The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 3

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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 3
3. Avatar Creation
“Black Reaper.”
Without hesitation, I spoke the nickname aloud, and the system responded.
[Will you register your avatar’s nickname as ‘Black Reaper’?]
“Yes.”
[The nickname is unique. Registration complete.]
There was a reason I had chosen Black Reaper as my nickname.
‘It sounds powerful.’
Most people, when asked to create a nickname, tend to choose carelessly.
Or they waste thirty seconds deliberating before their real name is forced upon them.
But through my countless returns, I had learned that selecting a nickname was surprisingly crucial.
‘A nickname shapes how others perceive you.’
The place we transfer to through soul transference is a new world entirely.
In what could be called the Other World, no one uses their real name.
Everyone addresses each other exclusively by the nickname they’ve just set.
No one wants to reveal their true identity from reality.
Everyone desires to wear a mask.
‘Only a fool would use their real name during avatar creation.’
It’s the same reason people don’t use their real names in games.
Especially in a survival game where you must crush others to compete—you must conceal your identity.
‘That’s why the nickname matters. It’s one of the few elements that determines first impressions.’
Whether intentionally or not, Angel had omitted a crucial fact.
A nickname always hovers above an avatar’s head.
‘Like in a game.’
Because of this, anyone can see your nickname.
This was precisely why nicknames were considered such a vital factor in first impressions.
‘From my experience, appearing weak is never advantageous. A strong, memorable nickname is always better.’
In my early attempts, I had carelessly registered my real name or internet usernames as nicknames.
But because I looked easy to underestimate, weaklings swarmed me, and I wasted precious time.
‘Here, I must always appear formidable. A strong impression is invaluable.’
After that, while thinking of powerful-sounding nicknames, Black Reaper came to mind.
‘It’s my primary weapon, and my eventual class will be the Reaper anyway.’
The Other World contains roughly thirty different professions.
They’re called classes, and the Reaper is among the unique classes—only one person can possess it.
‘I must become a Reaper again this time. No other class comes close to its power.’
It’s still too early to choose a class, but there’s no harm in setting my path.
[Please set your body type and appearance within three minutes.]
[Your visualization will be reflected in your avatar.]
[Once you’ve finished visualizing, please say ‘visualization complete’.]
[If you do not finalize your appearance within the time limit, your original form will be automatically reflected.]
‘Appearance customization time, then.’
Appearance, like a nickname, is a crucial factor in determining first impressions.
‘Most people would probably just try to make themselves look cool and beautiful here.’
They would focus entirely on customizing their appearance, refining the parts they disliked as if undergoing cosmetic surgery.
It was painfully predictable.
‘But if you have any sense, you absolutely cannot do that. Especially not women.’
A beautiful and refined appearance certainly has the effect of drawing attention from those around you.
It’s excellent for making a good first impression.
However, the Other World is a realm of survival of the fittest.
Those with outstanding appearance become targets far too easily.
Women are particularly vulnerable.
‘Everyone makes the same mistake—they think they’re creating a game character right now. But the Other World is also undeniably reality.’
If you die in the Other World, you die in reality as well.
Countless people forget this fact and, deceived by the game-like system, make catastrophic decisions.
‘Appearance just needs to not stand out. It shouldn’t be handsome or ugly.’
My real appearance was exactly that, but I changed it anyway to better conceal my identity.
‘Different from reality, yet not appearing weak or vulnerable.’
Ryu Min quickly envisioned his new form without hesitation.
A sharp nose bridge and jawline, piercing eyes—I crafted an impression that was cold and composed.
For my build, instead of the frail frame I usually had, I chose a body with moderate musculature.
It was an appearance befitting the nickname Black Scythe—one that radiated strength.
“Customization complete.”
[Customization has been finalized.]
[Generating avatar.]
…
…
[Generation complete.]
[Your soul will now be transferred to Round 1 immediately. Best of luck.]
A brilliant light suddenly struck Ryu Min’s eyes.
When I reflexively opened them again, a new world sprawled before me.
‘Instantaneous.’
The setting for Round 1 was a vast Grassland.
