The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 361

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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 – Side Story Episode 6
6. An Sang-chul’s Wish
Originally, An Sang-chul had no particular wish to speak of.
He’d merely brushed aside the notion that clearing all the rounds would grant him a wish.
‘He lacked the confidence to reach the final round, after all.’
But things were different now.
With The Seer by his side, hope had kindled within him.
As he methodically conquered each round and finally crossed the threshold of Round 20 to reach the Final Round itself.
He couldn’t help but contemplate it.
That sweet reward called a wish.
‘What should I wish for?’
The moment that question surfaced, the person who came to mind was none other than Ma Gyeong-rok.
‘I wish the boss would be happy.’
That was his wish.
A wish for another, yet also his own—An Sang-chul had been about to voice it.
But suddenly, his thoughts ground to a halt.
It felt meaningless.
‘The boss must have entered the Wish Room just like me. If he achieves his wish, wouldn’t he find happiness anyway?’
Redundant happiness.
Wouldn’t it be better to use his wish for himself instead?
Yet one question held An Sang-chul captive.
“You said you’d answer anything I ask, right?”
[That is correct. Whether you ask through thought or voice, it matters not. I shall answer with utmost sincerity.]
In the Wish Room, clutching the Wish Stone, An Sang-chul posed his question.
The one he’d been curious about all along.
“If my wish and another person’s wish are the same, wouldn’t they overlap? How is that handled?”
[There is no cause for concern regarding overlap. The moment a wish is made, that player is transferred to an alternate worldline. That worldline is one where the wish is applied, and other players have no memory of the Wish Room—it is a different world entirely from this one.]
“So each player goes to an environment where their wish is fulfilled? And that’s a duplicated dimension?”
[Precisely.]
Honestly, it was bewildering.
Then the environment he would see upon fulfilling his wish wasn’t this place, but some other world that had been created?
‘It’s just like each person dreaming their own dream, isn’t it?’
If a dream felt identical to reality, was it a dream or reality?
An Sang-chul’s knowledge was too shallow to philosophize on such matters.
‘Regardless, I’ll make my own wish. Since they say the new world won’t be any different from this one.’
Then the answer had come to him.
“I’ll state my wish. My wish is….”

* * *
When An Sang-chul opened his eyes, he found himself lying in bed.
His hotel room.
He immediately left this place—which was also Ma Gyeong-rok’s Hotel—and headed toward another room.
As always, the person most important to him was his boss, Ma Gyeong-rok.
Knock, knock.
“Boss. Are you awake?”
“Come in, Director An.”
Click—
He possessed a master key for emergencies, so he opened the door and entered without difficulty.
‘Did my wish actually take effect?’
An Sang-chul moved toward the bedroom, his nerves taut.
He could see Ma Gyeong-rok lying on the bed in shirtsleeves.
“Director An. It’s finally over.”
“Yes. We survived.”
“Phew, that was a long battle.”
“About the wish…”
“What do you mean?”
An Sang-chul had probed cautiously, but Ma Gyeong-rok showed no sign of remembering the wish.
Just as the System had said, he had lost his memory of it.
“It’s nothing. Never mind.”
“You’re not still half-asleep, are you?”
“Of course not. I’m perfectly fine.”
“Then, let’s have a whiskey for old times’ sake.”
Ma Gyeong-rok rose and poured whiskey, handing him a glass.
Ordinarily, he didn’t drink while on duty, but today he accepted without hesitation.
It was the beginning of a meaningful day—one that marked the end of a long, grueling battle.
“Black Scythe did it. He killed that vicious Chaos and ended the Game.”
‘…!’
Though inwardly startled, An Sang-chul gave no sign of it.
‘This is the first time in recent memory. He called him Black Scythe, not “that person.”‘
The boss had always referred to Black Scythe as “that person” with reverence.
It hadn’t been that way at first, but later, for some reason, he had started calling him that.
An Sang-chul had never quite liked it, but it had changed.
‘The wish has been granted.’
The wish An Sang-chul had made at the very end was nothing else.
To change the person Ma Gyeong-rok trusted and relied upon from Black Scythe to himself.
In other words, he had altered Ma Gyeong-rok’s heart so that he would trust and depend on no one but An Sang-chul alone.
Was that why?
Ma Gyeong-rok’s eyes, when they looked at An Sang-chul, were filled with trust and faith.
“Black Scythe did well, but An Sang-chul’s influence on me was far greater.”
“….”
“I never said it aloud, but throughout all this time, the only person I truly trusted and relied upon was An Sang-chul—not family, not anyone else.”
“C-CEO….”
I was genuinely moved.
We had shared candid conversations before, but he had never once expressed such trust in me so directly.
‘Of course, I felt it in my heart. But to hear him actually voice it like that….’
An Sang-chul lowered his head, overwhelmed by the sensation of receiving all his accumulated rewards at once.
“I will continue to serve you with all my effort, CEO.”
“Then, I’m counting on you, An Sang-chul.”

