The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 32

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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 32
32. The First Wave
“I’m going to decline your offer.”
Jo Jung-sik’s refusal didn’t faze Ryu Min.
It was exactly what I had anticipated.
‘There’s no way that bastard would swallow his pride so easily.’
The ones who were genuinely shocked were the surrounding players watching the exchange.
“He’s turning that down?”
“If Black Scythe protected us, we could hunt safely, couldn’t we?”
“Guess his pride got hurt when told to follow orders.”
“So gangsters think their pride matters more than their lives?”
“Or maybe we’re just beneath his notice entirely?”
“Tch… seriously.”
Several players ground their teeth at the thought of being looked down upon.
A subtle irritation began to simmer within them.
Watching their reaction, Ryu Min could only smile silently.
Everything was unfolding exactly as it had in the previous cycle.
‘If I draw a clear line at this moment…’
The players would target Jo Jung-sik without hesitation, regardless of my stance.
Ryu Min lifted his gaze and looked at Jo Jung-sik.
Seeing the tension in his expression, he seemed to think I was about to take his head.
‘He won’t become the zone representative this round, no matter what happens next.’
With not even a shred of murderous intent toward Jo Jung-sik, I spoke in a calm voice.
“Fine. If you’re going to decline, there’s nothing I can do about it.”
As Ryu Min turned his back, Jo Jung-sik’s expression became bewildered.
“What, what? You’re just leaving like this?”
“What else? Were you hoping I’d take your head?”
“…”
Watching Jo Jung-sik fall silent, Ryu Min made his declaration.
Making sure the other players heard it too.
“Since you declined my offer, I won’t concern myself with you anymore. Whether you live or die is none of my business.”
Leaving only those words behind, I turned and walked away without hesitation, and the players began to murmur amongst themselves.
“Did you hear? Black Scythe said he won’t concern himself with it?”
“So we can target that gangster bastard freely now?”
A sinister killing intent flickered once more in the players’ eyes.
With Black Scythe stepping back, they could pursue Jo Jung-sik with far less restraint.
This was exactly the situation Ryu Min had foreseen.
Sensing the ominous shift in atmosphere, Jo Jung-sik felt a wave of regret wash over him.
‘Damn it, maybe I should have just accepted the offer.’
But moving at Black Scythe’s command was something he despised more than death itself.
The pride of the Jung-sik Faction boss who controlled Seoul would not allow it.
At that moment, a message appeared before everyone’s eyes.
[The 1st Wave will begin shortly.]
[Prepare for monster appearances and protect the relic!]
[After 30 minutes pass, the 2nd Wave will proceed regardless of remaining monsters!]
[Time remaining until round end: 02:59:59]
“I-It’s started!”
“Everyone, let’s protect the relic!”
At the word that monsters were appearing, people moved with perfect synchronization.
They rushed toward the center of the village to protect the relic.
However, Jo Jung-sik could not follow them.
Instead, he fled to the village entrance to avoid them.
‘I can’t fight alongside those targeting me. If things go wrong, I could get stabbed in the back.’
Now completely alone, Jo Jung-sik bit his lip.
‘Fine, let’s see if I can do this solo.’
After all, it was an individual mission where survival depended on personal performance.
I didn’t even hope for cooperation.
‘But…’
Jo Jung-sik turned his head to the side.
‘What is that bastard doing over there?’
Black Scythe stood at another village entrance.
He wasn’t the only one blocking an entrance alone.
That’s when it happened.
Buuuuuuuu—
A long horn-pipe sound echoed, and monsters appeared from beyond the village.
Tsk— Tsk— Tsk—
Jo Jung-sik’s eyes widened at the sight.
Far more monsters had appeared than he expected.
‘Damn it, how many are there?’
The number looked overwhelming at first glance.
Overwhelmed by the count, Jo Jung-sik looked back.
The players positioned inside the village still seemed relaxed, unaware of what was coming.
Then a message appeared.
[1st Wave]
[4,900 Players vs Approximately 9,800 Weakened Goblins]
[Due to the round’s characteristics, the goblins are weakened to one-third their normal strength.]
[Good luck!]
‘9,800 of them?’
Jo Jung-sik stepped backward hesitantly.
