The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 65

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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 65
65. Orc Warrior
Charging directly through an Orc Settlement is madness.
Especially if it’s a large settlement with guard posts.
The moment an Orc guard deems it dangerous, they sound the horn and rally their allies.
When more than fifty Orcs gather like that?
Players would be helpless and forced to walk the path to the afterlife.
‘At least, that applies to ordinary players.’
For Ryu Min, the situation was entirely different.
The horn call actually worked in my favor.
I didn’t have to waste time searching for Orcs in every dwelling.
That’s why I kept the guard alive until the very end.
‘Though they’re all corpses now.’
Roughly two hundred bodies now littered the ground.
No matter how fiercely the Orcs charged, they couldn’t breach the wall of level 30.
‘Orcs become manageable from level 20 onward. At my level exceeding 30, these creatures are no different from goblins.’
In other words, it’s impossible for current players in their early level 10s.
‘That’s why Round 5 is so difficult. The monsters are powerful, and we’re outnumbered.’
If hundreds of players conspired and moved together, conquering the Orcs would be trivial.
‘But that’s the problem—it won’t happen.’
Players who crossed blades in the last round would never unite now.
This Quest was designed with that impossibility in mind from the start.
‘Whoever designed this is cunning. They understand human nature far too well.’
While contemplating this, a figure caught my eye.
‘Is he already attempting the conquest?’
As I drew closer, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘Jo Yong-ho?’
The nickname was familiar to me.
‘So this man is the Mercenary King Jo Yong-ho?’
There exists a class called Mercenary.
Like Warriors, they could wield diverse weapons, belonging to the common melee class category.
‘Their skill composition shares much in common with Warriors.’
The one distinguishing feature was that Mercenaries grew stronger only through contracts with others.
‘That’s why most Mercenary-class players don’t travel alone and prefer to party with acquaintances. Or they contract with the Mercenary King.’
The Mercenary King.
The sole class capable of commanding Mercenaries through contracts.
Mercenaries receive additional effects upon contracting with the Mercenary King.
For Mercenaries, there’s naturally no reason to refuse such a contract.
‘And the man before me, Jo Yong-ho, is precisely that unique class—the Mercenary King.’
I never expected to encounter the Mercenary King in a place like this.
Ryu Min concealed his surprise and looked at Jo Yong-ho.
“Ha ha… Oh, hello there? Black Scythe.”
Jo Yong-ho bowed his head slightly upon seeing Ryu Min.
“You know who I am?”
“Of course. Who doesn’t know Black Scythe, the number one ranked player in All Districts?”
Jo Yong-ho spoke with a smile, subtly gauging Ryu Min’s reaction.
-Wow… I never thought I’d meet the number one ranked player in All Districts here… Would he hate it if I suddenly offered to shake his hand?
Reading his thoughts, I sensed admiration for a strong opponent.
In fact, he showed a favorable attitude, smiling genuinely at me.
‘He doesn’t seem like the type to stab someone in the back. That’s probably why he was able to obtain the Mercenary King class.’
Becoming a Mercenary King requires the mindset of a leader.
One must know how to guide comrades with a good heart.
‘Though I’m meeting him for the first time, he doesn’t seem like a bad person.’
I only knew his name; this was my first time actually facing the Mercenary King.
Since I prioritized solo play, there was no reason to meet him.
I didn’t even need the help of mercenaries.
‘I heard he survived past round 10…’
After that, I don’t know whether he died or lived.
‘No, he must be dead. I’m the only one who survived to round 20.’
I’m certain he’s dead, but I’m not sure which round he died in or how.
“Um, did you… kill all these orcs here, Black Scythe?”
At Jo Yong-ho’s question, Ryu Min nodded slightly.
“That’s right.”
“Wow… That’s truly impressive. As expected of the number one ranked player…!”
“What are you trying to say?”
“Huh? Ah, well…”
Jo Yong-ho, who had been hesitating, lowered his head.
“Thank you. Thanks to you drawing the orcs’ attention, I was able to save my life.”
“I didn’t even know you were here.”
