The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 172

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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 172
172. A Meal
“Aren’t you Yamtti?”
Seo A-rin’s question caught Yamtti quite off guard.
‘I altered my face. How did she recognize me?’
I’d customized my appearance expecting no one would see through it, yet here was someone who had.
It seemed I’d only made minor adjustments, apparently.
“That’s right, isn’t it? Yamtti?”
“….”
Yamtti neither confirmed nor denied, merely watching Ryu Min’s expression.
But Ryu Min cut through the tension as if there were no need for caution.
“Oh? You two know each other?”
“We met in the Other World. Back then, Black Scythe introduced her as his real-world acquaintance….”
“That’s right. Yamtti knows Black Scythe in reality as well.”
“Could it be that you also…?”
“No. I’ve never met him. He’s quite secretive, after all….”
“So it really is Yamtti, then?”
Only then could Yamtti relax and answer.
My master had confirmed it.
“Ha ha, yes. That’s me. I’m Yamtti.”
“I thought you looked similar. It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too. Though I must say, meeting Seo A-rin in reality is quite surprising.”
“I find it more surprising that you’re Black Scythe’s acquaintance?”
Seo A-rin spoke with a smile, then lowered her voice to reveal her true desire.
“If you don’t mind, could you give me Black Scythe’s contact information…?”
“That would be inappropriate. More than that, it would be disrespectful to him. He doesn’t want to reveal his identity to anyone.”
“Ah….”
Yamtti spoke seriously, and Seo A-rin felt embarrassed.
“Then could you at least let me call him for a moment? I have something to tell him….”
“I’m sorry. Even though I’m his real-world acquaintance, I don’t have his contact information either. He’s the one who calls me with a restricted number. That’s how cautious he is. Why else would he hide his face even in the CPF Unit?”
“Ah….”
Seo A-rin felt both understanding and disappointment simultaneously.
-I really wanted to meet him again in reality….
Reading her true feelings, I set aside my concerns.
‘It wasn’t that she wanted to know my identity, but simply that she wanted to meet me.’
I’d worried that Seo A-rin might persistently ask about my identity, but there was no need for such concern.
‘Well, even if she did, my identity wouldn’t be exposed.’
I’d prepared for this situation beforehand, instructing Yamtti on how to respond.
What to say if anyone asked about Black Scythe in reality.
‘Fortunately, she handled it exactly as I instructed.’
When I read Seo A-rin’s thoughts, she harbored no suspicion of Yamtti.
She merely envied that Black Scythe could communicate with me even in reality.
“But what brings the two of you to our doorstep?”
“Ah, there’s something I wanted to ask Ryu Min personally.”
“Is that so? Come inside first. Since you’re here, let’s share a meal together.”
“A meal?”
“You haven’t eaten dinner yet, have you?”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Then come in.”
Ryu Min opened the entrance door with a grin and glanced at his younger brother.
“It’s fine if a few more guests join us, right?”
“Huh? Y-yes…”
An opportunity to treat Seo A-rin, the person he adored, to dinner had finally arrived.
Ryu Won was delighted, yet simultaneously burdened by the weight of the moment.
* * *
Glub glub—
Once the kimchi stew finished bubbling vigorously, Ryu Won placed it in the center of the table.
“I, I didn’t prepare much, but please help yourselves.”
“Not much? This is a veritable feast!”
True to Seo A-rin’s words, the table overflowed with side dishes.
Rolled omelets, stir-fried sausages and vegetables, japchae, stir-fried fish cakes, and kimchi stew.
It was a considerable amount for one person to prepare, yet Ryu Won had managed it.
Though the meal preparation had taken an hour and thirty minutes.
Had Ryu Min not assisted, it would have taken three hours instead.
“Let’s dig in.”
“Where should I start?”
Slurp—
Seo A-rin’s eyes widened the moment she tasted the kimchi stew.
“You learned this from watching YouTube?”
“Yes… Is the taste off?”
“Off? It’s delicious!”
“Phew, thank goodness. I was worried it might taste bad.”
Only then, beneath Seo A-rin’s radiant smile, did Ryu Won finally relax.
“I never knew my younger brother had this level of skill.”
“Ha, I’m capable when I put my mind to it.”
“Why don’t you study for a Korean cuisine certification? Forget about games from now on.”
“Ugh… Ah, fine.”
Ryu Min, Ryu Won, Seo A-rin, An Sang-chul, and Yamtti—the five of them finished their meal in a warm atmosphere.
“That was delicious, Won.”
“Thank you, everyone.”
Ryu Min, watching Yamtti and Ryu Won, asked in surprise.
“What? When did you two drop the formalities?”
“When you went to the Restroom earlier. Hehe.”
“There’s an age gap between us—I can’t keep speaking formally forever, can I?”
“Won, are you seriously dissing me for being older right now?”
“No, no, I wasn’t, sis.”
Ryu Won chuckled and headed off to do the dishes, and Yamtti, reading the room, rose from her seat.
“You’re doing the dishes? Let me help. I’ll lend a hand.”
“I’ll help too.”
Ryu Min stopped Seo A-rin as she tried to stand.
“Let those two handle the cleanup. We have things to discuss, don’t we?”
“Ah, yes.”
Seo A-rin and An Sang-chul followed Ryu Min to the living room and sat on the sofa.
“So what did you want to discuss with me?”
“The Seer. It’s just that I encountered someone named Hwang Yong-min today, a real thug….”
Ryu Min listened calmly to Seo A-rin’s account.
