The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 189

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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 189
189. Ma Gyeong-rok’s Wrath
When players returned, they all awakened from sleep simultaneously at the same moment.
Because of this, their families could do nothing but wait with bated breath.
They had no information—no explanation for why their child wouldn’t open their eyes, why they’d been sleeping for twenty-four straight hours.
“Mmm…”
“Oh, you’re awake!”
Christine’s eyes fluttered open, and she turned her head—only to jump in surprise.
Her haggard father sat beside her bed like a devoted caregiver.
“Father?”
“Thank goodness you’re safe.”
“W-what’s going on? You haven’t slept this whole time waiting for me?”
“Could you sleep if our positions were reversed? My daughter wouldn’t wake up for twenty-four hours.”
Nathan’s worry was entirely justified.
Especially since he’d heard she’d suffered terribly in Round 11—his anxiety was only natural.
As Nathan wiped away the tears that had slipped out, Christine gasped.
She’d never seen her father cry before.
“Are you… crying?”
“Don’t misunderstand. It’s just tears from exhaustion. Anyway, why did it take so long?”
“This round’s time limit was unusually long—twenty-four hours.”
Just then, the door opened and Jeffrey entered.
“Ah! You’re alive, Christine!”
“Somehow, yes.”
Christine’s response was cold.
She wouldn’t even look at him—clearly still furious about what happened before.
Though her resentment toward The Seer had already faded after being dominated by Yamtti.
“Daughter, what happened? Were you really attacked as prophesied?”
“…Yes.”
Christine, with a heavy heart, recounted everything she’d endured.
The Despair Cult’s ambush, the Paladin’s betrayal despite her trust, and even the appearance of the cult leader—the Necromancer.
Particularly when she mentioned the Paladin’s attempt to violate her by force, Jeffrey couldn’t contain his rage.
“Such a bestial creature existed! Christine! You’re certain that monster is dead?”
“He’s dead. I saw it with my own eyes.”
“To think such a demonic human was at your side. You can’t trust the followers who claim to follow you either.”
“There’s nothing to trust or distrust. About a hundred of my comrades were slaughtered without exception in the Despair Cult’s ambush.”
“…”
“…”
Both men fell silent, reading the room.
Christine’s expression looked utterly despondent.
“Don’t worry about me. I’ve decided to shake off the sorrow and move forward.”
“Is that so?”
“Regardless, we have to make it to Round 20. For our fallen comrades’ deaths not to be in vain, there’s no other way, is there?”
“A wish, then.”
Christine had never truly harbored wishes before.
Wishes, dreams—I’d merely survived this far by refusing to die, nothing more.
But now my resolve had transformed.
‘Black Scythe said it wasn’t my fault, but I can’t absolve myself entirely of responsibility. So… I’ll save them. For my fallen comrades’ sake.’
This tragedy had forged within me a powerful motivation.
I’d found my reason to reach Round 20.
Had Nathan glimpsed the shift in his daughter’s eyes?
A warmer smile than ever before graced his face.
“Indeed, our daughter is strong.”
“I received some advice.”
“Advice? From whom?”
“Never mind that. Have you ever heard of the Despair Cult?”
Nathan and Jeffrey shook their heads in unison.
“What sort of fraudulent religion is that?”
“It appears to be a religion composed entirely of Players. They seem to have an outpost in the United States, but I have no way to locate them.”
“Leave finding those bastards to us. Don’t get yourself tangled up in danger again for no reason.”
“But Christine, who was it that rescued you?”
Jeffrey’s question prompted Nathan to chime in, his curiosity evident.
“Yes, tell us. Who helped you escape that situation? Was it your fiancé who saved you, after all?”
Christine shook her head.
“No. I never even met him.”
“Then who was it?”
“The person who saved me goes by the nickname Black Scythe.”
“Black Scythe?”
Nathan tilted his head as if hearing the name for the first time, but Jeffrey’s reaction was entirely different.
“Wait… Black… Scythe?”
