The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 220

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Episode 220
220. Divine-Grade Shoes
“Mandrake’s Mana Stem, Adamantium Iron Plate, Synthetic Leather, Wind Spirit’s Feather, Mana Core, and 2 Black Iron Powder—is that correct?”
Ryu Min nodded after verifying the materials Hammer had brought.
“That’s right. How much do I owe you?”
“Hmm, just a moment, let me calculate….”
Hammer, who had been tallying with an abacus, hesitated at the unexpectedly high figure before speaking.
“N-now, don’t be alarmed. The total for all seven materials comes to 5,932,900 Gold….”
At the staggering sum of nearly six million Gold, Russell—not even the one paying—gasped in shock.
“W-what kind of materials cost that much?”
“They’re materials that are extremely difficult to obtain. We only just managed to procure them.”
“Still, over 800,000 Gold per item….”
Russell, his expression one of disbelief, eventually looked at Hammer as though he were a con artist.
Hammer, suddenly demoted from craftsman to swindler, wore an expression of profound injustice.
Of course, Ryu Min trusted Hammer and didn’t consider the price to be inflated.
‘This is fair market value. These are materials that go into Divine-Grade items, after all.’
Less than a million Gold per material was actually a reasonable deal.
Besides, I had roughly 65 million Gold to my name.
Ever since capturing Angel, it had accumulated exponentially to this point.
‘For now, it’s only useful for buying materials, but eventually I’ll find uses for it all.’
Especially since Gold would prove invaluable in Round 17, so the more I had, the better.
“Surely that’s an unreasonable amount? Perhaps you should reconsider….”
“I’ll take it.”
“A wise decision. Then let’s forget this ever—wait?”
“I said I’ll take it. The materials.”
Hammer’s eyes widened in surprise, his expression shifting to one of genuine doubt.
“That’s a sum even the Hormos Merchant Alliance wouldn’t readily disburse….”
“I have plenty of Gold. Let’s just complete the transaction.”
A trade window promptly materialized before me.
[Please freely designate the items or Gold you wish to offer.]
【Trader: Black Scythe】
└Items to Trade: None
└Gold to Trade: 5,932,900G
☞Confirm Trade☜
【Trader: Hammer】
└Items to Trade: Mandrake’s Mana Stem, Adamantium Iron Plate, Synthetic Leather, Wind Spirit’s Feather, Mana Core, Black Iron Powder x2
└Gold to Trade: 0 G
☞Confirm Trade☜
[Please place the items and press the ‘Confirm Trade’ button.]
[The transaction will only be completed with both parties’ consent.]
As I tapped the transaction button, gold flowed out with a jingling sound, and the materials were deposited into my inventory.
Ryu Min’s lips curved upward slightly.
‘With this, I’ve gathered all the materials needed to craft God-tier shoes and a weapon. Well, except for one thing.’
The critical material—Condensed Ether—wasn’t something even Hammer sold, so I had no choice but to obtain it myself.
‘I have one Ether that I obtained after killing Sariel, so I can make the God-tier shoes right away.’
I wanted to craft a God-tier weapon first, but weapons required 2 Condensed Ethers.
‘If I take down 2 Archangels like I’ve done before, wouldn’t they drop?’
Though I couldn’t be certain whether Archangels would appear in this round.
“Haha, so you really did purchase items. How do you possess such wealth, Forerunner….”
“I was fortunate.”
I waved my hand, leaving Hammer behind as he grinned broadly at my simple answer.
“I’ve finished my business, so I’ll be going now.”
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Forerunner.”
“It was nice meeting you too, Blacksmith Hammer. Russell, keep studying hard over there. I’ll be back in three hours, so I’ll see you then.”
“You’re coming back? Why?”
“I want to see Russell’s enhanced abilities.”
“Understood. I’ll wait here, working hard.”
“Alright then. I’m off.”
“Travel safely!”
I nodded and left the Blacksmith Shop, pushing off the ground with force.
Fluttering—
Dark wings erupted from my back, lifting my body toward the sky.
* * *
I pondered where to spend my time while Russell completed his Quest.
‘I’ve already cleared the round anyway, and I’ve finished everything I needed to do.’
Since I couldn’t just idle around, I decided to tackle a sub-quest.
Thinking about what would be best for the future, one conclusion emerged.
‘If I’m doing a Quest, the Mercenary Group would be the best choice.’
My current Mercenary Group rank was Veteran.
Once I reached the next rank, ‘Master,’ I would gain the qualification to hunt dragons.
‘I absolutely must hunt a dragon. Considering the items, titles, and runes that drop from it.’
Killing a dragon yields God-tier accessories.
One of the eighteen essential runes and a title also drop, so there’s no reason not to hunt it.
‘But I can’t hunt it now. An unprecedented barrier is blocking access.’
Even knowing the location of Dragon’s Nest, I couldn’t hunt it immediately.
Just as I couldn’t forcibly break through Elsorium’s Treasure Vault, forced entry was impossible.
The only way to enter was to raise my Mercenary Group rank to Master.
‘There’s nothing to worry about. I only need to raise it one more tier.’
If I completed some subjugation Quests with the Mercenary Group, I could raise it quickly.
Since I had Veteran rank, the rewards were more generous than other sub-quests, so there was no reason to hesitate.
‘I’ve arrived.’
Thud—
After flying for about ten minutes, I landed in the Albitz Kingdom.
Since the Golden Eagle Mercenary Corps had branches in every major city, there was no need to travel far.
‘Before I take on the Mercenary Group Quest…’
I opened my crafting window.
[Primary Materials]
-Quality Leather Boots
[Secondary Materials]
-Condensed Ether
-Black Iron Powder
-Mandrake’s Mana Stem
-Exotic Leather
-Wind Spirit’s Feather
‘Should I start with a God-tier item?’
