The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 181

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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 181
181. Douglas
“What?”
Ma Gyeong-rok let out a sound without realizing it.
An absurd situation was unfolding before his eyes.
‘The Dark Aura… it’s not consuming him?’
The Dark Aura that had engulfed Hwang Yong-min strangely refused to cling to his skin.
Rather, it seemed unable to cling to him at all.
As if blocked by an invisible barrier, it maintained its distance.
‘What on earth is this? Does he have immunity to Dark Aura?’
No matter how much I commanded it, the aura could not envelop Hwang Yong-min.
It could not drain his life force.
Instead, with each step Hwang Yong-min took, the aura flinched and retreated.
Ma Gyeong-rok had no choice but to be bewildered.
This was the first time I’d ever seen a target that Dark Aura couldn’t consume.
‘Could it be because he’s undead with no life force?’
The thought occurred to me that if someone was already dead, this would certainly be possible.
‘Damn it, a target that Dark Aura can’t consume.’
Bewilderment crossed Ma Gyeong-rok’s face.
With my trump card strategy blocked, everything ahead seemed hopeless.
In an instant, the distance closed as if space itself had warped.
“Ugh!”
Hwang Yong-min, who had appeared right before him, threw a straight punch.
Crack—
The moment it connected with his jaw, the unconscious Ma Gyeong-rok tumbled backward ten meters.
“Boss, boss!”
An Sang-chul, freed from the knight’s protection, hastily drew his sword.
Ting—!
Hwang Yong-min casually swatted it away with his palm and similarly sent a jaw strike to knock An Sang-chul unconscious.
“Phew.”
Ryu Min, having subdued both men with ease, lightly dusted off his palms.
“Controlling my strength was exhausting.”
I had incapacitated both of them in a single minute.
Subduing them was several times harder than killing them.
‘They probably intended to drain life force with Dark Aura, but that won’t work. The Reaper is a superior class to Dark Knight.’
Just as light is weak to darkness, there exists compatibility between player classes.
Certain skills prove completely ineffective against certain classes.
Exactly like now.
‘Dark Knight and Reaper both manipulate darkness, but they’re fundamentally different types. The Reaper wields a higher-order concept of darkness, so to speak.’
Even the same darkness has different tiers.
This was why the Dark Aura couldn’t even touch Ryu Min.
“You can come out now.”
As Ryu Min nodded his head to signal, Ju Sung-tak finally emerged from where he’d been hiding in the Forest.
“Is it finished, Master?”
“Yeah. These bastards will be unconscious for at least half a day.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just kill them?”
Ryu Min glared at Ju Sung-tak for a moment at his suggestion.
“If I was going to do that, I would’ve killed them long ago instead of knocking them out.”
“I-I’m sorry. I spoke out of turn.”
“They’re the kind of bastards who’d kill innocent people for Points. I know they deserve to die. But they still have their uses. I need to keep them alive to secure Christine’s cooperation.”
No matter how little Christine cared for Ma Gyeong-rok, his death would still deal her a significant emotional blow.
‘Unless her feelings for him have completely vanished.’
For now, killing Ma Gyeong-rok wasn’t part of the plan.
Since he was connected to the Priest, a key strategic asset, Ma Gyeong-rok was a card I couldn’t easily discard.
An Sang-chul was Ma Gyeong-rok’s right hand, so I’d have to take them both as a package.
“For now, bind them to a tree. Use that dark-colored, thin tree branch over there. It’s tough wood that even most players can’t easily untie.”
“Understood.”
Ju Sung-tak bound the two unconscious men to the tree as instructed.
‘Even if I just buy this much time, it’ll take them a while to escape the Labyrinth.’
With luck, the round could end without them earning a single Point in the next 24 hours.
‘Though since it’s a team match, they won’t be eliminated anyway.’
Ryu Min was confident he could keep the Korean team alive in this Game.
There was still a dramatic reversal waiting, and he even possessed the Thousand-Mile Eye skill for it.
‘As long as the plan goes smoothly, there’s no way we can lose. First place in All Districts is already in the bag.’
Now all business in the Labyrinth Forest was concluded.
