The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 386

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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 10
10. The National Forensic Service
The National Forensic Service, commonly known as the National Forensic Service.
The National Forensic Service is an institution primarily engaged in research related to criminal investigations and autopsies of corpses.
The Cult Leader’s corpse, which had claimed countless lives, was naturally transferred here as it was implicated in the crime.
Clang!
“Look at this. The hardness is absurdly high.”
The Researcher brought a hammer down upon the black spike that had emerged from the Cult Leader’s body.
Clang!
“See? Not even a scratch. How could something like this be produced from a human body?”
“How should I know? Why would we even try to understand an aberrant life form?”
“I’ve never seen anything like this in my life. How could such a substance possibly emerge from a human body…”
“It only looks human on the surface—it’s essentially an alien. You saw the footage too, right? How it drained people like mummies.”
“Right. It was truly horrifying.”
The CCTV footage released to the news had been pixelated, but the Researchers had seen it clearly.
The Cult Leader draining human bio-energy in real time.
“It had already massacred thousands in the mountains five kilometers away, correct?”
“Yeah. I heard there was a gathering of the Daecheon Sunri Association. We couldn’t secure the CCTV footage, but given that we found similarly mummified remains, the consensus is that this alien is definitely responsible.”
“It’s absolutely monstrous. Who would have thought an aberrant creature would appear in this world…”
“Enough. Run a Brinell hardness test on that. It doesn’t seem to be an ordinary material.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Thousands of corpses appearing all at once… I wish I had ten bodies to handle this workload.”
Even as the Researcher sighed, their hands continued working without pause.
The opportunity to study an extraterrestrial life form responsible for mass slaughter meant their eyes gleamed with curiosity—an occupational hazard they couldn’t avoid.
“Look at this, Senior. The severed neck is remarkably clean.”
“Hmm, to make such a clean cut with this level of hardness would require tremendous force…”
“The media mentioned Black Scythe appearing. It seems it was true.”
“Right. We’ve confirmed that the scythe he was carrying wasn’t just for show.”
“Black Scythe?”
At the third voice, the two Researchers spun around in surprise.
A man stood leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.
“Who are you?”
“I’m from the Uijeongbu Police Station.”
“How did you get in here? Leave immediately.”
“Why don’t you finish what you were saying? Is it really true that Black Scythe was the one who killed him?”
“Hey, didn’t you close the door properly? How did an outsider get in?”
“I… I did close it…”
When the man ignored their response, his expression darkened.
“I said continue with what you were discussing.”
“Why should I tell you anything?”
“It’s necessary for the investigation. Please cooperate with us.”
“I have nothing to say to you. Leave at once.”
“Yes, you cannot enter during an autopsy like this.”
As the Researcher tried to escort him out, the man claiming to be a Detective let out a soft chuckle.
“Extracting information through words seems difficult.”
“What are you—gasp!”
In an instant, the Detective’s hand became covered in a black substance.
That hand, transformed into something like a skewer, moved with the speed of lightning.
Splurt! Thud!
One Researcher’s head was severed in a single moment.
“Ugh, uaaaah…!”
“Don’t scream. Do you want to die the same way?”
The Researcher could only tremble at the murderous intent of the being that appeared to be a Detective—an alien lifeform.
“Continue with what you were saying before. Are you certain that Black Scythe killed him?”
“Y-yes…yes…”
“Tell me more about Black Scythe.”
“I…I…um…”
“Complete panic. He’s in no state to speak properly.”
Having made that assessment, the Detective suddenly collapsed like a puppet.
Thump!
From the fallen Detective’s corpse, black matter flowed out and coalesced into a mass.
“Kyieeeek!”
The startled Researcher tried to flee, but it was already too late.
The black liquid entered through the Researcher’s nostrils and took control of his brain.
“Mm.”
The being now inhabiting the Researcher’s body tilted its head.
“I’ve transferred into a human body, but there’s no significant information here either.”
Though the Researcher muttered to himself, he did manage to extract one meaningful piece of intelligence.
“Black Scythe… So the entity that killed the Host is a Player called Black Scythe?”
Both the Detective he’d inhabited earlier and this Researcher had identical information embedded in their minds.
The information that Black Scythe had killed the Host dispatched to this world line.
“Players are beings that transcend humanity. It seems Black Scythe is among the strongest ever called human. I must be careful about this.”
Speaking thus, the Researcher extended his hand.
The black liquid remaining on the Cult Leader’s corpse began to quiver and gather.
Then it was sucked into the man’s hand like a vacuum cleaner.
The Researcher smacked his lips with disappointment.
“Foolish Host. He barely accumulated any bioenergy.”
The reason the Host dispatched to this land failed to accumulate energy.
It was clearer than anything else.
“Black Scythe. It’s because of that existence.”
Conscious that Black Scythe needed to be eliminated, he withdrew from the body.
Squelch, squelch—
The alien lifeform, liquefied once more, slipped into the ventilation shaft and escaped the scene.
In the space he had vacated, there remained only the corpse of a human.

