The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 196

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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 196
196. Those Who Target Black Scythe
The operation to assassinate Black Scythe proceeded without a hitch.
“Hello, I’m Jeffrey.”
Jeffrey introduced himself before the Five Apostles.
“I’m a level 48 assassin. Whether it’s surveillance or assassination, I can handle whatever you need. Just leave it to me.”
“Did Swingman brief you on what needs to be done?”
Jeffrey nodded at Spaniard’s question.
“I heard it’s about surveilling the CPF Unit commander in Korea and finding out where he lives.”
“Can you manage it?”
“That’s not difficult at all. I’ve already identified the Police Station where the commander frequently appears, so I just need to stake it out. Of course, the sooner the payment comes through, the sooner I can start the surveillance, right?”
“Ha ha, excellent. So what’s your fee?”
“I’ll take 100,000 Points upfront and another 100,000 upon completion—200,000 Points total.”
“Hmm….”
He’d quoted Points as the transaction currency, not dollars or gold.
Since I already knew Points could be traded through the transaction function, it wasn’t surprising.
The amount itself, however, was larger than expected.
“200,000 Points? Isn’t that too much?”
“I don’t think it’s impossible if the five of us pool our resources.”
“I suppose we have no choice. Let’s each contribute 20,000 Points as the upfront payment.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, but one person’s face remained suspicious.
It was John Delgado.
“You said your name is Jeffrey, correct?”
“Yes.”
“You’re Caucasian? Which country are you from?”
“The United States.”
“How did an American come to know Swingman, who is from India?”
“I don’t discriminate by nationality when taking clients. I only follow the money.”
He could have been flustered by the sudden question, but Jeffrey answered smoothly.
Ryu Min had already prepared the answer for him.
“It seems you’ve done contract work more than once or twice?”
“Yes. There are people everywhere looking for assassins—civilians and Players alike.”
“If you’re so well-known, why have I, a fellow American, never heard of you?”
“You can’t openly advertise that you do contract killing, can you?”
With that, the conversation ended.
When there was nothing more to extract from Jeffrey, John’s scrutiny turned toward Ryu Min.
“Swingman, why did you hire an assassin?”
“I needed surveillance done personally once before. That’s when I met Jeffrey. Are we done now?”
Ryu Min’s sharp tone left John no room to press further.
There was no grounds for him to do so anyway.
As the atmosphere grew heavy, Spaniard clapped his hands to lighten the mood.
“Well then, from what I hear, you seem to be someone with experience in making cool deals. Let’s trust you and leave this in your hands. Jeffrey? Since we’re making a transaction, I’d appreciate swift handling.”
“Yes. Rest assured.”
Jeffrey, having received points from the Apostles, smiled and vanished.
True to his nature as an assassin, when he activated invisibility, he disappeared without triggering any nearby detection systems.
“Let us wait for the assassin to bring us favorable results.”
“Indeed.”
Everyone wore satisfied smiles, but only John Delgado couldn’t hide his skeptical expression.
* * *
Jeffrey’s contact came exactly one week before the next round.
“He’s arrived!”
“What is it? Did he find something?”
“Yes! After surveillance, he’s located Black Scythe’s residence.”
“Excellent news!”
The Apostles broke into bright smiles at Swingman’s report.
Only John Delgado, who harbored doubts about Swingman, maintained a skeptical expression.
“Is that information certain? Did you confirm Black Scythe is actually inside?”
“Of course. Here’s the video Jeffrey sent.”
The footage of the Villa’s entrance showed someone wearing a white mask leaving the premises.
“This is him. Looking at the mask, it’s definitely Black Scythe who attacked us back then.”
“….”
Swingman was the only one who had seen Black Scythe in person.
Because of this, he couldn’t simply deny it outright.
Nor could he affirm it with certainty.
“Are you certain this is Black Scythe?”
“Yes. I’m certain! I’d stake my life on it.”
With Swingman’s declaration, the other Apostles had no choice but to accept it.
“Heh heh, we’ve finally discovered Black Scythe’s hideout.”
“Now all that remains is to assassinate him according to plan.”
“Leave it to me. I’ll use my inspired marksmanship to blow Black Scythe’s head clean off.”
Dark Soul spoke with confidence, but Yang Chui-wen wasn’t about to stay silent.
“What are you doing butting in? We agreed to proceed with my operation! Wait until we enter the 12 Rounds!”
“We’ve found his home already. What’s there to wait for? I can just snipe him right now and be done with it.”
“You thoughtless fool. What if the snipe fails? Black Scythe will relocate, and all my carefully prepared operation goes to waste. Did that not occur to you?”
“That’s right. Dark Soul. It would be better to proceed with Yang Chui-wen’s operation as planned. We only have to wait one week, don’t we?”
With Spaniard joining in, Dark Soul could only click his tongue in regret and back down.
“Then as planned, I’ll prepare the Underworld Organization members to sever Black Scythe’s power.”
“Yes. Yang Chui-wen, please have your organization members infiltrate Korea in advance so they can launch a surprise attack the moment December 1st strikes midnight.”
“Leave it to me.”
The Apostles wore sinister smiles, unaware of what awaited them.
The operation’s failure was all but inevitable.
Black Scythe’s residence was a trap Ryu Min had prepared from the start.
* * *
Every angel in the Heavenly Realm knew that the Seven Archangels ruled it.
They all knew that Remiel had recently died, reducing their number to six.
But not a single angel knew how Remiel died or who killed him.
No one except the Archangels in positions of authority.
[This is grave, truly grave.]
[Indeed it is.]
The Archangels had gathered in one place for the first time in ages.
They used to convene whenever matters of great importance arose, but such occasions had become rare.
