The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player - Chapter 98 (Part 1)
Chapter 98: Betrayal (Part 1)
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Ryu Min wasted no time, sprinting toward the direction from which the piercing scream had echoed. But what he encountered there was nothing short of shocking.
‘Mi, Min Juri?’
Min Juri lay sprawled on the ground, clutching her stomach, blood seeping through her fingers, staining the ground crimson.
With an unusual fervor in his expression, Ryu Min hurried over to her.
“Democracy! What in the world happened?!”
She struggled to speak, her voice trembling. “B-Black Scythe… no, Min… please, help me.”
Ryu Min was taken aback.
‘She knows about my true identity?’
How had this revelation come about? He hadn’t detected even the slightest hint of this when he delved into her thoughts.
As her pupils quivered, Min Juri continued in a feeble voice.
“Min… Ryu Min. You’re Ryu Min, right…?”
“My true identity… how did you find out?”
“Of course… you know, don’t you? Why pretend? I’m… no… you’re my love… no matter how hard you tried to conceal it, it was painfully obvious…”
“So, you’ve known all along and pretended otherwise?”
Min Juri nodded, her strength waning.
“I knew… pretending all this time was unbearable…”
“Setting that aside, what happened to you? Who did this to you? Tell me.”
Her injuries appeared grave, with the imminent risk of losing her life.
“Emergency Healing!”
In his momentary panic, Ryu Min had failed to employ his healing abilities immediately.
With a sharp inhale, he finally summoned his power, and Min Juri’s wounds began to mend. A sense of relief washed over her features.
“Thank you, Min.”
“Who did this to you? Who attacked you?”
“An Sang-cheol… he’s the one.”
“What?”
A fiery anger ignited within Ryu Min.
His rage was directed squarely at An Sang-cheol.
“Where is that bastard?”
“Here I am.”
In a swift motion, Ryu Min turned toward the voice from behind.
There stood An Sang-cheol, grinning like the quintessential villain. Beside him, Seo Arin twisted her lips into a wicked smile. Their sinister expressions alone made it evident that the two had conspired to harm Min Juri.
“You f*cking bastards.”
“Wow, your choice of words is rather harsh, Prophet.”
“…”
Ryu Min’s initially contorted expression subtly morphed.
His fury waned, replaced by a composed demeanor.
“Did you already know I was the Prophet?”
“No. We only discovered it when we interrogated that girl, Min Juri, over there. Until a little while ago, we had no idea.”
“I’m sorry, Min. The pain was unbearable…”
Ryu Min harbored no resentment toward Min Juri.
With an ominous gaze, he fixed his sights on An Sang-cheol.
“Kukuku, don’t glare at me like that. Do you have any idea how surprised I was to find out that the feeble Prophet was Black Scythe? Who would’ve imagined that? Hehe.”
“Before I unleash my wrath, let’s hear your explanation. Why did you attack Min Juri?”
“Well, she seemed closely connected to you, so I thought I might obtain some valuable information if I surprised her with an attack. But the outcome exceeded my expectations, huh? To think that the Prophet was the Black Scythe, hahaha! The CEO will be thrilled when he hears about it!”
As An Sang-cheol chuckled and spoke, Ryu Min unsheathed his Death Scythe.
“Can you ensure your survival long enough to deliver that message?”
“Whoa, whoa, slow down. Don’t come any closer, or I’ll detonate the bomb hidden inside Min Juri’s body.”
“What?”
In that moment, Heo Taeseok stepped out from behind An Sang-cheol.
“Hehe, this guy lent me a hand.”
Ryu Min could already piece together the situation.
“Could it be…?”
“Sorry, Black Scythe.”
“Did you truly implant a [Black Seed] within Min Juri’s body?”
Heo Taeseok nodded without uttering a word.
This simple act sent shockwaves through Ryu Min.
When a Dark Mage reached level 40, they acquired a skill called [Black Seed].
This skill allowed them to randomly summon one of their demonic minions and plant it in the ground.
But what would happen if this skill were used by planting it within a person’s body?
Their body would erupt like a firework, and the summoned minion would burst forth.
In a positive light, it was a great application of the skill, but viewed negatively, it was a brutal act.
Of course, in Ryu Min’s case, it was the latter.
“You bastard… When did you reach level 40?”
“Did you think I was merely fooling around? I worked hard to become strong, just like you, Black Scythe.”
“You worthless scum. Remove the seed immediately.”
“I refuse.”
Without hesitation, he firmly declined Ryu Min’s demand, causing Ryu Min’s eyebrows to twitch.
“Are you out of your mind? How dare you challenge me? Weren’t you secretly in awe of me?”
“Of course, to me, Black Scythe is like a god. But that’s only if you manage to handle this situation successfully. If you’re not flawless, there’s no reason to continue following the Black Scythe, right?”
Ryu Min felt like he’d been sucker-punched. An Sang-cheol, Seo Arin, and even Heo Taeseok, who had once revered him as a deity, had all betrayed him. The aftermath of such a betrayal from those he’d trusted ran deep.
“What do you want?”
“Hehe, do you see that precious girl of yours? How pity, she can’t even move.”
“Get to the point. And promise me you won’t harm Min Juri if I do what you ask.”
“Kukukukuk!”
An Sang-cheol burst into wicked laughter.
“That’s right, kukuk. I promise.”
“Alright, what do you want then? Information about the next round? The location of the Hidden Piece?”
“I have no interest in such matters.”
“…”
“You think you can deceive us and manipulate the CEO to your advantage? Unbelievable.”
An Sang-cheol’s grin abruptly turned into a stern expression.
“Take your own life.”
“…”
“End it right here in front of us. Then we’ll spare this girl.”
“Understood. Keep your promise.”
Without hesitation, Ryu Min pressed the blade of his scythe against his throat.
Snick—
His severed head dropped lifelessly to the ground. For a moment, it seemed as if Min Juri’s screams echoed in the air, but there was no time to focus on such matters.
‘As long as I can save Min Juri… that’s all that matters.’
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