The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 23

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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 23
23. The Voting Results
“You want me to work under you?”
Jo Jung-sik nodded at Ryu Min’s retort.
“That’s right. In exchange, I’ll let you keep your life.”
As he spoke, Jo Jung-sik twirled the dagger in his hand in lazy circles.
It was an obvious threat.
Finding the display ridiculous, Ryu Min couldn’t suppress the laughter bubbling up from within.
“Pfft.”
“Hey. What’s so funny?”
Ignoring Jo Jung-sik’s stern expression, Ryu Min opened his inventory.
Shing—
A colossal scythe materialized from the void.
Jo Jung-sik’s dagger, shorter than a forearm, looked pathetic by comparison.
“….”
Jo Jung-sik swallowed hard without realizing it.
“You’re suggesting we fight right now?”
“You, you—where did you even get a weapon like that….”
“Kneel.”
Ryu Min spoke again, his tone glacial.
“Drop to your knees and apologize right now, and I’ll let you walk away unharmed.”
“You bastard, you still don’t understand the situation. I’m the representative of the next round’s territory….”
“Are my words difficult to comprehend? Or do you need to see blood spilled here before you’ll listen?”
Ryu Min’s scythe moved with deliberate slowness.
Faced with this sudden crossroads, Jo Jung-sik swallowed his curses.
‘Damn it! How was I supposed to know he had a weapon like that!’
This wasn’t just any scythe—it was a massive blade that towered above his head.
Even at a glance, its menace was so palpable it shattered any will to fight.
‘I was even prepared for combat….’
This pathetic dagger stood no chance.
Jo Jung-sik bit his lower lip.
By touching the Black Scythe, he’d brought this disaster upon himself.
‘Damn it… I’m not even the territory representative yet, and I’ve already….’
Intoxicated by the illusion of control, he’d provoked the rank one player.
A clear mistake.
“Why aren’t you answering? From our conversation, you clearly understand Korean.”
“….”
“Did you suddenly forget how to speak? Then I’ll teach you how again.”
As Ryu Min raised his scythe as if to strike, Jo Jung-sik spoke with visible tension.
“I’m Jo Jung-sik, boss of the Jung-sik Faction. There’s not a gangster in Seoul who doesn’t know my name. You think I’d kneel before someone like you?”
Jo Jung-sik steeled himself and drew his dagger.
“Come at me with that fancy weapon of yours, you bastard. Though you’d better come at me with the resolve to kill. Otherwise, it’ll be your arm that gets torn off.”
In a situation where anyone would cower, he revealed his true name and instead took a fighting stance?
‘His nerve hasn’t changed one bit.’
Ryu Min laughed inwardly.
‘Should I end the game here?’
I had no intention whatsoever of killing Jo Jung-sik.
I had no desire to injure him either.
I needed someone to become the district representative, and I’d have to use him in the next round.
‘If I showed off my strength carelessly, more votes would go to me than to Jo Jung-sik.’
Not losing in a battle of wills—this level was just right.
Exactly as I’d done in the previous round.
‘It’s about time Angel shows up anyway, so I’ll wrap this up here.’
Right on cue.
[Are you all gathered? You humans?]
Angel appeared as expected.
“Lucky timing.”
Ryu Min quickly stowed the scythe in his inventory.
There was nothing to gain from drawing Angel’s attention.
“Next time, choose your opponent more carefully. Unless you want to die early.”
“….”
As Ryu Min turned away, Jo Jung-sik exhaled a quiet sigh of relief.
‘Phew… I thought I was done for.’
It was a sigh of relief.
‘My pride took a hit, but at least I’m alive, right?’
What I’d just done was nothing but bluffing with bravado.
In truth, I hadn’t wanted to fight the Black Scythe either.
‘Damn it… I almost died there.’
Still, I was fortunate that Angel appeared and let me escape the situation.
And I hadn’t shown a pathetic side of myself in front of everyone.
‘For now I’ll let this slide, but just wait. I’ll repay the humiliation I just suffered tenfold.’
If these humans voted for me and I became the district representative as planned?
Then I’d have no reason to cower like this.