“So Hwang Yong-min doesn’t show up in searches?”
“Right. To be precise, the results say he’s a person who doesn’t exist. Do you happen to know anything about this…?”
“It’s literal. He doesn’t exist in this world.”
“What? Then the person I saw was really a ghost…?”
“Ghosts don’t exist in this world. Besides, if dozens of people witnessed him, not just you…”
“That’s right. How is this even possible?”
“Hmm.”
Ryu Min, pretending to ponder, pulled out the excuse he’d fabricated during dinner.
“There’s no helping it now. I’ll tell you everything.”
“Pardon? What…?”
“Hwang Yong-min is already dead. But someone resurrected him as an undead.”
“What? An, an undead?”
“….”
Though their reactions differed, both of them widened their eyes in shock.
It wasn’t that they didn’t understand what “undead” meant.
They were simply astonished that undead actually existed.
“Among Players, there are classes that can resurrect corpses. Hwang Yong-min was resurrected as an undead. That’s why I told you not to touch him—but it seems someone did.”
“Huh… Resurrecting someone as an undead. Who on earth would do such a thing…?”
“I don’t know either. I saw it through prophecy, but I only caught a glimpse of their back.”
It was a lie, but truth was woven into Ryu Min’s words.
There truly existed a class called Necromancer that commanded undead.
Dark Mages could command undead too, but that was merely summoning—fundamentally different from Necromancers who raised corpses to stand.
Shamans, conversely, were more inclined to obliterate corpses.
‘Only Necromancers can make corpses move like living people. But they can’t make them speak like Hwang Yong-min does.’
That differed from Hwang Yong-min, but it didn’t matter.
What mattered now was convincing Seo A-rin.
Fortunately, Seo A-rin believed my lie without question.
“So… I encountered a kind of zombie, then?”
“You could say that.”
“Ugh, that’s creepy.”
While Seo A-rin rubbed her arms, An Sang-chul asked with curiosity in his eyes.
“The Seer. Is that necromancer a Player from our country? What’s their level?”
“I don’t know the details.”
“Could that person become a threat to us later?”
“Who knows? If we make them an enemy, wouldn’t they be dangerous?”
I spoke as though uncertain, but I knew the truth.
That necromancer’s existence would become an obstacle down the road.
‘More precisely, an obstacle to the Saesin Religion.’
Even knowing this in advance, I didn’t eliminate them.
Because I intended to use even that obstacle.
‘Darkness makes light shine all the brighter, after all.’
No one saw the faint smile tugging at my lips.
* * *
After Seo A-rin and her group left, I approached my Younger Brother and patted his shoulder.
“Good work.”
“Ha, come on.”
“Your cooking skills aren’t bad.”
“I’m thinking about getting a culinary certificate like you said. Turns out it’s fun to make things, and maybe I have some talent for it?”
I laughed along with my Younger Brother’s giggling, but not from joy.
It was a smile hiding bitterness.
‘A certificate… that’s a luxury for me now.’
No matter how remarkable a Player becomes, their life is ultimately mortgaged.
Fail to clear Round 20, and life simply ends.
To study for a certificate and plan a future in the meantime?
For a Player, it’s nothing but a luxury.
‘That’s right. My life can go however it goes. My role in this final cycle is to create a world where my Younger Brother—where at least my Younger Brother can live an ordinary life.’
For that, I had to eliminate as many variables as possible and execute the plan flawlessly.
Click—
Back in my Room, I lay on the bed and thought deeply.
I reviewed my plans ahead and carefully examined whether there were any variables that could interfere.
‘Could Seo A-rin’s existence become a variable? No. She’s already too deeply involved. Eliminating her would be the real variable.’
Even if she knew I had a connection with Yamtti, it changed nothing.
As long as I maintained my inability to contact Black Scythe, she wouldn’t ask questions or harbor suspicions.
Reading her true feelings confirmed it.
‘Then what about An Sang-chul and Jeffrey?’
An Sang-chul was always by Ma Gyeong-rok’s or Seo A-rin’s side, so reading his thoughts was simple.
In other words, it meant he’d be easy to handle if things went south.
‘But Jeffrey is different.’
He was unpredictable, just like last time—impossible to anticipate where he’d strike.
When it came to anything involving Christine, he became an emotional, thoughtless fool.
‘Hmm, I despise troublesome loose cannons like that.’
I was in the middle of assessing each potential threat and obstacle one by one.
Then Ma Gyeong-rok called.
-The Seer? This is Ma, the representative.
“Yes. What is it?”
-Do you have time tomorrow afternoon? Jeffrey, whom you met before, and my father-in-law are coming to Korea and would like to see you. It seems he wants to apologize for what Jeffrey did to threaten you before.
‘Jeffrey and Nathan are coming?’
The fact that they came in person rather than apologizing over the phone suggested they understood the gravity of the situation.
“I understand. What time do they arrive at Incheon Airport?”
-It looks like they’ll arrive at 3 PM.
“Then tell them we’ll meet at a nearby Cafe at 4 PM. I’ll send you the location.”
-Yes. I’ll do that.
After ending the call, I immediately phoned Yamtti.
“Yamtti. How many positions do I still have available to control?”
-The Player Cafe Chairman and the National Police Agency Director are already under control, so you have three positions left.
“Good. I can spare one position.”
-Is something happening?
“I’ve arranged to meet Jeffrey and Nathan tomorrow.”
-Are they coming to apologize?
“We’ll see once we meet. So…”
I lifted one corner of my mouth into a smile.
“Be ready to come with me just in case.”

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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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