The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 165

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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 165
165. Jeffrey Bishop
Jeffrey Bishop grew up in an ordinary household before becoming an orphan at eleven years old.
He lost his parents to a shooting incident caused by a deranged neighbor.
With no relatives to turn to, he endured severe stress during his adolescent years, drifting from one homeless shelter to another.
He had lost the will to live, scraping by on scraps of food left behind by restaurant customers.
‘There is no God in this world.’
He blamed God for taking his parents away.
He believed this imperfect world was the reason for his suffering.
Consumed by anger toward God, he sought out the most renowned Church in the area and demanded answers.
“Why must I suffer like this? Why did God take my parents from me?”
The priest Nathan’s response to the boy’s anguished question was straightforward.
“We are people who believe God is right. How could I possibly know God’s will? If you truly wish to know, go meet God yourself and ask Him directly.”
It was an absurd answer, but Jeffrey fixated on those final words.
‘Ask God directly? If I’m curious, I should ask Him myself?’
He was curious.
What answer would God provide?
It felt like finding direction in a vast, endless sea.
From that day forward, Jeffrey took refuge in the Church.
He studied scripture under Nathan’s guidance and instruction.
He sought to understand God’s will and yearned to meet God.
‘I will definitely meet God and ask Him myself.’
For the first time, his life had purpose.
He continued living, driven by his anger as fuel.
Throughout this journey, Nathan—who raised and cared for him—became his father, his teacher, and the compass of his life.
This was why the twenty-eight-year-old Jeffrey remained absolutely obedient to his commands even now.
He had received a debt of gratitude he could never repay in a lifetime.
Because of this, he treated Nathan’s daughter, Christine, with utmost respect.
But human hearts were truly fickle.
Perhaps because life had become easier?
One day, Christine—whom he had watched over for more than seventeen years—began to appear to him in a different light.
‘This shouldn’t happen, this shouldn’t happen….’
He reproached himself and even struck his own face, but his affection was beyond his control.
He could only bury it deep within his heart.
‘I must never reveal that I love Christine. It would be a betrayal of Nathan, who is like a father to me.’
Even after the Angels appeared and the world fell into this state, Jeffrey had kept his unrequited love hidden.
It remained the same even now, receiving orders from Nathan.
“Christine is going to Korea to meet her fiancé this time. I offered to send you along with her, but she adamantly refused.”
“Perhaps she felt it would be awkward if I intruded between the two of them, sir.”
“Do you think I don’t know my own daughter? Does it seem to your eyes that Christine is fond of her fiancé? She’s not going to meet her fiancé. She’s going because she wants to meet the Prophet.”
“Now that I think about it… the next round is the fateful eleventh round.”
Jeffrey muttered as if he’d just remembered.
He’d already resolved to protect Christine no matter what in Round 11.
“Right. That must be why you’re meeting the Seer. So Jeffrey, you go to Korea as well. Of course, keep it secret from Christine.”
“You mean to tail her?”
“Yes. Watch over Christine from the shadows. And report everything she does to me. Even better if you can eavesdrop on her conversation with the Seer.”
“I shall carry out your command in God’s name.”
* * *
After that, Jeffrey came to Korea following Christine.
And he listened to the voices of the two conversing on the bench.
‘I need to maintain a 30-meter distance so I don’t get caught by presence detection.’
Even at 30 meters, the surroundings were quiet enough that hearing their conversation wasn’t difficult.
But should he have been listening to their conversation?
Watching the Seer repeatedly refuse Christine’s requests, Jeffrey grew furious.
“How can he hide information like that, claiming one word would change that bastard’s future so much?”
Since the life of his unrequited love was at stake, Jeffrey’s emotional investment ran deeper than usual.
‘Phew. Calm down. Settle yourself and think about what I can do to help.’
How could he help Christine?
He was prepared to lay down his life to protect her in Round 11, but that alone wouldn’t be enough.
He’d prefer to have information about whoever was attacking, but the Seer stubbornly kept his mouth shut.
‘Forgot? He’s definitely lying to avoid giving information.’
But why?
Was he truly afraid the future would change?
‘I suppose if the outcome differs from his own prophecy, he’d lose the trust of those who believed in him.’
In other words, to protect his position as a Seer, he was knowingly abandoning Christine to danger.
‘Now that I think about it, this is infuriating.’
He glared at the Seer entering the Company with murderous intent in his eyes.
And then he made a decision.
He would coerce the information out of the Seer by force if necessary.