Because I’d gain that absurdly broken authority called command.
While Jo Jung-sik swore his revenge, Angel laughed.
[Kehehehe, you humans. Have you decided who will be your representative?]
“….”
The people remained silent.
It was unclear whether to call it a discussion or coercion.
Angel, already watching the corpses scattered throughout the clearing, chuckled.
[It seems you didn’t just talk for three hours. The number of participants has dropped from 5,143 to 4,988!]
More people had died than I expected, but not all of them had fallen to each other’s blades.
Some had ventured into the Forest and perished to monsters.
[Whether humans live or die is none of my concern. Shall we proceed with the vote as planned?]
As Angel’s wings fluttered, an identical message window materialized before everyone.
[We will now conduct a vote to select a zone representative.]
[Each participant may cast one vote, and the player receiving the most votes shall become the zone representative.]
[Should there be a tie, those players shall be nominated as candidates and a revote will be held.]
[Now, gaze upon the person you wish to vote for and silently think the word ‘vote’.]
[Any player who fails to complete their vote within the five-minute time limit will be eliminated from the round and cease to exist.]
[Vote Time Remaining: 00:04:59]
As the countdown began, the crowd murmured and exchanged cautious glances.
‘Gaze upon the person I want to vote for?’
Naturally, all eyes turned toward Jo Jung-sik.
‘As expected, their attention is fixed on me. Heh heh.’
It was only natural—he had threatened to kill anyone who didn’t vote for him.
Yet there were those whose gazes wavered.
“Hey, you there with the round face!”
“Me? Y-yes?”
“Why aren’t you looking at me? You didn’t vote for me, did you?”
“No, I did. I swear.”
“Don’t lie. I’ve been watching—you keep looking elsewhere!”
Desperate to secure every last vote, Jo Jung-sik intimidated the crowd and coerced their ballots.
When five minutes had elapsed, Angel spoke.
[Time’s up. We have exactly 4,988 votes—fortunately, no foolish human neglected to vote! Shall we tally the results?]
Moments later, a translucent window materialized before the crowd, displaying usernames and numbers in rapid succession.
Like a real-time voting chart, the numbers climbed continuously until the final tally appeared.
【Zone Representative Selection Vote Results】
1st Place. Life is Documentary (2,412 votes)
2nd Place. Black Scythe (2,077 votes)
3rd Place. Black Flame Dragon in Right Hand (249 votes)
4th Place. Round Face (6 votes)
5th Place. Cute Baby Bird (5 votes)
…
…
Jo Jung-sik’s brow furrowed as he stared at the overwhelming results he had anticipated.
‘I only received 2,412 votes? And second place is the Black Scythe?’
The gap between him and Black Scythe was merely 335 votes.
While not perilously close, the narrow margin left him deeply unsatisfied.
‘These bastards—I told them to vote only for me, yet they secretly voted for the Black Scythe?’
Jo Jung-sik’s eyes darted across the crowd, but there was no way to discern who had voted for whom.
‘There’s nothing I can do about it now. The result is already decided.’
Jo Jung-sik let out a satisfied chuckle.
Regardless of the process, all that mattered was the outcome.
‘Just as I planned—I’ve become the district representative. I now hold absolute power to manipulate these people!’
Jo Jung-sik’s gaze shifted toward Black Scythe.
‘No matter how strong that bastard is, he can’t possibly stand against five thousand humans.’
If I command the people to kill Black Scythe, he will inevitably fall.
‘You son of a bitch. You’ll regret not killing me. Hehehehe.’
While Jo Jung-sik basked in anticipation, Angel made the announcement.
[It’s decided. Life is Documentary, ranked first, has been selected as the district representative!]
No one cheered.
Most had cast their votes under duress, terrified of Jo Jung-sik’s retaliation.
The only one smiling was Jo Jung-sik himself.
“Hehehehe, now everyone needs to stay on my good side. Otherwise, I’ll use my command authority to kill them.”
Upon hearing his declaration to rule like a tyrant, shadows fell across the people’s faces.
[Then I shall grant Life is Documentary, the new district representative, the authority to command the people.]
