The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 269

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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 269
269. Are You Joking?
When Lost Yak asked if I was really him, an unexpected answer came back.
“Black Scythe? Are you joking?”
“I’m telling you, I am Black Scythe.”
Even after repeating myself, Min Ju-ri refused to believe me.
“Don’t mess with me. I’m being serious.”
“So am I.”
“There’s no way you could be Black Scythe.”
She dismissed the notion outright, as if it wasn’t even worth considering.
She didn’t even entertain the slightest possibility that Ryu Min might be Black Scythe.
For me, who had spoken honestly, this was an absurd situation.
My pride was subtly wounded.
I wondered if the gap between my current self and Black Scythe was really that vast.
“Why couldn’t I possibly be Black Scythe?”
“Your height is different. Your voice, your aura—everything’s different. You’re a completely different person.”
…
Seeing how strongly she denied it, my efforts to appear different in character seemed to have worked remarkably well.
‘So there’s no room for reconsideration.’
I could prove it, but given how vehemently she was denying it, I questioned whether it was worth revealing the truth.
I was also somewhat afraid of the backlash that would come from proving the truth.
“If you’re going to make excuses, at least make them convincing.”
“Fine. I’ll tell you the truth. I actually lied to you. My nickname isn’t Lost Yak.”
“I knew it? I had a feeling—I couldn’t find anything when I searched for it.”
She didn’t believe me about being Black Scythe, but she readily accepts this.
‘Well, there’s nothing I can do about this. I’ll have to keep my identity hidden to the end.’
I concealed the truth with a plausible lie.
“When I told you my nickname was Lost Yak, I was still with the Death God Cult, right? There were a lot of people around back then, so I deliberately gave you a false name.”
“Why?”
“If the existence of The Seer became known, it would be problematic. It was my way of protecting myself. I didn’t want to draw unnecessary attention.”
“Ah…”
She opened her mouth as if she understood, but her questions remained unanswered.
“Then what about the name mismatch?”
“I have a rune that disrupts tracking of other people. Even if someone knows my face and name, they can’t trace me because of it.”
“Ah…”
It was a reasonably plausible explanation.
-You’re not lying because you don’t want to tell me, are you?
When I read her thoughts, she didn’t fully believe me, but she accepted it to some degree.
She seemed to think she’d learn the truth when the time came.
‘I told her the truth and she still doesn’t believe me. What a mess.’
It seemed that to Min Ju-ri, Black Scythe and I were a pairing that existed beyond even imagination.
‘In a way, it’s fortunate. If her reaction is this strong, the shock when she learns the truth will be quite substantial….’
I could only hope she would continue to disbelieve.
Though I had cleared up the misunderstanding in my own way, Min Ju-ri still wore an expression of dissatisfaction.
“Then what about Krishi? Why did she come looking for you?”
‘Was that the source of her discomfort?’
Well, if the man you secretly loved was said to have met alone with another woman at a Hotel, sparks would naturally fly.
“It’s nothing. She came to hear my prophecy for the next round. Don’t misunderstand.”
“She tracked you down without saying a word just to hear a prophecy?”
“You showed up without saying anything either.”
….
Min Ju-ri, momentarily at a loss for words, belatedly admitted her misunderstanding.
“I’ll believe you. That there’s no feeling between you two.”
“Is it wrong if there is feeling?”
“It is! You’re supposed to be…!”
Min Ju-ri, who had flared up, hastily clamped her mouth shut.
She had nearly let an embarrassing confession slip from her lips.
“Anyway, it’s not allowed! Don’t give anyone else a second glance. Understood?”
“Understood.”
Embarrassed by her own words, Min Ju-ri turned her head sharply and sipped her coffee.
To me, who could see through her true feelings, her behavior was nothing but endearing.
“While you’re here, I’ll teach you the strategy for Round 17.”
…Yes.

* * *
Heo Tae-sik sat quietly in the Leader’s Office, lost in thought.
There was only one man who consumed his attention so completely.
‘Alex Pearson. Could he really be dividing people into factions from within?’
Based on what I’d observed so far, Alex had made contact with five people.
Dorothy, Victor, Sophia, Russell, and Jo Yong-ho.
All of them were believers of the Saesin Religion.
‘Why did he meet them in person? What was his purpose?’
I hadn’t been able to overhear their conversations, but something was definitely off.
If he was traveling across the globe to meet them directly, there had to be some important request behind it, didn’t there?
‘There’s something brewing here.’
I had suspicions, but no concrete evidence.
‘If I could just find proof, it might help Black Scythe.’
Just then, my phone on the desk rang.
Seeing the caller ID, Heo Tae-sik answered urgently.
“Yes, Black Scythe. What is it?”
-How many days until the regular meeting?
My eyes shifted to the calendar on the desk.
“About four days remain.”
-Change the schedule to tomorrow.
“Tomorrow?”
That meant I had to summon all the believers by tomorrow.
“Is something the matter?”
-Remember that operation you and I did before?
“An operation? Do you mean planting black seeds among the people?”
-That’s right. We need to do it once more. While everyone’s gathered, I’ll also teach you the strategy for Round 17.
He wanted to perform that ridiculous task again—summoning and then killing a Demon?
I didn’t know the reason, but when it came to the divine word, one simply had to obey.
“Understood. I’ll summon the believers right away.”
Heo Tae-sik ended the call with a composed voice, but the moment it disconnected, his expression shifted to anxiety.
‘What do I do? I’m going to meet Black Scythe sooner than expected?’
My original plan was to gather proof that Alex was a traitor and then reveal it to Black Scythe in front of everyone.
But with the meeting moved up, time had become tight.
‘I need to secure evidence. Evidence…’
How could I obtain evidence within this limited timeframe?
No matter how hard I thought about it, only one method came to mind.
‘I’ll have to ask directly.’
Heo Tae-sik entered the saved contact numbers of the believers and sent a group message.
[Greetings, this is Leader Heo Tae-sik.
The regular meeting originally scheduled for Friday has been moved to Tuesday at 6 PM. I apologize for the sudden change in date.
Time is tight, but Black Scythe will be explaining the strategy for the next round on this day, so I ask that you attend without fail. Thank you.
Hello everyone, this is leader Heo Tae-sik. The regular meeting….]
Below, I’ve transcribed the text with a kind English translation.
However, there was one person.
I sent Alex Pearson a different time and location.
‘With this, I can meet him alone.’
My plan was to meet him directly and extract evidence.

