The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 37

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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 37
37. The Reward
The moment An Sang-chul entered the third round, he spotted Black Scythe.
He intended to lend a hand if the opportunity arose.
Besides, the representative had given him instructions.
To convey his gratitude for being rescued.
‘There he is.’
Yet he couldn’t bring himself to approach, watching from a distance instead.
The way Black Scythe stood with scythe in hand seemed to say: don’t bother me.
‘Should I talk to him later? There doesn’t seem to be anything I can help with right now….’
He decided to find something to help with first, then naturally strike up a conversation while relaying the representative’s message.
There would be no problem if he delivered it before the round ended.
‘First, let me hear about the third round Quest, then figure out how I can help.’
After that, he received an explanation about the Quest from Angel.
‘Protect the artifact while blocking five monster waves?’
It was a cooperative mission, but also an individual one where participants advanced based on how many monsters they defeated.
‘This is something I can help with.’
If there were more monsters, hunting would be harder and improving one’s record would be more difficult.
Fighting alongside Black Scythe might help by dividing the monsters’ attention, wouldn’t it?
With that thought, I tried to approach.
‘What? He’s blocking the Entrance alone?’
Everyone else was waiting at the Village Center, yet Black Scythe stood alone at the Entrance.
‘Does he really think he can block it by himself?’
I couldn’t tell if it was confidence or arrogance.
‘Let me just watch for now. I might get cursed out for interfering unnecessarily.’
Deciding to help if things got dangerous, I waited for the monsters to pour in.
Soon the wave began, and An Sang-chul witnessed it.
Black Scythe, single-handedly slaughtering countless hordes of monsters.
‘He really is… blocking it alone?’
It wasn’t arrogance or overconfidence.
Black Scythe possessed both the courage of one against a hundred and the skill to match it.
‘First place in this sector is already decided….’
Could anyone possibly match someone sweeping away such numbers?
Perhaps he would even claim first place across all sectors this time.
‘There’s no real need for me to help.’
An Sang-chul focused on establishing his own record.
The weakened monsters weren’t as difficult as expected.
‘Is it because my level is 8?’
Glancing to the side, I saw that Seo A-rin was also fighting well.
‘It was good that I leveled up in the last round.’
Having a higher level than others made hunting considerably easier.
My class advancement came quickly as well.
I reached level 10 and obtained my class far sooner than anyone else.
‘It’s almost over now.’
The fifth wave was gradually winding down.
[Player ‘Hwang Yong-min’ has become the new District Representative of ESKS45-5.]
The District Representative had changed.
‘So he was killed after all?’
I’d suspected this would happen when they said authority could be stripped by killing someone.
‘Wait, the new District Representative is Hwang Yong-min?’
That name was unmistakable.
After all, he was the one who’d attacked me and Seo A-rin in the previous round.
‘Damn it… how did such trash end up as District Representative?’
I sighed in frustration, but I wasn’t truly worried.
Seo A-rin and I, having already advanced our classes, were unaffected by the authority of command.
‘When I return, I’ll have to report this absurd situation to Director Ma.’
But the truly absurd situation was yet to come.
[The relic has been destroyed.]
[Main Quest has failed.]
[In a moment, the Divine Punishment Executor will be summoned for 30 minutes as a failure penalty.]
“What? The relic is destroyed?”
Shocked, I blurted out the words before I could stop myself.
Looking toward the Village Center, I could indeed see the shattered relic.
Soon after, a Sub Quest notification appeared, and I found myself in a situation where I had to survive for 30 minutes.
‘I don’t know what kind of creature the Divine Punishment Executor is, but…’
I could infer it easily enough.
It was an overwhelmingly powerful being.
‘If it weren’t, they would have given me a quest to defeat it, not just survive.’
If they were offering rewards just for survival, there had to be a good reason.
And indeed, there was.
The Divine Punishment Executor I faced directly was a terrifying creature.
‘What in the world are those arrows of light?’
It was impossible to see them coming and dodge.
Moreover, it had cast a wide-range barrier to prevent escape.
‘I have to run no matter what. There’s no way I can win against that.’
Everyone else, including An Sang-chul, was rushing to flee.
Everyone except one person.
‘What is Black Scythe doing over there?’
While everyone else was running, he stood motionless at the edge of the barrier.
Looking more closely, it seemed he was actually facing off against the Divine Punishment Executor.
‘Surely they’re not trying to catch that thing? No, that can’t be it.’
Attempting to capture that terrifying Divine Punishment Executor?
‘It’s impossible without losing your mind.’
Had overconfidence clouded my judgment?
When mere survival already came with rewards, attempting to capture it was nothing short of reckless.
‘No, it can’t be. It won’t be. They’re probably just going to scout the area and then escape.’
But.
The moment the barrier dissolved, Black Scythe charged forward.
My worst fear materialized into reality.
‘Damn it, this is bad! I need to go help them—wait?’
Yet what unfolded before my eyes defied all expectations.
‘The ambush… actually worked?’
The scythe pierced through both eye sockets of the Divine Punishment Executor.
‘Such precision to land both eyes…’
As if to prove it was no accident, the other eye was skewered just as cleanly.
And now both wings were being severed, toyed with like playthings.
‘Black Scythe is… overwhelming it.’
As I watched Black Scythe sever the Divine Punishment Executor’s neck, I finally understood.
I had been laboring under a profound misconception all this time.
‘There was never any need to help at all.’
Then the Director’s orders suddenly came to mind.
-Keep an eye on Black Scythe and see if there’s anything you can help with. You know I don’t like being indebted to people, right?
