The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 166

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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 166
166. The Saesin Religion
Under their scrutiny, Jeffrey couldn’t even meet their eyes properly.
Embarrassment flushed the back of his neck a deep crimson.
“Did you really threaten the Prophetess?”
“I, well….”
“No need for a long explanation. I’m asking if you did it.”
Jeffrey’s lips trembled as he lowered his head completely.
“Y, yes. I apologize.”
“Sigh.”
“Sigh.”
A simultaneous exhalation escaped both their lips.
“I, I had my reasons. I can explain everything….”
“Didn’t you just hear your reasons on the recording? That you did it for my daughter.”
“Yes. I only wanted to provide Christine with information….”
“That doesn’t justify threatening the Prophetess. You crossed a line.”
Nathan, whom Jeffrey had expected to take his side, spoke with unmistakable firmness.
“Haven’t I told you repeatedly? The Prophetess is a goose that lays golden eggs. If you slit her belly open, you’ll only lose the gold.”
“….”
“You threatened her to squeeze information out of her? Did you deliberately set out to destroy our relationship with the Prophetess?”
“C, Christine’s life was at stake. If I could prevent a crime beforehand, there’s nothing better than that….”
“The Prophetess already told Christine that she couldn’t reveal any more information because there’s a risk the future might change. You must have overheard that, which is why you acted.”
“….”
“Yet you still chose to threaten her. It was reckless and ignorant.”
“I, I have no excuse. I’m truly sorry….”
“You should apologize to the Prophetess, not to Father.”
Christine interjected with a cold edge to her voice.
“What were you even thinking, Jeffrey?”
“I, I apologize….”
“Father didn’t do well either.”
“What? Me? You’re talking about me?”
Nathan was taken aback as the criticism suddenly turned toward him.
“Father had Jeffrey tail me, and that’s what caused this mess.”
“That was to protect you….”
“Do you think I’m stupid? It wasn’t about protection—you were trying to spy on me. Korea isn’t a danger zone like Nigeria. What could possibly be dangerous here? And I clearly told you, didn’t I? That I’d go alone. But you didn’t listen, and now look at this situation. Isn’t some of this Father’s fault? Am I wrong?”
“….”
Nathan had no counterargument, so like Jeffrey, he could only fall silent.
“Sigh…. In the first place, thanks to the Prophetess’s prophecy, we could prepare a little better, and now we’ve ruined that…. How am I supposed to face the Prophetess now? Even if we safely get through Round 11, what about the next one? How do we clear it without her prophecies?”
“Don’t worry too much. I’ll apologize to the Prophetess myself.”
“Jeffrey should apologize first, Father!”
“Y-yes. I, I’ll apologize. Christine. So please, stop being angry. I’m sorry. I’m truly sorry, and it’s all my fault….”
“If you’re going to do it, do it quickly. And don’t talk to me anymore. I don’t want to hear it.”
Christine, thoroughly furious, left without any intention of engaging further.
Behind Jeffrey, who watched her departure in a daze, came the sound of a tongue click.
“Tsk tsk, why would you touch the Prophetess? Really.”
“I didn’t expect things to turn out this way. I apologize.”
“As Christine said, you don’t owe me an apology.”
“I, I’ll call the Prophetess right now.”
“Can this really be solved with just a phone call?”
Nathan, who had been sitting, rose to his feet.
“You need to go in person and apologize. While you’re at it, buy some gifts to lift her spirits.”
“I, in person?”
Leaving the startled Jeffrey behind, Nathan opened the door.
“What are you doing? Pack your things quickly. We’re heading to Korea together.”
* * *
Back home, I recalled Jeffrey.
‘By now, what’s become of that bastard? Judging by Christine’s reaction, she wasn’t about to let him off easy.’
When he threatened me with a dagger, I manipulated the two phones in my pocket to start recording.
Then I threw one as bait, allowing the other’s existence to remain hidden.
After that, I asked Ma Gyeong-rok for Christine and Nathan’s phone numbers and sent them the recording file.
‘It must sting. To earn the hatred of someone you’re infatuated with.’
