The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 109 (Part 1)

? Escort the guild to their Destination

? Punish the Traitor

? Reward upon success ▶ ????

[Previous Zone]

? Participants: 3,047,910

? Achievers: 0/1,523,955

[Current Zone C2-ESKA003]

? Participants: 2,166

? Achievers: 0/1,083

As the players delved into the quest details, their intrigue grew.

“Escort the guild to the destination?”

“Why is the term ‘guild’ suddenly thrown in?”

“Where can we find this ‘guild’?”

A group of merchants is called a guild, but for a guild to exist, shouldn’t there be merchants first?

“Is this some sort of role-play scenario?”

“If someone plays the role of a merchant, do others act as their protectors?”

Amidst the puzzled chatter, laughter burst forth from the Angel’s lips.

[Role-play? Haha, we’re not asking you to do that. We wouldn’t dare.]

“So, what exactly does it entail…”

[Literally, just escorting the ‘guild.’]

“So, where can we locate this ‘guild’…”

[Humans may have a reputation for being inferior, but I never imagined you were this clueless.]

In the face of the Angel’s mockery, the players fell into contemplative silence.

Despite their idle gossip about the Angel, they had a firm grasp of the intricate web of alliances.

[Do you all think you’re the sole inhabitants of this world? Goblins, Angels, Nols, Orcs, and other races—haven’t you encountered them already?]

“Ah…”

“No way…”

[Yes, these ‘guilds’ hail from different realms. There are three races of ‘guild’ in total—Human ‘guild,’ Elf ‘guild,’ and Dwarf ‘guild.’ You’ll need to pick one and serve as their escort.]

“We get to choose which race to escort?”

“Do Elves and Dwarves also have their ‘guilds’?”

“Well, setting that aside, are you suggesting that the Elves we’ve only read about in novels actually exist?”

The prospect of encountering fantastical races from another dimension in the flesh sent shivers down some players’ spines.

[The escort mission will last for 5 hours. If you successfully deliver the ‘guild’ to their destination without harm, the quest will be considered complete. Naturally, you’ll face monsters during the journey, but don’t fret—you won’t be alone.]

“We won’t be alone?”

“Are we forming parties like we did in the 6th round?”

[Yes, today you’ll be forming large parties, which is quite existing. The 2,166 players here will be divided among the three ‘guilds.’]

“We’ll be divided?”

This meant they’d have to coordinate with hundreds, perhaps even over a thousand other players.

“You must choose just one ‘guild.’ If you choose the same ‘guild’ as someone else, you’ll automatically form a party with them. Of course, you won’t know others’ choices.”

“A large-scale party, huh…”

“Will we all be moving together with a common goal of protecting the ‘guild’?”

“It feels somewhat like joining on a raid in a video game.”

“By the way, each ‘guild’ has a different difficulty level, so choose carefully. We won’t reveal which one is harder.”

“We have to choose only one?”

“So, if we pick the ‘guild’ with the higher difficulty, it’ll be a tougher challenge?”

In essence, they had to choose based solely on the race.

“Since the difficulty level isn’t disclosed, we’ll simply have to make a random selection.”

Deciphering the difficulty level from the race was simply impossible.

Ultimately, it came down to relying on luck.

Hoping for a more straightforward task.

This time, Ariel provided an explanation for the sub-quest.

[As you can see, the sub-quest revolves around uncovering the traitor. Within the ‘guild’ you’ve selected, there will be at least a traitor. We’re unsure if it’s a single individual or a group.]

“There’s a traitor?”

“While we’re escorting them? The traitor is with us?”

“Is this akin to the Mafia game?”

[The traitor’s objective is to stop the ‘guild’ from reaching their destination. Naturally, the traitor isn’t part of your party. You can attack them with your skills or any means necessary; they can be eliminated.]

“Oh, so we can eliminate them?”

[If you successfully locate and dispatch the concealed traitor, you’ll receive a reward for the sub-quest. Of course, the reward will be granted to the individual who contributes the most.]

Nods of understanding rippled through the crowd.

With this explanation, they now had a clearer picture of what lay ahead.

[The explanation concludes here. The mission will start in ten minutes after you’ve selected your ‘Guild.’ Best of luck to everyone! Kya-ha-ha!]

The Angel’s departure set off a buzz among the onlookers.

“Choosing one out of three, huh?”

“I guess we should aim for lower difficulty.”

“Maybe going with the Elf ‘guild’ is the easier path?”

“I’m leaning towards the Human ‘guild.’ Other races might be too intimidating…”

“I’m with you on the Human ‘guild,’ it feels safer.”

“But wouldn’t it be risky if too many of us gather in one place?”

“Yeah, I mean, there might be a lot of people joining the Human ‘guild.’”

“I think I’ll go somewhere else.”

“Maybe the Dwarf ‘guild’ is less crowded, so I’ll give it a shot?”

“But how do they determine rankings?”

“Good point. If we’re all escorting the ‘guilds’ together, what’s the basis for ranking?”

“I completely forgot to ask about that.”

“And what’s the deal with these traitors? f*ck.”

Conversations about the quest were buzzing, and Min Juri joined in.

“Black Scythe, we have to pick one of the three races, right?”

“That’s correct.”

“Do you know where you’re headed?”

“Well…”

There were three types of ‘guild,’ and Ryu Min had a hunch about which one would be the most popular.

‘Most folks will probably flock to Human, then Elf, and finally Dwarf.’

Humans were familiar and comfortable for most, given their shared race.

Elves attracted those who had always dreamed of meeting them in the flesh.

As for Dwarves, they didn’t seem as appealing, evoking images of elderly mountain dwellers.

‘If I had to choose, I’d go with the Dwarves.’

Having been through multiple rounds, Ryu Min was well aware of the different difficulty levels associated with each.

‘Dwarf is the easiest, followed by Elf, and then Human.’

In other words, the place with the most participants was also the most challenging.

Higher difficulty zones featured monsters that required a minimum level of 50, including trolls, ghouls, skeletons, and minotaurs.

The mid-level Elf ‘Guild’ had harpies, lizardmen, and werewolves.

The lower difficulty zone featured monsters similar to orcs.

‘If you want an easier time passing the round, the Dwarf option is the way to go.’

The main quest primarily involves escorting the ‘guild,’ but just escorting it doesn’t guarantee passing the mission.

‘Escorting is the basic requirement for the round clearance, but it doesn’t mean you’ll pass just by doing that. Rankings are determined based on the order in which individuals acquire the most contribution.’

At first glance, it may seem like a party quest where everyone escorts the ‘guild’ together, but in reality, survival is decided by each individual’s performance.

Competition is necessary.

‘If the monsters are weak, you can receive a higher contribution, so it’s better to focus on the Dwarf ‘guild,’ which has a lower difficulty level, to secure a higher ranking.’

Heo Taeseok might not have known this fact, but Min Juri did.

‘I’ve provided all this information to her through my prophecies.’

In other words, choosing the Dwarf ‘guild’ means you can easily clear the rounds.

However, Min Juri seemed to be in deep thought.

And the reason was quite simple.

‘The Dwarf ‘guild’ has a lower difficulty level, because of that fact, the monsters are weak, which means fewer experience points.

Lower monster levels mean lower experience points.

On the flip side, higher difficulty zones offered tougher challenges and higher XP rewards.

‘So, it’s a choice between low risk and low reward, or high risk and high reward.’

——–