The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 183

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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 183
183. Justification
John Delgado was a man brimming with grievances against the world.
Despite being in his late twenties with a sound body, he had accomplished nothing—no job, no marriage, no achievements.
‘It’s all the world’s fault. The world deserves to collapse.’
That wish, which he’d habitually muttered, materialized like a miracle when 2022 arrived.
The Angels’ survival game.
Within it, I obtained a formidable class: Necromancer.
‘I can command the souls of corpses as servants?’
A class that collected souls and resurrected them as spectral undead.
Since spectral undead took damage only from magic, they were nearly impossible to kill.
In short, it was completely broken.
Besides, magic-wielding monsters were rare to encounter anyway.
‘And I can command not just monsters, but players as well.’
True, undead conversion reduced their original power to half, but that was more than enough.
‘I can command dozens of them.’
The number of undead a Necromancer could command equaled their level.
In other words, at level 40, I could summon 40; at level 99, I could summon 99.
‘This is insane. I’m basically a gangster with an army of the dead.’
Though I lacked confidence in direct combat, I excelled at commanding from the shadows—and swiftly claimed the top ranking in my district.
Though I never managed to break into the All Districts ranking.
‘Damn it, I’m the top player in my own district, so why can’t I ever crack the All Districts ranking?’
I always hovered at fourth place in the All Districts ranking.
That fact made no sense to me.
I’d become a formidable player who could annihilate entire battlefields with dozens of summons, yet three people were stronger than me?
Most incomprehensible was the existence known as Black Scythe, who consistently claimed first place in the All Districts ranking.
‘What does that bastard do to have such a high level? What kind of class is Reaper anyway?’
My own class was rare enough, but I’d never seen a nickname and class align so perfectly.
‘I need to grow stronger. I need more powerful servants.’
I shouldn’t fill my ranks with mere monsters—only players should compose my summons.
Ideally, I’d command only boss monsters, but since they apparently couldn’t be enslaved, I had no choice.
‘I’ll create a religion. The Despair Cult—I’ll gather players under its banner.’
Then I could convert them into servants when needed and discover talented recruits.
So I founded the Despair Cult and sought converts.
I managed to gather a few from my district, but it wasn’t enough.
‘I can’t just search the Other World—I need to recruit from reality too.’
I preached that players were now the privileged class, and that the old world must be plunged into despair and remade anew.
Naturally, I was treated as a charlatan or con artist, turned away at every door.
Sometimes disputes escalated into murder.
Yet I never surrendered.
Whenever I heard of a promising player, I made efforts to recruit them regardless of district.
Then I heard a story from a player in another district.
That there existed a being called the Saint.
-There’s a Priest called Krishi in our district. She’s called the Saint, and she has over 50 followers.
A Saint, of all things.
John Delgado found it absurd.
‘So she’s doing the same thing I am—building a religion and expanding her influence?’
I learned later that it wasn’t actually a religion, but it didn’t matter.
The fact remained that a competitor had emerged.
‘I need to dismantle that faction. And I want to obtain that Priest summon as well.’
John Delgado gave the man who provided him information a position equivalent to a cardinal of the Despair Cult.
And he assigned him one task.
To infiltrate by posing as one of the Saint’s followers and act as a spy.
-I shall obey your command, Master.
Berber was a capable spy.
He performed flawlessly without being detected, bringing information about the Saint each round.
On some days, he even brought especially valuable intelligence.
-There’s a Paladin named Douglas within their group. He admires the Saint, but lately he’s been accumulating grievances. I believe with the right persuasion, we could turn him to our side.
-A traitor would be useful. Convince him well and bring him over to us.
After bringing Douglas to his side as well, John Delgado waited for the opportunity to kill Christine.
They were in different districts so they couldn’t meet, but the opportunity would come.
Since they were both American, they would eventually meet when the districts merged.
After gathering 200 followers and waiting, the 11th Round finally arrived.
And the districts merged.
The seven districts of the United States were combined into one.
‘Finally, the time has come.’
John Delgado decided to kill the Saint and dismantle her faction.
