The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 271

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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 271
271. Choosing a Faction
◀ ROUND 17 ▶
【Quest】
└Become a Commander and Achieve Victory in the Kingdom War
[Integrated Zone CA-EA001]
└Participants: 288
└Achievers: TBD
The players who saw the Quest window all had the same first thought.
‘Ah, so there’s no Sub Quest this round.’
It was clear from the fact that the section that always read 【Main Quest】 now simply said 【Quest】.
Of course, there were questions.
Specifically, the part where “Achievers” was listed as “TBD”.
[Curious, aren’t you? Why it says TBD for the achievers?]
The players didn’t answer.
Angel was arbitrarily assuming they were too flustered to speak, but the truth was they simply weren’t curious.
They’d already heard the reason from Black Scythe.
[This round mercifully has no limit on the number of survivors. In other words, if you do well enough, all 288 of you could survive.]
Everyone could survive?
Except for Round 2 where they voted, there had never been a round where everyone made it out alive.
This was certainly good news.
Yet when the players heard the Quest’s content, not a smile crossed their faces.
[Hmm? No one looks happy? Are you sharper than I thought? Tee-hee.]
The possibility that everyone could survive also meant that everyone could die.
That was why Angel was laughing.
[Sure, you could all die if you mess up, but still be grateful. The mere possibility that all of you could survive is something, isn’t it? Don’t you think?]
‘You’re right, Angel.’
I quietly agreed with what Angel said.
Opportunities to save everyone were rare.
But Angel seemed to believe the possibility was infinitesimally small.
Judging by the way she’d been smirking the whole time.
[Anyway, keep in mind that everyone can survive, and now let me explain the Quest to you.]
I already knew the Quest, but people listened intently.
It was a good opportunity to verify whether Black Scythe’s prophecy was true.
[Currently, the Fantasy Continent has five kingdoms and one empire. Albitz, Braham, Ber, Byso, and the Decan Kingdom. And the Holy Empire. They’re at war right now. Here, all the kingdoms are united in alliance. In simple terms, it’s Kingdom Alliance VS Holy Empire.]
Whether they were truly at war or if it was just part of the setting was unclear.
There was no way to distinguish whether the NPCs were real inhabitants of the Other World.
[Here, you must choose one of two factions. Will you fight against the alliance of five kingdoms, or will you fight against the massive empire?]
In simple terms, it meant to choose the side that looked like it would win.
[I won’t tell you which side has the advantage. However, I will tell you one thing for certain. One side is overwhelmingly stronger. So much so that the outcome of the war is painfully obvious.]
That warning meant one could step in shit if they made the wrong choice.
[Your faction choice is crucial. Whether you survive or perish depends entirely on which faction you select. I mentioned it before, didn’t I? This round allows everyone to survive. If you choose your faction wisely and lead your side to victory in the war, everyone will live regardless of casualty numbers. Conversely, if you lose the war, you’ll be erased without mercy.]
So your survival is tied to your chosen faction’s fate?
That’s precisely why faction selection was so critical.
[Once you decide on a faction, you’ll each participate in the war as commanders. I said this round required brains rather than brute force, remember? That’s why. You won’t directly engage in combat—you must lead your side to victory through tactics and strategy alone.]
Direct intervention was forbidden; only command from the rear was permitted.
That meant even Black Scythe couldn’t single-handedly shift the tide of war.
In warfare, strategy and tactics took precedence over individual strength.
[So if you choose the same faction, put your heads together and figure out how to achieve victory in this war.]
In essence, this was still a team battle.
Just without the opportunity to use physical force like before.
[That concludes my explanation. The system will provide detailed instructions. Shall we begin the faction selection?]
The moment Angel’s wings fluttered, darkness engulfed the surroundings and the people vanished.
More precisely, I had been transported alone into a separate space.
Then I heard Angel’s voice.
[Startled that everyone disappeared so suddenly? Don’t worry. It’s our consideration to make your choice easier.]
‘Consideration my ass. They’re blindfolding and deafening us because consultation would ruin the fun.’
Imagine if all players coordinated and moved to the same faction.
Either everyone survives, or everyone perishes.
Only one of those two outcomes would occur.
‘Whoever designed the Survival Game would find that incredibly boring.’
They wouldn’t want too many players surviving, nor would they want everyone dying anticlimactically.
‘Looking at the missions so far, it’s obvious. This Survival Game was created by a perverted voyeur who gets off watching humans struggle.’
That’s why they prevented us from consulting each other.
[Please select the faction whose fate you’ll share.]
└ 1. Kingdom Alliance
└ 2. Holy Empire
[If you don’t choose within the time limit, a random selection will be made.]
[Time remaining until selection closes: 00:00:59]
A simple choice between two options.
Yet its implications were far from trivial.
This was a critical decision that determined heaven or hell.
Of course, I knew the answer.
I knew which side Angel had described as overwhelmingly superior.
‘It’s the Holy Empire, obviously.’