“What’s wrong, Jeffrey? Have you heard of him?”
“Heard of him? He’s already famous in this industry. He’s never relinquished the number one ranking—the strongest Player currently alive.”
“Is that so? Is he American?”
“He’s Korean. Among the general public, he’s known as a squad commander of the Counter Player Force who eradicated the remnants of IS in Nigeria.”
“Impressive. What a virtuous Player he is.”
Nathan’s eyes gleamed with interest.
Though I’d never met him, the moment he saved Christine, Black Scythe had already made an excellent first impression.
“I should journey to Korea soon and thank him properly for saving my daughter.”
“However, meeting him won’t be easy. He maintains no contact with others and wears a mask at all times, concealing his identity thoroughly.”
“Still, there must be a way to meet him. Finding one person in a small country like Korea—how difficult could it be?”
He spoke with confidence, yet Jeffrey’s expression remained skeptical.
If that were possible, Black Scythe’s face would have already been exposed through the media long ago.
That was when Christine interjected.
“I’ll go to Korea.”
“To Korea?”
“I’ll go meet The Seer. He might know Black Scythe’s location.”
“We exchanged numbers this time—why not just call and ask?”
“It would be rude to discuss such matters over the phone. I should at least show sincerity by visiting in person.”
“Do you know where his home is?”
“Did you forget? The person closest to The Seer is my fiancé. I can find out by asking him.”
* * *
Ma Gyeong-rok jolted awake and immediately hurled the lamp beside his bed across the room.
“Arrrrrgh! Damn it!!!”
He wanted to throw anything within reach, but his meticulous nature meant there wasn’t much lying around.
“Huff, huff.”
Ma Gyeong-rok snorted like an enraged bull.
He was furious.
In Round 11, his points were zero.
He’d failed to escape the Labyrinth Forest even after a full 24 hours.
‘An Sang-chul is probably screaming his lungs out right now too. His determination to grow stronger was always greater than mine.’
At least thanks to Black Scythe, the Korean Team had secured first place and avoided elimination.
But that was all—without points, he couldn’t even access the Special Shop when it opened.
It was like staring at a feast he couldn’t eat.
‘Born with a silver spoon, and here I am, unable to afford a single point to browse the Special Shop.’
He felt like a penniless beggar overnight.
Even with hundreds of billions in his bank account, there was only emptiness.
His disappointment was proportional to his anticipation for the Special Shop.
‘How ironic. I ended up like this chasing Black Scythe, yet I survived because of him.’
Even now, it was remarkable.
How had that bastard managed to accumulate 20 million points alone?
‘More importantly, how the hell did he escape that cursed forest?’
Ma Gyeong-rok, who had been knocked unconscious by Hwang Yong-min, had only regained consciousness late.
Three hours remained.
For one hour, he’d struggled to cut through tree trunks with An Sang-chul, desperately trying to escape the Labyrinth.
But two hours simply wasn’t enough to break free.
Having spent the entire day in that maze-like forest, zero points was inevitable.
‘Ridiculous. Zero points. Me, who always ranked high, with zero points….’
Beyond anger, he felt hollow—then came the sound of the door opening as An Sang-chul entered.
An Sang-chul’s expression showed brief surprise at the scattered room, but he quickly composed himself with understanding.
“Director. I’ve arrived.”
“Right.”
“Have you vented your frustrations?”
“To some extent. What about you, Director An?”
“Sigh, I couldn’t hold back either. I threw a few things around before leaving.”
“Does this even make sense? We have zero points.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Director An, who do you think is responsible for this?”
“Hmm….”
An Sang-chul’s hesitation had a clear reason.
To be honest, Ma Gyeong-rok was the one who suggested following Black Scythe, making him the culprit.
But as long as one retained their sanity, they couldn’t throw their direct superior under the bus in front of them.
“The primary cause would be Black Scythe entering that strange forest, and secondarily, it would be Hwang Yong-min for putting us in this situation.”
“Isn’t it Hwang Yong-min though, that bastard?”
