The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 66

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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 66
66. The Mercenary King’s Favor
[You have defeated an Orc Warrior!]
[Experience +37.73%]
[Gold +4,000]
[Bonus Gold +2,000]
[You have obtained ‘Ring Pommel Sword’.]
[You have obtained ‘Orc’s Heart’.]
[You have obtained ‘Lower-Grade Navy Mana Stone’.]
[You have obtained ‘Stone of Balance’.]
[Sub-Quest Progress: Stone of Balance 1/4]
As the stream of notifications appeared, my lips curled upward.
‘Just as I thought—taking down a single boss is far more rewarding than grinding through mobs.’
The experience that had been trickling in like a pittance surged past 37% after defeating one boss.
I earned 4,000 gold, and as a bonus, additional gold dropped as well.
‘And that’s not all. Quite a few decent items came out too.’
[Ring Pommel Sword]
-Classification: Weapon
-Grade: Epic
-Attack Power: 100
-Effect: Attack Speed +5% with each hit on an enemy (Max 10 stacks)
-Durability: 1,000/1,000
-Usage Restriction: Regular Grade or higher
-Description: A sword notable for its distinctive circular ring attached to the hilt.
The Ring Pommel Sword was an Epic-grade weapon for Regular-tier players.
It boasted high base attack power, and its attack speed increased with each successful hit.
‘Judging purely by the stats, it’s quite an impressive weapon.’
The only drawback was that it was a sword rather than a scythe.
If it had been a scythe, I wouldn’t have hesitated to equip it.
‘Actually, wouldn’t I deal more damage if I abandoned the scythe and used this sword instead?’
The Reaper’s Scythe I currently wielded had an attack power of 25.
Even accounting for the Reaper’s Rune, which doubled weapon attack power when using a scythe, it only reached 50.
By simple comparison, the Ring Pommel Sword with 100 attack power was far superior.
‘But the sword isn’t my primary weapon.’
Since my original class was Hunter, I could handle most weapons, but none compared to the scythe.
‘Lower attack power aside, the scythe I’m familiar with will be more efficient overall.’
Besides, I was already planning to upgrade my weapon once this round ended.
‘I’ll keep the Ring Pommel Sword and sell it later to someone who needs it.’
A weapon of this caliber couldn’t be found anywhere else, so it would fetch a high price.
[Orc’s Heart]
-Classification: Inventory Item
-Description: A hard stone of crimson hue. Despite its appearance, rest assured it is not an actual heart.
The next inventory item to appear was the Orc’s Heart.
Someone might find it repulsive and discard it, but…
‘If I did that, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. It’s a combination material for a Unique item, after all.’
It was an item I desperately needed.
‘I also obtained a Lower-Grade Navy Mana Stone and a Stone of Balance.’
From defeating a single mid-tier boss, I’d acquired quite a haul.
After finishing my inventory check, I turned my head.
‘Hm?’
Jo Yong-ho and his group were staring at me blankly.
Then, snapping back to attention, they spoke with gleaming eyes.
“Black Scythe! You’re truly amazing!”
“To defeat that monster all by yourself!”
“I wouldn’t have dared to even fight it!”
Men naturally harbor admiration for the strong.
This reaction was, in a sense, inevitable.
They must have thought they were doomed the moment the Orc Warrior appeared.
“Black Scythe.”
Jo Yong-ho, having calmed his excitement, bowed respectfully.
“Thank you for defeating the monster. Thanks to you, my brothers and I have been saved.”
“I simply don’t have a hobby of watching innocent people die.”
“I see. Did you perhaps know the monster would appear?”
I couldn’t be bothered to answer properly, so I gave a vague response.
“In other settlements, a mid-tier boss appeared after we killed all the orcs.”
“Ah, so that’s why you told us to hurry away?”
Jo Yong-ho nodded in understanding, his eyes now filled with even greater reverence.