Five kingdoms united couldn’t compare to the Holy Empire.
In troop numbers, equipment quality, wealth, resources—everything.
The Holy Empire was superior in every aspect.
Logically, survival meant siding with the Holy Empire.
‘That’s what I thought. Before I returned.’
Choosing the Holy Empire guaranteed victory unconditionally, but the problem was that the difficulty became far too easy.
‘If the Holy Empire wins, the rewards are too meager. Practically nonexistent.’
On the other hand, joining the Kingdom Alliance and achieving victory brought massive rewards.
Enormous amounts of experience points, and even condensed ether capable of creating god-tier items.
High risk meant high return.
‘I only realized later that without the experience points from the Kingdom Alliance victory rewards, I couldn’t reach max level even by round twenty.’
I had reached max level early through experience runes and other rewards, but other players wouldn’t be able to manage it.
Without the Kingdom victory rewards, reaching max level would be impossible.
‘Considering the skills I’d learn at max level, it’s quite fatal.’
That’s why choosing the Holy Empire actually worked against them.
It was equivalent to throwing away all those massive rewards.
‘That’s why I choose option one.’
[Player ‘Black Scythe’ has joined the ‘Kingdom Alliance’ faction.]
[You have obtained the qualifications of a Kingdom Alliance commander.]
[You will be transported to the Command Barracks immediately.]
A brilliant light obscured my vision for a moment, and I found myself inside what appeared to be the barracks.
Surrounded by familiar faces.
“Black Scythe, you’ve arrived?”
“Seo A-rin.”
It wasn’t just Seo A-rin.
Min Ju-ri, Christine, Jo Yong-ho, Victor, Heo Tae-sik, Russell, and others.
The entire Saesin Religion was stationed inside the barracks.
‘Well, I can’t definitively say the entire organization yet.’
I had given advance notice to choose the Kingdom Alliance, not the Holy Empire.
But it was premature to assume all members of the Saesin Religion had followed that instruction.
There could be traitors among them, couldn’t there?
‘Surely not.’
I had already explained the advantages of the Kingdom Alliance to my followers.
That it would be difficult to face the Holy Empire, but victory would bring massive rewards.
But there could be fools who didn’t believe my words.
And indeed, there were.
[Faction selection has ended.]
[Faction Selection Status]
└Holy Empire: 2 people
└Kingdom Alliance: 286 people
‘There they are. Two fools who chose the Holy Empire.’
They probably judged that if victory was determined by tactics alone rather than raw power, the Holy Empire would have a greater chance of winning than the Kingdom. But that was a miscalculation.
I had never fought a losing battle.
That was also why the other followers trusted and followed me.
“Two people chose the Holy Empire?”
“Who on earth switched to that side?”
“Black Scythe told us to choose the Kingdom Alliance.”
“That fool must have a death wish.”
As the players murmured and glanced around, I followed their gaze.
I was checking whether anyone I knew had defected to the other side.
‘Fortunately, Alex and Dorothy are here.’
Since all the key members were visible, it seemed some insignificant player had chosen the Holy Empire.
‘There’s no helping it. I’ll just have to fight against two of them.’
In truth, the actual fighting would be the responsibility of the Other World soldiers.
The players only needed to issue commands comfortably from here.
[Players can now operate military forces in their capacity as commanders.]
[You can command all resources, supplies, troop movements, facility usage, and combat orders of the five kingdoms.]
[However, only players who enter the Command Barracks at the IS Outpost can issue commands.]
[You may leave the outpost, but you cannot participate in combat.]
[Movement in certain areas is restricted.]
[For detailed instructions on commanding, please use the battle status board installed ahead.]
[Stand with the Kingdom Alliance and lead the war to victory. Good luck.]
After reading the message, the players examined the battle status board installed in the barracks.
Blue dots and red dots were positioned against each other.
“This can’t be….”
“The red dots are the enemy, and the blue dots are us?”
“Huh….”
Every player opened their mouth in a daze.
There were countless red dots.
By any measure, the situation was overwhelmingly disadvantageous.
“I never thought the five kingdoms would be at such a disadvantage….”
“You said the Holy Empire had an overwhelming advantage, and it’s true.”
“Black Scythe, what do we do now?”
“There are too many enemies.”
The players turned to me with worried eyes, but I simply smiled.
Would I have chosen the Kingdom Alliance if there were no way to win?
“Don’t worry. Just trust me.”
“But how can we overcome such numbers with strategy alone….”
“Strategy isn’t necessary.”
“Pardon?”
Strategy? Tactics?
Such things weren’t necessary at all.
‘With enough gold, I can easily make up the difference in troop numbers.’
A commander could use their gold to recruit additional troops or upgrade equipment.
In other words, with sufficient gold, I could bridge the vast gap between the two forces.
‘And I have nearly ten billion gold in my possession.’
A smile played at the corners of Ryu Min’s mouth.
It was more than enough to crush the Holy Empire and still have plenty left over.

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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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