The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 383

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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 7
7. Daecheon Sungli Society
‘What a disgrace this is….’
I wiped away the flowing tears and hurried away from the spot.
Since I was in an invisible state, no one could see me anyway, but I didn’t want to cry here.
I had to always be the strong older brother in front of my younger brother.
‘Because Won read my true feelings, tears came unbidden.’
Ryu Won, who lived alone in the 102nd World Line without me.
How deeply he grieved and sorrowed over my death.
With what heart did Won come to choose the path of hanging himself.
When those poignant emotions reached me in their entirety, I couldn’t control my feelings.
‘I’m sorry, Won. You were suffering like this, yet I was living peacefully in the 102nd World Line that I created….’
I had no right to curse the Angels for being selfish.
I was just as selfish as they were.
I abandoned my younger brother from the 100th World Line, with whom I had overcome hardships together.
‘At least it’s not too late. I was able to prevent my brother’s death.’
I never imagined he would attempt suicide out of resignation over my death.
‘I came because I was worried about my brother being alone, and this is what happened….’
I stopped the immediate crisis.
I heard my brother’s voice calling for me, but he wouldn’t entertain dark thoughts anymore.
I had already given him a stern scolding anyway.
‘I want to talk more with my brother, but our reunion will have to wait.’
For now, finding Deorant’s seed takes priority.
Wasn’t that why I came to this place, the 100th World Line?
‘I have no idea what form or appearance it has. I don’t even know if the seed is literally a seed.’
All I know is that the seed will be the starting point of the collapse.
To prevent the collapse, I must find and eliminate Deorant’s seed.
‘It’s like finding a needle in a desert, but there’s no other way. I can only search on foot.’
Then.
Flash!
My body moved at the speed of light.
Three seconds.
That was the time it took for me, possessing the rune of light speed, to search through the entire Earth.

