The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 273

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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 273
273. Dragon Subjugation
A player who becomes a commander typically remains in the Barracks.
Why?
Because they cannot directly intervene in the war anyway.
Not only is the location of the war unknown, but the system has sealed off the area to prevent access.
That is the rule of Round 17.
Even if a player leaves the Barracks, there is little for them to do.
‘Or so I thought—until I ventured beyond the Barracks myself.’
In my past iterations, I explored the surroundings to verify whether I truly couldn’t participate in the war.
The area was nothing but mountain ranges with treacherous terrain and no paths, yet I was not completely isolated.
‘Crossing the Mountains led to a city—Decan, a small Kingdom.’
However, an invisible barrier, much like a system boundary, prevented me from reaching the war zone.
Still, it was not a fruitless endeavor.
I could utilize the Kingdom’s Mercenary Group.
[Golden Eagle Mercenary Corps – Decan Branch]
The sign was written in the Other World’s script, yet I understood it instinctively.
‘With the Mercenary Group’s aid, I can slay the dragon.’
Of course, I must do so before the war ends.
‘No need to worry. There’s still over three hours remaining.’
As I stepped inside, the receptionist greeted me with a smile and asked, “What brings you here?”
“What brings you here?”
“I’ve come to request a subjugation quest.”
“One moment, please. Oh my, your Mercenary rank badge is [Master]. Let me see what Master-tier quests are available…”
The receptionist searched through the available quests, but I already knew.
There was only one quest a Master could undertake at this moment.
“There is a dragon subjugation quest available… Would you like to take it?”
[You may undertake the Black Dragon Karsainox Subjugation Quest. Do you accept? Y/N]
“If not, I can recommend other lower-tier quests…”
“I’ll take it.”
There was no reason to refuse.
Upon my acceptance, the receptionist nodded and instructed me to wait outside, as the Subjugation Squad would arrive shortly.
True to her word, the Subjugation Squad arrived before the Mercenary Corps not long after.
“Are you Black Scythe? I am Antonio Richardson, Captain of the 2nd Subjugation Squad of the Golden Eagle Mercenary Corps. You volunteered to hunt the death dragon?”
“Yes.”
“Remarkable courage. These are fellow volunteers as brave as yourself—allow me to introduce them.”
Before me stood twenty mercenaries.
By their appearance, they were a diverse party of mages, archers, and warriors, yet they were nothing more than NPCs.
‘I cannot rely on these mere extras.’
The dragon hunt rested solely upon my shoulders as the volunteer.
“Well, since we’ve introduced ourselves, shall we head out?”
I followed the mercenaries to a warp gate nearby.
“Steel yourselves.”
In the blink of an eye, the scenery around me shifted.
To Death Canyon, where the Black Dragon’s lair was said to be.

* * *
The Dragon Lair was not a place anyone could enter.
Even knowing its location, those who hadn’t reached the Mercenary Group’s highest rank, “Master,” would be blocked at the entrance.
That’s why I hadn’t brought Ju Sung-tak, who increased boss drop rates tenfold.
‘Besides, I had no intention of bringing him anyway because of the title and rune.’
If I became the first player to slay a dragon, I would obtain a title and rune.
I couldn’t compromise on this, no matter what else.
It was absurd to yield such rewards to Ju Sung-tak just to increase item drop rates slightly.
‘Besides, with my high luck stat, all the items that should drop will drop anyway.’
Luck stat affected both gacha rates and item drop rates.
Even with only Min Ju-ri’s blessing applied, my luck stat exceeded 870,000.
At this level, even items with the lowest probability would inevitably drop at 100% rate.
“Monsters ahead!”
“All units, prepare for combat!”
“Stay sharp!”
The mercenaries tensed upon seeing the monsters appear at the canyon entrance.
They were Dark Illusions from Round 15.
Whoooooosh—
Watching them move freely through the darkness in their tattered robes, the mercenary group could only tremble.
Fear had gripped them.
Though they regained their composure quickly, being part of the Dragon Subjugation Squad, it was already too late.