* * *
‘It’s time.’
The cooldown for the Speed of Light Rune was one hour.
While it seemed lengthy, considering I could move at light speed for three seconds, it was actually quite brief.
‘I’ll have to search on foot if necessary. I need to find the Hosts established in this world.’
An hour ago, when I met with the Cult Leader, I was able to gather considerable information about them.
Thanks to the Rune of True Thoughts.
‘These creatures, who call themselves Hosts, are driven solely by the obsession to extract human bioelectric energy.’
Fundamentally liquid in form, they could solidify their bodies or sharpen them at will.
They could parasitize and control humans from within their bodies, and they could even read memories.
‘Most troubling of all, they can drain human bioelectric energy and reduce them to mummies.’
These extraterrestrial organisms, the Hosts, desired nothing but the annihilation of humanity.
To prevent the collapse of this world line, I had to find and eliminate them as soon as possible.
As I prepared to leave, Ryu Won’s eyes lifted from his phone.
“Where are you going, hyung?”
“Time to hunt down the Hosts.”
“Those aliens that appeared at the Department Store?”
“Yeah. From what I can tell, there’s more than one. They’re probably scattered across Earth.”
“I’ve been searching, and there haven’t been any particularly noteworthy incidents or accidents in other countries. Though I’m not sure if they just haven’t made the news yet…”
Ryu Won said this while fidgeting with his fingers.
Without even reading his thoughts, it was plain on his face that he was sorry for being unable to help.
“Don’t apologize. If you can’t find them, I will.”
“But that Speed of Light Rune can only be used for three seconds. What if the Hosts aren’t active within those three seconds? You won’t be able to find them, right? They can even parasitize human bodies.”
“I know. But there’s no other way right now. I have to work with what I have.”
It was like searching for a needle in a desert—a mission with virtually impossible odds.
Ryu Won clenched his fist encouragingly.
“Hyung, you’ve got this! I’ll keep searching the news and help however I can.”
“Thanks. Keep the doors locked while I’m gone. I’ll be back.”
I opened the window and leaped outside.
In that instant, Ryu Won’s eyes widened as he immediately looked out the window.
Whoooosh—
Only wind remained; there was no sign of his older brother.
“Did he already disappear?”
So he really could move at light speed—no exaggeration there.
Then.
Zing— zing—
My phone vibrated against my body.
I glanced at it and saw an incoming call from an international number.
‘What? A call from overseas…?’
Ryu Won, upon answering, could only be shocked.
Because it was none other than his older brother’s voice.
—Won.
“Brother!? What’s going on? Why are you calling from an international number all of a sudden…?”
—I’m in the United States.
“What? The U-United States?”
—I called to tell you I found the Host.
My brother, who had disappeared just moments ago, had already arrived in the United States?
“But the United States isn’t connected by land. How did you get there?”
—With the Speed of Light Rune, I can walk on water. Since I can even fly through the heavens, there are no restrictions on my movement whatsoever.
Indeed, there was no reason I couldn’t walk on water while moving at the speed of light.
“Y-you found the Host already? This fast?”
—Yeah. There’s a suspicious bastard right in front of me. Once I finish here, I’ll come back, so wait for me.
“O-okay, brother. Stay safe.”
After hanging up, Ryu Won stared at his phone and let out a hollow laugh.
It was a moment when his brother seemed truly remarkable.

* * *
Montana, United States.
“P-please! Save me!”
“It’s a monster! A monster!”
“Holy shit!”
At the sudden appearance of a monster, people scattered in panic and fled.
There was a clear reason they judged it to be a monster.
It was hovering in the sky with a human body inflated like a balloon.
“Become nourishment for me through your deaths, humans.”
Soon after, a rain of death poured down.
Pap-pap-pap-pap!
“What is that!?”
“It’s melting everything!”
“Ahhh! Get away!”
“Bullshit! There’s no escaping that!”
The black droplets the monster scattered melted anything they touched.
Buildings, cars, humans—anything.
The corrosive power was so potent that entire buildings dissolved and collapsed from just a few drops.
The people trapped beneath were melted by the scattered droplets once more, their life force drained away.
“Hehehehe, I’ll take it all. Every last bit of your human energy.”
The creature showed no discrimination in its targets—young or old, male or female.
Thud!
“No, Claire!”
“Mom!”
As the Child stumbled while holding hands, Mother quickly scooped them up into her arms.
But luck was not on their side.
The creature had noticed them.
“I cannot overlook a child’s bioenergy either. Hehehehe.”
Splort—
Black liquid droplets formed across the creature’s skin as it took aim at the Child.
Mother, drenched in terror, wrapped herself tightly around the Child and pleaded with the creature looming above her head.
“P-please spare us. Just our child, I beg you. Please….”
“That is impossible. Your child’s energy and yours both belong to me.”
The creature mercilessly sprayed its toxic droplets.
Just as they were about to dissolve away—
Ting-ting-ting—!
A black barrier materialized out of nowhere, deflecting the droplets away.
“Hm?”
A substance it could not dissolve? Such a thing existed in this world?
The creature’s eyes widened in shock, unaware.
Unaware that above its head hovered a being who had draped the wings of death.
“Hey.”
At the voice from above, the creature flinched and looked up.
“Who are you…?”
“Why are you collecting human bioenergy? What exactly do you plan to do with it?”
“….”
“Right. There’s no point asking.”
I had already read its thoughts, but these Hosts were capable of nothing but mindless slaughter.
Whether Deorant stood behind this, or some other entity—I could not know for certain….
“But one thing is certain.”
Lightning flashed brilliantly in Ryu Min’s hand.
Crackle-crackle-crackle—!
“Kueeeeeek!”
“You Hosts must be annihilated.”
The charred balloon plummeted to the ground.

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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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