The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 234

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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 234
234. Round 14 Begins
The moment February 1st struck midnight, a Grassland unfolded before Ryu Min’s eyes.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve seen the Grassland.’
Lately, I’d been starting frequently in the Monochrome Space, so it felt like ages.
‘First, let me check the special reward I chose last time.’
Looking at my skill window, I could see the round-limited reward I’d received.
[Temporary Skill – Invincibility]
-Effect: Upon use, you become immune to all damage. Duration is 60 seconds, and this is a one-time skill.
Invincibility’s duration was one minute.
For a temporary skill, that’s quite lengthy.
‘The problem is that it’s a one-time skill, though.’
Since I could only use it once, I had to deploy it wisely.
Of course, I already knew exactly when and against whom I should use it.
‘I’ll use this to clear the Sub Quest and acquire the Rune of Predation. If variables emerge, I’ll have no choice but to adapt.’
The variable I’m referring to is the Angels.
I’ve already killed four of the Seven Archangels.
Without a doubt, Heaven’s Angels must be grinding their teeth at me right now.
They’ll definitely send an Archangel to assassinate me this round as well.
‘Who will they send? Now that only the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranked remain, will it be the 2nd and 3rd? Or all three?’
I might face a crisis this round.
No matter how much stronger I’ve become, I can’t guarantee victory against three Archangels.
‘If worst comes to worst, I’ll have no choice but to abandon the Sub Quest and use Invincibility.’
Of course, I’ll test the waters a few times first, and if I sense danger, that’s when I’ll activate it.
‘Come on then, if you dare.’
As I stood waiting with my arms crossed, more players began appearing across the Grassland.
Their numbers were roughly four thousand.
It seemed like a lot at first glance, but this was the entirety of the world’s remaining players.
‘By the end of this round, only half of them will survive. In the next round, the numbers will halve again.’
It was bleak, but even I couldn’t prevent the dwindling numbers.
Not unless I became the creator of The Game itself.
[Hello there, humans. Welcome to Round 14!]
Once everyone had gathered, Angel appeared with a bright expression.
[Last round’s survivors were 4,997, right? But now we’re at 4,608—that’s 389 fewer. How curious!]
Angel seemed surprised, but the crowd showed little reaction.
They’d already learned why through the news.
‘Everyone knows. They know it was me.’
The fact that Black Scythe had completely eliminated all the criminal players was now common knowledge.
The only one who didn’t know was Angel.
[Why did the numbers drop? Did you all kill each other trying to steal items? How foolish!]
As the number of participants decreased, so too did the Achiever TO.
Angel mocked me for being foolish because of that very fact, but I harbored no regret for eliminating those criminals.
‘If I hadn’t killed them, the damage would have been far greater.’
What if I hadn’t saved this nation from the brink of collapse?
The dystopia would have accelerated further, and the world would never have escaped this atmosphere of despair.
The criminal Players would have grown even more arrogant, committing every conceivable atrocity.
The number of ordinary citizens sacrificed in that process would have been incalculable.
‘It’s fortunate I’ve cleaned up such trash now. If I’d let them fester any longer, the stench of decay would have permeated everything.’
Of course, there was another method—discovering their nicknames and killing them in the Other World.
That way, the Achiever TO wouldn’t have decreased at all.
‘But then I wouldn’t have received this hero’s treatment either.’
Publicly warning the criminals beforehand and executing them wasn’t because I was obsessed with attention.
It was to make the name Black Scythe known and to elevate its value.
To show all the Players in the world what happens when you commit crimes.
‘That way, in Round 15, they’ll obey my control without question. With eyes like the ones they’re showing me now.’
Looking around, the Players’ gazes fixed upon me were distinctly different.
Eyes mingled with respect and fear.
It couldn’t be otherwise.
If even ordinary citizens revered Black Scythe, what more could be said of the Players?
‘Of course they’d fear me. They should fear me.’
Merely meeting my gaze caused them to freeze or turn away.
Some, pricked by conscience, even fled their seats in terror.
[Well, that’s fine. If there are fewer of you, only you lose out. Why should I care? Let me just tell you about Round 14’s Quest.]
