The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player Novel - Chapter 137
Chapter 137 – End of Subjugation
“Swwiig!”
“Kiiiis!”
The shouts of the Lizardmen echoed everywhere.
Splat, splat, splat!
Splat, splat, splat, splat!
Sounds of something being cut in large quantities could also be heard.
Players’ gazes turned towards the origin of those sounds.
And, without saying a word, everyone was left with bewildered expressions.
“I-Isn’t that Black Scythe?”
“Did Black Scythe choose to exterminate the Lizardmen?”
“Seriously, what kind of weapon is that?”
“Why is it that every time he swings it, ten of them drop like flies?”
It was a peculiar scythe.
It extended like a whip and sliced through the waists of ten creatures before being retracted.
The attack speed was so fast that it couldn’t even be seen when swung.
Every blink resulted in the sight of dismembered lizards.
It was truly the hand of death that was tearing through monsters.
“But look at the number, it seems adapted to our group size…”
“Black Scythe is just sweeping through everything…”
Eliminating monsters one by one for each player? More than being angry, it was simply ridiculous.
“…”
Even the NPCs, seemingly feeling the same, simply watched in silence.
Min Juri also stared at Black Scythe’s battle before suddenly realizing.
“Oh, now I understand why Black Scythe said his contribution wouldn’t be of help.”
There would be no way to understand the attack patterns and characteristics of the Lizardmen while he massacred the population.
He preferred to move to another location and observe other players’ battles.
Whether it was out of fear that Black Scythe would steal their share or simply out of desperation, players were busy killing lizards.
Anyway, Ryu Min only focused on massacring Lizardmen.
“No need to use Moonlight Slaughter for this.”
Originally, he planned to use Moonlight Slaughter and unleash all his power to defeat them, but it wasn’t necessary with the damage he was doing.
Thanks to Min Juri’s buffs, everything felt faster and stronger.
“Lucky hit!”
After killing the last Lizardman, Ryu Min turned back.
Players looked at him with resentful eyes.
“Did I kill too many?”
Having exterminated the monsters as if he owned the place, it was understandable that he received resentment.
Ryu Min’s gaze suddenly turned to a corner of his field of vision.
[Current kill count: 823/100]
“When I descended from the tower, it was 402. So, did I kill 421 more?”
With a population of 602, there should be 602 monsters.
Among them, 421 were eliminated by Ryu Min, representing around 70%.
“It must be annoying to see me like this.”
Ryu Min didn’t avoid the gaze.
Players, hesitatingly, looked away first.
Though frustrating, they had no other choice as the weak ones they were.
“If you complain, become strong like me.”
Becoming stronger is also a skill. Killing many is also a skill.
There’s no reason to see it as unfair just because he’s good at it.
After all, it was a result achieved through one’s own effort.
They understood that, having lived in a competitive society.
That’s why they couldn’t say a word against Black Scythe.
Of course, the main reason was the fear of facing something unknown.
“Fortunately, it wasn’t a party.”
If it had been a party, he might have protested without fear of attacking fellow players.
“No, it’s not like I didn’t know. I’m sure he clearly protested. Something like ‘hunt in moderation.’”
Of course, Ryu Min had no intention of monopolizing the Lizardmen.
Wouldn’t it be better to leave some creatures for other players and thus increase the chances of survival?
Thinking that, Min Juri approached and gave a thumbs up.
“Wow, Black Scythe, it’s really amazing. I didn’t know that weapon was so good. Well, it’s probably because of your skill, Black Scythe.”
“It’s natural for a weapon I’ve obtained with so much effort.”
Although Ryu Min responded with an indifferent expression.
“Have you fought against the Lizardmen?”
“Yes. We hunted around two, and they were easier than I thought. Even more than when we hunted orcs for the first time.”
“I told you. You’ve become stronger.”
“Hehe, it seems I really have become strong. If I do well, do you think I can reach level 40 in this round?”
Though she spoke with enthusiasm, Min Juri was secretly worried.
-If Black Scythe keeps monopolizing monsters like this, it might be difficult… No, it’s not level 40 that worries, but if he can reach the top ranks…
It was a natural concern considering that lives were at stake.
And it was also a concern shared by other players.
“I know. Do you really think that, with a few more experiences, I’ll kill all the other players? Don’t worry.”
Originally, Ryu Min only planned to hunt until a thousand and then stop hunting.
“A thousand should be enough to secure the first place in the entire area.”
In the last round, no one but Ryu Min reached the mark of a thousand monsters hunted.
“I just need to hunt a bit more. Not much left.”
Even the monsters hunted in the Trial Tower would count, so he only needed to hunt around 200 more.
Then, he would safely pass.
“What level are you now?”
“Me? I’m at level 38.”
“With just two more levels, you’ll be able to learn a new skill.”
After saying that, Ryu Min returned to hunting without saying a word when the Lizardmen attacked again with their scythes.
Though players were surprised to see Ryu Min use his scythe again to clear the monsters, the surprise was momentary.
When Ryu Min stopped hunting after reaching his goal of 200, people’s gazes were filled with perplexity.
“Why did he suddenly stop hunting?”
“Is he resting now?”
“Anyway, it’s our chance! Who knows when he’ll start again!”
But since then, Ryu Min didn’t touch the Lizardmen again.
Players, initially confused and anxious, finally felt relief.
“Black Scythe, why aren’t you hunting them anymore?”
In the innocent question from Min Juri, Ryu Min calmly responded.
“I’ve hunted enough. Hunting those weaklings will only bother other players with my experience.”