The monster’s claws were already within striking distance.
But.
Slash—!
“I can’t let my guide be killed.”
My scythe was faster by one step.
The Dark Illusion tore apart like paper and vanished.
[Dark Illusion defeated!]
[Experience increased by 1.5x due to title effect.]
[Experience and gold increased by 2x due to Predation Rune effect.]
[Obtained 5 Predation Stacks and 1 stat point from Predation Rune.]
[Accumulated Predation Stacks: 5]
[Experience +0.47%]
[Gold +20,000]
[Additional Gold +10,000]
[Hero’s Rune Stack: 1/100]
[All stats increase by 1 due to Hero’s Rune effect.]
[Current Kill Count: 1/100]
[All stats increase by 1% due to Massacre Rune effect.]
[19 enemies detected within a 100m radius.]
[All stats increase by 19% due to One Against a Hundred Rune effect.]
I’d killed just one mob, yet messages flooded my vision far too abundantly.
‘Was it not a mob?’
Dark Illusion was stronger than High Orc, so calling it a mere mob felt like a stretch.
Well, at my level, even boss-tier creatures were little more than mobs.
‘During Round 15, I couldn’t kill them because they were invincible….’
Screeeech!
Another Dark Illusion scattered to pieces with a single swing of my scythe.
‘But things are different now.’
It didn’t matter how many appeared.
I would slaughter them all without hesitation.
With such resolve, I cut down every creature that emerged, leaving the mercenaries with nothing to do.
“My, you are quite formidable.”
“So you are Black Scythe? It seems your Master-tier rank was well-earned.”
I didn’t smile at the NPC’s praise.
Smiling at scripted dialogue would wound my pride.
‘Besides, slaying such mobs hardly warrants commendation.’
After killing twenty Dark Illusions, I’d accumulated twenty stat points.
A modest amount for me, but objectively speaking, it was extraordinary.
In terms of levels, it was equivalent to gaining ten levels.
‘This is why the Devouring Rune is so valuable. It showers me with stats.’
The benefits didn’t end there.
[Devouring Rune Stack has reached 100.]
[As a bonus effect, Strength and physique increase by 10%.]
My height, previously 180 centimeters, had grown to nearly two meters.
Checking my stat window, my Strength stat had also increased by 10%.
‘My height has grown somewhat, but it’s not inconvenient.’
I was no longer an adult with below-average height.
The increase in physique applied to reality as well.
‘My previous height of 165 centimeters must have become over 180 now.’
I’d achieved an ideal height in an instant, yet felt little excitement.
The stat increase felt like a far greater gain than such trivial matters.
Just then, a mercenary at the front pointed ahead with his finger.
“Commander! We found it! That’s the cave where the evil Black Dragon is said to dwell.”
“I see. Everyone, proceed carefully!”
Ryu Min and the 21 NPCs entered cautiously.
Then a message appeared.
[You have entered the Black Dragon’s Lair.]
[The stench of death constricts your breath.]
[As a penalty, all stats are reduced by 25%.]
A penalty so severe it would make anyone curse upon reading it.
But it meant nothing to Ryu Min.
‘Even with a 25% reduction, the dragon falls in one hit.’
The mercenaries illuminated the darkness with magic as they moved through the cave in formation.
‘Move faster. There’s no need to walk this slowly.’
Contrary to their worries, nothing emerged from the entrance.
It would only appear deeper within.
The guardians protecting the dragon.
Sure enough, after walking for quite some time, the roar of a guardian echoed.
“Kwaaaaagh!”
“Eek! I-it appeared.”
A Dark Ogre.
A monster twice as strong as the Ogre, called the mightiest on land.
Technically a boss-class creature, but compared to the true boss—the dragon—it was merely a foot soldier guarding the gate.
“Everyone, attack!”
“Waaaaah!”
Twenty-one warriors rushed at the single Dark Ogre.
Still, being part of the Dragon Subjugation Squad, their skills were exceptional.
‘Around level 60 in player terms?’
But that was nowhere near enough.
At best, they could only immobilize the Dark Ogre’s legs.