As Angel, who had been jeering, fluttered her wings, a message materialized.
◀ ROUND 14 ▶
【Main Quest】
└Survive 10 Monster Waves in total
[Integrated Zone CA-EA001]
└Participants: 4,608
└Achievers: 0/2,304
“Monster Waves?”
The Players examining the Quest generally maintained their composure.
They’d already experienced similar missions before.
“Is it an endurance mission like Round 3?”
“We just have to survive, right?”
Round 3 had been a mission to protect a relic during five waves of enemies.
This round was a simple mission—merely survive ten waves.
‘But that doesn’t mean we can afford to be careless.’
There was one more rule, but the Angels, who loved deceiving Players, would never reveal it.
Instead, they’d mock us, asking if it seemed too easy.
Just like now.
[This round involves blocking a total of 10 monster waves. That’s all there is to it. Not too difficult, right?]
Angel smiled brightly, but no player was fooled by that smile.
‘I should have learned by now not to take it at face value when she says something is easy. I’ve been blindsided more than once.’
[Monsters appear every 30 minutes in proportion to the number of players. Weak monsters come first, but as you progress, increasingly stronger monsters appear.]
“Angel! What happens if we can’t clear the monsters within 30 minutes?”
At someone’s question, Angel grinned wickedly.
[Simple. Once 30 minutes are up, the next wave appears immediately. It doesn’t matter if monsters from the previous wave remain. When the time comes, the next wave proceeds unconditionally.]
“Ah… Then we need to clear each wave as quickly as possible within 30 minutes.”
“Otherwise, monsters will keep accumulating….”
[Exactly. If you can’t clear monsters quickly, you’ll suffer because of the next wave. This vast Grassland might end up completely filled with monsters.]
The mission hinged on eliminating monsters as fast as possible.
[There might be foolish humans who try to survive by running away from monsters. For such people, I’ve prepared something. Would you like to look around?]
Looking around the Grassland, I could see a translucent dome-shaped barrier surrounding the area.
[I’ve blocked all sides with protective barriers so you can’t escape anywhere. Think of it as a kind of arena.]
Angel looked like she was mocking any thought of escape.
“We have to block all 10 waves together….”
“Does that mean we’re all a party?”
At someone’s murmur, Angel snapped her fingers in agreement.
[Well said. That’s right. For this round, all of you are registered as a party, and experience and gold will be divided equally among everyone. However, final settlement will occur after all waves end based on individual contribution, so keep that in mind.]
“How is the ranking determined?”
[Ranking is determined by contribution. Contribution is converted into points, and you enter the survivor list accordingly.]
Ranking determined by contribution?
That meant I needed to kill as many monsters as possible or contribute significantly to monster elimination.
‘This round definitely favors the strong. Like me.’
For Ryu Min, who could kill dozens of monsters with just a few swings of his scythe, accumulating contribution wasn’t difficult at all.
First place in this round’s ranking was as good as guaranteed.
‘But I can’t monopolize all the contribution. I need to leave some for others.’
If I wanted, I could single-handedly sweep away hundreds or thousands of monsters.
But then the contribution going to others would decrease, and ultimately my allies might not survive.
‘I can’t let that happen. At least I need to leave enough for the Saesin Religion.’
I had already taught my followers the characteristics of this round and how to tackle each wave.
Beyond that, I’d also distributed equipment I wouldn’t use, so accumulating contribution shouldn’t be difficult for them.
[Then prepare yourselves—we’ll start the Quest shortly!]
‘Why would we need to prepare if we’re starting right away? What’s there to prepare?’
I tilted my head in confusion but didn’t think much of it.
Unaware that Angel had other schemes in mind.
And.
Unaware that someone behind me was sending a sinister gaze my way.
* * *
When do we feel that life is unreasonable?
When we witness the wealth gap while watching the rich spend money like water?
When someone gets promoted faster than us simply because they’re acquainted with the Restaurant Owner?
When we’re forced to submit to greater power and violence?
There are many situations, but ultimately they all compress into one.
It’s when you lack power.
