The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 366

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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 11
11. Ma Gyeong-rok’s 101st Cycle (Part 1)
Humanity divides into two categories at birth.
Those born with a silver spoon, and those born with a dirt spoon.
From that moment, the starting line differs.
Ma Gyeong-rok, born not merely with a silver spoon but a diamond one, was well aware that his starting position lay far ahead of others.
Yet he harbored profound dissatisfaction with his life.
Or rather, with his family.
“What are you staring at? Don’t tell me you’re eyeing your younger brother’s rice bowl?”
“Let’s just avoid each other if we can, hyung. You’re already blocking my path enough as it is.”
My younger brothers, Ma Gyeong-sang and Ma Gyeong-su.
In childhood, they were adorable siblings who followed me faithfully, but as their minds matured, they grasped the bitter truth.
That they could never inherit the Oseong Group, no matter how hard they strived.
That as the eldest son, I would forever bar their ascension.
Perhaps for that reason, they sneered at me whenever our eyes met, pushing me away.
They displayed extreme contempt, as if I were an obstacle to their very existence.
Children who failed to recognize their own brother, devoid of even basic courtesy.
“These wretches call themselves my younger brothers. Sigh…”
Muttering alone in an empty room could never dispel the stress.
Perhaps it began then.
The moment malice slowly began to fill my heart.

* * *
Time passed.
Among competitors I could hardly call family anymore, I turned twenty-three.
I received management education diligently and followed the course to become the successor who would inherit the company.
Of course, it was not easy.
But I accomplished it with relentless determination.
‘If you think of me as a competitor, then I’ll grow to match that expectation. I’ll learn and master everything ruthlessly, and I’ll devour this company.’
I would survive the competitive structure by demonstrating legitimate qualifications.
It was the only way to avoid being consumed by my younger brothers.
But my younger brothers found another way to target me.
“What did you say? What are Ma Gyeong-sang and Ma Gyeong-su doing?”
“They filed an objection. They claim it’s unfair for the company to go to the eldest son when he lacks ability.”
At Father the Chairman’s words, I let out an absurd laugh.
“How pathetic.”
“But they’re not entirely wrong. To become the representative of a company, one must prove their ability, mustn’t they? To become the head of a massive corporate giant like Oseong Group.”
“Are you saying I still lack the qualifications, Father?”
“Yes. For now.”
Qualifications.
Wasn’t that something I was already born with as the eldest son?
‘He abandons the long-standing custom of the successor taking the company and now changes his tune. Does he disapprove of me?’
Who could fathom the true thoughts of such a rigid, patriarchal father?
Ma Gyeong-rok found it more convenient to validate qualifications instead.
“I understand. I’ll do as you ask. If verification is necessary, then so be it. What must I do?”
“I’ll give each of you three brothers the same amount of capital. Build and grow a company with that capital. Whichever son achieves the highest results, to him I shall pass the company.”
It meant he would recognize as the group’s owner whoever established their own company and produced direct results.
“Yes. I’ll do exactly that.”
Ma Gyeong-rok accepted without hesitation.
Refusal was never an option.

* * *
What should I do?
After much deliberation, I decided to pursue a business I’d been considering for some time.
Consulting, to be precise.
‘With the capital I’ve just received, this scale of operation should be appropriate.’
Consulting is the process of seeking expert assistance to solve specific problems or achieve particular goals.
Management consulting, technical consulting, human resources consulting, financial consulting—the ability to expand into diverse fields made it an attractive venture with strong business potential and entrepreneurial promise.
‘I’ll name it… Cheonma Consulting.’
There was no profound meaning behind it.
I simply borrowed the name of a character from a martial arts novel I’d read in passing years ago.
‘Besides, it works nicely as a double meaning—me standing above Heaven.’
With the company name established, I founded the enterprise.
After years of studying business management theory, I was finally entering real-world practice.
Yet I felt no anxiety.
There was nothing difficult about it.
‘It’s nothing special. Operating a small business like this.’
My confidence stemmed largely from my talent.
With the blood of a group chairman flowing through me, where else would those genes have gone?
I possessed an entrepreneur’s instincts.
Of course, things didn’t go smoothly at first.
But gradually, the small-scale operation began to expand, eventually achieving a market capitalization worthy of recognition.
This was accomplished purely through my own talent, without anyone’s assistance.
Whether Father takes pride in it, I couldn’t say.
‘What’s certain is that I’m doing better than my brothers.’
Ma Gyeong-sang, the second son, started a small venture company.
But its sales were lackluster, and the future looked bleak.
Ma Gyeong-su, the third son, fared somewhat better.
He launched a startup that generated decent revenue for a while, but I heard he’s been struggling lately, his momentum completely stalled.
‘Cheonma Consulting outperforms both of them. We’re consistently growing our revenue.’
Doesn’t this prove my qualifications as a successor?
I wanted to ask, but Father hadn’t made a decision yet.
He seemed to want to observe me longer.
‘Then I’ll expand the business further.’
Having accumulated substantial capital through consulting, I boldly ventured into the hotel business.
My intention was to multiply my wealth further.
But I didn’t realize this was arrogance.
Misfortune struck when a global pandemic erupted, bringing a recession to the travel industry.
My hotel, barely operational, was immediately affected and began hemorrhaging money.
‘Really, it’s true what they say—even falling backward breaks your nose.’
To make matters worse, Cheonma Consulting entered a downward spiral as well.
Conversely, Ma Gyeong-sang and Ma Gyeong-su’s ventures flourished.
The situation had completely reversed.
I couldn’t fathom how it had come to this, but one thing was certain—it couldn’t continue this way.
‘If Father had only acknowledged my qualifications sooner, none of this would have happened…’
Stress reached its breaking point.
Malice that had lurked dormant for years stirred and awakened.
“Woof! Woof!”
“Damn it, shut up.”
“Woof woof woof!”
“I said shut up, you mutt!”
“Woof woof woof woof!”
The dog kept at Cheonma Consulting barked with unusual persistence today.
The more I shouted, the more it barked—my eyes rolled back in fury.
I grabbed a piece of lumber nearby.
Crack!
“You damn mutt.”
Crack!
“Don’t you recognize your owner?”
Crack!
“Why do you keep barking? Why so loud?”
I hadn’t intended to kill it.
But I held no objection to its death either.
Perhaps that’s why.
Thud thud thud thud!
I beat the dog until it lay motionless.
The dog’s death was an inevitable outcome.
“Huff huff…”
Gazing upon the dog’s mangled corpse, I felt neither fear nor revulsion.
I felt nothing at all.
Because I’d known this would happen all along.
Because I’d accepted that this outcome was acceptable.
‘Damn it.’
Without a shred of remorse toward the dog, I simply disposed of it at the incinerator.
I washed away the blood with cola, so the company employees would never discover a trace the next day.
They simply searched for where the dog had gone and gave up.
“Representative, about that dog we kept at the company?”
“Yes, what about it?”
“It hasn’t been seen since last night.”
“The leash must have come loose.”
A remarkably natural answer from the one who had killed the dog.

