The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player Novel - Chapter 198
Chapter 198 – Position
◀ Round 12 ▶
<Main Mission>
Overcome the Five Trials in the Trial Cave
[Integrated Zone CA-EA001]
Participating Teams: 7,880
Achieved Teams: 0/3,940
“Five trials?”
“So, do we have to form teams of five people?”
“Ah, it seems like each person has to face a trial in turn.”
Amidst the murmurs of some players, an angel smiled and spoke.
[Have you noticed anything upon seeing the mission, now that you have some free time? Yes, this round is about overcoming five trials, forming teams of five people to tackle them. Of course, the details of the trials are confidential.]
Before he finished speaking, the players sprung into action.
From the moment they heard about the team battle, they began thinking about whom they would team up with and acted accordingly.
They couldn’t afford to relax and risk becoming the last two players.
[Since survival is at stake, everyone is acting swiftly. Good. That proactive attitude. Now, as you form teams, listen.]
The angel continued explaining, paying no mind to the players’ reactions.
[As I mentioned earlier, you must form a group of five to start the game. Do you all remember how to do it, since you tried it in round 6? You just need to memorize the command ‘Form group’ and activate it simultaneously by holding hands. Ah, at this moment, the first group has already formed.]
He looked into the air as if expecting the results to update in real-time.
[Groups can be formed regardless of nationality. Don’t they say that yesterday’s enemy could be today’s companion? Or is it the other way around? Anyway, forget about the last round and form friendly groups. Oh yes, to facilitate group formation, we will provide you with a translation feature.]
As soon as the angel finished speaking, a message appeared.
[Special feature of the round ‘Translation’ activated.]
[You can communicate with races from other worlds.]
[You can speak with all players without language barriers.]
The translation feature they had received in previous travels activated.
Though they could now understand and read each other’s language, people still ignored foreigners.
The perception that players from other countries were dangerous persisted due to the previous round.
Some even harbored prejudices like racial conflicts.
[Now that you can communicate, converse freely and form groups. Don’t worry about the blades. Of course, you cannot inflict harm on members of the same group.]
Despite the angel’s urging, players still formed groups only with people from their own country.
However, some marginalized players were forced to join with players from other countries.
[As shown in the mission, only the 3,940 teams that overcome the trials the fastest will survive. Rankings will be based on individual performance, and of course, the criteria for ranking calculation are secret. With this, I have finished the explanation. As soon as all groups are formed, we will begin. Who will be the unfortunate two? Hahaha.]
Leaving behind the sinister laughter, Seo Arin looked at Black Scythe.
“Mr. Black Scythe, have you found your group members yet?”
“Not yet.”
“W-well, what about if I join you…?”
Though Seo Arin spoke timidly, Ryu Min showed no reaction.
Though he said not yet, he had already decided in his mind who the members would be.
“Eh? Come to think of it, there are five people gathered here quite coincidentally. How about forming a group and having a party together?”
Though Min Juri expressed interest, Ryu Min had no intention of forming a group with them.
“Other people might not know about the trials, so they’re trying to randomly form teams of five, but…”
Ryu Min knew how to tackle the trials and didn’t need to do it that way.
He shouldn’t just choose anyone.
“We should form a group with people suitable for each trial. That’s the key to this round.”
It wasn’t a coincidence that there were five trials.
That was known not only to Ryu Min but to everyone present.
They had already been explained everything through the prophecy.
“That’s why they want us to form a group like this. Plus, we’re five and each one is suitable to tackle a specific trial.”
But among them, Ryu Min only considered Min Juri as someone to form a group with.
He didn’t need the others.
He could replace other people with someone he trusted more.
“Anyway, neither Ma Gyeong-rok nor An Sang-cheol seem to intend to form a group with me.”
An incident had occurred in the labyrinth forest, and besides, he already knew he had saved Christine.
It would be awkward to be her fiancé.
Since his feelings had faded, it was too late to continue.
“Mr. Black Scythe, how about joining forces with us?”
“Sorry. I plan to form a group with Min Juri.”
“What? Ah…”
Min Juri and Seo Arin’s reactions crossed as if they were between heaven and hell.
Min Juri was moved by Black Scythe, who had taken care of her, while Seo Arin, though not showing it, felt hurt.
