The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 64

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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 64
64. Jo Yong-ho
The path toward Min Ju-ri.
“Screech! Screech!”
A band of Orcs appeared like bandits collecting a toll.
But it was only momentary.
Crack—!
Severed heads flew through the air as their bodies crumpled one after another.
[Orc defeated!]
[Experience +0.41%]
[Gold +40]
[Current Kill Count: 303/100]
[All stats increased by 100% due to Slaughter Rune effect.]
[Attack speed increased by 25% due to Skull Bone Necklace effect.]
Ryu Min dispatched the three Orcs as effortlessly as crushing passing insects, then frowned upon seeing the experience gain.
‘Without the experience buff, the gains feel rather meager.’
My current level was 31.
Despite slaying 303 creatures, I’d only risen a single level.
‘My level must be too high for this.’
Of course, the experience was negligible to me, but not to other players.
‘Most of them would probably reach level 20 just by completing the 300 Orc Quest.’
My goal was level 40.
‘I have plenty of time to level up even after helping Min Ju-ri. There’s nothing to worry about.’
Min Ju-ri’s growth would benefit me as well.
I didn’t view helping her as a loss.
Besides, she was my classmate.
‘I regret not being able to look after her in the previous cycle.’
This time would be different.
We would act together starting from Round 5.
I rummaged through my inventory.
The experience gains were modest, but the gold accumulation was substantial.
‘Including what I already had, I’ve gathered 14,000 gold already.’
At this pace, I could accumulate over 100,000 gold in this round alone.
I could learn every common skill available in the shop.
‘Good. Now I just need to head to where Min Ju-ri is and engineer a chance encounter, but…’
Before that, there was something I needed to do.
Defeating the mid-boss of this round—the Orc Warrior.
‘Since I’m heading that way anyway, I should deal with it first.’
I quickened my pace.
* * *
“Kill 300 orcs?”
When the main Quest was first revealed.
The party thought this level of difficulty wouldn’t be too challenging.
The time limit was longer than expected, after all.
“Ten hours to kill 300 means we only need to take down 30 per hour, right?”
Honestly, it seemed like easy pickings.
Orcs didn’t have that intimidating of a reputation.
But facing them directly shattered that confidence entirely.
“Huff, huff. Big brother, are you okay?”
“Phew, damn it. I nearly died.”
They’d been partying together since Round 1—members of the Young Mountaineers Group.
They’d made it to Round 5 by leaning on each other’s shoulders through hardship, never imagining such a predicament awaited them.
“Phew, what kind of orcs are this strong?”
“Right? They look exactly like walking pigs, but….”
“We can’t underestimate them.”
No one needed to be told—they’d already stopped underestimating.
The moment they clashed with an orc, reality hit them hard.
Solo clearing was impossible.
“Man-gi, how many have we killed so far?”
“About 50, I’d say, big brother.”
“50 in one hour. That’s not good….”
To an outsider, that hunting speed might seem respectable, but the party consisted of five members.
Dividing 50 among five meant only 10 kills per person on average.
“At this rate, we won’t even come close to 300 in ten hours—we’ll be eliminated.”
“Eliminated isn’t the right word, is it? If we fail, we can try again. But if we lose this time, we’re gone for good.”
“Ugh….”
A collective sigh of despair escaped from all five of them.
At this rate, they were headed for annihilation.
They needed a strategy.
“Listen, we need to raid a larger settlement.”
“Big brother, isn’t that too risky?”
That’s right. We’re already struggling against three of them—how can we take on a bigger settlement?”
I think it’s better to stick with small settlements like we’ve been doing and hunt safely.”
Jo Yong-ho, the eldest, simply nodded at his comrades’ objections.
“You’re right. Your words aren’t wrong, so I won’t argue. I won’t force anything either. But understand this one thing.”
His voice dropped to a grave tone.
“There’s no future in a sinking ship.”
“….”
“At this rate, we’ll all fail to reach 300 and perish. It’ll be hard, but we have no choice but to take the risk.”
“Big brother, but with our current strength, we can’t possibly handle more….”
“No, we’re skilled enough. We’ve just been taking it easy, but if we push a bit harder, we can hunt more orcs.”
He wasn’t wrong.
Five of us hunt three, rest for five minutes, hunt five, rest another five.
The truth was we’d been spending more time resting than actually hunting.
“We need to take down at least 150 per hour. We don’t need to face large numbers at once. Just like we’ve been doing—hunt 3 to 5 at a time, but at three times our current speed.”
“Hmm….”