* * *
“Thank you for the Round 11 information.”
“Thank you, Seer.”
Ma Gyeong-rok and Christine offered their gratitude to Ryu Min.
“Let us all endure Round 11 well.”
Ryu Min waved and left the Company.
He’d originally planned to attend a meeting, but decided to take the day off and turned back.
‘There’s someone waiting for me to come out.’
Though he didn’t deliberately look, Ryu Min was well aware that someone was tailing him.
‘The one following me now is probably the same bastard who was eavesdropping on Christine and me from the bench earlier.’
He was trying to stay outside the 30-meter range to avoid being detected, but it was futile.
Ryu Min had a rune that came from the rune bundle.
[Rune of Perception]
-Effect: The range of presence detection doubles, and all sounds and scents within range can be heard and smelled.
The rune drawn from the rune bundle was the Rune of Perception—a rune I’d never seen before.
In short, it was a rune that enhanced presence detection.
‘This is a very useful rune.’
With the range doubled, there was no way I could miss being followed.
Moreover, I could even hear him muttering in English.
-Why does he hide information like that over a single word that changes his future so much?
This was why Ryu Min had noticed the surveillance.
‘From the way he’s muttering, he definitely has a grudge against me.’
He spoke English and harbored ill will toward me, a prophet….
‘I have a rough idea who he is, but I need to draw him out to be certain.’
Despite arriving by car, Ryu Min deliberately walked the streets.
And he entered an alley where the man would be tempted to reveal himself.
Only when reaching a sparsely populated area did the man take the bait.
“Prophet, sir.”
The moment Ryu Min turned at the English voice from behind.
Crack—!
The follower seized my throat and slammed me hard against the wall.
“Ugh…! Je, Jeffrey?”
The identity of the follower, confirmed too late, was the butler who served Christine.
While Ryu Min acted out painful gasps, I remained calm and assessed the situation internally.
‘So it was him after all? Why does he hold a grudge against me? Should I read his thoughts?’
Seeing the man throttle me with murderous eyes, I could discern it quickly.
‘He’s angry because I didn’t give information to Christine.’
Now that I thought about it, I’d heard he was raised by Nathan and was like family to him.
‘Yet he harbors an unrequited love for Christine. Could this be related to her?’
To be safe, I read deeper into his thoughts—it was something he’d done independently, unrelated to Christine.
‘Let me play along for now.’
Ryu Min delivered an even more convincing performance of agony.
“Ugh, Je, Jeffrey! I can’t breathe. Let, let go of me!”
My acting was so convincing that Jeffrey unconsciously released my throat.
‘So he doesn’t actually intend to kill me.’
Since I’d read his thoughts, his intentions were transparent.
He merely meant to coerce me into revealing the information I’d withheld from Christine.
Ryu Min coughed and clutched my throat, crying out with the face of the weak.
“What is the meaning of this sudden attack?”
“Prophet. I don’t like you. I’ve been suspicious from the start. Seeing the future? You’re nothing but a con artist.”
“A con artist? Haven’t I already proven my abilities?”
“Of course, I believe you now. But my displeasure remains unchanged.”
Jeffrey glared at me with unmistakable menace.
A dagger had materialized in his grip.
I swallowed hard, sensing the danger.
“W-what on earth are you doing? What do you want from me?”
“Information.”
“I’m sorry?”
“I want information about the person harming Christine.”
“I-I don’t know anything about that.”
“I overheard your conversation with Christine. When she asked you to identify the Criminal Player, you claimed not to remember and stubbornly refused.”
“Since you overheard, you understand perfectly. It was unavoidable. The future cannot be allowed to diverge…”
“Yes, it would be troublesome. If the future changes, you’d lose credibility as a prophet. That would be quite the predicament for you.”
Jeffrey’s lowered voice suddenly sharpened as his eyes snapped open.
Fury flickered in his gaze.
“That doesn’t excuse leaving Christine in danger.”
“It’s not abandonment, it’s—”
“Spare me your excuses.”
The cold blade of the dagger pressed against my throat.
“I won’t repeat myself. Tell me everything you’ve seen. Who is harming Christine, and who is saving her?”
“W-what if I refuse?”
“Then this dagger will pierce straight through your neck.”
The threat was genuine, but I could read his true intentions—he had no real intention of harming me.
Still, this was reckless.
‘He’s being far too careless.’
What he was doing now was blatant extortion, and backing off wouldn’t erase the attempted murder charge.