Ma Gyeong-rok wouldn’t kill 1,000 people and receive the Slaughterer title as originally planned.
‘I’ve prevented one tragedy. I need to prevent another as well.’
I gazed at Christine through my Thousand-Mile Eye.
The Despair Cult forces had nearly all gathered.
Like the calm before a storm, signs suggested something would happen at any moment.
‘I need to hurry. If I’m not going to let Christine die.’
Ryu Min quickened his pace alongside Ju Sung-tak.
Leaving only Ma Gyeong-rok and An Sang-chul behind in the Labyrinth Forest.
* * *
Douglas counted the number of people bustling around him.
‘A total of 101 people… Everyone’s here.’
They were all followers who had come seeking the sole Saint and Priest.
‘In reality, they’re just parasites trying to suck up to the Saint.’
Even as he criticized his companions, he maintained a smile on the surface.
After all, as a Paladin who had received the Saint’s favor since Round 2, he couldn’t afford to frown.
‘I mustn’t reveal my true nature until the Saint breathes her last. Right.’
Even Douglas himself didn’t fully understand why the Despair Cult wanted to kill Krishi.
But Douglas had abandoned the Saint and switched his allegiance to the Despair Cult.
The reason for his betrayal was simple.
‘The Despair Cult offers far greater benefits.’
In truth, most of the people here had gravitated toward Krishi primarily for survival rather than charity.
‘It’s only natural that survival rates increase when traveling with a Priest.’
Just looking at the Priest’s basic skill—Heal—proved this.
Heal was a miraculous skill that cured virtually any wound.
It could even reattach severed limbs; as long as the severed part was properly aligned, Heal would fuse it back together and restore function.
Moreover, the buff called ‘Saint’s Blessing’ increased resistance to status ailments and debuffs by a full fifty percent.
Once a Priest surpassed level forty, they could even cast area-of-effect healing over time.
‘Truly, it’s a profession optimized for saving lives.’
Of course, Krishi must have gained something from helping others, but no one could complain about receiving free treatment.
That was why roughly a hundred desperate souls had gathered around the Saint.
‘But I hate it. Yes, survival rates do increase when standing beside Krishi. But that’s all there is. There’s no personal growth whatsoever.’
A Priest’s skills were focused solely on endurance.
Mere survival couldn’t carry one through twenty rounds.
As the saying goes, offense is the best defense—growing stronger and advancing further offered far greater chances of survival ahead.
Having grasped this truth early, Douglas had decided to betray Krishi.
Unlike Krishi, the Despair Cult prioritized growth.
‘The Despair Cult supplies potions and countless other items that aid growth. Once this is finished, we’ve agreed to seize the plundered goods and divide them among ourselves.’
But what of the Saint’s followers?
They did nothing but gaze upon the Saint and scavenge her healing, making no effort whatsoever toward their own growth.
They merely endured, day after day.
‘At that rate, they’ll collapse before long. They’ve managed so far, but how much longer can luck hold out?’
It was far wiser to cut ties early.
Switching to a religion with greater survival prospects was far more hopeful and sensible.
Yet even that alone wasn’t enough to move Douglas’s heart.
The true reason for his betrayal had nothing to do with items.
It was because the Despair Cult had made him a promise.
‘They said I could toy with her before killing Krishi.’
Douglas smiled with a sickly edge as he gazed at Krishi.
A beautiful flower blooming alone in solitary radiance.
He was intensely curious about what pleasure it would bring to pluck that flower.
‘I’ve wanted you countless times. You, as a woman.’
He’d harbored dark intentions from beside her all this time, yet opportunities had rarely presented themselves.
She seemed like a woman with no interest in men whatsoever.
That made her all the more alluring.
People were always drawn to new merchandise over used goods, to luxury items no one else possessed.
‘Love? Loyalty? I don’t need that garbage. Pleasure is what matters most.’
So whether Krishi lived or died in this affair was irrelevant to him.
As long as he could satisfy his own desires.
At that moment, Douglas noticed Berber beckoning him over.
“Berber. You called for me?”
Berber was a spy the Despair Cult had infiltrated to monitor the Saint.
He was also the one who had drawn Douglas into the Despair Cult in the first place.
Among the 101 people here, he was Douglas’s only ally.