“Ah, right. Since he’s actually undead. When you think about it, the real culprit would be whoever was controlling Hwang Yong-min.”
“No matter how much I think about it, something feels off. How could a mere undead servant possess such skill….”
Hwang Yong-min had completely toyed with the two of them.
His abilities were far too absurd for a mere summon.
He looked far too human and intact to be called undead.
If The Seer hadn’t said he was dead, I would have sworn he was a Player.
“The Seer said it clearly back then, didn’t he? That Hwang Yong-min was dead.”
“Yes. I heard it clearly. He also said there was a Necromancer controlling him.”
“Then The Seer would know. Who’s behind all this.”
What happened to them wasn’t caused by Hwang Yong-min.
It was caused by whoever was controlling Hwang Yong-min.
“Will you seek revenge?”
“Of course. I’ll hunt down that bastard and tear him limb from limb.”
“Then should we call The Seer?”
“Yes. I’ll do it myself to confirm if he’s alive….”
Just then, Ma Gyeong-rok’s phone rang.
The caller ID showed Christine.
“Christine?”
-Hello, Ma Gyeong-rok.
“You’re safe! I’m so relieved. Do you know how worried I’ve been?”
The unexpected cheerfulness in his voice caused a brief silence on the other end of the line.
-Thank you for worrying about me.
“How could I not worry? We promised each other a future. Besides, this round was one with a bad prophecy, wasn’t it?”
-It was.
“What happened? Did something actually occur as prophesied?”
Christine calmly explained the situation at the time for the curious Ma Gyeong-rok.
The problem was that the listener couldn’t remain calm.
“You nearly died at the hands of the Despair Cult’s leader?”
“Yes. He was American and had the ability to command the dead. I heard he was called a Necromancer.”
‘A Necromancer?’
The moment I heard he commanded the dead, my instincts screamed. This was it.
This creature was the root cause of everything I needed to avenge.
“What was that man’s name?”
“John Delgado of the Despair Cult. Do you happen to know him?”
“No, I’m not familiar with him, but I’ll look into it myself. He dared to lay hands on my fiancée—he must pay the price for that, mustn’t he?”
“You don’t have to go this far for us…”
“No. I couldn’t help you in the Other World, so I must assist you in this way at least.”
Ma Gyeong-rok spoke as if making a grand gesture, but the truth was far more personal—it was vengeance.
‘I’m certain. This is the Necromancer who controlled Hwang Yong-min.’
Based on the timeline, he must have humiliated me in the Labyrinth Forest before going to kill Christine.
‘What puzzles me is why he didn’t kill us.’
The fact that he tried to kill Christine instantly showed he wouldn’t hesitate at murder for his purposes.
Yet such a man chose to spare both me and An Sang-chul, binding us to a tree instead?
No matter how I thought about it, I couldn’t fathom his reasoning.
There was no reason for it.
‘I’ll simply ask him when we meet.’
I swore to myself that I would find John Delgado of the Despair Cult without fail.
Then, suddenly, Ma Gyeong-rok remembered a question he’d forgotten to ask.
“Oh, by the way, who was the person who saved Christine?”
“You know him too, sir.”
“I do?”
“A Korean player called Black Scythe. He saved me.”
‘Black Scythe?’
Ma Gyeong-rok’s expression darkened.
His fiancée’s savior was none other than Black Scythe.
‘That bastard is the reason I’m in this state.’
Logically, it wasn’t his fault, but he couldn’t suppress his rage without blaming someone.
“By the way, Ma Gyeong-rok, I have a favor to ask.”
“A favor?”
“My father wants to meet Black Scythe. So I was wondering…”
Christine hesitated on the other end of the line before continuing.
“Could you arrange a meeting with The Seer? I think The Seer would know where Black Scythe is.”
“That shouldn’t be difficult.”
“Thank you. I’ll call you again once I arrive in Korea.”
“All right.”
The call ended, but Ma Gyeong-rok’s expression remained deeply unsettled.

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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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