The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 285

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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 285
285. Ryu Min’s Proposal
[A proposal? How dare you?]
It wasn’t Phlunikthos who had taken offense at the human’s proposal.
It was Baal, who had been standing beside him while cloaked in invisibility.
Though a Demon had suddenly appeared, Ryu Min remained unflustered.
He had already sensed the presence through his detection ability.
[A mere human dares to make a proposal to His Excellency the Archduke? An ignorant creature indeed!]
[Baal.]
Phlunikthos rebuked his loyal servant with a composed yet dignified expression.
[Calm yourself. And who gave you permission to drop your invisibility?]
[My apologies. But that vermin of a human dared to speak such presumptuous words….]
[I never ordered you to interject. Nor did I order you to talk back.]
Baal, belatedly realizing his mistake, bowed his head.
[I beg your forgiveness. I shall accept any punishment….]
[Enough of this. Punishment over such a trifle? Hardly warranted. Besides, you spoke no falsehood.]
With that, Phlunikthos looked down at the small human before his feet.
His gaze was more contemptuous and dismissive than ever before.
[A mere human making a proposal to me? The more I consider it, the more absurd it becomes. Have you forgotten your station?]
“You won’t know unless you hear it, will you?”
[Very well. Let’s hear it then. What proposal do you wish to make?]
“I’ll kill the Angels in your stead. Especially Michael—I’ll make sure to sever that wretch’s lifeline for good. After all, the rules prevent you from acting directly, don’t they?”
[Hmph.]
Phlunikthos let out a scoff.
[Kill the Angels? Is that all you have to offer?]
“It’s not a bad deal, is it? If you eliminate Michael and the other Angels, you’d secure victory in the war far more certainly, wouldn’t you?”
[The war can be won without killing Michael.]
“Are you certain? Michael seemed to believe that if time dragged on, there was a possibility. That’s why he delayed the war even while surrendering the authority of the Akashic Record.”
[Delaying defeat is all that would accomplish. In both numbers and strength, the Demon Tribe currently holds overwhelming superiority.]
“But you’ve already taken me as promised, so the war will be delayed anyway, won’t it? Your direct incarnation as the Demon Archduke is off the table too. Doesn’t that give the Celestial Tribe some chance to turn things around?”
[There is virtually no such chance.]
“Even so, the probability of victory in war can’t be 100%, can it? If victory were assured, the gods wouldn’t have wagered on the outcome.”
[….]
“And in a great conflict like war, one cannot help but consider variables. If there’s a way to increase the odds of victory even slightly, wouldn’t it be wise to attempt it? I certainly would.”
[So you’re asking me to accept your proposal.]
As Ryu Min nodded, Phlunikthos fell into contemplation.
His demeanor had shifted entirely from the scorn he’d shown moments before.
[I didn’t expect it, but your tongue is sharper than I thought.]
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
[If Michael and some of the other Angels were to disappear as you say, victory in the war would indeed swing decisively to our side. The more I consider it, the better this proposal becomes.]
“That’s what I’m saying.”
[But can you actually kill Michael?]
“Are you doubting my abilities? Me, who eliminated six Archangels?”
[That’s beside the point. Can you even draw Michael out? If the Demon King’s Castle releases you, anyone with half a brain would suspect foul play.]
“What’s there to draw out? I’ll just join the Battlefield right now and kill him on the spot.”
[Kill him now? Not after Round 19?]
It seemed he believed killing me immediately was impossible.
As Ryu Min nodded, Phlunikthos let out a hollow laugh.
[Don’t you understand the system’s rules? Or are you just an idiot? You’re currently employed as a Mercenary by the Angels. You’re recognized as part of their party, which means you can’t kill each other. So don’t even think about asking me for help. Even I, unaffected by the system as I am, can’t change the rules unless I’m the developer itself…]
“So-called god, yet you know less than I do?”
[How dare you, human! Do you know where you are…!]
Baal bristled, but Phlunikthos raised a hand to stop him.
[What are you talking about, Black Scythe? What don’t I know?]
“There’s no need to change the rules. There’s an item that switches your faction.”
[An item that switches factions?]
“Ever heard of a Faction Change Voucher?”
Phlunikthos tilted his head slightly.
He hadn’t heard of it.
“When you rank first, you can choose one special reward. I selected a temporary skill called Faction Change Voucher.”
[I’m aware of special rewards. But I’ve never heard of a reward called Faction Change Voucher.]
Disbelief colored his tone.
Ryu Min chuckled and opened his skill window.
“Fine then. Will you believe me if I do this? [Skill Information Share].”
After selecting the skill to share and speaking the command, an information window appeared.
[Temporary Skill – Faction Change Voucher]
-Effect: Allows you to change your faction from Celestial Tribe to Demon Tribe.
Upon change, the Demon Tribe becomes allies and the Celestial Tribe becomes enemies. Both tribes will also recognize the caster’s allegiance accordingly.
Quest conditions also change to Demon Tribe victory.
You can return to the Celestial Tribe faction by using it again.
This temporary skill can only be used in Round 18.
The information window, invisible to others, was now being shared with the Demons for all to see.
[Such a temporary skill existed…]
“With this, there’s no problem killing Michael and the other Celestials, right?”
[That’s true. With this alone, we could teamkill the Celestials.]
“So will you accept my proposal?”
[I haven’t heard what you want in return yet. You’re not making such an offer without some benefit, are you?]
“Of course not.”
Ryu Min’s smile faded as he stated his demand directly.
“In exchange for killing Michael, release me. That’s the price I’m asking.”
[So you’re saying don’t use me as material.]
“I still have many things I want to accomplish.”
Life is precious, even to the smallest creature.
Phlunikthos nodded as if to say that was no difficult matter.
[Very well. If it raises the odds of victory in this war, I shall forgo your soul.]
“And there’s one more thing.”
[One more?]
“I’d like you to give me a reward for when I eliminate the Angels. Something like strengthening the Demon’s Blessing, or providing additional rewards upon their death. If you call yourself a god, surely you can manage that much?”
Part of me wanted to have this conversation with the Demon Archduke, but what I truly desired was this reward.
To obtain additional compensation from the Demon.
This was why I had willingly entered the Demon King’s Castle despite having the opportunity to kill Michael along the way.
I believed that negotiating with the Demon Archduke would surely grant me additional rewards.
[Not content with merely sparing your life, you demand additional compensation? Ha, in all my existence, I have never encountered a human with such audacity.]
“You’re not just deflecting because you lack the ability to provide rewards, are you?”
[Absurd. Within the Demon King’s Castle, my power rivals that of a god. While I cannot alter the System itself, I certainly possess the ability to grant a player additional rewards. However.]
Phlunikthos gazed down at me, his expression deliberately dignified.
[There are no rewards worthy of bestowing upon a mere mortal such as yourself. Be grateful that I allow you to leave alive.]
“That’s unfortunate. If that’s the case, I might lose the motivation to kill Angels and fail to keep my promise.”
[Are you saying you’ll escape if I release you?]
“No, I’m saying I’ll lack the drive. If a master who constantly threatened to turn his hunting dog into soup suddenly released him to catch prey, would the dog obediently bring back the game? He’d see it as an opportunity to flee. Even if he did catch something, wouldn’t he expect some compensation? A reward.”
[Hmm….]
Phlunikthos’s expression shifted to one of contemplation, as if he found my demands reasonable.
[Indeed, I suppose I must offer you compensation to ensure your cooperation. That way, I can release you with peace of mind.]
After a moment, he nodded slightly, as if reaching a decision.
[Very well. I shall grant you additional rewards. However, there is a condition.]
“A condition?”
[You must kill Michael within this round without fail.]
“Don’t worry about that. I was planning to eliminate him first anyway.”
[And you shall take Baal, my subordinate, with you.]
It was Baal himself who was startled by this declaration.
[Your Excellency? Why would you entrust me to such a human…?]
[He shall accompany you to ensure Black Scythe properly fulfills his duties. As you said, he might break his promise and flee, might he not?]
“I told you I won’t escape. Tsk.”
I clicked my tongue, but Baal glared at me with unmistakable disdain.
[Your Excellency. I have a duty to protect you. Please, send another demon instead….]
[I cannot trust the others. That is precisely why I entrust this mission to you. Your rank as number one makes your presence all the more certain.]
[Ah….]
Moved by his words of trust, Baal stood speechless for a moment before assuming a position of deference.
[I shall obey your command.]

