The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 20

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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 20
20. The Black Scythe
Hwang Yong-min’s composure shattered at the appearance of the Black Scythe.
‘What, what is this? Why is he here…’
A third party’s arrival was already awkward enough, but of all people to encounter—the previous round’s rank one player.
Though startled, something else gnawed at him more intensely.
‘Where in the world did he get that absurdly massive scythe?’
The weapon slung across his back looked menacing just to behold.
“What are you doing here?”
“Why don’t you just go on your way, friend?”
At Hwang Yong-min’s words, Ryu Min shifted his gaze.
A tremor ran through him—
Hwang Yong-min’s body shook, overwhelmed by mere eye contact.
“I wasn’t asking you. Stay quiet.”
Ryu Min’s attention returned to An Sang-chul.
“I’ll ask again. What’s the situation?”
That question was a lifeline to An Sang-chul.
“These guys ambushed us targeting Seo A-rin! If you help us, we’ll reward you, Black Scythe!”
An Sang-chul spoke with desperate urgency.
The situation was dire enough that he’d cast aside his pride to beg for aid.
Ryu Min studied the group silently, as if verifying the truth.
I could see Seo A-rin trembling with fear and Hwang Yong-min’s gang with excitement written across their faces.
‘So that’s how it is.’
I grasped the situation immediately.
Seo A-rin’s appearance was more than enough to excite hot-blooded men in their twenties.
Especially here, in the Other World, there would be no restraint.
The Other World was a place where crimes went unpunished.
That’s why murder between players occurred without hesitation in the Other World.
My gaze turned toward Hwang Yong-min.
“Is what he said true?”
“True or not, it’s none of your business, right? Just go on your way.”
“None of my business? Someone I know is involved.”
At my words, Seo A-rin and An Sang-chul were inwardly startled.
‘Someone he knows?’
Despite having only exchanged words once—and that by chance during surveillance—he called me someone he knew…
But that wasn’t all.
“Hey, friend? What are you doing?”
“I can’t leave an injured person to their fate.”
I positioned myself in front of An Sang-chul, standing against Hwang Yong-min’s gang.
I made my stance clear—I was taking their side.
Seo A-rin and An Sang-chul were genuinely moved by his actions.
Unaware of Ryu Min’s true intentions.
‘This is the perfect chance to make a good impression on Ma Gyeong-rok.’
If I save Ma Gyeong-rok’s right-hand man, he’ll surely be grateful.
Moreover, by helping without asking for anything in return, I can create a debt.
‘If I can get a tycoon like Ma Gyeong-rok to owe me a favor, the returns will snowball back to me.’
Above all, Hwang Yong-min and his crew were exactly the type I despised.
I couldn’t just stand by and watch them do whatever they pleased.
As I approached with the scythe in hand, Hwang Yong-min panicked and raised his hands defensively.
“Why, why are you coming over here? If you come any closer, I won’t go easy on you!”
“Why? Don’t you want to fight me?”
“….”
Hwang Yong-min fell silent, struck by the truth of my words.
‘Of course I don’t want to fight, damn it!’
His goal was to overpower Seo A-rin, but this unexpected obstacle had appeared.
And it was the top-ranked player from the last round, no less.
I’d already seen the Black Scythe’s abilities when he slaughtered the goblins.
My friends here knew it too.
After all, he’d drawn everyone’s attention by being the first to kill the goblins.
‘Would you want to fight a monster like that?’
No matter how strong Hwang Yong-min was with his Rune of Strength, he had no desire to tangle with the Black Scythe.
Especially not when he was holding that terrifying weapon.
“If you don’t want to fight, just say it honestly.”
“If I do… will you let us go?”
“If all of you bow down and beg me earnestly, I might consider it.”
“….”
Hwang Yong-min’s eyebrows twitched at the humiliating demand.
‘You’re telling me to grovel and bow?’
His friends were watching, and Seo A-rin was watching too.
In such a situation, lowering his head to someone else was something Hwang Yong-min’s pride would never allow.
‘I didn’t really want to fight, but this bastard is really pushing my buttons.’
I have enough strength to break through walls myself.
Maybe I could smash the Black Scythe in one blow.
There’s only one way to find out who’s stronger.
‘Yeah, maybe I’ll come out on top after all.’
Having decided to go all out, Hwang Yong-min tensed his gaze.
“You’re crossing the line, you bastard? What? Bow down and beg earnestly?”
He cracked his knuckles loudly as he stepped forward.
“You want to die? You piece of trash? Huh?”
He continued cracking his knuckles while subtly closing the distance.
