordinary attack—it was a skill infused with five times the normal damage.
To parry it one after another with bare hands?
It was impossible unless one could read the exact trajectory of the blade and intercept it at precisely the right speed.
‘This… this can’t be real. It must be a fluke. If I try again, the result will definitely be different.’
Despite witnessing it himself, Go Nam-chul couldn’t accept it and swung his long sword again.
But as if knowing the path of every attack, Ryu Min deflected each blade with his hand.
Without moving an inch from his position.
‘This is insane. This is absolutely insane.’
It wasn’t choreographed like in a movie—how could anyone parry a weapon barehanded?
No, even movies couldn’t recreate this.
Then a familiar notification appeared in his vision.
[Blade Dance cooldown has reset.]
‘Perfect. Let’s see you block this!’
Go Nam-chul’s blade danced once more.
By its momentum alone, it seemed capable of carving the opponent to pieces without leaving a shred.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-!
As every strike was batted away by his palms, Go Nam-chul wore that same bewildered expression.
Of course, for Ryu Min, this was hardly surprising.
‘I can dodge bullets—something like this is nothing.’
With 300 Agility, dodging bullets was possible.
With the Foresight rune as well, blocking a quick sword like that was hardly difficult.
‘His mental state seems thoroughly shattered. Might as well end this.’
After blocking the second attempt, Go Nam-chul no longer dismissed it as coincidence.
He simply swung his sword meaninglessly, his face bearing the unmistakable mark of defeat.
Thump-!
“Cough!”
Dodging the blade, I landed a body blow, and the sound of ribs cracking echoed.
But the pain was fleeting.
[The duel has ended. Your opponent is victorious.]
[Since the nickname ‘Busan Tough Guy’ has been defeated, dialect correction and recognition as Squad Leader will now be executed.]
The moment the message appeared, the pain vanished as if time had reversed.
The broken ribs had already snapped back into place.
While the wounds had healed, his spirit had not.
Go Nam-chul, acutely aware of the vast difference in their power, bowed his head with evident frustration.
“I concede. As promised, I acknowledge you as our Squad Leader. I’ll even work on dropping the dialect.”
“Good. I appreciate the recognition.”
Ryu Min chuckled softly and glanced at the other squad members.
They all stood with mouths agape, replaying the duel in their minds.
-What did I just witness? Did he deflect every single attack with his bare hand?
-This is insane. Is this really the combat prowess of Black Scythe we’ve only heard rumors about?
-How is there not a single scratch on him?
-He fought without any equipment, completely bare-handed, and still demonstrated this level of dominance?
-Can someone at level 89 really be this overwhelmingly powerful?
They marveled internally at the sheer absurdity of his martial ability.
But that astonishment was short-lived.
“You there—the one who wished we had popcorn?”
“Huh? Me, me?”
“Yes. Come closer. We need to spar.”
“Oh, no, please. I concede. Your overwhelming power makes it clear you’re truly Black Scythe. Ha, ha…”
“Hmm, are you already ignoring your Squad Leader’s orders?”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t like having to repeat myself.”
“Y-yes, I’m coming.”
The squad member reluctantly approached Ryu Min, tears welling in his eyes.
“The rest of you, stand by. You’ll all face me one-on-one.”
“…”
The squad members’ faces turned ashen.
* * *
Ryu Min dueled all ten squad members in succession.
Just as he had with Go Nam-chul, he deflected their weapons with hand strikes, displaying ghostly precision.
As a result, the squad members couldn’t even meet his gaze.
Whether they used skills, feints, varied their attack patterns, or tried anything else—
He blocked everything with his bare hands, and the helplessness they felt firsthand exceeded their wildest imagination.
“You all worked hard in the duels. You must be exhausted, so rest.”
“…”
There was no physical exhaustion.
Only mental fatigue.
The squad members gazed at Ryu Min with reverence.
Though the mask obscured his face, they could sense it.
Their Squad Leader hadn’t broken a single bead of sweat.
-He’s a monster, truly.
-We can’t compete even without his equipment.
-Rank 1 really is in a league of his own.
The vast gap in power caused the Squad members’ heads to bow naturally.
Defeat and helplessness dominated their entire bodies.
Some even resented Black Scythe for toying with them like bullies.
“Since you lost in a duel, you all recognize me as Black Scythe now, right? I’ve sufficiently proven my qualifications as Squad Leader?”
“Y-yes….”
He had proven his qualifications, but he was a Squad Leader who had dampened his members’ spirits and earned their resentment.
However, it was too early to harbor grudges.
“Sit down and listen. I want to hear your impressions from the individual duels. First, Go Nam-chul.”
“Yes?”
“Your movements, judgment, momentum—everything else is good, but your skill utilization is lacking. That’s not how you use a Blade Master’s skills. You cast Sword Will and Swift Blade buffs before using Blade Dance, but those buffs don’t apply to the skill’s damage. You only get delayed casting. You should have used Blade Dance first, or cast the buffs and waited for the right timing to strike. Personally, I recommend changing your attack habits to the latter style. Since Blade Dance has casting delay, using it when retrieving your blade helps reduce that delay.”
“….”
“Next, Hwang Man-gi. As a Swordsman, your movements are good, but you rely too much on your Rage skill and neglect defense. Lowering your weapon below your chest during combat is the same as surrendering or asking to be killed. It’s not simple carelessness—it’s a habit you’ve developed. Fix it.”
“….”
“Next, Kang Si-hyuk. Your skill utilization, judgment, and combat sense are superior to all other members in every way. You even mix fake skills into your attacks. However, you tend to give up too easily after gauging your opponent’s strength. I understand, but I wish you’d show more persistence and keep trying until you’ve truly exhausted your options. It’s a shame.”
“Ah… Thank you. I’ll correct it.”
Kang Si-hyuk spoke with sincerity.
Meanwhile, the Squad members were all astonished.
He knew their names and professions without them even telling him?
That wasn’t surprising, really.
Of course a Squad Leader would be familiar with his members’ personal information.
What truly shocked them was something else.
-He didn’t duel them just to assert dominance—he was giving them feedback?
-This wasn’t about military discipline?
-No wonder he didn’t end it quickly even though he could have….
The members, unaware of such intentions behind the duels, wore stunned expressions.
Especially when he listed their strengths and weaknesses, offering pinpoint feedback like tweezers extracting splinters, they were amazed.
It felt like receiving an unexpected gift.
Simultaneously, the members’ perception shifted.
The eyes that had shown despair and resentment moments ago now gleamed with awe and affection.
The members realized that Black Scythe wasn’t merely strong through brute force alone.
“I hope you’ve reflected on your weaknesses and gained insight from this duel… Hmm, judging by your expressions, I have nothing to worry about. Well, that concludes the one-on-one instruction. Shall we move on to theoretical education?”
“Yes! Squad Leader!”
“Please do!”
Ryu Min grinned widely.
Unlike before, the Squad members were now brimming with determination.

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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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