The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 79 (Part 1)
Chapter 79: The Assassin Mask (Part 1)
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Reactions to unbelievable events can vary greatly. Some react with surprise, while others wear bewildered expressions. Some freeze up like statues. Hwang Yong-min fell into the latter category.
“Ryu… Min? The Black Scythe… Ryu Min?” Hwang Yong-min uttered, while the scenes from his memory were overlapping in his mind.
One was of Ryu Min, hunched over like a turtle, striking himself. The other was of the Black Scythe, exuding an overwhelming charisma while slashing his arm. These two seemingly incongruous images pointed to the same individual standing before him.
“The same person… It can’t be. Ryu Min, the nerdy guy, is the Black Scythe?” Hwang Yong-min raised his head once again, his disbelief evident.
Even after blinking his eyes a few times, there was no doubt that the unmasked man was indeed Ryu Min.
“It seems hard to believe for you, that I’m the Black Scythe,”
“……”
“Well, it makes sense. Until last year, I was the one who got beaten by you.”
“You… What are you? Have you been deceiving me all this time? Why pretend to be a fool?” Hwang Yong-min inquired, his voice quivering with a mix of emotions.
Ryu Min retorted, “What are you talking about? When did I pretend to be… a fool?”
In the midst of their conversation, Ryu Min’s scythe spun around, and Hwang Yong-min’s arm fell to the ground.
The shock of losing his arm left Hwang Yong-min momentarily speechless.
“It’s unpleasant to hear words like ‘fool’ from trash like you, isn’t it?” Ryu Min’s voice carried a chilling edge.
Hwang Yong-min, stammering in pain, could only manage a feeble response, “S-St-stop…”
“Quiet. Unless you want your tongue cut out.”
“Ah, uh….”
Hwang Yong-min held back tears and endured the pain.
Blood leaked out from the cut.
Ryu Min’s hand moved swiftly to administer first aid, stopping the bleeding, and healing Hwang’s arm. However, there was one glaring change.
“Oh? You’re one-armed now?” Ryu Min observed, a touch of amusement in his tone.
“……”
Hwang Yong-min, having failed to reattach his severed arm, had tears in his eyes.
“So what? You can still live with one arm, right?!”
Although Ryu Min’s actions seemed designed to shame him, Hwang Yong-min remained emotionally numb, overwhelmed by the situation.
“Is it really you… the Ryu Min I knew?” Hwang Yong-min asked, searching for a glimmer of the familiar in this transformed figure.
“No,” Ryu Min replied, his voice devoid of sentiment. “The Ryu Min you knew is no longer here.”
With these words, Ryu Min slowly raised his scythe, akin to an executioner preparing to carry out a sentence.
“Goodbye.”
“W-Wait! Just a moment, Min-ah!” Hwang Yong-min’s voice was desperate, pleading for a chance at redemption.
“Please spare me! I’ve caused you a lot of trouble, haven’t I? I was wrong. I’m truly sorry!”
The scythe, previously in motion, hesitated in mid-air. “Is that so?” Ryu Min leaned in, appearing to consider Hwang Yong-min’s plea.
Hwang Yong-min saw a glimmer of hope and thought, ‘Maybe I can survive this!’
Carefully choosing his words, he continued, “You have nothing to gain from killing me. Why not use me?”
“Use you? How so?” Ryu Min’s curiosity was piqued.
Hwang Yong-min quickly responded, “Well, how about… Yes! I’ll be your exclusive assistant! I’ll obey your every command, run errands, act as bait during hunts—whatever you need!”
Ryu Min pondered for a moment, stroking his chin, while Hwang Yong-min held his breath in anticipation.
But hope was short-lived.
“It’s still not going to work.”
Hwang Yong-min’s expression sank. “Huh? What, what do you mean?”
“You still intend to strike me from behind, don’t you?”
Hwang Yong-min was left dumbfounded. ‘How did he know? Did he guess?’
“You can’t keep a dog that tries to bite its owner.” With these words, Ryu Min raised his scythe, and Hwang Yong-min’s face contorted in desperation.
“Wait, just a moment!”
“Your worth as a pawn ends here.”
“Wait, give me a ch—!”
Swoosh! Hwang Yong-min’s head fell.
It was a pitiful and insignificant end to a once-tangled fate.
“I gave you countless chances. In the previous regressions.” Ryu Min’s cold voice echoed in the air.
Back when he didn’t have the rune of inner thoughts, Ryu Min had spared Hwang Yong-min, who had been deceived by his silver tongue. But as expected, it ended with betrayal.
‘I was such a sucker back then.’ Ryu Min chuckled inwardly. Only after his death did he realize how foolish he had been to spare Hwang Yong-min.
Of course, this was a tale from a time when his level and experience were much lower than they were now.
“Goodbye, you bastard.”
Their long, twisted destiny had reached its conclusion.
Even in the face of their unfortunate circumstances, there was a strange sense of relief this time, perhaps because he knew it was their last encounter.
‘First things first, I need to clean up this mess.’
Utilizing his skill to erase any traces, Ryu Min made the four lifeless bodies vanish from the scene. It appeared that no one had detected their presence, as there were no witnesses to be seen.
‘This is going smoothly.’
Ryu Min stowed away his scythe once again and donned his disguise. With this, he had successfully accomplished his goal of dealing with Hwang Yong-min and the Player Haven Café executives.
Now, he was one step closer to the position of the chairman. Well, it wasn’t just one step; it was more like a series of steps.
‘Should I pay a visit to his house?’
With that thought, Ryu Min swiftly disappeared into the darkness.
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