The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 266

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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 266
266. Factions
Cobalt Blue’s explanation was straightforward.
“A foreigner was asking someone to take their side.”
“A foreigner? Who?”
“I don’t know. Their nickname wasn’t visible.”
“When and where did you hear about this?”
“I overheard it by chance while leaving the Island after the round ended. That’s all I have.”
The information was sparse, but its implications were far from trivial.
“In my opinion, I suspect that believer is creating a faction.”
Heo Tae-sik nodded at Cobalt Blue’s assessment.
He shared the same suspicion.
‘Trying to divide believers who should be united as one team.’
Whoever this was, I couldn’t ignore it as the leader of the Death God Cult.
“If you saw that foreigner’s face, you could identify them again?”
“Of course. I rarely forget faces.”
The moment Heo Tae-sik heard this, he opened a drawer and showed Cobalt Blue the profile photos of the believers.
“Find them. Identify who that foreigner is.”
As Cobalt Blue flipped through hundreds of profiles containing the believers’ information, his finger suddenly stopped on one.
“This person!”
‘This bastard?’
Heo Tae-sik’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the culprit, his lips curling slightly upward.
‘Finally, I have something worthwhile to report to Black Scythe.’
This time, I would deliver results worthy of note.
Ambition kindled in Heo Tae-sik’s gaze.

* * *
Life is a series of twists and turns.
Dorothy realized this truth early last year, when Angel appeared.
[Every month, you humans must complete Quests and survive. Until you clear 20 rounds.]
At first, she thought it was divine mercy.
Even when she, once hailed as the Netherlands’ youngest prodigy archer, lost her sense of balance in a traffic accident.
So even as she plummeted wingless as an archer, it was the thread of life she clung to stubbornly.
But that was as far as it went.
She had thought it was divine mercy—telling her to let go now and end her life peacefully.
‘But it wasn’t.’
Suffering from severe depression that no medicine could cure, she had no lingering attachments to the life remaining to her.
No hope either.
But as if there were no law saying she must die, an opportunity arose.
A new body obtained through Customization.
That body at least bore no disability.
Perfect balance.
And the strengthened body that transformed her upon becoming a Player.
It must have been from then.
When she began to harbor a glimmer of hope in life.
When the downward curve of her life began to surge upward once more.
[Prodigy Archer Dorothy survives Round 16!]
[The Netherlands’ Divine Archer. Her triumphant ascent as a Player.]
Prodigy archer. Divine archer.
These were the titles Dorothy reclaimed in reality.
Though she could not resume her athletic career due to fairness concerns, Dorothy was satisfied.
Thanks to the Marksman’s Rune she received upon obtaining the Archer class, she had regained archery skills even greater than before.
‘Why do good things keep happening just because I survived and came back….’
Dorothy set down her phone after reading the article.
Having been a public figure even before becoming a Player, her movements always attracted media attention.
So it was hardly surprising when someone found their way to her home.
Her address was already well known.
Ding dong—
‘Another fan?’
Thinking she’d exchange pleasantries and sign an autograph, Dorothy opened the mansion door and widened her eyes.
“Hello, we’ve met before, haven’t we?”
A heavyset man stood there with a gentle, weathered expression.
“Oh, your name was Alex…, wasn’t it?”
“You remember. You’re Dorothy, right? I apologize for showing up unannounced.”
“Well, please come in.”
Dorothy guided Alex to the sofa.
“Please, have a seat. Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, thank you. I came by unexpectedly, so I couldn’t possibly impose. I’ll just state my business and be on my way.”
Dorothy, seated across from me, fixed me with a steady gaze as if to say I should speak.
“I witnessed your skills when you were hunting monsters on the Island. Your archery is quite exceptional, I must say. That’s precisely why I’m here—would you consider lending me your strength?”
“What do you mean? Please be more direct.”
“I’m asking you to join me as a team.”
Dorothy frowned rather than showing surprise.
Coming here personally to make such a proposal looked unseemly, and it appeared as though I was forming a faction within the Saesin Religion itself.
Besides, there was no reason for her to join a separate team.
“I refuse. I won’t see you out. Leave.”
“Wait. Please hear me out completely before you decide.”
As Alex pressed the matter, Dorothy’s irritation grew.
She was about to respond more forcefully, but the words that came from Alex’s mouth made Dorothy question her own ears for a moment.
“What did you just say? Are you serious?”
“Yes. Now are you interested?”
Dorothy’s surprise vanished as quickly as it had appeared, and she settled back into an attentive posture.
“Explain what you just said in detail.”