‘I can’t handle that many on my own.’
Fortunately, with a force of 4,900 here, if we each take down just two monsters, there shouldn’t be a problem.
Moreover, unlike the vast Grassland in Round 1, this place has a Village—a confined space.
That means there’s a limit to how many monsters can pour in.
But the most fortunate thing is….
‘All the monsters are goblins. And weakened ones at that.’
Since they were the same creatures I’d faced in Round 1, it was true they seemed manageable.
‘Even so, I can’t possibly handle all those numbers.’
As the surging green tide pressed forward, Jo Jung-sik moved to a safer location.
He planned to hide within the Village for a moment, observe the situation, and then join the battle.
‘But why isn’t that guy moving?’
Jo Jung-sik couldn’t understand why Black Scythe was still standing motionless.
‘Surely he’s not thinking of facing the goblins alone at the entrance?’
The Village had four entrances in total.
Black Scythe was guarding one of them.
‘Even if the entrance is narrow, at least ten monsters can pass through at once….’
Did he really have the confidence to face ten simultaneously?
“Damn bastard. Showing off just because your level’s a bit high!”
Jo Jung-sik scoffed at Black Scythe and concealed himself by the window on the second floor of a building.
From here, he could safely observe the situation.
And if goblins entered this narrow space, they’d be easy to kill.
Jo Jung-sik swallowed hard as he peered out the window.
He could see Black Scythe facing off against the goblins.
‘No matter what, he’ll probably fight a few times and then turn tail and run.’
No matter how strong Black Scythe was, there was no way he could handle ten monsters at once.
However, it didn’t take long for him to reconsider.
Slash—slash—!
Jo Jung-sik’s mouth fell open as he watched Black Scythe’s combat.
“Huh? He’s ridiculously strong?”
Every time the massive scythe glinted in the sunlight, a goblin’s head flew off.
Not just one.
Four monsters died simultaneously with each swing.
One-shot, multi-kill.
Though shocked by the unexpected sight, Jo Jung-sik’s thoughts remained unchanged.
‘He can only rampage like that for now. Eventually, he’ll tire out and collapse.’
But for some reason, Black Scythe showed no signs of fatigue.
Instead, he was accelerating, cleaving the goblins in half with increasing speed.
Jo Jung-sik’s eyes widened in shock at the sight.
‘This isn’t my imagination. He’s getting stronger as time goes on.’
In just a few minutes, the area around Black Scythe was already filled with goblin corpses.
In contrast, goblins poured through the other entrances like a bursting dam.
With so many entrances, there’s no choice but to let them through.
Jo Jung-sik moved to the window on the opposite side and surveyed the situation inside the village.
Thousands of goblins and thousands of players were tangled together in chaos.
‘Pure pandemonium.’
As far more goblins appeared than expected, the players fought with desperation.
Those with some experience skillfully wielded their weapons, cutting down goblins with practiced efficiency.
Watching the scene of screams and blood spray, Jo Jung-sik tightened his grip on his dagger.
‘I can’t waste time here. I need to get outside and start racking up kills.’
The more monsters you defeat, the better your survival chances—quantity mattered.
Finding the right moment, Jo Jung-sik stepped outside and stabbed a passing goblin to death.
“Kiek! Kiiiek!”
Several goblins saw the scene and rushed toward Jo Jung-sik.
“Come on, you experience-giving bastards.”
Four or five goblins were no problem for Jo Jung-sik to handle.
The Rune of Insight predicted their movements and showed him the way.
Thud—thud—thud!
As the goblins fell, a strange exhilaration from taking life surged through my entire body.
‘Goblins are nothing but experience fodder, after all.’
Jo Jung-sik, grinning wickedly, suddenly glanced toward where Black Scythe was fighting.
Screech—screeeech!
The damage was so high that one swing of the scythe cleaved a goblin’s torso clean off.
Watching it, Jo Jung-sik couldn’t help but shudder in awe.
‘Can you really become that strong at level 16?’
Seeing Black Scythe fight kindled a competitive fire within me.
The desire to grow stronger and surpass Black Scythe took root.
Was it because I needed to defeat more monsters?
Without hesitation, Jo Jung-sik moved deeper into the village where monsters swarmed.