“Miss Arin, maybe we should look for another group.”
“….”
Even An Sang-cheol’s words couldn’t make Seo Arin step back.
Meanwhile, someone approached Black Scythe.
It was Christine.
“Oh, Mr. Black Scythe, there you are…”
Christine, who came to look for Black Scythe to form a group, was surprised to see Ma Gyeong-rok.
It was because he had the same nickname as her fiancé.
“Cheonma? Is it really you…?”
“Hello, Christine. Is it your first time seeing me in this world?”
Ma Gyeong-rok used his nickname instead of his real name, thanks to Black Scythe’s presence.
Christine also didn’t make the mistake of calling someone by their real name in front of others.
“Did you come to look for Mr. Black Scythe?”
“Yes… There’s no one else around here to form a group with. Don’t misunderstand.”
“There’s no misunderstanding. It’s natural to want to form a group with someone who saved you. I’m in the same situation, you know? The problem is that Mr. Black Scythe doesn’t seem willing to accept us.”
“Really?”
Christine looked at Ryu Min.
In her gaze, there was a question about whether he would include her in his group.
“I don’t intend to form a group with anyone else for now, except with Min Juri.”
Ryu Min’s answer left Christine with the same expression as Seo Arin.
Like someone who confessed and got rejected, her face quickly darkened.
At that moment, another person appeared.
“Mr. Black Scythe!”
It was Yamti, known as Black Scythe’s acquaintance from the real world.
Beside her was a tall man who also seemed familiar to him.
It’s none other than the Nigerian alchemist, Victor Jafaile.
Given that his outward appearance and nickname were identical, he couldn’t be recognized.
“You’ve brought him according to the instructions.”
Ryu Min had already given instructions to Yamti.
It was by chance that she came across Victor and asked him to bring him.
Since his face and nickname were identical to reality, it wouldn’t be difficult to find.
“Mr. Victor? This is Black Scythe.”
“Ah, is he really Black Scythe?”
Though he had seen him in reality, what Victor had seen was only the appearance with the mask.
It was natural for him not to recognize him.
“Pleasure to meet you, Victor. It’s my first time seeing you in this world.”
“Black Scythe? Are you really Black Scythe?”
“Don’t you know when you see the nickname? Haha.”
Victor was moved to see a benefactor of life in this world.
“It was a pleasure meeting you. I really wanted to see you.”
Next to Victor, who spoke with an expression that was unknown whether he was crying or laughing, was a person of similar appearance.
Ryu Min immediately noticed upon seeing the nickname.
“Perhaps that person next to…?”
“Oh, did you notice by seeing the nickname? I introduced her late. This is my younger sister, Sophia.”
Sophia was also immediately recognized because her nickname and name were the same.
Although he didn’t know they would come with Victor.
“Nice to meet you, Black Scythe. I heard you saved my brother from that hell. It’s late, but thank you so much. Really…”
“It wasn’t that difficult.”
“No, Black Scythe, what you did is not something anyone can do. There are many powerful people in the world, but only Black Scythe could save our brother. It’s right to thank you.”
Sophia was truly grateful to Black Scythe.
Because he was the benefactor among benefactors who met Victor, who had suffered all kinds of hardships under EI’s control.
“Haha, I found out later, but apparently, my younger sister is a fan of yours, Black Scythe. She says she clips and saves all the news related to you in Korea.”
“Oh, Sophia, what if I say it?”
“What’s embarrassing about it? It’s the truth.”
Ryu Min smiled as he watched Victor joking around with Sophia, as if he were seeing himself and Ryu Won.
Meanwhile, other players watched silently, not understanding the situation, but they could understand carefully.
Those two recognized Black Scythe as the benefactor of life.
“Do you want to form a group? Black Scythe. How about joining us?”
Victor spoke confidently, and those who watched hoped Black Scythe would accept.
But Ryu Min shook his head again this time.
“I’ll form a group with someone else. I can’t join you.”
“So that’s a no, huh? It’s regrettable, but nothing can be done.”
Victor and Sophia showed a lamenting expression but left without saying anything.
Although it seemed they were leaving empty-handed, Ryu Min’s words had not yet finished.
“Instead, join a group with Yamti, Victor.”