There was no need to spare her followers either.
‘Each one of them is precious points—I should kill them all.’
Despite being fellow Americans, they were clearly from different districts.
Since we competed in team battles by district, they were merely competitors to be trampled on the way up.
There was no reason not to kill them.
‘The Saint especially must be killed and made into my servant.’
The operation was executed, and the Paladin was turned to betrayal, but…
‘Damn that Paladin bastard—he betrayed our Cult and protected the Saint.’
Fortunately, I found and killed him before it was too late, but another obstacle appeared.
‘Who the hell is this guy?’
It was a man carrying a large scythe across his shoulder.
‘A scythe?’
At the mention of a scythe, a certain nickname came to mind.
‘Surely it couldn’t be him. That man.’
What were the odds of encountering the number one ranker at such a critical moment?
I didn’t know for certain, but it seemed more likely that this wasn’t Black Scythe.
Scythes were common enough to buy in shops, and there was no law saying only the Grim Reaper could wield one.
‘Even so, this is no ordinary opponent. He killed my Undead Servant in a single blow.’
Whether he knew about my vulnerability to magic or not, this wasn’t someone to underestimate.
“What are you doing?”
“Just passing through.”
He looked like an Oriental, yet he spoke English.
His pronunciation was so flawless that with eyes closed, one might mistake him for an American.
‘Was Black Scythe Oriental?’
I didn’t know much, but I couldn’t let him interfere.
“If you’re just passing through, don’t meddle in others’ affairs. Keep walking.”
John Delgado gave the Oriental man, presumed to be Black Scythe, a chance.
He had no desire to fight an unnecessary third party.
‘To be honest, he looks strong. I’d prefer not to fight if possible.’
But the man showed no intention of simply moving on.
“That woman over there seems to be in danger. Isn’t she?”
“I told you not to meddle. Leave.”
“How can I just walk away when someone’s in peril?”
“I won’t ask about the death of my servant. So go. This is your final warning.”
I prepared to summon my minion, glaring at him with lethal intent.
‘This is no ordinary man. I can’t afford to lose momentum.’
If it came to a fight, I would kill him with everything I had.
With that resolve, I waited for his response.
Though the answer was predictable enough.
‘He’ll probably say he can’t overlook injustice and step in like some prince on a white horse to save her.’
I could tell from how abruptly he’d inserted himself.
He’d already made up his mind to rescue her.
But then something unexpected happened.
“I understand. It seems I was meddling unnecessarily. I’ll be on my way.”
The man presumed to be Black Scythe agreed to leave without protest.
Even Christine, who had been watching, couldn’t help but be shocked by this unexpected turn.
‘Wait, weren’t you going to save me?’
It was no joke—the man turned his back indifferently.
Simultaneously, she grew desperate and cried out at his retreating figure.
“W-wait! Please help me! This man is trying to kill me!”
“Shut your mouth, you wench!”
Before the man could change his mind, John Delgado issued a command to the remaining Undead Servant.
Kill the saint while he had the chance.
But.
Crackle—!
The Undead Servant’s attack fell short.
Ryu Min released another surge of electricity, obliterating the creature.
“What are you doing! Didn’t you say you wouldn’t interfere!”
“Even so, I can’t bear to watch someone die right before my eyes. If you’re going to do it, why not wait until I’ve left?”
“….”
Kill her only after I’ve stepped away?
‘Arrogant bastard!’
John Delgado’s pride stung, but he held his tongue.
That last display had made one thing abundantly clear.
‘He’s a magic-type class with exceptionally high magical damage output. The way he obliterated my servant in a single strike proves it.’
Whether he was Black Scythe or not remained uncertain, but his strength was undeniable.
Moreover, the speed of that electricity was too fast for the eye to track.
Had it been aimed at him, he would not have survived.
“I’m leaving now.”
Ryu Min turned away with an air of indifference, yet he was observing everything through his Clairvoyance.
He had to protect Christine.
‘But I can’t openly help her.’
The reason Ryu Min refused to step forward was simple.
