The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 31

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Maxed-Out Player’s 100th Return – Episode 31
31. The Proposal
Angel spoke.
[The Quest is to protect the relic, as you can see.]
“Protect the relic?”
[Everyone, please look at the Village Center.]
All eyes converged on a single point.
At the center of the village stood an enormous diamond-shaped crystal reaching five meters in height.
It was an alien object that clashed entirely with the desolate atmosphere of the ruined village.
[Monsters will appear every thirty minutes to target that relic. During five waves in total, you must cooperate to defend the relic.]
In other words, they had to withstand five monster waves over the course of three hours.
“So this is a cooperative mission?”
“It’s like some kind of defense game.”
As people murmured among themselves, Angel continued.
[Given the nature of this round, many monsters will appear. But there’s no need to be afraid. The monsters will be weakened to one-third of their normal strength. Of course, the experience and gold rewards will be reduced proportionally as well.]
“Monsters weakened to one-third strength?”
“Isn’t that too easy?”
[If you successfully protect the relic for three hours, you’ll receive additional rewards and the round will end. Those who defeat the most monsters will be ranked as achievers.]
“Ranked by who defeats the most monsters?”
“So we have to both protect the relic and defeat as many monsters as possible.”
[If you fail to protect the relic? You’ll receive a tremendous penalty. The round will end regardless, and survivors will be ranked by who defeated the most monsters.]
“So if we protect the relic, we get bonus rewards, and if it breaks, we get penalized…”
“Either way, to rank high, we need to defeat plenty of monsters.”
People nodded in understanding.
It was a cooperative mission on the surface, yet fundamentally an individual mission determined by personal performance.
‘So all I need to do is defeat as many monsters as possible?’
Jo Jung-sik’s eyes blazed with determination.
The others’ eyes reflected the same intensity.
Particularly, the number of achiever slots for this round was 1,225.
With 4,900 people entering, the threshold was far too narrow, inevitably igniting competitive spirit.
[And in the last round, we selected a zone representative, didn’t we? That was Life is Documentary, correct?]
Angel’s gaze turned toward Jo Jung-sik.
[You can now exercise the zone representative’s authority starting this round. Command authority, that is. Khehehehe.]
At that laughter, Jo Jung-sik bit his lower lip hard.
‘That smug bastard, laughing like that.’
He harbored ill will toward Angel for what had transpired between them.
‘I should sew that mouth shut.’
Though he said it as a jest, moments later—
Jo Jung-sik found himself in a situation where he genuinely wanted to silence Angel.
[You’re probably wondering what happens if the zone representative dies.]
Angel’s mouth spilled forth another bombshell revelation.
[If the representative dies to a monster’s attack or natural causes, the representative’s position becomes vacant. But if they’re killed by another player? The killer immediately becomes the new zone representative and gains access to their authority. Ten uses of command power, that is.]
“If you kill the zone representative….”
“You can become the new zone representative?”
Everyone’s gaze naturally converged on a single point.
Despite the piercing stares, Jo Jung-sik glared at Angel with an expression of pure arrogance.
‘Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it—this bastard Angel!!!’
Part of me wanted to unleash a torrent of curses and tear those wings clean off, but….
‘You dog-faced Angel bastard! Nobody ever mentioned a rule like this!’
I could only glare as I swallowed my complaints.
Because I was thoroughly in the position of the powerless.
Even the most formidable boss of the Jung-sik Faction knew how to control their anger before the strong.
[Well then, monsters will swarm in ten minutes. Try to survive cooperatively for three hours! Though I’m not sure cooperation will happen. Kehehehe!]
Angel vanished in a burst of light, leaving only mockery behind.
Once Jo Jung-sik confirmed Angel had completely disappeared, he let out a roar.
“Damn iiiiiit! Damn iiiiiit!”
Hurling curses into the empty air changed nothing.
What changed was only the predatory gaze of the people around me.
Shink—
Some even began slowly approaching, drawing weapons from their inventories.
“What are you all doing? You’re actually trying to kill me with that?”
“Y-yes! If we just kill you, we can become the zone representative!”
