The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 24

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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 24
24. Round 2 Concluded
★ Round 2 Sub-Quest Results Compilation ★
[All Zones]
└1st Place. Black Scythe (Lv16 Reaper) 00:39:42
└2nd Place. Heavenly Demon (Lv10 Dark Knight) 02:36:15
└3rd Place. Shit Idiots (Lv10 Shaman) 02:37:17
[Zone ESKS45-5]
└1st Place. Black Scythe (Lv16 Reaper) 00:39:42
└2nd Place. None
└3rd Place. None
Everyone who saw the results was equally astonished.
“1st place is… Black Scythe?”
“Black Scythe was the only one in our zone to advance classes?”
Moreover, the class they’d advanced into was far from ordinary.
“A Reaper? What kind of class is that?”
“It sounds incredibly powerful, doesn’t it?”
“Is that why they were carrying such a massive scythe?”
Jo Jung-sik, like everyone else examining the results, swallowed hard.
‘Damn it. Of all people, Black Scythe had to be the one to advance.’
Command Authority doesn’t work on those who’ve advanced classes.
His plan to force Black Scythe into suicide had crumbled to dust.
[Round 2 rankings were determined by whoever completed the Sub-Quest fastest. It appears the advanced player in our zone is a user named Black Scythe.]
Angel, who’d been speaking matter-of-factly, suddenly wore an expression of surprise.
[Oh my? First place not just in this zone, but across all zones? And in under 40 minutes at that?]
Ryu Min had advanced classes in just 39 minutes after Round 2 began, while second place had taken 2 hours and 36 minutes.
An absolutely staggering gap.
It was a record so fast that even Angel was astounded.
[Remarkable! Black Scythe! Not only do you have the Reaper class—a unique class at that—but your nickname matches perfectly!]
Angel, genuinely impressed, turned to look at Ryu Min.
[Answer me! Black Scythe! How were you able to choose such a fitting nickname? Did you already know you’d obtain the Reaper class?]
Ryu Min remained unruffled by Angel’s probing question.
‘Angel doesn’t know the process of how one obtains the Reaper class. She only knows it’s a unique class.’
If I told her I killed her to obtain the advancement item, she’d be shocked.
“I didn’t expect to obtain a class that matched my nickname so well.”
[So advancing to Reaper was pure coincidence?]
“Yes.”
Ryu Min simply answered as I had in the previous cycle.
Angel reacted exactly as she had before.
[Ah, I see! Is this what they call destiny? Kihihihi! How delightful.]
Angel smiled with obvious delight.
She’d probably let this slide without asking further questions.
‘And now she’ll start talking about Command Authority.’
Right on cue.
[There’s only one person with a class in this zone. That’s the only way to avoid Command Authority, isn’t it? Kehehehe.]
“Huh? Avoid Command Authority?”
“What do you mean by that, Angel?”
Angel laughed playfully at their questions.
[Kekeke, since I’m already talking, should I tell you everything? People with a class are immune to Command Authority. In other words, the zone representative can’t control Black Scythe as he pleases.]
The crowd was shocked, but Angel wasn’t finished.
[Plus, Command Authority can only be used 10 times. The zone representative can’t wield unlimited power, you know. Kekeke.]
“Only 10 uses?”
“That’s how it works?”
Everyone’s gaze naturally turned toward the zone representative.
Jo Jung-sik’s expression was utterly bewildered.
‘Damn it! That crazy Angel bitch! Why would you say that!’
Jo Jung-sik glared at Angel as if he wanted to kill her.
The way she was grinning made it clear she’d deliberately said it to put him in a difficult position.
[Then I should give a reward to Black Scythe for advancing their class the fastest, shouldn’t I?]
Following Angel’s signal, a message unfolded before Ryu Min’s eyes.
[Congratulations! You’ve achieved the Quest as 1st place in this zone!]
[Congratulations! You’ve achieved the Quest as 1st place across all zones!]
[Your current ranking as ‘Black Scythe’ is 1st place across all zones and 1st place in this zone.]
[As a reward for 1st place zone ranking, you receive ‘Lower Rare Armor Selection’!]