To those who trembled before a single orc, Black Scythe was an object of admiration.
“My business here is done, so I’ll be on my way.”
“Yes! Thank you again for saving us!”
“Safe travels, Black Scythe!”
As I turned my back, voices called out from behind.
“Let’s get going too.”
“We need to start hunting right away!”
Witnessing Black Scythe single-handedly overpower an entire force ignited their enthusiasm.
Just then, the wounded mercenary let out a groan and dropped to one knee.
“Man-gi! Are you alright?”
“N-no, hyung. I can’t go on. I can’t hold out any longer.”
“What are you talking about?!”
At the sudden commotion, I stopped in my tracks and turned around.
Jo Yong-ho was shouting at the injured mercenary.
“You said you were fine just a moment ago, didn’t you?”
“I didn’t want you to worry back then, hyung. But now I’ve reached my limit….”
“Even so, you have to push through! If you can’t endure the remaining time here, you won’t survive in reality either!”
Choi Man-ki, the mercenary, shook his head weakly.
“You know as well as I do, hyung. If we don’t hunt 300 of them, it’s all meaningless.”
“….”
Jo Yong-ho fell silent, confronted by the reality he’d been trying to forget.
If he failed the main quest, he would be erased without mercy.
Even if he wept and pleaded to Angel, it would be useless.
The moment he could no longer hunt orcs, all hope would vanish.
Choi Man-ki had already lost that hope.
“I’m being realistic. I know my body better than anyone. I can’t fight in this condition.”
“You really can’t even hold a weapon? Your other shoulder is fine, isn’t it?”
“Fine? I’m barely holding on as it is….”
He hadn’t been able to stop the bleeding and had been losing blood profusely the entire time.
Though he’d been fine before, his condition had deteriorated severely now.
The fact that he’d endured this long with a crushed shoulder was already impressive.
“Just leave me behind and go. I can’t become a burden to you and the others.”
“That’s not it. There has to be some way….”
Jo Yong-ho, who as a leader had always maintained his composure, was now panicking.
“A blade. You can still hold a blade, right? Right? We’ll beat the orcs down for you and bring them over, so you just need to thrust. You have that much strength, don’t you?”
“But then you and the others won’t be able to hunt. I’m already a burden as it is—I don’t want to drag everyone down until the very end.”
“Hey! Choi Man-ki! Listen to me! If we don’t do this, you’ll really die!”
“Hehe, I’m already a dead man. Even if we somehow managed to hunt 300 of them, it’s impossible to endure the remaining time… Ugh!”
A sudden wave of pain contorted Choi Man-ki’s face.
He could sense that death was drawing near.
“Gasp, ugh… Hyung. Please go quickly. I don’t want you to see me like this….”
“No… I can’t do that. Are you going to keep talking like you’re losing strength? Where am I supposed to go without you….”
At the sight of Jo Yong-ho nearly panicking, Ryu Min’s expression shifted to one of surprise.
‘The future Mercenary King who will command hundreds of mercenaries, showing such weakness over a single comrade….’
He thought that if they were truly close like brothers, it made sense.
After all, he too had a younger brother.
‘It seems I can be of help here.’
Ryu Min opened the shop window and hastily purchased a common skill.
Ryu Min stepped into the group, whose atmosphere had grown as gloomy as a funeral home.
“Listen.”
“…?”
“It looks like you need help. Would you mind if I lent a hand?”
Ryu Min’s sudden appearance seemed unexpected, as question marks appeared on everyone’s faces.
He seemed to be trying to offer some help, but the situation was so desperate that I could only think negatively.
“Is there even a way to save this friend…?”
“Yes.”
At Ryu Min’s calm words, Jo Yong-ho stepped aside, grasping at straws.
Ryu Min approached Choi Man-ki closely and examined the wound.
“The wound is severe.”
“….”
“But it’s not beyond recovery.”
Ryu Min muttered something incomprehensible and placed his hand over the wound.
