The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 30

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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 30
30. Round 3 Begins
★Today’s Item★
[Skull Bone Necklace]
-Classification: Necklace
-Grade: Epic
-Effect: Intelligence +3, Attack Speed +1% for each enemy killed (Max +25%, lasts until end of round)
-Durability: 500/500
-Usage Restriction: Apprentice Grade or higher
-Description: A necklace fashioned from the bones of a skull of unknown origin.
【Purchase Price: 4,600 Gold】
【Time Remaining for Sale: 23:59:59】
The Skull Bone Necklace.
It’s an excellent item that boosts both intelligence and attack speed considerably.
‘Plus, at 4,600 gold, it’s priced lower than its performance warrants.’
The value is exceptional—any player with some accumulated gold would likely hit the purchase button immediately, but…
‘Surprisingly, few people will actually buy it. Because of the intelligence stat attached to it.’
If you touch each stat in the status window, detailed explanations appear.
The intelligence stat is a useful one that increases magical damage, mental fortitude, and mental acuity.
‘But for physical-type classes, it often seems like a useless stat. Precisely because it raises magical damage.’
For that reason, physical-type classes will hesitate to purchase items with intelligence attached.
Even though the attack speed boost is tempting.
‘The opposite is equally true. For magic-using classes, it’s not a particularly appealing item either.’
Because it has the attack speed option attached.
‘When hunting with skills as your focus, there’s no need for attack speed.’
Thus, this Skull Bone Necklace was an item shunned by both sides.
‘But for me, it’s nothing short of perfect.’
For the Reaper, a hybrid class, both intelligence and attack speed are vital.
Therefore, this item was perfectly suited for Ryu Min.
It was also an item I’d anticipated would appear today.
But there was an unexpected problem.
‘I have more gold remaining than I thought.’
Originally, my plan was to purchase the epic necklace and then use the remaining gold to equip other gear.
‘A helmet, gloves, boots, and a ring—all normal grade would cost 5,000 gold total.’
Though I could only afford normal items, wearing them was better than nothing, so that was the plan.
But upon calculation, I have far more gold remaining than expected.
‘Even after equipping all the remaining gear as normal grade, I’ll have 9,000 gold left. In previous runs, I only had 2,000 to 5,000 gold remaining…’
An unexpected windfall from the gold pouch had thrown my calculations off.
This was the reason for Ryu Min’s belated shock.
‘Wait, then if I skip the normal gear and only buy the epic necklace…?’
If I use the 50% discount voucher, I’d only spend 2,300 Gold?
‘That means I’d have 14,000 Gold left over?’
Ryu Min fell into deep thought at the unexpectedly large surplus.
‘If I just save another 6,000 Gold, I’ll have 20,000 Gold. Then I can buy one more shared skill.’
Rather than waste money on Normal equipment, I should accumulate more Gold.
That way, I can purchase a shared skill sooner.
‘And I can accelerate my future plans as well.’
With that decision made, Ryu Min used the discount voucher to purchase the Skull Bone Necklace.
[You have used today’s Item 50% Discount Voucher.]
[You have purchased the Skull Bone Necklace for 2,300 Gold.]
13,949 Gold remained.
I postponed buying Normal equipment.
I decided to save just 6,000 more Gold by Round 3 and purchase a shared skill then.
‘Saving 6,000 Gold shouldn’t be difficult.’
Fortunately, Round 3 spawns many monsters.
Plenty of opportunities to earn Gold.
‘Plus, I can build up the attack speed stacks on the Skull Bone Necklace quickly.’
That’s why I bought the Epic item.
Ryu Min’s lips curved upward in satisfaction.
I couldn’t wait for Round 3 to begin.
And time flowed on….
That day arrived without fail.
* * *
March 1st.
Time arriving unchanged.
‘Round 3 has begun.’
Jo Jung-sik surveyed his surroundings.
The landscape of the ruined village was quite striking.
‘Why would this round start in such a place? What kind of mission is it?’
As he looked around the village with curious eyes, people began appearing alongside flashes of light.
Most wore grim expressions at the thought of being dragged into the Other World again.