“You’d commit murder for just that reason?”
“You’re the one who committed murder!”
“That’s right! We can’t recognize a gangster like you as the zone representative!”
“I’d rather kill you and become the representative myself!”
“Trash like you deserves to die!”
Jo Jung-sik could only sigh at the jeers, utterly exasperated.
“Ha, damn it. You’re really treating me like some worthless dog.”
Jo Jung-sik drew a dagger and aimed it at the approaching crowd.
“Then come on. I’ll slit the throat of whoever comes first.”
“A guy who can only use command power ten times, acting tough!”
“You’re nothing special!”
Mockery twisted across their faces.
The calculation was clear—with only ten uses of command power, I wouldn’t dare waste it carelessly.
But even a cornered rat will bite a cat.
“Ten uses? Yeah, that’s right. It’s a pathetic ability. I’ll admit it. But here’s one thing I promise you.”
A cold smile spread across Jo Jung-sik’s face.
“Whoever comes first, I’ll make sure to finish them. Whether I use command power or whatever—that bastard will definitely die.”
At Jo Jung-sik’s venomous declaration, the crowd hesitated.
Like a gangster boss who had seized control of Seoul, his entire body radiated killing intent.
“D-don’t be afraid, everyone! That bastard is at a similar level to us!”
“That’s right! He hasn’t even advanced his class yet!”
“Let’s kill him quickly and replace the district representative!”
“If we overwhelm him with numbers, there’s no problem!”
Though several voices called out loudly to provoke action, no one stepped forward.
The thought that they might die if they went first kept their feet rooted in place.
‘Damn bastards. Just because there are ten bullets doesn’t mean a gun isn’t terrifying.’
Jo Jung-sik had already anticipated that people wouldn’t rush in recklessly.
As someone who had constantly engaged in territorial disputes with other organizations, he was accustomed to such threats.
“Come on! Come at me, you dogs!”
Even with Jo Jung-sik’s provocation, the people’s feet refused to move forward.
‘Heh heh, of course they won’t come. No one wants to die first.’
No matter how strong an opponent was, I could easily suppress them with a single command authority.
Unless they were someone like Black Scythe, who was free from the influence of command authority.
‘Damn it, I should’ve gone into the Forest like Black Scythe and just hunted monsters.’
If I had leveled up and advanced my class, I would’ve received sub-quest rewards and been free from command authority too.
‘Instead, I became a district representative and became a target for everyone. Tch!’
If I had known this position was like this from the start, I wouldn’t have forced people to vote for me.
Jo Jung-sik’s gaze turned toward Black Scythe, who stood alone in one corner.
‘That lucky bastard.’
I envied Black Scythe, the only one in this district who had advanced his class.
Whether Ryu Min knew of that gaze or not, he was lost in thought.
His thoughts were about the 3rd Round.
‘The 3rd Round quest is nothing special. I just need to block five waves of monsters.’
Protect the artifact while blocking monsters.
It was truly a simple quest, but there was one thing to be careful about.
The monsters grew stronger as each wave passed.
‘That’s not a problem. I can gain more experience and gold.’
For me, who needed to accumulate a lot of gold this round, stronger enemies were actually preferable.
The problem was when the hidden sub-quest would trigger.
‘I need to use Jo Jung-sik to reveal the sub-quest.’
More precisely, I needed Jo Jung-sik’s command authority.
I could easily obtain command authority by killing Jo Jung-sik and becoming the district representative, but…
‘I absolutely cannot become the representative this round. There’s a massive penalty hidden.’
I had to use command authority without becoming the representative.
For that, I needed Jo Jung-sik’s cooperation.
I looked around at my surroundings.
Everyone’s eyes were fixed on Jo Jung-sik.
Most bore cautious gazes, but some sent murderous looks his way.
‘As expected, I’ve ended up in quite the predicament.’
Ryu Min chuckled softly and took a step forward.
It was time for me to make my move, just as planned.
Thud, thud—
As Ryu Min advanced with his massive scythe in hand, Jo Jung-sik flinched.
“W-what? Why are you coming over here? Don’t come any closer!”
