The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 143

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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 143
143. Live Operation
“We are the 5-Minute Response Team, stationed here to await reports and mobilize immediately upon dispatch. Our primary mission is to arrive first, assess the situation, and protect citizens from danger.”
I drew on the whiteboard set up at the Temporary Assembly Point as I conducted the theoretical briefing.
Despite the evening hour, the squad members’ eyes gleamed with focus.
It was hard to believe these were the same people who had regarded me with resentment just moments before—they were now absorbed in the instruction.
“Criminal Players are typically caught between two extremes: a sense of their own superiority and a paralyzing fear of whether they’ll survive the next round. Consequently, they’re mentally unstable and dangerous, cornered like animals with nowhere to escape.”
The squad members nodded in agreement.
They had experienced that fear of the next round themselves.
“When the mind deteriorates, one becomes susceptible to the temptation of ‘if I’m going to die in the next round anyway, I might as well do whatever I want.’ That’s why these criminals have no brakes. It’s the mentality of indulging every impulse they’ve suppressed before everything falls apart.”
This was the reason Player crimes occurred so frequently.
“That’s why they commit theft, robbery, rape, and murder without hesitation. They’ve already killed in simulations during the fourth round, so murder rehearsal is complete. Such individuals fear nothing. They view citizens as beneath them and regard even police as laughable. But that changes now.”
My eyes gleamed behind the mask.
“We must instill fear in these criminals. We must also change public perception—the distrust citizens harbor toward police and Players alike. From now on, we’ll conduct practical training to learn these very aspects. In essence, this is live operation.”
The squad members’ throats tightened.
Being told it was live operation on the first day made tension inevitable.
“The live operation will take place in Seoul. According to statistics, most Player residences are concentrated there. Now, shall we check if any reports have come in?”
I switched on the radio I had turned off.
Crackle, crackle—
I tuned the frequency to receive reports at any moment and checked the computer for any prior incoming calls.
“We’re fortunate. No reports came in during the hour we were training. Some might be disappointed at missing a practical opportunity, but nothing beats having no incidents to respond to.”
“Understood.”
“Then let’s resume the briefing….”
Just then, the previously quiet radio crackled to life.
-Incident reported, incident reported, Code Zero-One, Code Zero-One, Player emergency bell activated at a Convenience Store in Seong-nae District, requesting precise location confirmation. End transmission.
Weeeeee—
The alert system installed inside the Temporary Assembly Point blared.
I muttered softly.
“Unlucky.”
Truly unlucky.
For the Criminal Player, that is.
* * *
Nee-nee-nee—
The squad members riding in the police-marked van listened to my briefing.
“Three minutes ago, a report came in from a Convenience Store in Seong-nae District. Since the Player-exclusive emergency bell was activated, there’s a high probability the store is under threat from a Player. In other words, this is an urgent situation.”
The squad members tensed at the word “urgent.”
It was natural—they’d only ever done drunk-driving checkpoints before heading to an actual scene.
“Criminal Players are like time bombs waiting to detonate. That’s why quick judgment is critical. Since this is your first day, I’ll demonstrate. Just watch how it’s done.”
“Yes, sir!”
Two more minutes passed before the reported Convenience Store came into view.
The squad members arrived in exactly five minutes and rushed inside after Ryu Min.
Or rather, they tried to.
Until Ryu Min came back out.
“Huh? Why are you coming back out?”
“I’ve already assessed the situation. Go take a look inside.”
He’d only been inside for about five seconds and he’d already assessed everything?
The squad members exchanged bewildered glances before entering the Convenience Store.
“Gasp!”
“Ah!”
Groans of dismay escaped the squad members’ lips as they took in the scene.
The Store Owner, presumably the one who’d called for help, was already dead.
A distinct knife wound across his neck and blood-soaked counter painted a grim picture of the scene.
“Damn bastard. Killing an ordinary person with no power….”
“Where the hell did this son of a bitch go?”
The enraged squad members looked around, but there was no sign of anyone else in the Convenience Store.
Given that the register was open, it appeared the Criminal Player had extorted money from the Store Owner before killing him and fleeing.
The squad members came back out, fuming, and approached Ryu Min, who was surveying the surroundings.
“Squad Leader. We’ve checked inside.”
“Good. Do you have a full picture of the situation?”
“Yes. The man who appears to be the Store Owner is dead, and the Criminal Player seems to have already disappeared. But how did you assess the situation so quickly?”
“I went inside and saw a man in his forties—apparently the Store Owner—dead at the register. My sense perception detected no one else present. That alone tells me he killed the man and fled.”
“Ah. Shouldn’t we go inside and search for evidence about the Criminal Player? We could check the CCTV footage to identify him….”
“He’s not just a common criminal—he’s a Player. We’re dealing with an urgent situation where a walking time bomb has escaped. We don’t have the luxury of leisurely collecting evidence. We don’t know when another victim might appear.”
“Ah….”
Since his words made sense, the squad members nodded in agreement.
“So what do we do now? We have no information about the Criminal Player.”
“No information? Look at the scene—there are signs of a hasty escape. This was probably his first time killing an ordinary person. He’s not particularly intelligent either.”
“Pardon? How can you tell that?”
“First, there’s no cash in the register. Money was his objective. He achieved his goal, yet he still killed the Store Owner. He must have been afraid the man would report him. But after killing him, he didn’t even use a basic trace-erasing skill? A man who killed out of fear of being reported carelessly left evidence behind. Why would he do that?”
“Well, I’m not sure?”
“He panicked after actually killing someone. In other words, he’s an amateur—inexperienced at this. It was probably his first time killing an ordinary person too.”
“….”
The squad members stared in amazement, their mouths half-open.