‘First strike, guaranteed victory. Close the distance like this, then drive my fist into his face.’
Being unarmed was a disadvantage, but only if we stayed apart.
At close range where fists connected, my superior strength would give me the edge.
‘If I land that first punch properly, there’s nothing that bastard can do.’
A strength that could shatter walls—no human could withstand it.
Surely if I landed even one solid hit on his arm or anywhere else, he’d scream and crumple.
“Stay back, all of you! I’m going to beat this bastard myself!”
Hwang Yong-min shouted at his friends as he advanced, then suddenly stopped in his tracks.
The guy had opened his inventory and stashed away his sickle.
“What are you doing?”
“Winning too easily would be boring, wouldn’t it?”
“Ha, you bastard….”
As Hwang Yong-min turned his head in disbelief.
Whoosh—!
Ryu Min suddenly charged at him.
Hwang Yong-min was startled, but only for a moment.
“You stupid bastard, die!”
Seeing Ryu Min practically offering his head, Hwang Yong-min swung his fist.
But his punch barely grazed Ryu Min’s cheek.
Thud—!
Instead, Hwang Yong-min took a punch and collapsed.
“Ugh, you bas…!”
The sharp pain left no room for curses.
Thud—!
A soccer kick snapped Hwang Yong-min’s head to the side.
“Ugh….”
His vision spun.
He had no chance to recover.
Ryu Min’s relentless kicks drove into his jaw.
‘Ah…!’
As pain thundered through his skull, his mind went blank.
He felt someone mounting his body.
Thud— thud— thud—!
A barrage of punches rained down on Hwang Yong-min’s head.
Each blow felt like being struck by a hammer.
‘This, this bastard’s strength is comparable to mine?’
There was no time for absurd thoughts.
He took six blows without landing a single one in return.
Pathetic.
“You son of a bitch!”
He thrashed against the wall, screaming and struggling.
Only then did Ryu Min release him.
“You’re dead!”
He scrambled to his feet and threw a hook.
But it only cut through empty air.
Even with a barrage of punches, Ryu Min dodged them all with nothing but upper body weaving.
Meanwhile, he occasionally jabbed forward, making the bridge of his nose throb sharply.
‘Why, why won’t they land! Why!’
The frustration of being pummeled without landing a single blow made his blood boil.
“You bastard….”
“Stop cursing. You’re making my ears bleed.”
Ryu Min’s hook suddenly came from close range, striking his ear.
A sharp ringing sound.
‘Ah….’
As his head spun violently, Hwang Yong-min staggered and collapsed.
He no longer had the strength to stand.
“Yong-min!”
His friends, finally realizing something was wrong, drew their weapons.
Especially the delinquent with the bow, who nocked an arrow.
A sharp whistling sound.
But Ryu Min was no easy target for a blind arrow.
He dodged lightly and rushed toward the delinquent with the bow.
“D-die!”
A sharp whistling sound.
He fired again, but once more only cut through empty air.
“Guess you got lucky finding a bow from some monster.”
“…!”
Ryu Min had already closed in, holding a sickle right in front of his face.
“But meeting me was bad luck.”
As he swung it down, the delinquent’s arm was severed.
“Aaaaaaahhhhh!”
“That bastard…!”
“Kill him, you bastards!”
Hwang Yong-min’s friends rushed at him all at once, but Ryu Min remained composed.
He simply gauged the distance with an indifferent expression.
‘Now.’
The moment they entered range, Ryu Min swung his sickle downward.
A cutting sound.
In the instant something passed, the delinquent at the front toppled over.
His legs had been severed.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
“Gasp! M-my legs…!”
The one pursuing from behind flinched and stopped in his tracks.
In that moment, I hurled myself forward, wedging between them.
“If you’re going to charge in with weapons, you’d better be prepared for the consequences, right?”
“…!”
It wasn’t a question seeking an answer—my scythe immediately traced a curved arc.
Thud—thud—
The Delinquent Gang members’ arms slipped cleanly away.
“Aaaahhhhh!”
“Gaaahhh!”
Dispatching the four Delinquent Gang members didn’t take long.
‘Just as I thought—Death’s Seal is the real deal. Even with armor, it cuts through in one stroke.’
Before swinging the scythe, I activated Death’s Seal first.
With the damage doubled, even the armored opponent’s arm was severed in an instant.
“Ughhhh…”
“Hhhhhgh…”
Looking around, the situation was already over.
With their limbs severed, they’d lost all will to fight.
‘Too easy.’
Yet I didn’t sheathe the scythe.
