The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 223

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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 223
223. Preparations in Full
When I saw the Archangels who had come to kill me, I couldn’t help but feel inwardly troubled.
‘The Archangels appear before I can even cast the Demon’s Blessing.’
I need to cast the Demon’s Blessing before capturing the Angels to receive massive rewards proportional to my stats.
But ironically, the Demon’s Blessing is a buff that requires capturing 100 Angels.
‘Currently, only one Angel is counted—Sariel, whom I captured last time.’
I need to capture 99 more Angels before I can use the blessing.
‘Without the blessing, even if I kill an Archangel, I won’t receive even a pittance of reward.’
I need Angels to use as sacrifices before killing the Archangel.
‘What should I do?’
After brief deliberation, the answer I devised was surprisingly simple.
I would make the Archangels call for reinforcements.
While adjusting my strength to feel evenly matched.
‘If I overwhelmingly crush them, they won’t even think to call for backup. Or conversely, they might summon another Archangel instead.’
Another Archangel coming would be problematic.
What I needed were sacrifices to build my stack.
‘I need to match my strength to be as similar as possible. Make it seem like they could win if they had just a bit more reinforcements.’
The key was to lure them into thinking they could win with help.
Like dangling bait to entice fish.
‘I need to do some acting. Deliberately take some hits I could avoid.’
Even though I knew the explosive shuriken would detonate on contact, I touched it as if I didn’t.
The Prison of Light, which I could have shattered in one blow, I struck repeatedly while acting as though I were completely trapped.
‘Fortunately, they fell for it completely. Now they’ll think that with both of them working together, they can definitely win.’
But if I only took hits, they wouldn’t call for reinforcements.
I needed to show temporary strength, and the means I used for that was the Reaper’s Transformation.
‘First, I show myself losing ground, then use the Reaper’s Transformation and overwhelm them spectacularly. Then when the transformation ends? I act panicked and immediately flee.’
This would buy the Angels time to call for reinforcements and give me an excuse to escape.
‘Unless they’re idiots, the Angels will understand. After all, I became stronger once my form turned black.’
The Angels would be frustrated.
They’d let a winnable opponent slip through their fingers right before them.
‘Since I damaged their wings, they can’t chase me and will call for reinforcements instead. But they can’t summon an Archangel either. It seems their honor depends on this mission.’
Besides, these creatures have strong pride.
They’d likely try to handle it themselves without borrowing the Archangel’s power.
There was a high chance they’d summon Combat Angels, which they could use freely.
‘I hope they call as many Combat Angels as possible… No, even just 99 would be perfect.’
I don’t know how many reinforcements they’ll request.
What’s certain is that I need to make full preparations while the Reaper’s Transformation cooldown resets.
‘I need to raise my stats as much as possible in preparation for using the Demon’s Blessing after capturing the Angels.’
I have quite a lot to do in the remaining 44 minutes.
I need to consume potions and receive various buffs.
‘I should seek out those three people.’
Spreading my wings, I cut across the sky.
* * *
The first person I visited was Min Ju-ri.
The Bless buff I’d received at the start of the round had worn off.
“Black Scythe?”
At my sudden appearance, Min Ju-ri’s eyes widened in surprise.
“What were you doing?”
“Oh, I just finished an errand quest a moment ago.”
Min Ju-ri was conducting quests in the Holy Empire as I had instructed.
1. Make a donation at the Temple
2. Run errands for the Priest
3. Subjugate nearby monsters and obtain Holy Water
4. Make a donation to the Temple
Completing these four linked quests would raise her reputation to very favorable.
It was the optimal route for raising human favorability as quickly as possible.
Though it seemed simple, the task required at least six hours.
“You’re doing well. Is it time to hunt monsters now?”
“Yes. Though I’m not sure if I can handle them alone…”
“You have that broken skill called Bless, so you’ll manage fine. Don’t worry.”
“Thank you. By the way, what brings you here?”
“That broken skill I just mentioned—its effect has worn off.”
In other words, I’d come to receive buffs.
Requesting buffs from a Buffer was natural, but Min Ju-ri was inwardly astonished.
Black Scythe had rarely asked for buffs directly before.
‘Black Scythe actually needs my help…’
Min Ju-ri’s smile stretched from ear to ear over something as simple as providing a single buff.
“Will you give it or not?”
“Oh, forgive me. Of course I will!”
[Skill Bless grants an 80% increase to all stats.]
[Skill Swift grants an 80% increase to attack speed and movement speed.]
[Skill Safety Barrier has been applied.]
[You are protected against physical attacks up to 2 times.]
“I’ve applied the three-skill set. Hehe.”
“Much appreciated.”
Min Ju-ri always knew which buffs would be most useful without being asked.
Fluttering—
As I unfurled the wings of darkness behind my back, Min Ju-ri gasped.
“That’s a skill I haven’t seen before?”
“There’s been something I need to attend to recently. I’m busy, so I’ll head out first. Work hard on your Quests.”
“Thank you for the encouragement, Black Scythe. Take care!”
My body soared high into the distance.
* * *
The second place I arrived at was Irongray, the city of the dwarves.
I had come to meet Russell, after all.
Russell stood waiting in front of the Blacksmith Shop, the three hours we’d promised having apparently passed.
“Ah! Black Scythe!”
As I descended to the ground, I asked calmly.
“Did you wait long?”
“Not at all!”
“The rewards?”
“Of course I received them! Would you like to check?”
At my nod, Russell approached and placed his hands on my equipment.
[Due to the effect of the skill ‘Equipment Polish’, the armor’s options increase by 20%.]
[The buff persists until the end of this round.]
‘A 20% increase?’
It had doubled from the previous 10%.
A satisfied smile crossed my lips.