[As a reward for 1st place all-zone ranking, you receive ‘Special Reward Selection Box’!]
The rewards were deposited into my inventory.
Ryu Min immediately used the item.
[You may select one of the following rare armors.]
[Please touch the reward you desire.]
└ 1. Medieval Knight’s Plate Armor
└ 2. Seasoned Hunter’s Leather Armor
└ 3. Well-Ventilated Mage’s Robe
‘There’s no real choice to deliberate over here.’
Ryu Min immediately selected option 2.
Option 1 was heavy and would slow my movements, while option 3 offered virtually no defense.
Option 2 was best for me—easy to move in and boosting agility stats.
Next, Ryu Min used the Special Reward Selection Box.
[You may select one of the following special rewards.]
[Please touch the reward you desire.]
└ 1. 3x Experience Buff (Limited to 3 Rounds)
└ 2. 3,000 Gold
└ 3. Information about Round 3
‘This one’s obvious too.’
Without hesitation, I selected the experience buff.
There was no reason not to choose the experience buff in Round 3, where monsters appeared in abundance.
◀ ROUND 2 COMPLETE ▶
[All Zones]
└Survivors: 873,500,205
[Zone ESKS45-5]
└Survivors: 4,988
[Your soul will soon transfer to your original dimension’s body.]
[Round 3 will begin at midnight on March 1st, 2022. I’ll see you in the next round. Congratulations on your survival.]
* * *
Just past three in the morning.
“Gasp!”
Hwang Yong-min jolted awake in bed and immediately checked his arms.
‘They’re… they’re here. Both arms are completely intact!’
When Black Scythe had severed his arms, Hwang Yong-min had felt despair wash over him.
He’d been consumed with worry about how he could possibly survive without both limbs.
‘My prediction was right. As long as you don’t die, you return with a whole body!’
Overcome with joy, he bounced on the bed and flailed his arms about, but the elation was short-lived.
The moment he recalled Black Scythe—the player who had inflicted such excruciating pain upon him—cold sweat trickled down his spine.
‘Never again… I’ll never defy Black Scythe again.’
Pride meant nothing to him.
He harbored no foolish thoughts of revenge or retaliation.
For Hwang Yong-min was weak before the strong.
‘Damn it, I never want to cross paths with that cold-blooded bastard again.’
Just thinking about it made his skin crawl, and he shuddered as he picked up his phone.
He was worried about whether his friends’ bodies were intact.
“Hey, how’s your body? You okay? My missing arm grew back. Let’s call the others. We should meet up.”
After contacting his friends, Hwang Yong-min stepped outside and walked through the Alley.
In the lamplight of the Alley, a group of delinquents was smoking.
“Yong-min, you made it?”
They were delinquent gang friends who had survived Round 2 with him.
“This bastard’s limbs are actually fine?”
“You’re completely fine too? Not a single bruise on your face.”
“Damn it, thinking about getting beaten by Black Scythe still makes it throb.”
“Ugh…”
At the mention of Black Scythe, his friends shuddered visibly.
“Let’s make a promise. We don’t speak the name Black Scythe ever again.”
“Yeah, you saw the aggregated results, right? That guy alone was level 16.”
“We’re only level 5, damn it….”
“And his job is the Reaper.”
“He’s a real Reaper. A Reaper….”
It seemed they’d developed trauma from this incident.
‘Well, that makes sense. They all nearly died with their limbs severed, barely managing to survive.’
I could confidently say there was no greater suffering than that.
“Didn’t I tell you? Assaulting Seo A-rin was a reckless plan. Why did we have to charge in like that?”
“Look at this bastard. When you saw Seo A-rin, you were excited enough, but now you’re backing out?”
“Honestly, it wasn’t a reckless plan. We were almost on the verge of success.”
“Right. If we’d just killed that bodyguard next to her.”
“Sigh… Who could have known Black Scythe would show up there?”
My friends shook their heads and just kept smoking cigarettes.
Regretting the past time wouldn’t change anything now.
“Still, we’re lucky. Our real bodies are fine.”
“I’m not going to act up anymore. I’ll live quietly like an extra. Damn it!”
