The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 268

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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 268
268. At the Hotel
‘Christine?’
When I answered the call, I heard a worried voice.
-The Seer? Are you alright?
“What do you mean all of a sudden?”
-I stopped by your home and heard it was destroyed.
Ryu Min let out a quiet sigh.
There was no one who didn’t know what had happened.
“It just happened that way. But you visited our home? Are you in Korea right now?”
-Yes. And I’m actually standing in front of your hotel right now.
“What?”
Ryu Min was startled and decided to track Christine using the search function.
[Face and name match. Tracking target location.]
[Target ‘Christine Craig’ location identified.]
[Currently 78 meters away.]
[Follow the arrow displayed ahead to track the target.]
She really was close by, standing in front of the hotel.
It seemed she had followed me here using the tracking skill.
-I’ve come all this way—could I see your face for a moment?
“…Of course.”
After ending the call, Ryu Min grabbed his coat and spoke to his Younger Brother.
“I’m going out to meet someone for a bit.”
“Who?”
“A colleague.”
Following the tracking arrow, I spotted Christine sitting in the lobby.
“Oh, Ryu Min.”
“What brings you here without a word?”
“I’m sorry. When I saw what happened to your home, I got worried…”
“Come with me.”
Ryu Min led Christine to a nearby cafe.
“What would you like? Pick whatever you want. My treat.”
“No, I showed up unannounced—I couldn’t possibly…”
“You came as a guest, so how could I not treat you? Please, choose whatever you’d like.”
“Th-thank you.”
Christine simply ordered a single cup of coffee.
Ryu Min ordered the same and then got down to business.
“I thought you’d gone to the United States… why did you visit our home?”
“Oh, that’s not the only reason. You came to the United States to share a prophecy with me last time, right? So I thought it was my turn to come find you…”
“Is that really all there is to it?”
“Yes….”
I studied Christine with the intensity of an interrogator.
My gaze was sharp enough, but Christine merely looked away in embarrassment.
‘So it really was such a trivial reason for her visit.’
Having read my thoughts, I sighed inwardly, though I felt grateful nonetheless.
Even a heart of stone softens before someone who cares.
“Um, I’m, I’m sorry.”
Misinterpreting my continued scrutiny as displeasure, Christine apologized again.
“I should have called first before coming over… It was too sudden, wasn’t it?”
“It was rather sudden.”
“I’m truly sorry. By the way, what happened? How did your home end up like that…?”
“An Angel came looking for me.”
“What?”
Since Christine already knew my identity, I had no reason to hide the truth.
“You may not know this, but the Angels consider me their enemy. I never imagined they’d track down my home and target my Younger Brother.”
“An, an Angel targeted your Younger Brother? Is he alright?”
“Fortunately, I arrived in time to save him.”
“What happened to the Angel?”
“What do you think happened?”
I let out a cynical laugh.
That single laugh said everything.
“I’m just relieved no one was hurt.”
“I feel the same way.”
“So that’s why you returned to the Island late? Because you were dealing with the Angel….”
“That’s right.”
“This kind of thing shouldn’t happen again….”
“That’s exactly why I’ve been on edge lately. The anxiety of possibly losing my Younger Brother….”
The mere thought of it was unbearable, so I turned my gaze toward the window.
Looking out at the endless sky and the city sprawling beneath it like toy blocks, my suffocating chest finally opened.
Yet the anxiety lingering in my eyes was unmistakable, and Christine watched me with concern.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“I’m not sure how this will sound….”
Christine hesitated for a moment before gathering her courage.
“If you need anything, please use me without reservation.”
“….”
“I’m already a dead woman walking if it weren’t for Black Scythe. So please don’t hesitate—use me whenever you need. If you tell me to guard your Younger Brother’s side for 24 hours, I’ll do it. I may lack the power to stop Angels, but surely having me is better than nothing, right?”
She was offering herself without reservation.
I never imagined hearing such words from Christine.
“You can use me and discard me if you wish. Whatever it takes, I want to be of help to Black Scythe. Truly.”
Ryu Min simply gazed at Christine without a word.
‘She’s sincere. I can feel it even without reading her thoughts.’
There’s a genuine desire to be of help, no matter what.
“I appreciate the sentiment, but there’s nothing for you to assist with at the moment.”
“If I stay by your Younger Brother’s side….”
Ryu Min shook his head seriously.
“The Angel I faced is no pushover. As a supporter, you wouldn’t even be able to serve as a basic shield.”
“I see….”
Christine’s expression fell at the blunt truth, though it was an unavoidable reality.
Christine was a vital asset.
I couldn’t afford to lose her so carelessly as a mere shield.
Christine, sipping her coffee, looked as pitiful as a dog caught in the rain.
Her demeanor suggested that helping Black Scythe was her only source of happiness.
Ryu Min found himself compelled to add more.
“That said, I’m not rejecting your help. I promise to call on you if something comes up later.”
“Really?”
At my nod, Christine’s face brightened noticeably.
“You promised! That you’ll call me if there’s something I can help with!”
“You’re already helping plenty as it is.”
“No. Helping as a supporter is just my duty. I want to help with personal matters too.”
“Yes, yes. I promise.”
I had nothing to lose from this.
Though I couldn’t treat Christine carelessly either, given how vital she was.
“Shall we go once you’ve finished?”
“Yes.”
Ryu Min left the Cafe with Christine.
The two exchanged farewells in front of the elevator.
“I’d love to see you off at the Airport, but I don’t know what might happen to my Younger Brother.”
“I understand. Call me if anything comes up. I’ll rush over on the next flight.”
Christine stepped into the elevator and waved with a smile.

