The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 304

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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 304
304. Demons
Ryu Min hadn’t actually been tracking Heo Tae-sik.
‘I came because I thought Victor might be in danger, but what is this….’
I’d rushed over belatedly to ensure the supporters’ safety, but I never imagined such chaos would unfold.
“Grrrrr….”
“This bastard’s lost his mind.”
Seeing him bare his teeth like a beast toward me, Ryu Min let out a sigh.
How dare a follower harbor killing intent toward the being he reveres as a god?
He clearly appeared to be out of his mind, but I could already tell from reading his thoughts.
‘His mind contains nothing but the thought that everyone must die.’
No matter how unhinged someone becomes, they can’t fixate on just one thought.
It’s not normal cognition.
‘Someone tampered with his mind.’
I detected external interference and quickly deduced who was responsible.
There was only one creature with such an ability.
‘Phlunikthos. He’s in the Other World.’
After reading Phlunikthos’s thoughts last time, I’d grasped his power.
By transferring a portion of his own strength, he could transform humans into demons consumed by vengeance.
Therefore, the culprit was unmistakable.
‘Phlunikthos corrupted Heo Tae-sik like a demon.’
I’d tried briefly, but the command function didn’t work—he was in an uncontrollable state.
Complete demonization.
Right now, he was nothing more than a beast.
“Khaaaaagh!”
Driven by vengeance for his severed arm, Heo Tae-sik lunged at me.
But he’d chosen the wrong opponent.
Slice—!
His neck was cleanly severed, and his body rolled across the ground.
Watching Heo Tae-sik die so anticlimactically, Ryu Min wore a regretful expression.
‘I’ve lost one dark mage, but there’s no helping it. I can’t bring a monster to the 20th round.’
Having killed Heo Tae-sik with my own hands, I turned my gaze to Um Jun-seok.
“Are you alright?”
“Ah… Yes, thank you for saving me.”
Nodding once, I passed Um Jun-seok and stopped before Victor.
“Are you unharmed?”
“Yes… but Sophia….”
Seeing Victor’s despairing face, I understood at once.
‘He doesn’t have a Life Potion he’d prepared.’
A Life Potion was undoubtedly a Legendary item.
Resurrecting a person requires materials that are equally demanding.
With the round nearing its end, procuring those materials has become extraordinarily difficult.
‘I should have supplied Victor with the materials to craft potions….’
I think I neglected him too much, assuming he’d handle it on his own.
Wasn’t Victor a talent who had survived up to the 18th round without my assistance?
‘He’ll need my help now.’
I glanced at Heo Tae-sik before turning my gaze to Sophia.
Her heart was completely pierced—instant death.
Without resurrection, there seemed to be no possibility of survival.
“Black Scythe, I’m shameless for asking, but could you do me one favor?”
“Go ahead.”
“With your rapid movement ability, could you bring Krishi here and ask her to resurrect Sophia? I’m begging you.”
“It seems less than 10 minutes have passed.”
“That’s right. So we need to hurry….”
I shook my head firmly.
“That’s impossible. Even I have no way to make a round trip over a distance of 5 kilometers in 10 minutes.”
According to my tracking list, Krishi was 5 kilometers away.
It wasn’t a distance I could cover and return from.
“Ah, sob….”
Despair crossed Victor’s face, but my words weren’t finished yet.
“That said, it’s not as though there’s no way.”
I retrieved the legendary potion selection box I’d received as a sub-quest reward after killing 1,000 members of the Demon Tribe last time.
Fortunately, I hadn’t used it yet.
‘Use.’
[Please select the potion you desire from the following.]
└ 1. Potion of Life
└ 2. Elixir of Ultra-Regeneration
└ 3. Potion of Indomitable Resistance
└ 4. Potion of Memory Erasure
└ 5. Elixir of Immunity
Without hesitation, I selected option 1.
The Potion of Life materialized in my grasp.
“This should do it.”
With those words, I used the potion on Sophia.