Immediately after, a message appeared before Jo Jung-sik.
[You have become the district representative.]
[You have received Command Authority, the unique privilege of a representative.]
[For detailed information, please check the Skills section of your status window.]
‘Hehehehe, finally.’
Jo Jung-sik grinned wickedly and opened his status window.
A skill called [Command Authority] had been added to the Skills section.
Delighted by the acquisition of a skill no one else possessed, Jo Jung-sik examined its details.
[Temporary Skill – Command Authority]
-Effect: Issue commands to players and forcibly control them.
The targeted player cannot disobey under any circumstances.
You can use this skill a total of 10 times. Once exhausted, the skill disappears.
You can only issue one command per player.
Note: This skill does not work on players with a Class.
Jo Jung-sik’s smile vanished as he read the information.
‘What, what is this? Only 10 uses?’
He had assumed he could issue commands without limit, but it was merely ten times.
‘Well, it’s still a formidable power, but….’
He hadn’t expected such restrictions, leaving him utterly bewildered.
‘And what about that last line? The skill doesn’t work on players with a Class?’
In other words, anyone who obtains a Class becomes immune to commands.
Of course, Jo Jung-sik had no idea how to acquire a Class.
So he wasn’t concerned about it.
‘Others wouldn’t know any better either.’
In any case, if I use command authority well, I can seize control of the situation.
As long as I hide the fact that there’s a penalty.
Best of all, I can eliminate that eyesore—the Black Scythe.
‘That bastard. I’ll make him cough up all his items and order him to kill himself. Wait, didn’t they say I can only give one command per person?’
Jo Jung-sik’s mouth stretched into a long grin.
‘I’ll threaten him to hand over his items, and if he refuses, I’ll make him commit suicide. Of course, I’ll kill him even if he complies. Kekeke.’
The thought of eliminating that despicable rival made me laugh involuntarily.
But Jo Jung-sik’s laughter didn’t last long.
Angel had just uttered something completely unexpected.
[Well then, humans? You’ve voted, so you think this is over, right? But it’s not. This round had a hidden Quest.]
“What are you talking about?”
“A hidden Quest?”
Angel fluttered her wings as the bewildered crowd fell silent behind her.
【Sub Quest】
└Advance your class before voting time ends
└Obtain advancement items and gain a profession!
└Success reward ▶ 50% discount voucher for today’s items!
“Huh? What is this?”
“A Sub Quest?”
The sudden appearance of a Quest shocked everyone.
No one had imagined there would be another Quest hidden away.
[This round had a hidden Sub Quest. It was set to appear when you reached level 10… but you didn’t know, did you? Tee-hee-hee.]
“But there are no monsters—how were we supposed to level up…?”
At someone’s complaint, Angel’s expression turned serious.
[No monsters? The Forest is crawling with them!]
“…”
[Hunt in the Forest, reach level 10, and you can advance your class. Defeating monsters yields the items needed for advancement.]
“Ah…”
Sighs escaped from the crowd.
They had only just realized it.
They had wasted all this time pointlessly.
‘Damn it, we shouldn’t have been debating and fighting here!’
‘We should have just gone into the Forest and hunted…’
‘Then we would have completed the Sub Quest and received the reward!’
The crowd sighed, but regret, no matter how swift, always arrives too late.
[Don’t be too disappointed. The reward is gone, but anyone can advance their class once they reach level 10. You can aim for the next round!]
Angel, having consoled the crowd, continued speaking.
[Besides, only 80,000 people advanced their class this round across all sectors. That’s less than 0.01%!]
“80,000 people?”
“So many people have advanced classes…?”
Out of 900 million total survivors, 80,000 was certainly a small number, yet the figure failed to register with the people around him.
He could only feel despair at the fact that there were 80,000 people with higher levels than himself.
[Ah, now that I think about it, we have one advanced class user in our sector too?]
At Angel’s words, people gasped and glanced around nervously.
“There’s an advanced class user here?”
“Who is it?”
[Why don’t we find out through the sub-quest compilation results?]
Moments later, as the compilation results appeared, everyone’s eyes widened in shock.

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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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