* * *
While Ryu Min stepped into the lobby restroom, Min Ju-ri was organizing the scene she had witnessed in her mind.
‘Why did Krishi meet Min?’
When a search for Ryu Min’s name came up through tracking, Min Ju-ri decided to find him and see for herself.
To confirm with her own eyes that he was truly the Ryu Min she knew.
That’s how she managed to arrive at this hotel, and by chance, she spotted a woman resembling Krishi in the lobby.
And she witnessed the entire scene of Ryu Min meeting with her, drinking coffee at the Cafe, and conversing.
‘What could they possibly have to discuss that they’d meet like this?’
She hadn’t dared get close enough to hear their conversation, fearing she’d be discovered.
She had simply watched from a distance of over 30 meters.
Seeing Christine’s expression shift from worried to suddenly radiant with laughter left a bitter taste in her heart.
‘What could they be talking about that makes her laugh so happily….’
Anyone observing would recognize this as jealousy, but the person experiencing it remained oblivious.
‘Did Ryu Min call her? He promised to tell me first once he decided where to stay, so why Krishi…?’
Was this the love triangle she’d only heard about in stories?
Her mind grew tangled.
She was stressed for the first time in a while, but brooding alone wouldn’t yield answers.
The most reliable solution was to ask Ryu Min directly.
‘I’ll ask him when he comes out.’
She waited, watching the restroom entrance, but he didn’t emerge.
‘What’s taking so long? Is he….’
“Min Ju-ri.”
“Eek!”
At the voice from behind, Min Ju-ri spun around in fright.
It was Ryu Min.
Her heart, barely revived, nearly stopped again.
“Y-you scared me!”
“So someone was tailing me. It was you?”
“Oh, you knew?”
Ryu Min smiled faintly at the flustered Min Ju-ri.
‘Of course. My perception range extends 60 meters.’
Though he didn’t mention that reason.
“What are you doing here?”
“Um, well, that is….”
“You tracked me down too, didn’t you?”
“You too…?”
“Christine found her way to the hotel as well. Through tracking.”
“Ah….”
She had thought Ryu Min had called her, but that wasn’t the case.
Like herself, Christine had simply tracked him down on her own.
A small misunderstanding had been cleared up.
“I was going to give you the address anyway, so let’s talk while we’re here.”
“Mm.”
The two of them found seats at the Cafe again.
It was the same spot where I had spoken with Christine.
“Order something to drink. My treat.”
“What about you?”
“As you saw, I already ate earlier.”
“I-I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to peek…”
“It’s fine.”
Ryu Min nodded understandingly, and once Min Ju-ri’s coffee arrived, I got to the main point.
“So what did you want to talk about?”
“Huh?”
“You said on the phone that you had something to discuss in person. What’s going on?”
Min Ju-ri, who had been hesitating at my question, finally spoke after taking a deep breath.
“Did you… lie to me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Is your nickname really Lost Yak?”
“…”
“I listened carefully when Black Scythe called out names after the round ended, and there was no nickname like that. What’s going on?”
“Well, that’s…”
“That’s not the only strange thing.”
Min Ju-ri spoke as if she intended to resolve all her curiosities at once.
“When I use Tracking, even though I know your name and face, it says they don’t match.”
“…”
“I’m not talking about Tracking in the Other World. I’m talking about reality. Even if I haven’t seen your appearance in the Other World so I can’t say, the fact that Ryu Min in reality can’t be tracked is strange, don’t you think?”
“…”
“There’s something else that’s strange. No matter how much I searched on the Remote Island, I couldn’t see you. Even though it was reality, not a customized body.”
The headcount was right, but your appearance wasn’t visible?
That was certainly strange enough to feel unsettling.
“Were you… actually on the island from the beginning?”
Ryu Min remained silent.
Min Ju-ri was asking questions under the assumption that I held the answers.
‘I do have the answers.’
But they were answers I couldn’t speak.
Answers that had to remain hidden.
To explain everything, I would have to reveal my true identity.
Then, a phrase suddenly crossed Ryu Min’s mind.
-Can’t you reveal your identity? You won’t be shocked like I was.
Why did my Younger Brother’s words come to mind just now?
‘Perhaps… I might understand.’
The moment the thought of wanting to test it once crossed my mind, my lips moved.
“I am Black Scythe.”

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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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