Until I finished them, it wasn’t truly over.
Squelch—! Squelch—!
“Aaaahhhhh!”
“Gaaahhhhh!”
I drove the scythe into the shoulders and thighs of the fallen Delinquent Gang members.
Indifferent to their agony, I inflicted additional damage upon them.
“Ugh, ughhhh… I’m going to die…”
“Stop whining. You won’t die from this.”
I had no intention of killing them.
‘They’re just trash who’ll drop out when the time comes anyway.’
But I would educate them thoroughly.
‘I’ll plant fear so deep they never crawl back up.’
I drove the scythe into their limbs once more.
“Gaaahhhhh!”
“Hhhhhaaahhh!”
They wailed as if death were imminent, but they wouldn’t die.
I’d adjusted the damage by watching their health bars to ensure they survived.
I stepped past the screaming Delinquent Gang members and stood before Hwang Yong-min.
“…”
Hwang Yong-min, who lay with his eyes closed, trembled faintly.
“Pretending to sleep won’t help. There are no exceptions.”
Ryu Min’s scythe moved.
Shlick—!
In that instant, one of Hwang Yong-min’s arms was severed cleanly.
“Ugh, uaaaaaaagh!”
“Don’t whine. That’s not even pain.”
It wasn’t bravado.
I had lived through far worse suffering than losing an arm.
At the hands of Hwang Yong-min’s gang, no less.
The daily torment inflicted by the Delinquent Gang had been unimaginable agony for its victims.
Ryu Min’s scythe moved once more.
With both arms severed, Hwang Yong-min let out a pitiful scream.
Witnessing the brutal sight, An Sang-chul swallowed hard.
‘Cutting off the arms of an opponent who’s already lost the will to fight without hesitation….’
Though it might appear harsh to others, An Sang-chul saw it differently.
Rather, he marveled at the cold-blooded decisiveness, his eyes gleaming with admiration.
‘This person called the Black Scythe… truly possesses a caliber worthy of standing beside the Representative.’
Previously, I had criticized him as arrogant, but now I saw the truth.
He had every right to be that way.
His skill was undeniably exceptional.
‘With that level of ability, it’s no wonder he rejected our proposal.’
I was genuinely impressed by the Rank 1 player when Ryu Min glanced in my direction.
He struck Hwang Yong-min’s thighs several more times, then approached with an expressionless face.
Though he was an ally, An Sang-chul couldn’t help but feel tension.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes… thanks to you.”
“You don’t need to worry about them attacking anymore. As you can see, they won’t be able to move. At best, they’ll just vote.”
“Ah… thank you so much, Black Scythe.”
As An Sang-chul bowed, Seo A-rin followed suit.
“Thank you for helping us. But… won’t they die like this…?”
“So what if they do? They’re worse than beasts anyway.”
“Ah….”
At the cold words, Seo A-rin fell silent.
Meanwhile, I clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘Too soft, way too soft. She’s not a saint—why is she worried about these bastards’ lives?’
Concerned about the lives of those who sought to harm me.
‘Could it be she’s managing her image because she’s a public figure?’
Then again, for someone like Seo A-rin, condoning murder wouldn’t come easily.
‘Regardless, the objective has been achieved.’
I saddled An Sang-chul with the debt exactly as intended.
There was no need to concern myself with it any further.
“Ughhhh….”
“Uhhhhh….”
These bastards with severed limbs were no different.
They were groaning as if death were imminent, but I no longer needed to care about them.
‘They won’t die. I left them with enough stamina to survive until the time runs out.’
Once the round ended and time elapsed, they would come back to life.
‘Having limbs severed in the Other World doesn’t mean your limbs are severed in reality.’
As long as they clung to life, they could return to reality with their bodies intact.
‘I’d like nothing more than to kill them here, but I can’t afford to do that yet.’
Killing them would serve no purpose.
I didn’t harbor such deep resentment toward them, nor would I gain anything from it.
‘They don’t drop experience points like monsters do.’
If I were to kill them, I had to extract every last bit of use from them first.
‘They still have value to me. Hwang Yong-min and the other Delinquent Gang members alike.’
That was when An Sang-chul asked respectfully.
“Black Scythe. If you don’t mind, may I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Why did you choose to keep these bastards alive? In the Other World, there would be no problem eliminating trash like them.”
The Delinquent Gang members flinched at his chilling words.
Unlike Seo A-rin, An Sang-chul seemed to want these scum eliminated and disposed of.
‘Just as expected of Ma Gyeong-rok’s right hand.’
Ryu Min answered without hesitation, explaining his reasoning.

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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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