The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player

“That’s impossible. We should interrogate him until he confesses—”

“That won’t be necessary. It was a misunderstanding from the start.”

“A misunderstanding?”

“I’ll explain.”

Ryu Min summarized Alex’s explanation for Heo Tae-seok.

It was a convincing reason, but Heo Tae-seok still refused to let go of his distrust.

“He’s lying! If he weren’t lying, why would he attack me first?”

At this, Ryu Min turned his gaze back to Alex.

“Did you attack Heo Tae-seok first?”

“Why?”

“I was trying to survive. He restrained me and glared at me like he was going to kill me. How could I not fight back?”

Alex had simply responded defensively.

Ryu Min translated Alex’s reasoning, but Heo Tae-seok still didn’t believe him.

“He must be lying…”

“He’s not. I can tell. It seems like the two of you just misunderstood each other.”

“…”

With that verdict, Heo Tae-seok couldn’t argue further.

“Now that we know it was a misunderstanding, make peace with each other.”

He spoke in both languages to ensure both parties understood, but silence hung between them.

“At the very least, apologize to each other.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I apologize.”

Only after some awkward hesitation did the two mutter apologies.

Watching the tense atmosphere between them, Ryu Min clicked his tongue behind his mask.

‘What a mess.’

Allies nearly drew swords on each other over a trivial misunderstanding.

‘This is what happens when people don’t speak the same language.’

Alex was partly to blame for his suspicious actions, but Heo Tae-seok also shared fault for jumping to conclusions without knowing the full story.

At this point, Ryu Min had resolved the conflict but still had one last misunderstanding to clear up. He glanced over at Heo Tae-seok, who still seemed uneasy.

“Heo Tae-seok.”

“Yes, Black Scythe, sir.”

“Just so there are no further misunderstandings, let me clear something up: don’t get hung up on the order in which I call names. It’s not based on how important you are.”

Heo Tae-seok’s eyes widened. It was as if Ryu Min had read his mind.

“I-Is that so? I thought the order you called was based on… importance.”

“No, it wasn’t. For the top three, yes, I called those with the highest contribution scores—priests and buffers who were vital to the mission. But after that, I just called names as they came to mind. There was no specific ranking.”

“Ah…”

“So if you thought I didn’t value you highly, I hope you’ll let go of that misunderstanding. Do you really think I’d overlook the founder of the Death Church?”

“Black Scythe, sir…”

A moment ago, Heo Tae-seok’s eyes had been blazing with frustration. Now, they softened with gratitude and reverence.

‘Typical of a devout follower.’

With that, the minor misunderstanding that had caused all this drama was finally resolved.

“Let’s go. Back to the Death Church.”

*

Building the Hero’s Rune stack wasn’t a difficult task for Ryu Min.

All he had to do was summon a demon using a Black Seed in the presence of the Death God Church members, then kill it.

[Hero’s Rune Stack: 100/100]

[With the Hero’s Rune effect, all stats have increased by 100.]

[You can now expend 100 stacks to activate ‘Hero’s Protection.’]

‘Good. Now I can protect my brother.’

Feeling satisfied, Ryu Min passed by Heo Tae-seok, patting him on the shoulder.

“Well done, Heo. You’ve been a big help.”

“Ah…”

Heo Tae-seok didn’t understand how he’d been helpful, but that didn’t matter to him. The mere acknowledgment from the Black Scythe filled him with pride and satisfaction.

‘It’s good to toss him some praise every now and then.’

Ryu Min smirked under his mask as he stepped onto the platform to address the gathered followers.

It was time to share the strategy for the 17th round.

*

At midnight on May 1st, everyone awoke in the otherworld, unlike the previous round.

“How many months has it been since we were in our characters?”

“Two months?”

“Only two? It feels like it’s been much longer.”

“Still, waking up in this body feels oddly comforting.”

As though slipping into a perfectly tailored suit, the players’ faces lit up with satisfaction. By now, starting a new round in their avatar bodies had become the norm. Anything else felt strange.

“At least we don’t need the translator this time.”

“Right? That thing was such a hassle.”

“Hi, Max.”

“Hey, Fernando.”

“Yo, Mr. Wang. You made it?”

Perhaps because their numbers had dwindled, or maybe because they had bonded during the near-death experience of the last round, the Death Church members greeted each other warmly, regardless of nationality.

Among them, Min Juri and Christine, who had both played prominent roles in the party, were especially popular.

“Hello, Buffer.”

“Oh, hi there.”

“Christine, thanks again for healing me last time.”

“It’s nothing, really.”

Meanwhile, Alex and Heo Tae-seok briefly locked eyes but quickly turned away, pretending not to notice each other.

Ryu Min didn’t concern himself with them.

‘They’ll come around eventually.’

He wasn’t worried about the future.

With Hero’s Protection applied to his brother, he felt a rare sense of peace.

‘Even if an archangel shows up, he’ll be safe.’

The only possible variable was if the archangel tried to target his brother while he was in the otherworld. But that was unlikely.

‘Angels lose 90% of their power when they cross into the human world.’

This was knowledge he had gleaned by reading the minds of the angels.

‘The one to watch out for is likely Michael. He’ll probably appear this round.’

Ryu Min felt both fear and anticipation.

The enemies so far had failed to live up to his expectations.

And if he managed to take Michael down, he could finally complete the Soul Binding Quest.

He couldn’t help but wonder what the reward would be.

‘I just hope he doesn’t show up and interfere with my plan to hunt the dragon.’

Ryu Min had decided to hunt a dragon during this round.

With a massive war looming in the 18th round, this was his best chance—either now or in the 19th round.

Just then, a clear, resonant voice echoed from the dull, gray sky.

[Greetings, humans. All 288 of you. Welcome to the 17th round.]

Though the angel’s words welcomed them, her expression betrayed annoyance.

[You’ve survived in surprisingly large numbers. Normally, there wouldn’t be this many left by now…]

The angel furrowed her brows, then quickly brightened with a smile.

[Well, I suppose many of you will fall in this round. Unlike before, this one requires brains, not brawn.]

Despite her words, none of the players appeared concerned.

They already knew what to expect, thanks to the Black Scythe.

[Shall we reveal the quest for the 17th round?]

I'm currently Translating the following novels: Pick Me Up! | A Frontline Soldier Awakened as a Gamer In The War! | The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player. If you want to support me and read more chapters please subscribe to my Patreon!