The kind of place where cattle and sheep would peacefully graze.
Of course, there were no cattle or sheep here.
‘But there are monsters.’
Ryu Min looked down at his body.
A height of 180 centimeters with a toned, muscular physique moved exactly as I intended.
It was the body I had customized moments ago.
‘After creating it so many times, it truly feels like my own body now.’
From Round 12 onward, I had maintained this same appearance.
Perhaps because of that, despite having created this body only recently, it felt as familiar as my own.
I didn’t react with surprise or confusion like the others.
I had experienced soul transference countless times before.
“W-where is this? The Grassland?”
“Doesn’t matter where it is….”
“My heart feels so peaceful.”
The avatar creators began appearing in the Grassland one after another.
“Huh? My body changed?”
“Did I enter with the body I set before coming here?”
“I’m this muscular? Then my face too…?”
“I changed my face to look like a celebrity just in case… and it actually worked?”
As more people arrived, the murmuring grew louder.
People gazing with curiosity at the nicknames floating above others’ heads.
People running their hands over their transformed bodies, satisfied with their celebrity-like appearances.
People panicking because they couldn’t change their appearance after exceeding the time limit.
People so captivated by the vast Grassland scenery that they forgot to panic.
Though reactions varied widely, my expression remained utterly blank.
I had experienced this enough times to be bored by it.
Instead, my gaze was fixed on one spot.
‘About time he showed up.’
Moments later.
Whoosh—
A figure materialized where my eyes had been focused.
‘There you are. Hwang Yong-min.’
Hwang Yong-min, his body far more muscular than usual, was glancing around nervously.
‘As expected, he only made his body muscular again.’
Since he hadn’t changed his face, he was easy to recognize.
The nickname floating above his head was [Hwang Yong-min]—his real name unchanged.
He must have been too flustered to change it.
‘Thirty seconds really is shorter than people think for choosing a nickname.’
Looking around, I could easily spot several others who had kept their real names besides Hwang Yong-min.
Then our eyes happened to meet.
But he didn’t recognize me, and his gaze quickly shifted away.
‘Of course he wouldn’t. I’ve completely transformed into a different person.’
Hwang Yong-min doesn’t know me, but I know him.
‘That’s all I need.’
Once I confirmed that fact, I turned my gaze away from Hwang Yong-min.
My revenge was already complete enough; I had no further interest in him.
‘I’ll make my move when it’s most useful to exploit him.’
For now, I’m keeping them alive because they still have their uses.
[Kyohohoho, is everyone here now?]
A figure descended from the sky accompanied by a radiant halo.
Her name was Briel.
The same angel I’d seen before.
[You seem quite pleased with your new avatar?]
“….”
At Briel’s arrival, the entire grassland fell into a silence so complete it was suffocating.
‘I must have left quite the intense first impression, which explains why everyone’s so quiet now.’
If I acted recklessly, my head might explode again.
Briel seemed to understand this, her lips curling into an amused smile.
[Kikikiki, I do enjoy seeing that frightened expression. Don’t worry though. As long as you don’t behave disrespectfully, I won’t kill you.]
No one relaxed at those words.
[Let’s see… with a total of 1,802,910 people, it appears all the humans from Seoul have gathered here.]
“1.8 million people?”
“Everyone here?”
People murmured and looked around in confusion.
The grassland held at most ten thousand people.
That was the number who had been at Bosingak.
No matter how I looked at it, there weren’t 1.8 million people here.
Hearing their murmurs, Briel furrowed her brow and answered.
[Is this grassland the only one? Of course not all 1.8 million are gathered in one place. If they were, there wouldn’t even be room to stand.]
“Ah….”
[Honestly, you inferior humans. Each group is proceeding through the rounds in different grasslands with different angels, so don’t concern yourselves with it.]
Still, ten thousand people was quite a substantial number.
Enough to make the vast grassland seem cramped.
‘But this is only the beginning.’
Whether they realized it or not, this was a survival game where only half could survive.
As the rounds progressed, the number of people decreased exponentially.
Especially in the later rounds, the difficulty increased so much that more and more people died without even meeting the clear conditions.
By the final round, only I remained.
