The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 301

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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 301
301. Command Function
“Repeat what you said earlier. What were you planning to do?”
At Black Scythe’s question, the three men hesitated and held their tongues.
“Why are you silent like mutes? Don’t my words sound like words to you?”
“Ah, s-sorry.”
Only when Black Scythe released a hint of killing intent did Seonbi finally open his mouth, though he was too flustered to know what to say.
‘Damn it, why did Black Scythe suddenly appear?’
Even his presence detection hadn’t picked up anything.
He hadn’t heard even the slightest footstep.
He’d simply turned his head and found Black Scythe standing there like a ghost.
‘Could he have overheard us?’
Even as his heart pounded, Seonbi managed to collect himself and finally speak.
The words he chose in desperation were nothing but an excuse.
“Ah, what did we say earlier… haha.”
“I think I heard you were planning to do something terrible to Krishi.”
“Haha, you must have misheard.”
“Are you blaming my ears?”
At the chilling tone, Seonbi’s courage shriveled to nothing, but he couldn’t back down now.
The moment he admitted it, their necks would surely be forfeit.
There was still a chance Black Scythe hadn’t heard them, wasn’t there?
“N-no, we really never said such a thing….”
“You planned to approach her under the guise of gratitude, exploit Krishi who has no combat ability, and ultimately dispose of her. Did you think I wouldn’t know?”
At these words that struck the heart of the matter, the three men’s eyes turned cold.
The hesitant faces from moments before vanished, replaced only by expressions as terrifying as those about to commit murder.
Shing—
As if on cue, the three men drew their blades simultaneously, their eyes gleaming with murderous intent. Ryu Min let out a soft chuckle.
“There’s no need to be so tense. I have no intention of killing you.”
“….”
“Honestly, you haven’t done anything wrong. You were planning a crime, but you haven’t actually committed one yet.”
“Then… you won’t attack us?”
“Of course not. Do I look like some indiscriminate murderer to you?”
He waved his hand as if telling them to lower their weapons and relax, but the players couldn’t easily let their guard down.
They feared he might suddenly launch a surprise attack while saying such things.
“Now, put your weapons away. You don’t even have confidence you could beat me three against one.”
“That’s something we’d have to test. The only way to know is to try….”
That was when it happened.
Screeeech—!
An Ogre that had spotted multiple prey charges at Ryu Min from behind.
Boom— Boom— Boom—!
As I turned my head, the creature rushing from behind raised its hand as if to rip my head clean off.
A moment of absolute crisis.
Guh, guh-wark?
The Ogre froze the instant it met my gaze.
It slowly lowered the hand it had raised and even took a step backward.
Unmistakably the look of terror.
The players standing nearby wore expressions of shock at this bizarre spectacle.
They’d never seen it before.
A monster seized by fear in the presence of a human.
Only I, who knew the reason, maintained a composed expression.
‘Having the Dragon Slayer title certainly makes things convenient.’
A title that made monsters instinctively feel dread.
Thanks to it, I could dispatch the Ogre with ease.
Scritch—!
With a single swing of my scythe, the Ogre was cleaved in half.
It was merely one swing, but the effect was profound.
The three men swallowed hard, their tension palpable.
Gulp—
The damage from bisecting the Ogre in one stroke was remarkable enough, but what truly unsettled them was the complete absence of any telegraphed movement before the attack.
This was why the three men were so tense.
“What did you say earlier? That you can’t know who’s stronger without testing it?”
“….”
“If you want to challenge me, I’ll oblige. I’d prefer not to kill you if possible, but if death is what you’re after….”
“N-no, sir.”
“No, sir. We want to live.”
The moment I stepped forward with my scythe raised, the three men flinched violently.
“P-please spare us, and we’ll do anything you ask.”
“Yes, that’s right. Just give us your orders.”
At their submissive tone, I let out a derisive snort.
“Why would I trust you with anything?”
“Please trust us. If you just spare our lives, we’ll even lick your….”