“If we’d just hunted in the Forest instead of chasing after Seo A-rin, we’d at least get compensation, but hell!”
“Right. If we’d reached level 10 and changed jobs, we could’ve defied the Zone Representative’s orders.”
“But you know what? The Zone Representative chosen this time had a really nasty impression.”
“I heard he’s some gangster from a faction?”
“Seeing him charge at Black Scythe, he’s got guts though.”
As the conversation shifted to talk of the Zone Representative, Hwang Yong-min perked up.
“You guys don’t know Jo Jung-sik?”
“Who’s that?”
“Jo Jung-sik, the boss of the Jung-sik Faction! He’s my role model! Ah, if you’re not interested in gangsters, I guess you wouldn’t know.”
“Haha, so your dream job is being a gangster, and you already have a role model?”
“Hahahaha.”
Hwang Yong-min bristled at his friends’ laughter.
“You bastards, don’t mock me! I’m dead serious about this!”
“So that’s why you told Life is Documentary to vote for you?”
“Yeah. The organization I wanted to join was the Jung-sik Faction. The problem is I don’t know how to make contact.”
“Now that you’re the Zone Representative, you could try talking to him in the next round.”
“That’s exactly what I’m planning to do.”
Hwang Yong-min thought to himself.
Next month, as soon as I enter the Other World, I’ll go find Jo Jung-sik.
“I’ll go tell him. To let me join the Jung-sik Faction.”
A smile crossed Hwang Yong-min’s lips.
Though he didn’t know if they’d accept him or not.
* * *
“Thank you for your hard work, Seo A-rin.”
“I haven’t done anything special. You’re the one who went through all the trouble, sir.”
Seo A-rin, freshly returned from the Other World, gazed at An Sang-chul with grateful eyes.
An Sang-chul, who had drawn his blade to shield her from the pursuers.
Business relationship or not, gratitude was still gratitude.
Seo A-rin’s gaze drifted toward An Sang-chul’s thigh.
“Your injury—is it alright?”
“Yes. I’m perfectly fine. And you?”
“Not a scratch on me.”
“Just as I suspected. It seems injuries sustained in the Other World don’t carry over to our physical bodies in reality.”
“Thank you. For protecting me.”
At Seo A-rin’s sudden expression of gratitude, An Sang-chul laughed awkwardly.
“Ha, no. As your manager and bodyguard, it’s simply my duty.”
In truth, he’d once considered abandoning her, so he couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt.
“I’d like to express my gratitude to Black Scythe again somehow… Is there any way to do that?”
An Sang-chul shook his head at Seo A-rin’s words.
“There’s no way to find him since we don’t know his real identity. Besides, Black Scythe seems unwilling to have his identity exposed.”
“Unwilling?”
“When I offered to repay him, I asked for his account number. But he refused immediately—which means Black Scythe already understood the danger. That an account number could be used to trace his real identity.”
“Ah…”
“If you really want to express your gratitude, why not meet him in the next round and give him an item? Or find some way to help him. Though honestly, he seems perfectly capable of surviving without our assistance.”
“Hmm… You’re right. I should think about the best way to repay him.”
“For now, get some rest. We’ll meet again tomorrow morning.”
“Understood.”
As Seo A-rin turned to leave, lost in thought, An Sang-chul exited the Penthouse and picked up his phone.
Though it was dawn, he had urgent news to report.
“Director Ma?”
-Ah, Manager An.
“You’re still awake?”
-I’ve been having some whiskey since I got back.
“I saw the latest rankings. Congratulations on your promotion to Dark Knight.”
-Don’t mention it. How are things on your end?
“Seo A-rin and I have only reached level 8. Leveling up is harder than expected. We even got injured midway, which halted our hunting.”
-Injured?
“That’s actually what I wanted to report… Do you have time? It involves Black Scythe.”
-Black Scythe?
The voice on the other end of the line turned cold.
-Come to the Hotel. I’ll hear the details in person.
“Yes, I’ll be there within twenty minutes.”
An Sang-chul ended the call and hurried to his car.
But he had no way of knowing.
I never imagined someone was tailing me from behind.

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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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