The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 68

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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 68
68. Trap Point
Thwack—thwack!
The rapier pierced cleanly through the Orc’s throat.
While moving targets are difficult to hit, an Orc trembling and limbless makes for an easy mark—its throat an open invitation.
“High-level skills really are something else. I never thought hunting could become this easy.”
Min Ju-ri laughed brightly amid the corpses.
Had an Orc witnessed her expression, it might have burst from sheer indignation.
“How many have we killed so far?”
“52 in just 30 minutes. We’re going incredibly fast, aren’t we?”
…
Ryu Min offered no response.
By ordinary player standards, it would be fast. But by my standards? It fell short.
I had once hunted 300 in an hour, after all.
‘Wandering around to find them wastes too much time. The field doesn’t even have that many monsters.’
The killing itself is instantaneous.
The real bottleneck is the search.
‘But raiding the settlement risks Min Ju-ri getting hurt.’
Imagine suddenly being surrounded by 50 Orcs.
Alone, it wouldn’t matter. But Min Ju-ri is beside me.
Even I couldn’t protect her perfectly in such a situation.
‘I have no choice but to find the Orc Shaman. At least that will cut down the time spent searching.’
The Orc Shaman summons Orcs.
Using him, I won’t need to hunt them down manually.
‘I was heading in that direction anyway, so I’ll just proceed as planned.’
And kill any Orcs we encounter along the way.
Unaware that Ryu Min was heading toward the boss, Min Ju-ri beamed.
“At this pace, we’ll hit 300 kills in 3 hours.”
“3 hours is too long. We’ll do it in 1.”
“Pardon? One hour?”
Thinking she’d misheard, she asked again—but the answer remained the same.
“I’ll finish the Quest within an hour.”
“Really? But how…?”
“By using the Orc Shaman.”
“The Orc Shaman? What’s that?”
Ryu Min laid out his plan.
He would exploit the Orc Shaman’s ability to summon Orcs, letting her level up efficiently.
“So… you’re saying we won’t kill the Orc Shaman and just keep letting it summon?”
“Exactly. I’ll keep him alive until we’ve reached 300 kills.”
In other words, a strategy to squeeze every last drop of value from the Orc Shaman.
From the Orc Shaman’s perspective, there was no greater misfortune than this.
“But Black Scythe, how do you know so much about Orc Shamans? Haven’t you faced one before?”
Ryu Min lied without hesitation, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“I ran into one briefly before meeting you. That’s how I know the location too.”
“Ah….”
“Don’t worry. I’ll block all the danger.”
At those words, Min Ju-ri’s eyes widened in surprise before she broke into a warm smile.
‘He’s unexpectedly considerate.’
They say image is merely image, after all.
Min Ju-ri found herself thinking that you truly understand a person only through direct experience.
“Here it is.”
The two arrived at a Village with a wooden palisade.
Since the Settlement wasn’t particularly large, there were no Orcs standing guard.
“There’s a boss in such a small Village?”
Min Ju-ri’s surprise was understandable.
It was a quaint little Settlement with barely four or five dwellings inside.
But one shouldn’t be deceived by appearances.
Ryu Min recognized this as a Trap Point designed to lure players.
‘Countless players have died after entering thinking it looks easy to clear, only to be overwhelmed by the swarms of Orcs the Orc Shaman summons.’
It had been the same in the previous cycle.
Behind the Village, corpses of players hidden by the Orc Shaman piled up like mountains.
It was proof that he possessed intelligence and cunning.
‘But that also means he’s cowardly. He has no confidence in direct combat. In fact, without his summoned Orcs, he’d be worthless.’
Because of this, while I could kill the Orc Shaman in one strike, I planned to keep him alive for now to use him for hunting.
“This way.”
Ryu Min took the lead, and Min Ju-ri followed behind.
“Why don’t I see any Orcs?”
She looked around, but not a single Orc was visible, despite this being supposedly where they lived.
But that was only natural.
No Orcs lived here.
‘Only the Orc Shaman dwells in this place.’
After passing several Thatched Houses, a larger one came into view, different from the rest.