Jeffrey would have learned something definitive from this incident.
What happens when you touch the Prophetess.
I clicked my tongue and rubbed the back of my neck with my hand.
I was probably the first player to ever grab the throat of the Rank 1 player.
‘Is it because he’s an assassin? His strength wasn’t that impressive. To think he claimed he’d protect Christine with this level of power, tsk.’
It didn’t hurt.
It just felt unpleasant.
Still, I was satisfied that it gave me a chance to demonstrate the Prophetess’s resolve.
‘In any case, there’s nothing as foolish as being blinded by love.’
Then a text arrived on my phone.
There was another person here blinded by love.
[Min Ju-ri : Min, do you happen to believe in any religion?]
‘Why suddenly ask about religion? Could it be?’
I played dumb and continued my response.
[Ryu Min : No, why?]
[Min Ju-ri : Good. Then come somewhere with me. You can spare some time, right?]
[Ryu Min : Where?]
[Minjoo-ri: If you were going to tell me where it was, you would have said it a long time ago! Haha, it’s a secret!]
[Ryu Min : Got it. Let’s meet in front of the Convenience Store in 10 minutes then.]
[Min Ju-ri: kk]
‘Something feels off about this….’
She hadn’t mentioned which religion it was, but I had a feeling I knew.
‘I’m not exactly thrilled about going there….’
Still, visiting once didn’t seem like a terrible idea.
I was curious how they’d built it, after all.
As I changed into my outdoor clothes and prepared to leave, my younger brother approached and asked.
“Where are you going, hyung?”
“To meet a friend.”
“Can I go meet a friend too?”
At the word “friend,” my eyes shifted into alert mode.
“Which friend?”
“Someone I met playing online games. They live in Seoul and suggested we meet up at a PC Bang to play sometime, but I kept making excuses and turning them down.”
‘So when he said friend, he meant a gaming friend.’
He’d been staying home lately and gotten hooked on gaming, so apparently he’d made a gaming friend.
I’d played games in previous cycles too, but I hadn’t known he’d made friends through them.
Seeing me hesitate, Ryu Won added more.
“We’re just going to play at the PC Bang and come back, okay? Why not? There aren’t many bad players around anymore, and things have stabilized. You said you’d let me go out anyway.”
After a moment of consideration, I nodded, thinking there was no reason to refuse.
“Fine. I’ll allow it.”
“Really? Oh yes!”
“But don’t stay out too late.”
“Got it.”
“And read my texts right away when I send them.”
“I will. Hehe! I need to text them to meet up today. Hyung! Thanks! Have a good time!”
My younger brother hurried off to make plans, barely containing his excitement.
‘He’s that happy about it.’
I smiled at the sight, but my expression suddenly hardened.
‘Just to be safe.’
Tap tap tap tap—
My fingers flew across the keyboard, typing out a message.
* * *
When I arrived at the meeting place, I was somewhat taken aback.
Min Ju-ri had gotten into the passenger seat without warning and was gesturing for me to drive.
“Where are we going?”
“Yangpyeong.”
“Why there?”
“The religion is located there. I was scared to go alone…. You’ll come with me, right?”
Looking at me with those puppy-dog eyes, I couldn’t refuse.
“What kind of religion is it?”
“Let’s go for now. I’ll explain once we get there.”
She was hiding her true intentions in case I refused, but I’d already read her mind.
‘Just as I expected—she’s planning to visit the Saesin Religion.’
The Saesin Religion, founded by Heo Tae-sik, was located in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province.
I hadn’t visited myself, but I remembered seeing a promotional post about it on the Plseba Cafe.
‘It seems I subtly gave her the address back then in the Other World when she showed interest.’
With nothing particular to do and only an hour’s drive from Seoul, time wasn’t an issue.
‘Since I only have a few months left spending time with Min Ju-ri like this, it wouldn’t hurt to make time for her.’
Deciding to make it a casual drive, I gripped the steering wheel without complaint and drove in silence.
Min Ju-ri was grateful for my cooperation.
