The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 242

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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 242
242. Misunderstanding
“One pack of Marlboro Red, please.”
Beep—
“That’s 4,500 won, customer. Thank you. Have a great day!”
Min Do-hun called out cheerfully to the customer leaving with just a single pack of cigarettes.
So enthusiastically that the departing customer felt a bit awkward.
There was a reason for his constant grinning.
He had come to understand the preciousness of life.
Ding—
Just then, the very person who gave his life meaning walked through the Convenience Store door.
With a rather disgruntled expression on her face.
“Daughter! Have you come to help your old man again today?”
“Dad! Can’t you quit the Convenience Store already? What era are we living in that you’re doing something so dangerous…?”
“Here we go again. You nag just like your mother.”
“Don’t brush me off like that!”
“As long as my daughter looks out for me, what’s there to worry about? Besides, there’s Black Scythe if things get rough.”
“How is Black Scythe supposed to protect you? He’s incredibly busy these days.”
“True, a celebrity like that would never set foot in our little Convenience Store.”
Min Ju-ri wanted to mention that Black Scythe was actually in her network of contacts, but she held back.
Not only was their relationship not that deep, but it felt wrong to exploit his status like that.
“Anyway, listen to me! How long are you going to keep doing this? The shops around here switched to unmanned stores ages ago. We need to change for safety’s sake too. Or sell the shop and take it easy at home. The money I’ve earned so far is more than enough to prepare for your retirement.”
Gone were the days of worrying about money.
Min Ju-ri, being a Player, had earned roughly 200 million won from selling items over this time.
She had already paid off all the household debt and had more than enough for living expenses.
On top of that, there was the 300 million won diamond she had received from Ryu Min.
Though she hadn’t sold it yet.
Either way, she had more than enough to live comfortably without working at the Convenience Store.
Yet her father, Min Do-hun, refused to listen.
“Retirement preparation? Are you treating your father like a grandfather? I’m barely in my early fifties. You work while you can.”
“Sigh… You’re so stubborn.”
Knowing just how stubborn her father could be, Min Ju-ri couldn’t nag him any further.
She could only sigh and show her frustration.
At least one thing was fortunate—the world had improved considerably lately.
Most domestic Players belonged to the Saesin Religion, which had good character, and thanks to the Counter Player Force and Black Scythe, the crime rate had plummeted.
Min Ju-ri, who had changed into her Convenience Store uniform from the Warehouse, pushed her father’s back.
“Go rest inside. I’ll take over now.”
“No way. I’ve only been here a few hours. I’ll stay longer.”
“Still, you should rest. Your body must be tired with your age.”
“Now you’re treating me like an old man outright? I’m still spry. If needed, I can just get that Bless… whatever it’s called. Once I receive it, my whole body feels invigorated.”
“A blessing isn’t a cure-all. It just makes you feel that way.”
“Either way, I’m fine, so you should rest. You haven’t been awake that long since recovering from narcolepsy.”
“Don’t worry about me. Worry about Dad instead.”
“How could I not worry about my daughter in a situation like this?”
Perhaps it was the thought of his daughter having to play a game where lives hung in the balance.
Min Do-hun’s face grew somber.
“Are things difficult for you these days?”
“Difficult? What’s difficult about it? I’ve survived fourteen months like this.”
“Still, there are six more rounds ahead. Who knows what will happen…”
If his own heart was burning with worry like this, what must his daughter be feeling?
A long sigh escaped Min Do-hun’s lips.
“I’m sorry. Here I am, your father, speaking such gloomy things in front of you.”
“It’s okay. I’m fine. I have reliable allies now and I’ve built up experience, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
“Do you know what I do every time the first of the month comes around? I pray to God all night long. ‘Please let our daughter return safely today. I’m begging you.'”
“You should pray to the one who made this happen in the first place… when you think about it, God created all of this.”
“You never know. Maybe my earnest prayers will move Him to show mercy to our daughter alone.”
Min Ju-ri said nothing more, understanding her father’s heart too well.
“So every hour is precious and something to be grateful for to this old man. All I want is to spend whatever time remains with my daughter.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. What, do you think I’m terminally ill? Did someone die?”
Min Ju-ri wiped away her glistening tears and spoke with determination.
“I’m going to survive until round twenty. I’ll definitely make it through and achieve my wish.”
“What wish are you making?”
“That’s a secret.”
Min Ju-ri smiled brightly, pulled on her work gloves, and headed outside.
“Isn’t it time to bring in the supplies? I’ll get them.”
“Ju-ri. Let Dad handle the heavy—”
“Don’t worry. Have you forgotten? Your daughter is a player who can break through walls?”
Min Ju-ri spoke with a bright expression, but the moment she stepped outside, her face fell as if a mask had been removed.
‘Can I really make it to round twenty?’
Somehow I’ve made it to round fourteen.
It’s only fair to call it luck.
For a Buffer—a non-offensive class—to have survived this long was remarkable.
‘It’s all thanks to my allies.’
I’ve made it this far because I have allies I can trust and rely on.
Among them, the ones who’ve been my greatest strength are Ryu Min and Black Scythe.
‘Without those two, I might have already turned to ash…’
Suddenly, I felt the desire to be a source of strength for them as well.
As I pondered how best to help them, one thing came to mind.
‘Come to think of it, Black Scythe said he would choose next round information as a reward using that special reward selection box…’
Did he really need to give up a personal reward just to choose information?
There’s The Seer, who is Ryu Min.
‘If I hear information about the next round from Min, Black Scythe could choose a different reward too.’
If they shared information with each other, Black Scythe could select a different reward as well—it would be beneficial for him too.
‘But why aren’t they doing that? Can’t they coordinate their opinions? Or is their relationship surprisingly poor….’
Now that I thought about it, that might be the case.
Ryu Min had always dodged the issue whenever asked to join the Saesin Religion, slipping past it with vague responses.
As a result, he still hadn’t joined.
And Black Scythe could have learned through prophecy, yet he was choosing it as his next round reward instead….
‘Looking at it this way, their relationship really does seem bad?’
It would be great if they helped each other out—so why weren’t they?
Had something happened between them?
‘Maybe I could help somehow.’
What if I mediated between them and resolved this estrangement?
The moment that thought crossed her mind, Min Ju-ri sent a text to Ryu Min.
[Min, I need to talk to you about something. Do you have time today?]