‘Director, I apologize.’
An Sang-chul shook his head.
‘I don’t think I’ll be able to carry out that order.’
Black Scythe was never in a position to need anyone’s assistance.
What right did I have to help someone who could capture the Divine Punishment Executor alone?
‘We’re in different leagues. There’s a reason they’re ranked first.’
The strong become objects of admiration to the weak.
Respect gleamed in An Sang-chul’s gaze as he watched Black Scythe.
‘This is another report I’ll need to give the Director.’
* * *
[You have slain the Divine Punishment Executor.]
[Triple Experience Buff is active.]
[Experience +304.3%]
[Gold +8,200]
[Bonus Gold +4,100]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
Upon slaying the Divine Punishment Executor, I jumped from level 27 directly to level 30 in one fell swoop.
On top of that, bonus gold from my Luck stat came pouring in.
‘My fortune is turning.’
This brought my total gold to approximately 21,000.
‘I’ll be able to purchase one more public skill as planned.’
Even excluding the 3,000 gold from the sub-quest reward, I had more than enough left over.
But the good news didn’t end there.
[Confirmed: You are the first player to slay the Divine Punishment Executor.]
[You have acquired the title ‘Defier of Divine Punishment’.]
[As a first-kill reward for slaying the Divine Punishment Executor, you have obtained ‘Condensed Ether’.]
[As a first-kill reward for slaying the Divine Punishment Executor, you have obtained ‘Rune of Radiance’.]
[The acquired rune is automatically inscribed onto your body!]
Among the cascade of messages, the item that delighted me most was none other than the reward itself.
‘Just as I expected. The Condensed Ether appeared.’
[Condensed Ether]
-Category: Consumable
-Description: A premium-grade ether among ethers, it radiates a prismatic shimmer depending on the viewing angle.
Upon opening the information window, I confirmed it was the ether I knew of.
My lips curved upward in a satisfied smile.
‘One could say I killed the Divine Punishment Executor for this reason alone.’
After all, ether was the material needed to craft [God]-tier items.
‘It’s impossible to make them with ordinary ether. Only Condensed Ether can create God-tier items.’
I still needed three more materials, but if everything went according to plan, obtaining them wouldn’t be difficult.
‘Once I secure this core material—the ether—the rest is trivial.’
With a grin, I tapped on my newly acquired title.
[Title – Defier of Divine Punishment]
-Acquisition Condition: Obtained by being the first to slay the Divine Punishment Executor.
-Effect: Damage taken from Holy-type enemies reduced by 80%.
A damage reduction effect of a full 80%.
Though limited to Holy-type enemies, this title was invaluable.
‘Even if I’m caught off-guard by an attack, I won’t die.’
Even if an unavoidable area-of-effect skill or unblockable ability came my way, I could avoid fatal damage.
My gaze shifted to the additional rune I had received.
[Rune of Radiance]
-Effect: Increases Intelligence by 1 and Holy-type skill effectiveness by 1% per level.
A rune that increased Intelligence and skill effectiveness by percentage per level.
‘At level 30, I’ll gain 30 Intelligence and 30% skill effectiveness.’
Of course, since it only applied to Holy-type skills, it seemed useless to me for now.
‘But considering the skills I’ll learn later, it’s not a bad addition.’
Besides, the increase in Intelligence alone was an enormous benefit.
‘I won’t need to level up Intelligence for a while.’
As the remaining time disappeared, a message appeared.
[You have completed the Sub Quest!]
[You receive 3,000 Gold as a reward!]
Not just Ryu Min, but other players also received the payment, their faces brightening with joy.
However, some were staring at me as if I were a monster.
It made sense—they never expected anyone to defeat the Divine Punishment Executor alone.
Angel felt the same way.
[Khihihi, that’s quite impressive.]
Angel Olive suddenly appeared and looked at Ryu Min.
[To handle the Divine Punishment Executor alone. You are the first human that I, Olive, truly acknowledge.]
The Executor’s death was a shocking event even for an Angel.
[How about an interview? Player Black Scythe. How did you come up with the idea to kill the Divine Punishment Executor?]
‘This Angel woman asks pointless questions.’
Ryu Min, unwilling to elaborate, answered simply.
“I simply killed it because I wanted to.”
[You wanted to kill it even though you’d receive rewards just for surviving?]
“I couldn’t stand watching people being slaughtered.”
Though I spoke those words to evade the question, the players actually admired my response.
“So you stepped forward to save people…”
“I thought he’d be arrogant because he’s strong, but he’s surprisingly sweet?”
“His character is solid, really solid.”
The negative image entangled with Hwang Yong-min suddenly skyrocketed.
Hearing the whispers, Ryu Min offered an awkward smile.
‘I didn’t intend it, but I actually did save people.’
There could have been greater casualties, but only 300 died.
If I hadn’t stepped forward, perhaps only 500 out of 2,700 would have survived.
[To save your own kind… Humans are strange as I’ve heard. You tear each other apart as if you’d kill one another, yet live peacefully as if nothing happened. It’s a part I find difficult to understand.]
‘Of course you would. What would selfish Angels know.’
[In any case, thank you for your effort in surviving. But don’t feel relieved just yet. Whether you disappear or not will be decided based on the tally results. Khihihi.]
As Olive said, it wasn’t over until it was over.
[Then shall we check the tally results?]
Shortly after, the Round 3 results were tallied.
Black Scythe was unquestionably in first place.
First place, but…
“What?”
The people couldn’t help but be shocked by the results.

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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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