But Jo Jung-sik was different.
He even smiled as he looked at the people.
After all, he had become the representative of this zone.
He now wielded tremendous power.
‘If I wanted, I could make all these people my slaves?’
Jo Jung-sik’s lips stretched wide in a grin, but only for a moment.
Remembering what Angel had done in the last round, Jo Jung-sik’s face twisted in anger.
‘Damn that Angel bastard. Pulling such a stunt to humiliate me!’
Because she had revealed the restrictions of command authority, only he had ended up in a difficult position.
‘If I hadn’t kept blabbering about the ten-use limit, I could’ve had everyone eating out of my palm!’
Jo Jung-sik was worried.
Now that the players knew his Command had a usage restriction, wouldn’t they start looking down on him?
Wouldn’t they rebel?
And they did.
“That guy’s our zone representative? Life is Documentary?”
“What was his real name again? Some Gangster Organization boss, right?”
“Last time he waved a knife around and threatened us to vote.”
“He didn’t just wave it—he killed people without batting an eye.”
“And now he shows up acting like he’ll survive anyway.”
“Black Scythe should’ve been the representative instead of that murderer.”
“Quiet, he’ll hear you. Especially since he has Command.”
“So what? He’s got restrictions, so there’s nothing to fear.”
“Right. With only ten uses, he can’t use it recklessly.”
The crowd murmured while staring at Jo Jung-sik.
Jo Jung-sik glared at them and shouted.
“Shut up! I can hear every word, you bastards!”
“Why are you cursing and acting crazy?”
“What, you think I can’t curse? Tch.”
“What? Who just said that? Who was it?”
Grumbling echoed around him, but with so many people present, he couldn’t pinpoint who’d spoken.
Jo Jung-sik’s face twisted with rage.
The dignity of a zone representative crumbled to dust.
All because the restriction on his Command had been exposed.
‘Damn it, I knew this would happen. These bastards, these damn Angels!’
Since Jo Jung-sik had seized the zone representative position through coercion in the first place, no one viewed him favorably.
Except for one person.
“Um, ah, hello there!”
Suddenly a large man approached and bowed ninety degrees, prompting Jo Jung-sik to check his nickname first.
“Hwang Yong-min? What do you want?”
“Life is Documentary! No, wait—Boss Jo Jung-sik of the Jung-sik Faction, senior! I respect you!”
“….”
This guy suddenly bowing and expressing respect.
It was absurd, but Jo Jung-sik didn’t mock him.
Instead, he asked with a wary gleam in his eyes.
“Who are you? The way you say senior suggests you’re connected to this world… which family are you with?”
“Ah, I’m not part of a family yet. I’m a man in my twenties who dreams of becoming a gangster.”
“What?”
Dreams of becoming a gangster?
‘What kind of lunatic is this?’
Jo Jung-sik had never encountered anyone like this before, and he couldn’t hide his bewilderment.
“Jo Jung-sik, you are my role model. The Jung-sik Faction is an organization I’ve always desperately wanted to join.”
“So? What’s your business?”
“I want to serve you as my hyung for life! Please take me under your wing!”
Watching Hwang Yong-min prostrate himself with his massive frame, Jo Jung-sik reflected.
‘I’ve seen plenty of lunatics in my lifetime, but never one quite like this.’
He’d encountered plenty of fools who came looking for a fight with blades drawn, but this was his first time meeting someone who would bash their head down while claiming to admire him.
‘His audacity is rather appealing, I must admit.’
A faint smirk escaped from the corners of Jo Jung-sik’s mouth.
There was no way he could view someone who admired him in a negative light.
“Hey, get up.”
“Yes, sir!”
“Can’t you see the people around us staring?”
“I can see them!”
“You know my image is already ruined?”
“Yes, I’m aware.”
“And you still want to cling to me?”
Hwang Yong-min glanced around at his surroundings.
People were watching him with contemptuous gazes.
“Yes! It doesn’t matter!”
“Why?”
“Because I admire you, hyung. As long as I’m with you, such petty stares mean nothing to me!”
“Is that so?”
