The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 84 (Part 2)
Chapter 84: Heo Taeseok (Part 2)
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“I-I’m in a party with the Black Scythe?”
He never imagined that he would form a party like this.
Simply being in the same place as the object of his admiration felt like a dream come true.
“Aged-Man-No-Gay.”
“Yes?”
“Now that we’re in a party, introduce yourselves.”
“Ah…”
At the Black Scythe’s command, Heo Taeseok hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
“I… I’m Aged-Man. Level 23, a Black Mage. My skills are Black Arrows and Black Chains…”
At first, he stumbled over his words, but soon he found his voice.
“Nice to meet you, Aged-Man. I’m a Buffer, level 21. I’ll do my best to support you!”
“Hello, I’m Seo Arin. I’m a level 20 Summoner. My skills are…”
While the other party members took turns introducing themselves, Heo Taeseok’s ears seemed to stop working.
“Why is this happening? I used to stutter, but now…”
Was it the shock of losing his grandmother?
He used to struggle with speaking in front of people, but now his nervousness seemed to be fading.
“Is it because of the Black Scythe?”
Did being in the presence of the Black Scythe boost his confidence?
Or was his subconscious desire to impress him unconsciously influencing his behavior?
He couldn’t quite pinpoint the reason, but one thing was certain.
“I made the right decision to party with the Black Scythe.”
As Heo Taeseok secretly smiled to himself, Ryu Min spoke up.
“Now that we’ve finished introductions, shall we go hunting?”
“Wait a moment. I’ll cast buffs on everyone first.”
Min Juri went on to cast buffs on her party members one by one.
It was Bless and Swift.
Those who received the buffs couldn’t help but be astonished.
“What is this? My stats have increased by 60%?”
“My attack and movement speed are 60% faster.”
“Is this real?”
Players who had never experienced buffs before were left speechless, but Ryu Min remained composed.
“This is why the Black Scythe was always with Min Juri, right? Buffer, you’re truly amazing!”
“Haha, why are you embarrassing me?”
When An Sang-cheol made a compliment, Min Juri awkwardly smiled.
“…”
Seeing this, Seo Arin spoke as if unable to contain her jealousy.
“I’m a Summoner too. I can cast buffs on my summoned creatures.”
With their skilled incantations, two fairy-like creatures, aglow with golden dust, materialized. They fluttered about like radiant fireflies. Following this spectacle, a soft rustling sound filled the air as a humanoid golem, the size of a person, coalesced from the gathering earth.
“Wow, what are those adorable little things?”
“They’re Fairies, protective summons that bestows shields. Originally this one lacked attacking moves, but when I reached level 20, one more fairy was summoned and it could use offensive magic.”
“Wow, that’s impressive! And what about that stone-made summon?”
“That’s a Golem I acquired at level 20. While it doesn’t provide buffs, it serves to draw monster aggro, so I summoned it ahead of time.”
“Wow… a tank and a support. You’re really impressive, sis.”
As she received a continuous stream of admiration from Min Juri, Seo Arin’s gaze remained fixated on the Black Scythe.
“What do you think, Black Scythe? Don’t I contribute in some way?”
She sent a beseeching look, hoping for recognition, but Ryu Min appeared disinterested, his attention directed elsewhere.
“Let’s get going now.”
As Ryu Min took the lead, everyone nodded and followed suit.
“Buffer and a summoner… Everyone here is quite remarkable. I need to be helpful too.”
Heo Taeseok, with a tense expression, followed closely behind. However, amidst their leisurely pace, he suddenly found himself perplexed.
“Why is the atmosphere so relaxed?”
Of course, with a generous six-hour time limit, they had an abundance of time. They needed to defeat just one of the 101 boss monsters in the field to complete the quest, so it was only natural to proceed with a sense of calm.
“But isn’t it faster to defeat the boss and secure the top spot? Why isn’t anyone in a hurry?”
Doubts crept in, but Heo Taeseok, unaware of the prophecy, couldn’t fathom the reason behind this lackadaisical attitude.
He had yet to realize that there was no benefit in swiftly defeating the boss.
Suddenly, from somewhere nearby, a cry rang out.
“There’s the boss!”
All eyes turned towards the source of the commotion, revealing a colossal monster.
Standing at a towering 3.5 meters, it possessed the upper body of a human and the lower body of a horse—a monstrous centaur.
“We must claim the top spot!”
“Let’s do this!”
One party charged forward, undeterred, towards the centaur.
“Kroooh!”
Brandishing its colossal double-edged axe, the centaur resisted fiercely, causing the players to grapple with its strength.
“This guy… he’s incredibly strong!”
“Spread out and attack!”
“Surround it!”
Five players encircled the centaur.
“Aim for the back! Atack its rear!”
In response to a shouted command, they instinctively approached from behind. Ryu Min, who had been observing them, clicked his tongue in disdain.
‘Targeting its rear, huh? How foolish.’
And as expected…
Thud!
One player who had ventured behind was met with a powerful kick from the centaur’s hind leg. They were sent flying 10 meters before crashing into the ground, rolling an additional 3 meters.
“P-PinkGongDu!”
Fortunately, the player was still squirming, having avoided death. But the battle seemed impossible to continue.
“This bastard!”
“We’ll… seek revenge!”
The remaining players employed their skills, launching a coordinated assault.
“Kreeeeak!”
As the centaur, its legs severed, collapsed, they jubilantly cried out in victory.
“We… we won!”
“We’re in first place!”
“We’ve finally achieved first place in completing the quest!”
“It was surprisingly manageable, don’t you think?”
Amidst the rejoicing faces of the rival team, Heo Taeseok couldn’t help but feel somewhat disheartened.
‘Oh no, the first place was taken from us?’
Heo Taeseok’s gaze naturally drifted towards the Black Scythe. After all, he had consistently maintained the top ranking, so he must be the most disappointed.
‘Huh?’
However, Ryu Min’s expression remained entirely nonchalant. There was no trace of regret on his face.
Curious, as time passed, the cheers from the opposing team gradually dwindled.
“What… what’s going on?”
“Why isn’t the quest completion appearing?”
“Ah… Could it be?”
As the players belatedly expressed their disappointment, Ryu Min smirked.
‘I guess they finally realized it. You didn’t defeat a boss.’
Regrettably, the centaur wasn’t a boss.
‘They claimed that there were only 101 bosses, but they never said there were no regular monsters.’
The reason Ryu Min had been so composed while observing became evident. The centaur was merely a standard monster.
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