Time rewound itself—the pierced heart restored, and color returned to Sophia’s face.
“Aah….”
Victor’s eyes widened at the miracle, and Sophia’s eyelids lifted with a gasp.
“Where… is this….”
“Sophia!”
Seeing Victor embrace her suddenly, Sophia’s face contorted in displeasure.
“It hurts, oppa!”
“Ah! I’m, I’m sorry. Are you okay now? Does it still hurt?”
“It doesn’t hurt anymore… but what happened? I was certain I died…”
Sophia, retaining memories from the moment before her death, lowered her head.
The blood staining her chest bore witness to her demise.
“Black Scythe revived you here with a potion.”
“Black Scythe?”
Sophia’s gaze shifted from Black Scythe to Heo Tae-sik.
Though she had no memories from being dead, she could piece together what had transpired.
Black Scythe had appeared, resolved the situation, and brought her back to life.
“Thank you for saving me, Black Scythe. How can I ever repay such a debt?”
“There’s no need for repayment. I simply helped because the situation required it.”
Though he declined graciously, Sophia’s eyes still gleamed with determination.
“How could I simply overlook someone saving my life? Please, if you need anything at all, just say the word. I wish to repay a debt as profound as this.”
“I truly appreciate it. Having you stand with me as a comrade is enough.”
Ryu Min, declining once more, turned to regard his companions.
Alex was clearing his throat, seemingly recovered, while Um Jun-seok stared blankly at Heo Tae-sik’s corpse.
‘The situation is resolved. However…’
Now that I knew Phlunikthos was involved, I couldn’t simply leave things as they were.
He might target my companions again just as he had done.
‘Without knowing what Phlunikthos’s true form looks like, tracking him is impossible. Then…’
I had no choice but to track my surrounding companions instead.
After all, what he was after were those closest to me.
I reviewed my tracking list with a grave expression.
‘Currently, the closest person is Min Ju-ri.’
I’d just seen her moments ago, but the Demon could have arrived in the meantime.
“Everyone, listen carefully.”
Victor, Sophia, Alex, and Um Jun-seok focused on my words.
“A Demon may have interfered in this round. That’s likely why Heo Tae-sik changed as well.”
“Ah, a Demon?”
“Why would that be?”
Though I knew the reason, I shook my head.
There was nothing to gain from admitting it was because of me.
“I’m not certain. But for now, staying together and moving as a group is our safest option.”
With those words, I instructed them to gather at Twin Gorge.
“I’ve told the others to meet there as well, so please hurry.”
“Understood.”
“What about you, Black Scythe?”
“I…”
I turned my head to gaze in the direction where Min Ju-ri was.
“I need to check if my comrades are in danger.”
With those words, Ryu Min’s form vanished like the wind.

* * *
Yamtti’s task from her master was straightforward.
Once the round began, find Min Ju-ri and protect her.
It wasn’t a difficult mission, but curses spilled from her lips the moment it started.
‘Damn it, the distance is eight kilometers?’
Their starting positions had been unlucky—they were far apart—and it took a full hour before she finally reached Min Ju-ri’s location.
And on top of that, her master had given her an additional task: mediate well between Min Ju-ri and Seo A-rin so they wouldn’t fight.
“Sigh…”
All Yamtti could manage was to barely hold back her curses.
“So you’re saying he confessed and then rejected you?”
“It wasn’t a rejection—he left the door open for possibilities!”
“Ryu Min drew the line by saying he wanted to stay friends. What possibilities are you talking about? You’re just pathetically clinging to a rejection.”
“What did you just say? How dare you——”
“Hey, both of you! Can’t you just keep quiet and walk?”
Unable to bear it any longer, Yamtti snapped, and both Min Ju-ri and Seo A-rin fell silent.
They simply turned their heads away with a dismissive snort.
“Phew… I’m grateful I’m the oldest. This is ridiculous…”
If she were younger, would these two even listen to her?
Being born even slightly earlier was a blessing.
Then, as a now-familiar death notification appeared, the cold atmosphere shifted to something somber.