‘Is he so blinded by love that he can’t think straight?’
Deciding his habits needed correction, I reached into my pocket.
Noticing my hand moving, Jeffrey swiftly grabbed my wrist.
My phone tumbled from my grip.
“What were you reaching for your phone for?”
I checked—the recording function was active.
Jeffrey immediately pressed the power button, shutting the device off entirely.
“Why? What were you planning to do with that recording?”
“Submit it as evidence to the police. This is clearly extortion and attempted murder.”
“Heh, a Player reporting to the police? How helpful of you.”
“Or I could tell Christine and her family exactly what you’ve done.”
“Go ahead and try. Though I’m not sure if a corpse can speak.”
“Sigh… Why are you doing this? What grudge do you have against me?”
“I don’t harbor any particular ill will. But if you won’t divulge the information, some might develop.”
“I’ve already told you—I don’t know who’s targeting Christine.”
“Do you think I’m stupid? It’s obvious you know but won’t tell me.”
“Do you really think I’d speak freely under such circumstances? I cannot alter the future.”
“If you don’t tell me now, you have no future. You’ll be dead.”
Despite Jeffrey’s threat, Ryu Min met his gaze with unwavering composure.
“Even with a blade at my throat, some things cannot be revealed. The moment I scatter future information to this person and that person, the future shifts. The future I knew vanishes like ash, and I become a charlatan instead of a prophet.”
“….”
“The threads of fate are tangled so intricately that they must be handled with utmost care. Threats won’t extract what you seek. The instant you gain information and alter your actions, the future transforms again in ways I cannot predict. You might even endanger Christine—why don’t you consider that?”
Had my persuasion taken root?
After a long silence, the dagger vanished from Jeffrey’s grip.
“My thinking was shallow. Now that I hear your words, they make sense.”
“You’re not calling that an apology, are you?”
“Listen, prophet. Do you expect me to apologize? Don’t get cocky just because I’ve sheathed my blade. Remember—I can draw it again whenever I please.”
“….”
Jeffrey left those words hanging and disappeared without a single apology.
* * *
‘Tch, even threats won’t move him.’
On the flight back to his homeland.
I found myself recalling the prophet’s unflinching defiance once more.
‘How could he remain so composed with a blade pressed to his throat?’
He’d shown fear at first, but the moment I mentioned prophecy, his expression transformed entirely.
He possessed some sense of mission, some unshakeable conviction.
I’d expected him to crack under a little blade pressure, but I was wrong.
‘So certain future knowledge cannot be revealed even at the cost of one’s life?’
I couldn’t fathom the prophet’s heart, but one thing was certain.
‘At least he won’t carelessly divulge information to others.’
A person of few words is trustworthy in that regard.
This incident raised my trust in the prophet, though it didn’t make me view him favorably overall.
‘He lacks flexibility, no give whatsoever. What’s the harm in dropping a hint or two?’
Charitably, he was principled; uncharitably, he was inflexible.
‘So be it. I’ll have to protect Christine with my own hands.’
Unaware that many others sought to protect her, I returned to the Church with Christine.
Of course, since it was secret that I’d followed her, I waited a moment before entering.
“Good to see you, Jeffrey.”
When I arrived at the Office, Christine greeted me while conversing with Nathan.
“Hello, Christine.”
“Don’t say hello. Not after what you did.”
“…?”
Puzzled by her cold reception, I tilted my head as Nathan held out his phone.
“What is this?”
“The prophet sent a file to Christine and me. Take a look.”
I pressed what appeared to be a recording file, and a familiar voice spilled out.
—Why? What are you planning to do with a recording?
—I’m going to submit it as evidence to the police. This is clearly extortion and attempted murder.
—Go ahead and try. I’m not sure if a corpse can testify, though.
—I told you, I don’t know who’s targeting Christine.
—Do you think I’m an idiot? It’s obvious you know but won’t tell me.
—Do you really think I’ll confess just because you’re doing this? I can’t change the future.
—If you don’t talk now, you have no future. You’ll die.
Jeffrey froze as he listened to the recording.
There was no mistaking it—it was unmistakably his own voice.
—How… how is this possible? I definitely turned off my phone back then.
A hypothesis suddenly crystallized in my mind.
—Could there have been two phones?
My thoughts went blank, and only one realization remained.
—…I’ve been played.
I swallowed hard and lifted my head.
Nathan and Christine were staring at me with terrifying eyes.

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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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