‘Without power, you get trampled by others. Whether it’s money, authority, or violence.’
Simple Mukbang had already experienced being trampled.
By the Chairman of Player Cafe.
‘That bastard deserves to be ground up and drunk. He cast me out just for one careless remark?’
Once, I was an executive handling major affairs at Player Cafe, but that was only once.
Now I’m blacklisted and can’t even access the site.
All because of one thing I said nine months ago.
-Why did Black Scythe submit an application request but has been ghosting ever since?
-Wasn’t Black Scythe never the real person to begin with?
-An Imposter… that actually makes sense.
-I mean, why would a bigshot like Black Scythe try to join ‘a cafe like this’?
-Simple Mukbang? Did you just say ‘a cafe like this’? What’s wrong with our Cafe?
-Simple Mukbang, as of this moment, you are removed from your executive position. You’ll be added to the blacklist, so adapt accordingly when a new era arrives.
After being mercilessly cast out by the Chairman of Player Cafe in that video conference.
Simple Mukbang had endured alone all this time.
Grinding my teeth with thoughts of revenge against the Chairman.
‘If I could, I’d find that bastard Chairman and kill him, but without knowing his nickname or face, it’s impossible….’
There was no way to find him.
Because the Chairman of Player Cafe was an ordinary person, not a Player.
Though Simple Mukbang didn’t know this fact.
‘Since it’s not his real-world face, if I just know his real name, I should be able to track him down.’
With that thought, I sought help from various Detective Agencies, but only ended up wasting the commission fees.
And now I’ve almost given up on finding the Chairman.
What can I do when there’s no way to find him?
But my heart still burned with resentment and bitterness from that time.
‘This is all because of Black Scythe, that bastard. I got removed because I was talking about that bastard!’
Strictly speaking, it was my own mistake, not Black Scythe’s, but Simple Mukbang needed someone to blame.
I needed a target to vent my concentrated anger upon.
And that target was Black Scythe now.
‘Die, you bastard. Damn hero, you worthless trash!’
Every month in the Other World, I spewed curses at the back of Black Scythe’s head, but I could only do it in my mind.
Because I couldn’t deny the vast gap in power between Black Scythe and myself.
Because I was acutely aware that Black Scythe was an entity I couldn’t dare touch.
‘This world is unreasonable and unfair. Damn it, let it all rot. This shitty world.’
Simple Mukbang blamed the Chairman, blamed Black Scythe, blamed the world itself—yet never once blamed herself.
She was the type to curse the world to ruin, yet cling desperately to her own life above all else.
Revenge and blame were luxuries only the living could afford.
‘I’ll survive. I’ll make it to Round 20 and wish for a power so overwhelming that no one could ever disrespect me again. Then I’ll force the Chairman and Black Scythe—you bastards—to kneel before me and beg for forgiveness on your hands and knees.’
Simple Mukbang, wearing a bitter smile as she stared at the back of Black Scythe’s head, suddenly turned away.
She thought he’d noticed her watching and nearly jumped out of her skin.
‘Damn it, that scared me. How does that bastard move so fast? I almost had a heart attack. Anyway, looking at the mission, Black Scythe’s going to take first place this round too, isn’t he? What a rotten world.’
The moment she heard that rankings were determined by monster contribution, the outcome was already decided.
‘I just need to work hard enough to at least make the cutoff.’
That’s when she was thinking about hunting as many monsters as possible.
-Simple Mukbang?
An unfamiliar voice echoed in her mind.
‘Huh? What? Where have I heard that voice before?’
-Look over here. Simple Mukbang. No, not there—this way. Look up at Heaven!
When she looked up, an Angel was gazing down at her.
-Yes, here!
“Did the Angel just speak to me…?”
-Don’t pretend you know me! Shut your mouth and listen!
At the Angel’s words, Simple Mukbang clamped her mouth shut.
She had no idea why the Angel was acting this way.
-I have business with you.
‘With me?’
-I need to talk with you. Follow me quietly—don’t let anyone else see.
The Angel gestured for her to follow, then slowly drifted across the sky.
Simple Mukbang had no choice but to follow, bewilderment written all over her face.

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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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