The 100th Regression of the Max-Level Player

Chapter 207: The Next Target (Part 2)

Yang Chui Wen denied it, but the Dark Soul looked around at his companions as if to ask if they agreed with him.

“Do you all think I’m wrong?”

No one responded to the Dark Soul’s question.

Silence meant agreement.

The Dark Soul smiled wickedly.

“I think that Zhang Chen guy was a mole planted by a rival organization. He must have been waiting for the right moment to act.”

“No, wait a minute, maybe it’s not a rival organization. What if the Black Scythe is involved…?”

“The Black Scythe?”

Yang Chui Wen, now somewhat calmer, spoke with composure.

“I went to Korea to confirm what had happened to my men, and I visited the Black Scythe’s villa. It was completely empty.”

“He must have been out somewhere…”

“There were no signs of life. It was as if he had vacated the place, knowing this was going to happen.”

“Are you saying the Black Scythe figured out our plan beforehand?”

“Probably. Before we carried out the operation, I was told they were definitely inside that villa.”

At that, the Dark Soul snapped his fingers.

“Ah, I get it now! The Black Scythe figured out our plan in advance and bribed that Zhang Chen guy. He must have hired another killer to silence him afterward.”

It was a plausible theory, but one problem remained.

“The issue is how they found out about our plan…”

“Could there be a traitor among us?”

“A traitor among us…?”

Yang Chui Wen’s words changed the atmosphere immediately.

Everyone began eyeing each other suspiciously.

But John Delgado shook his head as if to say there was no need to suspect one another.

“I agree there’s a traitor, and I think I know who it is.”

“Who?”

“Obviously, the person who’s not here.”

At those words, everyone thought of one person.

The only apostle absent from the cabin meeting was Swingman.

“Why do you think Swingman is the traitor, John Delgado?”

The Spaniard, though calm in tone, was boiling inside.

After all, he had personally recruited these members.

If a traitor had emerged from among them, he couldn’t absolve himself of responsibility.

“I’m not certain. It’s just highly possible.”

“So what’s your reasoning?”

“In the 12th round, I partied with the Black Scythe.”

“Right, we decided that if the operation failed, we’d approach the Black Scythe as a backup plan.”

“At that time, there was a player named Jeffy with the Black Scythe.”

“Wait, Jeffy? The assassin who provided the Black Scythe’s hideout?”

“Yes. I was surprised when I first saw the nickname, but since his face was different from what I remembered, I thought he might be a different person. He didn’t seem to recognize me either. I just assumed that the assassin we hired had used a fake nickname. But then…”

John Delgado’s eyes gleamed.

“What if that Jeffy was the same person we met before and was actually in league with the Black Scythe? Then everything would make sense. He deceived us by spreading false information and helped the Black Scythe.”

“But we only asked him to tail the target, we didn’t reveal our full plan to him.”

“Which is why there must be a traitor among us. Who was it that called in Jeffy as an informant? It was none other than Swingman. The reason the Black Scythe could preemptively act was likely due to Swingman’s help.”

Swingman, Jeffy, the Black Scythe, and Zhang Chen.

If you assume these four were in cahoots, all the pieces fit together.

“Damn it! I knew it. That curry-eating bastard! I didn’t like him from the start!”

Only Yang Chui Wen exploded in anger, but the others felt a similar sense of betrayal. They were all grinding their teeth in silence, seething with anger.

“Where is Swingman? Why didn’t he come?”

“He’s gone silent. He’s not showing up in the search either.”

“He’s not showing up?”

“He’s coming up as a non-existent person.”

“Oh.”

The implication was clear.

“He must have been killed. In the 12th round.”

“Ha, what an idiot. Dying in just the 12th round.”

“So we can’t even get revenge?”

They had been ready to execute the traitor, but with him dead, there was nothing they could do.

“Zhang Chen is dead, and if it’s difficult to take revenge on the Black Scythe, that leaves only one person.”

“Jeffy. We need to track that bastard down.”

“But how do we track him down without even knowing his real name?”

“We can’t do anything in the real world. If we want to deal with him, it has to be in the otherworld. I know his face and nickname, so I can find him.”

As John Delgado spoke confidently, the Spaniard made the decision.

“Then let’s team up with John Delgado in the 13th round to track down this Jeffy. If we capture that bastard, we can torture him to uncover the truth. We might also get more information about the Black Scythe.”

“Damn assassin. I’ll avenge my subordinates.”

“Whatever the mission in the 13th round is, that bastard’s as good as dead. He messed with the wrong people.”

Thus, the meeting of the four apostles ended with their resolve. Their new target was Jeffy, who they suspected to be an ally of the Black Scythe.

*

“Whew.”

After the meeting, John Delgado returned home.

He had managed to survive this round by teaming up with the Black Scythe, but…

“Will I be able to survive the next one too?”

The fear grew stronger with each passing round.

Revenge against the Black Scythe wasn’t the only problem.

“It’s okay. I have an angel on my side.”

In the 12th round, he had turned the angel who fought against the Black Scythe into a spiritual undead. Although he had discovered him, for some reason, the Black Scythe had let him go. He had warned him not to overstep his bounds again.

“Right. What’s the point of revenge? Surviving comes first.”

With a thought of caution, John Delgado checked his status screen.

But as always, the message burned like a brand in his mind.

[Penalty is being applied.]

[All stats are permanently reduced by 50%.]

[All summoned creatures’ stats are permanently reduced by 50%.]

“Shit, f*ck!”

Seeing his halved stats made him furious.

Why did it have to be the Black Scythe? Why did he have to end up in such a situation?

The curses came naturally, but at least there was one silver lining.

“I still have my angel summon.”

He didn’t know the angel’s name, but it was undeniably powerful.

Although it had been like a mouse before the Black Scythe, it was still incredibly strong.

“It’s the strongest summon I’ve ever acquired. Without a doubt.”

When you turn a dead entity into a summoned creature, it retains 50% of its original power. Despite the penalty that reduced that further, it was still formidable.

“From now on, my only hope is this nameless angel summon.”

He had to become stronger.

Setting aside revenge against the Black Scythe, he needed to survive until the 20th round.

“And then, I’ll use my wish to have the Black Scythe killed.”

Of course, it was just a fantasy.

Instead of wishing for something like that, wouldn’t it be better to wish for a thousand times more power than the Black Scythe?

“Then I’ll rule the world and get everything I want. Hehehe.”

He laughed to himself, the sound echoing in his empty house like the cackle of a madman.

But it didn’t matter.

“Who cares? There’s no one here to see, anyway. Hehehe.”

“Except for me.”

At the sound of the third voice, John Delgado jumped in shock.

When he turned around with a stern expression, he saw a masked figure.

“A white mask?”

The video footage from the villa flashed through his mind.

The man called the Black Scythe had worn the exact same mask.

“You, you’re not…?”

“Yes, I’m exactly who you think.”

With those words, the masked figure suddenly pulled out a scythe.

It was the familiar weapon that had sliced through his limbs.