Since I couldn’t craft weapons immediately, I decided to start with shoes.
[Combining God-tier item in progress.]
[Converting to an item befitting your current class.]
[Combination successful!]
[You have created ‘Thanatos’s Boots’.]
[Thanatos’s Boots]
-Category: Footwear
-Grade: God
-Defense: 1,200
-Effect: All Stats +50, Movement Speed +100%, Can walk through empty air in darkness.
-Durability: 20,000/20,000
-Usage Restriction: Master Grade or higher
-Description: Boots crafted using the divine essence of Thanatos, the god of death. Grants additional effects when the full set is equipped.
-Thanatos’s Raiment Set Effect (4/5)
-2-Set Effect: Resistance +20%
-3-Set Effect: Skill Damage +10%
-4-Set Effect: Damage Taken Reduced by 30%
-5-Set Effect: ?????
Thanatos’s Boots had excellent stats, but the ability to walk through empty air was the real treasure.
‘As long as it’s dark, I can step through the air without any restrictions whatsoever.’
I could leap into the air and bounce off empty space like a platform, descending back to the ground.
I could even move in zigzags across the sky however I pleased.
It was essentially like gaining an entirely new battlefield, making it incredibly versatile.
The added set effect of reducing damage taken by 30% was also quite valuable.
‘That makes four. Now that I have a weapon, I’ll have all the God-tier items I need to craft the complete set.’
Other than that, God-tier accessories could be obtained by hunting Boss Monsters.
Dragons, for instance.
‘I need to raise the Mercenary Group’s rank as soon as possible.’
Ryu Min quickened his pace toward the Golden Eagle Mercenary Corps.
* * *
[Tch.]
[Cheer up, Raguel.]
Raguel, ranked fifth in the hierarchy, was the Archangel of justice, fairness, and harmony.
But now her face bore expressions that hardly befitted such a title.
[No, Uriel! This isn’t right, is it? We have to send two of us just to catch one human? What’s so frightening about such a pathetic insect!]
The reason for Raguel’s indignation was simple enough.
Now that the two of them had descended into the Other World to capture a single human, her pride had been wounded.
In crude terms, reality had hit her hard.
[I’m a bit puzzled myself. How strong could a human possibly be?]
[Exactly? There was no need for you to step in, Uriel.]
[But what can I do when ordered? I can’t refuse something that Gabriel and even Raphael have approved of.]
[Why would they make us waste our steps like this….]
[The higher-ups probably thought sending two was safer.]
[It’s not that I don’t trust you to go alone.]
[I can’t say that’s not true.]
[Sigh, they don’t seem to know how brilliantly I performed in the last Cheon Ma War….]
Though she was now at the bottom rank, Raguel’s combat prowess far exceeded those ranked sixth and seventh below her.
She was the Raguel who, driven by her unique sense of justice during the Fifth Cheon Ma War that erupted two hundred years ago, had slaughtered countless demons.
Uriel nodded, as if acknowledging those past achievements.
[I know. I know, and the higher-ups know too. You rose to the position of Archangel precisely because your contributions from that time were recognized, and you’re a first-rank angel.]
[Then why…!]
[It’s probably just that they wanted to finish this decisively. There’s always the possibility of unforeseen circumstances, right?]
[You know my strength and still say this? Such an insect is more than enough for me alone!]
[What happened to those who were so confident? They’ve all disappeared without a trace, haven’t they?]
[….]
Sending you alone would give us a 99% success rate, but sending both of us guarantees we finish the job at 100%. That’s why the higher-ups told me to go with you, even though there was no real need for me to step in.]
[But….]
[We’ve only sent people alone until now, and look at the mess we’re in. Considering contingencies, it was a wise decision.]
Though Uriel’s words were gentle and logically sound, Raguel’s expression remained sullen.
[Still, such an insect is more than enough for me alone….]
Understanding Raguel’s frustration well enough, Uriel offered a suggestion.
[How about this then? I’ll give you the first chance to fight. I’ll just watch from behind.]
At those words, Raguel’s crumpled expression brightened instantly.
[Really?]
[But if it seems dangerous, I’ll jump in immediately. Don’t complain about me stepping in during the battle, understood?]
[Ugh! That won’t happen, so don’t worry! There’s no situation that would require Uriel to step in. I can handle it perfectly well on my own!]
[Then do so.]
[Thank you for yielding to me. Hehe!]
[Don’t mention it.]
Uriel smiled benevolently as he watched Raguel shout with such confidence.
But beneath that gentle expression, a subtle sneer lurked within.
‘I’ll let Raguel fight first to gauge just how capable this human called Black Scythe really is.’
Based on what happened to Remiel and Sariel, Black Scythe was far from an ordinary human.
Even checking the records in the Hall of Records, he had consistently achieved first place in the rankings across all rounds—a truly exceptional human.
Dismissing him as a mere insect would certainly lead to disaster.
‘At least he hasn’t reached max level yet, which is fortunate.’
A max-level player’s combat power was comparable to a sixth-rank battle angel.
Yet Black Scythe had killed Archangels.
Two of them, no less.
‘I know level doesn’t mean everything, but at least Raguel alone should be able to handle him. If things go south, I can always step in.’
It was embarrassing that two Archangels needed to face such a trivial human, but what could be done?
The situation was urgent enough that it needed to be resolved decisively.
‘I can’t let my guard down. Let Raguel fight first to test the waters, then I’ll decide.’
Though it was unlikely, what if even he couldn’t handle it?
‘Then I’ll flee without looking back.’
Whether Raguel lived or died was none of his concern.
Even for an Archangel, life was precious.
[Shall we go now? Uriel?]
[Yes. Track Black Scythe’s location. Let’s go capture him.]
The two angels laughed coldly and began to spread their wings.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————