Justification.
He lacked a legitimate reason to save Christine.
‘Appearing when danger struck could be written off as coincidence. But saving a woman I’ve never met? A woman whose circumstances I know nothing about, with whom I share no connection?’
He could claim to be the type who couldn’t ignore injustice.
After all, he’d already built an image as a justice-driven operative by eradicating IS in Nigeria.
‘But how can I even determine if this situation constitutes injustice?’
As a third party, Ryu Min had no way of knowing whether Christine deserved death or not.
According to the necromancer’s logic, saving her now would be meddling—overstepping his bounds.
‘Which means I need justification. A reason to save her.’
Helping without justification could only invite suspicion.
Since this was his first meeting with Christine, clumsy intervention might damage their relationship before it could even begin.
“Please save me! This person is trying to kill me for no reason!”
Christine pleaded in a desperate voice, but Ryu Min didn’t respond.
‘That’s not it. She needs to offer more than that to convince me.’
If she offered him an item in exchange for saving her, or some other compensation, then he’d have justification to help.
But Christine seemed too panicked to think that far ahead.
“Just go on your way. Don’t mind what this mad woman says.”
As the necromancer urged him forward, Ryu Min had no choice but to take a step.
“Right then.”
“Wait, please. Just a moment….”
“I told you to shut up, you damn woman! I’ll kill you——.”
The necromancer shouted, but then glanced at Ryu Min.
Because of Ryu Min, he couldn’t finish his threat to kill her.
‘He’s hoping I leave quickly.’
That way he could kill Christine as he desired.
‘Hmm, this is problematic if I don’t have a reason to help….’
As I pondered, a brilliant idea suddenly came to mind.
I stopped in my tracks and looked at the necromancer.
Toward the creature whose eyes widened in confusion, I furrowed my brow.
“You there.”
“…?”
“Now that I think about it, your tone is pretty disrespectful.”
English has no concept of formal speech levels.
There’s only respectful tone and disrespectful tone.
Looking at my conversation with the necromancer, it clearly fell into the latter category.
“Who do you think you are, ordering me around with commands? Are you my boss or something?”
“….”
I picked a fight like some street thug nitpicking his words.
It was somewhat petty, but the effect was undeniable.
The necromancer was visibly flustered.
“What? Why aren’t you saying anything? You want to die?”
“…If I sounded rude, I apologize.”
Had he grasped my intention?
The necromancer swallowed his pride and backed down.
Reading his thoughts, he desperately wanted to kill Christine once I left.
‘I can’t let that happen.’
I brazenly extended my palm.
“What…?”
“If you’re sorry, that’s not enough. You should show sincerity.”
I openly demanded an item.
It was extortion, plain and simple, but the necromancer produced an item without complaint.
“Is this enough?”
“Are you joking right now? You think one material item I don’t even know the use for is enough? That’s garbage tier trash. You expect me to take that and leave? Suddenly I’m in a terrible mood.”
“Damn it!”
“What? What did you say?”
Unable to endure my relentless needling, the necromancer finally snapped.
A piercing screech——
“Die.”
Thirty undead creatures materialized simultaneously and swarmed me from all directions.
A perfect ambush unfolding from every angle.
But there was no way Ryu Min, who could read thoughts and possessed the rune of foresight, would fail to sense an ambush.
“Area discharge.”
Crackle-crackle-crackle-!
Electricity spread in a hemispherical wave, and everything within a 30-meter radius vanished in an instant.
“….”
John Delgado, who had lost thirty summoned creatures in a single moment, stared at Ryu Min with vacant eyes.
“What are you?”
“….”
“You just attacked me, didn’t you?”
Ryu Min approached and asked, but John Delgado was in no state to respond.
The terrifying killing intent was so overwhelming that he couldn’t even gather his thoughts.
“I was trying to let this slide, but I see that won’t work. You’re really going to kill an innocent bystander in cold blood?”
Ryu Min, standing close now, twisted his lips into a smile.
“Do you want to die?”
Now I finally had a legitimate reason to end him.

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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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