“Stop with the disgusting talk. If you have ears, listen carefully. When did I say I’d kill you? I said I’d spare you. I have no desire to commit meaningless murder.”
At the word “spare,” the eyes of the three men gleamed with hope.
“Truly, sir?”
“However.”
My eyes shifted to a violet hue in that instant.
[Activating Command function.]
“All three of you will obey my every word.”

* * *
After issuing the command, the players nodded in acknowledgment.
“Understood.”
“We’ll do as ordered.”
“We’ll do our best.”
“Good. Now go. Execute my orders precisely.”
“Understood.”
I added that last bit out of an abundance of caution, but I knew they would comply.
They would execute my commands exactly as given.
After all, I’d used the [Command] ability—a function unlocked at max level.
‘The Command function is quite useful for controlling players who won’t listen.’
Command was an ability that forced anyone to obey my orders, much like Dominion.
In some ways it had the same effect as Dominion, but there was a crucial difference.
‘The biggest difference is that it doesn’t work on opponents of equal level.’
While Dominion worked even on same-level targets, Command could only direct lower-level players.
Otherwise, they had the same effect.
‘It’s essentially a downgraded version of Dominion.’
Since I was currently the only max-level player, I could issue commands to anyone without needing Dominion.
That was convenient, but in the final twenty rounds, everyone would reach max level, making forced commands impossible.
‘That’s why I became a zone representative and obtained Dominion. And why I’m conserving its uses.’
In the final round, anything could happen, so Dominion would be essential.
‘Regardless, I won’t need to worry about Christine anymore. She has reliable reinforcements now.’
I hadn’t expected Dorothy to join after Jeffrey, but it worked out well.
Even if another player targeted her, the three of them could handle it.
And I still had the three people I’d planted as backup.
‘I’ll postpone hunting and check on my other allies to make sure they’re safe.’
Since their names hadn’t appeared on the death list yet, they should be fine, but visual confirmation would be better.
I should also tell them to gather at the meeting point.
After checking my tracking list to decide who to visit first, I pushed off into the air.
Immediately after.
Kwaaaaaaang—!
A sonic boom that shook the entire Forest erupted across the sky.

* * *
Crunch— crunch!
Traveling alongside Seo A-rin, Min Ju-ri had come to realize one undeniable truth.
‘A summoner is… far stronger than I expected.’
Watching the Spirit Knight dismantle a Dark Ancient Tree single-handedly left her feeling oddly diminished.
The creature was genuinely a one-woman army, devastatingly powerful.
Though some of that strength surely came from the buffs I provided.
That’s when Min Ju-ri and Seo A-rin’s eyes met across the empty air.
Yet both of them silently averted their gazes.
Despite their temporary alliance, they remained wary of each other.
Then it happened.
[The tenth casualty has occurred.]
[The deceased player’s nickname is ‘BruGood’.]
[Ten minutes have passed since death, so the player will now be eliminated.]
[Remaining players: 133]
[Eliminated players: 10]
[Time until round conclusion: 70:52:08]
Already the tenth casualty.
So many deaths in just one hour—it was almost incomprehensible.
Frustrated, Min Ju-ri muttered aloud.
“We used to trust each other with our lives, and yet I can’t understand why they’re killing one another.”
“You can’t understand? I think I can.”
At Seo A-rin’s words, Min Ju-ri turned to her expectantly.
“You think you can?”
“Don’t you? Just look at us. A month ago we were colleagues, and now? We’re radiating nothing but cold hostility.”
“Still, I can’t fathom why they’d kill each other.”
“It’s proof that we’ve never truly trusted one another.”
“That’s true enough. I’ve learned that lesson the hard way—betrayed by someone I trusted.”
Min Ju-ri spoke without backing down, and Seo A-rin’s gaze turned venomous.
“Are you saying I stabbed you in the back?”
“Aren’t you? I thought we were neighbors, and you struck me down without mercy.”