* * *
I followed Baal out of the Demon King’s Castle.
A message appeared before me, and I exhaled in relief.
[You have returned to the round’s designated location.]
[Your disqualification has been cancelled.]
‘Thank goodness I escaped within the hour.’
Had I lingered in the Demon King’s Castle any longer, all the effort I’d accumulated would have crumbled to dust.
‘I can’t meet my end in a place like that.’
Fortunately, my negotiation with Phlunikthos had concluded successfully.
As proof, a single buff had been applied to me.
[The buff ‘Demon Archduke’s Proxy’ is now active.]
[Through this buff’s effect, you will receive a certain amount of stat points depending on your opponent when you slay members of the Celestial Tribe.]
[This buff effect is limited to round 18.]
‘I’m not sure how much my stats will increase, but it’s better than nothing.’
If I use the Demon’s Blessing on top of this, I’ll be able to obtain far more stat points than before.
‘Should I start by changing my faction?’
I activated my temporary skill.
[You have used the temporary skill ‘Faction Change Voucher’.]
[Player ‘Black Scythe’s faction has been changed from ‘Celestial Tribe’ to ‘Demon Tribe’.]
[From now on, the Celestial Tribe will recognize you as an enemy.]
[Your main quest victory condition has been altered due to the faction change.]
I opened my quest window, and sure enough, things had changed.
【Main Quest】
└Achieve victory in the war against the Celestial Tribe
The quest condition had shifted to confronting the Celestial Tribe.
Now all that remained was to use the Demon’s Blessing before the Angels and extort stat points from them.
‘Everything’s prepared. Perfect.’
If only this observer called Baal standing beside me didn’t exist, it would be absolutely flawless.
[Go to the battlefield at once and annihilate the Celestial Tribe as promised to the Archduke. Michael should be your priority target. Though I doubt a wretch like you could manage it.]
“Want to verify that doubt right now?”
I provoked him, but Baal was ranked first among the 72 Demon Nobles.
Despite his foolish appearance, he was no easy opponent.
[I have no interest in pointless fighting. You’re merely a hired assassin employed by the Archduke.]
“So you’re just going to stand there with your hands behind your back and watch?”
[I have no choice. After round 20, things may differ, but by the rules, I’m currently forbidden from participating in this war. If I were to intervene, all you players would be utterly destroyed.]
“Ah, I see.”
[So speak no more and fulfill your promise. Should you break your word and attempt to flee….]
Baal’s eyes blazed with crimson murderous intent.
[Know that you will never survive.]
“Don’t worry, I’m not running.”
“Do your job properly. I’ll be watching from a state of invisibility, human.”
With those words, Baal faded away, and I couldn’t help but grumble.
“That one sure loves to nag, doesn’t he?”
So saying, I spread my wings and took flight.
Though invisible, I could sense Baal’s presence following behind me.
Pfft—
A smirk escaped my lips.
‘So that’s why the Demon Archduke attached Baal to me. There was a reason for everything.’
After all, by reading Baal’s thoughts, I could uncover the Demon Archduke’s true intentions.

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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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