Jo Jung-sik’s face broke into a full smile.
“That’s an answer I like. Fine. I’ll take responsibility for raising you.”
“Th-thank you! I’m honored!”
Hwang Yong-min bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
His face, when he lifted his head, was flushed with emotion.
It was clear that joining Jo Jung-sik’s organization meant everything to him.
[Is everyone gathered? Humans, I presume? Kehehehe!]
At that moment, Angel appeared and drew everyone’s attention.
[The numbers seem to have decreased by about ninety people compared to last time? Did some of you have a falling out?]
“The numbers decreased?”
As if to answer the crowd’s confusion, Angel fluttered her wings.
◀ ROUND 3 ▶
【Main Quest】
└Protect the Relic for 3 Hours
[All Zones]
└Participants: 856,030,200
└Achievers: 0/214,007,550
[Zone ESKS45-5]
└Participants: 4,900
└Achievers: 0/1,225
“Huh? It really did decrease?”
The participants in Zone ESKS45-5 had dropped from 4,988 to 4,900.
[Young humans dying suddenly? Unlikely. Seems they’ve been fighting in reality too. Humans are always so eager to devour one another, aren’t they? Kehehehe.]
“Players fought each other in reality?”
“I haven’t seen any news about that?”
While people looked bewildered at Angel’s words, Ryu Min’s reaction was different.
‘The articles have already been published. They just went unnoticed as simple murder cases.’
Though not yet sensationalized, players were covertly checking and restraining each other.
The reduced participant count was proof of that.
‘Soon enough, people will realize. That players are dangerous beings.’
Conflict between players was inevitable.
Throughout my 99 previous cycles, I’d never witnessed players banding together harmoniously.
‘They were too busy viewing each other as competitors, pushing one another aside.’
When cooperative missions appeared, they’d join hands—but only temporarily.
Once finished, they’d immediately scheme about how to separate from each other.
Even when everyone cooperated, it wasn’t enough.
‘It’s not just our zone. Participant numbers have dropped globally.’
Losing roughly ninety people was nothing.
Far more participants would be eliminated going forward.
‘And it will happen periodically.’
If something displeased them in reality, they’d draw weapons first and ask questions later.
All manner of crimes would flourish, and eventually ordinary people would suffer casualties.
A world dominated by players was approaching.
‘Not much time left. I need to grow as strong as possible until then. Strong enough to protect my sister and myself—strong enough that no one would dare challenge us.’
As Ryu Min steeled his resolve, someone shouted.
“Wait a moment! Look at the number of achievers this round!”
“Angel! Something’s wrong here! Isn’t this a glitch?”
There were 4,900 participants, yet 1,225 achievers.
The achiever count, which should have been roughly half, had been cut to a quarter.
As people panicked, Angel covered her mouth with her wing and burst into laughter.
[Kehehehe! Look at the humans panicking. You’re shocked the achiever count dropped so much? A glitch, you say? No, this is perfectly normal.]
“N-Normal, you say!”
“What’s happening, Angel!”
At people’s protests, Angel wore a thin smile.
[Did you all forget? The rule is that only half survive each round. But last round, everyone survived because you voted, didn’t you? So logically, only a quarter should survive this round, yes?]
“That, that’s….”
She wasn’t wrong.
If we calculate based on the original number of survivors who should have remained, only one-quarter would survive—and that’s the correct outcome.
The players understood this fact.
They were simply confused because no one had informed them beforehand.
“Only a quarter can survive….”
“No wonder the last round felt so easy.”
“Damn it, I never expected such a trap hidden in round three….”
It felt like being told credit card fees were waived this month, only to have them all collected the following month in a lump sum.
[There’s nothing to complain about. We’re simply reducing the survivors we failed to eliminate last time. Just work hard and place yourself in the top twenty-five percent, wouldn’t you say?]
“….”
It was absurd, but no one dared to protest.
Offending Angel’s mood could literally blow their heads off.
After all, they had been forcibly conscripted into this survival game.
As the weaker party, they had no choice but to follow the rules.
[Now then, let me explain the details of round three.]

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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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