Until Remiel’s death.
[For centuries we maintained the Seven Archangels, and now we’ve dwindled to six. This is an unprecedented crisis.]
[I concur. The once-unshakeable prestige of the Archangels is crumbling. We must take action.]
Gabriel, second in rank, and Uriel, fourth in rank, raised their voices.
Michael, first in rank, who had maintained silence until now, asked for the Archangels’ opinions.
[What would you have us do?]
[We must capture that cursed vermin who killed Remiel and put him to death!]
[Bring him to the Heavenly Realm and flay him alive before all to witness!]
The Archangels’ opinions were largely uniform.
Black Scythe must be subdued, then receive appropriate punishment in the Heavenly Realm.
‘This is problematic.’
If a player currently participating in the rounds is brought to the Heavenly Realm, their qualification is immediately revoked.
They become an outsider, excluded from participants and not summoned for the next round.
They cannot even return to Earth.
They become utterly disconnected from the survival game itself, but that hardly matters.
For the Archangels, all that mattered was bringing the criminal and punishing them.
But Michael’s position was different.
‘For me to become a god, I must ensure Black Scythe wins this game.’
In other words, I must protect him so he can safely reach the twentieth round.
Yet given the current hostile atmosphere, I questioned whether that was possible.
Especially with Raguel, fifth in rank.
[Michael. Please grant me this opportunity. I will bring that wretch Black Scythe here and ensure he receives proper judgment.]
Was it because she was the Archangel of justice, fairness, and harmony?
Raguel could not tolerate the existence of Black Scythe as things stood.
‘She would undoubtedly tear him to shreds until barely a breath remained, then bring him here for every conceivable torture.’
It was all too predictable, so I could not send Raguel.
Perhaps if I went myself instead.
‘But if I volunteered and returned empty-handed? Would the blame not fall squarely on me?’
In the end, to quell this fire, I had to send someone.
Of course, I need to send an Archangel weak enough for Black Scythe to defeat.
‘Who would be the right choice?’
As Michael pondered, his gaze fell upon the only taciturn Archangel among them.
Sixth in rank—Sariel, the Archangel of Death.
‘If I must send someone, Sariel, being the lowest-ranked among us, would be fitting, but….’
The problem was that Sariel was essentially a counter to the Reaper class.
‘The darkness of the Reaper class cannot overcome the darkness of the Archangel of Death.’
How could a player’s darkness attribute—merely a profession—possibly compare to an Archangel’s darkness, which was death itself?
‘He will surely surrender without accomplishing anything.’
Yet I couldn’t send Raguel, who ranked higher than Sariel.
With her eyes already blazing with fury, she would throw her full strength at Black Scythe the moment she saw him.
‘If Raguel goes all out, even Black Scythe wouldn’t be able to withstand it.’
I wanted to send an Angel that Black Scythe could actually face, but there simply wasn’t an appropriate Archangel to dispatch.
Whether fifth or sixth rank, they were beings too formidable for Black Scythe to handle.
And anything higher was beyond question.
‘If I suggest sending first-class Angels, won’t they object?’
The fact that he killed Remiel, seventh in rank, already proved he was beyond human level.
If I sent first-class Angels weaker than that, they would certainly raise their voices in protest.
‘Hmm, who exactly should I send so that Black Scythe remains unharmed….’
It was a thought that would astound anyone who heard it, but unaware of this, the Archangels continued their heated debate.
[We must apprehend that human immediately! We should open a dimensional gate and descend to Earth at once!]
[Opening a dimensional gate forcibly without a Round beginning requires tremendous cost. There’s no need to rush like this, is there?]
[So you’re saying we should let that insect run rampant as things stand, Gabriel?]
[Wait until the 12 Rounds begin, Raguel. I understand your feelings, but in times like these, shouldn’t we find reason and weigh the gains and losses?]
[Then send me in the 12 Rounds! I will capture that human and restore the dignity of the fallen Archangels!]
[No.]
Michael interjected into the conversation.
He had decided which of the two to send.
[I will send Sariel to bring Black Scythe here.]
[Michael, why!?]
[You’ve lost your reason right now. Isn’t Sariel, who can remain composed before a criminal, better suited for the task?]
[I can do well too! With this sword of judgment, I will deal with that insect who disturbs the order of the Heavenly Realm….]
[Look. Who is the Angel getting excited and rambling right now?]
[….]
[My decision stands. Sariel is the right choice to bring Black Scythe here. There’s no need for the fifth-ranked to step forward just to catch one insect.]
[Hmm…. That is indeed a valid point.]
If the first-ranked willed it so, they had to obey.
Of course, Michael had made this decision after weighing which of the two was weaker.
‘If I must send someone, the sixth-ranked would be the better opponent to face.’
Though called a counter to the Reaper class, at least escape might be possible.
[Sariel. Can you do it?]
[Of course, Michael. Capturing a single human—what difficulty could that possibly present?]
[Then it’s decided. Sariel, when the 12 Rounds begin, secretly bring the human called Black Scythe from the Other World here. We must hold him accountable in the Heavenly Realm, so you must not kill him under any circumstances.]
[So as long as I don’t kill him, anything goes?]
[Ideally, I’d prefer you bring him in pristine condition. Though I imagine that won’t be easy.]
Had those final words struck a nerve?
Sariel’s feather-like eyebrows twitched with agitation.
[I shall bring him without a single blemish, spotless and intact.]
Watching Sariel speak through gritted teeth, Michael felt an inexplicable unease settle over him.
[This isn’t what I intended….]
He hadn’t realized that his words meant to help Black Scythe would instead fan the flames of conflict.

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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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