‘In the end, I have no choice but to step in.’
Once Ryu Min moved, the battle became simple.
“Kwaaa… Kugh!”
Even with the 25% reduction, his stats exceeded hundreds of thousands.
Moreover, with the Yin-Yang Rune amplifying damage twofold.
A single normal attack infused with magical damage was all it took to finish one Dark Ogre.
[You have defeated the Dark Ogre!]
[Title effect: Experience gained increased by 1.5x.]
[Devouring Rune effect: Experience and gold gained increased by 2x.]
[Devouring Rune: Obtained 10 stacks and 2 stat points.]
[Accumulated Devouring Stacks: 110]
[Experience +0.95%]
[Gold +40,000]
[Additional Gold +20,000]
[Current Kill Count: 21/100]
[All stats increased by 21% due to the Rune of Slaughter effect.]
[5 enemies detected within a 100m radius.]
[All stats increased by 5% due to the Rune of One Against a Hundred effect.]
There were four more Dark Ogres nearby.
After dispatching the additional threats, I soon found myself face to face with the Black Dragon.
“T-that is…”
“T-the Dragon of Death…!”
A vast cavern.
A space where nothing existed but darkness, light itself forbidden entry.
Within it, serpentine crimson eyes gleamed with savage fury.
[So these are the pitiful humans who crawled out of their vessel. How dare you trespass upon my domain.]
The Black Dragon’s voice resonated directly within my mind.
It communicated through wavelengths directed at specific targets, much like Angel did.
‘Well, that’s hardly my concern.’
I walked forward alone, scythe in hand.
The mercenaries, who could do nothing but tremble, watched my retreating figure with expressions of bewilderment.
[I am Karsainox, the Dragon of Death. Since you have dared to invade my domain, abandon all hope of returning alive…]
The dragon paused mid-sentence, its gaze lowering in disbelief.
An insignificant human stood fearlessly before its belly, towering over twenty meters above the ground.
“My stats have dropped. I should use a skill to ensure a clean kill.”
Standing before a being of absolute terror, I muttered these words with perfect composure—a sight the dragon found utterly contemptible.
[This pathetic human, inferior even to a pack of ogres, has finally lost his mind…]
The dragon never finished its thought.
It had belatedly sensed the tremendous energy converging at the tip of my scythe.
I had consumed the accumulated stacks of the Rune of Judgment that I had been saving.
“Heavenly Judgment.”
Light exploded across the space that had known only darkness.
A technique wielded by Raguel, fifth-ranked among the Archangels.
An X-shaped pillar of radiance surged upward, pushing back the darkness.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Crash!
“Aaaahhh!”
“Grrrrgh!”
The cavern trembled from the impact, startling everyone—but what came next was far more shocking.
“T-the dragon?”
“It vanished?”
“Where did it go?”
The cavern, once so cramped by the dragon’s massive bulk that there was nowhere to stand, now lay empty.
No corpse, no blood, nothing remained.
The dragon vanished without a trace from that single strike.
[You have defeated the Black Dragon Karsainox!]
[Title effect: Experience increased by 1.5x.]
[Devouring Rune effect: Experience and Gold increased by 2x.]
[Devouring Rune acquired: 100 Stacks and 20 Stat Points.]
[Accumulated Devouring Stacks: 250]
[Experience +9.52%]
[Gold +400,000]
[Bonus Gold +200,000]
[Current Kill Count: 26/100]
[Massacre Rune effect: All Stats increased by 26%.]
[Acquired ‘Condensed Ether’.]
[Acquired ‘Dragon Scale’.]
[Acquired ‘Dragon Horn’.]
[Acquired ‘Dragon Fang’.]
[Acquired ‘Blueprint: Aura of Death’.]
[Confirmed as the first player to slay a dragon.]
[You have acquired the title ‘Dragon Slayer’.]
[First Dragon Slayer reward: ‘Dragonbane Necklace’ obtained.]
[First Dragon Slayer reward: ‘Memory Rune’ obtained.]
[The acquired rune automatically inscribes itself upon your body!]

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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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