“Thank you for coming with me. I don’t have much to offer you… but take this buff and stay strong!”
“Ha ha… that actually helps.”
While it didn’t directly aid my driving, it certainly had a calming effect on my mind.
“We’re here.”
After an hour of driving, we arrived at a small village.
Normally, one wouldn’t imagine a religious facility in such a place, yet there it was.
It was a shabby house that looked like a neighborhood senior center.
“Min, is this it?”
“Yeah. Based on the address you gave me, this should be the place.”
As we drew closer, the first thing that caught my eye was a wooden sign with Chinese characters carved into it.
“Saesin Religion? This is where you wanted to come?”
At my question, Min Ju-ri nodded shyly.
“Well… the Saesin Religion is…”
“I know. It’s an organization that worships Black Scythe.”
“Huh? You already knew about the Saesin Religion?”
“I saw a promotional post about it on the cafe that players use.”
Having said that, I asked in a serious tone.
“So you’re planning to join here?”
“No. I just came to see what kind of place it is out of curiosity.”
‘Liar. You’re definitely planning to join.’
I was curious myself.
I knew the Saesin Religion existed, but I’d never actually visited their headquarters.
At some point, their presence had simply vanished.
‘Heo Tae-sik was famous as the religion’s leader only until Round 15.’
The cursed Round 15 boasted such extreme difficulty that it even caused the Saesin Religion’s leader to disappear.
‘But this time around, things will turn out differently.’
Though it reeked of a cult, I couldn’t dislike people who revered me.
Moreover, the Saesin Religion would begin consolidating other nations and building power from Round 12 onward, gradually attracting numerous followers.
‘What if I select some talented individuals from among them and nurture them?’
It would prove beneficial to me in the future.
“I wonder what kind of setup they have in here. Should we take a look?”
Entering the Saesin Religion with modest expectations, the interior fell short of what I’d hoped for.
The gloomy atmosphere contained nothing but mats and straw mats laid across the floor.
It was like a common village community center for the elderly—no, even more shabby than that.
Moreover, there weren’t many people gathered here.
“Is this all…?”
Excluding Ryu Min and Min Ju-ri, there were roughly five people, all unfamiliar faces.
Except for those two.
“Welcome, believer.”
As Heo Tae-sik pushed my back, a man approached with a smiling face and spoke to me.
‘Um Jun-seok?’
Whether it was Heo Tae-sik or Um Jun-seok, neither had customized their appearance—their faces in the Other World matched their real-world faces.
“Welcome to our Saesin Religion. Did you perhaps come to join?”
“Ah, no. I just came to look around….”
“I see you’re a player. Hmm? Your face looks familiar?”
Um Jun-seok tilted his head while looking at Min Ju-ri.
“Have we met somewhere before?”
“I was introduced to this place in the Other World.”
“Eh? Wait, could you be Buffer? Your nickname is Democracy?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Upon learning that Min Ju-ri was Buffer, Um Jun-seok couldn’t hide his surprise.
“Heo Tae, no, Patriarch? Patriarch!”
“What is it? Cardinal Um.”
Watching them call each other patriarch and cardinal, I wanted to scoff, but I held back.
Even if their influence was negligible now, in a few months their power would grow significantly.
The Saesin Religion was not something to be dismissed lightly.
“Here is Democracy, the partner of Black Scythe!”
“Oh, really?”
Heo Tae-sik approached Min Ju-ri with delight.
‘Partner?’
The word “partner” caught my attention, but it wasn’t entirely inaccurate.
“Are you really Democracy?”
“Yes. And you are… No Poe-in?”
“Haha, that’s right. I’m No Poe-in No-ge-i. You looked so mature in the Other World, but you’re actually a young college student? Early twenties?”
“Yes. I’m twenty.”
Heo Tae-sik’s gaze naturally turned toward Ryu Min.
“Then this person isn’t Black Scythe… right? Who are you?”
“He’s my friend.”
“Your nickname is…?”
After deliberating, Ryu Min revealed a nickname he hadn’t even disclosed to Min Ju-ri.

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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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