* * *
Beneath the Podium, countless people had gathered.
At a glance, thousands upon thousands.
They were no ordinary believers.
Each bore a crimson mark etched upon their forehead.
“The world has rotted to its core.”
An elderly man in white ceremonial robes cried out from atop the Podium.
“Corruption and malfeasance, self-interest and greed consuming one another—this is no phenomenon of our age alone. History itself testifies that humanity has descended into slavery to its own desires!”
The believers clasped their hands fervently, hanging upon the Cult Leader’s every word.
“So long as humanity endures, peace shall never come. War knows no cessation, and the world shall perish by the malice of mankind. Behold! How many perished as examples in the last Survival Game? A staggering 1.8 billion—1.8 billion!”
The Cult Leader’s voice rose, and the believers murmured their faith, wringing their hands together.
“After so many deaths, has humanity improved? Are we overcoming our trials and progressing?”
The Cult Leader shook his head solemnly.
“No. Even in these trying times, those who commit crimes and pursue only their own gain run rampant. Some even seek to seize this opportunity to wage war. If this continues, what shall become of us? Tell me—what shall become of us?”
No believer answered the Cult Leader’s question.
“A new punishment shall descend. Recognizing that humanity is beyond redemption, a new Survival Game shall commence.”
At those words, as sudden and devastating as thunder from a clear sky, the believers’ faces drained of color.
“Two years ago, you observed it as if it were someone else’s calamity. But now it is different. From ages thirty to fifty-nine—three billion souls across the entire world shall face the Game of Death.”
“It’s… it’s our turn now…”
“No… this cannot be…”
As though the Cult Leader’s words were absolute truth, the believers wailed and despaired.
Yet even within despair, hope flickered.
“The world shall soon meet its end. But fear not. If you repent now and believe in the Celestial Lord, you need not be taken by the Survival Game. There is still hope!”
The weeping subsided.
The eyes of those who had been sobbing now kindled with the light of hope.
“The Celestial Lord has bestowed grace upon this land for those who cannot be saved. He has sent me, His proxy, to deliver His word and guide you toward repentance.”
“”Uooooo!””
“Do you believe in the Celestial Lord?”
“”We do!””
“Do you believe in me?”
“”We do!””
“Then prove your faith here and now. Show the Celestial Lord your sincerity.”
Immediately, church members carrying collection bags moved among the believers.
The believers eagerly withdrew bundles of cash and placed them into the bags.
Not a single ten-thousand-won note was visible.
Most were fifty-thousand-won bills, and at a glance, they were donating millions of won without hesitation.
If salvation from the Survival Game could be purchased, what would they not do?
For the price of their lives, this was a bargain—they could afford such sums without difficulty.
Observing the believers willingly offering their contributions, the Cult Leader’s lips curved upward in satisfaction.
‘Hehehehe, today too, these fools line up to offer their money.’
During my time as the Cult Leader of the Daecheon Sungli Society, I had deceived countless followers, but never had I profited quite so handsomely as I did now.
The number of devotees had surged like peak season, and my income had reached its zenith.
‘They’re all terrified. Each one wondering if their turn might come next.’
An unprecedented catastrophe—everyone aged fifteen to twenty-nine had perished.
It had happened merely two years ago, and now the next generation trembled in fear.
I had exploited that terror brilliantly, crafting a narrative that those who failed to make offerings to the Heavenly Emperor—our sect’s divine idol—would be taken away. And the result?
It was a windfall beyond imagination.
‘Hehehehe, the money flows in like mushrooms after rain.’
How much revenue had I accumulated today alone?
The mere thought made my lips curl into an involuntary grin.
At this moment, I didn’t even envy the Chairman of the Oseong Group.
Yet my laughter was soon cut short.
‘Hmm? What is this?’
A black mass the size of a fist appeared on the podium.
My confusion lasted only a moment before my brow furrowed.
‘Which bastard threw a stone….’
As I pondered who might have hurled it, something happened.
Whoosh!
“Ugh!”
The black mass shot straight into my nostril.
It happened in an instant.
“Hack, gasp, ugh… ah….”
I jerked my head back and forth, momentarily dazed, before recovering completely.
My eye sockets had briefly turned black, but it happened so fast that no one witnessed it.
Everyone was too busy making offerings and praying.
“Huh? Cult Leader?”
When I suddenly descended from the podium, one of my followers approached.
“We haven’t finished collecting yet… Did you come to check how much we’ve gathered?”
“No. Stop this pointless nonsense at once.”
The follower’s eyes widened in confusion.
How could the Cult Leader call an act of faith toward the Heavenly Emperor pointless?
Regardless, I turned to address the crowd.
“Everyone, close your eyes and pray! I shall deliver you from Hell!”
My voice was thunderously powerful.
No microphone on the podium was necessary.
I closed my eyes first and began to pray.
The followers followed suit, clasping their hands tightly together.
In that moment, I cracked open my eyes and gazed upon the praying masses.
Every single one of them had their eyes closed in perfect unison.
As if I had been waiting for this very moment, I smiled.
At the same moment, his body began to swell gradually.
2 meters… 3 meters… 4 meters….
*Crack-crack!*
The clothes he wore tore apart long ago, and his bloated body rose into the sky like a balloon.
The believers praying at the very front were the first to sense this anomaly.
“Huh…? Gasp! What is that!”
“Th-that’s…!”
“A m-monster!?”
At the sudden outcry, the believers in the back rows furrowed their brows.
What was this commotion during the sacred prayer time?
However, those who opened their eyes could not hide their shock at the extraordinary phenomenon unfolding before them.
“What is that in the sky!?”
“Isn’t that the Cult Leader?”
“The C-Cult Leader!?”
The Cult Leader’s body had swollen like a balloon, reaching nearly 6 meters in size.
It was absurd enough to seem like some kind of surprise performance, but the shocking part was that the balloon could speak.
“Do not be alarmed. I shall save you all.”
From the Cult Leader’s skin as he spoke.
*Pitter-patter-patter-*
Black droplets formed.
On his face, hands, feet, body, and buttocks.
Black droplets beaded across every surface like sweat.
It was a horrifying sight, like some grotesque insect.
“Fear not. You shall all become my sacrifices.”
From that moment onward.
*Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!*
The droplets scattered in all directions.
The ominous black droplets, the moment they touched skin.
*Sizzle-sizzle-sizzle-*
“Ah, ahhhhh!”
“It hurts, it hurts!”
“Screeeeeech!”
They melted away with a gruesome sound.
The corrosive substance was so potent that even a few droplets dissolved skin and exposed bone.
*Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh!*
“Ahhhhh! Here it comes again!”
“Everyone, run!”
“Gahhhhh!”
A deluge of black droplets rained down from the sky like a storm.
No matter how thick the clothing, the toxic substance pierced through, and countless believers could not escape death.
Screams mingled with those desperately fleeing, transforming the scene into absolute chaos.
“P-please, save me!”
“I don’t want to die….”
As corpses accumulated at an accelerating pace, the screams began to fade.
Pshhhhhhh!
Pshhhhhhh!
Soon there were no more screams—only the deafening sound of liquid spraying filled the air.
It took barely a minute for thousands caught in the rain of death to be annihilated.
“Is it all taken care of?”
The Cult Leader, speaking in a dry tone, compressed his body down to a smaller size.
The balloon-like form that had towered at six meters now shrank to an ordinary human frame.
Standing amid the corpses, the Cult Leader raised both arms.
Then.
Tssssss—
The bodies rapidly withered as the black droplets swelled and expanded.
As if drawing out their very life force, the engorged droplets returned to the Cult Leader and were absorbed into him.
A satisfied smile soon bloomed across the Cult Leader’s lips.
“Mmm, delicious.”
Standing naked, the Cult Leader glanced around.
“I need more humans. Where should I go?”
Closing his eyes to sense his surroundings, he detected a place teeming with people not far away.
“There’s a Department Store nearby.”
This was information gleaned from the host body’s memories—the Cult Leader’s recollection.
“Shall I pay it a visit?”
Licking his upper lip, the Cult Leader’s body lifted into the sky.

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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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