* * *
After finishing work and returning home, Min Ju-ri stared blankly at her phone.
“….”
Even after half a day passed, there was no reply.
He didn’t answer when she called either.
‘What’s going on?’
Worry gnawed at her as she grabbed her coat.
She had visited Ryu Min’s place before.
Recalling that memory, she put on her shoes.
“Dad, I’m going to meet a friend!”
“It’s not a boy, is it?”
“W-what does it matter if it’s a boy!? H-he’s just a friend!”
“So it’s a boy. Alright then. Have a good time.”
His subtle smile made it seem like he was misunderstanding, but for some reason, she didn’t want to clarify.
After all, he was someone she’d liked for a long time.
“I-I’ll be back soon. Don’t eat dinner without me.”
Hiding her embarrassment, Min Ju-ri stepped outside and took a taxi to the Apartment where Ryu Min lived.
Galleria Forest—an apartment complex worth nine billion won.
A year ago it had been worth seven billion, but as the world grew more dangerous and security became paramount, prices had skyrocketed.
“Please drop me off here. Thank you.”
After getting out of the taxi, Min Ju-ri walked to the front of the Cavern entrance.
Her finger, about to press the call button, suddenly froze.
‘What unit was it again?’
She remembered the building, but not the unit number.
As I stood there wavering over what to do, a voice of salvation reached my ears.
“Democracy?”
“Oh? Actress Seo A-rin.”
I turned to see Seo A-rin standing there in casual clothes with a hat pulled down over her head.
In one hand, she held a bag marked GS24.
“What are you doing here?”
“Well… I came to meet a friend, but I can’t remember which lake it was.”
“A friend? Could it be The Seer?”
“Oh? You knew?”
“I heard in passing that you two were friends.”
With that, Seo A-rin opened the door with her key card.
“Perfect timing, actually. I had something I wanted to ask The Seer too. Let’s go together.”
“Thank you.”
The two of us entered, greeted the security guard, and stepped into the elevator.
Whoooosh—
Perhaps the silence was getting to her?
Min Ju-ri spoke up with a smile.
“I heard that Min lives upstairs…”
“Ah yes. The Seer surprisingly moved to the apartment below. At the time, I distributed rice cakes with my younger brother… but we never got to taste them. They looked delicious though.”
“Ah, so you live with your younger brother…”
I had once followed Ryu Min out of curiosity and seen him talking with his younger brother.
After that, I avoided asking directly about family relations, thinking it might be sensitive.
“He has a younger brother four years apart. I think he’s home… you didn’t know?”
“N-no, I didn’t…”
Publicly, we had never met, so I pretended not to know.
“Actually, that’s good. It would be awkward otherwise. I’ll introduce you directly. I’ve been to The Seer’s place a few times, so I’m already acquainted with your brother.”
“A few times… you’ve been there?”
Imagining a female celebrity coming and going from the apartment next door—worse, from the home of the man she liked—Min Ju-ri felt an unexpected pang of jealousy.
“Why do you ask?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
Just then, the elevator chimed and stopped on the 43rd floor.
The two of us stepped out and made our way to Ryu Min’s apartment.
After pressing the doorbell and waiting, Ryu Won opened the door with an excited expression.
“A-actress Seo A-rin?”
“I told you to call me older sister.”
“Oh, older sister… and who’s this?”
“A friend of Min’s, apparently.”
At that moment, Min Ju-ri stepped forward with a smile.
“So you’re Min’s younger brother? Nice to meet you. I’m Min Ju-ri, Min’s classmate.”
“Ah, hello.”
“Is Min inside? I wanted to talk to him if he’s there…”
“My brother isn’t home right now.”
“He’s not? Do you know where he went? He wasn’t even answering his phone…”
“Well…”
Ryu Won hesitated, but found himself unable to lie and told her the truth.
“He went to Japan to see his girlfriend.”
“His… girlfriend?”
“He’s been going abroad frequently these days to visit his Japanese girlfriend.”
“Oh my, so The Seer, who seemed so innocent, has a girlfriend. How unexpected!”
Seo A-rin chuckled at this newfound information, but only for a moment.
When she glanced to the side, she was startled.
Min Ju-ri stood motionless, her gaze vacant and hollow as she stared into empty space.
“What’s wrong? What’s the matter, Democracy?”
“Oh, it’s nothing. He has a girlfriend, you said… And she’s Japanese, too…”
Min Ju-ri murmured absently, then turned away without another word.
“You’re leaving? Oh, I should get going too, Younger Brother.”
“Yes, sister. It was nice seeing you!”
Ryu Won tilted his head in confusion as he watched the entrance door close.
‘Did I do something wrong?’

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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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