It was worth coming back for another buff.
“While we’re at it, I’ll buff your other equipment too. Your weapons as well.”
“Much appreciated.”
Russell placed his hands on various parts of my gear, applying buffs.
Every piece of equipment except accessories was strengthened considerably.
[Due to the effect of the skill ‘Weapon Polish’, weapon attack power increases by 200%.]
[The buff persists until the end of this round.]
Not only Equipment Polish but Weapon Polish had increased as well.
A single three-hour Quest had enhanced my overall skills.
And on top of that, my reputation with the dwarves had improved too.
“What about my reputation?”
“It was neutral, but it jumped straight to very favorable. It’s all thanks to you, Black Scythe. And The Seer too, for arranging the connection.”
Seeing Russell grin from ear to ear, the skill enhancement clearly delighted him immensely.
“I’m glad you’re pleased. Now you just need to focus on leveling up.”
“Thank you, Black Scythe. I’ll work hard and become useful to you going forward!”
“Don’t forget that resolve. I’m busy, so I’ll head out now.”
I unfurled my wings and slowly ascended into the air.
After visiting one more person, I planned to go to the Angels.
‘I hope they’ve brought at least 99 people.’
My body swiftly left the city behind.
* * *
The Demon Beast Forest was unexpectedly filled with Angels.
They were 5th-rank Angels who had appeared in response to Uriel and Raguel’s summons.
[Uriel. How are your wounds?]
[Nearly healed. What about you?]
Raguel rotated her shoulder, revealing the area where her wings had been torn.
[The recovery is slower in the Other World, but the pain has subsided.]
[That’s fortunate.]
[Compared to the battle with Cheon Ma, these wounds are nothing. Flight will be difficult for now, but once we return to the Heavenly Realm, we should recover completely.]
Angels could receive treatment at the Celestial Spring.
Even if their limbs were severed, as long as they drew breath, their bodies could be restored to the point of being newly created.
[Damn it. That human Black Scythe turned out to be unexpectedly strong. You admit that too, don’t you?]
[I do now. But that creature’s rampage ends here. With this much military force, he’ll find it difficult to handle.]
Raguel’s gaze swept across the combat Angels filling the Demon Beast Forest.
A total of 200 Angels stood in formation, each gripping their weapons.
[True. With these forces combined, subduing Black Scythe would be child’s play.]
[Even if that insect turns black?]
It was a question that couldn’t be answered easily, so Uriel hesitated before responding.
I simply weighed the combat strength of both sides against each other.
[Certainly, if that creature turns black, it won’t be easy. Just the two of us would be insufficient. But…]
Uriel’s gaze turned toward the soldiers.
‘With 200 shields, the possibility is more than sufficient.’
I smiled faintly, concealing my true thoughts.
[With this much military force at our side, what is there to fear?]
[That’s right? We can win with this, can’t we?]
[Of course. Still, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, if Black Scythe turns black, let’s execute him on the spot. Mere subdual seems insufficient.]
[That’s pleasant to hear. Hehe.]
Raguel hoped desperately that Black Scythe would turn black.
She intended to repay the insult inflicted by the creature with death.
[Well, now that all the forces have assembled, shall we go kill Black Scythe—or rather, subdue the creature?]
[We should. I’m already preparing to track him.]
[Understood.]
While Raguel activated an artifact with tracking capabilities, Uriel stepped forward before the soldiers standing like wooden statues.
[Listen. You don’t need me to explain who I am, do you? The soldiers who received the support request would have seen my name first.]
The Angels neither answered nor nodded their heads.
To 5th-rank beings like them, an Archangel was an incomprehensibly distant superior.
In military terms, it was like a two-star general standing before a private.
[Thank you for providing more support than expected. Your mission is simple: assist me and Raguel here in eliminating one human criminal who disturbs the Heavenly Realm.]
‘A human criminal?’
‘They called this many just to capture one person?’
It was common knowledge in the Heavenly Realm that humans were weak.
The Angels had readily answered Uriel’s call for support, but they never imagined the task would involve capturing a human.
[Do not underestimate him. Among humans, he ranks among the stronger ones.]
Though they thought to themselves how strong could one human possibly be, none of the Angels dared voice such doubts aloud.
If the Archangel said so, then it must be true.
The Angels’ only concern was earning merit and catching the Archangel’s eye.
Uriel seized the moment with a topic that would capture their interest.
[If you complete this task well, I will personally promote all of you to the 4th rank. So give this mission your absolute best. Understood?]
[Yes, sir!!!]
Their voices rang with fervor, and their expressions betrayed an eagerness to tear the human apart as soon as possible.
Uriel smiled with satisfaction at the morale of his soldiers, though the expression was short-lived.
[U-Uriel, sir.]
Seeing Raguel’s flustered face, Uriel could no longer smile.
[What is it? Has something gone wrong with the tracking artifact?]
[No, sir. It’s Black Scythe.]
[What about that human?]
[The distance is closing… and it appears he’s heading this way.]
[What?]
The one who was fleeing is coming toward us of his own accord?
[Are you certain?]
[Absolutely certain. Both direction and distance confirm he’s heading straight for us.]
[Well, this works out perfectly. We don’t even need to go looking for him.]
A sudden strategy flashed through Uriel’s mind as he smiled.
[Actually, let’s dig a trap and wait instead. That way we can finish this for certain. What’s the estimated time of arrival?]
[Three minutes, sir.]
[Plenty of time. Order the soldiers to hide behind the trees for cover. When the target arrives, I’ll give the signal and you all attack simultaneously.]
[Understood, sir.]
Raguel immediately relayed the orders, and the Angels moved with perfect coordination.
As Uriel watched them, a smile returned to his lips.
‘Come on then, human. This time, there will be no escape.’

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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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