He’d made all those deductions from just a brief look?
The more they saw of their Squad Leader, the more impressive he became.
“So where would an amateur criminal who just killed someone run to?”
“Well, I’m not sure?”
“In my opinion….”
Ryu Min moved toward the Alley beside the Convenience Store.
“He’d likely flee through an Alley like this rather than an open main street. He’d want to hide in darkness where people wouldn’t notice him.”
“Ah, so if we follow the Alley, we should be able to find them?”
“Exactly. This is where the Perimeter Search skill comes in handy. Let me try using it first.”
I activated Perimeter Search, one of the common skills available to all players.
It displayed the surrounding area within a 500-meter radius like a minimap.
A map window appeared before my eyes, visible to everyone around us.
The map showed numerous red dots—clearly markers indicating living creatures.
Among them, there was one dot that stood out: it was moving.
“Look at the map. See that figure darting through the Alley?”
“Yes, you’re right!”
Just as I said, there was a single dot weaving exclusively through the Alley.
As if deliberately avoiding the crowds.
“This one’s likely our Criminal Player.”
“Ah!”
“Then let’s catch them before they slip away.”
“Yes, understood!”
The Squad members bolted after me into the Alley.
But the distance between us widened rapidly, and I vanished from their sight.
‘What… what is this? Was the Squad Leader always this fast?’
It was like comparing a car to a bicycle.
Even at full sprint, they couldn’t keep pace with my running speed.
And rightfully so.
During the duel, I hadn’t been wearing any items, but now I was fully geared.
With my Agility stat dramatically increased, my movement speed was incomparable to before.
The Squad members gasped as they lost sight of me despite running at their limit.
‘I can’t keep up. Not a chance.’
‘The more I see, the more impressive he is.’
Since I’d disappeared from view, they had no choice but to rely on the Perimeter Search skill.
Squad members with the skill followed Black Scythe’s position on the map.
Shortly after, they spotted Black Scythe and the suspect in a standoff within the Alley.
But the suspect had a person’s neck locked in his arm.
“Don’t come any closer, you bastards!”
“P-please, save me. Please!”
A woman who appeared to be in her mid-thirties was being held by the suspect.
A Player was threatening a civilian once again.
“That insane son of a—”
It seemed he’d grabbed the woman as a hostage after encountering her while running through the Alley.
Watching the man press a dagger against the woman’s neck, the Squad members were certain.
This was the Criminal Player who’d murdered the Store Owner and fled.
“Who the hell are you people! Why are you chasing me! Come any closer and I’ll slit this bitch’s throat!”
The Squad members hesitated.
One wrong move and a hole could open up in his neck.
Recklessly provoking the man could lead to something horrific.
“H-hey, sir. Please calm down….”
“Sir? That’s nonsense! Do I look like a teacher to you? Huh!?”
Watching the Criminal Player spit and rage, it was clear his mental state was severely compromised.
“What’s with that masked bastard? Why’s he staring without saying a word? Your friend? And why hasn’t anyone put their weapons away?”
“Please, save me, save me….”
“Hey, shut your damn mouth! Want me to lose my temper? Keep quiet. Otherwise, I’ll stab you….”
That was when it happened.
Splat—!
The man’s head burst open as if struck by an explosion.
Ryu Min’s rake scythe, extended like a whip, pierced the Criminal Player’s face with perfect accuracy.
So fast there was no time to react.
Thud—
“Save me… Kyaaaaa!”
The woman, horrified at the sight of the corpse, scrambled backward.
Whoosh—
Ryu Min, showing no mercy, retrieved his scythe.
The Squad members stood frozen, speechless at his cold efficiency.
“Are you alright?”
“Y-yes….”
“Don’t worry. You’re safe now.”
After reassuring the trembling woman, Ryu Min turned to face his Squad members.
“Why the looks?”
“W-we didn’t expect you to kill the Criminal Player without arresting him….”
“According to the Major Player Decree, there are two circumstances where a criminal Player can be summarily executed. First, if they’ve committed serious crimes like murder, robbery, or rape. Second, if the situation is deemed an emergency threat to civilians. This one qualifies on both counts. Of course, killing the Store Owner is circumstantial evidence, but matching the CCTV footage with his clothing will prove it. Even if that weren’t the case, the moment he threatened a civilian, he already qualified for summary execution.”
“….”
“In the field, quick judgment is everything. How fast you apprehend a criminal determines whether additional victims emerge. Look at what just happened. If I hadn’t stepped in, wouldn’t a second victim have been created?”
The Squad members couldn’t deny it.
Had Ryu Min not pursued him, the woman might have simply died for the misfortune of crossing paths in the Alley.
Because Ryu Min chased him with his scythe, the Criminal Player panicked and took the woman hostage, allowing her to survive.
“Capturing him alive would have been too dangerous. That’s why summary execution exists. It’s the same reason we compare Players to time bombs. If you can’t shield a time bomb with your body, the wise approach is to remove the detonator early.”
In reality, I’d blown out his brains rather than just the detonator, but the Squad members didn’t view it as excessive.
They’d already witnessed the brutal murder scene—there was no room for sympathy toward the criminal.
Besides, these Squad members would shudder at the mere mention of a criminal anyway.
“Captain. What should we do with the body? Should we handle it by erasing the evidence?”
“No. We can’t destroy evidence. The regular police are already on their way after receiving reports. We handle the threatening Player and submit a situation report. The rest falls to civilians.”
“Understood, sir.”
“Now you’ve seen how it’s done. The important things are quick judgment, criminal pursuit, and civilian rescue. How fast you move determines whether people live. Understood?”
“Yes, sir!”
Seeing the squad members brace themselves with renewed determination, Ryu Min smiled contentedly behind his mask.

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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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