“That’s the twentieth death already.”
“Right? Are they really killing each other?”
“What else could it be?”
The three exchanged remarks, their expressions resigned.
All they’d seen while leaving the Forest and walking across the Plain were death notifications.
Though the three were confident they wouldn’t be surprised by any notification, it was merely an illusion.
It was simply that no shocking names had appeared until now.
[The twenty-first death has occurred.]
[The deceased player’s nickname is ‘No Poe-in No-ge-i’.]
[Ten minutes have passed since death, so the player will now be eliminated.]
[Current remaining players: 122]
[Eliminated players: 21]
[Time remaining until round end: 70:06:44]
“Huh? No Poe-in…?”
“Isn’t that the leader of the Saesin Religion?”
Until now, only unfamiliar nicknames had appeared, but this time, the name of a comrade they definitely knew had surfaced.
And it was a name they had been watching all along.
“Heo Tae-sik is dead….”
“If it showed up in the notification, that means he can’t even be revived….”
“Sigh… How could this happen.”
Sighs escaped the three men’s lips, tinged with regret.
It was a sigh only possible because they didn’t know the full circumstances.
“How did this happen? With the Cult Leader’s skills, he shouldn’t have fallen to monsters….”
“He could have. Could you handle three Ogres attacking simultaneously?”
“I could do it. You’ve seen how powerful my soul knight is.”
“There they go again, bickering again!”
Yamtti reacted irritably as signs of their quarrel emerged.
“Isn’t it time you two made up now?”
“You wouldn’t understand. You don’t know what it’s like to compete over someone you love.”
At Min Ju-ri’s words, Yamtti let out a hollow laugh.
“I don’t understand? I’ve been holding back all this time.”
“What do you mean by that? Don’t tell me you also…?”
At Min Ju-ri’s suspicious gaze, Yamtti cursed her own mouth.
‘My tongue really is a disaster, a complete disaster!’
She had said it was only natural for a slave to admire her master.
Wasn’t this like pouring oil on a burning house?
“Tell me. Do you like Ryu Min too, Yamtti?”
“Ha ha, how could that be? I like Black Scythe.”
At those words, Min Ju-ri felt relieved, but in turn, Yamtti had to endure Seo A-rin’s glare.
-Isn’t a slave not supposed to like her master?
Looking at Seo A-rin’s eyes, it seemed like she was protesting exactly that.
Indeed, Seo A-rin knew that Yamtti was a slave.
To escape the jealousy, Yamtti quickly changed course.
“I’m just saying this out of an abundance of caution, don’t misunderstand. I mean I like him as a colleague, that sort of thing. Ha ha.”
“Ah.”
“I see.”
Watching Seo A-rin and Min Ju-ri finally relax, Yamtti felt wrinkles forming on her brow.
‘Ugh, this is the moment I want to curse.’
Yamtti stuck out her tongue and gazed ahead.
The journey toward Twin Gorge felt impossibly long.
“Huh?”
Then, a person came into view in Yamtti’s line of sight.
‘That’s strange? The closest player should be 800 meters away?’
Yet the distance to this figure was only 50 meters.
Her eyes weren’t deceiving her—Seo A-rin and Min Ju-ri saw it too.
“Isn’t that a person over there?”
“It is, isn’t it?”
As the distance narrowed from fifty meters to thirty, all three came to a simultaneous halt, as though bound by an unspoken agreement.
The form was unmistakably human in shape, yet they realized with chilling clarity that it was no human at all.
“Ah, a Demon…?”
The moment Min Ju-ri murmured those words, a Demon burst forth from the shadows beside her.
“Eek!”
The Demon’s lips curled into a cruel grin, clearly amused by their startled retreat.
[Hehehehe, how fortunate—prey has wandered right into our grasp.]
[Indeed, it has.]
[All three are female humans.]
[Excellent luck for our first hunt.]
As demonic voices echoed from all directions, the three women found themselves frozen—escape was no longer an option.
There was not just one Demon.

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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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