* * *
‘Hmm….’
I hadn’t slept properly in days.
Even with my eyes closed, the company’s stress weighed heavily on my mind.
Sales declining with each passing day.
‘What’s the cause? What could it possibly be….’
I work hard, yet the world seems indifferent to my efforts.
I needed a change of pace.
‘Should I try dating?’
Ma Gyeong-rok had never possessed a romantic bone in his body, but today he craved the warmth of a woman’s presence.
“Young Master. Where shall we go?”
“Home, no—Hongdae.”
After telling the Chauffeur as much, I entered a nightclub.
The thought was simple: if I could find a woman, that would be ideal; otherwise, I’d at least drown myself in alcohol.
“Welcome! Right this way, please!”
Though I rarely frequented nightclubs, the establishment treated me with the reverence of a VVIP for some reason.
It seemed my chaebol status was unmistakable wherever I went.
‘Which is precisely why it’s so tedious.’
The women who fawned over me and clung to my side struck me as utterly dull and contemptible.
‘Parasites who see only my wealth, not my true self, desperate to attach themselves to me.’
Such negative impressions had already taken root through my club experiences, and erasing them proved difficult.
Isn’t it true that once a person’s values are set, they’re rarely changed?
“Oppa. You look like something’s bothering you. Are you feeling unwell?”
“Why don’t you rest for a bit? Want to come with me to that hotel over there and relax? What do you say?”
“Hey. You just got here—you should respect the order. If anyone’s going, it should be me first.”
“Seriously, this is ridiculous. Did you draw a number and wait your turn or something?”
Watching the women bicker and compete over me, when I couldn’t care less, I let out an involuntary sigh.
“All of you, get out.”
“Huh? Oppa, what did you say?”
“The drinks taste worse with you here. Everyone out.”
The women, struck by the cold glint in Ma Gyeong-rok’s eyes, hurried from the room.
After ordering that no one else be admitted, I drank alone.
I could faintly hear the attending waiter receiving harsh words from the manager outside, but it wasn’t my concern.
‘I have no interest in domestic women. I should look overseas instead.’
Ma Gyeong-rok had lost all interest in Korean women.
If I were to meet a woman, I resolved to do so only abroad.
At least then I could meet someone unburdened by knowledge of my wealth or preconceptions.
That was the beginning.
“I apologize for the late hour, but I’ll need to clear my schedule for about a week. Nothing serious—I simply need a personal change of scenery.”
The impulsive decision to arrange an overseas schedule stemmed from this.

* * *
What was originally planned for one week ended up taking two.
The time it took to return from the United States to Korea.
Upon his return, Ma Gyeong-rok immediately sought out his father.
“Chairman.”
“What is it?”
A response as curt and businesslike as always.
Yet what Ma Gyeong-rok said next was enough to astonish his father.
“I intend to enter into a strategic marriage.”
“What?”
“My prospective bride is Christine Craig. She’s in her early twenties and is the daughter of a renowned clergyman in the United States. I’ve already conducted a thorough background investigation, and she is entirely without blemish.”
“You’re considering a strategic marriage with a foreigner, not even someone domestic?”
The Chairman’s expression showed unmistakable surprise.
It was a sight Ma Gyeong-rok had never witnessed before.
“Please grant me your permission, Father.”

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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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