* * *
Alex Pearson.
The German man whom Cobalt Blue had precisely identified from his profile photo.
‘So this bastard is manipulating the followers and forming factions?’
Heo Tae-sik wrestled with how to deal with this ungrateful rat, then struck his own head.
‘Fool. I’m already thinking of punishment for information I haven’t even confirmed yet.’
Desperate to show results as the cult leader, I had let my judgment cloud.
First, I needed to verify whether this information was true.
‘Cobalt Blue might have misheard something.’
To confirm properly, Heo Tae-sik began tracking Alex’s location.
If I tailed him, something would surely come to light.
With that hope, I activated ‘Demonization’, a skill I’d learned at level 60.
My skin reddened, my body swelled by thirty percent, and horns sprouted from my forehead.
Bat-like wings also sprouted from my back.
Despite this appearance, the skill increased damage output by twenty percent, allowed me to use invisibility, and granted flight—a high-tier skill indeed.
Flap—
Heo Tae-sik took to the sky and carefully tailed his target.
Following the tracking arrow, I soon found myself in the Netherlands.
‘Why is Alex here?’
I couldn’t understand it, but only briefly.
My confusion dissolved the moment I saw him.
‘He’s with Dorothy?’
Dorothy and Alex emerge from the mansion.
They exchange greetings with warm expressions before parting ways.
Tracking Alex again, this time he heads toward Nigeria.
Moving through a residential area in Lagos, he meets an alchemist named Victor.
After conversing for over ten minutes inside, he emerges with a smile on his face.
‘No matter how I look at it, something’s off.’
What possible reason could there be for him to travel the world meeting with followers?
‘Is he really trying to build his own faction?’
The rumors might actually be true.
I need to capture Alex immediately and interrogate him.
And report this to Black Scythe.
‘No. It’s too early.’
The evidence is insufficient.
It won’t be too late to act once I’m more certain.
Fluttering—
Heo Tae-sik turned away for now.
He decided not to tell anyone what he’d just witnessed.
Rooting out the traitor had to be his achievement alone.

* * *
“This is it.”
The place Ryu Min found with John Delgado was none other than where the Archangels had been buried.
Before leaving the island, John had resurrected the First-Class Combat Angels and now chanted the incantation skillfully.
“Rise.”
As Gabriel and Raphael transformed into corporeal Undead Servants and rose to their feet, Ryu Min severed their necks without hesitation.
Slice—!
[You have defeated the Seven Archangels’ ‘Gabriel’!]
[Stat Points +101,963]
[Gold +1,019,632,200]
[Angels Defeated: 23/100]
[You have defeated the Seven Archangels’ ‘Raphael’!]
[Stat Points +101,963]
[Gold +1,019,632,200]
[Angels Defeated: 24/100]
Though only half the reward, the stats and gold that came in were still substantial.
‘I’ve reaped all the benefits from this. I even resurrected and killed the First-Class Combat Angels before leaving the island.’
Now, with just the Rune of Balance applied, my base stats were approaching 500,000.
With various buffs, my stats might even exceed 10 million each.
“Well done, John.”
“Thank you, Master.”
“You’re free to return home now. Don’t forget to follow me from a distance during Round 17 for tracking.”
“Understood. I’ll maintain sufficient distance and follow you.”
Just as it had been until now, the last remaining Archangel might appear in Round 17.
This command was issued in preparation for that moment.
“Then I’ll be going….”
As John departed, I pulled the Lamborghini I’d parked nearby and sped down the road.
‘I need to get home quickly. Something might happen to my brother.’
Now even the Archangels were targeting my brother.
Without the Hero’s Protection buff in this situation, I couldn’t help but feel anxious.
Vroom— vroom—
With an angry roar of the engine, I arrived at the Lande World Tower, said to be the tallest building in Korea.
While my house was being repaired, I planned to stay at the Lande Signiell Hotel located here.
There was nowhere else with such thorough security and such a magnificent view.
‘A month’s stay cost over 100 million won, but compared to my wealth, it’s nothing but pocket change.’
After parking the car, I took the elevator up to the 89th floor where the guest rooms were located.
Ding—
Expensive as it was, the view was truly spectacular.
“You’re here, brother?”
Entering the room, my brother, who was just finishing a meal prepared by the hotel’s kitchen, spoke with a smile.
“The food here is amazing, brother. Come eat it while it’s still hot.”
“Got it. Let me freshen up first.”
After a quick shower, I entered the room and opened the Quest window while drying my hair.
【Soul Bond Quest】
└Defeat the Seven Archangels
└Archangels defeated so far (6/7)
└Upon success ▶ ?????
‘So I just need to catch one more to receive the reward.’
Whatever the reward was, I was excited.
It was such a grueling Quest, requiring the defeat of seven Archangels.
‘Well, it wasn’t as difficult as I thought.’
The Demon’s Blessing reward was so broken that my growth had long exceeded my own expectations.
I was advancing at a pace that would pierce not just the heavens but the very cosmos itself.
‘I never thought I’d become this strong.’
Now, even if I faced the supposedly strongest Archangel, I had confidence I wouldn’t be intimidated like before.
I was different from who I used to be.
‘But why didn’t that one show up this time, the one who always appeared when Round 16 ended?’
Honestly, I thought the one said to be strongest besides Gabriel and Raphael would appear too.
But it seems he’s waiting for the next round instead, not showing his face this time.
‘Come on out whenever you want. Unlike the 68th return, I have no intention of being frozen.’
After drying my hair, I suddenly thought of something and opened the system window to check the rewards I’d obtained.
[Yin-Yang Rune]
-Effect: When launching attacks that blend physical and magical damage, harm is amplified twofold.
[Chain Rune]
-Effect: Summon chains of light to wield as weapons. The chains possess infinite durability and can utilize additional effects.
└ Binding ▶ Summon additional chains to completely bind the enemy’s limbs.
└ Severance ▶ Heat the chains with holy power to sever the opponent. However, exercise caution as the caster may sustain damage.
[Knight’s Resurrection Rune]
-Effect: When struck by an attack that would bring death, reflect the attack once. Upon reflection, a cooldown of 720 hours is applied.
‘Not bad effects at all.’
I already knew the Yin-Yang Rune’s effect, but the remaining runes came from capturing an Archangel, so I hadn’t known about them.
‘Now that I think about it, refined ether also dropped.’
Ryu Min opened the item information window to check what kind of object it was.
Soon, eyes that had regarded it as trivial widened in astonishment.

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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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