“I know. You didn’t intend it. But I still received help, didn’t I?”
Reading his thoughts, Jo Yong-ho was expressing his gratitude sincerely.
“Understood. Once you’re done here, take your comrades and leave quickly. Don’t worry—I’ve killed all the orcs in the settlement.”
“Is that so? But how did you know I have comrades…?”
Ryu Min gestured with his eyes toward Jo Yong-ho’s back.
Jo Yong-ho turned around and immediately looked startled.
His younger siblings, who had been hiding in the thatched house, were standing there blankly.
“You guys! Why did you come out? I told you to wait!”
“We were worried you’d leave us behind, hyung. Hehe.”
“Don’t joke around! Why would I leave you behind?”
Ryu Min observed Jo Yong-ho and his comrades carefully.
‘So it’s a contractual relationship.’
I could tell by reading their true thoughts.
All four younger mercenaries were under contract with Jo Yong-ho, the Mercenary King.
‘That’s why they’ve been hunting together all this time and ventured deep into the Orc Settlement to hunt more.’
Now that I understood their reason for entering the settlement, I delved deeper into their minds.
It turned out the mercenaries had followed Jo Yong-ho out of concern for him.
‘They genuinely respect Jo Yong-ho as their leader.’
He’d already built a circle of trustworthy people.
Truly worthy of the Mercenary King’s reputation.
Just then, the mercenaries approached and belatedly grasped the situation.
“What the—… What is all this?”
“Why are there so many dead orcs here?”
“Could it be that you’ve been hiding your true strength all along, sir?”
“You were holding back, sir?”
“You idiots! Are you joking at a time like this?”
Jo Yong-ho shouted irritably, stealing a glance at me.
Only then did the mercenaries notice my presence and their eyes widened in shock.
“Gasp! Black Scythe?”
“Black Scythe, what brings you here…?”
“Just came for some light hunting.”
At my blunt response, the mercenaries let out awkward laughter.
“Ha, yes, of course.”
“You casually defeated about 200 of them.”
The mercenaries harbored no ill will toward me.
They were simply nervous standing before one of the strongest.
“By the way, we watched the special tournament. You ended it in an instant, didn’t you? Ha…”
“Stop wasting time and leave if you’re done here.”
I spoke deliberately coldly.
‘Once I’ve cleared all the orcs, the mid-boss will appear soon.’
I said this out of consideration—getting caught up in what’s coming could be dangerous.
“Understood. We’ll see you again, Black Scythe.”
“It was an honor to meet you.”
Jo Yong-ho and his group bowed respectfully and turned to leave.
Thinking there was no more threat, they walked away leisurely while conversing with each other.
Just as I was about to tell them to hurry up, one of the mercenaries grabbed Jo Yong-ho’s shoulder.
“Sir.”
“What is it?”
“Don’t you hear that sound?”
“What sound?”
“Listen carefully.”
Jo Yong-ho focused intently on his hearing at his younger brother’s words.
Thump— thump— thump— thump—
He could hear the faint trembling of the earth beneath his feet.
“What is that sound?”
The answer came from Ryu Min’s lips.
“A mid-tier boss. Avoid it.”
“What? A mid-tier boss?”
Though confusion arose, Jo Yong-ho could ask nothing further.
A six-meter-tall giant was thundering toward them in the distance.
“That… that thing!?”
“An orc?”
It was unmistakably shaped like an orc.
The difference lay in its towering height—several times larger than a normal orc—and the grotesque bulging of its musculature.
And.
“Huh…”
“What manner of weapon is that…”
It wielded a three-meter-long greatsword in both hands, dwarfing any human in height.
While everyone else stood slack-jawed at the sight, Ryu Min showed no surprise upon seeing it.
‘Finally, it appears—the Orc Warrior.’
He had actually been waiting for it to show itself.
After all, to obtain the Stone of Balance, a sub-quest item, he needed to slay this creature.
‘This one is not alone. By defeating the bosses of each settlement, I can acquire the remaining stones.’
In other words, I needed to defeat four bosses to complete the sub-quest.