Jo Yong-ho’s proposal left the group in contemplation.
But they didn’t really have a choice.
“Understood. We’ll follow your lead, hyung.”
“There’s no point complaining when the ship’s already sinking.”
“Thanks for going along with this.”
Jo Yong-ho grinned and stood up.
“We’ve rested enough. Should we get started for real?”
“I noticed that village over there looked pretty big when we passed by earlier. Should we head there?”
“Yeah, let’s go there.”
The five Young Mountaineers Group members moved forward with their weapons slung across their shoulders.
They remained vigilant during the journey, keeping watch on their surroundings.
It never hurt to be prepared for unexpected situations.
“There it is. That’s the village we saw before.”
The group slowed their pace upon spotting the Orc Settlement.
From a distance, they carefully observed the village’s movements.
“The palisade is so high we can’t see what’s inside very well.”
“We might need to get closer to get a better look?”
“Then let’s move in closer.”
The group cautiously approached.
Jo Yong-ho, who was leading, suddenly stopped.
“Wait, there seems to be a guard post at the entrance. Let’s go around the side.”
The group immediately changed direction toward the side.
Given the settlement’s size, they weren’t foolish enough to charge through the main gate.
“Look there. There’s a gap between the palisades.”
It was just large enough for a person to slip through.
They peered inside through the gap.
The settlement contained at least twenty or more thatched houses arranged in rows.
It was certainly larger than anywhere they’d raided before.
“I don’t see any moving around outside.”
“So they’re all inside their homes?”
“At that density, there must be at least five in each house?”
“Hmm, that’s more than I expected….”
“We’ll have no choice but to sneak in and raid each house one by one?”
Infiltrating quietly and hitting each house was their best option right now—far better than drawing aggro from the main gate.
“Alright. Since we’ve decided to raid this place, let’s go in.”
“Yes. With five of us, we can handle them easily if we use the advantage of a surprise attack.”
The resolved group squeezed through the gap in the palisade.
After safely infiltrating, they decided to target the nearest Thatched House first.
“This is the one, right? When I give the signal, we go in.”
Jo Yong-ho spoke quietly, then gave a hand signal before storming the Thatched House.
Creak—!
As the door swung open, ten resting orcs looked up with gleaming eyes.
“Huh, huh?”
“Ten… ten of them?”
The shock of their greater numbers was brief.
“Screeeech!”
“Screech, screech!”
Startled by the sudden intrusion, the orcs grabbed the axes hanging from their waists and rose to their feet.
Before they could.
“Left side first!”
Thud, thud, thud—!
The five launched their ambush attack, taking down one orc.
But nine orcs still remained.
“Screeeeeech!”
“Shriek! Screeeech!”
Enraged by their fallen comrade, the orcs howled and swung their axes wildly.
The attack speed was slow enough to dodge without difficulty.
But when their numbers were this great, the situation changed entirely.
Crack—!
“Gahhh!”
“Man-gi!”
As an axe buried itself in his younger brother’s shoulder, Jo Yong-ho’s eyes blazed with fury.
“That beast got Man-gi!”
“You pig bastards! Die!”
The rest of the group surged forward for vengeance and managed to cut down another orc.
But eight orcs still remained.
One wounded and four already exhausted—they couldn’t handle this many.
“Sir! This won’t work! We need to retreat!”
“I was just thinking the same thing!”
The group exchanged blows with the orcs while gradually falling back.
If they could slip through the gap in the palisade they’d entered from, they could outpace the bulky orcs.
But variables exist everywhere.
Things didn’t unfold as planned.
Orcs who had heard the commotion had blocked their escape route.
“H-how many of them are there?”
“It looks like at least ten… maybe more.”
The number of orcs we had to face had doubled.
‘Five of us against eighteen? That’s insane.’
There was no point in calculating the odds.
It was absolutely impossible.
Retreat was our only option.
If we could even manage that.
Cold sweat beaded across everyone’s foreheads.
There was nowhere to run, and the sheer number crushed any will to fight.
“It’s over… we’re done for.”
“This is… so pathetic.”
The group lowered their weapons in resignation.
All except Jo Yong-ho.
“Pick up your weapons.”
“Boss…”
“It’s all over.”
“It’s been an honor fighting alongside you.”
Unlike Jo Yong-ho, the rest had lost their will to fight.
They understood death was upon them.
A tense standoff with the orcs stretched on.
“Listen. Why aren’t they killing us?”
“What?”
“I have no idea.”
“Look at their faces if you want to know.”
“Their faces…?”