“The Orc Shaman is inside. He’s dug Trap Points in there and is waiting for us to enter.”
“An Orc digs traps?”
“Yes. Being a boss, he has considerable intelligence. All these Thatched Houses here are just camouflage designed to make it easy for players to approach. In reality, only the Orc Shaman lives in this entire Village.”
“Ah… no wonder it felt so quiet….”
“In the end, the entire Village is a trap prepared to ensnare and kill players.”
“Then we’ve walked right into the trap?”
Ryu Min nodded.
“At least in the Orc Shaman’s eyes.”
“You have a plan?”
“Yeah. I can turn his trap against him.”
“A trap?”
“It’s simple. Unsuspecting players enter the house, step on the Trap Point, and the Orc Shaman waiting in ambush summons Orcs to overwhelm them. Usually about 10 to 20 of them. Once surrounded, there’s no escape.”
Of course, I was the exception.
I had the confidence to kill them all, no matter how many came at me.
‘But right now, the goal isn’t to kill them—it’s to keep them barely alive.’
Still, having multiple Orcs summoned simultaneously would be problematic.
‘Subduing them one by one would be tedious.’
Min Ju-ri, who understood this difficulty, asked with concern.
“What do we do? If they all come out at once, it’ll be a mess.”
“True. But there is a way.”
I explained my strategy for stringing the Orcs along.
Min Ju-ri’s eyes gradually widened as she listened.
“That’s really all we need to do?”
“That’s right.”
“Do you think the Orc Shaman will actually fall for it?”
“Don’t worry. I’ve already verified it works.”
Min Ju-ri, who had been eyeing me skeptically, nodded with determination.
“Let me handle this operation.”
“You’re going to do it alone?”
“Yes. There’s no need for both of us, right? Besides, I feel awkward just passively receiving help like a fledgling bird.”
“Are you confident you won’t make a mistake?”
“Of course. From what I heard, I can definitely pull this off. I can earn my keep too.”
When Min Ju-ri volunteered herself, I didn’t object further.
“Fine then. I’ll wait outside.”
Min Ju-ri nodded and opened the door to the Thatched House with a tense expression.
Creak—
She carefully stepped inside alone.
There was no sign of anyone—no presence at all.
Creak, creak—
As she walked down the creaking corridor, a spacious area opened up before her.
It was easily large enough to accommodate twenty Orcs.
‘This must be the Trap Point Black Scythe mentioned!’
The peculiar detail was the red carpet spread across the floor, oddly out of place.
Min Ju-ri swallowed hard and recalled the strategy I had just explained.
—The Orc Shaman is hiding inside.
He’s focused solely on the sound of the door and footsteps, waiting for a human to enter.
By exploiting that, I can deceive him and string the Orcs along.
The method is simple.
Venturing deeper, we encounter a space carpeted in crimson red.
That’s the Trap Point prepared by the Orc Shaman, designed so that stepping on it summons Orcs to block the exit and encircle us.
We’ll only advance to the edge of the carpet before retreating outside.
Then the Orc Shaman, thinking he’s regrettably lost his prey, will send a small scouting party to lure us back in.
We simply need to devour those scouts.
‘That’s right. Simple enough. If I just make my presence known and flee….’
Min Ju-ri tensed as she extended her foot toward the carpet’s edge.
Creak—
After making just enough noise to signal her presence, she immediately turned and executed the plan.
Without looking back, she exited the dwelling.
‘Phew. It was nothing, yet my heart won’t stop racing.’
As she caught her breath, she suddenly lifted her gaze.
Ryu Min stood before the doorway, watching her with an impassive expression.
“Are you alright?”
“Ha… yes, of course.”
Seeing his unwavering steel-like composure, she felt oddly embarrassed.
“The task?”
“We went to the carpet’s edge as planned and came back.”
“That’s sufficient.”
“Do you really think they’ll send scouts just like that?”
“We’ll find out soon enough by waiting.”
The two of them pressed themselves against the side of the dwelling and waited for the door to open.
Moments later.
Creak—
The door swung open, and six Orcs emerged.
