The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 64 (Part 1)

Chapter 64: Jo Yong Ho (Part 1)

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Heading towards Min Juri, the path stretched ahead like a beckoning adventure.

“Chwiik! Chwiik!”

A horde of orcs emerged, reminiscent of bandits collecting tolls.

But that was a fleeting moment.

Sgeo-gegeo-!

With a swift motion, heads rose and bodies fell, one after another.

[You have triumphed over the orcs!]

[Experience gained +0.41%]

[Gold +40]

[Current kill count: 303/100]

[All stats boosted by 100% due to the Rune of Slaughter effect.]

[Attack speed increased by 25% due to the Skull Bone Necklace effect.]

Ryu Min, who dispatched three orcs as effortlessly as swatting at passing bugs, squinted as he looked at the earned experience.

‘It feels kind of tight in terms of experience, even without the experience buff.’

Ryu Min was at level 31 currently.

Though he had taken down 303 foes, his level had only increased by one.

‘Maybe it’s because my level is already too high.’

Certainly, the experience might have seemed meager to Ryu Min, but it wouldn’t have been so for other players.

‘Most would probably hit level 20 just by finishing the Orc 300 Kill quest.’

Ryu Min’s goal was level 40.

‘I have plenty of time to assist Min Juri and level up. No need to fret.’

If Min Juri progressed, Ryu Min would also reap rewards.

He didn’t perceive aiding her as a loss.

Plus, they were classmates, after all.

‘I regret not paying enough attention last time.’

This time, it would be different.

Starting from Round 5, they would be working together.

Ryu Min checked his inventory.

Experience had only nudged, but gold had piled up nicely.

‘With the gold I already had, that makes a total of 14,000 gold.’

At this pace, he could possibly amass over 100,000 gold just in this round.

He could acquire all the common skills available at the store.

‘Perfect. I just need to head to Min Juri’s location and subtly stage a meeting…’

But there was a task at hand before that.

Taking down the mid-boss of this round, the Orc Warrior.

‘Since it’s conveniently on the way, better handle it first.’

Ryu Min quickened his steps.

* * *

“Defeat 300 orcs?”

When the main quest was first unveiled.

They didn’t consider this too challenging.

The time limit was more generous than expected.

“300 in 10 hours? That’s just 30 per hour.”

They had actually thought it might be a breeze.

The image of orcs hadn’t struck them as too formidable.

Yet, coming face to face with orcs shattered their confidence.

“Heuk, ack. Bro, you alright?”

“Hoo, F*ck. I almost met my end.”

From Round 1, they had journeyed as a party, a group of young highlanders, known as the Young Mountain Members.

Supporting each other, they’d reached Round 5, without any inkling of the challenge ahead.

“Hwiyuuu, what kind of orc is this powerful?”

“Yeah, seriously…”

“We can’t afford to underestimate them.”

It didn’t need to be said; no one was underestimating orcs anymore.

As soon as they clashed with the orcs, reality hit them hard.

Going solo was out of the question.

“Mangi. How many have we taken down so far?”

“Probably around 50, Hyungnim.”

“Fifty in an hour. Not exactly promising…”

To an outsider, this might seem like a decent pace, but they were a party of five.

If they divided the count, each person was responsible for about 10.

“At this rate, we won’t even come close to 300 in 10 hours…”

“Won’t come close, huh? We can’t afford to say this. If we fall behind, we can try again. But if we fail entirely, it’s complete annihilation.”

“Huh…”

Sighs of frustration slipped from all five of them.

At this rate, they’d be wiped out.

They needed a strategy.

“Hey, everyone. I think we might have to aim for a bigger village.”

“Hyungnim, doesn’t that sound a bit risky?”

“Yeah, exactly. If we’re struggling against just three, how can we handle a bigger village?”

“Wouldn’t it be smarter to stick to smaller villages like we’ve been doing? It’s safer.”

Facing the party’s concerns, the imposing figure of [Jo Yong-ho] simply nodded in agreement.

“Okay, I get where you’re coming from. You’re not wrong, and I’m not here to argue. I won’t force anyone. But keep this in mind.”

Jo Yong-ho’s voice lowered as he spoke.

“In a sinking ship, there’s no future.”

“….”

“At this rate, we’ll either fall short of 300 and perish, or we’ll just die by orcs. It’s going to be tough, but we have no option but to take the risk.”

“But, Hyungnim, given our skills, we can’t take down more…”

“No, our skills are sufficient. We can cleverly take down more orcs. We can rest a bit after each set of kills, say five, then rest for five minutes. If we push ourselves, we can catch more orcs at a faster pace.”

He was making sense.

Five people taking down five, then a five-minute break. Another five orcs, followed by another rest.

In fact, their breaks were longer than the actual hunting.

“We need to aim for at least 150 kills in an hour. We don’t have to face a massive horde at once. Instead, we can pick up groups of three to five at a time, but at triple the current speed.”

“Uh…”

Jo Yong-ho’s argument left the group in deep thought.

But they were left without many alternatives.

“Alright, I’m on board. Let’s go with his plan.”

“There’s nothing good about staying in a sinking ship.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

With a faint smile, Jo Yong-ho stood up.

“We’ve rested enough. Should we get started for real?”

“We saw a larger village in that direction when we passed by earlier. Should we check it out?”

“Sure, let’s head over there.”

The five members of the mountaineering club moved forward, weapons resting on their shoulders.

As they journeyed, they didn’t neglect to stay vigilant for surprises.

Being prepared for unexpected turns was always wise.

“Look over there. That’s the village we spotted before.”

The group slowed down upon discovering an orc stronghold.

From a distance, they carefully observed the village’s dynamics.

“The fence is high, so it’s hard to see inside.”

“Want to get closer?”

“Let’s do it.”

The group approached cautiously.

Jo Yong-ho, leading the way, suddenly halted.

“Wait, isn’t that a guard at the entrance? Let’s go around.”

Quickly, the group changed their path, avoiding a reckless confrontation at the main entrance.

“See over there. There’s a gap in the fence.”

It was a narrow opening, just enough for one person to squeeze through.

They peered through the gap.

Inside the stronghold, a minimum of twenty or more huts were neatly lined up.

Clearly, it was larger in scale than the places they’d tackled so far.

“No signs of orcs wandering outside.”

“Does that mean they’re all holed up inside the houses?”

“With this number, maybe about five in each house?”

“Well, there seem to be more than we anticipated…”

“Guess we’ll have to slip into each hut and surprise them?”

At this point, sneaking in and attacking each hut was the wisest option, rather than announcing their presence at the main entrance.

“Alright. We’re committed to this raid. Ready to enter?”

“Sure thing. With around five in each hut, if we catch them off guard, it should be fairly straightforward to handle.”

The determined group quietly slipped through the gap in the fence.

Having stealthily infiltrated, they decided to prioritize attacking the nearby huts first.

“This one? I’ll signal, and then we go in.”

Jo Yong-ho’s hushed voice issued a signal with a flick of his finger, launching the surprise assault on the hut.

Creak!

As the door swung open, the ten stationed orcs turned their eyes with a flash of surprise.

“Uh, uh?”
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