‘What is he doing?’
The group tilted their heads in confusion.
A green light emanated from Ryu Min’s palm.
It was an aura that radiated warmth just by looking at it.
“Black Scythe, what exactly are you….”
Jo Yong-ho, unable to contain his curiosity, suddenly doubted his own eyes.
Indeed, something unbelievable was happening right before his eyes.
The blood that had been flowing stopped, and the wound sealed itself.
“Wh-what?!”
“Th-the wound!”
Those watching gasped in unison.
Even Choi Man-ki, the one injured, couldn’t speak and stared at his wound.
Rather, he stared at where the wound had been.
“Th-the wound… is gone?”
It wasn’t just the wound.
The pain had vanished completely.
“Black Scythe. How exactly…?”
“It’s a skill called Emergency Treatment. Anyone can purchase it from the shop.”
“Emergency Treatment?”
“Ah! I think I’ve seen it.”
“Right. I saw it in the shop too. It was definitely a 20,000 gold skill.”
“I had no idea it was such an incredible skill….”
While the group marveled at the exceptional healing effect, truthfully, it wasn’t that powerful of a skill.
‘It just stops bleeding and heals minor cuts. It’s not enough to fix a shattered shoulder.’
Yet Ryu Min had nearly perfectly restored the shoulder.
How was that possible?
The reason was that recovery power varied depending on intelligence.
‘My current inflated intelligence is 123. With the Rune of Radiance boosting skill effectiveness by 32%, a shoulder is easy to mend.’
Emergency Treatment was fundamentally a holy-attribute skill.
With the Rune of Radiance amplifying its effects, I could demonstrate this level of power.
“Move your shoulder. A scar will remain, but you should have no trouble moving it.”
At Ryu Min’s words, Choi Man-ki turned his shoulder to check.
His face soon filled with emotion.
“I, I can move normally now!”
“That doesn’t mean you’re fully healed. Since it’s emergency treatment, overexertion could reopen the wound. Still, it shouldn’t be a problem for hunting.”
“Ah… I, I’m truly grateful. Black Scythe, you are my savior! Thank you so much!”
Choi Man-ki sprang to his feet and bowed repeatedly.
I thought I was surely dying, but thanks to Ryu Min, I had been given a chance to live.
The rest of the party felt the same gratitude.
Jo Yong-ho’s gaze was particularly striking.
‘The more I see, the more wondrous this person is.’
His eyes held a blend of awe, respect, and gratitude all woven together.
“Black Scythe. Thank you for treating Man-ki.”
“I’m grateful as well.”
“Thank you for saving my comrade.”
As Jo Yong-ho bowed, the rest of the party followed suit, showing Ryu Min the tops of their heads.
“I’m not sure if it’s useful, but please accept this. It’s a token of my sincerity.”
Jo Yong-ho was the first to pull an item from his inventory.
It was a lowest-grade red mana stone.
The rest of the party eagerly offered items as well.
Some offered mana stones, while others offered equipment that would fetch some gold at a shop.
“You don’t have to go this far.”
“No, this is a token of gratitude. Please accept it.”
Even with my refusal, they pressed the items into my hands, leaving me no choice but to accept.
Of course, the refusal had been a matter of courtesy.
‘Even if they’re just miscellaneous items, getting five of them is quite worthwhile.’
Though I collected the items, the greater benefit lay elsewhere.
“Thanks to Black Scythe, this friend now has hope to live. Separate from the token I just gave you, I will repay this debt without fail someday.”
In other words, I had gained both a debt from the Mercenary King and his favor.
‘For a common skill I had to learn anyway, this is quite the gain.’
When the Mercenary King’s strength becomes necessary in the future, this moment will have a significant impact.
“Then I’ll see you next time.”
“Safe travels!”
As Ryu Min turned to leave, the Mercenary King and his mercenaries bowed respectfully behind 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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