At Jo Yong-ho’s unexpected words, the group studied the orcs’ expressions.
Their mouths were twitching—they were smiling.
“These bastards are mocking us.”
“…”
“You’re trembling like frightened rats, and you’ve thrown down your weapons without even trying to fight. That’s what’s so amusing to them. We’re entertainment—like monkeys in a zoo.”
“…”
“Doesn’t that infuriate you? Being ridiculed by mere orcs? Being turned into playthings for their amusement?”
Did his words strike a nerve?
“Don’t give up until the very end. Pick up your weapons and kill at least one of them. That way, even in death, you won’t die in shame.”
Something stirred within each of them.
“Yes, boss.”
“I’m sorry for showing you such cowardice.”
“I’ll fight alongside you until the end.”
With those words, the group raised their weapons once more.
Along with him, the Orcs’ faces twisted grotesquely, their sneers vanishing in an instant.
“Screech!”
“Screech!”
Not a trace of laughter remained on their faces.
Only fury at the sight of these pathetic rats daring to resist.
“When I give the signal, we move. One at a time, all together. Got it?”
“Yes!”
“Yes, boss!”
“Ready to go?”
Just as Jo Yong-ho was about to give the ambush signal.
Pwooooo—
A horn’s blast pierced the air from nowhere.
The group didn’t know it, but it was the emergency signal blown from the watchtower.
“Screech! Screech!”
“Screech! Shriek!”
Ten Orcs bolted frantically toward the sound.
More than half had fled, leaving only eight Orcs behind.
“What… what’s happening?”
“Why did the Orcs suddenly…?”
Whatever was occurring, their chances of survival had improved dramatically.
If they only had to face eight Orcs, they could make it out alive.
“Come on, everyone. Let’s do this.”
“Yes, boss!”
Emboldened, the group launched a sudden assault on the Orcs.
Thwack! Thwack!—
One careless Orc fell, pierced through by a weapon.
“Screeeeech!”
“Die!”
Then erupted a fierce, bloody clash between Orc and human.
Clang—Clang!—
The metallic ring of blade striking blade echoed relentlessly.
Slash—Slash!—
Squelch—Squelch!—
The sickening sounds of flesh being cut and pierced reverberated between them.
After a grueling, desperate struggle where a single moment of carelessness meant death.
“Huff… huff…”
Five humans stood victorious, their faces flushed with triumph.
“We… we actually…?”
“We defeated eight Orcs…?”
The joy of accomplishment burned brighter than the relief of mere survival.
“Brother! We did it! No, you did it, brother!”
“None of this would have been possible without you. If you hadn’t been here, we would have given up long ago and all perished.”
The group spared no praise, but Jo Yong-ho shook his head.
“Don’t say such things. You all steeled yourselves and fought with everything you had—that’s how we succeeded. Without you, I would have died here without moving an inch.”
“Ha, brother, you’re something else.”
The laughter with the group was short-lived.
Jo Yong-ho’s expression turned grave as he examined his injured companion.
“Anyway, Man-gi. How are your wounds?”
“Ugh… h-hard to bear, but I can manage. I’m fine.”
He claimed to be fine, yet his shoulder was soaked through with blood.
At a glance, the injury looked severe.
“For now, you rest. Don’t move under any circumstances. Understood?”
“Y-yes…”
“All of you, hide yourselves here for now. I’ll scout ahead to find an escape route and come back.”
“Won’t that be dangerous?”
“Don’t worry about me. Just wait here quietly.”
Jo Yong-ho left the group to wait in the Thatched House, then moved carefully, surveying the surroundings.
‘This place is dangerous. I need to secure an exit to escape the Village.’
He moved cautiously, half-expecting an orc to leap out at any moment, but the Village was remarkably quiet.
Not a single orc was visible.
It was quiet—unnaturally so.
‘Why is it so quiet? Where did all those orcs disappear to?’
They had rushed off somewhere after hearing the horn’s call, yet not even a trace of them remained.
Then, suddenly, a foul stench assaulted Jo Yong-ho’s nostrils.
‘Sniff, sniff—what is this smell?’
As I frowned and continued walking, I spotted something in the distance.
‘What is that?’
As I drew closer, I inadvertently let out an “Huh?” before hastily covering my mouth.
‘What… what in the world is this…’
An unbelievable sight lay before my eyes.
Roughly two hundred orc corpses blanketed the Village.
‘Who… who could have done something so incredible…’
Then, a figure entered my field of vision.
A solitary person standing among the corpses.
Above his head floated the nickname: Black Scythe.

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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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