“Yes? With Yamti?”
Yamti, who had also received help from Black Scythe, was there.
Although it was awkward due to the past, it was not surprising, but it was strange.
Of course, Ryu Min hadn’t decided without thinking.
“So Victor can easily pass this round, he needs Yamti.”
A proposal that would not cause losses to Black Scythe, as Victor already knew he was the benefactor of life, whether he had doubts or not.
“If you’re Yamti, then welcome. How are you, Yamti?”
“I’m fine too.”
Yamti, glancing furtively at his master, approached Victor without any formality.
He couldn’t afford to disobey his master’s orders.
So, Victor, Sophia, and Yamti joined as a team to search for the rest of the group members.
“Well, since Black Scythe is going to do something separately, how about we form our own team?”
At Ma Gyeong-rok’s proposal, An Sang-cheol, Christine, and Seo Arin looked at each other.
At that moment, they remembered Ryu Min’s prophecy they had heard.
-Round 12 consists of five people forming a team to overcome five tests. Of course, not just anyone can form a team of five, and they must choose professions that suit each test.
That’s how Ryu Min described the people needed for each test.
First test: Tank.
Second test: Melee attacker.
Third test: Ranged attacker.
Fourth test: Support.
Fifth test: Summoner.
To overcome each test, they would need someone in the right position.
“An Sang-cheol as the tank, Ma Gyeong-rok as the melee attacker, Christine as support, and Seo Arin as summoner would be perfect.”
They would form a team without overlapping positions, which was optimal.
Since the four knew this information thanks to the prophecy, they couldn’t easily separate.
“So do we form a team of four? Sounds good.”
“Really?”
At Ma Gyeong-rok’s proposal, the four nodded.
They couldn’t find a better setup than this.
Although originally Seo Arin and Christine wanted Black Scythe instead of Ma Gyeong-rok as the melee attacker, they had no choice but to accept when they found out he wouldn’t participate in the team.
“Now we just need a ranged attacker…”
“Who could we include…”
While whispering and discussing, they soon saw the right person.
“Greetings, oh divine lord!”
It was Heo Taeseok, the leader of the Church of the Four Gods.
Now, shamelessly, he came directly to Black Scythe and openly called him God.
“I am a humble being seeking the opportunity to form a team with a god, would it be possible?”
“You have a good concept, but there’s no need. I’ve already decided on the group members.”
“Oh… that’s regrettable.”
Heo Taeseok, who seemed as sad as if he had been rejected by his girlfriend, felt fortunate when Ma Gyeong-rok saw him as a new target.
“Lord Heo Taeseok, if you don’t have a team, join us. We just have an empty space.”
“Ah, yes, really?”
He had no reason to refuse, as they were acquaintances. So Heo Taeseok joined Ma Gyeong-rok’s team.
While Ryu Min watched that scene, he didn’t feel disappointed at all.
“In fact, I was hoping they would form a team that way.”
Although the others didn’t know, Ryu Min only hoped for one thing: that Christine would survive.
With a solid team like that, they should be able to pass this round as well.
“Now, we’ll also go look for our team.”
“Yes? Oh, yes.”
Min Juri didn’t understand why Black Scythe had rejected the others.
“I appreciate that you only chose me, but why?”
No matter how much she thought about it, the reason was surprisingly simple.
“I didn’t want Ma Gyeong-rok to take you away from our team.”
Ryu Min already knew that Ma Gyeong-rok had his eyes on Min Juri.
He didn’t want to give in to the other team, and indeed, he didn’t want to team up with Ma Gyeong-rok.
“For strategy, it’s best to choose my own teammates whenever possible.”
After taking a few steps, Ryu Min encountered someone unexpected.
“Jeffrey and the fools. They were both together.”
They were Jeffrey and Joo Sung-taek, who could be considered perfect slaves and allies.
“Have you arrived, Black Scythe? We were waiting.”
“Who are they…?”
“They are people I’m going to team up with. They’re friendly and reliable, so don’t worry.”
After briefly introducing the two to Min Juri, he moved again.
There was one spot left.
He had already considered who to choose for the position that needed to be filled with a summoner.
“A necromancer. We’ll accept him into the team.”
It was necessary to have him to conquer the secondary mission.
—
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