‘Right now, with the goblins focused on other players….’
I could take down far more without risk.
“Die! Dieeeee!”
“Kieeeek!”
“Arghhhh!”
“Come at me, you goblin bastards!”
As I ventured deeper into the village, the screams of humans and monsters rang out vividly.
In the chaos, Jo Jung-sik hunted goblins.
Thud—thud!
I leisurely picked off passing goblins and those distracted by other fights.
‘This is ridiculously easy….’
Suddenly, an eerie sensation made Jo Jung-sik turn his head.
Whoosh!
An arrow grazed past his cheek.
‘An arrow?’
Jo Jung-sik’s eyes turned sharp and predatory.
There wasn’t a single arrow-wielding goblin anywhere in sight.
‘Damn it, who the hell is this bastard?’
Assuming it was the work of another player, Jo Jung-sik scanned his surroundings but found nothing.
‘Whoever you are, if you get caught, I’ll separate your bones from your flesh.’
Just as he was about to refocus on hunting.
Thwack!
“Ugh!”
A spear blade pierced into Jo Jung-sik’s side.
Turning his head, he saw a player gripping the spear shaft, grinning wickedly.
“Got you! I got you! Hahahaha!”
“You damn bastard!”
Jo Jung-sik wrenched the spear shaft free with raw force and charged forward like lightning.
“Whoa!”
The distance closed in an instant, and just as the player panicked and tried to swing the spear.
Squelch!
Jo Jung-sik’s dagger plunged deep into the player’s chest.
“Die! Die, you son of a bitch!”
Jo Jung-sik hacked away with his dagger like a madman, then tossed the mangled corpse aside and lifted his head.
That instant.
Whistle!
An arrow streaked past his ear, snapping his head to the side.
A player stood in the direction the arrow came from, bow in hand.
‘That damn bastard…!’
Ignoring the pain in his side, Jo Jung-sik charged forward.
The panicked player nocked another arrow.
The Rune of Insight revealed which direction the arrow would fly beforehand.
‘I need to dodge left. Now!’
Ping!
He twisted his body and evaded before the arrow even left the bowstring.
The flustered player nocked again.
“Ugh!”
Jo Jung-sik’s thrown dagger struck the player’s forehead dead center.
“You dare target me, you son of a bitch!”
After retrieving his dagger, Jo Jung-sik vented his fury with several more thrusts before straightening up.
“Huff, huff.”
Blood seeped steadily from his side, and his entire body was a patchwork of wounds.
Jo Jung-sik’s eyes narrowed with tension as he scanned the area cautiously.
‘Damn it, I need to be more cautious of players than monsters.’
Now it wasn’t monsters I had to watch out for—it was other players.
‘I never know when the next ambush will come.’
Jo Jung-sik regretted his situation.
It was all because he’d become a zone representative.
‘This cursed position. If I could, I’d pass it on to someone else!’
But since the only way to pass it on was through death, constant vigilance was his only option.
Thwack!
As Jo Jung-sik resumed hunting and defeated goblins, he had to constantly read the atmosphere around him.
A blade could pierce him from anywhere at any moment.
Such thoughts made his hunting pace sluggish.
‘Damn it, how am I supposed to rank high like this?’
Watching for monsters and watching for players—it was exhausting.
Jo Jung-sik’s eyes darted about frantically.
It was only natural his hunting speed had slowed.
As time passed, the pain in his side grew worse.
‘Maybe I should have accepted Black Scythe’s proposal after all?’
The thought crossed his mind, but Jo Jung-sik shook his head and dismissed it.
‘A man has his pride. I’ll never serve under that bastard.’
He needed another option.
A way to hunt safely without worrying about other players.
‘Huh? That guy?’
Then Jo Jung-sik spotted Black Flame Dragon in Right Hand in his field of vision.
The player ranked third in this zone.
A brilliant idea suddenly struck Jo Jung-sik, and he approached Black Flame Dragon in Right Hand.
“Hey.”
“…?”
Black Flame Dragon in Right Hand, who had been hunting, turned his head.
At that moment, Jo Jung-sik’s eyes glowed purple.
It was the change that appeared when using Command Authority.
“From now on, protect me. Black Flame Dragon in Right Hand.”

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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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