“Ryu Min isn’t even yours, and yet… anyone watching would think you’re the other woman coveting someone’s husband.”
“What…?”
As the frigid atmosphere deepened, an unexpected voice pierced through.
“Quite the tense mood you’ve got here.”
Descending gracefully from the sky was the very being both women had been so desperately seeking—Black Scythe.
Of course, Min Ju-ri still had no idea that Black Scythe was Ryu Min.
“Black Scythe?”
“Ah, you startled me.”
The two women’s expressions shifted to delight at the sudden arrival, but Ryu Min found himself unable to smile.
‘Why are the two of them together like this?’
Like Christine, I felt the need to protect Min Ju-ri and assigned a slave to her side.
But the person I assigned to Min Ju-ri wasn’t Seo A-rin.
How could I possibly assign her when it was obvious they’d fight over me?
Especially when I was already anxious they might draw blades against each other.
‘I told her to protect Min Ju-ri the moment the round started, but where is she? Could she still not have arrived?’
Since the slave I’d given orders to was nowhere in sight, I checked the tracking list, and sure enough.
The distance was steadily decreasing.
It seemed she’d finally arrived because the starting location had been so far away.
“Black Scythe. What brings you here?”
“Did you come for a buff?”
“That too, but I was a bit worried, you see.”
Despite her suspicions about my words, Min Ju-ri cast a buff on me.
Seo A-rin, feeling a subtle jealousy at that kindness, approached me with a smile.
“Were you worried about me?”
“Not exactly.”
“…Then you were worried about Democracy?”
I looked at Seo A-rin before responding.
She gazed at me with doe-like eyes as if pleading me to say no, but I had no intention of lying.
“She’s a supporter, so I can’t help but worry. If she ran into an Ogre, she’d obviously struggle.”
“Ah… I see.”
Seo A-rin lowered her head in disappointment, but she understood too.
With that cheat skill Bless, Min Ju-ri was an invaluable asset to Black Scythe.
“Anyway, nothing happened between you two, right?”
“Of course not.”
“Why would you think something happened?”
Min Ju-ri’s question was natural.
She didn’t equate Black Scythe with Ryu Min.
But knowing that both Min Ju-ri and Seo A-rin liked the same person, I could tell the tension between them was real.
“The atmosphere between you two seemed a bit off.”
“It’s fine. There’s nothing for Black Scythe to worry about.”
Once Seo A-rin reassured me, I nodded as well.
But I couldn’t go without insurance.
And conveniently, my insurance was approaching.
“Ah, there she comes.”
At my gesture, both women turned their heads in unison.
There stood none other than Slave Number One, Yamtti.
“Huff, huff. Sorry. Am I a bit late?”
“A bit? You’re very late.”
“Why is Yamtti here?”
“Did Black Scythe call for us?”
Ryu Min nodded at the question posed by the two women.
“The more allies we have, the safer we’ll be.”
“So… you want the three of us to travel together?”
“What about Black Scythe?”
“I have other matters to attend to, so I need to head back.”
Though he called her a companion, Yamtti was essentially stepping into a role to monitor the dynamic between the two women.
Ryu Min leaned close to Yamtti and whispered.
-Yamtti. Make sure they don’t fight. Keep things balanced between them.
-Don’t worry.
Ryu Min turned his gaze to the two people, whose expressions betrayed clear dissatisfaction.
“If you walk straight ahead in that direction, you’ll reach Twin Gorge. I’ve arranged to meet other allies there, so don’t stray from the path and keep going straight.”
“Understood.”
“Yes…”
“Now that I’ve confirmed your safety, I should be on my way. Yamtti, watch over these two carefully.”
“Understood, Black Scythe.”
Ryu Min smiled as though a weight had lifted from his shoulders, then soared into the sky and vanished with a sonic boom.
“Ladies, shall we head out now?”
As Yamtti grinned, Min Ju-ri and Seo A-rin exchanged reluctant glances.

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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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