The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 79 (Part 2)
Chapter 79: The Assassin Mask (Part 2)
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People began to gather in Café’s online chat room. It wasn’t a Sunday, but an unexpected meeting was taking place.
“Welcome, Chairman-nim!”
“Come on in, Yamti-nim.”
Yamti, with a smile on her face, scanned the chat room screen but couldn’t help noticing that some of the other executives were missing.
“Where are the other executives?”
“It’s precisely because of that issue that we had to convene this meeting urgently.”
“What’s going on?”
Before the chairman could reply, he let out a sigh.
There was indeed a problem—a significant one that could shake the very existence of the café.
“The executives have been killed.”
“What?! They’re dead?”
Yamti, taken aback, stared at the screen once more. There were empty seats, and the executives, who were never late, were absent today.
“What happened? Have you tried calling them?”
“We checked, but…”
There was no need to say more. The chairman’s grim expression said it all.
“They’re not answering individual calls either. It seems they were attacked while going for interviews.”
“So, who did it? Could it be…”
Yamti thought of one person.
As if to confirm her suspicions, the chairman nodded. “That’s right. Black Scythe, he’s hunting our café members.”
Strictly speaking, they weren’t regular members but executives. However, the chairman wasn’t concerned about that distinction. What mattered was that the café they had painstakingly built was under attack, and it was by none other than the Black Scythe, who was considered the number one player in the otherworld.
“What about Soboru? And Poporing? They all… they were killed by him too?”
“That’s correct.”
“Why? What could those good people have done wrong…”
“Why do murderers commit murder? It’s just for their own satisfaction. Or maybe they saw us as a threat, gaining influence.”
“Ah…”
Listening to the chairman’s explanation, Yamti could understand to some extent. There were people with twisted personalities who, when others’ success seemed too prominent, wanted to snatch it away.
“Did he join our café just to lure the executives?”
“Yes.”
“Ha… I was looking forward to meeting Black Scythe someday, but now I find out he’s a psychopath who’s hostile to us… I feel really ashamed. If we had accepted him as an executive, it could have been a disaster.”
“That’s right. I would have regretted it for the rest of my life. Maybe even before that, he would have killed me.”
Losing the executives seemed to have put the chairman in a bad mood.
“Black Scythe is now our clear enemy. We must find him and avenge our lost members.”
“Yes, we have to do that. But…”
With an assured tone, Yamti asked, “But is it certain that the Black Scythe is the culprit?”
“There are eyewitnesses.”
“Ah!”
If there were eyewitnesses, the situation changed.
“Lostyak-nim?”
A man with a grayish complexion occupying part of the screen answered, “Yes, Chairman-nim.”
“As you reported to me, please explain the situation to Yamti-nim.”
“Of course.”
Lostyak, with a gloomy expression, described the confrontation with the Black Scythe.
***
“Well then, we’ll see you at the next regular meeting.”
“Yes, Chairman-nim. Please go ahead.”
“Please go in, Chairman-nim!”
As the chairman left the chat room, Lostyak exchanged greetings with Yamti.
“Yamti-nim, we’ll see you next time.”
“Yes, please take a rest. You’ve had a tough day today, Lostyak-nim.”
“Thank you! Well then…”
After ending the chat, Lostyak turned his attention away from the monitor.
‘Fortunately, it seems they didn’t notice.’
He opened his equipment window and pressed the button to remove his helmet.
Suddenly, his face undulated like the waves of the ocean before returning to its original appearance.
It was no longer the gray-skinned Lostyak; it was Ryu Min in all his glory.
“I guess I’ve got a knack for acting,” Ryu Min chuckled, gazing at the item he had just unequipped.
[Assassin’s Mask]
– Category: Helmet
– Grade: Unique
– Defense: 1
– Effect: By saying the trigger word ‘disguise,’ it lets you mimic the appearance of a player you’ve dispatched, down to their facial features, skin tone, voice, and physique, all flawlessly replicated.
– Durability: 3,000/3,000
– Usage Restriction: Requires an Expert or higher grade
– Description: A thin, translucent mask, favored by assassins, boasting an astounding 99.9% success rate. They say no one can unveil the true face behind it.
Ryu Min had chosen this helmet as his reward from the previous Time Attack event, using a Unique item selection ticket.
“At this point, if I need a Unique item, the Assassin’s Mask is the best choice.”
Even though it lacked stats and provided minimal defense, its perks were invaluable.
“Being able to transform into the appearance of a player I’ve slain is a major advantage.”
It wasn’t just about deceiving opponents; it had versatile applications, from gathering information to espionage and deception.
In essence, it was the ideal mask for assassination.
“There’s no easier assassination than betraying allies.”
That was precisely why Ryu Min killed the executives today.
He needed to infiltrate their ranks as one of the executives.
“Now, I can even turn into Hwang Yong-min if needed.”
The mask he’d removed in front of Hwang Yong-min was just a plain, non-functional one.
When he killed him, Ryu Min was wearing the transparent Assassin’s Mask, allowing him to replicate Hwang Yong-min’s appearance.
For now, he’d stay focused on playing the role of Lostyak.
“If I hadn’t delved into Lostyak’s inner thoughts earlier, I wouldn’t have been able to fool the other executives.”
His speech patterns, habits, and social connections had all been meticulously unraveled by the Rune of Inner Thoughts in previous regressions.
That’s how he’d managed to break into Lostyak’s private place and engage in video chat.
Without the Assassin’s Mask, this intricate plan would’ve been impossible.
“I originally planned to execute this plan slowly, but thanks to the mask, the plan has been expedited.”
Now, all that remained was seizing the right moment and taking over the position of chairman.
“If it were up to me, I’d eliminate the chairman, assume his identity, and effortlessly manipulate the organization.”
But that was proven impossible.
The Assassin’s Mask only targets players.
“Which means the chairman isn’t a player.”
It was an ironic twist that the leader of a player-filled organization wasn’t a player himself.
However, approaching him was no easy task, thanks to player Yamti.
“I can’t deal with Yamti’s abilities with my current capabilities.”
Until he devised a countermeasure, he had to steer clear of contact with the executives.
Fortunately, when the 7th round rolled around, he’d have a solution.
“Until then, I’ll stick to playing the role of Lostyak through video chat and buy time.”
With that, the situation was pretty much wrapped up.
He likely wouldn’t be transforming to Lostyak until the next meeting.
“Thank goodness. I’ve got some spare time now.”
With the newfound free time, there was something he had to do.
It’s related to recovering durability.
‘It’s been a while since I’ve had to go on a trip abroad.’
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