In fact, Ryu Min was the only advanced player within this territory.
He wasn’t subject to the effects of Command Authority.
Moreover, at level 16, he was incomparably stronger than Jo Jung-sik, who was only level 6.
Naturally, there was no way to avoid feeling tense.
“Don’t worry. I just came to talk.”
“W-who said I was worried?”
Despite his denial, cold sweat beaded on Jo Jung-sik’s forehead.
Already marked as a public enemy, he couldn’t help but be wary when the strongest player in the territory approached him.
‘Is he trying to lull me into a false sense of security before launching a surprise attack?’
It was only natural to harbor such suspicions.
Looking around, there were plenty of people targeting his life.
But contrary to Jo Jung-sik’s worries, Ryu Min lowered his scythe, showing no intention of attacking.
He kept his distance, easing Jo Jung-sik’s guard.
“S-so what do you want to talk about? I’m warning you in advance—if you’re planning to coerce me into surrendering my life, you can forget about it…”
“I came to make you a proposal.”
“A proposal?”
Jo Jung-sik, momentarily taken aback, looked at him with narrowed eyes.
‘His proposal is obvious. He’s going to tell me to join his faction, isn’t he?’
Through years of accumulated gangster experience, he could easily predict what came next.
The words of the strong were always predictable.
Jo Jung-sik asked, deciding to hear him out.
“What kind of proposal?”
“You seem to be in quite the difficult situation right now, don’t you?”
“Difficult? Who’s in a difficult situation?”
“I’ll protect you.”
“What?”
Jo Jung-sik’s eyes widened at the unexpected proposal.
“I’ll stand by your side and prevent other players from targeting you. I’m saying I’ll personally guarantee your protection and escort you one-on-one.”
“….”
Jo Jung-sik, unable to respond immediately, fell into deep thought.
‘Black Scythe will protect me?’
If he, with the highest level and even a class skill, were to escort him…
‘I could hunt monsters safely and steadily.’
He could hunt monsters and raise his record with peace of mind, without having to be wary of the gazes around him.
Because he was the escort of none other than the top-ranked player across all zones.
And as expected.
Looking around, I could see the people growing restless.
“Black Scythe is protecting Life is Documentary…?”
“Then that means we have to face Black Scythe too, doesn’t it?”
“Ugh, that’s impossible….”
Jo Jung-sik, being an unawakened player, was manageable, but Black Scythe was far from an easy opponent.
Even if multiple people rushed him, a single swing of that massive scythe could sever their necks.
Several who had lost their fighting spirit at merely hearing his name took steps backward.
The sight was astonishing even to Jo Jung-sik.
‘So Black Scythe’s reputation carried this much weight….’
No wonder he had silently secured second place in that vote.
‘Thinking back on it stings my pride, but….’
Seeing the people recoil sparked my interest.
But every proposal came with a price.
“In exchange for me protecting you, there must be something you want, right?”
At Jo Jung-sik’s question, Ryu Min nodded and answered.
“It’s nothing much. You’ll follow my orders unconditionally. That’s the only condition I’m asking for.”
“What?”
Bewilderment crossed Jo Jung-sik’s face.
Follow his orders unconditionally.
‘This is just asking me to become his subordinate in different words, isn’t it?’
Jo Jung-sik straightened his expression and asked seriously.
“Why are you making such a proposal to me?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“If it’s an order, what kind of order are we talking about specifically?”
“I can’t tell you that either. You just need to follow my commands unconditionally.”
….
Follow blindly without even knowing what the orders would be.
It was only natural that dissatisfaction appeared on Jo Jung-sik’s face.
As a leader commanding subordinates, he had his pride.
“Jo….”
Jo Jung-sik, who was about to raise his middle finger and curse as usual, suddenly changed his mind.
‘Wait, what if I refuse the proposal? I don’t know how this bastard will react.’
Wouldn’t he just swing that scythe and take my head off on the spot?
That fear caused the fingers I was about to raise to curl back down.
“Make your decision. Everyone else is waiting for your answer.”
….
After deliberating for a long while, Jo Jung-sik’s mouth finally opened.
“I….”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————