“Ah… are you doing it for us?”
‘Us’ should be limited to you.
Although the response rose to his throat, he swallowed the words.
Since Min Juri would misunderstand and start imagining strange things.
“Now there are plenty of monsters to hunt. Hurry up and reach level 40. I’m curious about what skill you’ll learn.”
“Yes! Wait for me a little longer!”
With enthusiasm, Min Juri was able to reach level 40 by defeating 280 Lizardmen.
“I’ve finally reached the Expert rank!”
“Congratulations. What’s the skill?”
“I’ll show you right away.”
Light flowed from Min Juri’s hands.
Given the fear of being a “buffer,” this newly learned skill also turned out to be a buff.
[Security Barrier has been activated.]
[Can receive protection against one physical attack.]
[Duration: 00:29:59]
The Security Barrier is an absolute protection that defends against a physical attack.
“Although normal barriers usually have resistance, this skill doesn’t.”
It’s an impressive skill that blocks any physical attack, even Ryu Min’s powerful attack.
Even in surprise situations, this skill would allow survival.
“It seems to be a skill that blocks one physical attack. But if you want to use it again on the same target, you have to wait 30 minutes.”
“It’s a pretty good skill.”
It’s not uncommon for an absolute defense barrier to have a personal cooldown time.
“Later on, it will even block magic attacks, after upgrading to level 60.”
No one knows if Min Juri has survived anything beyond that.
“Bless and Swift have also been strengthened. Do you want to try them?”
“Yes, please.”
Receiving Min Juri’s buff, all statistics, attack speed, and movement speed increased by 70%.
This was due to the enhancement of the two skills.
“It has improved significantly. But you shouldn’t settle for level 40. Keep hunting.”
“Yes!”
The hunting continued.
Some players, like Min Juri, reached level 40, and thoughtful voices were heard.
It was only after three hours that the hunt finally ended.
The hunt leader, Kaltz, smiled satisfied as he looked at the players.
“Friends, the hunt in the Demon Swamp is over. The Lizardmen worked so hard that they could have dried up completely. Thanks to all of you, the merchants of the Kingdom of Brahm will be able to travel safely through the northern route for a while. It’s all thanks to you. Hiring warriors from another world was not in vain!”
Kaltz’s praises were not spared and suddenly directed towards one person.
A man who hadn’t killed a single one from the start.
Kaltz, with an astonishing look directed at Black Scythe.
“Everyone worked hard. The hunt is over. You can all disband.”
Just as Kaltz’s words ended, a terrifying message appeared.
“The Lizardmen hunt has concluded.”
“100,000 gold is awarded as a reward.”
“Your contributions to the mercenary group have been recorded.”
“Your mercenary group’s rank has risen from ‘Apprentice’ to ‘Expert’.”
“Oh, 100,000 gold!”
“Incredible!”
“This system, isn’t it surprisingly generous?”
Players cheered at the unexpected rewards.
On the other hand, Ryu Min didn’t show enthusiasm for the gold.
It’s not that he didn’t care, but he already had 1.5 million gold in his inventory.
“It seems I earned a million gold in the Trial Tower, so 100,000 is nothing.”
The only thing I gained from the tower was 1 million gold.
100,000 gold wasn’t something that caused joy.
“Now that most players have reached level 40, it seems the gold trading will activate.”
Now it’s possible to trade gold through the trading function.
Upon returning, more players are expected to use the gold function instead of cash.
Additionally, there will be more traders receiving gold in exchange for providing services with public skills.
“Erasing traces when cleaning up corpses, finding a desired person through tracking, or repairing equipment durability in exchange for gold with the repair skill.”
The Player Place market will follow the same trend.
People are expected to prefer trading items with gold rather than cash.
In preparation for this, Ryu Min told Ma Gyeong-rok to pre-prepare the gold trading option.
Although the activation of gold trading is scheduled after the round, Ryu Min already has enough gold.
“I don’t think I’ll have to use gold unless I’m buying legendary ingredients in Player Place.”
So, where should I spend all this gold?
“There’s no other option than spending it on NPCs.”
Gold is a universal currency even in the fantasy world.
With the introduction of the trading function, gold can also be traded with NPCs.
“Although it doesn’t seem like I’ll use much gold now, later on, I’ll have plenty of things to spend it on.”
Sometimes it’s used to increase the temple’s reputation, or to acquire materials or items from blacksmiths.
“It’s also used as a bribe for important figures, and it has various uses.”
Therefore, although it may seem useless now, more gold will be beneficial in the future.
[The expedition has ended.]
[You will be transferred to the starting point in a moment.]
Then, they blinked, and appeared in a colorless space, not in the Demon Swamp.
It was the starting point.
When everyone finished the expedition at the same time, players appeared in different places.
When thousands of people gathered as in the beginning, an angel appeared.
“Did you finish the expedition well? How was it? As expected, was level 1 the easiest?”
Players nodded.
It turned out that the difficulty was in order.
“By the way, doesn’t it seem like the number of people has decreased compared to the first time?”
“Well, now that I think about it, it does seem like it…”
“Unfortunately, out of the 571 people who chose Expedition Number 5, none survived.”
“Oh…”
The monster for Expedition Number 5 was the Minotaur.
If one came out per person, it would definitely have been difficult to handle.
“In other expeditions, there were also some casualties, but don’t be sad. On the contrary, isn’t it a good thing that the competition has decreased?”
“…”
Honestly, there were no sad players.
In an era where even relatives kill each other, who would feel sad for the death of another person?
“So, let’s check the data collection results right away.”