Having received orders to lure the human who just fled, they kept glancing about nervously.
That’s when Ryu Min stepped forward, scythe in hand.
“What are you searching for so intently?”
“Shriek!?”
“I’m right here.”
With a sickening crunch, the Orc’s limbs severed and fell.
The remaining Orcs immediately reached for the axes at their waists, but their hands and feet were already sliced clean before they could draw them.
Thud-thud-thud—
All six Orcs collapsed like toy blocks.
Their bodies crumpled haphazardly across the ground.
His role complete, Ryu Min withdrew to the rear.
Taking his place, Min Ju-ri’s rapier claimed the Orcs’ lives.
Though they were summoned creatures, they granted the same experience and gold as real Orcs.
“Phew, it’s finished.”
“Then lure them out once more.”
“Will it sink in even if I repeat it again?”
“They have some intelligence, but it’s goldfish-level, so they’ll forget quickly.”
Min Ju-ri entered the home once more.
She went to the carpet again, came back out, and skewered the Orcs.
Squelch—squelch—! Thud—thud—!
As I severed their limbs, Min Ju-ri finished them off.
We performed our assigned roles cleanly and repeated the process.
As with any job, I grew more efficient, and our speed increased steadily.
Eventually, we could dispatch them as quickly as a team that had coordinated for years.
By the time the corpses of Orc summons piled up like a mountain beside the thatched house.
“Black Scythe! We’ve defeated all 300!”
At the joy in Min Ju-ri’s voice, I opened the progress window.
“Exactly one hour has passed.”
In that hour, we’d hunted 248 and reached 300.
“Thanks to you, Black Scythe, hunting was easy and fast. I’m truly grateful.”
Watching Min Ju-ri bow so deeply her hair nearly touched the ground, I let out a small laugh.
I didn’t need to read her thoughts to feel her sincerity.
“How much did your level increase?”
“I’m already at 19!”
“One more level and your rank will rise.”
When rank increases, new skills are learned and existing skills are strengthened.
‘That means I can receive higher-efficiency blessings. And gain new buffs too.’
Min Ju-ri’s growth directly aids my own advancement.
Even this early, I felt the reward of nurturing her.
“I don’t need to keep helping you from here on out, right?”
“Of course not! I’ve received so much help already. I wouldn’t dare ask for more.”
Unless her conscience had taken a vacation, she wouldn’t keep asking for assistance.
‘Still, should I help until level 20?’
Getting Min Ju-ri to level 20 quickly would mean I’d receive buffs sooner.
“I’ll help you up to level 20. You’ll need that much to handle Orcs comfortably.”
“Ah… you really don’t have to…”
‘No. I need to get buffs from you quickly so I can set records against High Orcs.’
Round 5 has four bosses: Orc Warrior, Orc Shaman, Orc Archer, and High Orc.
Among them, the High Orc is so powerful that the other three are treated as mid-tier bosses.
‘That’s why the High Orc has a time attack rule unlike the other bosses.’
Time attack is a rule where rewards are given based on how quickly you defeat a specific monster.
‘If I raise Min Ju-ri to level 20 and receive two buffs before attempting the time attack…’
I might set an unprecedented record.
Unaware of this, Min Ju-ri raised her hand again in refusal.
“You don’t need to help anymore.”
“Are you saying you won’t hunt with me then?”
“Of course not. After receiving such tremendous help, how could I abandon you? This time, I should be the one assisting you, Black Scythe.”
“If you want to help, do it after you reach level 20. Until then, I’ll provide for you.”
“But….”
“Listen to me. Until level 20, you’ll accept the provisions I give you without complaint.”
Min Ju-ri fell silent.
Her expression showed no displeasure or irritation.
‘He’s being so considerate for my sake….’
Her face radiated gratitude for this unexpected kindness.
“Then, if you don’t mind, I’ll accept your offer.”
“Good. Let’s resume our work then….”
That was when it happened.
A murmuring sound came from behind us.
Ryu Min and Min Ju-ri turned simultaneously to see a group approaching in our direction.

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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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