* * *
The moment Alex received the message, he rushed onto a plane.
It takes roughly 10 hours to travel from Germany to Korea.
Time was tight.
‘I don’t know why he suddenly changed the time, but….’
I couldn’t miss the meeting.
After all, didn’t he say he’d explain the strategy for Round 17?
‘Even if I had to go in my underwear, I had to make it.’
With that resolve, Alex arrived at Incheon International Airport as quickly as possible and showed the meeting location to the Taxi Driver.
“Here. Please go here.”
“Huh? Sir, is this address correct? There’s nothing here but a clearing…?”
“Please go fast. Okay? It’s late.”
“It’s late? Alright, alright. I just need my money.”
Setting aside his questions, the Taxi Driver headed to the meeting location, took his payment, and left.
Leaving Alex alone in the empty clearing.
“Is this the right place? Why is no one here?”
Even though I arrived 20 minutes late, the clearing was empty.
Though I couldn’t understand why, it didn’t matter much.
Someone was coming toward me.
“Leader!”
The person walking over was Heo Tae-sik.
I smiled with joy, but only for a moment.
‘What’s this?’
Sensing that something was off about the atmosphere, my expression hardened.
‘Is something wrong?’
Unlike usual, Heo Tae-sik’s expression was rigid, and he was even wearing equipment.
“Leader. You don’t look well. Is something——”
“Alex.”
Heo Tae-sik cut me off and spoke in English he had prepared beforehand.
“Tell me the truth.”
“What? What are you——”
“Don’t lie.”
I’m not sure what you’re asking me to say, but the atmosphere is heavy.
There’s a killing intent in his eyes.
‘Wait… surely not…’
The fact that he was wearing equipment when meeting with a believer meant only one thing.
That he could attack me at any moment.
It was like showing someone a gun while telling them not to mess around.
‘I don’t know what’s going on, but he’s being hostile toward me.’
Sensing the threat, Alex quickly equipped his gear.
It was natural to equip when feeling threatened.
But Heo Tae-sik smiled knowingly and cast a skill.
“Black Chain.”
Chains materialized from thin air, binding his limbs.
Alex’s eyes widened as he found himself equipped but unable to move.
“What are you doing…!”
“Tell me the truth, and you won’t get hurt.”
Heo Tae-sik summoned black arrows and aimed them at Alex, speaking in practiced English.
“You. What scheme are you plotting?”
“Scheme? What are you even talking about…”
“I know everything, so tell me the truth!”
Heo Tae-sik growled.
Black arrows materialized above his shoulder, aimed at Alex’s heart as if ready to pierce it at any moment.
“Dorothy, Victor, Sophia, Russell, Jo Yong-ho!”
Hearing the names, Alex’s eyes widened in shock.
“You met with these people, didn’t you? Why did you contact them?”
“How did you…?”
A thought flashed across Alex’s mind, and his expression twisted.
“Did you follow me?”
“Tell me the truth…”
Boom!
Alex shattered the mana shield around his body, sending Heo Tae-sik flying backward.
The chains binding him vanished simultaneously.
“You were tailing me? Why? Why?”
“Damn it, this bastard is attacking me…?”
Heo Tae-sik clenched his teeth.
Fortunately, he wasn’t injured, but that bastard attacked first.
“Demonization.”
Horns sprouted from his forehead as Heo Tae-sik transformed into a demon.
Seeing him summon four black arrows, Alex’s eyes narrowed.
“So that’s how you’re going to play it?”
He showed no intention of backing down either, preparing a spear of ice.
A situation on the brink of eruption—violence was about to break loose.
“Stop. Stop.”
Then someone intervened between the two.
But it was already too late.
“Ah!”
Both had already unleashed their spells at each other.
Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The spells collided midway and struck the person who had unwittingly stepped between them.
A level 70 spell possessed enough power to shred an ordinary person’s limbs, but the target was far from ordinary.
“That… that is…”
What stood where the spell had impacted was a barrier of darkness.
As the barrier dissipated, the figure of the man who had intervened became visible.
A body of bronzed skin without a single scratch.
“What are you doing? You’re on the same side.”
Black Scythe, the masked man, rebuked them both in a low, measured voice.

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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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