It was not a task as simple as it sounded.
As evident, these bosses operated on an entirely different level from ordinary orcs.
‘The reason I’ve been taking my time is precisely this. Even if countless players gathered, they would fall short against a boss.’
This was why Ryu Min had died four times in the fifth round.
The time I poured into the boss, seeking the Stone of Balance, had been converted into death.
‘Of course, that time was not wasted. Had I not obtained the Stone of Balance, I would not have grown so strong.’
The Stone of Balance was such a powerful rune that I absolutely had to complete the sub-quest.
‘The Orc Warrior is something I can easily defeat even without Min Ju-ri’s buffs.’
While Ryu Min gazed upon it with the eyes of a predator.
“Shrieeeek! Shrieeeek!”
The Orc Warrior raged upon seeing the corpses of its brethren trampled beneath its feet.
“B-brother, that thing is definitely angry, right?”
“Y-yeah, it seems that way?”
Whoosh— whoosh— whoosh— whoosh—!
It wielded its absurdly massive blade with threatening ease and fluidity.
One in each hand, both arms moving in perfect synchronization.
“Shrieeeek! Shrieeeek!”
The Orc Warrior’s gleaming eyes darted back and forth.
It was searching for the prey that had slaughtered its kin.
Moments later, its gaze fixed upon a single target.
“Screee! Screee!”
The Orc Warrior’s first target was Jo Yong-ho.
Boom, boom, boom—
The Orc Warrior charged forward.
With such a massive stride, it covered the distance to Jo Yong-ho in mere steps.
“Gasp!”
Before Jo Yong-ho could even react in shock,
Whoooosh—!
The great blade cleaved through the air and plunged downward toward his head.
Crash—!
The impact was so tremendous that dust erupted from the ground.
“Big brother—!”
His younger brothers cried out in terror, but fortunately, the worst did not come to pass.
At the very instant the blade would have connected, Ryu Min shoved Jo Yong-ho away with the end of his pole.
“What are you doing standing there dazed?”
“Gasp—thank, thank you, Black Scythe.”
Jo Yong-ho caught his breath.
Had Black Scythe not pushed him aside, he would have been pulverized beyond recognition.
“Fall back. Unless you want to die.”
At Ryu Min’s command, Jo Yong-ho scrambled backward.
The Orc Warrior watched the humans exchange positions and curled its lips upward.
It was a look of contempt.
But that expression did not last long.
Crack—!
When Ryu Min’s scythe struck its foot, the Orc Warrior’s face twisted into something grotesque.
“Screeeee! Screee!”
Consumed by both pain and fury, the creature brought its blade crashing down toward Ryu Min.
Whoosh! Crash!
Whoosh! Crash!
The sound of wind-cutting and impact was tremendous, yet that was all.
Every strike missed.
He had evaded them all by the narrowest of margins.
As proof, not a single scratch marred Ryu Min’s body.
The creature was fast, but not fast enough to be inescapable.
“What does raw power matter if you can’t land a hit?”
“Screeeee!”
“Stop your squealing already.”
With a sharp whoosh, Ryu Min leaped and swung his scythe in a crescent arc.
A sickening crunch accompanied the spray of green blood erupting from the creature’s throat.
Ryu Min raised his scythe, eyeing the Orc Warrior that had so obligingly bowed its head.
Thwack! Thwack!
The Orc Warrior shrieked with each blow to its nape.
Its thick neck refused to yield in a single strike, so I brought the blade down repeatedly.
“Kiiieeeee!”
Whoosh! Whoosh!
In its death throes, the creature thrashed its greatsword wildly in all directions.
But I had already slipped into its blind spot, pouring all my strength into the finishing blow.
A sickening tear—thud!
The Orc Warrior’s severed head finally crashed to the ground.
Its body, which had been flailing its arms moments before, went limp like a toy with its batteries removed.
“Did… did you just take that thing down?”
“That impossibly powerful creature…?”
Jo Yong-ho and his companions stared at Ryu Min with wide eyes, but his gaze was fixed elsewhere.
A cascade of reward messages had appeared before him.

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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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