“I just received word from the brothers. They’re ready.”
“Everyone’s assembled?”
“Yes. Two hundred brothers are waiting five hundred meters from here. We can strike right now.”
“Ah. Finally….”
The preparations were complete.
Ready to sweep away every pathetic follower here and abduct Krishi.
“You’ll give me my chance as promised, won’t you?”
“Your chance?”
“Well… you know. Hehe.”
“Oh, that? Goes without saying. The Patriarch himself has specially granted you thirty minutes in recognition of your betrayal from within.”
“Ooh, thirty whole minutes… hehe, thank you!”
That would be more than enough to enjoy himself.
“What should I do now?”
“I’m going to fetch the brothers right away. In the meantime, keep Krishi’s attention on you. Make sure she doesn’t use any detection skills or catch on beforehand—keep talking to her constantly. When things unfold, suppress her immediately.”
“I understand.”
The Paladin, known as the Saint’s Knight, twisted his lips into a cruel smile.
* * *
Christine marveled at the gathered crowd.
‘So many people trust and rely on me.’
In just an hour’s wait, roughly a hundred followers had assembled.
At this point, she felt secure even against a surprise attack.
A thick human barrier had formed around her.
“Everyone?”
At Christine’s words, the murmuring subsided.
Soon a silence so profound that swallowing could be heard descended upon them.
“I’m truly grateful that you trust and follow me. Without even being asked to gather, you’ve come to me—and I think there’s only one thing I can offer you in return.”
Christine paused for effect, then opened her mouth with eyes burning with purpose.
“To protect you and walk this path together until the end. That’s how I can repay your faith. Let’s survive together until Round 20.”
“Waaaaahhhhh!!!”
“Krishi! Krishi!”
The players thrust their fists skyward in fervent enthusiasm.
In one light they resembled devout believers; in another, they seemed almost like fanatics.
Clap, clap, clap—
Douglas approached, applauding as he watched.
“Krishi, you’re truly remarkable. Every word you speak carries such grace and trustworthiness.”
“That can’t be. I’m just an ordinary woman in her twenties. It’s only because you all view me favorably.”
“How can you call protecting people ordinary? The many who believe in and follow you do so because of your virtue and character.”
“Thank you for saying so. Having someone as good as you, Paladin, by my side is a blessing in itself.”
Douglas smiled back at Krishi, who wore a gentle grin.
‘What a waste of a woman. It would be such a shame to kill her like this.’
He wanted to keep her confined for life, to use her as an outlet for his desires and toy with her.
Did Krishi have any idea of such feelings?
‘Heh heh, I wonder what expression she’ll have, writhing beneath me and sobbing.’
Douglas swallowed hard and turned to speak to Christine, following the plan.
“Now that we’ve gathered everyone, shall we head out for the Quest?”
“Yes. Since we’ve lost some time, we need to accumulate points as quickly as possible, don’t we?”
“Is there really a Quest that requires this many people?”
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s better if we move together. We’ve always done it that way, haven’t we?”
“True. But I think we should devise a strategy before we act. I have a plan in mind—would you like to hear it?”
Douglas spouted the words he’d prepared in advance to draw attention.
Though meant to divert focus, Christine found herself puzzled instead.
‘The Paladin, who usually speaks so little, why is he talking so much today?’
He claimed to be explaining a strategy, but his words barely registered.
He was merely dragging out unnecessary talk with an air of forced awkwardness.
‘Something’s off. He’s not the type to do something out of character like this….’
Douglas was the Paladin who had been with them since Round 2.
She couldn’t possibly not know his nature.
‘Something’s wrong. Really wrong.’
Perhaps because the Seer had given her a warning, her vigilance against ambushes had become extremely acute.
So it was that Christine habitually checked her detection skill.
Right now, in fact.
“Huh?”
Multiple red dots appeared on the skill she’d activated by chance.
Douglas’s expression hardened in an instant, but Christine didn’t notice.
Her gaze was fixed on the red dots approaching directly toward them.
“W-wait! Look at this! Why are people coming this way… Ugh!”
Christine couldn’t even scream.
Douglas’s brutal hand seized her and dragged her away.

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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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