‘Particularly in Round 15, an enormous number of deaths occur.’
The global player count, which had been two thousand, drops to fifty or fewer.
Far from half—97.5% fail to advance to the next round and perish.
‘In the end, only I made it to Round 20. Everyone else died.’
Considering we started with 1.8 billion people, an incomprehensible number had to die.
[Now that everyone’s here, let me begin the explanation. First, try saying ‘Status Window’ in your mind.]
At Briel’s words, people hesitantly followed her instruction.
There was nothing to lose anyway.
“Gasp!”
“What is this?”
Moments later, gasps of wonder echoed from every corner of the room.
Everyone stood with their mouths agape, staring into empty air.
The status window was invisible to others’ eyes, after all.
Ryu Min, like the others around him, spoke the activation command aloud.
‘Status window.’
-Name: Ryu Min
-Nickname: Black Scythe
-Rank: Novice
-Title: None
-Level: 1
-Class: None
-Strength: 3, Intelligence: 3
-Agility: 3, Luck: 3
-Common Skills: None
-Exclusive Skills: None
-Runes: None
-Gold Held: 0
-Remaining Stat Points: 0
【Additional Functions】
[???: Unlocked at Level 10]
[???: Unlocked at Level 20]
[???: Unlocked at Level 40]
[???: Unlocked at Level 60]
[???: Unlocked at Level 99]
It was a pathetic status window—one that would justify a sigh.
Below it lay slots for additional functions that would unlock upon reaching certain levels.
‘I have to start from the beginning again, but that’s fine. This time, I’m confident I can become stronger.’
Even Ryu Min, who had reached the final Round, hadn’t been strong from the start.
‘I barely cleared Round 1 only after dying twice.’
It was only natural—he had been nothing more than a high school student bullied by delinquents back then.
But with each regression, Ryu Min grew stronger.
Gradually, my survival time extended, and the rounds I could endure increased.
‘It took ninety-nine cycles before I finally reached Round 20.’
Though I had to sacrifice countless lives, it was a miracle that someone so ordinary could reach this far.
‘Of course, those seven who survived to Round 18 without regression—they’re the true prodigies.’
By Round 18, seven others survive alongside me.
In Round 19, two of them remain, and in Round 20, only I survive.
‘I need to keep at least four alive until the boss chamber.’
Ryu Min had decided to select his companions for the final chamber from among these seven.
There’s no player in the entire world stronger than me.
That doesn’t mean I won’t consider other candidates.
‘There were plenty of strong players among those who fell in previous rounds.’
I don’t need exactly five people to reach the boss chamber.
Five is merely the minimum requirement—more would be even better.
‘The more survivors, the better, after all.’
The problem is that those who survive to the boss chamber must be reliable allies.
Or I must possess enough power to control them.
‘That much is nothing.’
Now, on my 100th return, I was confident I would become stronger than anyone.
I was the only one who had reached the maximum level of 99 in the previous round.
[Well, did everyone see the status window? If you’ve played games before, you’d know. Right now, you’re nothing but worthless trash.]
“….”
[So become stronger. If you survive until Round 20, you’ll be more powerful than anyone else. And once you clear Round 20 like that!]
Angel’s lips curled into a wide grin.
[I’ll not only free you from the survival game but grant your wish as well.]
“A… a wish?”
People’s reactions to the word “wish” varied.
“Will you really grant our wishes?”
“No way.”
Some were skeptical or dismissive.
“A wish, you say….”
“So if we just clear the final round, you’ll grant our wishes?”
Others harbored hope or greed.
Of course, I belonged to neither camp.
I knew this was a game where surviving until the final round was already overwhelming, let alone worrying about wishes.
[Then before we begin the round, let me give you a brief explanation. Everyone, try saying ‘Inventory’ in your minds.]
‘Inventory.’
As I spoke the activation word, an invisible window appeared just like the status window.
Inside was a small stone fragment that gleamed with an emerald hue.
[You should all have one basic item distributed in your inventory. Take it out with your hand and try using it.]
People reached into empty air and pulled out their items as instructed.
Then Item Information automatically appeared.

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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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