* * *
After receiving Ma Gyeong-rok’s recognition, An Sang-chul’s life transformed.
Each day brimmed with energy and vitality, his motivation boundless.
‘I will protect the CEO. He trusts me more than anyone.’
The CEO’s lips no longer spoke of Black Scythe or Ryu Min.
As if erased from memory entirely, he trusted only me, summoning only me.
“An Sang-chul. I’m thinking of heading out for a job today. Do you have a target prepared?”
“Ah, I haven’t prepared one yet. Violent crimes have decreased significantly lately, so it’s difficult to find a suitable target.”
Ever since Black Scythe established the Anti-Player Unit, commonly known as the CPF, the parasites corroding society had diminished considerably.
When he spectacularly crushed the criminal players who had seized control of nations, the nation recorded its lowest violent crime rate in history.
That trend persisted even after all the Rounds ended and the players’ powers vanished.
The world had become livable thanks to Black Scythe.
Yet for Ma Gyeong-rok, who had been consuming those parasites, an ironic situation had emerged where satisfying his desires became difficult.
“If violent criminals are hard to find, then we simply won’t target violent criminals, will we?”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Target petty thieves, sexual offenders, and those who commit assault—minor criminals.”
“You mean to go back to the old way? Not following Black Scythe’s guidance?”
“Yes. Since I don’t have prophetic abilities, there’s no reason to listen to Black Scythe’s words anymore, is there?”
Originally, Ma Gyeong-rok was someone who followed Black Scythe’s words with almost fanatical devotion.
He even referred to him as ‘that person.’
‘The CEO has changed.’
The reason was clear.
It was because of the wish to make him trust only me.
“Now that the players’ powers have vanished, there’s no reason to fear Black Scythe. Well, I wasn’t listening to him out of fear anyway.”
“That’s right.”
“Target petty criminals as before. Can you provide an estimate?”
“Of course, CEO.”
“Prepare it as soon as possible. Otherwise, I might develop insomnia again.”

* * *
Thud!
“Gahhhhh!”
Humans are infinitely fragile creatures.
That’s what I always think when I watch Ma Gyeong-rok kill a criminal.
‘They die like pigs from just a single knife.’
In the old days, a knife like that wouldn’t have even pierced flesh.
I was newly reminded of just how powerful players truly were.
“Please handle the cleanup.”
“Yes.”
Ma Gyeong-rok wiped his hands with a towel and stepped back, then An Sang-chul moved forward.
Disposing of the body was always his responsibility.
I was quietly cleaning up the warehouse when Ma Gyeong-rok called out to me.
“Director An.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Aren’t you tired of work like this by now?”
“Pardon?”
I found myself asking in return.
What was he getting at?
I couldn’t fathom his intent.
“I trust you more than anyone else, Director An. That’s why I’m asking—how would you feel about becoming the representative of the company? A co-representative, that is.”
“Pardon?”
“I’m suggesting you become a co-representative.”
A business proposal out of nowhere?
An Sang-chul waved his hand dismissively, looking bewildered.
“I’m not interested in that sort of thing. It doesn’t suit my temperament, and I’ve never learned how to do it.”
“You won’t know if it suits you until you try, and you can learn how the company operates gradually, can’t you?”
“Still, the position of representative is…”
“Then is there nothing else you’d like to do?”
“No, sir. I have no interest in anything other than protecting you.”
An Sang-chul was nothing short of a loyal hound, but Ma Gyeong-rok didn’t look satisfied.
“You’re content with just handling my dirty work and serving as my personal bodyguard?”
“Of course.”
“I believed you were someone capable of accomplishing greater things, Director An. It’s unfortunate that you have no interest in business.”
Had I disappointed him?
No.
Despite his words, there was no change in Ma Gyeong-rok’s expression.
“I respect your decision, Director An. If you ever change your mind, just tell me. I can always pass the company on to you.”
“Your words alone are more than enough, sir.”

* * *
After the Final Round concluded, the world transformed dramatically.
The collapsed economy gradually recovered, and with it, Ma Gyeong-rok’s Company regained its footing.
Vision Consulting.
The Pul-Pul Market, created solely on Ryu Min’s word, had failed due to insufficient demand.
‘To be precise, it was largely because Ryu Min withdrew his 31% stake midway through.’
After that setback, the company he founded with renewed determination was Vision Consulting.
A second iteration of Cheonma Consulting, one might say?
It was a familiar industry, and given the current employment crisis, he judged that consulting was necessary.
His assessment wasn’t wrong.
Yet even as the economy recovered, the representative lacked the resources to rebuild a company that had already collapsed once.
So I made a decision.
“Representative. About that proposal you made before.”
“You mean co-representative?”
“Yes. I’d like to try it. If it’s the only way to save the company.”
“With Director An’s help, I couldn’t ask for anything more reassuring.”
Ma Gyeong-rok smiled and extended his hand.
“From now on, I’ll have to call you Representative An.”

* * *
Though I was merely a figurehead, my life changed once again after becoming representative of Vision Consulting.
I had to learn new work, different from security, and it occasionally stressed An Sang-chul.
But I endured and worked with passion.
‘Simply standing by Representative Ma’s side isn’t enough to help. This world is no longer fraught with danger, and the company’s circumstances demand even a child’s assistance.’
That was why An Sang-chul accepted the proposal after deliberation, but he didn’t realize it.
That he was wearing a suit that didn’t fit him.
That the representative would also fall into a difficult position because of it.
“The company’s stock price continues to plummet. You know better than anyone that this happened because an unqualified security officer was appointed as co-representative.”
“Therefore, our executive board has concluded the company has no future and will resign.”
The company collapsed.
Due to Ma Gyeong-rok’s careless judgment in appointing An Sang-chul as representative.

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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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